Chapter 629: That Arrow's Elegance

"Locked?"

A sharp, stinging pain, as if pierced by countless needles, spread across Xu Xiaoshou's entire body. He looked down. Beneath his tattered clothes, every pore on his skin was swollen, oozing threads of blood.

"What is this?" Xu Xiaoshou was horrified. He didn't even know who his enemy was. Yet, merely being targeted caused him to not only spit blood but also for his skin to crack open? Who could be locking onto him?

"Hm?" Gou Wuyue and Elder Sang, poised for battle, detected the anomaly almost simultaneously. After Gou Wuyue's Azure Mo Sword Domain had risen, everyone in the Eight Palaces battlefield realized these two were preparing for a one-on-one duel. In this situation, where no one else could interfere, the only one capable of breaking through space lock and directly targeting Xu Xiaoshou alone was...

"Yu Lingdi?" Elder Sang's heart skipped a beat. He remembered the blurred face Yu Lingdi had manifested just before dying. At such a crucial moment, was Yu Lingdi's true intention merely to utter a meaningless roar? "No, it wasn't Yu Lingdi!" Elder Sang's mind froze, then he suddenly understood: "It was that overlooked black speck that accompanied Yu Lingdi's dying roar!"

At his level, a mere thought could bring forth past memories with perfect clarity, like a scene replaying. Indeed. In Yu Lingdi's dying roar, not only did he utter that meaningless clamor, but he also spat out a black speck with no offensive power whatsoever.

That black speck couldn't even aim properly; Elder Sang didn't need to dodge, it missed him entirely. But now, it dawned on him that Yu Lingdi's target, all along, might not have been Elder Sang himself, who could have potentially avoided the final attack, but rather... Xu Xiaoshou!

"Run!" Understanding everything, Elder Sang immediately bellowed, abandoning Gou Wuyue and lunging towards Xu Xiaoshou. But the distance he had deliberately created between himself and Xu Xiaoshou with a combat aftershock now felt like an unbridgeable chasm.

It was Xu Xiaoshou versus Yu Lingdi. And Elder Sang versus Gou Wuyue! How could Gou Wuyue let such an opportunity slip? While he certainly desired a fair fight with Sang Qiye, with his mission at hand, if he could defeat both of them without significant cost...

...then he would need to conserve more power for Eight Venerables, whom he still had a slim chance of encountering later. "The tables have turned," Gou Wuyue said. "Sang Qiye, there's no need to struggle."

Holding his sword, Gou Wuyue didn't even need to move as he softly commanded, "Luofu Sword Heaven!" *Buzz*—The thousands of Mo Swords suspended in the void instantly obeyed, forming a solid wall like an iron fortress along Elder Sang's path. It was merely an instant away. But as the towering sword wall materialized, a vast spatial world seemed to embed itself between Elder Sang and Xu Xiaoshou. It was an azure world constructed from Mo Swords, filled with roaring sword energy and rampaging sword intent.

Although Elder Sang desperately charged forward, the "Luofu Sword Heaven" seemed boundless, and the Mo Swords within it were endless. For every one he destroyed with his "Sleeveless Scorching Hand," three more Mo Swords would materialize. What was an instant's distance became unreachable under the obstruction of "Luofu Sword Heaven."

"Xu Xiaoshou!" Elder Sang roared inwardly, his eyes bulging with fury. But at that moment, even he seemed powerless. "What am I doing?" Xu Xiaoshou mumbled in confusion.

Elder Sang had clearly broken through and was reaching for him, seemingly about to touch him, yet Xu Xiaoshou couldn't even turn his head. In his peripheral vision, he saw Gou Wuyue, sword askew, looking disdainfully, and the worried Elder Sang. Both these incomparably formidable figures were focused on him. Strictly speaking, Xu Xiaoshou shouldn't have been unable to turn his head. Yet, his head stubbornly refused to obey, fixed on an unknown spatial void.

It was as if someone there insisted he watch his own demise with wide-open eyes! "What is... this?" In the hazy space before him, a black speck suddenly appeared.

Xu Xiaoshou felt his very soul being pulled by this black speck, merging into it instantly. He felt himself traversing time and space. Scenes of mountains receded rapidly, and the Eight Palaces faded into a blur. Next came rivers, lakes, seas, continents...

"This?" Xu Xiaoshou was baffled. His soul rapidly journeyed through time and space, yet he felt no pain whatsoever. He felt as though he had crossed the entire Eastern Region's Sword God Heaven, and after traversing an endless ocean, the scene stabilized.

*Rustle*... A breeze blew. Everything slowed down. A refreshing, delicate fragrance wafted to his nostrils, and Xu Xiaoshou's senses sharpened.

