Burn to Ashes.
Chen Sanshi quickly grasped its meaning.
So-called Burn to Ashes could be understood as True Force acquiring a special effect—one that treated the opponent's mana and True Force as kindling, burning them away until nothing remained.
This was nearly identical in effect to the Nether River True Force of the Ling family of Heavenly Water Isle.
In other words—
If they were to clash again.
Ling Kui could use Nether River True Force to seal Chen Sanshi's True Force, while Chen Sanshi could instead use fire-aspect True Force to burn away Ling Kui's True Force.
At last…
He had reached the middle stage of True Force!
Spell: Thick Earth Art (Minor Achievement)
Progress: 552/2000
Technique: Ten Thousand Swords Descend · Limit Break Stage 2
Progress: 688/2000
Skill: Archery · Perfection (Limit Break Stage 3)
Progress: (1992/2000)
All other techniques had improved, but were still a short distance from breakthrough. Only Archery was a hair's breadth away, so Chen Sanshi drew his bow and nocked an arrow, pouring all his effort into advancing it.
The path of archery.
This was the foundation upon which he had established himself in this world. Its techniques and methods were already etched deep into his bones, far more so than even his spear arts.
Chen Sanshi continuously drew and released arrows. The bowstring hummed like a grand piece of music. Whether ordinary arrows, flowing-light arrows, or silver bullets, every projectile he fired did not follow a parabolic arc, but instead became a straight streak of fiery light tearing through the air. Wherever it passed, space visibly twisted, and upon striking its target, the surging True Force erupted into a storm, releasing a thunderous, booming roar.
His drawing speed grew faster and faster. His body and mind sank completely into the state, gradually forgetting where he was, forgetting what weapon he held. In his eyes, there was only the target. What his mind willed, the arrow struck without fail.
This was—
True unity of man and arrow!
The panel surfaced.
Divine Ability: Arrow Dao (Tier 1)
Progress: 0/2000
Effect: Every arrow loosed is unavoidable; everything held may become an arrow
Everything Held May Become an Arrow: At the pinnacle of archery, upon stepping onto the Dao path, whether living or dead, all things may serve as arrows.
Put simply—
From this moment on, the "arrows" paired with Chen Sanshi's bow no longer needed to be narrowly defined as shafts of wood with metal heads. Anything he grasped could serve as an arrow—even things living or dead.
Just as sword cultivators, upon reaching a certain level, could wield no sword yet still possess a sword, Chen Sanshi bound all things in the world to a single arrow.
For example—
Chen Sanshi casually plucked a leaf and set it upon the bowstring. When the string snapped, the green leaf—something even a breeze could lift—shot out like a razor blade, tearing through the trunks of several trees in succession.
He then captured a sparrow alive and placed it on the bowstring. With a single release, the sparrow, wrapped in blazing flames, blasted forth and directly shattered a massive boulder into fragments.
This was "everything held may become an arrow."
Of course.
Leaves and sparrows could indeed serve as arrows, but the power they unleashed was comparatively very weak.
To achieve truly formidable might, one still needed to pair this with high-grade weapons, or other artifacts, or even living beings.
There was also another issue.
The golden bow in Chen Sanshi's hands was a first-tier upper-grade artifact. After breaking through to the middle stage of True Force, it now felt somewhat too light, requiring replacement to fully maximize his strength.
However, this was not something he had time to consider right now.
"Huff…"
After half a month of closed cultivation.
Chen Sanshi let out a long breath of turbid air, bringing this period of training to an end.
Without delaying even a moment, he waved his hand to summon a flying boat. Taking Fourth Senior Brother with him, he soared into the sky and headed straight toward—
The Fei River!
Kunyang City.
Under the enemy's relentless day-and-night assault, in order to reduce losses, the city-protecting grand formation could no longer maintain full power at all times. It could only be activated when absolutely necessary, or when Ling Kui or Cao Kai personally took action. The rest of the time, they were forced into brutal, bloody city defense battles.
"Kill—"
"Slay the traitors!"
Roars and wails mixed with the clash of armor and weapons. Soldiers on both sides wielded their blades, cutting into each other's flesh.
The cultivators could no longer stand aside and watch. Each used every means at their disposal, wagering their lives and their Dao paths to decide the final outcome.
Under the pressure exerted by Ling Kui and the emperor.
Every engagement resulted in heavy losses within the city.
