Chapter 1695: Arrow Rain Pours Over the Vast Desert, Magic Seeds Trap the Archer

“He must have wiped out their entire clan, right?”

While few knew the function of the “Forbidden Bloodchain Clan Curse Art,” there was no need for Feng Zhongzui’s explanation at this moment. Everyone simply observed the forbidden art’s visible effects and the mental state Tenno Five Decays displayed after ascending the Holy Mountain. Anyone he targeted, anyone who couldn’t defeat him, even their clan’s younger generations, probably wouldn’t escape!

The crucial point was that this guy, in wiping out a clan, even used Feng Zhongzui’s words, claiming he was helping him “uproot them all, leaving no one behind”...

“If I were Feng Zhongzui, I’d be on my knees right now.”

“They were complete strangers, yet he encountered such a character. I’m truly impressed. If you argue he didn’t help, he did. But if you say he helped... well, it’s really difficult to define.”

“He helped him all the way, saw him off completely! Tenno Five Decays perfectly embodied that. Was there anything wrong with what he did? Actually, nothing at all!”

“Exactly, how do you know they were ‘complete strangers’? What if Feng Zhongzui was Tenno Five Decays’ good friend, or if Feng Zhongzui’s relatives were involved with Tenno Five Decays?”

“I suggest a thorough investigation of Feng Zhongzui’s five generations, past and present!”

“Then my suggestion is to directly exterminate the Feng clan!”

“Haha, Tenno should be the Chief of Hell! Truly a credit to my Southern Domain! By the way, where did he learn this forbidden art? Are there no side effects? I’d like to practice it too. I have many enemies who’ve said they’d also like to experience a forbidden art...”

Tenno Five Decays’ combat style completely opened the eyes of the Five Domains.

People can be insane, but they usually conceal it well. Like Qin Duan, everyone knew he was a mercenary, somewhat sycophantic Half-Saint, even if they didn't explicitly say it. He had a touch of wickedness in his bones, but whether due to morals or other reasons, he at least kept his malevolence in check, not showing it overtly. But to display it so directly, so wildly and recklessly, and even dare to act on it right under Emperor Cangsheng’s nose...

He was the first!

Everyone looked at Ai Cangsheng. At this moment, the perpetrator who unleashed the clan annihilation art felt no pressure. Public opinion showed not a hint of condemnation; it seemed people were more lenient towards a madman. However, an unhealthy pressure suddenly shifted entirely to Emperor Cangsheng, who remained in his wheelchair, his arrows proving ineffective.

“I was wrong again...”

Ai Cangsheng stared blankly as Tenno Five Decays’ body rapidly healed, finally recovering perfectly due to his Undying Body. He didn't know what was wrong with him today. Repeated judgments, repeated errors. With every choice, he always picked the most irrational one, as if he'd been cursed!

“From the very beginning, I shouldn't have delayed with him, nor should I have opted for precise power control.”

“Even if it exceeded expectations and caused damage to the areas around the Holy Mountain...”

No matter how bad, the outcome would be better than Tenno Five Decays still drawing breath!

In short, if he could kill this person with a single arrow, no matter the cost, he shouldn’t have proceeded in a more circuitous manner... Ai Cangsheng thus made his decision.

“Ai Cangsheng!”

Most people in the arena were drawn to Tenno Five Decays' display, but Zhong Yuanzi, the afro-haired man who had been active from the start, now looked at the person in the wheelchair instead. In stark contrast to his initial choices, Zhong Yuanzi, after shouting, began to offer advice:

“Don't let your mind be muddled.”

“And don't let a wrong choice throw you into disarray.”

“Tenno Five Decays is never your main enemy. What you should be focusing on is the ‘Blood World Pearl’!”

The Blood World Pearl... The root of world-ending calamity, the guide to death?

Ai Cangsheng took a deep breath, nodding slightly to show understanding. His Dao Eye scanned around once more. This time, he seemed to grasp the true nature of the crimson light shrouding the Holy Mountain. At the same time, he realized that his previous decision had also been wrong.

Indeed! Precise control of power was a mistake, a misjudgment of Tenno Five Decays’ combat strength. But if he truly unleashed his full power, fully unsealed it to target Tenno Five Decays, even if he shattered the man, he would regret it for the rest of his life. Under such circumstances, what he should do, still, was to find a moderate option, neither too much nor too little, amidst the Blood World Pearl's influence!

“Step back.”

He said nothing more. Ai Cangsheng adhered to his original intention, completely calming his mind. As he raised his bow with his right hand, his left hand touched the black cloth covering his lap.

“Step back! Everyone, step back!”

