The Heavens: Man Covers the Heavens, Refines Treasures to Become an Emperor

The arrowhead was dark green, shaped like the claw of some kind of bird, and exceptionally sharp, while the shaft was inlaid with specks of snow-white starlight, shimmering with a cold luster.

This is the renowned "Hongzhao Spirit Arrow," each one incredibly valuable, roughly equivalent to five hundred silver coins—enough to bankrupt an ordinary cultivator. Furthermore, the arrows are engraved with Canxue's unique spirit patterns, perfectly complementing his Snow Mud Spirit Bow and his own cultivation techniques, allowing them to unleash terrifying power far exceeding that of ordinary arrows.

Canxue's face, usually as cold as ice, now carried a rare hint of solemnity.

He had already pursued this young man named Jiang Xuan four times, and each time the other had evaded or neutralized his attacks in various unbelievable ways. A mere Gang Realm youth could withstand such a series of attacks from him, a Tian Gang Realm assassin, for so long, and even manage to kill two of his capable subordinates. His combat prowess, mental fortitude, and resilience were something he couldn't help but admire.

What alarmed him even more was that when his opponent dodged his attacks, his movements were agile and unpredictable, and he never revealed any obvious flaws. Moreover, he seemed to possess some kind of strange ability that could interfere with or even avoid his aura lock to a certain extent!

"This child... must not be allowed to live!"

The killing intent in Canxue's eyes hardened even more.

Such a monstrous talent, if allowed to grow up, would have unimaginable consequences. Since a blood feud has already been formed, we must nip it in the bud at all costs!

Like the most patient hunter, he sensed the subtle ripples of the surrounding desolate area, carefully scanning it. Suddenly, he noticed a very subtle contraction and fluctuation in the aura of a certain spot within that area, as if prey had instinctively retreated into its den after being startled.

"Got you……"

Canxue sneered inwardly, her fingers already resting on the bowstring of the Snow Mud Spirit Bow. A Hongzhao Spirit Arrow was silently nocked, the bowstring slowly pulled back, and the icy aura and the spirit patterns on the arrow began to resonate, ready to be released.

He sensed that the hidden aura seemed to be trying its best to shrink back, as if preparing to escape again.

Just as Canxue was preparing to predict the opponent's possible escape route and fire her next arrow—

He keenly sensed that the hidden aura, for some unknown reason, had shown a slight, inappropriate disturbance and fluctuation! It was like... the aura leaking out when one's strength is exhausted or injuries cannot be suppressed!
"It's now!"

A cold glint flashed in Canxue's eyes, and without further hesitation, she released her grip!

"Om-!"

The bowstring vibrated, like ice crystals shattering!
The spirit arrow instantly transformed into a dazzling divine rainbow, tearing through the heavy rain and ignoring spatial distance. Carrying a chilling aura that froze the soul and a destructive power that pierced through everything, it shot with unparalleled precision toward Jiang Xuan's hiding place! He was determined to succeed with this arrow!
……

In the corner of the dilapidated house, Jiang Xuan, who had just narrowly escaped death, was desperately suppressing his injuries and aura, searching for an opportunity to counterattack. Suddenly, without warning, a violent burning and trembling sensation came from the palm of his right hand, which was gripping the Boundless Spirit Bow!
This sudden turn of events caused a fatal flaw to appear in the aura he had been trying so hard to conceal!

To his surprise, a fiery red light spontaneously burst forth from the inconspicuous little Sumeru ring in his palm!

The light landed and quickly expanded, transforming into a round, chubby creature covered in fine red fur, with only a pair of large eyes and a small mouth—it was none other than the long-dormant Chiu Chiu!

It seemed to have just woken up; its big eyes were still blinking in a daze. It rubbed its eyes with its little paws and made a "chirp?" sound.

A soft cry.

Just as it appeared, and Jiang Xuan was momentarily distracted by this unexpected event, the dazzling divine rainbow arrow pierced through the air and arrived! The shadow of death instantly loomed over them!

Jiang Xuan's pupils constricted. With almost no time to think, an instinct made him want to protect the seemingly defenseless Chiu Chiu behind him, while at the same time trying his best to dodge again!

However, what happened next was something he would never forget!

Just as it woke up, Chirp seemed to be attracted by the bright, dazzling divine rainbow. Far from being afraid, its big eyes suddenly lit up, as if it had seen something extremely fun, and it let out a cheerful "Chirp!"

A cry!

Then, to Jiang Xuan's astonishment, Qiuqiu's little mouth suddenly opened wide, forming an exaggerated arc that was completely disproportionate to its size and seemed capable of devouring everything!