2,000…
5,000…
8,000…
The casualty numbers kept rising. Corpses piled atop the city walls, blood dyed the green bricks red, and severed limbs flew through the air.
Yuan Simiao of Shengyun Sect and Qian Qiren of Guiyuan Sect each summoned their natal flying swords, pouring all their mana into the sword edges before forming seals and directing them to strike at one another.
"Boom—!"
Two completely different streams of spiritual light collided.
Qian Qiren staggered backward, nearly losing control of his natal flying sword. Only after barely stabilizing himself did he immediately flee toward the city.
"So this is all a true disciple of the Guiyuan Sect's sect master can do?!"
Yuan Simiao snorted coldly and gave chase.
Amid the chaos.
A young child crawled across the blood-soaked green-brick ground. His childish face was filled with unease as he craned his neck and looked around, as if he had been separated during the great battle.
Yuan Simiao quickly noticed the child and recognized him as the eldest son of the White Robe.
He immediately shouted, "Capture him!"
To seize this child alive would be of great use!
With a single command, several fellow disciples immediately moved in to provide cover.
Yuan Simiao himself formed seals to accelerate, like a hunting falcon spotting prey as it soared through the sky. He suddenly dove toward the city wall and, in a single sweep, snatched up the mortal child—who did not even possess a spiritual root—into his grasp.
With his objective achieved, he immediately retreated along the same path, only to sense that Qian Qiren, whom he had previously driven back, had chased after him again.
"Daoist Qian."
Yuan Simiao assumed the other had come to rescue the child and mocked him, saying, "You've chased all the way here just to die?"
"Daoist Yuan!"
Qian Qiren narrowed his eyes and sneered. "Your life is mine."
"Heh."
Yuan Simiao scoffed and was just about to respond when he suddenly felt a chill in his palm. Lowering his head, he saw that the Chen-surnamed brat had, at some point, stabbed a jade spike into his skin.
Spirit-Sealing Needle!
Horror surged through him as he cursed inwardly, 'Little beast!' He tried to crush the child to death, but it was already too late.
Qian Qiren formed seals and began chanting.
The jade spike immediately began to hum, transforming into a streak of light that burrowed along Yuan Simiao's arm and into his body. In that instant, he felt as if his entire body had been frozen solid, stiffening in midair.
Once a Spirit-Sealing Needle entered the body, it sealed a cultivator's meridians and apertures. Though its duration was not long, in the midst of combat, it was more than enough to be fatal!
This artifact was a single-use item, and its only flaw was its extreme fragility—it could be easily blocked with a casual motion, making it difficult to land at close range.
But at this moment, with the Chen-surnamed child pressed right against him, that flaw was perfectly compensated.
Even though Yuan Simiao burned with rage after being struck, his stiffened body left him no choice but to watch helplessly as the child broke free. During the fall, the boy was steadily caught by a Guiyuan Sect cultivator.
At the same time, Qian Qiren charged in front of him, a single sword thrust piercing straight through the heart and killing a Qi Refining cultivator at the perfection stage.
"Good kid!"
Back atop the city wall.
Qian Qiren clicked his tongue in admiration. "That took some real guts!"
That fellow's cultivation was not inferior to his own. If not for the child's help, handling him would truly have been difficult.
Moreover, Yuan Simiao was second only to Shan Liangcheng among the Shengyun Sect cultivators—this was unquestionably a significant blow to their strength.
"My little ancestor!"
Rong Yanqiu hurriedly dragged the child back to a safe area. "How is it that the moment no one's watching you, you go running off again?"
Chen Duhe waved his fists solemnly and said in a childish voice, "I've got guts!"
"Hahaha, good nephew."
Wang Zhi wiped the bloodstains from his face with his sleeve. "You really do have guts."
"Elder Sister!"
Chen Duhe reached out to tug at his sister's sleeve. "Why are you hiding the whole time? Come kill the enemy together!"
"No… no."
Chen Yunxi shook her head repeatedly, her voice trembling.
She had always been afraid, and even more so, she did not dare to watch the slaughter. When she first came here, it was only because her father had instructed her to, and she had forced herself not to show fear.
"You're afraid of dying!"
Chen Duhe tugged hard.
"Duhe, say that again?"
Gu Xinlan reached out and twisted his ear. "Do you think your elder sister is as disobedient as you? And you're not allowed to run to the city wall anymore either. Fighting on the battlefield isn't your turn yet."
However.
No matter what they said, it was useless.
