"Uncle Lingfu, save him!"
As Shi Xiaole was engulfed by the attack of the person clad in white, Miss Ling quickly communicated with her mind to the elder by her side.
The elder, dressed in simple clothes, his hair disheveled, was indeed one of the three people whom Mu Qianji could not see through. Hearing her, he responded, "Thereâs no need for now."
Before he had even finished speaking, the situation in the field changed.
"Ananda Eight Skills!"
With a roar full of momentum, Han Yanfa pushed with both palms, eight palm prints striking out from all directions, one after the other. Although his own strength was weak, paired with Shi Xiaole who was ranked eighty-seventh on the Emperor List, he might be able to withstand the white-clothed personâs offensive.
Further back, Murong San retreated uncontrollably, while Witch Granny was carried by someone, her gaze fixed on the center of the arena, mixed with both admiration and helplessness.
Clang!
A crisp sound of a swordâs cry rang out before the clash of palm and claw. Many only saw a flash of sword light, that cold white gleam, which even the iris couldnât catch.
Swish!
Within an instant, another sound of fabric tearing apart reached everyoneâs ears, as if it occurred simultaneously with the swordâs cry.
The claw shadows were mercilessly split in two, the cut surfaces smooth as if polished, the tumultuous claw force barely emerged before it was severed by the lingering Sword Qi, unable to advance an inch.
The person in white froze in mid-air.
"Youâre the one whoâs dead."
Shi Xiaole said indifferently, his hand gripping the sword hilt.
"Heh, heh..."
Weak, rough sounds like that from a small fan came from the white-clothed personâs mouth, his expression one of panic. He tried to speak, but as he exerted force, a long line of blood split open from the top of his head down to the crotch, evenly dividing him into two halves.
The next moment!
The person in white split apart, like two pieces of meat on a chopping board, and fell with sounds of equal intensity as they hit the ground.
This signified the level of the swordsmanâs skill, which had reached an exquisite peak, calculating even the weight of blood and hairs, splitting them equally into two.
Hiss!
Mu Qianjiâs pupils contracted; as she retreated in shock, she couldnât help but draw in a breath of cold air.
Just now, in that split second, she was one of the few who had seen Shi Xiaoleâs swordplay; the entire process could be described in one word, fast. She would bet that, including herself, there were at most only five or six people present who could have caught that sword strike.
Shi Xiaoleâs strength was definitely not as simple as being the eighty-seventh on the Emperor List; it should be in the seventies, the sixties, no, perhaps even the fifties.
How could this man improve so fast!
Yet the more he did so, the angrier Mu Qianji became. With Shi Xiaoleâs talent, he would surely be able to revitalize the Divine Sect and fulfill the ancestral aspirations of the Mu family. How could he be allowed to fall so easily?
You, Shi Xiaole, advance swiftly, but can you beat me? Not to mention the Carefree Sect still has three others whose strength is only going to be stronger than mine, Mu Qianji.
"This manâs swordsmanship is indeed extraordinary; itâs rare to find someone in the Central Plain who catches my eye. Bitter Envoy, capture him for me and remember, leave him a dogâs life."
The Young Sect Leader stood with one hand behind his back, the other caressing the hair in front of his chest, speaking with interest.
Miss Lingâs expression changed slightly as she looked at Lingfu by her side, who secretly transmitted, "I will be ready to act at any moment. Since the young lady wants to protect him, Lingfu will not let anything happen to him."
The man known as Bitter Envoy, with a cold expression, had already charged to a short distance in front of Shi Xiaole without any visible movement. This astonishing speed made Mu Qianji immediately warn, "Be careful!"
Speed was Shi Xiaoleâs forte, and the speed of this Bitter Envoy was not in the least inferior to his.
Once she sensed the opponentâs aura, Mu Qianji immediately knew that Bitter Envoyâs strength was likely not inferior to her own and could at least be in the top twenty-five of the Emperor List, if not the top twenty.
"Endless Suffering!"
An aura like a bog enveloped Shi Xiaole rapidly. Bitter Envoyâs martial way was the rare and arduous path of suffering, and he had reached the mid-phase of twelve levels of mastery.
Under its influence, Shi Xiaole felt as if his body was restrained, his strength waning, and even his will softened somewhat.
"It targets both the body and the spirit."
Shi Xiaole tensed slightly.
There are countless martial ways, but the majority can only launch physical attacks, few can launch mental ones, and far fewer can do both. Moreover, when having both, the power of each is likely to be compromised, which is usually not worth the trade-off.
Unless one comprehends the Demon Martial Way, or the Emperorâs Martial Way of the Martial Emperor.
The Bitter Envoyâs path of suffering was clearly only a Semi-Supreme Martial Art, yet to be used to this extent, even affecting Shi Xiaole, showed the opponentâs talent was absolutely top-tier in the world.
Had it been a master from the Emperor List, ranked between the twentieth and thirtieth and caught off guard, they might have indeed been hit. Unfortunately for Bitter Envoy, he faced Shi Xiaole.
With the Heart Sword activated, Shi Xiaole easily cut through the weakeness, his sword momentum instantly escalated, and wielding the Cleansing Evil Sword, he split into a stunning swan strike, effortlessly destroying Bitter Envoyâs created atmosphere.
"Add suffering upon suffering, defeat!"
His expression changing, Bitter Envoy circled around Shi Xiaole, waves of distressing fluctuations stacking upon each other, forming surging waves that crashed toward Shi Xiaole, violently shaking the very heavens.
As a top figure in the South Sea martial arts world, to fail to take down a young man from the Central Plain with one move was a source of shame for Bitter Envoy. Unwilling to waste more time, he directly used his ultimate skill.
Han Yanfaâs mouth hung open.
