Chapter 1285: Astonishing Arrow

The Mute, the Blind Man, and the Apothecary were beaming with pride, constantly glancing at Qin Mu and the others. The Blind Man chuckled, "What's the point of having high cultivation? When facing such bizarre things, you still have to rely on us!"

The Mute nodded incessantly.

The Apothecary, too, couldn't conceal his satisfaction, stroking the beard on his chin.

First Ancestor's face flushed slightly. He had initially disdained these three, considering their low cultivation to be useless and a hindrance. He never imagined that in the end, it would be these three who saved them.

As the withered skeletal hand was severed, the light surrounding the divine bow immediately receded, gradually revealing its true form.

Qin Mu exerted force with his hand, taking down the divine bow. He noticed it gradually shrinking, though it still measured about twelve feet long. The bow was covered in peculiar markings that resembled runes, but he couldn't decipher them.

Everyone gathered around, but they, too, knew nothing about the runic markings.

Qin Mu asked Tai Shi, who was in the egg, but Tai Shi didn't recognize them either.

Qin Mu attempted to draw the divine bow. It pulled back easily, but the further the string was stretched, the more Qin Mu felt his vital qi and magical energy being rapidly siphoned into the bow.

Simultaneously, the divine bow emitted a brilliant light, and billions of tiny rays converged, coalescing into an arrow.

Everyone felt a chill down their spine. The divine bow's power was immense, making it an extraordinary treasure even among Emperor's Throne artifacts.

Qin Mu slowly released his grip, and the bowstring gradually returned to its original position. The arrow, in turn, dissolved back into rays of light, returning to the bow, and the energy within the bow then transformed back into vital qi, re-entering Qin Mu's body.

He drew and released the bow without expending any magical energy, to his surprise.

Qin Mu handed the divine bow to First Ancestor, who also tried it and exclaimed in wonder.

Everyone took turns trying it, each marveling at its properties.

The Mute's eyes lit up. "If this unique technique could be incorporated into weapon forging," he signed, "divine weapons would consume much less magical energy, allowing us to fight for much longer!"

Qin Mu handed the divine bow to him, then examined the severed arm embedded in the tree root, wondering aloud, "Where did this hand come from?"

The Mute shook his large hammer, which transformed into a massive axe. With a clang, he struck the pitch-black tree root.

The massive axe struck the tree root, sending sparks flying. The Mute, his face darkening, lifted the axe, only to see that its blade had bent.

Qin Mu activated his Broken Sword, striking a blow that left his arm numb from the impact, yet he still failed to cut the tree root.

"This person is growing within the tree root."

First Ancestor Human Emperor also attempted to split the tree root, but failed. "When I touched the divine bow just now," he said, "that person spoke to me. He must still be alive."

Everyone employed their various techniques, hoping to split the tree root and confirm if the person was truly growing within it. However, no matter what divine abilities they used or divine weapons they wielded, they could not split the tree root.

The Mute suddenly signed with a smile, "We've been foolish, not using the divine bow and instead relying on our own treasures."

He took out the divine bow and struggled to draw the string, but he could only pull it halfway before his magical energy ran out.

Qin Mu took the divine bow, exerting all his might to draw the curved bow into a full moon. Almost all of his vital qi was siphoned into the bow.

A divine arrow rapidly materialized, its light furiously converging and concentrating on the arrowhead.

At that moment, myriad lights suddenly swirled, whistling towards them, and swiftly attached themselves to the arrow's head.

Those lights were the starlight of the Ancestral Court. It was as if stars were being drawn by this divine bow, seeming to approach the Ancestral Court with increasing speed.

Qin Mu immediately felt the power within the divine bow intensify. His arms could barely withstand the force, and his muscular limbs began to tremble uncontrollably.

"Oh no," he gasped, "the power is a bit too strong!"

He was about to release his grip, but the starlight continued to gather. Even the power of heaven and earth from the Ancestral Court seemed to be drawn in, forming various large and small vortices in the sky above the valley.

"Run, quickly!"

Cold sweat broke out on Qin Mu's forehead. He realized he couldn't retract his vital qi and had to clench his teeth, holding on grimly. "When the divine bow unleashes its power," he hissed, "I can't control the trajectory of the blast!"

