Mysteries of Immortal Puppet Master

Chapter 1426: Chapter 575: Meteor Slash

Situ Xing was sinking into darkness.

"Wake up, Xing’er, wake up." In the boundless darkness, there came a faint call.

"Where, where am I?" Situ Xing’s consciousness gathered.

He looked around and saw the night sky like ink, stretching endlessly, with no sun or moon, only boundless darkness pressing down, making him feel suffocated and hopeless.

All was silent.

"I, I seem to have forgotten something." Situ Xing tried hard to recall.

At that moment, in the deep night sky, a faint light suddenly appeared.

The light was extremely weak, like a candle in the wind, ready to go out at any moment.

Then, a second point, a third, a fourth...

Countless points of light lit up in the dark sky, dense and overwhelming.

It was as if someone ignited thousands of lamps in the darkness, one after another, spreading from near to far, from one end of the horizon to the other.

In an instant, the once empty night sky was filled with countless points of light.

At first, they quietly hung high, motionless, flashing a cold light. Then they began to slowly grow larger.

A far-off and faint rumbling sound could be heard, but soon, as the spots of light expanded and grew, the sound grew louder and louder, like thousands of galloping horses coming forth.

At first, just two or three spots of light fell from the highest point of the sky, trailing long light tails, slowly descending.

Then, it was overwhelming!

Thousands of meteors simultaneously broke free from the sky’s constraints, crashing down like a torrential rain.

They carried blazing light tails, with a world-destroying power, tearing through the sky, slicing through the darkness!

Thus, the entire deep night sky was illuminated by this grand meteor shower.

The starlight grew stronger, exploding, burning, and wild!

Countless meteors dragged myriad beams of light, piercing down from the deep of the nine heavens, making everything as bright as day, with no shadow hidden.

Situ Xing floated, raising his head to watch, only feeling the entire sky collapsing, falling!

That familiar voice sounded in his ear once more: "Xiao Xing, take a good look. This is one of our clan’s legacies—’Sky Meteor Fall Map’. Observe well. According to the clan’s rules, within ten years of age, you only have this one chance."

Situ Xing’s consciousness trembled slightly: "Yes, I am observing the ’Sky Meteor Fall Map’."

He quickly focused, clearing all distractions, observing carefully.

The air was torn apart, emitting sharp whistles, forming a deafening wave of sound like tens of thousands of ghosts wailing, like hundreds of beasts roaring!

The entire universe trembled.

Situ Xing also swayed, the sky spinning and the ground shifting!

This meteor shower was so vast, meteors close by were as large as mountains, while those further were as small as millstones. But what attracted Situ Xing the most was the one at the forefront.

It was of moderate size, its whole body burning fiercely with azure flames, leaving a brilliant flame tail.

Its surface was covered in cracks, even flowing with lava-like liquid. As it fell, fragments continually peeled off from its body, transforming into a shower of sparks, dissipating into the night sky.

Its speed was the fastest, charging the fiercest.

It was visibly shrinking to the naked eye.

Situ Xing felt it was completely unconcerned. Or rather, it intended to die in the charge, bursting into its most brilliant glory!

Situ Xing’s eyes were firmly attracted by it, and a hard-to-describe emotion suddenly surged in his heart.

"Xiao Xing, what have you comprehended?" that voice asked him again.

Situ Xing replied, "It’s a move called ’Meteor Slash’."

The voice paused for a moment: "Xiao Xing, to execute this flying sword move, one must achieve Body and Sword Integration. Though its power is strong, it requires a self-sacrificing strike, an all-or-nothing gamble. If you use it in the future, be extremely cautious."

Just as Situ Xing was about to respond.

Boom!

A meteor crashed down, shattering his world into fragments.

He was returned to the final moment of confrontation with Ning Zhuo.

Exhaustion, a profound exhaustion darkened his vision.

His stamina was almost depleted, his spirit frequently approaching the limits, each time on the brink of collapse, pulled back by consuming Elixir Pills, activating treasures, and other methods.

Every bone in his body was wailing, every vein trembling.

He knew he could hardly hold on.

But Ning Zhuo was still sitting on the Mechanical Carriage, unleashing wave after wave of relentless attacks, showing no signs of weariness or exhaustion.

Surrender, to end with dignity?

Or persist, maybe the opponent was also at the end of his strength, just putting on an authentic facade.

Situ Xing quickly pondered, choosing to gather his last strength, concentrating it all, then achieving Man and Sword as One, unleashing Meteor Slash!

This was his strongest strike, also his last strike.

If not successful, then let it be!

He charged forward!

"Strike Ning Zhuo, perhaps claiming victory in this battle!"

However, walls of ice rose before him.

Bang, bang, bang.

He didn’t want to change direction, nor could he.

The Meteor Slash, this Flying Sword Technique, is just like that, relentless!

First comes courage, then exhaustion, and finally ends.

Ultimately, he stopped in his tracks, trapped by a wall of ice.

