Above the city, dark clouds gathered.
Heavy, gloomy clouds blanketed the high-rise buildings as a cool winter rain poured down in flurries, mixed with bits of ice.
In the sky, several kilometers away, above the buildings—seemingly right beneath the clouds that hugged the rooftops—two dark specks shot toward them like arrows or lightning, trailing two white wakes made of rain and air. Their speed was breathtaking, as if they could break the sound barrier.
“Oh! Two people? The other flyer seems to be Jiang Taichu’s wife!”
Apollo’s eyes gleamed with golden light as he clicked his tongue in amazement.
“Chinese martial arts’ lightness skill is this impressive?”
“This speed, this extraordinary hang time—it’s on par with flight-type ability users like Butterfly Woman, Black-Winged Batu, and ‘Wind Man.'”
Apollo opened a violin case at his feet, revealing a brilliantly golden longbow inside.
The entire bow was carved with intricate runes and vine-like plant patterns, as if it were a fine work of art from a master craftsman.
Just from its appearance alone, even someone with no knowledge of the cultivation world would feel that this was no ordinary item.
“Unfortunately for you, though—you ran into me. No matter how strong your spiritual power or flying technique is, against my Helios Golden Bow, you’re dead!”
As Apollo drew the golden longbow, golden flames began to burn and gather along its body.
An arrow made of crimson flame materialized on the bow’s thin golden string.
“I will shoot you down and earn a reputation even greater than Lin Zhenyu’s, becoming the number one overlord of the Big Circle!”
Like Hou Yi shooting down the suns, Apollo drew the bow to a full crescent moon and released the string…
Whoosh!
The flaming arrow tore through the curtain of rain with a rolling thunderous roar, churning up billowing white mist as it shot through the air.
In the sky, the flaming arrow drew closer and closer. Jiang Tian and Qing’er executed their movement techniques, their figures tumbling and weaving like a swimming dragon and a dancing phoenix, dodging the flaming arrow.
Boom!
The flaming arrow missed, but three kilometers away, it grazed the top of a building.
Instantly, the wall crumbled, and the top three floors exploded with a thunderous blast, as if struck by an artillery shell.
…
By the Qinhuai River, just a few kilometers from Yuhuashi Park, lay a vast estate ablaze with lights and filled with distinguished guests.
Anyone familiar with Jinling’s high society would know that this estate was home to a powerful figure who held sway over Jinling and indeed the entire province of Su.
“Jinling’s Xu Zhenlei!”
During the years Xu Zhenlei had been in seclusion, this estate had never been as lively as it was today. Only an old servant and Xu Ruocheng had been there.
But now, the powerful figures of all Jinling and even all of Su Province had gathered here to congratulate Xu Zhenlei.
Because today, this peerless powerhouse who had dominated Jinling for decades had emerged from seclusion, his martial arts fully mastered!
“Father, you’ve been in seclusion for five years this time. You must have reached the peak of the Transformation Realm, right?”
Below him, Xu Ruocheng raised his wine cup with a smile, toasting his father—though deep in his eyes lurked a trace of bitterness.
Now, the forces under Jiang Tian had already taken control of Jinling, and he himself was under the control of Jiang Tian’s “Heart Blooming with Joy” talisman. The bold words about unifying Jinling upon his father’s emergence—he didn’t dare even mention them.
“Heh heh, the peak of the Transformation Realm? You think that’s so easy?”
An old man in his sixties sat in a grand master’s chair, wearing a purple silk training outfit. His silver hair was combed into a neat slicked-back style, and on his thumb he wore an antique imperial glass-type archer’s ring. He laughed and talked with an air of self-assurance, his gaze sweeping the room like a hawk or wolf, dominating all present—truly worthy of being the formidable figure who had shaken Jinling for decades.
