A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 424 Arrows
Sword Forging City, Volcanic Caves
Gu Xu looked at the Frost Sword shining brightly in the Flame Pool and nodded in satisfaction. He then drew a line with his finger, and a strange rune disappeared into the white light. The stone cave flickered for a moment, and when it returned to normal, the earth fire in the Flame Pool turned into nine fire dragons, which circled around the Frost Sword. As time passed, the fire dragons gradually disappeared, while the light of the Frost Sword shone even brighter.

Just then, Gu Xu's mind stirred slightly, and he immediately created a clone to stay here and guard the place. His main body moved and rushed towards the outside. At this moment, outside the Flame Pool, Sword Venerable and others had arrived one after another. Looking at the aura shield covering the Flame Pool, Sword Venerable did not dare to make a move easily, but such a fight would definitely alert Guan Yutian.

"City Lord, Guan Yutian is about to arrive. Let's follow the Taoist priest's instructions and return to our respective formations."

Looking at the protective aura, Jian Yang wasn't too worried. The Ling Shuang Sword hadn't been born yet; it was just an ordinary weapon. With the Taoist's skills, dealing with it would be more than enough.

"Ah."

Upon hearing this, the Sword Master withdrew his gaze, nodded to the four sword envoys, and the four immediately understood and left to guard their respective positions. The Sword Master then said to the eight members of the Sword Yang group, "Elders, please go. As soon as Guan Yutian and his group enter the formation, seize the opportunity and kill the people on the list immediately."

Jian Yang and the others said yes and turned to leave. Huangfu Changhen saw this and stepped forward, saying to Jian Zun, "City Lord, I'll leave this place to you for now."

After saying this, the group left together. According to the previous arrangement, Huangfu Changhen and the others were to first lead the Supreme Alliance members into the formation, and then join forces with Jianyang and the others to kill the people in the formation.

"father."

Jianxiong looked at the air shield outside the Flame Pool with slight worry, then turned to look at Jianzun, who was equally worried, and unconsciously spoke up.

Sword Master looked at the energy shield with a solemn expression. Just as he was pondering, his mind suddenly stirred. He saw a stream of light shoot out from inside the energy shield, pass through the shield, and reveal Gu Xu's figure after landing.

"Taoist Priest!"

Sword Master's face lit up with joy, and he hurriedly ran over, with Sword Hero following closely behind.

"I am sorry to trouble you, Lord City. I am fine. The reason why the Frost Sword is acting strangely is all my doing. This plan has been in the works for a long time and has finally succeeded."

While the Sword Master was puzzled, Gu Xu pointed a finger at the Sword Master's brow. The latter's body moved slightly, and then his eyes brightened as he gradually realized that he had previously conspired with the Daoist Master to deliberately make Guan Yutian and the others miscalculate the day of the Frost Sword's birth. With the timing changed, the initiative would be in his hands. In order to ensure the smooth progress of the plan, the Sword Master had asked Gu Xu to seal his memories. Now, his memories had returned.

"Daoist Master, everything is ready, we are just waiting for Guan Yutian and the others."

"Yes, we now have the upper hand. As long as we proceed steadily, victory will eventually be ours. Guan Yutian and Jian Yin have already arrived at the foot of the mountain, and four others are rushing towards Sword Casting City. They should be Helian Ba's group."

"Hmm, what amazing archery skills! You found the flaw in the formation so quickly. No wonder you are from the Houyi clan."

Gu Xu exclaimed in admiration, while Sword Master's expression changed slightly upon hearing this. This formation had only been activated for less than half a moment, yet it had already been seen through by Arrow Shadow. It was indeed formidable.

“I will deal with Arrow Concealment. My clone is stationed in Flame Pool, so there will be no trouble. City Lord, you must get the Nine Dragon Stone as soon as possible. You must put it into the Frost Sword within three hours, or the sword will be destroyed.”

"Rest assured, Daoist Master."

Upon hearing this, Gu Xu nodded to the Sword Master, transformed into a stream of light, and flew towards the southeast corner of the Heaven-Covering Dust Array. After Gu Xu left, the Sword Master glanced at the outer air shield one last time, made up his mind, and led the Sword Hero straight to the central location of the array.

A moment ago, Guan Yutian and his group easily reached the mountainside without any effort. With the help of the magical calculations of the Magical Gate, they successfully avoided various traps. However, just as they arrived at a large hall cave, a lot of white mist suddenly appeared inexplicably in the hall. In just a few breaths, the white mist filled the entire hall, and even torches could not dispel it. It was a vast expanse of white, which made people's eyes hurt.

Guan Yutian suddenly sensed something was wrong. He reached out to grab something to the side, but missed. With a flick of his sleeve, he saw the white mist suddenly disperse and regroup, surging towards him. Guan Yutian was unaware of the strangeness of this thing. A flash of red light appeared on his palm, and a scorching true energy spread outward from his body. The surging of the white mist immediately stopped and was covered with a layer of crimson color.

With a deep shout from Guan Yutian, he clenched his right hand, and the crimson-stained white mist shattered instantly like glass, revealing an empty space. Upon closer inspection, all the people he had brought with him had vanished.