The Nine Sacrificial Divine Emissaries seemed to recall something. Forgetting to mourn for the two Half-Saints and their entire clans, they called out to everyone in the plaza. There was no reply. Everyone retreated further and further. This time, regardless of whether they were the dejected faction or the proud faction, everyone present, as Ai Cangsheng raised his bow for the third time, sensed an “anomaly”—a killing aura!

Grayish-purple mist swept across the entire arena. A magnificent, invisible force swiftly spread from the peak of the Holy Mountain to its base.

“Look, he’s moved the black cloth!”

Spectators across the Five Domains had sharp eyes. They also remembered the “black cloth theory” someone had mentioned earlier. The black cloth on Emperor Cangsheng’s legs didn’t seem to be merely for old cold legs; rather, it appeared to seal some of his own power.

“Senior Tenno...”

Feng Zhongzui’s hands and feet were already growing cold. Even though he was far away, he still felt it wasn't enough and needed to retreat further. Finally, Feng Zhongzui was startled.

“What am I saying?! How could I call him ‘Senior Tenno’? Am I crazy, reminding him in front of the Five Domains? Wouldn’t that push the Feng clan towards extinction?”

Actually, he didn't need to be reminded; Tenno Five Decays had already sensed it and glanced towards the Holy Mountain's peak. He did not retreat. Even as powerful as Tenno Five Decays, after effortlessly erasing the lives of two Half-Saints, at this moment, he also needed a thorough, exhilarating battle to understand his true current strength.

“Sizzle...”

In front of the Sacred Grand Hall, Ai Cangsheng, in his wheelchair, slowly lifted a corner of the black cloth. With just a fingernail-sized corner lifted, strange, malevolent god-power erupted around the wheelchair, and space itself began to distort. This power was extremely condensed. As it surged and reverberated, it rubbed against itself, seemingly sparking with electricity. The final sound it emitted was even more jarring than sharp weapons grinding together, causing the images transmitted by the Five Domains’ Dao Mirror to become extremely distorted.

“He’s... a descendant of the Evil God?!”

In his vanished state, Xu Xiaoshou couldn't help but be moved. The malevolent god-power beneath that black cloth was almost comparable in quality to the power he had sealed in the lower half of the Dragon Pearl.

“So, back when Ai Cangsheng first obtained the Sinful Bow from that ruin, the supreme artifact was secondary, and the real focus was this?”

“Was his greatest gain truly the power suppressed by the black cloth, or did he cultivate this himself?”

“But...”

Xu Xiaoshou couldn't understand. Regardless of whether this was power gained from an Evil God’s inheritance or cultivated by Ai Cangsheng himself, this guy had entered a divine ruin! Given Cui Yin’s nature, if he had revived and seen someone who truly deserved to be called his ‘successor’ arrive... Would Cui Yin have easily let Ai Cangsheng go? Or was Cui Yin’s guidance not as strong as Dao Xuanji’s scheme, so he couldn't keep Ai Cangsheng?

“This is too absurd!”

Xu Xiaoshou shook his head, dismissing the outrageous speculation. Only now did his heart turn cold, as this was glimpsing merely the tip of the iceberg of a combat-type Ten Honored One’s full power! And this was just a fingernail-sized corner of the black cloth lifted! What if it was fully uncovered? What if Ai Cangsheng even stood up? What he had previously thought was a joke—that all the arrows shot from the Sinful Bow before were merely Ai Cangsheng’s ordinary attacks... It wasn't a joke after all, but true? Even if those arrows were given specific names, were they just slightly stronger ordinary attacks?

Beneath the Nine Sacrificial Laurel, Xu Xiaoshou’s eyes widened slightly. He suddenly snapped out of it, looking around to see everyone moved by Ai Cangsheng’s aura after lifting the cloth. For some reason, Xu Xiaoshou felt that even though Ai Cangsheng had noticed him, he completely ignored Xu Xiaoshou’s feelings. It seemed that in Ai Cangsheng’s eyes, only Tenno Five Decays’ death mattered at this moment. And his recent agreement with Ai Cangsheng had completely dissolved into nothing, making him so frustrated he almost wanted to go out and take the arrow for Tenno Five Decays...

“No, no, don't be impulsive!”

Xu Xiaoshou glanced towards the mountainside, beginning his next thought. Could Tenno Five Decays withstand the next arrow from the Sinful Bow? Even through the mask, he could see the latter’s grim determination in his aura; his soul was boiling...

“I have to help him?”

“I have to stop Ai Cangsheng?”