"Where is this?" He looked around, realizing he had arrived at a celestial mountain. The mountain stood amidst clouds, enveloped in ethereal mist, surrounded by divine radiance and an inexplicable grandeur. A faint osmanthus fragrance permeated the air. Pale gold, orange, and white osmanthus blossoms drifted down from trees that reached into the sky, fluttering like dancing butterflies.

At the end of the path, beneath a golden heavenly staircase, stood a solemn holy temple. The temple, with its green tiles and soaring eaves, exquisitely carved beams and painted pillars, was guarded by nine side halls, grandly situated atop the main peak of this sacred mountain. Above its entrance hung a plaque bearing the characters: "Saint Hall of Gods!"

The moment Xu Xiaoshou saw it, his heart clenched, and he felt as if struck by lightning, instantly recoiling from an inexplicable powerful force. "Saint Hall of Gods?" "Then this must be Guizhe Sacred Mountain, the holy land for spirit refiners across the entire Saint God Continent?"

Xu Xiaoshou was bewildered. Wasn't he in the Eight Palaces of the Eastern Region? How could he have inexplicably arrived at Guizhe Sacred Mountain in the Central Region? Even a daydream couldn't be this absurd!

*Rumble*—On the tranquil Guizhe Sacred Mountain, a wooden carriage wheel suddenly rumbled over the bluestone floor from within the main hall of the Saint Hall of Gods. Light and shadow shifted at the hall's entrance. Then, a barefoot boy in white robes, pushing a cassia wood wheelchair, stopped about ten feet from the bluestone steps.

The wheelchair was old, imbued with the strong essence of aged time. It bore sword marks and blade gouges, seemingly proclaiming its past achievements. Xu Xiaoshou's attention was immediately drawn to it. His gaze moved upward. A man sat in the chair.

He had long black hair flowing over his shoulders, sword-like eyebrows, eyes like stars, and an imposing presence. When calm and gentle, his silence exuded peace, and a glance at him felt like a spring breeze. But when he narrowed his eyes and furrowed his brow, his dark pupils seemed to conceal a drawn bow, revealing the cold edge of a moonlit night. His legs were crippled, covered by a black cloth over his knees, and his hands rested on the armrests. Yet, he held a bow in one hand and an arrow in the other!

The bow was black, seeping with oppressive demonic energy, and stood taller than a man, making it difficult to even lay flat; it could only rest upright beside the wheelchair. The arrow was blood-red, entwined with vengeful spirits, and more than ten feet long, placed beside the chair, pointing from back to front directly at the approaching person. Looking at this figure, Xu Xiaoshou didn't need anyone to tell him; a name already surfaced in his mind: *Half-love for the common people, half-cold as the moon, hatred lingers in drunken reverie.*

"Ai Cangsheng!" There were Three Emperors in the Saint Hall of Gods, and one of them was named Ai Cangsheng.

Ai Cangsheng was born with crippled legs but wielded the Sinister Bow, one of the Nine Supreme Divine Artifacts born from primal chaos. He also possessed the "Eye of the Great Dao," which came into being with the universe, supreme and profound, capable of observing the destinies of all beings. With this bow and this eye, he could leisurely sit on Guizhe Sacred Mountain, pouring wine, and shoot an enemy from anywhere beyond the Five Regions!

"The Ten Venerables, one of the Three Emperors of the Saint Hall of Gods, Ai Cangsheng..." Xu Xiaoshou's heart turned cold.

At this moment, he understood how he had arrived. For such a figure to meet him, it would only require a glance from the Eye of the Great Dao. If he wished to meet face-to-face, it would happen in an instant! But this ability to traverse time and space, to pull him alone out of Elder Sang and Gou Wuyue's battle...

"A Half-Saint?" Xu Xiaoshou inexplicably felt his heart stop beating. How had this Half-Saint targeted him?

"Who are you?" Ai Cangsheng's appearance had indeed astonished Xu Xiaoshou, but his first question, spoken with a frown, quickly shattered the solemn atmosphere.

Clearly, in his eyes, how could a mere Innate be the target of Yu Lingdi's Sinister Decree? Was he joking, undertaking such a grand mission to capture a Saint Slave in the Eastern Region? An Innate? And he needed to use the Sinister Bow for this?

Xu Xiaoshou swallowed, his mouth dry, yet he replied earnestly. "Tan Ji." He paused, lowering his gaze, then after a moment's thought, he countered with four questions: "Who are you?" "Wasn't I sleeping at the Apricot Blossom Inn?" "Where's my Sister Xing'er?" "Did you kidnap me?"

The scene froze. It had to be said that the barrage of questions delivered an overwhelming amount of information. Not only was Ai Cangsheng stunned, but even the white-robed boy behind him, who usually seemed aloof and unaffected by worldly matters, now showed a look of disdain. Apricot Blossom Inn? Sister Xing'er? Sleeping?

"Ugh!" The boy shivered, a cold tremor running through him. He couldn't understand how someone like this could be targeted by Lord Cangsheng.

