Chapter 354

Chapter 354: Treasure Bow, Magic Arrow, Archery [Starfall]

“Young Master Lu, is it really you?”

Wei Xinghe couldn’t believe Lu Qing’s sudden voice.

He even wondered if he was hallucinating, caught between life and death.

“It’s me, Patriarch Wei. Are you all right?”

Lu Qing’s spirit continued to waver.

Wei Xinghe then realized it was emanating from the Light Spirit Talisman on his body.

His suspicions were gone, and after sensing the movement behind him, he

leaped a few times, quickly reaching the eaves of a nearby street, found an attic window, and slipped inside.

Upon entering the room, Wei Xinghe froze.

Lying on the attic bed was a thin figure, haggard and lifeless.

He knew it was one of the citizens whose vital energy had been drained away when the formation was activated.

Shaking his palms, Wei Xinghe suppressed his anger. He

then curled up, restrained his breath, and hid.

The situation was urgent, and he couldn’t afford to vent his anger.

The most important thing now was to inform Lu Qing of the situation in the prefecture.

If he and the old doctor could arrive in time, perhaps the people of this city still had a chance of survival.

Therefore, without much time for regret, Wei Xinghe quickly addressed the jade talisman:

“Young Master Lu, the situation is dire. The prefecture city has been besieged by a powerful evil cultivator from unknown origin, using a formation.

The formation is extremely sinister, capable of draining the soul’s energy. Many citizens have already perished as a result.”

“Did you see the evil cultivator?” Lu Qing asked.

“I only saw him once. He was so powerful that I didn’t even get a good look at him, yet he instantly recognized the breath-suppressing talisman I was wearing.

If it weren’t for the sword talisman you gave me, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have been able to escape.

Young Master Lu, hundreds of thousands of people in the prefecture city are in imminent danger.

I’m afraid only you and Senior Chen can break through the impasse and save them!”

Wei Xinghe spoke quickly, his voice low.

I just don’t know if Lu Qing and the others will be able to make it in time if they rush from Jiuli Village now.

“Don’t worry, Patriarch Wei. I’m outside the city, but I need some time to break the formation, so I can’t enter for now.”

“Young Master Lu, you’re outside the city?” Wei Xinghe was overjoyed.

“Yes, I just arrived and am trying to figure out how to break the formation. Patriarch Wei, please find a place to stay safe first, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

With that, Lu Qing severed the connection with the talisman.

Sensing Lu Qing’s spirit had left, Wei Xinghe didn’t panic. Instead, hope filled him again.

He had assumed that even if Lu Qing knew about the situation in the city, he might not be able to arrive in time.

He hadn’t expected Lu Qing to be outside the city.

Wei Xinghe remained confident in Lu Qing’s methods.

Now that he was here, the crisis in the city would surely be resolved.

So now, he just needed to protect himself and wait for Lu Qing to break the formation.

It was a pity his Breath-Suppressing Talisman had been broken by that terrifying evil cultivator. Otherwise, with its miraculous power, he might have found a place to hide until Lu Qing could break the formation.

Just as he was thinking this, Wei Xinghe suddenly shuddered, a sense of danger rising within him.

Without a second thought, he leaped and scrambled out of the attic window.

Boom!

As he emerged, the entire attic was shattered by a powerful force

, shattering the tiny figure within .

“Father, so you were hiding here? I’ve had a hard time finding you,”

Wei Zihao’s voice rang out.

Wei Xinghe glanced at Wei Zihao, who was radiating a black aura, and knew his eldest son had been controlled by the evil cultivator.

There was no point in engaging him.

Without a word, he activated his Light Spirit Talisman. A flash of green light emanated, and his speed increased to extremes. In a few flashes, he vanished from Wei Zihao’s sight.

Wei Zihao was once again unable to stop him, his face darkening, his eyes cold.

The Demon Lord had specifically ordered him to capture his father, yet he’d repeatedly failed. If held accountable, he feared he’d have a tough time explaining himself.

With this thought, the black runes on Wei Zihao’s body swirled, and his aura grew even more eerie.

The next moment, he took a step forward, leaving behind a long afterimage.

His speed unexpectedly doubled as he pursued Wei Xinghe’s flight.

Wei Xinghe felt the burst of aura behind him, filled with both shock and anger.

He was shocked by the unfathomable power the mysterious evil cultivator had employed. He could not fathom what unholy method the mysterious

cultivator had employed to enable Zihao, still at the Xiantian realm, to unleash power comparable to his own. He

was furious because, as a warrior, Wei Xinghe knew that strength required cultivation.

