Chapter 541: One Arrow Blasts the Mountain, Moths Fly into the Fire

Feinting to the east and attacking to the west is a common tactic when a single combatant faces multiple opponents. Like picking the softest persimmon or kicking a cripple's bad leg, these are all standard combat strategies.

Long Pan was the weaker opponent, so Wang Yu naturally sought to eliminate him first, allowing him to then fully concentrate on the more formidable Master Long Chan.

A scarlet line, seemingly capable of cleaving heaven and earth, instantly appeared behind Sect Master Long Pan. Terrified, he tried to activate his Natal Spirit Treasure for defense, but the Asura Blood Sea Illusion completely engulfed his consciousness. Even though he was delayed for less than half a breath, he managed to awaken from the murderous illusion using a characteristic of his Primordial Spirit. Yet, the sharp blood-line had already reached the tip of his nose. There was simply no time left for him to react.

At that very instant, Master Long Chan appeared, traversing space. In the hand of the Vajra Subduing Demon King, formed by a magical array, a massive vajra pestle materialized, clashing with the force of real metal. It violently collided with the bloody slash mark. Amidst a brilliant burst of golden light, the demonic energy was suppressed by the Buddhist radiance, rapidly fading and receding at a visible rate. This wasn't merely a matter of elemental suppression; it was also due to the array master's cultivation, which far exceeded Wang Yu's own.

Having failed in one strike, Wang Yu immediately retreated, fleeing towards the outside of the sect. Fighting on this floating mountain had never been his intention.

Sect Master Long Pan, who had narrowly escaped, was drenched in sweat. He touched the wound on his nose, wiping away the blood. The terror and despair he had felt moments ago now morphed into an equally intense fury, a madness that bordered on shattering his sanity. The grand Buddhist light radiating from behind his head, at some unknown point, developed a dark halo at its periphery. The originally brilliant golden radiance, which had exuded extreme warmth, had completely altered its nature. What still appeared to be bright Buddhist light now, in fact, bore the characteristics of demonic energy. The Buddhist sect not only practiced orthodox Buddhist cultivation methods but also possessed demonic path techniques—a unique Demonic Buddha lineage belonging exclusively to their faction.

This was also why Long Chan desired the demonic skull container. Had it not been for its potential to boost his cultivation and break through bottlenecks, he would never have engaged Wang Yu in a direct confrontation. It's well-known that cultivators with higher cultivation levels value their lives more. Especially after reaching the pinnacle, death matches with peers of the same level are rare, unless there's a pre-existing deep-seated grudge.

After successfully rescuing Sect Master Long Pan, Long Chan watched Wang Yu flee outwards, a sneer curling his lips. "You were just spouting such bold words," he muttered. "Now you want to run… isn't it a bit late?" He conceded that Wang Yu possessed some abilities; without his intervention, Junior Brother Long Pan would likely have been no match for him and might have even perished at Wang Yu's hands.

But now, the situation was different. With him there, the Ancient Heavenly Sea Sect was Wang Yu's cage. The Vajra Subduing Demon array was merely an offensive formation; he hadn't yet activated the true sect-guarding grand array—a formation personally laid down by the Heavenly Sea Ancestor: the Formless Realm Glazed Array!

The array's origin was untraceable, but Long Chan was intimately familiar with its effects and activation methods. A seal materialized in his hand, its appearance unnoticed. He lightly shouted, "Array, activate!"

The ocean vortex at the foot of the colossal floating mountain instantly reacted, as a layer of colorless light waves swiftly diffused outwards, forming a peculiar circular area. Everything within this zone was rendered grayscale. The air ceased to flow, leaves no longer rustled in the wind, and the surging ocean currents became completely frozen. A bizarre, silent, and colorless phenomenon enveloped the entire floating mountain.

Wang Yu remained frozen in the posture of his escape technique. His mind remained active, but his body was utterly paralyzed, as if time had stopped for him. This turn of events truly exceeded his expectations. The Ancient Heavenly Sea Sect's heritage was more profound and mysterious than even that of the Seven Orthodox Sects. At the very least, none of the formations he was familiar with possessed such an effect. Consequently, he had no corresponding counter-measures.

