Chapter 686 499: The Power of a Single Arrow_2

The arrow on the longbow in his hand was the very one that had been refined by the "Six Ding and Lianhuo" and "Ceasing Spear" in the past. Now carefully crafted, it was graced with complex formation patterns and blazed with dazzling brilliance, erupting with streaks of Gang Qi.

After a count of twenty breaths, the cultivators in the courtyard had retreated to the outside, and Li Xuanfeng gently loosed his grip.

"Buzz..."

"Bang!"

The jade cups and jade pots on the table in the courtyard shattered explosively, scattering fragments of jade and the clear liquid of wine, sprinkling down like rain from the sky. The courtyard seemed to be swept by a fierce wind, with tables and chairs collapsing, leaving the place in a mess.

These things came crashing down, causing the crowd to lift their sleeves to shield themselves, but their spiritual senses were already tightly locked onto that golden bow. They felt a void in their spiritual senses, capturing nothing.

"So fast."

The golden arrow had disappeared without a trace, and the crowd could only look up into the distance. A dark shadow, like a bird with broken wings, fell despondently from the sky. They exchanged anxious glances—their leader Li Xuanfeng had vanished without a trace.

"Ah?!"

Li Xuanfeng was not being overconfident. His Mysterious Arrow had become completely different. Even if removed from the golden bow, on its own, it would still count as a Foundation Establishment Magical Instrument.

What's more rare was that it was tempered with the refinement of "Lianhuo," allowing the Mysterious Arrow to retain Gang Qi, and to preload Metal Gang Qi. Li Xuanfeng could be certain that one arrow was enough to deter everyone and erase the previous humiliation, considering Yuan Hudu's Immortal Foundation, cultivation technique, and cultivation level were all below his.

Now with the arrow shot, he naturally activated his spells, drifting towards the east.

"Quick, save the family head!"

The crowd feared that Yuan Hudu might die there and then. The Song family head, terrified, quickly rode the wind to rise up, and like winds sweeping away leaves, they all vanished without a trace, leaving only Yuan Fuyao and a few others standing helplessly in the courtyard.

...

Yuan Hudu, fleeing on the wind, believed Li Xuanfeng's one arrow wasn't enough to seriously harm him, but he was a cautious man and took no chances. He used two talismans in quick succession and took out a spirit shield from his storage bag.

After positioning the brown spirit shield behind him, Yuan Hudu finally felt a bit safer. With a thought, he had eleven breaths of time left.

"The farther the better!"

Drawing on his past experience, he pressed on with full force. Hesitating for a moment, he thought to himself:

"After all, he is of the direct line of the Three Sects; I must not be careless."

Yuan Hudu reversed his mana flow, his cheeks flushed with a surge of essence qi, using an escape technique that drained his vital essence and blood. His figure became a series of bloody shadows, racing away.

Suddenly, a buzzing, piercing sound filled his ears, and two cuts opened on his cheeks. Yuan Hudu had no time to react in shock when he felt an emptiness in his chest.

Looking down, he saw nothing but a gaping hole between his heart and lungs. Only then did he hear the sound of the spirit shield shattering to pieces. The yellow-brown spirit shield had been flung away, burying deep into the cliffs.

Yuan Hudu nearly died of breathlessness, staring blankly at the sky as his mouth sprayed out puffs of blood.

His strong will saved his life. He forcefully stabilized his cultivation within his body, while the immortal foundation "Dingyuanchun," which was vital for nourishing and maintaining his physique, operated rapidly, barely holding on to his life.

Fumbling out a jade box from his hand, he crushed it, and retrieved the vibrant spiritual flower inside, swallowing it quickly. A flush of red appeared on his face, which tentatively held on to his life.

He swiftly gathered his breath, but the wind under his feet was already shattered by the brutal Metal Qi, making it impossible for him to control the wind. From his storage bag, he groped for a round object.

This spiritual object was vermilion, like flesh but not flesh, like soil but not soil, constantly squirming. Yuan Hudu stuffed it into the large hole between his heart and lungs, and then found the strength to ride the wind.

But he was dizzy and felt strands of Metal Gang Qi wandering within his body. The wind below his feet rose and dispersed, dispersing and rising, shaking and causing him to break who knows how many trees before he thudded onto the ground.

His fall toppled numerous trees, startling a flock of birds and beasts. Fortunately, as a Foundation Establishment body, he paused a couple of times in midair, preventing a disastrous crash.

However, he was seriously injured, and though the fall didn't kill him, he lost consciousness, passing out. Only then did the spirit shield fly out from the mountains with a clang, landing beside him.

