The woman was none other than Cang Yan, the master of Langya.
A legendary woman of the Great Wilderness, she was both an Immortal Dao Empress and a Demonic Dao Empress, the sole peerless Immortal-Demon Empress in all of Heaven and Earth.
The patriarchs present all knew of the relationship between Cang Yan and the Demon Emperor Blood River. When the Demon Emperor Blood River appeared, they had anticipated that Cang Yan would most likely show up as well.
However.
When Cang Yan truly manifested, the assembled patriarchs still felt a sense of disbelief.
What astonished them wasn't that Cang Yan would appear to protect the You Di, but rather her terrifying strength.
One must know that the arrow shot by Xuan Yuan Hao was no ordinary projectile; it was the Great Sun Judgment Arrow launched from the Divine Judgment Bow.
Yet now, it had been effortlessly intercepted by Cang Yan.
No!
It wasn't interception.
Because no one saw Cang Yan make a move. She simply appeared out of thin air, and then...
The Great Sun Judgment Arrow inexplicably froze in the Void, completely motionless.
Cang Yan was the sole empress in all of history to have ascended to the peerless dual sovereignty of Immortal and Demon. Everyone knew her strength must be formidable beyond measure. But no matter how powerful, could it truly reach such a level? To immobilize the Great Sun Judgment Arrow without even lifting a hand—had they not witnessed it themselves, no one would dare believe it was real.
Especially Xuan Yuan Hao himself. He understood better than anyone the might of a Great Sun Judgment Arrow shot from the Divine Judgment Bow. Now that it had been mysteriously blocked by Cang Yan, beyond disbelief, his heart swelled with an unacceptable fury.
He intended to personally step forward and cross blades with Cang Yan, but before he could move, he saw Xuan Yuan Qinhou raise a hand, signaling him not to act.
"The Divine Judgment Bow's Great Sun Judgment Arrow truly lives up to its reputation."
Within the Lotus Pavilion.
Cang Yan drained the wine from her cup in one gulp, slowly rose to her feet, and with a casual gesture, plucked the Great Sun Judgment Arrow frozen in the Void between her fingers. "A pity," she said. "A pity that in all of history, I have only seen one person capable of wielding the Divine Judgment Bow, and only one person capable of shooting a true Great Sun Judgment Arrow."
As her words fell, with a crisp *crack*, the Great Sun Judgment Arrow was abruptly snapped between her two slender jade-like fingers and vanished into nothingness.
Xuan Yuan Qinhou stood with arms crossed, gazing at Cang Yan, a faint smile playing on his lips. "The person you speak of, could it be Xuan Yuan Wuji?"
"Indeed, it is Xuan Yuan Wuji."
Cang Yan picked up the wine pot and poured herself another cup of fine wine. "Did Xuan Yuan Wuji not warn you that playing with fire is apt to get one burned?"
"Heh."
Xuan Yuan Qinhou replied, "If between you and me, one is to be consumed by flames, that person will certainly not be me."
"You are quite confident."
"I have always been confident."
Xuan Yuan Qinhou stared at Cang Yan as if chatting with a stranger. "Moreover, I can tell you this: since childhood, I have always played with fire, yet I have never been burned."
"Not being burned before does not mean you won't be in the future. Never having been burned does not mean you never will be. As long as you play with fire, the day will come when the flames turn on you, consuming you to ashes, leaving not a trace behind."
Xuan Yuan Qinhou shook his head slightly, smiling faintly. "Cang Yan, I advise you not to interfere in this matter. You cannot stop it. The Demon Emperor Blood River cannot stop it. They cannot stop it either. In all of Heaven and Earth, no one can stop it—not even the Timeless Nameless. I believe you understand this better than anyone."
As Xuan Yuan Qinhou's voice faded, Xuan Yuan Hao, who had been suppressing his rage beside him, pointed at Cang Yan and shouted harshly, "If you know what's good for you, disappear on your own. Otherwise, our Holy Land will have you buried within this Calamity!"