The moment no one paid attention, Chen Duhe would slip away and run back to the city wall.
"What a little terror!"
In the end, Wang Zhi came up with a solution. He brought over a grand armchair and made the boy sit on it, calling him the 'battle overseer.' Only then did things finally settle down.
Still, for a mere child to show no fear of death—especially when this was the heir of the King of Northern Liang—truly provided a tremendous boost to morale.
After all, no one had the face to retreat in front of a child.
"This child of the lord…"
Xu Wencai observed the Crown Prince. After making a quick calculation with his fingers, he murmured to himself, "Early wisdom in youth, extraordinary courage and boldness, but an extremely vicious temperament. If not properly guided, he will surely commit great evil in the future. But if he can be cultivated well, he could become a ruler of one side. Truly a double-edged sword."
Yet at this moment, no one knew of Chen Duhe's vicious side. All they saw was the Crown Prince displaying courage and bravery far beyond his age, and the soldiers of the Northern Liang army were all greatly invigorated.
"Excellent! What do you call this? This is called 'one should have sons like Chen Duhe!'"
The Zhengtong Emperor, Cao Huan, gave extremely high praise. "If only even one of my useless sons could compare to Chen Duhe!"
"Worthy nephew!"
He walked over to the child's side, putting on a kindly expression, and said earnestly, "If I survive to see a great victory this time, I'll take you as my adopted son. How about it?"
Chen Duhe, who was waving a wooden sword, turned his head upon hearing this. He did not answer, only frowning as he looked the dragon-robed man up and down, a hint of displeasure evident in his expression.
"This…"
Emperor Cao Huan could not help feeling awkward and repeated, "I—I said I'll take you as my adopted son."
Chen Duhe's clear eyes widened like copper bells, and a trace of anger actually appeared on his face.
Cao Huan's expression stiffened.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"
Xu Wencai hurried forward to smooth things over. "Lord Chen's son is still young—he likely doesn't understand what an adopted son is. The city wall is dangerous, and Your Majesty's person is beyond price. You should return to the residence at once!"
"Heh…"
Cao Huan gave a bitter smile. He also felt that he shouldn't be quibbling with a child of just a few years old. After inspecting the city wall, he had people escort him away.
Chen Duhe maintained his angry expression until the emperor disappeared from view.
"Hiss."
Xu Wencai leaned closer and asked, "Why doesn't the Crown Prince like him?"
"I'll ask you something."
Chen Duhe lifted his chin and said, "Is he the emperor?"
"Well…"
Xu Wencai thought for a moment. "You could say that."
Chen Duhe snorted coldly and said angrily, "He's the emperor—then what am I supposed to be?!"
Xu Wencai froze for a moment before realizing it. The Crown Prince was the heir of the Qing Kingdom; only if his father were the emperor could he rightfully be called crown prince.
"Your Highness, don't be anxious."
Fanning himself with a feather fan, Xu Wencai said, "As long as we can walk out of Kunyang alive, Your Highness will not only be the Crown Prince of Qing, but the Crown Prince of the entire realm."
"Really?!"
Chen Duhe's eyes immediately lit up.
"Of course it's true, but…"
Xu Wencai deliberately dragged out his tone. "After thinking it over carefully, it seems I can't be entirely certain either."
Chen Duhe jumped down from the chair and asked nervously, "What do you mean you can't be certain?"
"The matter of appointing an heir—how could outsiders decide it?"
Xu Wencai pointed off toward the direction where the white-robed figure had departed. "In the end, it still depends on what your father decides."
"You mean my dad?"
Chen Duhe pondered with great effort. "If he doesn't choose me, who else could he choose?!"
"That's hard to say."
Xu Wencai raised his brows, speaking with concern. "After all, my lord has more than one wife, and in the future he naturally won't have only one son. Who will be established as heir—that's really uncertain!"
"Then—then tell me quickly!"
Chen Duhe clenched his teeth anxiously. "What does my dad need before he'll choose me?"
"First, you must not defy my lord's teachings."
Xu Wencai said. "Second, since ancient times, people have favored those with benevolence and virtue as heirs, so you must learn to—"
After a long round of lecturing.
Chen Duhe listened with growing irritation and barely understood what benevolence meant, but he at least remembered it in his heart and began to restrain himself somewhat in his actions.
Outside the city.
The court's central army.
"Half a month has already passed."
The Prince of Qin stood outside the main tent, pacing back and forth anxiously. "If this continues, Chen the Hunter will lead his men back to counterattack. Why still can't we take the city?"
