Chapter 607
The Vague Call in Chapter 607
This was a life-saving trump card that he personally crafted back in the Blood Slaughtering Camp, using extremely precious spiritual materials and relying on his own spiritual rune skills. There was only one of its kind, and it was a one-time consumable item that would be destroyed after use! When it was successfully crafted, it amazed Xiao Ke and others who were also from the Blood Slaughtering Camp. Even the spiritual rune master Lao Mo praised its ingenious design.
Jiang Xuan's eyes were icy cold as he pulled the trigger of the Flying Star Crossbow without hesitation!
"Om-!"
A strange humming sound, like the simultaneous low murmur of countless flutes, suddenly resounded between heaven and earth! The next moment, the silver light on the Flying Star Crossbow suddenly burst into a dazzling brilliance, as if gathering all the stars in the night sky!
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!"
Countless condensed, tangible silver starlight burst forth like the most dazzling fireworks of a festival, forming a magnificent yet deadly rain of arrows that swept over the cultivators gathered in front of them!
This rain of arrows covered an extremely wide area and moved at an incredible speed!
Before those cultivators could even make any dodging or blocking movements, their bodies were instantly pierced by the dense silver starlight!
"Puff puff puff puff—!"
Blood splattered like red fountains, continuously erupting from the crowd! Screams rose and fell, only to be abruptly silenced in an instant! More than a dozen cultivators, under this magnificent yet terrifying rain of arrows, fell like harvested wheat, falling in swathes and falling silent in a flash!
This extremely tragic scene finally shattered the last bit of fighting spirit and courage in the hearts of the remaining cultivators!
"Run! Run now!"
"He's not human! He's a devil!"
The remaining twenty-odd cultivators were terrified and no longer cared about any mission or orders. With a shout, they fled in all directions like headless flies!
Jiang Xuan's killing intent remained undiminished; how could he allow them to escape so easily? He endured the severe internal injuries aggravated by the continuous bursts of power and the forced circulation of his cultivation, the tearing pain emanating from his meridians and internal organs, and the continuous flow of blood from the corners of his lips, but he still did not stop!
He sheathed his Radiant Blade, took out the captured Divine Arm Crossbow once more, and calmly loaded, aimed, and fired as he continued his pursuit!
"Boo! Hah! Hah!"
The piercing whistling of crossbow bolts cutting through the air was incessant!
Under Jiang Xuan's precise shooting and powerful prediction, the fleeing cultivators were like live targets, one after another pierced through the back by crossbow bolts, collapsing to the ground screaming in agony. In just a few dozen breaths, more than ten more people were sniped and killed on their escape!
Upon reaching a relatively open hilly area, Jiang Xuan's gaze suddenly sharpened! A thousand feet away in mid-air, the dark purple Ziying warship hovered silently, its cold hull reflecting a ghostly light in the afterglow of the setting sun, like a lurking beast!
He knew he couldn't pursue them any further. The Ziying warship posed too great a threat; he had to escape its attack range as soon as possible.
Without hesitation, he abandoned the pursuit of the remaining soldiers and accelerated, like a nimble cheetah, disappearing into the rolling mountains ahead in a few flashes.
He chose the steepest mountain peak, hundreds of feet high, and using both his hands and feet, relying on his powerful physical strength and agile movements, he climbed up as quickly as a monkey!
He wants to seize the high ground!
A moment later, Jiang Xuan had already climbed to the top of the mountain.
He quickly untied Luo Luo from his back and carefully placed her behind a sheltered boulder.
Then, he took down the [Boundless Spirit Bow], which exuded coldness and malevolence.
He crouched on a protruding rock at the summit, the wind whipping his blood-stained clothes and black hair, revealing a pale yet incredibly resolute face.
His dark eyes, sharp as a hawk's, were fixed on the Ziying warship, which was slowly moving and adjusting its position a thousand feet away.
When his fingers touched the blood-red bowstring, all his emotions—anger, hatred, pain, and self-reproach—receded instantly like a receding tide.
His mind once again entered that mysterious state of absolute calm and absolute focus, as if he had transformed into a killing machine devoid of any emotion.
In his vision, the Purple Ying warship that had taken off was magnified infinitely, and the flow of every spiritual rune on its hull was clearly discernible.
He clearly saw that the warship's menacing main gun turret began to glow with dazzling light, and complex spiritual patterns flowed and gathered energy at an unprecedented speed—it was the "City-Breaking Spirit Cannon," which was even more powerful than when it bombarded the spirit pattern shuttle! Its power was enough to kill a Spirit Sea Realm expert head-on!