For someone like Wei Zihao, still at the Xiantian realm, to forcibly control power far beyond his realm would inevitably come at a price.

If this continued, his body would likely collapse.

How could Wei Xinghe not be furious at the evil cultivator’s audacity to reduce his son to this state, neither human nor ghost?

Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, Wei Xinghe knew he was helpless.

His only hope lay in Lu Qing’s ability to quickly break the formation and defeat the mysterious evil cultivator.

Only then would Zihao regain his sanity.

Not wanting to engage in a pointless battle with his son, Wei Xinghe sped up again and fled.

Suddenly, he sensed several powerful Xiantian Realm auras emanating from the front.

…

After conversing with Wei Xinghe and learning about the situation in the city, Lu Qing severed his mental connection with the Qingling Talisman.

He began to focus his attention on the black light screen of the formation ahead, pondering how to break it.

He had encountered a vicious formation like this one, designed to trap and refine human essence and blood.

On their way to Zhongzhou, the Silver Moon Sect had deployed a similar formation, attempting to refine the martial arts masters of Yunzhou.

However, that formation could only cover a small town.

Its power was far inferior to the powerful formation now enveloping an entire provincial capital.

“The Ten Directions Blood-Dissolving Soul-Refining Formation, inherited from the Black Sky Demon Lord of the Tianyuan Great World…”

Lu Qing pondered as he recalled the message that had surfaced earlier.

It revealed a wealth of information.

Whether it is the Tianyuan Great World or the Black Sky Demon Lord, they sound like very formidable existences.

And what is the relationship between the demon cultivators in this city and the Tianyuan Great World?

Lu Qing thought about it, but couldn’t figure it out, so he put it aside for the time being.

The most urgent thing is to find a way to break the formation in front of him.

Otherwise, when the formation is activated next time, I’m afraid many citizens will be killed or injured again.

Lu Qing released his mind and carefully sensed the flow of formation power in the light curtain of the formation in front of him.

Because of the formation blocking him, he couldn’t sense the situation in the city.

But it was still possible to sense the flow of formation power on the light curtain.

Although the power of this Ten Directions Blood-Dissolving Soul-Refining Formation is much more vast and powerful than the formation he encountered in the Silver Moon Sect.

But any formation must have formation nodes.

Destroying enough nodes would allow the formation to disintegrate on its own.

Lu Qing, possessing the legacy of the Divine Talisman Sect and having long since reached the [Yang Talisman] realm,

was a true master of formations.

While the Ten Directions Blood-Dissolving Soul-Refining Formation was profound, it had been simplified countless times.

Therefore, it wasn’t long before Lu Qing discovered the outermost nodes.

Without hesitation, he drew his bow and arrow from his Qiankun Qi Bag.

The precious bow in Lu Qing’s hand had transformed.

Mysterious runes flickered, a radiant light emanated, a truly remarkable sight.

Lu Qing had become addicted to refining artifacts with the Lihuo Cauldron. He had also

refined the bow anew

, adding precious materials and incorporating several layers of restrictions, greatly enhancing its quality.

It had become a true treasure-grade magical bow.

“Let’s see if your formation can withstand my arrows.”

Lu Qing’s eyes were cold as he took out a long arrow inscribed with runes and placed it on the bow.

Since the precious bow had been re-refined, the arrow was naturally no exception.

This rune-inscribed arrow was a magical arrow specially refined by Lu Qing.

A single magical arrow was so precious that it was comparable to a magical weapon.

This was why Lu Qing had been so determined to obtain the Lihuo Cauldron.

With this spiritual artifact, the Lihuo Sect’s guardian, refining things would be incredibly easy for him.

With this spiritual artifact, as long as the materials were available, he could continuously refine magical instruments and treasures.

Lu Qing had even made rapid progress in his refinement skills recently.

Nocking the arrow on the bow, Lu Qing began to draw.

After being refined into a magical weapon, the precious bow’s strength increased greatly, making it difficult for even a powerful Xiantian Realm expert to draw it.

But for Lu Qing, whose physical strength had reached a point where his entire body was radiant with precious light, this little power was no problem.

He didn’t even need to assume a horse stance; simply by slightly separating his feet and exerting force with his arms, he easily drew the precious bow, which shone like a full moon.

Then, driven by his mind, the restrictions on the bow and arrow began to glow.