Excluding the Blood World Pearl's influence, Xu Xiaoshou also felt that the situation shouldn't be allowed to develop this way. But objectively speaking, he couldn’t find any reason to justify his intervention in the battle. From Void Island until now, he hadn't had any in-depth communication with Tenno Five Decays; they weren't close friends. Even all the conclusions like ‘He seems to be very kind to me’ were merely Xu Xiaoshou’s own deductions.

“He’s good to me.”

“He’s looking at me.”

“He doesn’t seem to dislike me...”

These were all among life’s great illusions. What if he had simply misinterpreted things? Tenno Five Decays came to the Holy Mountain clearly for his own business. His path to sainthood via the Blood World Pearl was fundamentally flawed. After his opportunity on Void Island was cut short by the Water Ghost, he was now eyeing Qin Duan and Qiu Gu’s Half-Saint positions, simply coming to take them — it had nothing to do with Xu Xiaoshou!

So what then? Running out now, helping block Ai Cangsheng’s arrow, then turning around to tell Tenno Five Decays:

“You should leave the Holy Mountain.”

“Don’t help me anymore.”

“No matter how hard you try, you’ll never catch up to me in this lifetime. I aim to surpass the Ten Honored Ones, and I don’t need favors from a useless person...”

Doesn't that sound... weird? Xu Xiaoshou felt his toes curl just thinking about it. Though the analogy might not be entirely accurate, that's what it seemed like: Tenno hadn’t said anything, nor did he seem to be showing favor, yet Xu Xiaoshou would take the initiative to reject him?

“Am I sick? What am I thinking?”

The Nine Sacrificial Laurel offered no answers, leaving him bewildered beneath it... Xu Xiaoshou hesitated, then hesitated again, before choosing to let it go. Let go of the urge to help; respect his destiny. It’s better to act as if he didn't see anything. Unless he called for his help.

Dark clouds gathered! The bow was drawn, an arrow nocked. Ai Cangsheng’s arrow required no prior charging. After only a corner of the black cloth was lifted, under the horrified gaze of everyone in the Five Domains, the arrow on his Sinful Bow condensed into an extremely compressed...

“Evil God Arrow!”

“This is an arrow entirely condensed from Ancestral Source Power!”

“Back when the Four Symbols Secret Realm stirred, Emperor Cangsheng shot such arrows from across realms, and even the Profound Water Ghost and Holy Guardian An couldn't withstand them...”

Feng Zhongzui’s expression became excited. He turned to the side before even finishing his sentence, anticipating the outbreak of a major battle:

“Can Tenno Five Decays withstand this arrow?”

“An ordinary Half-Saint might not, but he seems to have an Absorption Body, isn't that a heaven-defying physique born to resist Ancestral Source Power?”

Twang!!!

There was no time for further explanation. In front of the Sacred Grand Hall, Ai Cangsheng aimed at the dark clouds high above and remotely fired an arrow.

“He missed!”

Feng Zhongzui carried the Dao Mirror, shouting as he ran, his voice moving with his eyes, unfiltered by his brain:

“Tenno Five Decays was clearly on the mountainside, yet Emperor Cangsheng shot an arrow into the sky. Is this what a Ten Honored One-level wild shot looks like?”

“Wait! No, it's not!”

As expected, no sooner had he spoken than Ai Cangsheng’s Evil God Arrow, as it pierced through the clouds, severed space and Dao principles. It vanished into the horizon.

In the blink of an eye, the Holy Mountain trembled. The magnificent Evil God Arrow, seemingly ripping from within the mountain itself, burst from the ground. As Tenno Five Decays looked down in shock, it fiercely impaled his chest! A vertical circular blast of energy surged outwards like a shockwave, tearing apart the path on the Holy Mountain’s mountainside.

Boom boom boom boom boom boom!

Immediately afterwards, wave after wave of energy blasts erupted high in the air, pushing outwards in layers. As far as the eye could see, Tenno Five Decays furiously clutched the Evil God Arrow with both hands, yet he was uncontrollably propelled into the sky by the arrow. Piercing clouds and realms, pushing against the firmament.

“Devour!”

The last word the Dao Mirror managed to capture was Tenno Five Decays’ low, gritted command. Feng Zhongzui quickly moved the Dao Mirror, locking onto Tenno Five Decays’ figure, so as not to completely lose sight of him. He cried out in surprise:

“Indeed, Tenno Five Decays came to the Holy Mountain with the aim of devouring evil god power! To become stronger, he must devour that which is stronger!”

“But Emperor Cangsheng also saw through this. Precisely for this reason, his arrow initially restrained its force, pushing Tenno Five Decays into the sky to fight...”

In the distant sky, there was a sudden tremor. The firmament seemed to collapse, forming a massive hole. The Evil God Arrow, with a second burst of power, actually accelerated!

