Nie Hanchang's eyes sharpened like an eagle's as his drawing arm pulled back from the bow, creating an arrow of energy that was emitting a light far more intense than the ones before. In fact, its appearance directly lit up the entire area, seemingly turning night into day.
In terms of both shape and size, it was no different from any of the previous energy arrows. However, the intense energy fluctuations it emitted were more than enough evidence that this particular arrow was anything but ordinary.
This was a technique that he had created when facing the Sky Lion with Zhao Yunxiao. Back then, they needed an overwhelmingly powerful attack to break through the Sky Lion's incredible water defence, and this was the answer that he had come up with.
In his mind, the image of the Sky Lion superimposed over his current target.
Nie Hanchang let the arrow loose.
[Sky Slayer]
It was as though a shooting star had suddenly descended upon the area, its eye-catching appearance instantly drawing the attention of every single black-robed cultivator.
However, it was far too fast for any of them to react in time.
The arrow of energy drew a straight line from the Grand Annihilator to its target, and then directly passed through him to enter the ground beneath. It had only appeared for the slightest of moments, travelling silently but steadily from start till end, not slowing down one bit even as it passed through the unfortunate black-robed cultivator.
Blood spurted out from both ends of the newly created tunnel that went through his skull, and the black-robed cultivator fell to the ground, motionless.
One down.
By the time the black-robed cultivator's knees hit the ground, Nie Hanchang was already pulling his drawing arm back to create yet another arrow of energy.
"B-Be careful! Something about his arrows has changed!" someone shouted, and the black-robed cultivators all retrieved their defensive treasures in preparation.
"Wait, why is he not shooting?"
"I see! He must need some time to charge up this special arrow. We need to get him before that!"
"Go! We will hold back these troublesome water elementals!"
The remaining ten black-robed cultivators decisively split into two groups. Half of them remained to deal with the five replicas of the avatar of dog spirit, while the other half ignored everything to charge towards the makeshift hut.
They knew that they were now on a timer. Even with their defensive treasures out in advance, none of them could say with absolute confidence that they would be able to defend against that monstrous arrow from earlier!
No longer having to worry about the barrage of arrows from Nie Hanchang, the five of them quickly made it to the makeshift hut, but that was when they came face to face with another unexpected hurdle.
"These roots... they just keep regrowing when I cut them off!"
"Be careful not to enter carelessly and end up trapped by roots from behind!"
Indeed, the roots were thick and looked menacing, but these cultivators at the Primary Essence Physique realm still had their means of cutting through them. The problem was that even after getting cut, new roots would quickly grow back to take their place.
So, if the black-robed cultivators were to forcibly barge their way through, they would have to risk being trapped by the roots regrowing behind them.
Charging straight through was possible if they truly committed to it, but what if it was a trap?
If anything were to go wrong, turning back would no longer be as easy when surrounded on all sides by these thorned roots!
As most of the black-robed cultivators hesitated in front of the thorned roots, the area lit up once more.
[Sky Slayer]
A beam of light shot out from the Grand Annihilator, heading straight for one of the black-robed cultivators – the only one who had chosen to throw caution to the wind and barge straight through the roots.
"Not a chance!" the black-robed cultivator roared in defiance as his defensive treasure buzzed into action.
Unlike his fallen comrade, he had already seen what this arrow was capable of, and was more than ready for it!
His copper umbrella shot forward, spinning gracefully as it opened up above to shelter him. From the perspective of the black-robed cultivator, the copper umbrella directly blocked out the intense light coming from the arrow, creating a shadow around him that seemed to represent the only safe haven left in the area – the only area that remained untouched by that terrifying light of death.
Unfortunately, this safe haven was but a mere illusion.
Pierce-!
The Sky Slayer arrow tore a hole straight through the open copper umbrella, appearing from beneath its open canopy and bringing with it the light of death that immediately washed away the last vestiges of hope.
Its speed barely decreased as it continued on its path, directly passing through the head of the black-robed cultivator before burying itself into the ground.
The black-robed cultivator turned motionless as blood spurted out from both the front and back ends of his head. But unlike his companion, his body did not fall to the ground. Instead, the thick roots that quickly regrew around him pinned him in place with their huge thorns.
"This...!"
The other black-robed cultivators froze in terror.
Their opponent was clearly just an Advanced Essence Gathering realm cultivator, so what was with that power?!
Just how proficient was he with the bow and arrow to be able to muster enough power to instantly overpower the defensive treasure of a Primary Essence Physique realm cultivator?
They knew about the strength of the Four Great Symbol Sects, but this went way beyond their wildest imagination!
And that bow... there was definitely something strange about that bow!
Now, the black-robed cultivators were beginning to hesitate even more.
All of them still believed that if they went all out with the means at their disposal, they would surely be able to take down their opponents in the end. However, they were also clear that their objective was unlikely to be accomplished before the next arrow came.
At that point in time, whoever was the target would be unlikely to survive!
And from the looks of it, it was clear who the next target would be. Whoever was the closest to their objective – the person who had cut through the roots the most – would be the one to die!
The four of them subconsciously exchanged glances as they hesitated to advance. All of them knew what had to be done, but they also did not want to be the fastest!
But at the same time, how could any of them possibly advance if none of them wished to be the fastest?
Just like that, a stalemate had formed among them – a stalemate that would eventually prove deadly for the entire group as Nie Hanchang charged up his next attack.
This was the effect that came along with possessing overwhelming offensive power. Not only was it an effective means of hunting beasts, but when against cultivators, it also had an additional psychological impact of inducing pure despair!