The Ziying warship sped towards the mountain where Jiang Xuan was located, its cold cannons already firmly locked onto his position, and destructive energy was brewing within it, about to erupt!
At this critical moment!
Just as the "City-Breaking Spirit Cannon" reached its peak and the muzzle suddenly shone brightly, it was about to fire!
Jiang Xuan made a move!
With his unparalleled familiarity with the structure of the Ziying warship—a brand-new model he had personally participated in designing—he could accurately predict the precise timing of the bombardment by observing the subtle signs of the flowing spirit patterns on the turrets!
It's now!
He released his fingers from the bowstring!
"Om-!"
A faint, almost negligible, vibration of the bowstring.
A spirit arrow, almost entirely ethereal and impossible to detect with the naked eye, tore through the void at a speed beyond thought and comprehension, as if traversing the distance of space, and instantly arrived at the Ziying warship a thousand feet away!
Almost at the same instant Jiang Xuan released the bowstring, the Zi Ying warship's "City-Breaking Spirit Cannon" roared into action! A massive, dark purple beam of light, imbued with world-destroying energy, burst forth from the turret like a roaring, world-destroying dragon!
However, just as the cannon's breech protruded from the turret, in the blink of an eye before it had fully unleashed its power—
The ethereal arrow that Jiang Xuan fired struck the very core of the roaring, dark purple cannon fire—the part with the most violent and unstable energy—with perfect precision!
It was as if... a red-hot steel needle had been precisely inserted into a powder keg filled with raging gunpowder!
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
A deafening explosion, ten or even a hundred times more terrifying than the previous bombardment of the spirit pattern shuttle, suddenly rang out at the gun turret of the Purple Ying warship!
The blinding light instantly engulfed everything! It was as if a purple sun had suddenly been born in mid-air!
A terrifying wave of fire shot into the sky like a raging sea, instantly engulfing and tearing apart the entire gun emplacement and a large part of the ship's bow!
Countless burning, twisted metal fragments shot out in all directions like a torrential rain!
The massive Ziying warship, representing the empire's pinnacle of weapon-forging craftsmanship, was violently shaken and trembled as if struck by an invisible giant fist. The ship emitted a tooth-grinding, twisting groan, billowing thick smoke, and teetering in the air, as if it would completely disintegrate and fall to the ground at any moment!
Jiang Xuan, relying on his understanding of the Ziying warship and the absolute calmness and precise targeting of the Wudi Spirit Bow, seized that fleeting, almost impossible opportunity. With one arrow, he nearly destroyed a brand-new model of the Ziying warship!
Standing atop the peak, Jiang Xuan watched the warship he had almost destroyed escape. He felt little joy, but rather a sense of helpless absurdity.
He knew perfectly well that when he participated in the design of this new Purple Hero warship, he had made the core spirit fire furnace extremely well-protected to ensure its survivability. As long as the spirit fire furnace did not suffer fatal damage, the warship would not be completely destroyed. In his current state and with his current abilities, he simply could not accurately strike the heavily protected spirit fire furnace under such circumstances.
"How ironic... the very weapon he designed was used against him, and he almost died from his own proudest design..."
He shook his head and bitterly put away the Boundless Spirit Bow.
Just then, Luo Luo's muffled call, tinged with tears, came from behind.
"Mother...I'm cold..."
Jiang Xuan immediately snapped out of his complicated emotions.
He quickly walked to Luo Luo's side, checked on the little girl, and found that she was just frightened and had caught a cold, and was otherwise fine.
He had to leave this dangerous place, where a major battle had just broken out, as soon as possible. He carefully discerned the direction and chose a relatively secluded path down the mountain that would make it easy to hide his tracks.
The most urgent task is to find a completely safe place to repair the serious injuries as soon as possible, and to properly settle Luo Luo, the innocent child who was caught up in this.
……
Inside that ancient mansion in the Forbidden City.
Not long ago, the atmosphere in the room was relaxed and joyful.
The young deputies were excitedly discussing their plans after the mission was over.
"Once I confirm the news of that brat Jiang Xuan's death, I'm definitely going to the 'Golden Den' to get drunk for three days straight! I heard a few new fox-girls have arrived there, tsk tsk..."
"No ambition! I want to go to the northern frontier, capture a few barbarian witch girls, and tame them. That would be much more exciting!"
"Hmph, that's all you know! Once this matter is settled, I'm going into seclusion to break through to the Spirit Sea Realm! Then, let's see who dares to underestimate me!"