Fortunately, he had prepared a contingency when entering the Ancient Heavenly Sea Sect. Since such a formidable array was difficult to breach from within, he would have to apply force from the outside. Sensing a spiritual warning, Wang Yu quickly established a mental connection with the Thunder Corpse hidden within the spatial rift. The Sun-Piercing Demonic Bow, operating at full power, was now charging...

Meanwhile, as the array's operator, Master Long Chan's movements within the formation were equally awkward, as if his normal actions had been slowed severalfold. It made him appear quite comical. He had no easy solution for this. According to his research of ancient texts, the array's prototype was likely a supreme divine ability from the Buddhist sect, combining elements of time and space, named the Formless Realm Divine Power! The array simulated the effects of this divine ability, but because he did not possess power of the same origin, he too was subject to the array's limitations. Such instances, where the operator is also affected by the array, are exceedingly rare. Formations with this kind of side effect would typically be deemed failures, unworthy of being passed down.

However, the Formless Realm Protective Array, despite this, was preserved due to its overwhelmingly powerful effect. It rendered anyone caught within it virtually a lamb to the slaughter, which is why it was passed down through generations to this day. Compared to its side effects, the array's primary effect was far more potent. To his knowledge, no one had ever entered the array and emerged completely unscathed, with the sole exception of the Refined Sky Demon Lord, who had escaped thanks to his Natal Demonic Flames. Wang Yu, in Long Chan's eyes, would naturally be no exception.

However… although he could move within the array, his speed was barely better than a mortal's. Before he could even reach Wang Yu, from outside the Formless Realm, a whistling cold gleam appeared. Like a meteor from outer space, it pierced through all obstacles with overwhelming force, arriving in an instant! It was like a falling star. Mid-flight, it transformed into a soaring ice phoenix, forcibly reintroducing color into the Formless Realm array's vicinity. Everything in its path instantly reverted to normal: the rustling wind, surging water… and Wang Yu, moving his body!

He cast a disdainful glance at Long Chan. Following the path cleared by the arrow, he transformed into an aurora and exited the array's influence. His Lunar Demonic Dragon Avatar had already been dispelled much earlier. He didn't seize the opportunity to strike Long Chan, choosing instead to prioritize his escape. This proved to be an incredibly correct decision, for when the arrow's power dissipated, the colorless light waves instantly reverted to their original state. Long Chan, with a grim expression, stared at the fleeing Wang Yu but made no move. Without the array's assistance, even he wasn't absolutely confident in killing Wang Yu. Furthermore, the source of that arrow had not yet revealed itself. That power, far exceeding the early Nascent Soul stage, made him hesitant. He suspected the youth might have enlisted a helper of the same realm, yet he couldn't immediately pinpoint the origin of such freezing power.

Wang Yu was oblivious to Long Chan's mental turmoil. After escaping the array's influence, he cast the Thunder Corpse back into the Thunder Fiend Coffin. The Sun-Piercing Demonic Bow reappeared in his palm with a flick, its excited and jubilant spirituality palpable. He stood upright in mid-air. What is a bow's advantage? Range, of course! When making his defensive preparations, Wang Yu had already formulated various combat plans to address different scenarios. This current situation was almost the worst-case scenario. However... those with nothing to lose fear no one. Standing at the entrance of the Ancient Heavenly Sea Sect, armed with the top-grade spirit treasure, the Sun-Piercing Demonic Bow, he would not allow himself to be intimidated.

He took a deep breath. The Lunar Demonic Dragon Avatar reappeared, enveloping Wang Yu. The avatar's giant legs were fully submerged below the sea, and the moon disc behind him ascended into the sky, transforming into a frosty moon of magical power. Various phenomena began to emerge around the avatar: a osmanthus tree, a moon rabbit, an ice axe, a jade disc, immortal shadows, palaces, a frosty bridge, a frost sword, an aurora, a feathered robe, a Ruyi scepter, and a holy bow. There were precisely twelve. Immediately after, the frosty moon overlapped with the Yin star hanging coldly in the sky, and an incredibly dense moon essence descended into the avatar's hand, forming a long arrow shimmering with starlight.