***
"If you seal your meridians now, I can still consider sparing your life," Zhao Yunxiao said while pressing the halberd down onto his opponent.
"In your dreams! I can do this all day!" the old man retorted even as the blade of the Penta-Edge Grimoire Halberd drew closer and closer to his face.
In actual fact, his brave words did not fully represent what he was thinking at the moment.
He could see that his men had effectively lost the initiative against their targets. At this rate, things would only become more and more disadvantageous for them as time passed.
With the battle currently split into two fronts, if either he or his men faltered, the other group would definitely be the next to fall.
Something had to change!
"Is that so?" Zhao Yunxiao narrowed his eyes.
"W-Wait!" the old man suddenly changed his tune and lowered his voice to a whisper. "The situation might seem to be in your favour right now, but trust me when I say that we still have more cards up our sleeves. If we really decide to go all out, none of us will be able to escape unscathed!"
"Try us."
"H-Hold up! Let's not get too hasty here and listen to everything that I have to say! I am trying to tell you that we do not have to go down that route of mutual destruction," the old man continued whispering. "Instead of that, how about a deal? I can help you subdue the rest of my men, and you can let me go in exchange. This way, you will be able to get just about everything you need without putting you or your friends in any danger!"
"A deal?" Zhao Yunxiao raised an eyebrow.
"That's right, a deal! A mutually beneficial deal!" the old man grinned. "How about it?"
"...I have one question," Zhao Yunxiao replied.
"Yes, yes, just ask. I will answer anything you want to know," the old man replied excitedly, believing that he had the young cultivator hooked. "You will not be disappointed by the answer you get."
Zhao Yunxiao scoffed as he looked at the cunning expression on the old man's face.
That's right. Those of the Scarlet Leaf Sect would resort to any means possible to secure their own benefits, even if it meant selling out their comrades.
He had already seen such behaviour from Ke Huofen[1] back at Blueflag Mountain, so it was not surprising to see it here once again.
However...
"Why would I make a deal with you when we can easily just take down all of you?"
"You-!" the old man's expression darkened as he felt the halberd suddenly weigh down harder upon him.
He had never been a physical combatant. Instead, his expertise lay in his long-ranged attacks and illusion techniques. Forced into this battle of physical attrition, he inevitably lost all strength in his arms, and his scythe completely gave way.
Slash-!
The Penta-Edge Grimoire Halberd fell towards the ground, drawing a clean line from the head to the groin as it directly cleaved the old man into two. Even as his consciousness rapidly slipped away, the old man's eyes remained open in sheer disbelief, unable to comprehend the sudden turn of events.
Ignoring the blood that was spurting out like a fountain, Zhao Yunxiao kept away his corpse without hesitation, then immediately turned to charge towards the nearest black-robed cultivator.
There was no way he would consider accepting the deal.
Yes, it would definitely be way easier to take control of the situation with the help of the old man. However, who was to say that the old man would honour his word?
He was a member of the Scarlet Leaf Sect – a faction notorious for their lack of scruples!
Moreover, even without the help of the old man, he did not see any real risk to his companions. The worst-case scenario would be failing to prevent the rest of the black-robed cultivators from escaping – a scenario that he was definitely going to do his best to make sure did not materialise!
As the four black-robed cultivators continued to eye one another warily in front of the makeshift hut, Zhao Yunxiao quickly arrived before one of the five who were currently tussling with the replicas of the avatar of the dog spirit.
"Damn it, you are a mere Essence Gathering realm runt!" the black-robed cultivator glared at the approaching Zhao Yunxiao as he drove his dantian to the limit. "Don't underestimate me!"
Essence energy erupted from him as his body ignited in green flames. He threw caution to the wind, ignoring the replica of the avatar of the dog spirit behind him and the entangling vines below, charging straight towards Zhao Yunxiao.
He had a strong feeling that if he could just take down Zhao Yunxiao, this messy situation would definitely take a turn for the better!
Zhao Yunxiao narrowed his eyes, but did not retreat.
Instead, he took in a deep breath and... roared!
[Zodiac Scripture – Dragon Aspect]
The roar of a dragon was accompanied by a powerful blast of energy that slammed into the black-robed cultivator. The green flames on his body were extinguished in an instant, as though he had just been doused in water.
Of course, in his current state, the green flames should not have been extinguished even if he dived into the deep sea, so he could not help but widen his eyes in complete disbelief.
This moment of disbelief created a moment of hesitation – an opening that Zhao Yunxiao did not allow to slip past him.
The Penta-Edge Grimoire Halberd pierced forth, impaling the black-robed cultivator straight through the solar plexus. The ferocious impact directly lifted the cultivator off his feet, held up by nothing but the black halberd.
That was when the area lit up once again.
Another Sky Slayer had been fired, claiming the life of yet another one of the black-robed cultivators standing before the makeshift hut.
Of the thirteen black-robed cultivators who had come seeking out Zhao Yunxiao's group tonight, five had perished and one had been knocked unconscious.
Now, only seven remained!
[1] Member of the Scarlet Leaf Sect who disguised himself as a rich trader peddling slaves at Thousand Autumn City, all in order to feed slaves into a sacrificial ritual at Blueflag Mountain. He betrayed and sacrificed all of his comrades in the end to complete the sacrificial ritual, using the ritual to imbue his sword with the power of blood and corruption. Escaped when confronted by Fei Qing and Zhao Yunxiao Two, not wanting to risk tangling with both the Duyuan Empire and the Armed Ape Tower.