"Heh, Tan Ji?" Ai Cangsheng paused for a moment, then suddenly chuckled. If his Eye of the Great Dao hadn't allowed him to perceive that the young man before him was indeed in the Eight Palaces battlefield in the Eastern Region, he might have been misled for a moment. "You are quite remarkable," he said. "Facing a Half-Saint, your mind remains so agile. In fact, after all those words... not a single one was true!"

"What is your name?" Xu Xiaoshou blinked his large eyes. "Tan Ji... my surname is Xiao Shi, you can also call me Xiao Shi Tan Ji..." The scene blurred; Guizhe Sacred Mountain vanished, and the Saint Hall of Gods disappeared.

The white-robed boy and Ai Cangsheng also vanished without a trace. The last thing Xu Xiaoshou saw was the man in the wheelchair drawing his bow and notching an arrow. The Sinister Bow, seeping with demonic energy, and the blood-red arrow, entwined with malevolent spirits, were drawn to a full moon.

Xu Xiaoshou felt as if he were in a celestial realm. Yet, there was no hint of ethereal beauty; only the Eye of the Great Dao, piercing deep into his soul, chilled him to the bone. "Holy crap, don't shoot me!"

"I'm sorry, I lied to you! My name isn't Tan Ji, I'm actually Zhou Tianshen, Zhou Tianshen!" "Don't aim at me, damn it—" Xu Xiaoshou panicked. He felt his soul retreating at light speed. The other party didn't even say another word, ending the pointless conversation.

Lakes and oceans reappeared, light and shadow streaked past. In an instant, Xu Xiaoshou's vision flickered, and the scene shifted again. He was back in the Eight Palaces. In his peripheral vision, Gou Wuyue's lips had barely begun to curve into a smile, and Elder Sang's charred hands had torn open the Luofu Sword Heaven, yet still hadn't reached him.

Xu Xiaoshou stood frozen in place! He was completely alone, unable to move a single muscle. But the black speck in the void continued to enlarge. This time, he saw it clearly. It was an arrow from the Sinister Bow!

The arrow had already been shot from Guizhe Sacred Mountain in the Central Region, yet the conversation he just had with Ai Cangsheng only began to unfold *after* the arrow was fired. "Time distortion?" Xu Xiaoshou had no spare thoughts to ponder any of this.

The crisis of death enveloped his entire body. His information panel was like a doomsday countdown, displaying a message every second: "Being pursued, Passive Value, 1." "Being pursued, Passive Value, 1." Xu Xiaoshou's face was ashen, but he gritted his teeth, pouring all his life's strength into finding a sliver of hope.

Memories flooded his mind. He recalled his bold words in the Lingzang Pavilion of the Heavenly Sang Spirit Palace when Elder Sang first told him the story of the Eighth Sword Immortal, who dominated an entire generation: "My ambition is not in Tiansang, but in the Five Regions!" He also remembered Luo Leilei's relentless persuasion at the Tianxuan Sect, trying to sway his will and get him to join the Saint Slaves, and his resolute retort: "I will see my world for myself, even if I'm covered in scars!"

How many times had Xu Xiaoshou woken up from a nightmare, wanting to give up struggling and just join any faction? That way, he wouldn't have to live in fear every day, caught between various forces, a man torn between choices. There were times when he considered that the path he chose might indeed lead to self-destruction.

But an arrow from the Half-Saint Ai Cangsheng, like an unexpected "surprise," came directly at him. He hadn't even imagined that this so-called "covered in scars" would come so swiftly! And at this moment... deep within Xu Xiaoshou, there was no trace of regret.

Words spoken were like water spilled. His inner resolve could not be shattered by a mere arrow!

"You want to kill me?" His face contorted in a grimace. He clicked his tongue fiercely, but the pain couldn't free his immobile body. At this moment, a completely insane will to survive, originating from the depths of his soul, raged for the first time. The four swords were not in his hands. The Fallen Carving Fragment was also not in his grasp.

But then, a golden light burst forth. *Boom!* A berserk giant arrived! Gou Wuyue's pupils constricted. What was this? A spiritual technique could still be unleashed under Ai Cangsheng's lock?

Elder Sang's lunging figure stiffened for a moment. A giant? The word "ghost beast" flashed through his mind, but was immediately discarded. There was no ghost beast aura whatsoever. The golden giant Xu Xiaoshou had transformed into was nothing but pure, unadulterated rage!

"ROAR—" With an earth-shattering bellow, the red-eyed berserk giant kicked off the ground, unleashed a flurry of punches, and thrust his shoulders forward. *Bang!* Space completely shattered. But while a Half-Saint's millions-of-miles-distant confinement could be temporarily broken, how could the majesty of *that* arrow, which had pierced through two regions and was now descending directly upon him, possibly have its lock dispelled? Xu Xiaoshou plunged his hand into his Inner World, daring not to conceal a single trump card.