Chapter 24 The World's Number One Divine General!

Li Guanyi remembered that name.

Just when Xue Changqing was boastfully showing off his shooting skills to his grandfather, he mentioned practicing the "Divine Bow Thirteen Forms," and that elder also brought up the Breaking Cloud Sky-shattering Bow. Was this the divine weapon that had been sealed away for one hundred and thirty years, as mentioned by that elder?

Li Guanyi felt that on the bronze tripod, the White Tiger Dharma Form that had yet to take shape was desperately roaring.

It seemed to be craving to leap out and touch that bow.

The elder noticed Li Guanyi's gaze and said with understanding, "Mr. Li, have you taken notice of this Breaking Cloud Sky-shattering Bow? It's inevitable, as every guest who comes to the Wind Listening Pavilion is drawn to this bow."

"However, I presume you do not know the legend of this bow, do you?"

Li Guanyi shook his head.

Putting down the teaware in his hand, the elder reached out to touch the bow and said, "Five hundred years ago, our ancestor forced back a thirty-thousand-strong army with just three arrows from this bow. Legend has it that the ancestor was the White Tiger Star Lord who descended from the heavens to quell the chaos in the mortal world."

"In his youth, he lived in poverty, herding for the wealthy, but he encountered a fierce tiger as big as a mountain. He fought and killed that beautiful yet dangerous creature. Later, he made this bow out of Divine Wood from beneath Kunwu Mountain, and the spirit of the tiger transformed into the bowstring."

"The divine weapon inside the rack often sounds by itself on windless nights, and the sound of the bowstring is like a tiger's roar."

"Rumors say that the last arrow among those three that my Xue family ancestor fired traveled over a hundred miles, killing the enemy's great general inside his king's tent. When that arrow was shot, the clouds in the sky were torn apart, creating a vast rift, and the heavens shook with thunderous roars as if the sky were split. That's why it's called the Breaking Cloud Sky-shattering Bow."

Over a hundred miles?!

Li Guanyi's eyelids twitched.

What kind of terrifying strength was this?

The Breaking Cloud Sky-shattering Bow, was its name actually literal, and not an exaggeration or boast?

Yue Qianfeng's ability to shatter mountaintops with a single punch was already fearsome, but if someone could fire an arrow over a hundred miles, Yue Qianfeng's abilities seemed almost insignificant in comparison.

Xue Shuangtao was also hearing about this for the first time from her grandfather. When she heard it was over a hundred miles, her expression clearly faltered, completely unable to imagine what kind of terrifying strength that was.

The elderly man laughed and said, "You must not believe it, and honestly, neither do I. Martial Artists shattering mountaintops with a single punch or firing arrows that embed into rock walls are nothing out of the ordinary."

"But as for legends like our ancestor's, I tend to think of them as fabricated by the older generations to add glory to their own names," he continued.

"Who hasn't been young before? I, too, once had my youthful days of brashness."

"Disbelieving in the heavens and earth, in parents, challenging authority, only believing in oneself."

"When I was eighteen, I carried a bow and three arrows, daring to travel the Martial World."

"Back then, Ying Country was still Wei Country, and the banks of the Wei River hadn't yet flowed with the blood of the nobility. I crossed the Changlian Mountain Range, riding on the long-haired oxen of the Dangxiang people, under the vast high sky, where the nomads' daughters sang ballads, my skin sunburned, my face itchy and painful."

"After drinking their sour milk with a fishy taste, I would lie on the ox's back and drift into sleep, my face covered by oxhide, thinking of the Chuncai and Sea Bass from home, and lamenting my reckless journey."

"Not until I heard their cheering sounds," he said.

"Shielding my eyes with my hand, I saw an enormous cavity on their Holy Mountain. It was as if a giant dragon had burrowed through, shattering the middle of the mountain. Sunlight poured through the gap, creating an unbelievably beautiful scene."

"They call it Arueen Wuerha Jirwabodewosadava."

"It means, 'The arrow of the Central Plains Bodhisattva that pierced through the Holy Mountain.'"

"It was a mark left by my ancestors."

"And the target of his arrow was actually much further beyond the back of this Holy Mountain."

"My forefathers lied to me."

As the elder stroked the bow with his palm, he tried to keep his voice as calm as possible, yet he could not entirely suppress the ripples of emotion:

"Of the three arrows shot by my ancestor, the last wasn't a hundred miles, but three hundred and eighty miles. It struck down the ruler of the grasslands in his golden tent, his blood staining the royal canopy red. The eighteen tribes that had gathered for a great council on the grassland completely scattered, thus lifting the empire's crisis."

An arrow three hundred and eighty miles?!

Li Guanyi's eyes widened with amazement.

The elder said, "Even though this arrow greatly depleted my ancestor's Primordial Qi, and it took a long time for him to recover, and one of the five corresponding arrows was completely destroyed, it still remains an astounding feat that leaves us descendants in awe."

"Only then did I believe that five hundred years ago, my ancestor of the Xue Family, ranked first on the Divine General List, truly deserved that position. Our Xue Family's Breaking Cloud Sky-shattering Bow, leading the list of divine bows, was also truly deserved."

"At that time, I was like a madman, practicing archery three thousand times a day, for three full months. My palms were torn open by the bowstring, scabs formed over the wounds, and then they were torn open again. Finally, I shot an arrow into the same cavity that my ancestor did, achieving spiritual perfection."

"After that, I returned home and have been the Family Head ever since."

