Chapter 988: The First Power of the Xuanyuan Bow

Powerful cultivators from all over had gathered in anticipation of the battle. From mortal Nascent Soul cultivators to ancient immortals, every kind of practitioner was present. After all, a battle between Sages was a rare spectacle.

In a secluded valley, a group of bald monks stood together, keeping a low profile. However, these individuals were anything but simple—no one dared to provoke them, and most kept a respectful distance.

Among the monks, two stood out due to their stark contrast in appearance. One was fat, with an open chest that exuded a sense of carefree joy, while the other was thin, clad in traditional monastic robes, and appeared more disciplined.

"Ran Deng, is that Zhong Shan up on that peak?" the fat monk asked with a smile.

The thin monk was none other than Ran Deng, the ancient Buddha. After the disappearance of his Daoist temple, Ran Deng had come here.

Ran Deng glanced up at the peak where Zhong Shan stood, a lingering fear in his heart. Zhong Shan?

"Don't worry. This is not the Fengzong Territory. No matter how powerful Zhong Shan is, he can't overpower our Great Thunder Sound Temple. What do you say? Do you want to settle your old score?" the fat monk teased with a smile.

Ran Deng looked at Zhong Shan in the distance, feeling a chill in his heart. He shook his head and replied, "Maitreya, I appreciate your goodwill, but I don't want to provoke Zhong Shan again. Let bygones be bygones."

Ran Deng no longer dared to challenge Zhong Shan. The blue light from their last encounter had left him traumatized. He had narrowly escaped disaster due to his past experiences, but even so, it had been a life-and-death struggle. It wasn't until recently that the bad luck had finally dissipated. He had also learned about the deaths of Sima Yuan and the Zixiao Sect Leader, who had also been hit by that blue light.

Ran Deng had no desire to face such misfortune again and declined Maitreya's offer outright.

"Alright, since you, the one directly involved, want to let it go, I won't press the matter," Maitreya said with a laugh.

Meanwhile, on another peak, a loud shout echoed through the mountains.

"Great King, it's them!" A cry rang out from another mountaintop.

On the peak stood a group of formidable demons. Among them were two notable figures—one with a pair of jet-black horns, and the other, a man with an exceptionally fair complexion.

Around them were numerous demons, with a large battle flag planted on the peak. The flag bore the bold character "Niu" (牛).

The shout had come from one of the bull-headed demons.

Hearing the cry, the demons turned their attention to the four proud-looking men standing on a distant peak.

"Are those the intruders in my Huoyan Mountain?" the horned demon asked.

"Zhong Shan?" The fair-skinned man's eyes narrowed as he recognized him.

"You know him, Sun Shen?" The horned demon, known as the Bull Demon King, asked in slight confusion.

"Great King, this man and I have a score to settle. It looks like we'll have to delay our plan to storm Biyou Palace. Let me deal with him first," Sun Shen replied with a dark expression.

"With your level of cultivation, it should be quick. The main assault on Holy Corpse Mountain hasn't started yet, and the Confucian sages haven't made their move. Finish him swiftly," the Bull Demon King agreed.

"Just a few hundred years ago, he was still a mortal. How much time could he possibly take?" A hint of disdain flickered in Sun Shen's eyes as he stepped forward and flew towards Zhong Shan.

Zhong Shan, aware that his reputation was relatively unknown in these lands, had deliberately chosen to stand on the highest peak.

"Holy King, are we going inside?" Mr. Corpse asked.

"Entering is inevitable. All these powerful beings, including Confucius's seventy-one disciples, are here for what lies within Biyou Palace," Zhong Shan replied in a deep voice.

"Even Confucius is involved, so whatever's inside must be extraordinary," Nangong Sheng remarked.

As they discussed, Sun Shen swiftly approached them, his intent to confront Zhong Shan unmistakable. This encounter would likely be the prelude to the unfolding events surrounding Biyou Palace and the secrets it held.

"Understood," Zhong Shan nodded.

At that moment, a particularly eager cultivator, anxious to make the first move, dashed forward and plunged into the dense corpse aura surrounding Holy Corpse Mountain.

Through the thick black mist, onlookers could barely make out the flashes of black sword energy rising from the corpse aura.

"Aaahhh!!!"

A bloodcurdling scream echoed through the air as the first intruder was instantly torn apart by the relentless sword energy. Only his head managed to escape the carnage, but even that was quickly consumed by the power of the Zhu Xian Sword Formation. Sword energy erupted from within the head, obliterating it in an instant.

"Boom!"

The head exploded, leaving no trace behind.

The other onlookers, who had been on the verge of advancing, collectively drew in a sharp breath. What kind of formation was this? It was terrifying!

"The Zhu Xian Sword Formation?" Zhong Shan muttered in surprise.

"Holy King, should we proceed?" Mr. Corpse asked again.

Zhong Shan observed the situation for a while before replying, "Let's move closer first. When the other cultivators start breaking through the Zhu Xian Sword Formation, I'll lead you in."

"Yes!" the others responded without hesitation.

They trusted Zhong Shan completely. If he said he could lead them through the formation, they believed he could.

"Let's go," Zhong Shan ordered.

Just as they were about to move, a loud shout interrupted their plans.

"Zhong Shan!"

The voice was filled with anger and instantly drew the attention of everyone present.

The battle between the Sages in the sky was distant and could only be observed as two points of light in the cosmos. In contrast, the events on the ground were immediate and captivating. In this critical moment, someone was seeking vengeance?

Who could it be?

"It's Sun Shen!" someone suddenly exclaimed.

Everyone's attention turned to a man in white who had suddenly appeared in mid-air, glaring furiously at the peak where Zhong Shan and his companions stood.