That gleaming divine rainbow arrow—the Hongzhao Spirit Arrow—which was powerful enough to severely injure or even kill a cultivator at the Heavenly Gang Realm, was swallowed by Chichi in one gulp without any hindrance, like a mud ox entering the sea!
"Hiccup~"

After swallowing the arrow, Chirp's round body seemed to swell even more. It let out a small, satisfied burp, and a wisp of cold white smoke even rose from its mouth.

Then, as if it had eaten something highly nutritious, it excitedly jumped around a few times, making "Chirp! Chirp!" sounds.

Their joyful shouts seemed to say, "That was so much fun! One more!"

Jiang Xuan stood frozen in place, staring at the red fur ball bouncing merrily amidst the ruins and torrential rain, his mind almost blank.

The Hongzhao Spirit Arrow...was...swallowed?!

However, his strong survival instinct and fighting spirit instantly brought him back to his senses from this extreme shock! Now is not the time to investigate why Chirpie woke up, or why it was able to swallow that terrifying arrow!
An opportunity! This is the moment when the opponent's seemingly certain strike misses, and their mind may waver!

Almost instinctively, Jiang Xuan endured the tearing pain in his chest and the weakness in his soul, and suddenly raised the Boundless Spirit Bow in his hand! He used the "Star Tracking" method to guard his mind, and poured all the remaining spiritual energy and soul power into it. His will was like the most precise ruler, instantly crossing a distance of 1,900 feet, and locking onto the blurry figure at the top of the bell tower!

Pull the string with your finger and release!

……

A thousand miles away, on the top of the bell tower, after firing that sure-fire arrow, the previously indifferent face now showed a hint of confidence in controlling everything.

He believed that the boy, already at his last gasp, had no chance of survival after that arrow.

However, in the next instant, the confidence on his face froze, replaced by a look of horror and disbelief as if he had seen a ghost!
Through the subtle connection between the arrow and himself, he clearly "saw" that his Hongzhao Spirit Arrow, powerful enough to kill a Heavenly Gang Realm expert, was actually... swallowed whole by a suddenly appearing, round, red little monster with a single mouth?!
How can this be? ! !

What the hell is that?!
His Hongzhao Spirit Arrow contained extremely cold qi and destructive spirit patterns. Even cultivators of the same level in the Heavenly Gang Realm would not dare to take it head-on. How could it be swallowed up like a candy by a seemingly harmless little thing?!
This completely overturned Canxue's understanding, causing his mind to inevitably fluctuate violently and become slightly dazed at this moment.

In that one ten-thousandth of a moment when his mind was off guard—a chilling, deathly, terrifying and dangerous aura, seemingly emanating from the deepest hell, suddenly enveloped him like an invisible giant net!

Canxue's expression changed drastically. An unprecedented sense of impending death washed over him like ice water, instantly spreading to his limbs and bones!

He had never expected that, in the instant his mind wavered as the strange little monster devoured the arrow, his opponent would launch such a terrifying counterattack so swiftly! The aura that locked onto him carried an air of indifference and the intent to end everything, making even this Heavenly Gang Realm expert tremble in his soul!

He couldn't dodge it! The speed and unpredictability of this arrow far exceeded his expectations!

At the critical moment, Canxue displayed the extreme reaction and decisiveness of a top assassin! He completely abandoned any thought of dodging or counterattacking, because it was too late!

He crossed his arms, and the Heavenly Qi within his body surged forth at an unprecedented speed, condensing in his arms and chest to form a thick, shimmering protective shield! At the same time, he turned his body to the side as much as possible, protecting his head, heart, and other vital organs behind him!
This was the only thing he could do at that moment, and the most effective way to save himself—to tough it out! And to avoid vital areas as much as possible!

The very next moment he assumed a defensive stance—

A silent, almost illusory gray spirit arrow appeared out of thin air in front of him, as if it had traversed the distance of space!

There was no earth-shattering explosion, no ear-piercing whistling.

The gray spirit arrow sliced ​​through his hastily erected, thick ice crystal shield as easily as a hot knife through butter, and then...

"Pfft!"

Blood spurts out!
The gray arrow pierced his crossed left arm with pinpoint accuracy, then, with undiminished momentum, plunged deep into his left chest, less than an inch from his heart! A fist-sized, gaping hole instantly appeared, the flesh around the wound displaying an eerie, decaying gray hue, life extinguished in an instant!
"Well!"

