Chapter 713: Volume Finale: The Inherited Foundation

The Sunset Bow.

Su Zhou had heard this name before.

It was a story he had heard when he was very young.

In ancient times, ten suns appeared in the sky, and the people could not survive. Yao thus commanded Yi to grasp the Red Bow and hold the plain silk, to pierce the vast sky and shoot down nine suns. And so, peace was brought to the world.

According to legend, the Red Bow wielded by the Hero who shot down the nine suns was the Sunset Bow.

Su Zhou didn’t know why the Divine Bow, which should have been red, was now pitch-black. He guessed it was due to the Evil Qi generated by the many Divine Beast Golden Crows that had been slain in the past. But regardless, even though the bow was heavily sealed by various Seal Techniques and Jade Marrow, it still emanated a maddeningly ferocious intent. This alone was enough to prove its unparalleled might, making it a worthy Divine Soldier.

’Based on this level of Spiritual Power reaction, it probably wouldn’t be surprising if a High-level Commander could use this bow to create an effect on par with a nuclear explosion...’

Afterward, Liu Li’s words confirmed Su Zhou’s speculation.

[The Sunset Bow is a Divine Soldier created by the Immortal Gods of old to slaughter the Golden Crow Race. It was later used to kill the last of the Golden Crows, completely wiping out the wild bloodline of this Divine Beast.]

[Furthermore, it was also used to slay numerous Demons and Evils: Zhiyu, Fengxi, the Xiu Snake, Chisel Teeth, the Strong Wind, the Nine Infant... These monsters are but a few of the souls claimed by this bow. The death-born resentment of countless Spirit Monsters and Demons and Evils was absorbed by the Immortal Gods and sealed within it. Its Evil Qi is so potent that if it were placed in the outside world, even with the absence of Spiritual Qi, it would be enough to corrupt an entire province. Therefore, it can only be kept here in a half-sealed state.]

Even while submerged in the crimson, blood-like water saturated with Evil Qi, Liu Li’s voice remained perfectly steady. The old man’s mind was so fortified that he could make direct contact with the Jade Marrow sealing the Sunset Bow and sense the Divine Soldier’s condition.

He spoke with calm confidence, explaining the Divine Soldier and the mission of his Only Martial System to Su Zhou: [The Only Martial System is one of its historical guardians, and we have held this duty the longest. I’ve invited you here today mainly to explain the history and origin of our National Treasures to you, a reserve candidate for the Sages, so that you know what bottom cards we hold.]

’No wonder it’s so secretive.’

At this point, Su Zhou finally understood why the Artifice Sage hadn’t said a single word on the phone, not even a peep to someone with his level of clearance.

After all, it was a National Treasure of Zhengguo, a Divine Soldier suppressed by multiple layers of seals within an independent Small Secret Realm. Something like this... even within the Only Martial System, probably only the direct lineage of the Rui’an Martial Arts Hall’s master would know about it.

As for why they didn’t make a big show of it and post a lot of guards...

Su Zhou could understand that quite well. After all, the Sunset Bow’s Evil Qi was terrifying.

There were several reasons why Su Zhou himself was unaffected. The most important was that the Sunset Bow was in a half-sealed state, so its Evil Qi wasn’t fully released.

Second, he wasn’t exactly a good person himself. While Su the Good Man had indeed saved many people, he had also killed many. He possessed a considerable amount of his own Evil Qi and also carried a great deal of Desire Power. It was because of this that he could so easily resist the corrosion of the Sunset Bow’s Evil Qi.

An ordinary person without Desire Power would probably need a Martial Arts Cultivation that had reached the Transformation Realm, like Liu Li, to be able to resist it.

Su Zhou felt that as Spiritual Qi continued to recover, the Sunset Bow’s power would only grow stronger. Judging by its current Evil Qi, he estimated that an ordinary Extraordinary Tier individual would have their mind corroded just by getting close. Only those at the Extraordinary Peak, or even the Commander Tier, could barely stand guard.

This meant that even on Earth today, only the strongest group of people could get near it; fewer than fifty Powerhouses were qualified to be its guardians. Anyone with ulterior motives would have to face a guardian of the same tier like Liu Li, who could potentially wield the power of the Divine Soldier. And before that, they would first have to break through the ancestral home of the Only Martial System. Based on Su Zhou’s observations, there were quite a few Extraordinary Tier Powerhouses inside, not to mention Military Equipment like Exoskeleton Armor.

How could anyone fight that? There was simply no need to post so many people to guard it.

[I understand, but there was probably no need for me to come here in person for this.]

Slightly nodding, Su Zhou looked up from the Sunset Bow and said to Liu Li, a bit puzzled, "If you had just told me that Zhengguo has a National Guardian Divine Artifact, I would have definitely believed you. There was no need to have me come see it for myself."

It really was unnecessary. To make an analogy, what the Artifice Sage and Liu Li did was like arranging for Su Zhou to tour a nuclear arsenal just to prove they had nukes.

It was possible, of course... but was it necessary?

[It’s not just about this.]

Since it was Soul Communication, the old man didn’t need to open his mouth. He smiled faintly. [How should I put this... The main reason I specifically summoned you here is because of your position as the ’Minister of the New World Exploration Department’.]

[To explain why I summoned you, I need to start from the beginning.]

Liu Li’s words were extremely methodical. Although he had a powerful physique, he was also a learned man. He spoke concisely, getting to the point without boring Su Zhou, who listened to the entire explanation from beginning to end.

Zhengguo currently possesses three great National Treasures: the Mountain-Chasing Whip, the Chixiao Sword, and the Sunset Bow.

The Mountain-Chasing Whip is a National Treasure forged by the First Emperor in the past to contend with the forces of heaven, earth, and nature. In the hands of a powerful Cultivator, it is a terrifying Divine Soldier capable of manipulating nature and altering terrain. But even in the hands of a weaker Cultivator, it can still sense Earth Veins, locate ore deposits and oil fields, and confirm the locations of treasures and ruins left behind by the ancient Immortal Gods deep underground.