Chapter 1641: Thousand-Mile Eyes
Returning to Kongling Island, Feng Yan arranged a separate cultivation chamber for Zhang Ruochen. Outside the chamber, two maidservants were stationed, ready to heed Zhang Ruochen's orders at any time.
Feng Yan's enthusiasm left Zhang Ruochen quite puzzled, and he remained vigilant at all times.
A first-rank disciple of the Truth Temple, with a vast family background, was actively befriending him, a Time and Space Heir who was an enemy to the world. This was truly difficult for Zhang Ruochen to comprehend.
Was he genuinely fond of making friends, or did he have another motive?
"Since I met Feng Yan, he has had several opportunities to attack me, but he never did. It seems he is not a member of the dark forces."
Unable to figure out the reason, Zhang Ruochen had to temporarily suppress his doubts.
...
After parting ways with Zhang Ruochen, Feng Yan walked toward the magnificent sacred hall at the center of Kongling Island.
The hall's doors opened automatically, and he stepped inside.
Feng Xi, a divine disciple of the Truth Temple, wore a robe embroidered with cranes and a blue sky, a veil covering her face. She sat by a chess table, studying a mid-game position.
Hearing footsteps behind her, she did not turn around, only said lightly, "Took quite a blow, didn't you?"
"Sister has already heard?" Feng Yan smiled bitterly.
Feng Xi snorted softly, "Just now, I received messages from at least ten divine disciples, all saying that the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden crossed the fifth sea layer, while that three-headed-six-armed Feng only managed the fourth. Tell me, isn't that embarrassing?"
"How is that embarrassing? A prodigy like the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden appears only once in ten thousand years. Losing to her..."
Before Feng Yan could finish, Feng Xi interrupted, "If you're not embarrassed, I am. If you hadn't crossed the Sea of Truth with her, you could have at least saved face. Now? Your three heads and six arms have become her backdrop. Do you know what a stepping stone is? It's you."
In front of his sister, Feng Yan had no temper. He rubbed his nose and muttered, "I'm not the only stepping stone..."
Feng Xi's beautiful eyes glared at him, and Feng Yan immediately shut his mouth.
After a long pause, Feng Xi spoke again, "The Sealing God Platform Assembly is held only once every ten years, a rare opportunity. However, if you want to gain something from it, there will certainly be danger. So, prepare in advance, and don't embarrass our Feng family again."
"Understood, I'll prepare now."
Feng Yan fled out of the sacred hall, stepping through the door, feeling much lighter. He looked up at the clear sky and muttered to himself, "If I'd known I'd be scolded this badly, I wouldn't have come to see her."
...
"Finally finished."
In the cultivation chamber, Zhang Ruochen held the completed Daylight Arrow in his hand, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and revealed a satisfied smile.
After spending most of the day, Zhang Ruochen had finally carved three Time Imprints onto the Daylight Arrow.
Thus, this arrow had become an even more terrifying killing arrow.
The arrow itself was only a surface-level attack.
The Time Imprints flying off the arrow were the insidious "hidden arrows," impossible to guard against.
Zhang Ruochen had crafted this arrow specifically to deal with the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden. This woman had likely cultivated the Path of Nothingness, so he couldn't engage her in close combat.
If he could kill the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden from a distance, that would be ideal.
Carrying the Azure Sky Bow and the Daylight Arrow, Zhang Ruochen quietly left Kongling Island and headed toward Qingming Island.
Like Kongling Island, Qingming Island was a floating island, less than ten thousand miles from the Truth Temple. The Sacred Dao rules there were extremely active, making it an excellent cultivation site.
Having a cultivation island within ten thousand miles of the Truth Temple marked a divine disciple as an outstanding one among their peers.
Killing someone on a divine disciple's cultivation island was extremely dangerous. But Zhang Ruochen had no choice; he had to do it.
Both he and the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden possessed Truth Esoterica, and they would surely try to kill each other by any means necessary.
If the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden struck first, Zhang Ruochen would be even more passive.
Zhang Ruochen first changed his appearance, put on a mask, and took out a True Illusion Flower seed, holding it in his palm. In an instant, his figure vanished into thin air.
Arriving at Qingming Island, Zhang Ruochen did not act rashly. Instead, he concealed himself and observed quietly.
The island was protected by a defensive formation, which ordinary forces could not breach.
But with the power of the Flame God Armor's gauntlets, drawing the Azure Sky Bow, and the penetrating force of the Daylight Arrow, he could likely pierce the formation's light shield and kill the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden with a single shot.
Zhang Ruochen found a high mountain peak, almost level with Qingming Island, which was the best firing position.
After two days of observation and waiting, Zhang Ruochen finally spotted the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden on Qingming Island from afar.
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden was walking with two other graceful women. They were like celestial maidens from the Heavenly Palace, beautiful and ethereal. Even from dozens of miles away, their sight was breathtaking.
But Zhang Ruochen had no mood to admire their peerless beauty. He grabbed the Azure Sky Bow and the Daylight Arrow.
The two gauntlets of the Flame God Armor glowed with crimson flames, like two small blazing suns burning, unleashing unprecedented power within Zhang Ruochen.
The Azure Sky Bow and the Daylight Arrow were sacred artifacts of unknown rank. As Zhang Ruochen's cultivation increased, their power grew stronger.
"Crackle."
Zhang Ruochen strained with all his might to draw the Azure Sky Bow into a full moon.