The Sun-Piercing Demonic Bow instantly became colossal, perfectly matching the avatar's massive form. The arrow was nocked onto the bowstring, and starting with the osmanthus tree, the twelve aspects transformed into streams of light, merging into the arrow. A terrifying sensation of being targeted made Long Chan nearly leap back. He stared in disbelief at Wang Yu's power accumulation, yet found himself utterly unable to interrupt it.

What was to be done? Before he could devise a plan, Junior Brother Long Pan appeared beside him, a mix of fury and helplessness on his face. "The highest-grade defensive protocol has already been activated, Senior Brother… what kind of technique is this?"

"A Natal Divine Ability!"

Long Chan's expression was grim. He felt that it wasn't just this divine ability that exceeded expectations; Wang Yu himself seemed abnormal, not at all like a typical Nascent Soul cultivator. What Nascent Soul cultivator could possibly exceed the norm to this extent? Watching the energy grow stronger and stronger, Long Chan's composure reached its breaking point. He could no longer endure it.

"Order the sect's cultivators to retreat. The opponent is clearly targeting the entire sect."

"But what about the facilities…"

For any sect, cultivators are a crucial component of its strength, as is the sect itself. The spirit veins, fire veins, earth veins, and all the specially designed buildings, which required immense effort to procure from other locations, were the meticulously accumulated foundations painstakingly built by their ancestors and predecessors. To abandon them so easily would be to lose all face before their forefathers.

"The opponent is merely in the early Nascent Soul stage, perhaps only at the first layer judging by his aura, having just broken through. How could he possess such strength? Could it be an illusion?"

An illusion? Long Chan considered it, deciding against any hopeful assumptions. Losing one's life for the sake of pride was something he might have done in his youth, but now… he would run as far as he could! Having cultivated the secret Buddhist-Demonic techniques, he simply didn't care about anyone or anything other than himself.

Just as he was contemplating, Wang Yu, who had been charging for nearly twelve breaths, finally released the bowstring. This move didn't actually require such a long preparation; it could be fired the moment the bow was drawn. However, when he noticed that neither Long Pan nor Long Chan made a move, he simply changed his tactic and began to charge the attack directly. The Twelve Guanhang Aspects, being his Natal Divine Ability, possessed an almost infinitely expandable upper limit. It could expand up to Wang Yu's cultivation realm limit, and his already perfected realm allowed him to fully master this power. If the opponent didn't move, he would simply continue charging.

During those twelve breaths, the arrow not only accumulated the immense power of the divine ability itself but also the Lunar Star Power summoned by the Universal Stars Condensing Arrow technique. Then he added even more power. The power of the Ice-Chi Elixir Flame was also injected, forming swirling flame patterns on the Guanhang Arrow. The demonic dragons coiled around the avatar's arms, mimicking twin dragons spitting pearls, then spiraled and hovered over the arrow. Finally, as his right hand released, a black light, like oblivion, flashed and vanished, rendering the arrow's trajectory utterly invisible.

The moment he released, the Formless Realm Protective Array was pierced right through. Gray fragments, like shattered glass, scattered across the ground as the world regained its colors. The Vajra Subduing Demon King, standing atop the mountain peak, was also shattered by the arrow. Golden Buddhist light rained down, leaving many bewildered disciples of the Ancient Heavenly Sea Sect, who were still unaware of what had just transpired, utterly at a loss.

Then, came a silent annihilation. With little commotion, a closed ice-blue lotus enveloped the entire floating mountain, slowly blooming. In the center of the lotus, a bright moon slowly ascended. A vast number of lives were instantly eradicated by Wang Yu. He exhaled slowly, feeling little emotion, but more a sense of awe at his own power.