The crowd stopped in their tracks and descended one after another, surrounding the fallen Yuan Hudu. They were so horrified they couldn't speak, sensing his faint breath. Before they could inspect him closely, a wave of gray fog rushed into the crowd, swiftly transforming into a human shape, scooping up Yuan Hudu from the ground, and vanishing from sight.

That gray fog was naturally the protective beast of the Yuan family, and it didn't forget to sweep up the spirit shield from the ground, grinding the blood on the sand clean, to prevent it from falling into others' hands, before quickly disappearing into the horizon.

The cultivators could only look at each other and retreat. One of them glanced around and exclaimed:

"The might of a single arrow, to have come to this!"

The person next to him nodded empathetically and replied,

"Who would have thought that after Li Chijin's disappearance, the Li Family would still have such characters! Bulling someone's orphan..."

"Looking at his nearly breathless state, it's not that he couldn't be killed. It's just out of sentimental reasons that his life was spared!"

...

Qingdu Mountain.

"Chen Yan... Chen Mufeng..."

Li Xijun was sitting beside the desk, carefully recounting the previous events, while two elderly men sat across from him.

The elder leading the pair was wearing a wide-sleeved Taoist robe, listening intently with a gentle expression. He was a Qi Cultivator of the ninth layer, while the other one appeared to be an amputee, seemingly filled with mixed Qi, his demeanor serious and his hair completely white.

"Elders of the clan, that's how things stand,"

Li Xijun finished his recount, and the old man in the wide-sleeved Taoist robe sighed and nodded, replying,

"I understand."

This man was Chen Donghe, who like the flowing water of time, had spent another decade or more in qi cultivation. This elder was diligent and earnest, his only other pastime being occasional visits to West Screen Mountain.

As for the other, he was the eldest elder in the Li Family, named Li Qiuyang. He'd been injured in the market square and had undergone burning in a combined fire, and though he was saved, his hair and beard were completely withered, his eyes dim, barely able to exert himself anymore.

But this old man also nodded, answering,

"We should make a trip to the Chen Family right away!"

These two, one the master of Chen Mufeng and the other an ancestor of the Chen Family, were naturally trusted by Li Xijun, who said in a soft voice,

"It's just a mention, no need to take it too much to heart."

Li Xijun watched the two men depart, then settled back into his seat. Next to him, Li Yuexiang blinked and whispered,

"Brother, you take things quite seriously."

Li Chengliao stood aside as well, seemingly with something to report, but had not yet found the opportunity to speak. Li Xijun sighed and said,

"I see that boy's eyes do not admit defeat. Although the princely heir can suppress him... as the guardians of the home, we cannot let him be unchecked. Naturally, he needs to be bound by several more chains to be reassured."

"Chengming Zhouxing doesn't possess high talent, perhaps Zhouwei took it all, and he alone finds it difficult to support both sides. If Chen Yan can be used well, he could be worth dozens of men."

Li Yuexiang nodded slightly, and before she could speak, Li Xijun thought carefully for a moment, then solemnly beckoned the two over,

"Yuexiang, Chengliao, listen well."

Li Yuexiang immediately focused her attention, and Li Chengliao looked over earnestly as well. Li Xijun then spoke in a soft voice,

"Looking back at the successive leaders of our family, how many have died violent deaths or been assassinated, with the schemes against them cut short? I'm afraid that even the ordinary families in the town don't suffer such sudden demises generation after generation. Those sitting at Qingdu and in the Central Hall must be prepared for the thought of perishing along the way."

"In handling matters at Qingdu and managing the family at Lijing, we must guard against the slightest slackening. But if it comes to a time of exchanging sons..."

Li Xijun paused for a moment, his voice softening as he continued,

"Do not be stingy with your life and always plan for affairs a hundred years ahead."

Both nodded and Li Xijun put away the wooden slip in his hand. Li Chengliao stepped forward and reported respectfully,

"Uncle Eight, Patriarch Xuanfeng made an appearance at the Song Family wedding, saying he would settle all the grudges between the two families once and for all!"

"With just a single arrow, the patriarch nearly obliterated that man, leaving him barely breathing using our family's 'Wanling Flower' to hang onto life, before he was taken back by the people from the Yuan Family!"

Li Xijun's eyebrows raised slightly on hearing this. He had already known that Li Xuanfeng would certainly go to intimidate the other party, but he hadn't expected such ferocity. Turning to Li Yuexiang next to him, he said softly,

"Little sister, the patriarch has avenged you!"