His words were filled with the competitive and extravagant style typical of scions of wealthy families.
Chi Cangmei sat in the main seat. Although he did not participate in the discussion, there was a faint smile on his lips, and he would occasionally make a joke.
"It seems you all have already decided how to celebrate your success? Once the news is confirmed, I will request commendations from the clan on your behalf."
For a moment, the hall was filled with joy and laughter, as if victory was already in hand.
However, this false prosperity was shattered by a guard who stumbled and crawled in!
"Miss! Gentlemen! No...it's terrible! Urgent message from the front...Target Jiang Xuan...he...he's not dead! He's appeared in the Fengwan Mountains, and...and he's killed a large number of our men!"
"what?!"
"impossible!!"
"What nonsense are you spouting?!"
The laughter in the hall stopped abruptly, like a duck being choked. Everyone stood up in astonishment, their faces filled with disbelief!
Chi Cangmei's smile froze instantly, his eyes sharp as knives.
"Has the news been confirmed?!"
Before she could finish speaking, another guard rushed in, looking flustered, his voice trembling.
"Miss! Something terrible has happened! One of our Ziying warships, which was deployed to the Fengwan Mountains... was... was attacked by an unknown force and severely damaged! It was almost... almost destroyed!!"
"boom!"
This news struck like a thunderbolt from the heavens, hitting everyone present hard on the head! Everyone was frozen in place, as if struck by a spell, the color draining from their faces instantly, leaving only extreme shock and stunned silence!
The Purple Ying warship was severely damaged?! That was a weapon of war capable of annihilating even a Spirit Sea Realm expert! How could it be so easily damaged by a mere Gang Realm brat?!
Chi Cangmei forcefully suppressed the turmoil in his heart and the sudden unease that rose within him, and asked in a stern voice.
"Is there any recorded video footage?!"
Yes! Yes!
The guard quickly brought in a somewhat listless Wind Shadow Hawk and took the recording bead from its mouth.
When the light screen projected by the recording bead was displayed in front of everyone, the entire room fell into a deathly silence!
The first section of the light screen clearly showed Jiang Xuan carrying the little girl on his back, moving like a god of war across the rocky beach, wielding a battle sword and crossbow, slaughtering dozens of elite cultivators, leaving them lying dead and scattered on the ground! This proved that he was not only alive, but his combat power was still ferocious!
The second light screen sent chills down everyone's spines and made them gasp for breath! In the scene, the massive Ziying warship's turret was radiating terrifying "City-Breaking Spirit Cannon" light. However, just as the cannon was about to fire, an almost ethereal attack struck first, accurately hitting the core of the cannon and causing a massive explosion that severely damaged the warship!
"Human Realm...severely damaged the Purple Ying Warship..."
"This...how is this possible?!"
"What kind of monster is he?! Is he unkillable?!"
"Is there a master secretly helping him?!"
Some people speculated with a mixture of shock and anger.
"impossible!"
Chi Cangmei categorically denied it, his face so gloomy it could drip water.
"The Obsidian Sanctuary and the Observatory have an agreement not to directly intervene! This... this is his own power!"
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, and glanced at her deputies who had long lost their previous arrogance and looked like defeated roosters. Her voice was icy.
"The facts are clear. We have lost nearly two hundred elite soldiers and a priceless Ziying warship! This guy is far more troublesome and terrifying than we anticipated! Now is not the time for shock and doubt! Tell me, what should we do next?"
Xu Qianjing's sallow yet calm face involuntarily flashed through her mind. A trace of regret quietly crossed her heart; if he were here, perhaps... But this trace of regret was instantly suppressed.
She knew very well that Xu Qianjing was someone who only helped to repay favors and could never truly be of use to her. She did not regret driving him away.
The deputies looked at each other, bewildered. They had been so focused on mocking Xu Qianjing that they hadn't paid any attention to his future plans. Now, when asked, they stammered and couldn't give a coherent answer.
Seeing this, Chi Cangmei was furious, knowing that he could not count on these纨绔 (sons of wealthy and powerful families).
She slammed her hand on the table and said coldly.
"Since no one has any ideas, listen up! From this moment on, everyone put aside all other matters and focus all your efforts on gathering intelligence about Jiang Xuan, analyzing his fighting habits and weaknesses! I will personally command and coordinate this! Before the target is confirmed dead, no one is allowed to leave without authorization, and no one is allowed to make any further rash moves!" (End of Chapter)