"Sun Shen? The disciple of the legendary Sun Wukong? I heard he mastered his master's techniques, and after Sun Wukong's death, he surpassed him. He recently became an ancient immortal!"

"It looks like he's out for revenge."

"Whoever offended Sun Shen is in for a world of trouble."

"Who are those people on the mountain? I've never seen them before."

"Do you know those four?"

"Nope, never seen them."

...

The crowd buzzed with speculation. Who was Zhong Shan?

In the Fengzong Territory, Zhong Shan was a household name, and some of the nearby powers knew of him as well. But here, in the Four Great Continents, far from the Fengzong Territory, his name was unknown. The world was full of legendary figures; adding one more or losing one didn't make much difference, which was why most people had never heard of Zhong Shan.

In a distant valley, Ran Deng and Maitreya watched the confrontation from afar.

"Heh, Ran Deng, it seems someone is seeking vengeance on your behalf. You won't even need to lift a finger," Maitreya chuckled.

Ran Deng remained silent, deep in thought as he watched the unfolding scene from a distance. He couldn't help but reflect on the possible outcomes and what it might mean for the events about to transpire.

Zhong Shan and his three subordinates were just about to take advantage of the chaos to move closer to Holy Corpse Mountain when suddenly, someone appeared to block their path, calling out Zhong Shan's name with hostility.

Zhong Shan looked up and recognized the figure. Sun Qitian? No, Sun Qitian was already dead. It was Sun Shen—the man with the same face. How unexpected to encounter him here!

"Zhong Shan, it's time to settle the old scores from the Thousand Worlds," Sun Shen said coldly, his voice dripping with malice.

With a swift motion, Sun Shen produced a staff. The staff had golden hoops on both ends, with a central section made of dark iron. Engraved on it were golden characters: "Ruyi Jingu Bang"—the famed Golden Cudgel.

"The Golden Cudgel?" Zhong Shan's expression turned slightly peculiar. A sense of surrealism washed over him, as if he were colliding with the myths of old.

"It really is a revenge match. He's even brought out the Golden Cudgel!" someone from the distant crowd shouted.

"Sun Shen's wielding the Golden Cudgel! Does that mean this Zhong Shan is really strong?"

"No matter how strong he is, he'll just end up as another soul crushed under the cudgel!"

...

This was the power of reputation. The onlookers knew of Sun Shen's strength but were ignorant of Zhong Shan's capabilities, so they naturally assumed Zhong Shan was doomed. It was just like in the Fengzong Territory, where anyone who dared to challenge Zhong Shan was seen as a dead man walking.

Sun Shen was ready to kill Zhong Shan, but Zhong Shan had no intention of showing mercy either. The grudges from the Thousand Worlds were not worth discussing; if Sun Shen still wanted to cling to them, Zhong Shan had no problem erasing him completely.

Luo Xingchen, understanding Zhong Shan's unspoken command, stepped forward, producing a golden longbow—a sight that caused a stir among the onlookers.

"The Xuanyuan Bow? It looks just like the Xuanyuan Bow from the Li family!"

"Maybe it's just a replica."

"Even if it's the real one, can it beat Sun Shen?"

...

Luckily, Nezha wasn't present; otherwise, his face would surely have darkened at the sight of the bow.

"Picked up another lackey, I see?" Sun Shen sneered, dismissing Luo Xingchen.

Zhong Shan remained silent, not bothering to respond. Luo Xingchen, focused on his task, had no intention of wasting time either. His goal was to eliminate Sun Shen as quickly as possible to ease his lord's burdens.

Luo Xingchen nocked a golden arrow and drew the bowstring. As he did, a tremendous amount of heavenly energy gathered around the arrow, empowering it further.

"Fire!"

Luo Xingchen released the arrow, and it shot forth like a golden streak of light, a rainbow speeding toward Sun Shen.

The arrow moved too fast—so fast that Sun Shen barely had time to react. In an instant, the arrow was upon him. He barely managed to raise the Golden Cudgel in defense.

"Boom!"

A deafening explosion followed as Sun Shen was sent flying back a hundred li, finally managing to stop himself. In this first exchange, Sun Shen had been forced into a disadvantage.

The crowd, which had been so sure of Sun Shen's victory, now stared in disbelief.

Sun Shen, who had been knocked back, was now enraged. With a furious swing of the Golden Cudgel, he prepared to charge forward again. But Luo Xingchen was faster. He nocked another arrow and fired, sending another streak of golden light straight at Sun Shen.

The arrows, once released, expanded to ten zhang in width, leaving long trails of afterimages as they shot toward Sun Shen like falling meteors.

It wasn't just one or two arrows—Luo Xingchen unleashed a barrage, each arrow a golden streak crashing down from various angles, like a devastating meteor shower.

The spectacle was dazzling.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Sun Shen could only raise the Golden Cudgel to block the onslaught, his figure repeatedly battered by the force of the arrows. Meanwhile, Luo Xingchen had taken to the sky, firing arrows with incredible speed and precision from all directions.

In mere moments, over a hundred arrows had been fired.

The onlookers were left speechless as they watched the golden arrows rain down on Sun Shen like a relentless storm. The arrows even caused the surrounding space to ripple and distort.

This was no ordinary battle—this was pure devastation. The once formidable Sun Shen, a figure of respect and fear, was now being utterly overwhelmed, his hair disheveled, his face flushed with anger and blood as he struggled to defend himself.

"Who is this monster?" the Bull Demon King muttered in shock, unable to believe his eyes.

To read the manga version, please click the YouTube link https://youtu.be/GnU613H6xm8