"Alas."
A Shengyun Sect cultivator sighed heavily. "Don't even mention it. Every time Kunyang City's defensive formation looks like it's about to collapse, their formation master always manages to patch it up in time. It's always hanging by a thread—but never actually dying."
"Exactly."
"Our sect's losses this time have been extremely severe as well. Today, Senior Brother Yuan also fell on Kunyang's city wall!"
"And I heard Senior Brother Yuan was done in by that Chen fellow's son."
"A brat just a few years old?"
"Clearly a little beast. He might even be some old demon reincarnated—otherwise how could he be so cunning and vicious at such a young age?!"
"Everyone."
The eunuch Huang Hong appeared. "His Majesty summons you."
In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
Civil and military officials, along with the cultivators, gathered inside the central command tent.
Emperor Longqing sat cross-legged at the high seat, looking down over the crowd and the sand table. His drawn-out tone carried both anger and ridicule. "Gentlemen, generals, and Immortal Masters—more than ten days have passed. How did you assure me at the beginning?"
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger."
Shan Liangcheng explained. "That formation master inside the city is rather peculiar. For Kunyang to have held on this long, at least eighty percent of the credit belongs to him alone.
"Before the battle, our sect received word that the Guiyuan Sect would send someone extraordinary. Now it seems that person is at least one of their top formation masters. If not for the limitations of heaven and earth, he might even be capable of setting up a third-tier formation."
"Oh?"
Emperor Longqing leaned forward slightly and questioned word by word, "So, according to you, there's no solution?"
"There is naturally a solution."
Shan Liangcheng frowned and continued. "Any formation not built upon a spirit vein has its limits. Kunyang is no exception.
"Starting tonight, I will use up the final batch of mid-grade spirit stones in full. Combined with that imperial jade seal, I can ensure the formation collapses within two days!"
"Another two days?"
The Third Senior Brother, Nie Yuan, whose injuries had yet to fully heal, said worriedly, "If that's the case, my junior brother will probably lead the rebel army back by then."
"That won't be a problem."
Shan Liangcheng lifted his bamboo flute and pointed at the sand table, speaking slowly. "Based on my judgment, in such a short time, Chen Sanshi can bring at most around fifty thousand reinforcements.
"And they will only appear at Baguo Mountain, crossing the river through the gorge at Yongjia Prefecture. As long as we prepare defenses there, there's no need to worry excessively. In the end, it will still come down to a head-on clash—there aren't many tricks he can play."
"Then two days."
Emperor Longqing's voice was calm as an ancient well, yet filled with imperial authority. "If Kunyang City is still not taken after two days, Shan Liangcheng—you needn't think about returning to Shengyun Sect."
How could Shan Liangcheng fail to understand this was a threat against his life? Yet he knew even better that when one lives under another's roof, one must bow one's head. "I accept the order."
That very night.
He brought out the final batch of spirit stones, while the Mysterious Jade Golden Radiance Bamboo in his hand was swung with near-mad ferocity.
"With the first command, the Qian Trigram's northwest general; with the second command, the Kan Trigram's water general.
"With the third command, the Gen Trigram's northeast spirit; with the fourth command, the Zhen Trigram's Wood Star Lord!"
The incantations rang out.
Like voices descending from the Nine Heavens.
All 81 heavenly pillars flared with brilliant radiance.
Tens of thousands of soldiers surged toward the city walls under the amplification of the formation.
Above the night sky, the Imperial Jade Seal of Transmission radiated even greater divine might, waves of golden light falling upon the Black-Armored Xunwind Formation like colossal mountain-splitting axes.
Ling Kui struck to shatter the formation.
Emperor Longqing, clad in a Daoist robe, stood beside the Imperial Jade Seal.
All of Kunyang City.
Welcomed its final moment.
"Rumble—!"
Even with a barrier in between, everyone could still feel the earth shaking and the mountains trembling.
"Oi, oi!"
Huang Laojiu collapsed onto the ground with a thud, clutching his lower back and baring his teeth. "I can't take it anymore, I really can't hold on!"
Cao Huan hurriedly asked, "W-what do you mean by that?"
"At most two more days."
Huang Laojiu said hoarsely, "The formation won't be able to hold any longer!"
"Where is Lord Chen?"
Shangguan Haichang hurriedly grabbed a Northern Liang general and asked, "Lord Chen has been gone for half a month already—he should be back about now, shouldn't he?"
