“Wuxu Arrow!” Huan’s body turned cold, the terrifying killing intent locking onto him. He was certain that if he moved even slightly, the Wuxu Arrow would shatter his body and soul into pieces.
But wasn’t the Wuxu Arrow Huizhi’s? How did it end up in Lan Xiaobu’s hands? Though questions swirled in his mind, he didn’t dare voice them.
Sweat beaded on his forehead. How many years had it been? How long since anyone had threatened him, the Great Cosmos Dao Ancestor, like this? Yet today, he was cornered, unable to reclaim his star-core planet or even move.
The murderous aura continued to surge, the already fragile space—torn by Lan Xiaobu and Huan’s divine Dao rules—now teetering on collapse under the Wuxu Arrow’s killing intent.
Huan didn’t dare move; the pressure from the Wuxu Arrow was overwhelming. He felt that even if he acted, it might only destroy his body. But he feared that if the Wuxu Arrow annihilated his body and then his soul, what then?
With his soul intact, he could use the Cosmic Tree to restore his body. But if his soul was destroyed, it would mean complete annihilation. And without a body, could he even claim a piece of the Cosmic Tree, let alone a branch? Who would recognise a bodiless Huan?
The space fell into a tense silence, the dozen or so surrounding powerhouses frozen in place. Though Lan Xiaobu’s Wuxu Arrow targeted Huan, no one dared disrupt the delicate balance.
Disrupting it could lead to Lan Xiaobu severely wounding Huan, and Huan might later seek retribution, suspecting their actions aided Lan Xiaobu. Conversely, if their interference let Huan escape, they’d face Lan Xiaobu’s wrath. With the Wuxu Arrow aimed at them, no one was confident they could escape.
Huizhi stared at the Wuxu Arrow, taking a deep breath. It was his trump card, yet now it was Lan Xiaobu’s, and he was powerless despite his boundless reluctance. He had to admit, the Wuxu Arrow seemed even more potent in Lan Xiaobu’s hands.
Was this the advantage of one’s own Dao? Huizhi had always prided himself on his Great Dream Dao, but it nagged him that it was a heaven-opening Dao, not his own. He avoided cultivating his own Dao due to its flaws: either it never matured, or, if it did, it proved inferior to even ordinary Daos—utter rubbish.
Yet now, Lan Xiaobu, a seventh-step Great Dao cultivator, had locked an eighth-step Huan with the Wuxu Arrow, making Huizhi wonder what might have been if he had pursued his own Dao.
Ling Zhuzhen, too, felt a chill down his spine. He was certain his Zhou Heart Shield was with Lan Xiaobu. And now Lan Xiaobu had the Wuxu Arrow. Had he attacked Lan Xiaobu earlier, he might have prevented Huan from being locked by the arrow, but it would only have helped Huan, offering him no benefit—only Lan Xiaobu’s pursuit.
Unlike Huan, if Lan Xiaobu locked him with the Wuxu Arrow, it wouldn’t take long; one shot would obliterate his body.
Huan calmed himself, staring at the Wuxu Arrow as the sweat on his forehead faded. He knew one misstep could doom him forever. He didn’t even dare speak, fearing Lan Xiaobu would seize the chance.
He even hoped Lan Xiaobu would take the star-core planet. Though valuable—his most prized treasure—it was secondary to his life.
Time dragged on, the space seeming to solidify.
Lan Xiaobu grew restless. If he shot the arrow now, it might damage Huan’s body but wouldn’t kill him, and he certainly couldn’t claim the star-core planet. His intuition pointed to the vortex ripple on Huan’s forehead—without reason, he sensed danger there.
If he fired, Huan could escape with the star-core planet. With everyone vying for the Cosmic Tree, Huan’s means ensured he’d easily obtain it later. With the Cosmic Tree, even if his body were partially or fully destroyed, Huan could recover. That would render this shot meaningless.
As the standoff held, a figure swiftly approached.
Lan Xiaobu and Huan spotted the figure simultaneously. Huan knew this was his chance to break free. As the figure arrived, both moved—the Wuxu Arrow shot through the space.
The onlookers exhaled in relief as the arrow fired, but confusion followed. The Wuxu Arrow, so renowned, seemed less fearsome than expected.
Huan immediately dodged, his forehead’s vortex ripple unleashing waves of Dao rules. But then he sensed the Wuxu Arrow’s killing intent was weaker than anticipated. What was going on?
Before the arrow, it had nearly locked his life force, but now it posed little threat.
Then he saw Lan Xiaobu use an array flag to seize his star-core planet.
It hit him: Lan Xiaobu’s arrow wasn’t meant to destroy his body or wound him—it was to take the star-core planet. Lan Xiaobu’s focus wasn’t on the arrow but on the planet.
Too late. By the time Huan’s divine sense and Dao charm surged, the star-core planet vanished from his perception, clearly taken into Lan Xiaobu’s world.
Boom! The Wuxu Arrow clashed with Huan’s reincarnation vortex ripple, collapsing the void’s rules entirely.
Though Lan Xiaobu focused on seizing the star-core planet, the Wuxu Arrow’s killing aura still forced Huan to spit blood.
Lan Xiaobu raised a hand, and the Wuxu Arrow returned, vanishing into his palm.
Huan didn’t flee, knowing that with the Wuxu Arrow, Lan Xiaobu couldn’t lock his life force again.
“Haha, so many old friends here!” A hearty laugh rang out as a tall, fair-skinned man wearing a green willow-leaf hat landed before the group.
The hat wasn’t shaped like a willow leaf—it was made of them.
Huan’s face darkened, realisation dawning. Had he risked his body to escape the Wuxu Arrow, he might have lost it, but he could’ve taken the star-core planet in that fleeting moment. Even if his body were destroyed, as his treasure, he could’ve retrieved it instantly. With Cosmic Trees abundant, even a branch could restore his body.
“So it’s Dao Ancestor Yang,” Ling Zhuzhen clasped his fists in greeting.
Lan Xiaobu guessed the man’s identity. Could this be Yang Tian, the Dao Ancestor of the Great desolate cosmos? If so, they had much to discuss.
“Haha, greetings, Dao Ancestor Yang!” As expected, Tuliao stepped forward, smiling broadly and clasping his fists.
Lan Xiaobu noted Tuliao’s connection to the Tianmeng Clan.
“Greetings, Great Dream Dao Ancestor, Great Cosmos Dao Ancestor, and fellow Daoists,” Yang Tian returned courtesies, addressing Huan and Huizhi.
Huan, face cold, ignored him. Huizhi offered a simple nod, nothing more.
Unfazed by Huan’s attitude, Yang Tian continued, “You’re all here for the Cosmic Tree, I presume. Strength in numbers—let’s act together…”
But he paused, sensing the odd atmosphere.
