Chapter 443: Destruction of the Body

"Indeed, it's a bow... When did the East Sea get such a powerful golden bow! And it's trying to kill me for no reason..."

Once Ewú clearly saw his attacker, the terror in his heart slightly subsided, replaced by a surge of deep hatred. His golden body had briefly blocked the attack, allowing him to see that the mysterious, golden-phoenix-like arrow came from in front of him.

"The arrow came from in front of me, so the person must be to the east. Damn it... I made a useless trip!" Having deduced that the attacker was to the east, he immediately turned back, riding his magical light, and flew westward.

As he conjured a spell, two long staffs in his hands glowed golden, exuding a heavy, lingering aura of burning incense. Arcing rays of light shot from both sides of the staffs, growing thicker and forming a circular shield.

"Qin Ling's Shield Protection."

Ewú had few defensive spells. He placed one staff behind him and held the other against his chest, protecting his vital organs, as he sped through the air.

Though Ewú had never seen this person before, he gambled that an attack of this magnitude couldn't be easily repeated. He flew on, head down, when a buzzing sound suddenly erupted in his ears, followed by excruciating pain in his chest and back.

The sound tore through his ears, echoing relentlessly, making blood stream from both ears and filling him with dread. Ewú understood that this was not just a sound; it was caused by the opponent's immortal foundation or a related spell. He thought: "A direct descendant of an immortal sect, but not the 'Boring Gold Gate'... Which other sect is so sharp? Could it be the Sword Gate?"

He felt a violent tremor in his chest. The long staff in his hand let out a mournful cry, instantly slipped from his grasp, and spun twice in the air. Ewú clutched his chest, where a new, bull's-eye-sized hole had appeared on his left side.

His Buddhist artifacts were not of the best quality. When he retrieved the staff, it was already slightly bent. Ewú was terrified: "It's a frontal attack again! He's doing this on purpose!"

The attacker's archery skills were profound; Ewú had never witnessed such terrifying immortal arrows in his life. The person was tormenting him playfully; the arrow coming from in front of him had nothing to do with his actual position, it was simply where the attacker willed it.

Ewú, a seasoned warrior, plunged headfirst into the sea in this critical moment, diving recklessly towards the seabed. He felt a chill creep up the back of his neck.

"Here it comes again..."

He tried to activate a spell, but felt currents of vital energy (gangqi) coursing through his body, creating small holes and moving within his skin and internal organs. His attempts were disrupted twice, preventing him from casting any magic.

The panic in Ewú's heart finally intensified to its peak. With a fierce expression, he formed hand seals: "Pāramitā Method – Self-Sacrifice!"

Instantly, his body emitted bursts of golden light. His pale, corporeal form rapidly melted, transforming into golden light that enveloped and protected him. A powerful aura was unleashed, yet Ewú felt no sense of security; instead, a chill pervaded his entire being.

As expected, he felt the buzzing in his ears become like the chirping of ten thousand birds, and blood streamed from both ears. Pushing his divine vision to its limit, sacrificing his physical body, he finally saw five streaks of golden light, like meteors, streaking towards him, one after another.

"Buzz!"

Large amounts of steam erupted from the seawater. Ewú roared, unleashing the terror in his heart. The five golden lights seemed to vanish as if they had never existed, yet all that remained of him was a head connected to a pair of arms; the rest of his physical body had completely vaporized and disappeared.

At this point, Ewú's heart was as cold as ice. He raised his two arms, and before the next golden ray could arrive, he clasped his hands around his neck and twisted forcefully. "Crack."

Ewú's neck immediately twisted into a knot. He deliberately refrained from using his spiritual body's abilities, strangling himself in the seawater. The golden light whistled in, turning his torso into a bloody mess, while his head flew high, creating a massive wave on the sea surface.

The churning waves slowly calmed, leaving only thick, rolling dark clouds in the sky. Gentle rain pattered on the waves, and then four streams of magical wind belatedly arrived.

The leading retainer swallowed hard, his gaze shifting to the three people beside him, none of whom dared to meet his eyes; they all lowered their heads.

Just as the group stood bewildered, a dark golden light slowly emerged before them. A middle-aged man, stepping on a flying shuttle, approached leisurely. He gently extended a hand, catching the head that fell from the dark clouds, and with a flick of his sleeve, put away his artifacts, then gazed coldly at the group.

The middle-aged man's expression was icy. Clad in intimidating dark-gold armor and a robe, he carried a longbow on his back. One hand was behind him, while the other held the bare head.

Ewú's head was filled with terror, blood dripping down, staining the man's muscular forearm. The man watched them silently, not saying a word.

