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A good night’s sleep.
The next day, many people arrived at the Sword Sect.
The most eye-catching was the group from the Xiyang Sect, wearing uniform bright red attire. All of their disciples looked as radiant as the sun, exuding an aura of arrogance.
The leading disciple had numerous artifacts hanging from his waist, including daggers, shadowless needles, gold coins, and more, all of them exceptional items. The other disciples were not as exceptional as him, but they also had quite a few items on their persons.
As they passed by, there were many exclamations from the sidelines.
“That person is Jin Dieshang, the young master of Xiyang Sect. He entered the Golden Core stage at such a young age. His future is limitless.”
“Indeed, they are disciples of the Xiyang Sect. I heard that the concealed weapons they carry are just a small part; they have even more powerful ones hidden.”
“Speaking of concealed weapons, it’s said that Jin Dieshang’s greatest skill is not the concealed weapons, but archery. It’s rumored that during the Foundation Establishment stage, he beheaded a Golden Core cultivator from a thousand miles away.”
“That’s true. This young man’s archery skills are extraordinary. The Xiyang Sect’s Master specially sought out the best materials for bows and arrows in the world, and a master craftsman tailored a set of artifacts for him—the ‘Nine Skies Piercing Clouds Arrow’ and the ‘Dragon’s Roar, Ten Thousand Bone Bow.'”
“I’ve heard that the bow and arrow are of high-grade quality. I wonder if we’ll be fortunate enough to see them today.”
Shen Liuxiang stayed in his room for a long time, sorting out most of the binding spiritual array runes. After having lunch, he went out for a stroll under the warm sun.
He heard noise coming from the martial training ground, so he walked towards it.
On the spacious square, the disciples of the Xiyang Sect occupied a small corner but attracted the attention of countless onlookers.
They had brought a cage in which a girl of about five or six years old was held captive. She looked adorable and delicate, curling up in the corner of the cage, her face filled with fear, her eyes wandering around with confusion and timidity.
Some people were immediately furious and wanted to step forward to condemn the situation.
“Don’t misunderstand, fellow cultivators,” a disciple from the Xiyang Sect pointed at the girl in the cage. “This is a Demon, a descendant of the Undying Phoenix.”
The onlookers were in an uproar. The Undying Phoenix was an ancient divine bird, so how could it suddenly appear and end up in the hands of the Xiyang Sect?
The disciple explained, “Her bloodline is impure; she’s just a hybrid.”
Someone said, “Even so, she is still very rare. The Xiyang Sect is indeed powerful to catch such a creature.”
“Not at all. The Sect Master put in a lot of effort to capture her,” the disciple modestly replied but couldn’t hide the pride on his face. “The Sect Master captured her specifically for the young master to practice archery. This bird doesn’t bleed when injured; its wounds heal within a short time. Based on the intensity of its screams and the speed of wound healing, we can judge the power of an attack.”
“It’s an excellent spiritual creature for practicing archery.”
After hearing this, people took a closer look and noticed that the girl’s exposed skin was covered in scars, with most of the wounds already healed, leaving behind faint marks.
She curled her body, raised her delicate nose, and looked at the crowd with teary eyes full of fear, not knowing whom to turn to for help.
“I-I’m not a bad person… Please let me go. I want to go home…”
Some softhearted cultivators couldn’t help but say, “Even if she’s a Demon, she has intelligence. Treating her as target practice for archery is too cruel and heartless.”
A cold snort came from the crowd.
Jin Dieshang pushed the person who spoke to the ground with a palm strike. “I see that you’re just jealous. When dealing with a Demon, there’s no such thing as cruel or not. Compassion leads to a lack of progress, which is why you’re still just a Golden Core cultivator at your age. If I were you, I’d be ashamed to death.”
After saying that, he walked towards the iron cage with his hands behind his back.
As soon as the girl saw him, she reflexively cried out in a high-pitched voice, curling her body even more, accompanied by a mournful cry from the bird.
Frowning, Jin Dieshang scolded her, then opened the cage.
The little girl stumbled out of the cage and instantly transformed into a bird that resembled a transparent shadow. The sunlight penetrated through her almost translucent feathers, creating radiant golden light.
Everyone present marveled at the beautiful appearance of the Undying Phoenix.
“She flew away!” someone exclaimed.
In the next moment, Jin Dieshang took down the longbow hanging outside the cage and pulled out an arrow with a carving feather. He drew the bow and shot the arrow.
Swoosh!
The cold arrow cut through the air, piercing through the Undying Phoenix’s head and then falling to the ground.
A disciple quickly went to retrieve the arrow.
