Chapter Forty-Six: The Sacred Bow and Divine Arrow!

Old Crab shouted loudly, "If My Lord goes to pick a bone with the Heavenly Demon Sect, you must take Old Crab along! Otherwise, how can I vent this stifling anger?" He had always only had eyes for Yang Nan, but this time he had stumbled so badly at the hands of the Heavenly Demon Sect. How could he not harbor a burning hatred for the sect that had caused him to fail in his duty? Although Yang Nan had not blamed him, Old Crab felt a biting self-reproach in his heart. As the commander of the personal guard, he had actually been unable to protect the mistress within his own domain. What kind of personal guard was he?

If they did not vent this raging anger now, Old Crab and the rest of the demon soldiers would feel utterly ashamed to show their faces!

The personal guards shouted in unison, their expressions filled with righteous indignation: "We go together! We go together! Without slaying our enemies, we are unworthy of practicing the righteous path!"

Yang Nan nodded and said, "Very well. Since this world is so chaotic, making an example of them to strike terror into others is an excellent idea. Without further ado, let us summon the demon soldiers together and go level the Heavenly Demon Sect's altar!"

Yang Nan stepped out of the marquis's manor, no longer caring about concealing his divine powers. The black snake dharma soldier flew out from between his eyebrows, submissively crouching at his feet like a crescent moon. Yang Nan executed his escaping technique and sped swiftly away in the direction of Tianfang Prefecture in the West Continent. Old Crab and Chiyang each summoned a cloud of demonic energy and stepped closely behind his dharma soldier, following him tightly.

As Yang Nan passed over the airspace of Hot Spring City, a thought flickered in his mind, and he beckoned, summoning the purple jade avatar from the local Earth God temple up into the air. This purple jade avatar stood before Yang Nan, its entire body radiating a faint golden luster, even its face covered by a thin golden veil. Yang Nan sank his divine consciousness into it for an inspection and discovered that the thoughts stored within the supreme golden body technique practiced by the purple jade avatar were more than just tens of millions—they were like a vast ocean, with the entire body filled with the power of vows!

"One billion strands of karmic vow power to push open the gates of the other shore; three thousand golden wheels to illuminate all living beings across the six paths!" Yang Nan frowned as he pondered the incantation of this bizarre supreme golden body technique once more, and suddenly began to understand. This power referred to the power of vows; could one billion strands of vow power truly push open the gates of the other shore?

What did the three thousand golden wheels refer to? Could it be the purple jade avatar before his eyes?

Was the supreme golden body technique forging so many powerful cultivators truly just to illuminate all living beings across the six paths?

Only by using supreme divine powers like the Indestructible Yin-Yang Wheel could one drive an avatar to practice the supreme golden body technique. Once tainted by this bizarre vow power, the toxic aftermath would be endless. Yang Nan turned his head and asked, "Old Crab, didn't only the populace of Hot Spring Prefecture offer incense and worship? How did so many strands of vow power suddenly appear?"

Seeing that there was no anger on his lord's face, Old Crab chuckled and said, "My Lord does not know. The day you pacified the ten prefectures of the South Continent, the common folk of all ten prefectures spontaneously offered incense and worship. Countless people had long since come to Hot Spring Prefecture to gaze upon this purple jade avatar. Therefore, it is not the populace of a single prefecture, but of ten prefectures!"

"The populace of ten prefectures!" Yang Nan nodded in astonishment. "No wonder. The vow power within this purple jade avatar is boundless—I fear there are no less than several hundred thousand strands. Once I split my divine consciousness and enter the Rivers and Mountains Ring to discuss this with Nichai, we will decide how to deal with it."

The altar in the Earth God temple appeared empty and rather bizarre now that the purple jade avatar was gone. After pondering for a moment, Yang Nan casually took out a brand-new piece of purple jade thunder bamboo, refined it slightly, and transformed it into a new divine statue to take its place.

This divine statue looked identical to the original one, but because it had only been crudely refined by Yang Nan, it could merely serve as a temporary idol.