'Run!'

The thought flashed through their minds simultaneously, yet no one dared to move a step. They felt a chill permeate their bodies, their faces stinging as if cut by knives. As the middle-aged man in front of them approached step by step, they all lowered their heads, staring at the sea. The leader finally spoke: "Senior... Thank you for your assistance... Junior..."

He spoke, drenched in sweat, but unfortunately, someone flew in from behind, carried by the wind. It was the Clan Retainer whom Ewú had sent away. After circling around, he finally found the group, his eyes wide with shock and excitement. He came forward, blathering: "Retainer Fu! Did Lord Situ use some kind of talisman... That fight just now, I..."

"Smack!"

He was halfway through his sentence when he sensed the wrong atmosphere. Suddenly, he was slapped across the face, making him stumble. Retainer Fu, his face covered in cold sweat, pushed his head down and whispered: "We, humble cultivators from the corner of the sea, did not intend to disturb the Immortal Sect's envoy. We beg your forgiveness, Senior..."

Seeing the grim expressions of his colleagues, as if they wanted to devour him alive, the Clan Retainer quickly held his tongue. Li Xuanfeng cast a glance at him and said coldly: "Go back and tell Situ Mo this: If he dares to step half a foot off the island, I'll shoot his head off and kick it like a ball."

Retainer Fu humbly assented, understanding that this was a struggle between immortal sects. As a minor cultivator from overseas, with neither strength nor background, all he could do was relay the message. He didn't even dare to wipe his sweat, only nodding: "This humble cultivator understands... This humble cultivator understands..."

Li Xuanfeng's dark-gold armor briefly glowed, and he vanished from the sky. Only then did the stinging sensation on their faces disappear. The Clan Retainer, having been slapped for no reason, was both angry and confused. He looked at his colleagues, and Retainer Fu, wiping his sweat, simply said: "You should just be glad you didn't say anything foolish! You're lucky to still be alive!"

The Clan Retainer, belatedly realizing the gravity of the situation, whispered: "Which immortal sect's lord was that?"

"Who knows? You thought that scene just now involved some kind of talisman, but you didn't realize it was just a few casual arrows!" The retainer surnamed Fu said in a hoarse voice, "From the looks of it, it might even be the Golden Feather Immortal Sect..."

As Li Xuanfeng flew far away, he finally brought out the hand he had held behind his back. His broad, thick hand was covered in small, mouth-like wounds that slowly opened and closed, and blood continuously flowed from his five fingers.

"I was a bit too hasty in the fight."

Li Xuanfeng flipped his hand to put away the head. The five arrows in his quiver at his waist subtly vibrated, as if not yet satisfied, golden light interweaving and flowing.

Li Xuanfeng's quiver contained five profound arrows, all crafted from refined gold. They would automatically return after being shot. Having fired all five arrows in one go, these five artifacts were greatly excited, continuously twitching.

He glanced around, then raised his longbow again. Without using his golden arrows, he drew the bowstring, and the magical energy on the string automatically gathered, forming a vital energy arrow. "Whoosh."

The arrow pierced the air, traveling a hundred miles to land on a sea island. It tore through dense forest, striking the grimacing head on a large banyan tree.

"Splutter!"

The head immediately exploded with a loud bang, and the twisting, swaying banyan tree it was attached to was utterly reduced to dust, leaving only bloodstains on the ground.

Earlier, to prevent Mutuo's suspicion, Ewú had deliberately spared the life of this Situ family member, grafting him onto a banyan tree. Now that the dust had settled, Li Xuanfeng ended him with a single arrow, sparing him from struggling on the tree day and night.

Afterward, he gently rubbed his palm, at least making the hand appear normal on the surface. The injury wasn't severe and would heal in a month or two of recuperation.

After all, Ewú was an experienced mage; even with his sect in decline, he shouldn't be underestimated. Unlike the extremely weak Mutuo, who was annihilated by two arrows, Li Xuanfeng could only inflict as much damage as possible before this creature resolved to escape.

"What a pity. If he had hesitated a bit longer, I could have killed him right here."

Even though the mage ultimately chose to commit suicide to escape, Li Xuanfeng still made him suffer. The circulating vital energy was not easily dispelled and was enough to ensure his injuries would linger. Without external aid, he might slowly perish.

And as long as Ewú hadn't completely purged the vital energy from his body, if he came within a hundred miles of Li Xuanfeng, he would immediately be detected by Li Xuanfeng's Golden Geng energy. At that point, a single arrow would be enough to utterly destroy him.