The surrounding spiritual energy was rapidly gathered and channeled into the magic

arrow. A powerful force brewed within.

When the spiritual energy reached its peak, the power within the magic arrow reached a level that would make any Xiantian realm cultivator’s heart palpitate.

Lu Qing no longer hesitated and released the bowstring.

Bang!

A resounding snap of the bowstring shook the air around Lu Qing, causing it to explode.

Driven by this immense force, the magic arrow instantly transformed into a stream of light, piercing the air in front of Lu Qing and

soaring diagonally upwards towards the provincial capital city.

This time, Lu Qing again used the projectile method,

simultaneously imbuing the magic arrow with a wisp of his mind.

The magic arrow soared high, first climbing to a high point, landing above the provincial capital.

Then, it turned, its arrowhead pointing downward. Driven by Lu Qing’s mind, it suddenly accelerated, hurtling towards the provincial capital below.

Secret archery technique: skyfall!

As Lu Qing’s mind urged it, the restrictions within the magic arrow illuminated, and the arrow accelerated layer by layer. By the time it reached the black light curtain of the formation, its speed had reached its peak.

The power carried by the arrow was even more powerful.

Though the black light curtain of the formation was powerful, it was as fragile as a piece of paper before this arrow.

It was instantly pierced by the magic arrow, and a loud bang echoed from the city.

Lu Qing keenly noticed that the black light curtain ahead of him had visibly slowed down, its power weakening slightly.

“I think I overestimated the strength of this formation.”

Lu Qing touched his chin, somewhat surprised.

He had originally thought that breaking through the black light curtain of the formation would take some effort.

Unexpectedly, he destroyed a formation node so easily.

“Young Master, the power of your arrow is such that even a Foundation Establishment cultivator wouldn’t dare take it head-on.

This formation’s light curtain is intended to cover the entire prefecture, and its power is so fragmented that it’s naturally unable to block it,”

Flame chuckled.

However, it was still astonished by Lu Qing’s displayed archery prowess.

Lu Qing’s arrow had been incredibly precise.

Even through a vast formation, he had managed to precisely destroy a formation node.

His archery skills rivaled those of a Foundation Establishment cultivator specializing in archery.

How many other abilities did this person possess that it didn’t know?

“Can’t stop it? That’s great news for us.”

Lu Qing smiled, and with a thought, three magic arrows suddenly appeared in his hand, nodding to his bow.

Having already tested the upper limit of the black formation’s light curtain’s defense, he no longer needed to test it.

With his mind urging it, the three magic arrows instantly absorbed the surrounding spiritual energy.

Just as Lu Qing was preparing his second wave of attack.

In a luxurious mansion within the provincial capital, a furious roar suddenly erupted.

“Who dares to destroy the nodes of the formation I set up?”

A powerful aura erupted, shattering the room he was in, revealing a disheveled figure and a black bone sword hovering before him.

Even more bizarre was the constant surge of blood-colored mist around the black bone sword, which was then absorbed into it.

This gave the bone sword, and the pitch darkness, an even more terrifying aura.

“Master Demon Lord, what has happened?”

Sensing the commotion, several figures appeared and approached the room where the disheveled figure lay, half-kneeling on the ground with expressions of fear.

Had Wei Xinghe been present, he would have noticed that each of these figures bore black runes similar to those on Wei Zihao’s face and on their exposed arms and palms, creating a strange and eerie atmosphere.

“Someone is attempting to disrupt the formation. The attack is coming from outside the city. Exit immediately and slay them!”

As soon as the words had fallen, three more loud explosions echoed through the city.

The disheveled figure’s body trembled, and the blood-colored mist surrounding the black bone sword hovering before him slowed noticeably.

“Damn it! Exit immediately. If you can’t slay that man, bring him back to me with your head!” the disheveled figure demanded with a ferocious expression.

“Yes, Lord Demon!”

Several figures trembled, not daring to be negligent.

They immediately disappeared from the mansion, and used their skills to quickly rush out of the city.

Only the figure with disheveled hair was left behind, with a look of surprise and doubt in his eyes.

“Who on earth can break the nodes of the four-way Ten Directions Blood-Dissolving Soul-Refining Formation so easily?

Even if I have simplified this formation many times, it should not be something that the natives of this world can comprehend!”

Just as the figure with disheveled hair was in doubt, suddenly, three more loud noises rang out.

The figure with disheveled hair shook again, and the black bone sword floating in front of him, and the blood mist around him, directly dissipated by one third.

(End of this chapter)