After wrapping up these loose ends, Yang Nan's divine consciousness, carrying the purple jade avatar, sank into the Rivers and Mountains Ring. Over the lake within the ring, Commander Shrimp was leading more than a hundred demon soldiers to repair the Indestructible Thunder Boat. Seeing Yang Nan's divine consciousness enter, Nichai stepped forward to greet him and said with a smile, "Ah-Nan, where did you acquire those three treasures? These are items extremely difficult to find in heaven and earth. If they can be used to refine the Indestructible Thunder Boat, its power will surely increase manifold."

Seeing Nichai open his mouth entirely about refining magical treasures and arrays, Yang Nan gave a bitter smile in his heart and said, "Not a single one of those three treasures can be touched; they must be turned over to Sect Master Xuanxu. Only that stalk of Qian-Gang Azure Jade Thunder Bamboo is my own. Surely you haven't refined all of them, have you?"

Although this Nichai was a treasure trove himself, his obsession with arrays and lack of social awareness were quite a headache. If he had refined all three spiritual objects, how could Yang Nan go back and answer to Sect Master Xuanxuan?

Nichai shook his head and said, "You placed those three treasures by the Yang Thunder Pool to nourish them. Without your command, how could I act on my own authority? It's just that that bamboo grew extremely fast after absorbing the thunder power within the Yang Thunder Pool. Although it cannot compare to the tens of millions of years of spiritual energy of the original bamboo, it has already acquired a century's worth of maturity, making it simply perfect for refining the Eighty-One Myriad Thunders Array!"

Yang Nan felt a great surge of wonder. Arriving at the Yang Thunder Pool in the center of the Indestructible Thunder Boat for a look, he saw that the pool of thunder water was glowing with brilliant purple light. The Seven-Origin Ice-Heart Lotus by the pool side remained as ethereal as nothingness, shrouded only by a thin layer of clouds and mist without having formed a single drop of primordial spiritual water. Meanwhile, the two stalks of Qian-Gang Azure Jade Thunder Bamboo had sprouted dozens of small bamboo shoots, their roots extending into the Yang Thunder Pool to continuously draw upon the thunder power within to nourish themselves.

"No wonder this thunder bamboo grew so lush; it turns out their attributes are compatible, making it like a fish in water!" Yang Nan felt a secret surge of joy in his heart. Across the entire world, this thunder pool was the only one of its kind. Coupled with the existence of such miraculous thunder bamboo, if they could grow into a whole grove, how lethal would they be if used to forge magical treasures?

Nichai chuckled and said, "These small thunder bamboos don't contain much thunder power, but they are very suitable for making array flags. You actually have such great fortune that even such demon-slaying sacred objects fall into your hands; it truly makes me full of admiration."

Yang Nan casually plucked a small thunder bamboo out, discovering that the thunder power within the bamboo stalk was precisely like a sharp sword—fierce, domineering, and supremely yang and rigid. It was just right for crafting an arrow. Overjoyed, he exhaled a breath of yin fire and began to smelt this thunder bamboo, removing the stray leaves and impurities. Though this thunder bamboo was slender and light, it could contain boundless thunder power. Yang Nan could use it to unleash the power of the thunder pearl within his body. If a single arrow were shot forth, the massive thunderous explosion would obliterate all evil and heterodox forces in a single stroke.

Watching Yang Nan refine the thunder bamboo into the shape of a bizarre arrow, Nichai widened his eyes and looked on with intense curiosity. Before long, Yang Nan carved an arrowhead out of the thunder bamboo, smoothed the shaft, and left a few bamboo leaves at the tail. Imprinting his divine consciousness within it, Yang Nan completed the forging, and it became a vibrant, emerald-green bamboo arrow!

Seeing him finish, Nichai asked in bewilderment, "You don't even have a bow. What are you forging an arrow for?"

Yang Nan laughed aloud and said, "Who says I don't have a bow?" He immediately summoned his Yin-Eating dharma soldier, hooking the Myriad Fairy Vine to both ends so that it stretched taut. The crescent moon formed the arc, and the immortal vine formed the string—it was the exact image of a divine bow!

