"I certainly donât want to die, but you, on the other hand, wish for my death,"
Shi Xiaole said with a faint smile.
The means of a Void Origin Realm Martial Emperor are unpredictable; some may not be very powerful, but their obscure and unorthodox methods can take you by surprise. Shi Xiaole did not believe that the Fearful Martial Emperor was just passing by.
"Our paths donât cross, and I donât understand what you mean. Iâll take my leave."
Fearing that the three powerful figures behind him might pursue, although he didnât think heâd be trapped, it would invariably be troublesome. The Fearful Martial Emperor sneered inwardly and turned to leave.
Boom!
Sword Qi suddenly burst forth, filling the tiny expanse of the void.
"How dare you! Did you think that with some backing, you can act with impunity? Fearful Demon Nightmare!"
As he surged forward, a substantial layer of black Qi emanated from the Fearful Martial Emperor and enveloped an area of a hundred thousand meters in the blink of an eye.
Within this range, plants withered, birds and beasts were frightened to death, and wandering martial artists lost their courage, becoming extremely anxious.
Compared to their first encounter, the power displayed by the Fearful Martial Emperor had increased manifold. Shi Xiaole guessed this was also where the otherâs confidence in seeking revenge came from.
Unfortunatelyâ
"Invisible Sword Qi!"
Amid the hissing, the veil-like black Qi was suddenly pierced, tearing open one slit after another, and in the blink of an eye, the fear looming over everyoneâs hearts disappeared.
"Youâve broken through to the Void Origin Realm?"
Previously, the Fearful Martial Emperorâs attention had been totally captured by Uncle Wang and the others, and because Shi Xiaole hadnât deliberately shown his hand, the emperor had failed to notice him.
Realizing the transformation of his opponent, the Fearful Martial Emperorâs desire to retreat became even more resolute. After all, even if he could defeat Shi Xiaole, the cost would be significant and might endanger his own life.
"Fear, follow my heart!"
Transforming into a wisp of black smoke, the Fearful Martial Emperor dashed away a thousand miles. But no matter how fast his Flying Skill was, how could it outpace the Sword Qi? Under the continuous strikes of the Sword Qi, the Fearful Martial Emperor was forced to dodge left and right, inevitably slowing down.
Seizing the opportunity, Shi Xiaole drew his sword and lunged.
"Since you insist on courting death, Iâll grant your wish. Fearful Demon Abyss!"
With a clench and a grab of his large hand, a three-inch black sphere formed in his palm. This black sphere seemed to contain all the terrors of the world, sweeping across the sky in an instant, releasing waves of black torrents that trapped Shi Xiaole, much like the sky was an abyss.
"Fearful Demon Abyss, ranked 36th among the Earthly Realmâs killing moves of the Daxia Dynasty. This Fearful Martial Emperor, born of the Devil Path, is 2136 years old..."
Miles away, Mu Qianji recited the details as if they were treasures in her collection.
In summary, the Fearful Martial Emperor was a top Earthly Realm Martial Emperor; Shi Xiaole would be at a disadvantage against him, if not outright hurt.
Looking at the Sect Leader, who took pleasure in the misfortune, Han Yanfa spread his hands helplessly. Actually, this was a good opportunity to mend his relationship with Shi Xiaole, but with the Sect Leaderâs coercion, he had no choice but to painfully let it go.
Thud...
The collision lasted only a moment before the Sword Qi scattered in all directions, with the black Qi seizing the opportunity to rush in, transforming into terrifying ghosts and ghouls that tore at Shi Xiaole.
"Fearful Double Abyss!"
It wasnât over yet; right after launching one killing move, the Fearful Martial Emperor released a second one. Two layers of demonic abysses, one after the other, joined together inside and out, completely blocking Shi Xiaoleâs path.
This was the result of many years of the Fearful Martial Emperorâs hidden cultivation. He was confident that with this move, even another top Earthly Realm Martial Emperor might not be able to handle it if taken by surprise.
After doing all of this, he didnât even look at Shi Xiaole and desperately fled outward, fearing that the three powerful figures would catch up. Otherwise, he wouldnât mind killing Shi Xiaole on the spot.
"Itâs true that no one should be underestimated."
