A faint aura enveloped the Fúlóng bow, resembling flames from afar.
Chu Dijiang’s face suddenly paled as he felt his internal energy rapidly depleting.
The power contained in this arrow was astonishing. Even those engaged in combat sensed a threat, feeling they’d be reduced to ashes if they didn’t flee immediately.
This domineering aura covered half the imperial palace. Elder Zhi and Feng Shi, both at the Huajing level, naturally sensed it too.
Feng Shi glanced briefly at the two distant figures. Seeing their arrow wasn’t aimed at the Crown Prince, he calmly looked away. His duty was to protect the monarch, including the future monarch. As long as the Crown Prince’s life wasn’t threatened, he only needed to stay close and guard him; everything else was irrelevant.
Elder Zhi’s attention wavered only momentarily before refocusing on his bow and arrow. The slightly dispersed blue light reconcentrated.
The standoff seemed brief, yet felt interminable to both sides.
A crane’s cry pierced the sky.
Blue light blazed, dispelling the pre-dawn haze and casting an eerie blue glow on everyone’s face.
Immediately after, a clear phoenix cry rang out. An Jiu released her fingers, and a red phoenix of energy sprang forth, rushing towards the blue light with lightning speed.
Under the pressure of these two powerful forces, everyone’s movements slowed.
The Crown Prince squinted, watching the arrow hidden in blue light rapidly approaching the Second Prince. Three hundred paces, two hundred, one hundred, ninety… As the distance closed, his heart leaped. Just a little more, and victory would be his!
“Your Highness!” The second Prince’s guards cried out, leaping to protect him.
In that split second, everyone held their breath. Everything seemed to freeze, then explode in an instant.
The arrow containing Chu Dijiang’s full power collided precisely with the arrow shrouded in blue light. It suddenly spread into a sea of fire that could engulf a vast lake, like a giant beast opening its bloody maw, instantly vaporizing the icy water.
It seemed like both an eternity and a blink of an eye.
The thunderous impact made it feel as if the entire imperial city, all of Bianjing, and the whole Song Dynasty were shaking.
Hundreds of screams were drowned out by the enormous sound. Even the Crown Prince, standing hundreds of zhang away, felt his internal organs nearly shatter from the massive force.
The Chenglong Hall instantly brightened as if at noon. White banners fluttered as all officials stared in shock at the crimson sky outside.
On the battlefield, bodies were torn apart by the two forces. As the light gradually faded, flesh rained down.
The Crown Prince, face pale, stared fixedly at the center of the battlefield. “Did it succeed?”
Feng Shi slowly shook his head.
He had seen Elder Zhi’s arrow intercepted thirty paces away. Simultaneously, a ninth-level expert had tackled the Second Prince off his horse, dispersing his cultivation to form an invisible shield protecting the prince.
Perhaps the Second Prince was now in even better condition than the Crown Prince.
Feng Shi was surprised and curious. Dispersing one’s cultivation was self-destructive, at best reducing one to an ordinary person. Yet Second Prince had a ninth-level expert, on the verge of reaching Huajing, willing to sacrifice himself! However, he was more curious about who had shot that incredible arrow.
The aura on the arrow was familiar. It was from the Huajing expert who had once infiltrated the palace and fought him, but the archer was a petite woman.
Everyone seemed stunned by this turn of events, staring blankly at the dismembered limbs raining down.
The ninth-level warrior who had shielded Second Prince, having exhausted his lifelong cultivation, slowly rose. Blood soaked through his face cloth as he rasped, “Is Your Highness unharmed?”
The second Prince was covered in blood but uninjured. As a sixth-level warrior, he naturally understood what had just happened. “Retreat and rest for now. If we succeed today, I won’t forget this debt!”
Great favors need no words of thanks; the Second Prince’s promise was undoubtedly substantial.
The man didn’t waste words, bowing and limping away.
“Kill!” The second Prince’s command shattered the silence.
The Crown Prince glared at that blood-soaked face, wishing he could personally confront him.
The recent events left Elder Zhi in a daze for a long time.
Back at Meihua Village, he had knowingly damaged that child’s meridians by forcibly infusing his internal energy, yet he still did it. If Mei Yanran wanted her daughter to live like an ordinary person, he could grant that wish.
But only he knew this was just an excuse. He had ruined a promising Mei clan martial arts prodigy merely to glimpse the Jingxian technique! In the two years since he had comprehended Jingxian, but his mental state had been declining. Still, he felt it was all worth it. But today, he finally realized how foolish he had been.
“This is the true Jingxian…” Elder Zhi murmured, his aged eyes growing brighter.
How can a weapon’s power reach its peak? The wielder’s strength is certainly crucial, but how can one be stronger than an opponent of equal skill?
— It’s the will to fight!
The pinnacle of all weapons lies in the fighting spirit!
From that Jingxian arrow just now, Elder Zhi hadn’t paid much attention to the powerful internal energy wrapped around it. Instead, he had felt an incredibly strong killing intent! It was as if Death’s gaze was fixed upon him, that murderous aura sweeping over him like Death slowly reaching out its hand. Even he, nearly at the pinnacle of martial arts, felt a chill down his spine.
Chu Dijiang caught his breath, feeling his internal energy rapidly recovering.
At this moment, he was no match for Feng Shi, but with Elder Zhi lost in enlightenment, it was a rare opportunity. “I’ll draw Feng Shi away. If Elder Zhi nocks another arrow, just focus on dodging.”
“Mm,” An Jiu acknowledged.
Chu Dijiang’s figure flashed across the battlefield like rolling thunder, his three-foot sword striking directly at the Crown Prince’s vital points without flourish.
Feng Shi raised an eyebrow, stepping forward to shield the Crown Prince behind him.
Enlightenment sometimes comes in a flash. Elder Zhi, now oblivious to all else, immediately grasped this fleeting insight and nocked another arrow, aiming at the Second Prince.
For now, he didn’t want a life-or-death battle, but rather to gain more understanding through this contest.
An Jiu’s attention was mostly on Chu Dijiang’s side. He had just lost a lot of internal energy; this battle would surely be perilous. She felt a vague worry.
The second Prince and his guards also saw the flickering blue light, but as the attacker, he couldn’t retreat now. One push and the second would falter. If he retreated, the hope of victory would be slim.