Hearing Xuan Yuan Hao's threat, Cang Yan deliberately looked up at him. A trace of a wicked smile flickered across her stunning, peerlessly beautiful face.
Suddenly.
Another burst of laughter echoed from the Void, filled with a mocking tone, as if ridiculing Xuan Yuan Hao for overestimating his abilities.
Immediately after, a voice followed: "I truly wonder who gave you little Holy Land brats such immense confidence. Was it Xuan Yuan Wuji?
Probably not. Even if Xuan Yuan Wuji gave you confidence, he wouldn't give you such arrogant confidence. I suppose it must be those so-called Holy Elders from the Holy Temple who gave you this confidence. Only those so-called Holy Elders from the Holy Temple would grant you such foolish, blind, and ignorant confidence!"
"Who is it?! Show yourself!"
Furious, Xuan Yuan Hao once again drew the Divine Judgment Bow and shot a Great Sun Judgment Arrow.
This arrow pierced through the Void, shooting directly towards the sky. It was then that everyone noticed the sky above shifting, the Void transforming as if into a black mirror.
"The Divine Judgment Bow's Great Sun Judgment Arrow indeed possesses boundless power. If Xuan Yuan Wuji were to shoot a Great Sun Judgment Arrow from the Divine Judgment Bow, I fear no one in all of history could withstand it. Unfortunately, you are not Xuan Yuan Wuji!"
When the Great Sun Judgment Arrow struck the black mirror, a bizarre scene unfolded. The black mirror warped and blurred for a moment, and then...
The Great Sun Judgment Arrow inexplicably shot back, directly targeting Xuan Yuan Hao.
Instantly.
Xuan Yuan Qinhou, the leader of the Nine Holy Sons, abruptly raised a hand. His five fingers were like mountains, his palm like Heaven and Earth. When the Great Sun Judgment Arrow struck his palm, it vanished without a trace, as if mud sinking into the sea.
Astonishment!
Absolute astonishment.
Earlier, Cang Yan had immobilized the Great Sun Judgment Arrow without moving, which was already hard to believe.
Now, Xuan Yuan Qinhou had merely raised his hand and caused the Great Sun Judgment Arrow to vanish into thin air, leaving everyone in awe.
However.
The most bizarre event was still what had just transpired: that Great Sun Judgment Arrow had inexplicably shot back.
Who had manifested that black mirror?
Which exalted figure was it?
The crowd searched in the direction of the voice. The black mirror shifted through myriad transformations, and a woman seemed to step out from within it.
The woman was clad in a dark red robe. Upon her appearance, the myriad rays of light within the area dimmed and withered, like the setting sun, like the fading twilight, as if dusk had arrived. All radiance swayed in her presence. She stood in the Void, surrounded by a rolling torrent of demonic aura.
The demonic aura burned like fire, unceasing.
This demonic aura was even more potent than that of the Heavenly Demons atop the Cloud-Covered Heavenly Dao, and even surpassed that of the one hailed as the Demon Emperor, Blood River.
Those who did not know her had no idea who this woman was.
Those who did know recognized her as the Demonic Dao's Lady Wuyou, a legendary demoness who had once stirred up a storm of bloodshed in the Primordial Era.
In terms of status, influence, or impact within the Demonic Dao sphere, the Primordial Era's Original Sin patriarchs present here were not even worth a glance. Even the Eight-Armed Yama, who had fused with Original Sin blood, or the old beggar from Blackwater Mountain—a Demonic Dao patriarch who had laughed proudly across Heaven and Earth in the Primordial Era—would not dare act presumptuously before Lady Wuyou.
Those in the know also understood that after the Primordial Era, Lady Wuyou had undergone multiple reincarnations. Fading Twilight Wuyou, Feng Zhuyue, and Mandala Fan were all her reincarnated selves.