Gao Yi, well aware of the situation, gave a cold laugh. "That good-for-nothing who can't even open the Wheel Meridian—if we kill him and toss the body to the beasts, who would ever know it was us?" Though the words were bold, a trace of apprehension remained. Killing the waste was easy, but dealing with the ensuing trouble was a headache.

Setting that aside, Gao Yi continued with a hint of regret, "Forget it, we'll follow Elder Mi's suggestion! It's just a pity about the handmaiden by his side; I'm quite taken with her. It's rare for anyone in the Tiger-Cat Tribe to possess such rare beauty; even I feel a flicker of desire.

Though I keep dozens of concubines at home, none can match this girl’s pure radiance. Her strength is decent too. If my Seven Spirit Ring could take her as its primary spirit, she would easily surpass Gong Xinran.

I wonder if there will ever be a chance in the future—" The elder surnamed Mi let out a soft chuckle, not joining the conversation. He merely gave a slight signal behind him, and the ten waiting knights immediately began to move forward in perfect unison. Seeing the elder beside him also spurring his mount into a gallop, Gao Yi paused, then snapped the reins and caught up, asking in surprise, "Mr.

Mi, what's the hurry? A few of my men haven't dismounted yet. My Seven Spirit Ring—" "We're not waiting!" The elder shook his head, his expression suddenly hardening.

"Someone in Cloud Saint City requires your presence urgently. This request is actually related to this very Crown Prince of the Heavenly Mountain. It will be greatly beneficial for you!" Gao Yi raised an eyebrow.

After a brief hesitation, he relaxed and followed the elder, laughing lightly. "So, Mr. Mi came for this matter.

I wonder who has such influence to summon you? Never mind, accompanying you is fine. But if this delays my plans and I fail to refine Gong Xinran into the Exquisite Fragrance Celestial Demon, you will have to compensate me—" As he was jesting, a lion's roar suddenly echoed from within the Corpse Demon Mountain behind them.

It sounded distant at first, then rushed toward them with incredible speed. A moment ago, it was a thousand zhang away; now, it was right behind them. It wasn't just Gao Yi; even the elder surnamed Mi was momentarily stunned.

Turning to look back, they saw a massive Scythe-Tailed Lion bursting from the dense mountain forest in pursuit. It towered two zhang high, its body immense, with two figures standing atop it. One, a boy around thirteen, stood near the lion's head.

The other, a similarly aged, beautiful girl, was holding a person in her arms. Gao Yi knew the face intimately, yet he was even more astonished. Only when Elder Mi looked at him questioningly did he frown slightly.

"That is Zong Shou! The girl behind him is his handmaiden. I don't know what madness has possessed them?

Are they seeking death?" Yet, countless questions surged in his mind: Why wasn't Gong Xinran dead yet? Where were Qi Nu and the others? And why was this Scythe-Tailed Lion obeying him?

Could it also be guarded by a Spirit Master? Did they think this single spirit beast could seek revenge against him? It was utter madness, a moth flying into a flame—pointless...

The giant lion behind them moved as if frenzied. Its speed surpassed even the Wind-Riding Colts beneath their saddles by several tenths, fueled by a massive surge of Heaven and Earth spiritual energy. The faster it ran, the swifter it became, almost brushing the edge of the Fourth Tier speed.

The elder surnamed Mi also found it confusing, but a moment later, he sneered coldly, "I did not wish to be entangled with this brat, but since this ignorant fool insists on walking into the jaws of death, so be it!" He waved his hand dismissively, signaling to the side. The ten knights instantly turned their horses and charged backward. With a sharp clang, acting as one, they all drew their swords and blades.

Their expressions were blank as they faced forward, looking savage and imposing, radiating ferocious killing intent. The aura of the Scythe-Tailed Lion immediately faltered, and the spiritual energy gathered around them abruptly dissipated. Chuxue, on the lion's back, narrowed her pupils and grabbed Zong Shou's collar.

"Young Master, that person truly is a Xiantian!" Gong Xinran, held in her arms, unconsciously clenched her hands, her face showing renewed alarm. Zong Shou remained unmoved, coldly raising the great bow before him. Stroking the bowstring, he felt a slight surge of emotion—how long had it been since he used this bow?

In his previous life, it wasn't useful in reality. In the virtual realm, he had only used it occasionally before acquiring the Six Gods Imperial Blade Technique. Compared to his throwing knives, his archery, though not exceptional, had once earned him some minor renown.

He wondered if he could recapture that old feeling now. The arrow was placed on the string, not fully drawn, when he suddenly loosed a shot. The arrow whistled, reaching a hundred zhang away, right before the first rider.

The knight on the horse showed a cold glint in his eyes and unleashed a powerful slash, perfectly timed to cleave the Tiger Tooth Arrow in half. But the arrow suddenly dipped, passing clean under the blade's arc, and pierced the neck and chest of the Cloud-Treading Colt. The horse whinnied and collapsed forward, dragging the rider down with it.

Zing! Zing! Zing!

A continuous, unbroken stream of whistling arrows followed. In the span of a single breath, there were several more string sounds. The front few Cloud-Treading Colts were struck in the neck, almost simultaneously, resulting in horses and riders tumbling down.

The riders behind them had their advance blocked, forced to pull hard on the reins and swerve to the sides. However, the next instant, several more streaks of arrow light descended. These few were prepared; with casual swings, they hacked apart the incoming Tiger Tooth Arrows.

But a moment later, they all stared wide-eyed at the arrows that followed immediately after. Two arrows! Three arrows!

Their trajectories suddenly dipped, then swooped upward—all impossibly fast! The few men on horseback were struck either in the eye or through the neck. In just over ten breaths, four more men were unseated from their horses.

When all twenty Tiger Tooth Arrows in the quiver were expended, only a sparse two armored knights remained perfectly seated on their mounts, staring blankly, seemingly unable to process the events that had unfolded in the blink of an eye. By this time, Chuxue had only just managed to summon the Cold Nether Tiger again. Before she could even direct it forward, she stared blankly, watching the scene unfold.

Ten fully armed, iron-clad Seven Meridian Secret Martial Masters had half fallen in an instant. Merely twenty arrows—and not a single miss—had claimed five lives. Her Young Master's archery was overwhelmingly powerful!

So powerful it was almost unreasonable! Gao Yi, at the front, also stared wide-eyed at the figure behind him—the person he had dismissed as trash not long ago, someone whose handmaiden he had even coveted. He shivered involuntarily.

Though the youth standing on the lion's head wore a cold, expressionless face, inexplicably, he felt a tide of frantic, violent energy mixed with a murderous intent wash over him. Those cold eyes felt like honed blades, sending a chilling cold deep into his bones. Even the elder beside him had his facial muscles tightly drawn in intense focus.

"What a sequence of continuous shots!" After staring intently for a moment, the elder surnamed Mi finally let out a slow breath, muttering in disbelief, "To draw a three-thousand-jin strong bow, one must be at least a Seven Meridian Secret Martial Master. To loose twenty arrows in ten breaths without a single deviation—this young man's archery is terrifyingly strong. Are the people of the Heavenly Mountain mad?

Are the Spirit Masters of the Linhai Academy blind? Even within our Sect, this Crown Prince could be an orthodox direct disciple. Who dares call such a genius a good-for-nothing?" Gao Yi’s face instantly turned pale once more.

He realized he had recently been counted among those blind fools.