"That is precisely my intention!"
Xuanyuan Hao had long been unable to restrain his urge to act. Now, having received Xuanyuan Qinhou's command, the divine radiance surrounding his body blazed like flames, akin to a sacred great sun, erupting with vast and boundless holy light.
Immediately after, without any visible movement from Xuanyuan Hao, a massive golden bow materialized within the boundless divine radiance.
Those with discerning eyes knew this bow was named the Divine Judgment Bow.
This was a Great Dao treasure of immense renown.
Together with the Azure Heaven Sovereign Bow and the Light Purification Bow, they were known as the Three Great Judgment Bows of the Great Dao throughout the ages.
Since the end of the Desolate Ancient era, many Great Dao treasures had vanished, with only a handful surviving. Yet, these Three Great Judgment Bows had been preserved intact.
The Divine Judgment Bow resided in the Sacred Land, the Azure Heaven Sovereign Bow was in the Shangqing Cave Heaven, and the Light Purification Bow was in the hands of the Great Sun Yao Emperor.
Throughout history, countless great powers had perished by these three bows. In the Desolate Ancient era, an age of Great Dao contention, merely hearing the names of these three bows would cause many Great Dao experts, even Great Dao Patriarchs, to flee in terror. Legend had it that even existences as powerful as Great Dao Overlords dared not face these three bows.
It was said that all three bows were innate Great Dao treasures. This meant they were not forged but were born from the Great Dao itself, each containing the purest innate power of the Great Dao.
Even more terrifying was that all three bows had later been fused by their inheritors into the Great Sun Origin.
Thus, all three bows possessed the Great Sun Judgment Arrow. A single shot was unstoppable.
No matter how high your cultivation, how formidable your strength, what kind of precious physique or destiny you possessed, before these three bows, it would all vanish like foam.
Moreover, all three bows could penetrate spatial barriers, making them impossible to block, impossible to hide from, and impossible to evade.
Once targeted by these three bows, it was essentially a death sentence.
Previously, in the Desolate Ancient Nine Palaces, many Patriarchs had witnessed the power of the Divine Judgment Bow's Great Sun Judgment Arrow firsthand. A single shot had directly obliterated one of Green Robe Patriarch's external incarnations.
Here and now.
Xuanyuan Hao's figure leaned back slightly within the sacred great sun as he raised the Divine Judgment Bow. The moment he drew the bowstring, the sacred great sun surrounding him also began to slowly rotate. As it spun, it released ten thousand zhang of holy light, and the all-pervading Holy Light in the sky swirled along with the rotation of the sacred great sun.
Xuanyuan Hao aimed the bow not at anyone else, but precisely at Gu Qingfeng, who was in the midst of 'letting go'.
However, his goal was not to kill Gu Qingfeng.
Whether it was Xuanyuan Hao, the Sacred Land's Nine Holy Sons, or Xuanyuan Qinhou, they all understood clearly in their hearts: while this arrow could obliterate Green Robe Patriarch's external incarnation, it absolutely could not kill Gu Qingfeng. Even though Gu Qingfeng was currently 'letting go', and whether his consciousness was clear or not was unknown, it still might not be enough to kill him.
Xuanyuan Qinhou had ordered Xuanyuan Hao to shoot this arrow for another purpose entirely. He intended to kill three birds with one stone.
The first bird: adding fuel to the fire. The second bird: beating the grass to startle the snake. The third bird: luring the snake out of its hole.
Within the arena, with the appearance of Demon Emperor Blood River, Fusheng Dijun, and others, the various Patriarchs no longer dared to act rashly. With Xuanyuan Hao's Great Sun Judgment Arrow shot down, Lady Wuyue and the others guarding Gu Qingfeng would inevitably have to intercept it. No matter which of them stepped forward to receive the arrow, a gap would appear in Gu Qingfeng's defenses. At that moment, Green Robe, Xuanming, the Xuantian Nine Immortals, and the Patriarchs from the various cave heavens and blessed lands would surely seize this opportunity to swarm forward.