“Entering the Transformation Realm earns you the title of Grandmaster. As for the peak of the Transformation Realm in the mortal world, you could count them on two hands across all of China—they’re as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns! Figures like Lin Zhenyu of the Big Circle, Huo Qingtian of the Central Plains, Ye Wudao of Jiangsu-Zhejiang, Wu Yingxiong of the Southwest, Li Tuofeng of the Northwest—which one of them isn’t a powerhouse who dominates their region?”
He shook his head with some regret. “If I had stepped into the peak realm, I could sweep across all of Su Province in minutes, and even go wrist-to-wrist with Ye Wudao, taking Jiangsu-Zhejiang and Zhonghai!”
Xu Ruocheng opened his mouth but hesitated.
His old father had been in seclusion too long and didn’t know that the martial arts world had undergone earth-shaking changes. Li Tuofeng and Lin Zhenyu had both fallen at last year’s martial arts tournament…
A trace of smugness appeared on Xu Zhenlei’s face. “However, this seclusion has brought me to the complete mastery of the Transformation Realm. Ordinary internal-energy experts—I can defeat them in one move. I imagine the so-called Great Master Jiang that you’ve all been talking about so mysteriously is probably only at my level!”
“Dad…”
Xu Ruocheng’s expression turned troubled. Jiang Tian had killed even Lin Zhenyu with a raise of his hand—how could his father possibly be his match?
“Ruocheng, you don’t need to say it. I’ve already received reports…”
Xu Zhenlei’s eyes flashed with a sharp light as he said coldly:
“That so-called Great Master Jiang has now defeated forces like the Nie family and dominates Jinling, making you afraid to act. But now that I’ve emerged from seclusion, I will certainly cut off that Great Master Jiang’s dog head and unify Jinling!”
He had gone from great accomplishment to complete mastery of the Transformation Realm, advancing one level, and felt that no one in all of China except Huo Qingtian and a few others could stop him. As for some Great Master Jiang—he could swat him dead with a raise of his hand.
“Dad, don’t…” Xu Ruocheng was about to explain Jiang Tian’s true strength to persuade him when—
Suddenly, a thunderous boom echoed from the distance, like a demolition explosion, followed by the ground shaking as if in an earthquake.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s the middle of the night—who’s doing demolition blasting?”
Everyone rose to their feet, looking out the window with expressions of alarm, but they couldn’t see anything clearly.
But Xu Zhenlei had already stepped into complete mastery of the Transformation Realm, and his perception far exceeded ordinary people. His heart immediately began pounding.
“There are peerless powerhouses fighting!”
Xu Zhenlei’s expression turned stern. He walked outside, leaped onto the villa’s rooftop, and looked toward the direction of Yuhuatai.
Xu Ruocheng and the many other powerhouses followed him up, their faces filled with fear as they watched the two combatants.
…
“It actually missed!”
The Sun God Apollo was slightly surprised.
The next moment, golden light like sunshine rose from beneath his feet.
His figure rose higher and higher, instantly ascending to a height of dozens of meters, floating in the air like a deity.
At this time, Jiang Tian and his wife had also flown to the sky above Yuhuatai, standing face to face with Apollo just a few hundred meters apart.
Jiang Tian spoke lazily: “Apollo, you’re nothing but a false reputation. Do you really think you’re a god? You dare provoke my Jiang family and come to China to cause trouble—you really must have a death wish!”
“Arrogant brat, don’t be so cocky! I refuse to believe I can’t hit you!”
Apollo roared, drew his bow to a full crescent moon, and a flaming arrow pierced the void, tore through the rain curtain, churning up rolling steam and trailing white turbulence as it shot out once more.
The distance of a few hundred meters vanished in an instant at the flaming arrow’s extreme speed.
It seemed as if one moment the flaming arrow was still on the string, and the next it was right in front of Jiang Tian.
Jiang Tian didn’t dodge at all, while Qing’er’s true essence from her flawless Phoenix Maiden immortal body surged higher and higher, rushing toward the sky.
Instantly, a semi-spherical, semi-transparent golden protective barrier appeared around the two of them. Flowing fire-like radiance streamed across the barrier, dazzlingly beautiful.