Baguo Mountain.
Yongjia Prefecture.
This place guarded the Luo Ravine, a tributary of the Fei River that led to the Central Plains battlefield. However, the defending troops were few—only a little over 8,000 soldiers in total.
The cultivator Zhong Fan had received orders that if there were any unusual movements, he was to investigate briefly and then immediately retreat to report.
Another deep night.
He had been focused on cultivating a spell when a scout suddenly burst in.
"Immortal Master Zhong, bad news, Immortal Master Zhong!"
"The rebel army is coming!"
"Chen Sanshi has returned with Qing Kingdom reinforcements!"
Zhong Fan raised his eyes and asked, "How many people?"
"Two hundred thousand!"
The scout said in panic. "At least 200,000, plus countless Immortal Masters!"
"Nonsense."
Zhong Fan said disdainfully. "Senior Brother Shan said it himself—within such a short time, the enemy could mobilize at most 50,000 troops.
"As for cultivators,
"Yunding Palace is the same as us. They all rely on sealed rifts—how many people could they possibly send?"
"Immortal Master Zhong."
The scout stammered, "Everything I said is true. If you don't believe me, you can go see for yourself!"
Zhong Fan snorted coldly, stepped onto his flying sword, and shot into the air. He had not flown far before his body suddenly stiffened.
Looking out.
Across the pitch-black land, a vast army was advancing through the wilderness straight toward Yongjia Prefecture. The exact number was impossible to discern—only shadow upon shadow, troops covering the mountains and plains.
In the star-filled sky above, figures could be seen flying on swords.
"Yunding Palace has been plotting this for a long time!"
Zhong Fan ground his teeth. Ignoring the city's garrison entirely, he turned around and fled.
He had not gone far when he felt a killing intent rapidly closing in on him. Turning his head, he saw a white-robed figure chasing after him on a leaf-shaped flying artifact. With various talismans reinforcing it, the speed only grew faster and faster.
"Damn it!"
Zhong Fan was terrified. He immediately summoned his natal flying sword, his hands forming seals so fast they left afterimages. In the end, he even burned his own lifespan, forcing a drop of essence blood from between his brows and dripping it onto the sword.
In an instant.
His natal flying sword burst forth with a bloody, baleful radiance. As the sword finger pointed downward, the blade shot out with a shrill tearing sound, streaking toward the white-robed figure like a crimson moon tearing through the night sky.
Zhong Fan paid an enormous price for this attack, merely to delay the pursuit. Even if he could slow the other side for just a moment, once he crossed the river, he would be able to receive support.
He was at Qi Refining perfection. In theory, his realm was on the same tier as the opponent's. Even if there was a gap in strength, the other side could not possibly ignore his all-out strike.
Yet the white-robed figure neither dodged nor blocked.
Only when the sword edge was less than half an inch from his throat did he suddenly extend two fingers.
"Buzz!"
Amid a metallic wail,
the flying sword was firmly clamped between the white-robed figure's fingers, unable to advance even a fraction further.
This was—
suppression by realm!
This person had broken through to the middle stage of the True Force Realm!
And that was not all.
Something even more horrifying followed…
Under the starlit sky, mysterious light flickered in the white-robed figure's right hand as a radiant golden longbow appeared. With his left hand, he effortlessly suppressed the flying sword and slowly turned it around.
The sword hilt rested on the bow.
The sword tip pointed forward.
Then—
he drew the bowstring!
Was this shooting an arrow, or shooting a sword?!
After years of campaigning, Zhong Fan naturally knew that the other side specialized in using bow-type artifacts. But no matter what, he could never have imagined that even a flying sword could be used as an arrow!
And it was his own natal flying sword!
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"
Zhong Fan's eyes split with fury as he desperately tried to wrest back control of the sword. It was all in vain. He could only watch helplessly as, beneath the starry sky, the other's bow curved like a full moon. When the bowstring was drawn to its absolute limit, it snapped back violently.
"Buzz!"
The flying sword, carrying bloody radiance and fire-element True Force, tore through the heavens straight toward him. Its speed far surpassed that of sword-flight killing—almost impossible to perceive.
Zhong Fan unleashed every movement and escape spell he had, shifting sideways through several positions. Yet no matter what he did, he could not shake off the flying sword. In utter despair, he felt the sharp killing intent draw closer and closer, until—one "sword" pierced his heart.