“It’s still getting faster...”

Feng Zhongzui almost lost his voice. At this moment, the scene anchored by the Dao Mirror entered a phase of rapid traversal. From the Holy Mountain, the battlefield could no longer be followed by the naked eye. The Evil God Arrow, impaling Tenno Five Decays, plunged into a spatial current. When it emerged, it passed by Zhongling Mountain, a landmark in the Central Spirit Realm. Suddenly, it entered a spatiotemporal current again. After passing through a blurred darkness, when it reappeared, an endless desert lay beneath Tenno Five Decays’ feet...

“The Western Regions!”

Feng Zhongzui’s eyes bulged. His whole being was practically boiling, and he jumped high in shock:

“Oh my goodness, my Heavenly Crane Listening to Dust! In just six breaths, the Evil God Arrow carried Tenno Five Decays all the way to the Western Regions?”

“Emperor Cangsheng’s foresight is incredible! The great Western Desert, full of uninhabited lands, is perfect for this battle... Look, the Evil God Arrow’s power is weakening!”

Feng Zhongzui’s speaking speed couldn't keep up with the battlefield’s changing pace at all. He couldn't capture the direct battle anymore. He could only rely on the Dao Mirror, which was anchored to Tenno Five Decays, trying to zoom in on the battle scene to catch more details. At the same time, he called out to the fearless Feng family members to quickly head to the Western Regions and film the battle from a third-person perspective.

“So strong!”

“This is too powerful!”

Even with blurred images, the Five Domains were still in an uproar. To shoot someone from the Central Domain’s Laurel Bend Holy Mountain to the Western Regions for a fight in a matter of seconds—this was a story that could only exist in legends. Void power absolutely couldn’t achieve this; only a Half-Saint could! Previously, hearing about Emperor Cangsheng residing on the Holy Mountain and the Sinful Bow’s arrows flying wildly across the Five Domains hadn't been as shocking as what they witnessed now.

And when legend became reality...

The spectators before the Dao Mirror at this moment had completely lost their ability to speak. Aside from subconscious murmurs, each one held their breath and focused, fearing that even if the image was blurry, they might miss some detail with a blink.

“The Evil God Arrow really did shrink!”

“Tenno Five Decays is indeed devouring the evil god power!”

“He successfully brought the other person to the Western Regions in a few breaths, but Emperor Cangsheng’s arrow also came at a heavy cost... He lost the initiative, yet failed to severely injure Tenno Five Decays. On the contrary, in terms of energy, he only boosted the opponent’s momentum...”

Feng Zhongzui barely knew what he was narrating anymore. Suddenly, he changed his tone, zooming in on the Holy Mountain’s scene:

“But is that truly the case?”

“Would a fully powered Ten Honored One truly lose the initiative because one arrow failed to inflict injury?”

As his high-pitched voice changed tone, everyone before the Dao Mirror clearly saw Emperor Cangsheng in his wheelchair draw the bowstring again after the first arrow. This time, nine Evil God Arrows simultaneously condensed on the Sinful Bow!

“Nine arrows!”

Feng Zhongzui was so startled his voice cracked on the spot. Just as he opened his mouth to explain something more...

Twang!!!

The nine arrows merged into a single sound. The suddenly erupting energy wave directly flipped him and his mirror, even from thousands of miles away.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh...

Nine arrows pierced through realms, traveling across the sea. Feng Zhongzui immediately reconfigured the Five Domains’ Dao Mirror sub-mirrors via the main mirror to transmit based on Evil God Arrow’s aura. This way, as long as an Evil God Arrow appeared near a Dao Mirror sub-mirror, the mirror would automatically lock onto it and transmit the image to the main viewing platform. At that moment, the scenes visible across the continent rapidly cut between fleeting black and red arrows. The arrows’ speed was so great that some Dao Mirrors couldn’t even react in time, only capturing a shadowy blur.

“This is Daoist Wind Yi Chui from the Qilin Realm’s Four Symbols Secret Realm. Look, we’ve captured six arrow shadows! This is truly magnif—”

“Hello everyone, I’m in the Central Rock Realm, and I’ve also just seen the Evil God—”

“They’re here! The Xidu Boat Teleportation Gate salutes you! Everyone, look, there’s one—”

“We’ve arrived at the Great Western Desert, hello everyone, I am Feng Xiaoshuang of the Feng clan, ah... Boom! Help—”

Boom boom boom boom boom!

In the vast desert, smoke rose, and the sky tore open in nine places. He had only just managed to grind down the power of the first Evil God Arrow to its limit, swallowing it but not yet fully digesting it. Tenno Five Decays already felt a slight sense of fullness. But suddenly, his pores widened all over his body, and with a mere glance upwards, he saw nine more Evil God Arrows emerging from the nine tears in the sky!