Yang Nan grasped the dharma soldier in his hand, picked up the newly forged Qian-Gang Thunder Arrow, pulled the bow to a full moon, and continuously poured the thunder power stored within his Zhongyuan spiritual aperture into it. The Qian-Gang Thunder Arrow lit up instantly, madly surging with thunder power. The sky within the Rivers and Mountains Ring seemed to grow dim, filled with the oppressive pressure of impending heavenly thunder.

Seeing Yang Nan's such wondrous and whimsical ingenuity, Nichai was thoroughly convinced and prostrated himself in admiration, saying, "Ah-Nan, your natal dharma soldier actually has such marvelous uses! This immortal vine can retract and release, and the dharma soldier can transform into both sword and bow. Coupled with the terrifying power of this Qian-Gang Thunder Arrow, it is truly admirable!"

Having traveled across the world, Nichai had never seen such a miraculous divine weapon as Yang Nan's. Using a weapon as a bow with peerless might—how could he not be shocked?

Yang Nan smiled faintly, withdrew the thunder power from the thunder bamboo, put the Qian-Gang Thunder Arrow away, and said with a smile, "After my natal dharma soldier attained sacred grade, its quality increased vastly. Tempered by heavenly thunder, it can withstand electrical force even better. Used as a bow, it is second to no divine bow in the present age. This Qian-Gang Thunder Arrow is merely one kind of arrow; I must forge another kind of arrow to deal with the enemy."

Nichai looked stunned and said, "You surely don't intend to forge the supreme golden body of that purple jade avatar into a supreme golden arrow, do you?"

Yang Nan nodded and said with a smile, "Precisely! The Qian-Gang Thunder Arrow is specialized in shattering demons and evils, while the supreme golden arrow is specialized in contaminating the minds and souls of cultivators. With these two arrows—one righteous and one sinister—our strength will surely increase exponentially."

Nichai sighed and said, "The Heavenly Demon Sect and the Heavenly Talisman Sect provoked you; it is truly their bad luck. These two types of arrows possess immense power and boundless wondrous uses. It seems I must hurry up and repair the thunder array. If the Indestructible Thunder Boat can use the Eighty-One Myriad Thunders Array to spit out a web of thunderous lightning罡 qi, even if a Venerable comes, we won't have to fear them!" Knowing that Yang Nan's killing intent had surged because his wife had been ambushed, Nichai wasted no more words and wanted to lend a helping hand.

Having experienced the might of that thunderous lightning web at the center of the heavenly thunder, Yang Nan nodded in agreement. The material of the purple jade avatar was far inferior to the Qian-Gang Azure Jade Thunder Bamboo, but with the supreme golden body within, its material became far stronger than newly sprouted thunder bamboo. Forging the supreme golden arrow could not be done in the same way as the Qian-Gang Thunder Arrow; the supreme golden body possessed boundless thought power and could harm enemies invisibly without injecting spiritual power, but its forging had to be controlled using the Indestructible Yin-Yang Wheel.

Having acquired the dual yin-yang wheels today, Yang Nan's divine powers had increased greatly. The black and purple wheel beads clung closely together, transforming wisps of golden light to refine the purple jade avatar. A strand of divine consciousness already existed within this purple jade avatar, and even after becoming an arrow, it would continuously absorb the power of vows. As time passed, this vow power would grow even stronger, and compared to the Qian-Gang Thunder Arrow, each had its own strengths.

With such a supreme golden arrow, as long as the common folk of the ten prefectures of the South Continent remained, the supreme golden arrow would never be destroyed!

Moreover, that massive, chaotic surge of vow power was the sworn enemy of Daoist practitioners!

Having obtained these two arrows with their distinct and wondrous uses, Yang Nan finally flew out of the Rivers and Mountains Ring, returning once more to his physical body.

Once Yang Nan emerged, he discovered that dark clouds were gathering across the sky. More than two thousand demon soldiers, along with the Golden-Crested Roc and the Octopus General, had been waiting in the airspace above Hot Spring City for quite some time. Seeing their master emerge, the Golden-Crested Roc and the Octopus General stepped forward together and said with shame, "Your subordinates pay respects to Master! The mistress has been harmed; we beg Master to lead us together to slay and exterminate the enemy!"