Li Xuanfeng had been stifled in the Southern Border for decades, evolving from initial despondency to concealed pride, and later, hearing news from the Ning clan, he became so consumed by hatred that he struggled to meditate. Now, having annihilated one of these two Buddhist cultivators and left the other clinging to life, the hatred in his heart had slightly eased. He murmured, "Just wait... This is merely interest..."

Having fought his way here, his magical energy was depleted by eighty to ninety percent. He traveled by wind, weaving through the heavy dark clouds, his eyes narrowed in thought.

'Situ Mo is quite cautious. Since I've already revealed my strength, his family's influence likely won't keep it secret for long. It's better to use this display of power to intimidate him, so he won't dare leave the island and harass my descendants.'

Situ Mo's caution was unexpected. Li Xuanfeng did not make things difficult for the retainers on the island. His own condition did not permit further combat; his display of power peaked and ceased, serving as a warning to Situ Mo.

The thunder in the sky grew more frequent, and the surroundings were pitch black. The rain showed no sign of stopping, blurring everything from sight. Li Yuanjiao was meticulous in his affairs, and Li Xuanfeng couldn't ascertain the Li family's offshore stronghold, so he could only return to Fenkuai Island.

The sea was dark everywhere. Li Xuanfeng flew through the rain for a long time before he finally saw Fenkuai Island. He submerged himself in the sea, only to find Ning Heyuan coming to meet him, smiling: "Brother-in-law, how did things go?"

"Some gains."

Li Xuanfeng nodded quietly, his words reserved. Ning Heyuan did not press further, laughing heartily as he replied: "Daoist Qinghong has already arrived at the market town and is waiting for you, brother-in-law!"

"Qinghong is here!"

Li Xuanfeng finally smiled, quickly taking two steps forward and flying towards the market town.

East Sea, Qunyi Strait.

The islands of Qunyi Strait were densely scattered throughout every corner of the channel, inhabited by numerous people. This area was close to World Umbilicus Island, and many indigenous cultivators practiced here.

On a remote and small island, the highest mountain was covered in barren, exposed boulders. A small temple stood atop the summit, where five or six natives silently worshipped.

The leading statue, carved from a large rock, appeared surprisingly pristine. At this moment, it began to shake continuously, shedding fine fragments of stone and powder that slowly fell, scattering with a rustling sound across the ground.

The natives knelt, bewildered, and continued to prostrate themselves, only to see the statue explode with a roar, from which a tiny infant sprang out.

This infant was, of course, Ewú. Blood-tears streamed from his eyes. He opened his small mouth, and the natives, instantly entranced, rushed forward to shove their hands into his mouth. Ewú swallowed an arm in one gulp, immediately growing much larger, appearing to be seventeen or eighteen years old.

Yet, this fleshly body still appeared horrifyingly grotesque, merely two arms and a shoulder supporting a head. Ewú's expression instantly changed as the image of his Senior Brother Mutuo, utterly annihilated, suddenly appeared before him.

"Damn it... There's something strange about this person."

He called over the last native, raised a hand with nails sharp as knives, and with a gentle wave, sliced off the person's torso above the chest. With both hands, he pushed off the ground, leaped up, and seamlessly attached himself to that chest.

"Much more comfortable now!"

Ewú took two steps, a smile appearing on his face, but it quickly froze.

"Splutter!"

An inexplicable wave of energy burst forth from his original upper arms, shattering the mortal body of the lower half. Ewú fell to the ground with a thud, his heart turning cold.

"What a profound immortal technique!"

No matter how powerful a Buddhist cultivator's life-preserving abilities, they could not sustain him indefinitely in this state. Although Buddhist scriptures declared the physical body to be a "boat for crossing the world" that could be replaced at will, if such a "boat" was long absent, one might drown in the mundane world.

He now understood that if he couldn't find some precious medicine or suitable blood sustenance, he would likely perish in two or three years. There was no time for him to find a quiet place to slowly cultivate. He could no longer wait, so he steeled himself, rose on the wind, and flew towards the nearest island.

Ewú had initially harbored some hatred, but now only profound fear remained. He thought to himself: "Good thing Senior Brother is dead... The Qin Ling lineage is now in my hands. If I can survive this ordeal... I'll go to the South Sea and never return to this cursed place..."

This body, consisting only of arms, floated in the air, drifting westward. Ewú was filled with despair, silently praying: "May the World-Honored One protect me! May the World-Honored One protect me! There must be a mortal island with no Foundation Establishment cultivator guarding it... Whether this disciple can continue the Qin Ling lineage... depends on this attempt!"