Just as he locked onto the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden and was about to release, a loud laugh sounded behind him: "Brother, I finally found you, haha."
Xiang Chunan appeared from nowhere, carefree and reckless, slapping Zhang Ruochen on the shoulder.
"Whoosh."
Zhang Ruochen's arm and the Daylight Arrow trembled simultaneously. The arrow shot out as a white light, flying toward distant Qingming Island, trailing a long tail.
"Boom."
As expected, the Daylight Arrow's power was immense, piercing through Qingming Island's formation light shield.
But because of Xiang Chunan's sudden appearance, the arrow deviated from its course, striking the underside of Qingming Island. The massive island shook violently, and large amounts of earth and stone fell from the sky.
The island master of Qingming Island, Qie Huairou, radiated an icy, bone-chilling power and roared, "Who dares to attack Qingming Island?"
Then, Qie Huairou, murderous intent blazing, grabbed a sacred sword and turned into a white rainbow. In an instant, she flew dozens of miles away and swung her sword downward.
"Boom, boom, boom."
The mountain peak where Zhang Ruochen had stood collapsed, leveled to the ground.
Qie Huairou's shout alarmed cultivators for a thousand miles around. Everyone looked toward Qingming Island. They saw that the floating island, wreathed in sacred qi, had a corner missing, with halls collapsed, looking quite damaged.
They were shocked and curious. Who was the divine being daring enough to attack Qingming Island?
Qingming Island was less than ten thousand miles from the Truth Temple, a core area. Even a Great Saint would not act rashly, and even assassins from the three major killer organizations dared not kill in this region.
"Swish, swish, swish."
All the formations on Qingming Island were activated, forming twelve layers of defensive light shields.
The cultivators on the island were all tense, entering a battle-ready state.
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden, however, remained calm and composed. She reached out with her hand and grabbed the air, stopping the Daylight Arrow that was trying to fly away. She brought it into her delicate hands, examining it closely.
"Hmm!"
Ordinary cultivators could not see the Time Imprints, but the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden was born with a special sacred eye. She could see the three Time Imprints on the Daylight Arrow.
"Could it be him?"
A strange expression appeared in the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden's eyes.
Then, she lifted her snow-white chin and looked into the distance. Her red lips curled slightly, and she smiled faintly, "This guy, causing such a commotion—what does he mean?"
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden had probably guessed that the one who shot the Daylight Arrow was Zhang Ruochen.
But because Zhang Ruochen's shot was so inaccurate, she did not think he was trying to kill her. Instead, she speculated that Zhang Ruochen might be trying to pursue her, deliberately using such a low-level trick to attract attention.
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden had such confidence. With her charm, too many men had fallen for her at first sight. Adding Zhang Ruochen to the list did not seem strange.
"How childish and ridiculous," the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden thought to herself.
Qie Huairou flew back to Qingming Island with her sacred sword, somewhat furious. "That person fled at an astonishing speed. By the time I arrived, he had already escaped, leaving no trace. I don't know if he was an enemy of one of us three."
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden smiled, her peach-like face radiant, and handed over the Daylight Arrow.
"Is this the arrow that pierced Qingming Island's defenses?"
"Yes."
Qie Huairou grabbed the Daylight Arrow and infused it with spiritual power. Her eyes showed surprise. "What a strange arrow. The refining technique is very special. I can't even detect the number of inscriptions inside."
"Just this one arrow is priceless."
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden did not reveal her guess. After all, the three Time Imprints on the arrow only indicated that it might be Zhang Ruochen, but it was not certain.
"Let me have it. I want to study it further," the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden said with a smile.
Qie Huairou saw nothing unusual about the Daylight Arrow, so she handed it to the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden.
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden held the Daylight Arrow, a cunning glint flashing in her eyes. Such a precious arrow in her hands meant its owner would surely come looking for her.
Zhang Ruochen grabbed Xiang Chunan with one hand and used dozens of Space Displacements, fleeing hundreds of miles away. Only after confirming that Qie Huairou was not pursuing did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, his cultivation had reached the Saint King Realm, allowing him to displace far distances continuously, making his escape easy.
He had brought Xiang Chunan along because he feared that if Xiang Chunan fell into Qie Huairou's hands, he might reveal Zhang Ruochen's identity.
After stopping, Zhang Ruochen's face was grim. He summoned the Abyssal Ancient Sword and pointed it at Xiang Chunan's forehead.
"Brother, what are you doing? We have no grudges. Why resort to swords?" Xiang Chunan was confused.
Zhang Ruochen's eyes were sharp as swords. "Why were you there?"
Xiang Chunan was momentarily stunned, then said, "I heard that the Truth Temple is about to hold the Sealing God Platform Assembly. I wanted to join the fun, so I've been staying in the area near the Truth Temple. Today, I was wandering around when I looked up and saw you standing on the mountaintop."
"How could it be such a coincidence?" Zhang Ruochen did not believe him.
Xiang Chunan said, "It really is that coincidental. It shows we are truly fated, haha. How about we become sworn brothers?"
Looking at his honest and sincere face, Zhang Ruochen could not bring himself to thrust the sword forward. He said, "My body is surrounded by an illusion formed by the True Illusion Flower seed. I also used a secret technique to change my appearance. How could you see through the illusion with just a casual glance? And how could you recognize me?"
Xiang Chunan blinked and laughed loudly, "To be honest, I have a pair of Thousand-Mile Eyes. Within a thousand miles, no illusion can fool my eyes, including transformation techniques."