Li Guanyi and Xue Shuangtao imagined such an immense scene.

The towering Holy Mountain with a vast cavity pierced through it, the Dangxiang people in furs kneeling on the ground, resting on their elbows with their palms facing upwards in sincere prayer, while the bow-wielding descendants stand between heaven and earth, mustered with indescribable feelings.

Li Guanyi asked, "The world's number one?"

The elder sighed again and said, "That's right. Unfortunately, since then, only two people have managed to draw the bow, and the last one died five years before I was born. For one hundred and thirty years now, no one has been able to draw it, nor has anyone heard that bowstring's thunderous sound again."

"It is said that anyone who can pick up and draw this bow will directly receive the ancestral legacy."

"They'll instantly master the Absolute Skills of the ancestor and, relying on the divine weapon's might, they can shoot without fail. Moreover, if they use the matching arrows, they can at least shoot an arrow covering fifty miles, and within that range, jade and stone will burn together, mountains and rivers will shatter!"

Li Guanyi remained spellbound for a long while before he looked at that ancient war bow and said:

"With such a divine weapon lying here, aren't you afraid someone might take it away?"

The White Tiger Dharma Form in the bronze tripod struggled and roared violently, filled with longing, somewhat irritating to Li Guanyi's ears. He forcefully suppressed this almost instinctive desire to pick up the bow and shoot an arrow.

The old man laughed heartily upon hearing this, "Pick it up?"

"To lift this bow, you need a very harsh condition."

"That is, to bear the White Tiger Dharma Form, like our ancestors."

"Otherwise, even the world's strongest powerful warrior wouldn't dream of picking up this bow!"

"Not to mention drawing it."

Li Guan Yi paused in thought.

The White Tiger Dharma Form?

The White Tiger Dharma Form on the bronze tripod seemed eager to leap out, itching to spring forth immediately. Yet because the Jade Liquid in the bronze tripod wasn't perfect, it couldn't fully materialize and turned into a frustrated ball, rolling on the walls of the tripod. The Red Dragon flicked it with its tail as if hitting a snowball, causing it to roll away.

"Wow-ah-woo!!!"

"Roar!!"

Thus, on the bronze tripod, a dragon and tiger battled.

Probably.

Li Guan Yi said, "Divine General, Dharma Form... ?"

The old man casually reached out and a book flew over. He handed it to Li Guan Yi, saying, "Yes."

"Dharma Form is unrelated to one's realm; it is a characteristic only true top-notch heroes possess."

"It has already had the top three rankings a thousand years ago."

"Namely, the Divine General List, Divine Weapon List, and Dharma Form List."

"These three lists are not announced by anyone; they are sorted out from the disputes and battles that trouble the world. Divine Generals are unmatched in the world, bearing Dharma Forms, wielding Divine Weapons, dominating the battlefield, overlooking all, having the power to shift the world's great trends on their own, incomparable, hence they are ranked [Top]."

Xue Shuangtao curiously said, "The top three lists? Are there other lists?"

The old man stroked his beard and said, "Yes, when there are many people, they will compete for rank. The top three lists are based on the great countries' battles and contests on the battlefield; while the many other lists are often intentionally released by those with an agenda to stir up trouble in the Martial World, causing disputes. Although they have some value, they can also bring trouble."

"If martial artists make it onto the Grandmaster list, they can't live in peace; if women make it onto the Beauty list, they become objects of desire."

"It's more a curse than a blessing, you should avoid it."

"Are you interested in these top three lists, young master?"

"Yes."

The old gentleman, without any hesitation, found the lists for Li Guan Yi, which aren't something ordinary people can see. He tossed them to the young man as if throwing a roll of paper, saying, "The tea isn't ready yet, you can take a look but you can't take it with you."

Li Guan Yi nodded and began to flip through the book, then asked:

"What ranking does Chen Country's strongest war general have?"

The old gentleman said, "Taiping Duke once ranked in the top ten, but he died an untimely death; now, General Yue is the strongest, ranking, eleventh..."

Li Guan Yi was taken aback. General Yue, who commanded absolute respect from Yue Qianfeng, ranked eleventh?

The old man pondered for a moment and said, "The Divine General List, the battle achievements it shows, doesn't relate much to the war general's upper limit. If it's the country they belong to, heh, the current ruler writes good poetry, paints beautiful landscapes. I've said too much, young master can see for himself."

Li Guan Yi understood.

The court of Chen Country was weak, indulged in luxury and pleasures, and was focused on peace instead of war. Even if there were Heavenly Gods among their generals wishing to mend the heavens, they were powerless to reverse the situation and could only sigh in vain.

The rankings of Chen Country's Divine Generals were low.

Li Guan Yi opened the Divine General List and quickly scanned through it.

He wanted to find a familiar name.

Would there be one?

He looked through the list and suddenly his gaze became fixed, finding that person near the beginning—

[Yue Qianfeng], ranked thirty-fourth on the Divine General List.

Evaluation—

Number one in foot combat in the Southern Continent.

.........

Boom!!!!

A chop landed, and the Hundred Refinement Blade shattered into pieces as it fell, creating a storm that swept away a dozen elite assassins, ripping them apart. The burly Big Man frowned and cursed, "Pity I didn't bring a Divine Weapon."

There were snipers all along the way.

His eyesight was extremely keen; he could vaguely see the city.

Looking at the elder next to him, still deep in calculations, he said, "Elder Zu."

"We're nearly at Guan Yi City."