“Nine more?”

At this instant, Tenno Five Decays’ pupils contracted sharply.

“Boom!”

Nine sounds merged into one. By the time human eyes could perceive the arrows, the Evil God Arrows had already burst through his body. Tenno Five Decays’ Undying Body was completely torn apart by the immense force. Half of his head flew into the air. As it spun, he could see his body exploding outwards in all directions below.

“My body... was it actually fragile?”

For a moment, Tenno Five Decays’ mind went blank, or rather, he was stunned by the impact. He couldn’t understand why his body, nurtured by devouring so many Void Servants, spiritual medicines, and spiritual minerals, would fall apart so quickly...

This level of power. Compared to the previous level. It seemed completely different, not on the same level at all?

“Thump!”

There was no pause. As his body was torn to shreds, as his mind tried to resist... The sky collapsed once more—yes, this time it was a collapse, not just a tear; the entire sky above the desert turned black! As Tenno Five Decays’ Holy Mind swept upwards, it detected dense clusters of arrow tips, pouring down like a torrential rain onto the parched desert. At this instant, his thoughts ceased.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh...

“Forbidden Arrow Rain!”

Atop the Holy Mountain, in front of the Sacred Grand Hall, under the horrified gaze of the Five Domains, Ai Cangsheng’s wheelchair was slowly forced back by the recoil to the entrance of the main hall. It was as if in the next breath, he would topple into the hall.

The short child attendants pushing the wheelchair had, at some point, reappeared behind it, forming a long queue. Two could step up at a time, each pressing their hands against the wheelchair’s backrest. From beneath their exploding sleeves, four Qilin arms, twice the size of their heads, could be seen. Every three breaths, the child attendants rotated. The newcomers took their place, while those resting went to the back of the line, applying ointment to their arms and circulating their energy to digest the medicinal effects. What was unexpected was that this group of child attendants seemed to have undergone special training. When Ai Cangsheng drew his bow, the lingering evil god power was so strong that even the Nine Sacrificial Divine Emissaries and Element Divine Emissaries dared not approach. Yet, the child attendants were completely unaffected.

“I...”

Feng Zhongzui was dumbfounded, utterly unable to narrate. He felt this scene was even crazier than Tenno Five Decays, yet reality continued to assault his eyes, and indeed, the eyes of everyone in the Five Domains. Emperor Cangsheng’s hand had not stopped since the first Sinful Bow arrow was fired. The Sinful Bow, one of the Nine Supreme Artifacts, was vibrating and glowing red from the rapid-fire, as if operating under extreme overload. The sinful patterns on it activated, like countless demons opening their slumbering eyes. Ai Cangsheng’s expression was indifferent, but his hands moved like blurs. Each time the string was touched, an arrow rain tore through the air, crossing realms. Each string vibration, rebounding to his fingers, solidified an arrow and launched it. While human breathing pauses, Ai Cangsheng’s arrows, like a flood breaking through a dam, showed no cessation.

Jiu Ji Gui slightly cowered behind Zhong Yuanzi. Zhong Yuanzi subtly gripped Fang Wenxin’s sleeve. Fang Wenxin looked left and right, realizing that regardless of whether they were the dejected faction or the proud faction, they had all now become the “turtle-ducking” faction. They were arranged in a fan shape behind him. He himself was at the front, acting as the shield for the group. It was as if they were chicks and he was the hen, and since the eagle didn’t exist, the formation was complete.

Arrows poured down like rain. After an unknown period, Ai Cangsheng in his wheelchair stopped moving and gently lowered his bow.

“Hiss...”

The black cloth remained perfectly still. The wheelchair’s armrest, which had touched the glowing red bow, instantly sizzled, emitting black smoke, and melted from the heat. Ai Cangsheng sighed in relief.

Just as everyone thought he had finished the battle, he shook his head and sighed again:

“Can’t kill him.”

Can’t kill him, what did that mean? That thought flashed through Feng Zhongzui’s mind, but he couldn’t interpret it immediately. Suddenly, his pupils contracted. He then saw Ai Cangsheng, after lowering the Sinful Bow, begin to form hand seals. His seals were formed extremely slowly, making it easy to see that several of them used basic hand seals from Southern Domain evil arts.

Emperor Cangsheng still uses hand seals? Such a thought flashed through someone’s mind, then they saw Ai Cangsheng finally set his hand seal before his chest, his Dao Eye gazing westward, as he softly murmured:

“Forbidden Art: Seed Imprisonment...”