Wang Yu always held a moral compass regarding good, evil, right, and wrong. However… the division of factions transcended such concepts. It would clearly be untrue to claim that everyone in the Ancient Heavenly Sea Sect was like Long Chan; among the disciples, there were genuinely benevolent individuals who truly practiced Buddhist principles. Their deaths were somewhat unjust. Yet, if given another chance, Wang Yu would still unleash that arrow. This was his demonic path: for anyone belonging to the enemy faction, regardless of who they were, there was only one outcome—death!

The residual power of a Nascent Soul cultivator would affect this area for a considerable time and wouldn't dissipate quickly. Even though he was fully confident in the arrow's power, Wang Yu didn't believe that Long Pan and Long Chan would perish under its might. His original intention was to target the entire sect gate. He wanted to see if, out of a protective impulse, they would willingly face the arrow head-on. If so, it would resolve the issue perfectly; even if not, it would still severely wound them. This was one of the most commonly employed despicable tactics of the demonic path. And coincidentally, he was adept at it. Whether it was exploiting moral leverage or weaknesses derived from emotional connections, such tactics proved equally effective in combat.

Unfortunately, he had underestimated their profound valuing of their own lives.

He tilted his head back and swallowed several spiritual pills to restore his demonic energy, his cultivation technique working at full capacity to digest them. Suddenly, the colossal ice lotus in Wang Yu's vision exploded. Inside, the magnificent floating mountain scenery, with its clusters of palaces, was gone. All that remained was a mass of unknown black, hardened material, resembling the melted and disintegrated residue of stone structures.

Two streaks of black-gold light flew out from the ice lotus, manifesting in mid-air as Long Pan and Long Chan. The former was drenched in blood, resembling a bloody figure, while the latter had lost an arm. Both of their auras were severely weakened. As they confronted Wang Yu once more, Long Chan erupted into almost maniacal laughter. His extraordinarily keen perception allowed him to discern that Wang Yu was merely putting on a strong front, and he declared loudly, "That divine ability just now completely drained your magical power! Now… how will you cope with a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator who is still in good condition?!"

He misrepresented his own condition of having lost an arm as 'good,' while describing Wang Yu, whose complexion was rosy and radiant, as merely putting on a strong front. But indeed, that was the truth of the matter. After the outburst, Wang Yu, being a recent entrant into the Nascent Soul stage, had indeed depleted his demonic energy. However, he had already consumed spiritual pills, so his recovery rate would be exceptionally fast. Additionally, he still had his body cultivation abilities untapped. The abundant Golden Blood Divine Marrow within his dragon spine was his true source of confidence. Although the one-armed Long Chan's condition was only average, his magical power was still quite abundant. Resisting the previous attack had not entirely depleted his strength. This was because he lacked a method to completely drain his magical power in one go, forcing him to simply do his best, which led to the current situation.

Sect Master Long Pan, who had overheard Long Chan's assessment, jumped forward eagerly, his eyes ablaze with fury and resentment. "Kid, this Sect Master will use your life to appease the souls of the tens of thousands of cultivators of the Ancient Heavenly Sea Sect!"

This statement was a bit exaggerated. There had been at most ten thousand cultivators on the floating mountain, certainly not tens of thousands, but that was beside the point. Since his opponent had said so, Wang Yu didn't mind playing along. His gaze towards Sect Master Long Pan held a hint of subtle fervor, especially when he looked at his skin, as if he had spotted some precious treasure. He licked his lips and stated forcefully, "'How can a firefly comprehend the brilliance of a bright moon? That divine ability I just used, I can unleash it three more times. If you're not afraid of death, then come and try.'"

With that, he crooked his right middle finger. The provocation was palpable, and this demeanor actually made Long Pan hesitate. Unexpectedly, Long Chan's pupils abruptly constricted. "Not good, his magical power is recovering rapidly! He must be stalling for time. Attack together!"

Two figures with severely weakened auras charged towards the powerful-aura Wang Yu like moths to a flame. The scene, no matter how one viewed it, had an undeniably strange quality.