"No!" He wanted to charge again, but his body had no strength left.

With intense unwillingness, he watched helplessly as he was frozen.

Not far away, Snow-colored Girl·Hui’s figure was so clear. While Ning Zhuo’s face blurred behind Snow-colored Girl·Hui, appearing unreachable.

Situ Xing gave his all, burning himself, but his strongest strike stopped midway.

"I didn’t even touch Ning Zhuo’s sleeve!"

Unwillingness.

Intense unwillingness burned like a flame in Situ Xing’s heart.

He struggled fiercely—

Suddenly he sat up from his bed, glaring angrily, gritting his teeth!

Hearing the commotion, Shen Xi and Lin Jinglong rushed into the room, both overjoyed.

The latter blurted out, "Brother Situ, you’re awake!"

Situ Xing was stunned for a few breaths, then realized: his battle with Ning Zhuo was over, and he had just woken from unconsciousness.

"I... lost." Situ Xing’s face was no longer fierce, his clenched fists reluctantly relaxing as he gasped.

Shen Xi and Lin Jinglong approached the bed, remaining silent.

The room fell into silence.

Situ Xing’s mind started racing, quickly recalling his battle with Ning Zhuo.

"This fight was perhaps the most intense in all my duels."

"I fought with all my strength, though defeated... no regrets."

"Ning Zhuo’s combat strength..." At this point, Situ Xing couldn’t continue.

Previously immersed in the battle, he didn’t realize it. Now, upon reflection, he noticed how often Ning Zhuo let him have chances, realizing Ning Zhuo had control of the entire battle.

Situ Xing looked at Lin Jinglong, his eyes showing a rare trace of resentment: "Brother Lin, you said before that you were evenly matched with Ning Zhuo?"

Lin Jinglong coughed twice, smiling awkwardly, "We stopped at the point, just at the point."

Situ Xing: ...

Shen Xi interjected, "Brother Situ, what are your plans next?"

Situ Xing relaxed, leaning back against the bedpost with a bitter smile: "I prepared thoroughly for this battle, borrowed many treasures and beast pets from my family, yet still couldn’t defeat Ning Zhuo."

"Ning Zhuo gave me many chances, leaving me without any excuses for losing."

"He achieved his goal, also proving that his actions before were neither arrogance nor disrespect, but genuine strength."

"Accepting the gamble and acknowledging defeat, I will establish a new base."

At this point, he looked at Shen Xi and Lin Jinglong: "What do you two think?"

Situ Xing felt a hint of tension in his heart.

He and Shen Xi, Lin Jinglong were rivals and long-time friends. With their help, he could tackle tasks at the Feiyun Conference more effectively and efficiently.

Even heroes need help; fighting solo is not as effective as joining the Demon Path, nor the Righteous Path.

Situ Xing, Shen Xi, and Lin Jinglong all came from distinguished backgrounds; they were the Foundation Establishment of their respective families, sharing a competitive and complementary relationship.

Faced with Situ Xing’s inquiry, Shen Xi and Lin Jinglong exchanged glances but didn’t directly respond.

Seeing this, Situ Xing’s heart sank.

Shen Xi said, "Brother Situ, from Ning Zhuo’s end, I heard that when you issued the challenge, you said ’whoever wins is the leader’. To truly honor the gamble and accept defeat, simply breaking away and establishing anew isn’t enough."

Situ Xing sighed deeply: "In front of you two, I’ll speak frankly."

"I prepared thoroughly before the duel with Ning Zhuo, never expecting to lose, which is why I said that."

"Having lost, I must establish anew."

"My personal reputation is insignificant, but as my family’s Foundation Establishment, humbling myself affects our family’s reputation and is unacceptable."

"Ning Zhuo’s background is unclear; if I’m under him, how will outsiders view me, view the Situ Family?"

Shen Xi frowned slightly: "Then how do you plan to handle your promise to Ning Zhuo? If he exposes it, you might be seen as untrustworthy, further damaging your family’s reputation."

Situ Xing furrowed his brows: "Ning Zhuo is a man of integrity, and we are on the same path. He surely understands me. Hence, negotiating with him, perhaps offering resources, should resolve it."

Shen Xi sighed gently: "That’s your perspective; consider the worst-case scenario. What if Ning Zhuo insists?"

Situ Xing showed worry: "That would be difficult."

He suddenly realized: "Brother Shen, do you have another idea, trying to persuade me? This is simply done; I’m not one to breach agreements lightly. My concern is our family’s reputation. If Ning Zhuo has a strong background, being under him isn’t impossible."

He thought for a moment: "Even if Ning Zhuo’s background isn’t deep, not a superpower, but as long as there’s a Nascent Soul present, it works."

Lin Jinglong sighed.

Situ Xing looked at him.

Lin Jinglong’s eyes were profound: "Brother Situ, Ning has anticipated your reaction. But the situation now is somewhat complex; you’d better talk to Brother Ning first."