He had once seen the withered and flourishing old man, ranked twentieth on the Emperor List, make a move. In Han Yanfaâs view, this move from Bitter Envoy, if not quite as potent as the old manâs killing move, was close. The opponentâs strength was not inferior to that of a Sect Leader!
How was Shi Xiaole supposed to fight?
"Lightning Startling Swan!"
Without a hint of panic, he also didnât use the "Returning Sword." Shi Xiaole wanted to see if, after his Heart Sword power reached four hundred and sixty strands, he could defeat a high-level expert ranked around twentieth on the Emperor List with his fast sword alone.
His sword and hands plunged into the void, and then, Shi Xiaole himself disappeared.
Bang!
In the center of the Bitter Sea, the void formed massive crisscrossing fissures.
Whoosh!
Almost at the same moment, a sword light so faint it was nearly invisible whisked past the Bitter Envoyâs body.
"Iâm injured?"
The Bitter Envoy looked at the wound on his chest. The injury wasnât severe, but the significance was; he had actually been wounded by a youngster from the Central Plain who had not lived even a hundred years.
What an immense disgrace this wasâif the news spread back to the South Sea, he would become the laughingstock.
"Bitter Realm, get inside!"
A circle of gray bubbles expanded rapidly from the Bitter Envoy to ten thousand meters in size, intending to trap Shi Xiaole within. The "Bitter Realm" didnât cause much damage but could effectively restrain the opponent. The Bitter Envoy didnât believe he couldnât outpace or outlast Shi Xiaole.
But the Bitter Envoy had clearly underestimated Shi Xiaoleâs speed, or rather, Shi Xiaole had never displayed his true speed.
Using the "Ascending Immortal Step" in conjunction with the "Lightning Startling Swan," Shi Xiaoleâs hands and feet separated, delicate sword lights grazed the void, leaving no trace. From afar, these sword lights seemed to slice the gray bubbles into many parts.
With each appearance came a spray of fresh blood and a scream of rage.
The Bitter Envoy was covered in blood. In the blink of an eye, he had been hit by Shi Xiaole three hundred and sixty-six times with the sword. Whether it was the length, width, or depth, these sword wounds were all of the same size.
As the saying goes, even ants can bite an elephant to death. A single sword wound might not be serious, but the sheer number was overwhelming. The Bitter Envoy suspected that if this continued, Shi Xiaole would eventually wear him down alive!
Shocked, the Bitter Envoy no longer cared about his dignity and began to madly strike with his palms while rapidly retreating. The exchange from start to retreat seemed lengthy, yet it took only a brief moment.
This scene stunned everyone present.
Elder Bai, Elder Chen, and even Uncle Lingfu were no exceptions. They had considered Shi Xiaole very strong, but they had never thought heâd be so formidable that even the Bitter Envoy could not match him.
"With only a fast sword, this is as far as I can go. Once I meet someone with strong defensive abilities, like the Diamond Great Emperor ranked twenty-sixth on the Emperor List, Iâm afraid Iâll fall short," said Shi Xiaole, shaking his head internally.
Despite having the upper hand just before, Shi Xiaole found that wearing down the Bitter Envoy wouldnât be easy, as the opponent had plenty of time and opportunities to escape. Moreover, blind speed had its limitations, especially against defensive masters. After all, no matter how fast you are, if you canât break through your opponentâs defense, itâs all for nothing.
Ignoring the Bitter Envoy, Shi Xiaole dashed towards Mu Qianjiâs location.
"Good lad. Elder Bai, you take down that woman; Iâll deal with him," Elder Chen said, his expression slightly tense.
Itâs well recognized that martial artists with high speed are particularly troublesome. Elder Bai, when dealing with Shi Xiaole, would certainly have the upper hand, but to defeat him completely would not be easy.
Elder Bai nodded, focusing his attack on Mu Qianji. Given Elder Chenâs leg techniques and strength, he should be able to take down Shi Xiaole given enough time.
"Breaking Thunder Drilling Cloud Flash!"
Countering speed with speed, stealing the initiative, Elder Chenâs feet joined together, his body spun rapidly, and the fierce Vigorous Air formed a tornado. At the top of the tornado was a triangular apex, stabbing towards Shi Xiaole with terrifying speed.
Around the tornado were wrinkles in the void, growing from dense to sparse, and the residual force was so strong that even the periphery showed moderate cracks!
This was Elder Chenâs ultimate killing technique, with a speed rivalling Shi Xiaoleâs sword technique, and even greater power.
Many hearts rose to their throats.
The elder named Uncle Lingfu tensed up his body, ready to intervene at any moment.
"Returning Sword!"
Facing the leg drill storm, Shi Xiaole showed no fear, pushing his power to the limit. Gripping his sword in both hands, he swung hard at the tip of the triangular apex.
A flicker of lightning.
There was a moment of silence between heaven and earth, and then, an earth-shattering explosion filled everyoneâs ears, as if it was going to shatter their souls.
"What, it was blocked?"
Elder Chen shouted in disbelief.
His legs were numb, tiny strands of Sword Qi like sharp needles, trying to penetrate the pores of his feet. It took a bit of effort to disperse them, but his body couldnât help retreating backwards.
"Heâs not as powerful as the Galan Sword Emperor," he thought.
And what stunned Elder Chen even more appeared before his eyes. Shi Xiaole, who had just unleashed his killing move a moment ago, raised the Cleansing Evil Sword almost instantaneously, and struck down with lightning speed.
Supreme Sword Qi cut through the sky, sweeping across armies!
Boom...
Blood rained as Elder Chenâs legs were covered in a glaring red. His face twisted in horror as he flew backward like a rag doll, his screams echoing in all directions.
For Shi Xiaole, two consecutive uses of his killer technique, supported by Demon Martial Way, was not a big deal.