Hearing this, First Ancestor's expression changed drastically. He was about to speak, intending to ensure Qin Mu's safety, but saw the three elders from Crippled Old Village turn and run without a second thought. The Blind Man shouted as he fled, "Mu'er, hold on a little longer! Wait until we're out of this valley!"

The Mute's voice boomed like thunder, "First Ancestor, Yan'er, hurry up and leave!"

First Ancestor hesitated for a moment, but Yan'er had already fled far away with her lantern. He had no choice but to place down Tai Shi's egg, saying, "Mu'er, be careful and use this egg to protect yourself!"

Everyone rushed headlong out of the valley. Above them, large and small vortices spun frantically in the sky, as streams of heaven and earth spiritual energy surged forth, crashing down towards the divine bow in Qin Mu's hand at the bottom of the valley.

At this moment, Qin Mu's body had expanded to over two hundred *zhang* in height, transforming into a mountain-like giant. His entire being radiated such dazzling divine light that it was difficult to look directly at him.

However, this giant was trembling.

The bow in his hand grew increasingly powerful, to the point where it surpassed his control.

When this arrow is loosed, its tip will collide with the roots of the Great Blackwood. The power within the arrow will undoubtedly explode in all directions, and with him at the epicenter of the blast, the danger is unimaginable.

Now, with the arrow on the string, it had to be fired; the situation was beyond his control.

Just as everyone was about to fly out of the valley, an incredibly dazzling burst of light erupted from the center of the valley floor.

A colossal sphere of light rotated and expanded at the valley's base, rapidly filling the entire chasm.

Those who had just escaped the valley were immediately sent sprawling, swept away by this terrifying force and scattered in all directions.

Although the Apothecary had cultivated the Medical Dao Celestial Palace, his cultivation was still the weakest. He was instantly riddled with countless wounds by this terrifying power.

Within this light, there seemed to be countless ethereal arrows.

Fortunately, the wonders of the Medical Dao Celestial Palace were astonishing; his wounds quickly healed, only for even more injuries to appear on his body immediately after.

Finally, the commotion subsided. Everyone landed, looking disheveled. Dragon Qilin quickly rushed over, and only when he saw that Yan'er was completely unharmed did he breathe a sigh of relief.

"The Cult Master is still down there!" Dragon Qilin exclaimed in alarm, unable to locate Qin Mu.

At the bottom of the valley.

The cliff face was entirely covered in arrows composed of light, deeply embedded in the seemingly indestructible rock. However, there was a single humanoid area where no arrows had struck.

In front of the cliff stood Qin Mu, still holding the divine bow. His front was entirely covered in streaks of arrow-light, and even his face was filled with countless ethereal arrows.

As for Tai Shi's egg, it had, at some unknown point, rolled behind Qin Mu, failing to shield him from the front.

*Thud.*

Qin Mu fell backward, the ethereal arrows covering his body swaying faintly.

These ethereal arrows were composed of light. Soon, the light gradually dimmed, and the arrows slowly vanished one by one.

Tai Shi's egg rolled back, cautiously probing, "Shepherd Celestial Venerable, are you still alive?"

"Not dead yet, just can't catch my breath."

Tai Shi in the egg relaxed.

After a moment, Qin Mu stood up again. He looked at the divine bow in his hand, and his expression suddenly changed drastically. He instinctively shook his hand, tossing the divine bow aside.

This divine bow was too eerie.

However, after discarding the divine bow, he regretted it and picked it up again. "It can be useful for long-range attacks," he mused, "but using it up close would be certain death."

He composed himself and looked ahead, noting that the roots of the Great Blackwood, where the skeletal arm had been embedded, had been blasted open by the divine bow, revealing the upper torso of a skeleton, which was missing an arm.

The owner of the divine bow was indeed growing within the roots of the Great Blackwood.

Strangely, the interior of the Great Blackwood's roots was surprisingly fresh.

The roots of this impossibly enormous tree were still alive.

Suddenly, the skeleton within the roots lifted its head, staring intently at Qin Mu. "You stole my treasure, you ruined my resurrection. Tonight, I will take your life!" With that, the skeleton merged back into the roots and vanished.