The head-on confrontation just now made Shi Xiaole realize the gap between a first-class Earthly Realm Martial Emperor and a top Earthly Realm Martial Emperor. If he were an ordinary first-class Earthly Realm Martial Emperor, he wouldnât be killed, but he would be severely damaged.
Luckily, he wasnât.
With "Ascending Immortal Step" deployed, Shi Xiaole had locked onto the interval of the Fearful Martial Emperorâs attacks. With a swift movement, he narrowly escaped the double demonic abysses.
"What, top-level Flying Skill?"
Sensing the commotion behind him, the Fearful Martial Emperorâs eyes gleamed with intense greed.
Like all other levels of martial skills, the preciousness of top-level Flying Skills far exceeds that of top-leveled martial arts and is extremely hard to come by. Even the top-tier powers do not possess many top-level Flying Skills.
Whether one has cultivated a top-level Flying Skill greatly impacts a Void Origin Realm Martial Emperor. For instance, if the Fearful Martial Emperor could learn one, he could definitely contend with a Heaven Realm Martial Emperor.
Why, why does this young man have such profound Fortunate Fate!
"Sword One."
Just as he thought this, Shi Xiaole, in the distance, transformed into a streak of sword light, charging across with ferocity, forcing the Fearful Martial Emperor to arrange his stance to engage in combat.
However, after a few moves, the Fearful Martial Emperorâs expression changed.
The sword moves were too fluid. If for the first sword, he could resist with sixty percent of his strength, then for the second sword, he needed sixty-five percent, and for the third, a bit more. Layers upon layers of sword light continuously tightened their grip, encapsulating him within.
"Break for me, Fearful Demon Abyss!"
Not wanting to delay, the Fearful Martial Emperor once again used his killing move.
"Sword Eighteen!"
As Shi Xiaole was adapting to the sword moves, the swordâs momentum suddenly changed. The dazzling array of sword lights, like an omnipresent net of swords, trapped the Fearful Martial Emperor within, continuously slashing at him, producing a shrill noise.
Black Qi spilled out incessantly, and the Fearful Martial Emperor roared as he tore through the sword net, but as soon as he ripped half of it, a new net would emerge, never-ending.
"Sword Eighteen," derives from the idea of âthreeness without end, sixfold infinity.â As long as the swordâs rhythm continues, sword techniques can be spontaneously conceived, unceasingly flowing. This can only be stopped if the opponentâs absolute strength is an entire level higher than the userâs.
But evidently, the Fearful Martial Emperor was not that much ahead of Shi Xiaole.
"This guy!"
Mu Qianji, who was attentively watching the battle from afar, had a moment of stillness in her expression.
If she remembered correctly, this was the third top-level martial art Shi Xiaole had used. You know, even the Divine Sect only had five top-level martial arts. Where on earth had he learned this?
Could it be passed down by the Witch Queen? It didnât seem like her style.
It appeared that his fortunes were truly remarkable.
Even Han Yanfa was dumbfounded. Shi Xiaole had progressed again in the past five months, almost catching up to the Fearful Martial Emperor. He truly didnât know how to describe what he was feeling inside.
Only Uncle Wang chuckled lightly and thought nothing of it.
Having learned of the martial arts of life and death, he believed that no matter what inconceivable things Shi Xiaole did, it wouldnât surprise him.
"Kirin, even if your swordsmanship is astonishing, you are not my match. Whatâs the point of dragging this on?"
After a series of intense battles, if the Fearful Martial Emperor still couldnât recognize Shi Xiaole, he might as well hang himself.
Yet he still couldnât believe itâthe top genius of the Flying Horse Dynasty had actually become a Void Origin Realm Martial Emperor and gained a strength nearly rivaling his. What a joke!
"That person is Kirin?"
"Clad in green, hair white as frost, practitioner of the Wind Sword Wayâwho else could it be but him?"
"But, isnât this strength a bit too formidable? Two years ago in Mist Rain Town, he could only just arm-wrestle with a Human Realm Martial Emperor."
Near where Shi Xiaole and the Fearful Martial Emperor were fiercely battling, there happened to be two other Void Origin Realm Martial Emperors in reclusion: an old man with a white beard reaching to his chest and a middle-aged man with purple eyes.
Standing tens of thousands of miles away, both were filled with emotion.