Canxue let out a suppressed groan, as if struck by an invisible giant hammer. He flew backward, crashing heavily against the cold stone wall of the bell tower before sliding down. Excruciating pain swept through his body like a tidal wave. His left arm was almost crippled, and the piercing pain in his left chest and the feeling of life draining away made his face turn ashen instantly.

He glanced down at the horrific bloody hole in his chest, his eyes filled with lingering fear and a hint of relief. If he hadn't reacted quickly enough, turning to the side and using his arm to block some of the force and slightly change the angle, that arrow would have pierced his heart!

"Cough cough..."

He coughed violently, spitting out several mouthfuls of dark, stagnant blood. He quickly pulled out a jade bottle from his pocket and poured all the precious life-saving medicine inside into his mouth. The pure medicinal power dissolved, barely suppressing the worsening of his injuries. However, the gray arrow energy still lingered in his body, constantly eroding him and making his aura extremely weak.

He struggled to his feet, his gaze sweeping towards the direction where Jiang Xuan had been hiding. The area was now empty, only the torrential rain continued to pour down. His soul perception spread out, but he could no longer detect even the slightest trace of Jiang Xuan's presence.

"He... got away..."

Canxue clutched her bleeding chest, a complex expression on her face that was difficult to describe for the first time.

There was shock, anger, disbelief, and even a hint of... frustration.

He, Canxue, the ace assassin of Tingyu Tower, with the cultivation of the Heavenly Gang Realm, who had never failed in his missions, was actually defeated tonight! Defeated by a young man at the Human Gang Realm, who was already at his last gasp and seriously injured!

This is simply a shame!
What filled him with even more confusion and apprehension was the small, spherical monster that had suddenly appeared and swallowed his Hongzhao Spirit Arrow whole! What on earth was that thing?!

"This boy... has too many secrets... we must report him as soon as possible..."

Despite the excruciating pain and weakness, Canxue dared not linger any longer. Although his opponent had also fled with serious injuries, there was no guarantee that he wouldn't have other tricks up his sleeve, or that mysterious little monster might strike again. He might really be going to die here today.

He staggered into the rainy night, covered in wounds and filled with doubts, and quickly left.

……

On the streets torrentially rained down, Jiang Xuan, clutching his now-shrunken chirping chirp, which seemed excited about swallowing the arrow, scurried forward in a disheveled state.

His speed was far less than before, and his steps were even somewhat unsteady.

The arrow he fired in that desperate counterattack had almost drained the last bit of spiritual energy and divine power from his body. At this moment, he was only holding on by his tenacious willpower and strong physique. The bloody hole in his chest burst open again due to the forced exertion, and blood kept seeping out, staining his clothes dark red.

An extreme feeling of weakness and dizziness kept assaulting his mind.

"Or...we let him escape..."

A strong sense of resentment welled up in Jiang Xuan's heart.

He knew that although the arrow had severely wounded his opponent, it hadn't killed him. The desperate counterattack of a top-tier Heavenly Realm assassin, or any other possible methods behind it, made him hesitant to pursue. His current condition also made it impossible for him to continue fighting.

But recalling the battle that night, from being surrounded and intercepted, to killing Lu Zhong and Canfeng, to using the "Wu Di" spirit bow to maneuver and even severely injuring Tingyu Tower's ace assassin... he single-handedly turned the encirclement and attack organized by more than ten forces in Yanxia City upside down, severely damaged their elites, and ultimately saved his own life.

"At least... I survived."

Jiang Xuan took a deep breath of the cold air, suppressing his resentment, and his eyes regained their firmness.

The gains of this night were not only survival, but also an extreme test of his own strength, a preliminary grasp of the "Boundless" spirit bow, and... a feeling for the little guy in his arms. Just then, a voice with a hint of mockery and admiration suddenly rang out in front of him.

"Tsk tsk, a mere Qi Refining cultivator has turned Yanxia City upside down, and even that old sly fox Canxue almost fell into your hands... No wonder you are the most outstanding graduate of this year's Blood Killing Camp. The evaluation of 'one against a thousand' is truly well-deserved."

Jiang Xuan suddenly looked up and saw a figure appear in the rain ahead.

He was dressed in a simple gray cloth robe, with a gourd of wine hanging from his waist, and a lazy smile on his face. It was none other than Xue Jin, whom I hadn't seen for a long time!
Seeing Xue Jin appear, Jiang Xuan's tense mind finally relaxed completely, and the last breath he had been holding on released. Extreme exhaustion and injuries washed over him like a tidal wave; his vision went black, his body swayed, and he collapsed forward. (End of Chapter)