Xuan Yuanlin, just as Mister Lin was stunned by what composition Ye Jingyu’s physical body truly was, suddenly felt an icy chill. Especially for Mister Lin; as a Soul Immortal, the strength of his soul was immense, making his perception of danger far surpass that of ordinary people...

Instantly, he felt as though something had locked onto him—a sensation that was deeply agonizing...

“Not good, the opponent has...” Mister Lin was about to warn that the enemy possessed a Saint Archer, but before the words were fully out, he saw a streak of black light shoot out from the city wall, arriving almost instantaneously before Xuan Yuanlin’s form...

That light was undoubtedly the black harbinger of Death, and given Xuan Yuanlin’s strength, evading it seemed impossible...

“Shield of Sighs!” Mister Lin involuntarily surged forth with powerful soul energy, instantly manifesting a white shield of light before Xuan Yuanlin.

With a sharp crack, the white shield was immediately torn into fragments. The Black Setting Sun Arrow continued its trajectory. Having been momentarily obstructed by the Shield of Sighs, it bought Xuan Yuanlin precious time; his body flashed violently to the left, narrowly avoiding that fatal shot...

With a hiss, the Setting Sun Arrow plunged directly into his right flank, and a spray of blood shot outward...

Xuan Yuanlin was inwardly terrified, yet simultaneously relieved. Thank heavens Mister Lin had intervened to block it; otherwise, that single projectile would have been enough to pierce his heart.

But just as a thread of relief surfaced in Xuan Yuanlin’s mind, an intensely powerful energy exploded forth from within the black feathered arrow.

Xuan Yuanlin’s body was instantly shredded to pieces, and the raging energy slammed into everything nearby. Mister Lin, who was close to Xuan Yuanlin, sensed immediate peril and launched his body across the distance. As a Soul Immortal, his 'One Step, Thousand Miles' ability allowed him to escape that lethal strike. However, the twelve Spirit Manifestation Realm Soul Masters behind him were not so fortunate.

They had just expended a soul technique and were in a state of exhaustion. Facing such a sudden explosion, how could their bodies react in time?

Only the two strongest Soul Masters managed to execute an instant transference, thereby narrowly escaping that overwhelmingly powerful blast...

The black radiance swept over everything in its vicinity. Ten Soul Masters, dozens of personal guards, and even a Grandmaster, were all instantly pulverized and scattered...

This was the might of the Divine Arrow of the Setting Sun, and the true horror of a Saint Archer...

Even if Hu Yanqi was not particularly skilled in close-quarters combat—perhaps even a mere Grandmaster could engage and slay him up close—once he established distance and wielded his divine bow, he was virtually the emissary of Death himself.

Back in Medicine City, even a Martial Saint expert like Gongsun Sheng had felt an extreme threat from him; there was no comparison with Xuan Yuanlin.

With a single arrow, the current commander of the entire army was struck down, and ten of the twelve most powerful Soul Masters were dead. This was an outcome the Great Heaven Empire's army could scarcely have imagined. Almost the instant Xuan Yuanlin was shot, the entire central army descended into complete chaos. Their commander, Xuan Yuan Xiao Zhan, had already departed, and now with Xuan Yuanlin dead, who was left to lead them?

At this critical juncture, Ye Jingyu, leading ten thousand iron cavalry, crashed into the front lines of the massive army. Ye Jingyu held the Heavenly Venerable Blade, slicing ruthlessly towards the soldiers raising their long spears against him. Sharp blade energy ripped through the air. How could these soldiers, who were at best at the Warrior realm, possibly resist?

With a single strike, at least three or four men were cleaved in half. And when the Rhinoceros Horn Beasts charged forward, even the most elite troops of the Great Heaven Empire were gripped by utter despair...

Had Xuan Yuanlin not died, he might have quickly reorganized the formation, using different troop types to encircle and annihilate this cavalry force. Although their individual combat prowess was inferior to these cavalrymen, he could at least have tied them down—that was within his capability.

Even if the formation ultimately collapsed and they sustained heavy losses, they could certainly have held onto those ten thousand men, especially since the soldiers guarding this city gate numbered a full hundred thousand.

But Xuan Yuanlin’s death threw the central command into disarray. The troops at the front line had no idea what to do. Faced with those towering monstrous beasts, even the most elite soldiers of the Great Heaven Empire felt a measure of fear, though their years of ingrained combat spirit drove them forward heedlessly...

However, the Rhinoceros Horn Beasts, being Rank Four Desolate Beasts, could not be harmed by the swords and blades of ordinary soldiers. Even a few hundred of these beasts acted like a black, razor-sharp blade, violently plunging into the ranks of the one hundred thousand strong army...

Chaos. The entire battlefield was in an uproar. Xuan Yuanlin’s death and the breach at the front line caused this disciplined army to completely unravel. The high-ranking generals attempted to seize control swiftly, but Hu Yanqi, perched high upon the arrow towers, had become the reaper harvesting their lives. Anyone who waved a battle flag to shift the formation was systematically shot down by him...

In just over fifteen minutes, he had slain no fewer than twenty flag-bearers. Of course, apart from the initial shot at Xuan Yuanlin, the subsequent arrows were all ordinary projectiles...

Even so, this brought extreme panic to the generals of the Great Heaven Empire. In the end, almost no one dared to issue another command, and even if a command was given, no one dared to grasp the battle flag to direct the troops.

Watching the one hundred thousand strong army be so easily shattered by Ye Jingyu’s ten thousand men, Xiao Geng and Qin Yunxiao displayed looks of sheer horror. How could the supposedly impregnable army of the Xuan Yuan Empire be so crushingly vulnerable?

They failed to understand that the power of these hundred thousand troops stemmed not from the individual combat strength of each man, but from the presence of Xuan Yuan Xiao Zhan and Xuan Yuan Lin.

They were the soul and the core of this army. Now that Xuan Yuan Xiao Zhan had been lured away and Xuan Yuan Lin shot dead, an army without these two leaders was merely a collection of individuals with slightly superior personal strength. When faced with cavalry whose individual combat power surpassed their own, how could they possibly stand united against such a force?

It could be said that what truly shattered this army was not the ten thousand cavalrymen, nor Ye Jingyu’s astonishing feat of absorbing the Flame Dragon, but rather the sheer destructive power unleashed by Hu Yanqi’s single arrow...

Mister Lin and the two Soul Masters who had escaped realized the tide had turned. But as honored retainers invited by Xuan Yuan Xiao Zhan, failing so disastrously to protect Xuan Yuan Lin—how could they possibly face Xuan Yuan Xiao Zhan now? Mister Lin’s gaze fixed upon Hu Yanqi atop the city wall. His massive divine sense locked onto Hu Yanqi, who was thousands of meters away. He had to kill him; otherwise, what excuse could he offer Xuan Yuan Xiao Zhan?

But just as Mister Lin’s murderous intent ignited, a black shadow materialized directly in front of him...