Qing’er and Jiang Tian’s minds were connected.
She knew that although Jiang Tian’s techniques were powerful, his body was still mortal flesh. But she had the advantage of the protective gangqi of her flawless Phoenix Maiden immortal body, which was even tougher than Jiang Tian’s resistance to blows.
The powerful crimson flaming arrow was actually blocked by the protective barrier.
Then, starting from the arrowhead, it seemed to be devoured bit by bit—sparks flying everywhere, crumbling inch by inch, until it was completely worn away!
“What… what is that thing? Refining qi into gangqi!”
Xu Zhenlei was terrified beyond measure.
Why had a protective barrier suddenly appeared that could devour that kind of terrifying flaming arrow!?
In the void, Apollo couldn’t believe it. His face was filled with shock as he took a step back, shaking his head and muttering: “Impossible, how is this possible, what… what the hell is this!?”
Years ago, Apollo had been surrounded by the American Blue Storm’s super soldiers. Those ability users were equipped with the most advanced mechanical exoskeletons made of titanium alloy, fully armed, able to fly and burrow, indestructible—like the legendary Iron Man.
But Apollo had killed all those super armored soldiers with just three arrows, and their titanium alloy armor had even turned to liquid.
Among the Big Circle’s seven overlords, Apollo didn’t even defer to Lin Zhenyu—he felt he could kill him with a single arrow.
It was just that they belonged to the same camp, so they’d never had the chance to fight. When Jiang Tian came to kill him this time, he was actually more excited than afraid, determined to succeed.
As long as he could kill Jiang Tian, who had once slain Lin Zhenyu, he would be the number one master of Hongmen.
But now, something that should have been completely under control had suddenly changed. Apollo was furious. He raised his brilliantly golden longbow once more and drew a flaming arrow.
“I refuse to believe I can’t pierce through you!”
The blazing white light beneath his feet flickered, and his figure rose higher again.
In the drifting drizzle, he suddenly drew the golden longbow. The golden string tightened and released, and four flaming arrows condensed on the string, fired in unison!
Four flaming arrows shot like lightning through the winter rain toward Jiang Tian and his wife in the void!
Apollo’s feet stepped on golden light as he dashed rapidly around Jiang Tian and his wife!
Since speed was what was required, there was no reason to stop.
Apollo’s body leaned forward like a leopard, his entire being transforming into a streak of flowing light, with Jiang Tian and his wife as the center, instantly tracing a golden, flashing circle.
During this process, the bowstring hummed and vibrated with thrumming sounds, and one flaming arrow after another shot out in rapid, dense succession!
In the blink of an eye, he had shot a full twenty-three flaming arrows.
These flaming arrows were even more violent and fierce, yet they seemed to have no heat at all—unlike the previous flaming arrow that had vaporized the rain mist. Instead, they were heavy, condensed, and calm.
But when these flaming arrows were three meters from Jiang Tian, they suddenly heated up. The extreme heat caused the air to expand, distorting and blurring the space around the flaming arrows.
Drop by drop of cold winter rain, as if falling into an invisible hot oil pan, sizzled and turned into wisps of blue smoke.
A full twenty-three flaming arrows came killing from all directions, drawing closer and closer to Jiang Tian and his wife’s protective barrier.
Three meters!
Two meters!
One meter!
…
Once past one meter, under Apollo’s expectant gaze, with his excited cry of “Explode!”, they all exploded in unison.
These were no ordinary flaming arrows!
They were explosive arrows—solar energy condensed but not released, until the very last moment when they erupted.
A single explosive arrow like this could vaporize even special metals into gas, and could easily kill count-level vampires or Transformation Realm grandmasters of Chinese martial arts—let alone twenty-three arrows!
“I bet not even a drop of blood or a wisp of ash will remain!”
Apollo roared joyfully in his heart, then immediately cursed in frustration: “Fuck, I forgot to record this amazing video!”