This was the first bird: adding fuel to the fire.
As for the second bird, beating the grass to startle the snake: the 'mountain' being beaten was Gu Qingfeng himself, and the 'tigers' being startled were those existences guarding him. With this Great Sun Judgment Arrow, Xuanyuan Qinhou was telling them that the Spiritual Awareness and Demonic Thoughts on Gu Qingfeng's person were something the Sacred Land's Nine Holy Sons had claimed for themselves, and no one could stop them.
As for the third bird, luring the snake out of its hole:
Just as Xuanyuan Qinhou had said, he wanted to see how many existences would reveal themselves to protect Gu Qingfeng during this Calamity.
Others might not know, but Xuanyuan Qinhou was aware that many great powers lay dormant within the void. Among them, perhaps most, like themselves, coveted the Spiritual Awareness and Demonic Thoughts on Gu Qingfeng. However, there were certainly also those who, like Lady Wuyue, wished to protect Gu Qingfeng.
Within the arena.
As Xuanyuan Hao slowly drew the bowstring, the sacred great sun spun wildly, the released ten thousand zhang of holy light flickered intensely, and the vast, endless divine power condensed frantically.
Whoosh!
An arrow shot forth. It was none other than the legendary Great Sun Judgment Arrow.
The various Patriarchs in the void were also watching this Great Sun Judgment Arrow shot by Xuanyuan Hao, all preparing to seize this chance to swarm forward and break the deadlock.
However.
To the surprise of all the Patriarchs, this Great Sun Judgment Arrow had just been shot out, had not yet reached Gu Qingfeng, and Lady Wuyue and Fusheng Dijun had not even made a move—or more accurately, had not yet had time to make a move—when, the instant the arrow was loosed...
It inexplicably froze in mid-air.
What was going on?
The Patriarchs wore looks of bewilderment.
The Sacred Land's Nine Holy Sons also frowned in confusion.
At that moment, the void around the Great Sun Judgment Arrow began to change.
Faintly, it seemed as if a pavilion had appeared within the void.
This pavilion seemed to merge with the void, indistinguishable from it, ethereal and elusive, flickering in and out of sight, dreamlike and illusory, its reality and illusion impossible to discern.
The pavilion's base resembled a black-and-white flower in bloom, its blossoming like the interplay of yin and yang, appearing profoundly mysterious.
On the pavilion's four long pillars were carved four patterns: one resembling an Azure Dragon, one a White Tiger, one a Black Tortoise, and one a Vermilion Bird. The Four Symbols totems were vivid and lifelike, as if they were living imprints.
The pavilion's roof resembled the vault of heaven, containing within it the sun and moon, as well as countless stars.
Inside the pavilion was a woman.
The woman wore magnificent black attire, her long hair coiled high atop her head. Her features were peerlessly beautiful, dignified and majestic.
She was a woman of breathtaking beauty.
Her beauty was stunningly radiant, enchanting and moving, beautiful in a myriad of captivating ways, and beautiful in a peerless, generation-defining manner.
Her aura was matchless in the world, akin to the great sun itself—sacred and luminous—yet also like the dark, tranquil Nether Moon of the night sky.
Her presence was like that of an empress descending from the heavens above, supremely noble, inspiring awe and reverence.
Mysterious and ethereal, she was like a celestial immortal of the Nine Heavens, yet also like a divine demon of the Nine Nethers. Like this pavilion, she was both real and illusory, true and false, impossible to see through, giving one a profoundly unreal feeling.
She sat on a stone stool, leaning against one of the Azure Dragon pillars, appearing somewhat languid. She held a white jade cup in her hand, half-filled with wine.
That Great Sun Judgment Arrow hung motionless just outside the pavilion. The woman had appeared, yet she merely lowered her head, sipping her wine, not even glancing at the Great Sun Judgment Arrow—not even a single look.