"Formation."

Guan Yutian's mind raced, and he quickly reacted. Just then, he heard a slight whooshing sound. Guan Yutian shifted his position, and with a clang, a hexagonal dart stuck in the ground. Guan Yutian reached out and sucked the dart into his hand. After looking at it for a while, he understood what was going on.

"Hiding your head and revealing your tail, Sword Master, you are a grandmaster, yet you resort to such despicable means. It is truly despicable. If you have the ability, fight me, the leader of the alliance, one-on-one."

Guan Yutian sneered, and then his true power burst forth, unleashing a mighty dragon palm strike. A dragon's roar resounded, and a dragon-shaped palm vortex swirled around him, constantly pushing away the surging white mist as he manipulated it with his will.

"Guan Yutian, you should wait until you break the formation before you challenge this city lord."

As the voices of the Sword Masters, coming from all directions, gradually faded into inaudibility, Guan Yutian's heart sank. Without hesitation, he took out the Crimson Thunder Pearl from his robes, channeled his true energy to create a protective aura, and threw it outwards. Several explosions rang out, and after a few breaths of billowing smoke and dust, to Guan Yutian's surprise, the white mist not only failed to disperse but actually became even thicker.

"This white mist can be dissolved with true qi, but external objects have the opposite effect. How cunning."

Guan Yutian's face was extremely ugly. This formation must have been created by Gu Xu. In addition to blocking him, it also wanted to consume his true energy as much as possible. In this way, even if he broke through the formation, he would not have much true energy left when he finally fought the Sword Venerable.

At the same time, fierce battles also broke out in the southeast, northwest, southwest and northeast of the Misty Array, but the most intense battles were in the southeast and northwest.

In the southeast, Jianyin watched the white mist surge upwards again. Expressionless, he drew his bowstring. With a snap, the sound wave from the bowstring repelled the mist. Moreover, as Jianyin continued to draw the bowstring, he gained a clear view of the surrounding area of ​​the formation. Looking at the stone pillar facing him, a glint flashed in his eyes. He drew his bow and fired an invisible arrow, striking the center of the pillar. With a crack, the pillar was instantly covered in cracks. As his true energy continued to surge, the pillar could no longer withstand the pressure. Finally, with a deafening roar, the pillar collapsed, and a dull, reddish crystal fell out. Jianyin picked it up and probed its interior with his true energy, finding it empty.

"Something interesting."

As Jian Yin crushed the crystal and was about to break out of the formation, he suddenly stopped and turned around to look behind him. A tall and imposing figure appeared in his eyes.

"You must be Daoist Gu Xu." Jian Yin's expression immediately turned serious. This Daoist Gu Xu gave him a very dangerous feeling, a feeling he had never encountered since he left the mountain. "I am Guan Yin, a member of the Houyi clan. I am indeed Gu Xu. It is truly remarkable that you were able to break through a formation's core in such a short time."

Gu Xu glanced at Jian Yin from head to toe. He noticed that Jian Yin possessed five different types of power, especially the fifth one, which made him feel somewhat wary.

"The Taoist priest is trying to stop me."

Jian Yin gripped the bow with one hand, the arrows in the quiver on his back trembling as if they were about to burst out. Jian Yin's expression changed slightly, he reached out and pressed them down, looking at Gu Xu with a wary expression. Seeing this, the latter withdrew his gaze and said calmly, "The purpose of this battle is to eliminate the scourge from the martial world. The Houyi clan has always adhered to the principle of maintaining the stability of the martial world, so why do you have to get involved?"

“Jianyin is now a member of the Supreme Alliance, so naturally he must serve the Alliance Leader. If Daoist is unwilling to step aside, then Jianyin will have to learn from you here.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Jianyin stomped his foot on the ground, opened the quiver on his back, and fired two arrows out. He reached out and grabbed them, nocking them on the bowstring. A chilling aura immediately filled the surroundings.

Looking at the red and blue arrows on the bowstring, Gu Xu nodded and said, "It is said that in addition to the clan's ultimate technique, the Four Symbols Shooting the Sun Arrow, the Houyi clan also has the Five Elements Protecting the Heaven Arrow. These two arrows, the Crimson Phoenix and the Blue Serpent, are quite extraordinary in your hands."

Upon hearing Gu Xu reveal the origin of the two arrows in his hand, Jian Yin was startled. Why was this Taoist so familiar with the secrets of his clan? Who exactly was this person?

"Master, you recognize this arrow, but I don't know if you can decipher it. I apologize for the inconvenience."

Jian Yin was now ready to fire, seeing Gu Xu's unwavering stance, he channeled his true energy into the arrow. The two-colored arrowhead suddenly lit up, and with a phoenix cry and a roar, the two-colored arrow shot off with a thud. As it flew, the arrow transformed into a crimson phoenix with soaring wings and a soaring, circling green serpent with a single horn. The fire and wood elements fired in parallel, doubling the power. The surrounding white mist was immediately pushed outward, creating a large open space.

"Well done."