The Undying Phoenix stopped in mid-air for a moment, a visible crack appearing on its head, rendering it immobile for a while.
The Xiyang Sect disciples praised, “The young master’s archery is extraordinary. Even using a low-grade bow and arrow, he can produce such powerful force. If he were to use the Nine Skies Piercing Clouds Arrow and the Dragon’s Roar, Ten Thousand Bone Bow, this bird would be dead even if it were immortal.”
Someone beside him echoed, “Absolutely right. I wonder if we are fortunate enough to witness the young master’s archery today with so many people present.”
Jin Dieshang grew impatient. “I’m the only one practicing every time. Why don’t you all practice too? The arrows at your waist shouldn’t just be decorations.”
Someone flattered him, “After witnessing your archery, who still has the face to shoot arrows with a bow?”
Jin Dieshang raised an eyebrow arrogantly and snorted, “You’re only saying good things, but it’s true.”
In the sky, the Undying Phoenix had already healed most of its injuries and faintly showed signs of flapping its wings to fly away.
Seeing this, Jin Dieshang sighed and showed a helpless expression, “I didn’t want to hurt her severely since all living beings have spirits. However, she needs to behave herself.”
He spread his palms as he spoke, and an exquisite red longbow emerged, along with three cold arrows gleaming silver.
“During my Foundation Establishment stage, I used this set of treasures to shoot a Golden Core cultivator from a thousand miles away, sealing his throat. Now, having reached the Golden Core stage myself, shooting this arrow, I’m afraid that the Undying Phoenix, who is still in her youth, will suffer more than just a simple injury.”
“Excellent! Excellent! I’ve never seen the appearance of an Undying Phoenix being killed.”
The sharp silver arrow aimed diagonally upwards.
The Undying Phoenix sensed the danger and struggled desperately. However, her head wound had not yet healed, and she couldn’t muster the strength to move, making her an easy target.
Tears streamed down her face as she pleaded with a stuttering voice, “I’m not a bad person, I’m really not. Please don’t kill me. I beg you… I just want to go home. I never bullied any of you.”
Some people couldn’t bear to watch and wanted to step forward to stop it.
However, their companions quickly held them back, saying, “Absolutely not! Jin Dieshang is the Sect Master’s favorite. If you stop him, you’ll anger him and offend the entire Xiyang Immortal Sect. Think twice! Think twice!”
The rest of the hesitant cultivators also stopped in their tracks. Even though they felt sorry for the girl, they couldn’t afford to offend such a powerful entity as the Xiyang Sect for a Demon.
Jin Dieshang sneered and loosened his fingers.
With a resounding dragon roar, the Piercing Cloud Arrow flashed with a silver light, carrying a chilling pressure, and shot towards the motionless Undying Phoenix in the air.
The Undying Phoenix trembled like a sieve, her eyes slightly widened, reflecting the cold light approaching rapidly. In fear, she let out a mournful cry.
At this moment, a sound of breaking air came in an instant.
Swoosh!
A carving feather arrow drew a smooth and graceful arc in the air, suddenly colliding with the Piercing Cloud Arrow.
However, the two arrows were made of vastly different materials. In an instant, the carving feather arrow shattered, but the silver arrow didn’t pause for even a moment, continuing its trajectory towards the Undying Phoenix.
Then, “swoosh swoosh” came two more sounds.
Two carving feather arrows arrived in quick succession, intercepting the Piercing Cloud Arrow.
Not only that, the onlookers saw more than ten carving feather arrows following suit, swiftly coming through the air.
The continuous “swoosh swoosh swoosh” was endless.
In the end, the Piercing Cloud Arrow was outnumbered, and the silver light fell to the ground.
With a “clang,” it crashed onto the solid ground.
The training ground fell into silence, inside and outside.
Jin Dieshang’s face turned ironclad, his hands holding the bow trembling, and his veins bulging. He looked grimly towards a corner of the square.
Following his gaze, everyone saw a young man leaning against a tree.
He wore a white robe with golden plum blossom embroidery on the cuffs and hem. At his feet lay the Xiyang Sect disciple who had gone to retrieve the arrows earlier.
In his hands, he held a bow and arrow that he apparently took from the other person.
Sensing their gaze, Shen Liuxiang rotated a carving feather arrow between his slender white fingers. He raised his seemingly smiling eyes and aimed his bow at Jin Dieshang, who was surrounded by Xiyang disciples, the arrowhead exuding a cold glimmer.
“Or perhaps, I should shoot you for fun.”
T/N: Why is Immortal Shen making my heart skip a beat…