"How do you know I am not your match?"
Shi Xiaole circled around the Fearful Martial Emperor using his Flying Skill while simultaneously striking with his sword.
Indeed, in terms of frontal attack power, he still fell half a step short, but sometimes, having greater strength doesnât guarantee a win.
"You forced this upon me, âInvincible with Myselfâ amidst the Devil Path illusions!"
Submerged in the power of fear, the Fearful Martial Emperorâs eyes turned pitch black and slowly began to spin. As he pushed forward with his palms, two layers of the Demon Abyss emerged, one on each side. As if bolstered by the power of fear, their might surged violently, attacking Shi Xiaole from both sides.
This attack truly made Shi Xiaole feel the crisis. His back broke out in a cold sweat.
"The Fearful Martial Emperor has been pushed into a corner."
"I remember over a thousand years ago, he used this move to inflict heavy damage on a top Earthly Realm Martial Emperor with just first-rate Earthly Realm strength. But the cost of such a move is enormous, heâll need to recover for several hundred years."
The white-bearded elder and the purple-eyed middle-ager silently communicated with each otherânot via voice transmission, but by conveying thoughts, so they instantly understood each otherâs intentions.
Just when they thought the situation was settled, an unexpected turn occurred.
"Heavenly Palace Illusion!"
Shi Xiaoleâs response was incredibly fast. Before the Fearful Martial Emperor could even unleash the full power of his secret technique, Shi Xiaoleâs psychic force had already projected out, creating a stunningly beautiful world within his adversaryâs mind, making him incapable of escaping.
"Sword Eighteen!"
Shi Xiaole waved his long sword, enveloping his opponent within a net of swords, while simultaneously retreating explosively.
Pupupupu...
The black Qi lost control and exploded spontaneously, easily shredding the net of swords, inadvertently harming the Fearful Martial Emperor as well. Shi Xiaole, however, took advantage of the momentary disruption to swiftly retreat several miles away, sustaining only minor injuries.
The life-and-death martial arts quietly operated, and Shi Xiaoleâs injuries quickly healed.
"Iâve lost, Iâve actually lost."
The Fearful Martial Emperor was bleeding all over, without an inch of uninjured flesh, and his body, propelled by the explosion, rapidly shot backwards, which also created an opportunity for him to flee. He didnât utter any threats, but dragged his severely injured body away in a frenzied escape, vowing in his heart that he would surely get his revenge one day.
Boom!
At the edge of the sky, a stick shadow suddenly flashed by, and before the Fearful Martial Emperor could comprehend, he lost consciousness completely.
"This man would stop at nothing for the sake of martial arts; Iâve wanted to kill him for a long time."
Uncle Wang snickered, casting a seemingly inadvertent glance in a certain direction, yet said nothing and leapt back onto the Heavenly Divine Eagleâs back.
The white-bearded elder and the purple-eyed middle-ager, however, felt as though they were being watched by a predator.
Shi Xiaole also noticed the presence of the two, but he didnât care. Since neither side interfered with the other, it was as if he hadnât seen them.
"Lucky we didnât provoke them."
"Since the great changes in heaven and earth, the Martial World has become increasingly dangerous. In the future, it seems that only characters like Kirin will be able to stand proudly above the tides."
It was not until Shi Xiaole and the others had departed into the distance that the white-bearded elder and the purple-eyed middle-ager finally sighed in relief. Their strength was not inferior to the Fearful Martial Emperorâs, but against Kirin, they would have no advantage, not to mention that skinny old man.
Being inclined to live in reclusion, and with their naturally indifferent temperaments, coupled with the fact that they had extensive connections, friends would occasionally visit them. It was inevitable that the dayâs events would be discussed.
Soon after, news about Kirin and Uncle Wang began to spread wildly within the Void Origin Realm circles of the Daxia Kingdom. Then, as news typically does, it spread downwards, layer by layer, until after several months, it stirred up the Daxia Martial World.
There are no walls in the world that keep every secret, like a chain reaction following the revelation. More stories, like the blood battle at the royal city, got out, and as a result, the Daxia Martial World was thrown into a frenzy.
However, by that time, Shi Xiaole, as the main character in these tales, had long since returned to the Flying Horse Dynasty.