As Gu Xu watched the two arrows, the Crimson Phoenix and the Azure Serpent, being shot towards him, he drew a Tai Chi symbol with one hand. The Yin and Yang energies on the symbol spun continuously. As Gu Xu pushed outward, the Yin and Yang energies collided with the crimson and azure arrows.

With a loud boom, light burst forth and energy swept across the area. Jian Yin felt an immense force pressing down on him, his chest tightening. He immediately pulled back his bowstring, breaking through the gust of wind, and finally regained his footing.

"What an amazing move."

Jian Yin looked at the Crimson Phoenix and Green Serpent Arrow, which had turned to ashes, while Gu Xu's Yin-Yang True Qi remained intact. His pupils shrank involuntarily, but he also felt a sense of excitement. Seeing that Gu Xu did not take the opportunity to attack, he thought for a moment and quickly understood.

"Since the Daoist Master wishes to see the Five Elements Heaven-Protecting Arrow, then Arrow Hidden will not stand on ceremony."

With a few soft buzzing sounds, three arrows landed on the bowstring behind Arrow Concealment. This time, the remaining three arrows were used at once. They flew out and transformed into a five-clawed golden lion and a spirit-tusked white elephant. After that, a Kun fish that stirred up a huge wave appeared. As soon as it appeared, a powerful pressure swallowed up all the remaining white mist. The formation that trapped Arrow Concealment was already on the verge of collapse.

"The spirit of the Kun fish of the North Sea".

Gu Xu wasn't interested in the golden lion and white elephant, but upon seeing the Kun fish, a glint flashed in his eyes. He immediately drew a rune in the air with his fingers, and a stream of light disappeared into the Yin-Yang vortex. Just as the rune vanished, three arrows arrived one after another, with two loud booms. As the Yin-Yang vortex was torn apart by the golden lion and white elephant arrows, the Kun fish arrow from behind, carrying immense force, crashed into him.

Jianyin felt a little relieved when he saw the Yin-Yang vortex being stabilized, but before he could relax for long, the Kun fish arrow that he had placed so much hope in gradually disappeared into the vortex. In less than half a breath, Jianyin could no longer sense the existence of the arrow.

"I have kept the spirit of the Kun fish on this arrow. I have already seen the five arrows. I wonder if I will have the chance to see the Four Symbols Arrow."

Gu Xu reached out and made a grasping motion, and the Yin-Yang vortex suddenly shrank into a single point. The Kun fish arrow slowly emerged from it. Gu Xu took it in his hand, glanced at it, and then put it away. He then threw a bottle of pills at the Arrow Shadow.

"These are three Qingling Pills, which can replenish vital energy. Consider this my exchange for your arrows."

Jian Yin stared at the porcelain bottle thrown at him, paused for a moment, then reached out and caught it. He looked at Gu Xu with a strange expression and said in a deep voice, "You and I belong to two different sides. Daoist, this action is really unnecessary."

The Arrow Hermit didn't care much about having his arrows taken. Although the Kun fish spirit was rare, he considered it ordinary, since the Five Elements Heaven-Protecting Arrow was far inferior to the Four Symbols Sun-Shooting Arrow.

"One thing for another, that is my principle. Although this formation is broken, with me here, you will be unable to provide support elsewhere for half an hour."

"It was within Arrow Hidden's expectations that the Daoist Master accepted the Five Elements Heaven-Protecting Arrow, but whether he can accept the Four Symbols Sun-Shooting Arrow next remains to be seen."

Jian Yin calmly looked at Gu Xu, reached behind him and pulled out an invisible arrow from the quiver. Only after it was nocked on the bowstring did its true form become visible.

The arrow was no more than three feet long and as thick as a thumb. It was pure red, like a flame, with runes flowing and flickering. The crimson arrowhead emitted a cold light, and a fiery divine bird was hidden inside. A scorching aura enveloped the entire area.

"So this is the Vermilion Bird Arrow? The power of this single arrow is already stronger than that Kun Fish Arrow."

Gu Xu praised him and waved his hand forward. Suddenly, a flash of spiritual light appeared around him, and a holy sword full of pure energy stood beside him. As soon as it appeared, a cool sensation dispelled the heat. In an instant, pure energy and crimson light filled half of the sword.

"What a divine sword! Judging from its power alone, this sword is already unparalleled, and it is no less powerful than the unborn Frost Sword."

Jian Yin was already very calm. The stronger the opponent, the more it could inspire his fighting spirit. After charging up for a moment, with a phoenix cry, the Vermilion Bird Arrow shot straight towards the valley like a meteor. The fierce wind it carried swept away the remaining white mist and turbid air all around, and even pierced through the void.

Seeing the Vermilion Bird Arrow coming, Gu Xu reached out and drew his Azure Thunder Sword. He ran his fingers along the blade, and a streak of light flashed as he slashed forward. The void trembled as the sword light collided with the arrow. The point of contact caused the void to collapse, with a series of explosions. Everything around him seemed to be pulled towards that point.

The flashing light lasted for quite some time before disappearing. Gu Xu waved his sleeve to block the turbid air, looked at the astonished Jian Yin, and said, "I have taken this arrow."

(End of this chapter)