Old Crab had long since sent out a signal to gather them together. Yang Nan's ruthless methods had already filled them with awe and reverence. Now, having failed in their duty and let the mistress be injured, they felt even more shocked and terrified in their hearts. Even if their master did not blame them, how could they extinguish the hatred in their hearts without eliminating the enemy?

Under Yang Nan's command, demons harboring divided loyalties were absolutely not tolerated!

The disloyal—die!

With a cold expression, Yang Nan gazed out at the gathered demons. No longer mentioning Qingyan's injuries, he nodded lightly and said, "I was just about to summon you all here, but Old Crab used his divine powers to call you over instead. This is for the best. Let us go to Tianfang Prefecture together."

Joy appeared on the faces of the demon soldiers, and they cupped their fists in unison, shouting, "We obey your command, My Lord!"

Today, fierce winds suddenly rose over Tianfang Prefecture in the West Continent, and the celestial phenomena underwent a strange transformation. A massive mass of dark clouds flew in from the distant horizon, looking like a profound astrological anomaly laden with a murderous aura!

This massive dark cloud seemed to hold an army of thousands, charging together toward the city!

Seeing this bizarre phenomenon, the common folk within the city were filled with terror. The bustling streets and alleys instantly emptied of people, and household after household hid inside their homes, not even daring to draw a full breath. Yang Nan stood suspended in the airspace above Tianfang Prefecture, transforming himself into a massive black snake. Exerting his divine powers, he hung his snake tail down from the horizon and smashed the Earth God temple in the city to pieces with a resounding crash!

Dozen of escaping radiances flew up from the Earth God temple, and dozens of cultivators arrived before Yang Nan, shouting angrily, "Yang Nan, do not think that you can act wildly just because you are a disciple of Kunlun! We of the Heavenly Talisman Sect's Five Zengs are not people to be trifled with either! What does your wife being poisoned have to do with us? How dare you come here to destroy our divine temple and shatter our golden bodies?!"

"If I do not exterminate your Heavenly Talisman Sect down to the last man today, I am unworthy of being a husband!" Yang Nan opened his blood-red maw, his gigantic snake body dancing through the clouds. He turned his head and snarled fiercely at Old Crab and the others, "Scatter! I want to make sure not a single one of them escapes!"

"Understood, My Lord!" At Old Crab's command, he led the demons to scatter in all directions, surrounding the Five Zengs in the center and deploying the Meteor Array. Only then did Yang Nan turn his face back, a trace of mocking derision revealing itself in his ferocious snake eyes as he said, "You must be Zeng Yan, the Grand Master of the Heavenly Talisman Sect? Zeng Guang, Zeng Wei, Zeng Yi, Zeng Wen—all five Zengs of the Heavenly Talisman Sect have come. What a magnificent lineup! This humble daoist is truly trembling with fear; no wonder you dared to run amok in the mortal realm!"

With Yang Nan having investigated their origins so thoroughly, Zeng Yan felt a secret shock in his heart, though he sneered on the surface and said, "You killed our disciple Zeng Lian, forging a deadly feud with our Heavenly Talisman Sect. Do not think that relying on a few demon soldiers allows you to act wantonly. Could it be that we do not have talisman soldiers of our own?"

The Five Zengs waved their arms in unison, and the cloth bags at their waists opened simultaneously. Figures soared out from the bags and stood within the dark clouds. A full five thousand talisman soldiers stood in unison behind the Five Zengs. Every single one of these talisman soldiers was a demonic soldier raised by the Heavenly Talisman Sect—each with a ferocious countenance and a murderous aura, possessing strength at or above the master tier. The momentum they emitted when gathered together was truly astonishing.

"Qiankun Bags? The Heavenly Talisman Sect indeed has some foundation. However, today, however many talisman soldiers you bring, I will annihilate just as many!" Yang Nan gave a cold smile and beckoned with his hand. The Blood-Iron Token radiated several streams of marvelous light, from which three hundred martial arts grandmasters flew out. Treading heavily upon the clouds with towering momentum, they gazed coldly ahead, waiting only for Yang Nan's single command to leap into a mountain of knives or a sea of fire without the slightest hesitation!