42: Chapter 42 The Blood Altar Burns, the False King's Peak is Beheaded

The golden arrow condensed with True Sun Fire, and the hum of the vibrating bowstring echoed through the valley. The golden light, like a miniature sun, dispersed the blood mist and illuminated the terrified faces of the cultists on the altar.

Blood Shadow Old Monster's pupils shrank, and the ferocity on his face was instantly replaced by terror. He could clearly sense that the arrow not only carried the spiritual power fluctuations of a Pseudo-King Rank but also a sacred flame capable of incinerating all things, and... a protective intent that struck directly at the heart!

"You brat, how dare you!"

Blood Shadow Old Monster roared, the blood mist around him churning frantically as his hands quickly formed seals. The blood-colored Formation on the altar suddenly lit up, and countless remnant souls of exotic beasts shrieked out from the array, condensing into a thirty-meter-tall Blood Soul Shield to block his front.

"Trivial tricks!"

Lin Zhou's eyes were cold as he released the string.

Whoosh!

The golden arrow shot through the air, and the True Sun Fire instantly surged, transforming into a massive fire dragon that lunged toward the Blood Soul Shield with bared fangs and claws.

Sizzle, sizzle—

A piercing burning sound rang out as the remnant souls on the Blood Soul Shield let out shrill screams, melting at a visible rate. These souls had been refined by the Blood Shadow Pavilion using evil arts; facing the extremely yang and rigid True Sun Fire, they were like snow meeting a scorching sun, completely unable to withstand a single blow.

"Boom!"

With a loud explosion, the Blood Soul Shield shattered, and the fire dragon continued its momentum unabated, crashing straight toward the blood-colored altar.

"Not good!"

Blood Shadow Old Monster's expression changed drastically. He no longer cared about refining the Blood Pill and struck his chest hard, spitting out a large mouthful of essence blood. The essence blood fell onto the Formation, and the busy cultists were instantly sucked in by the array, turning into streaks of blood light that merged into it.

"Blood Sacrifice Grand Array, rise!"

Blood Shadow Old Monster's voice carried a hint of madness as the Formation's power surged several times over. The thick blood mist condensed into a massive blood-colored scythe, slashing toward the fire dragon.

"Su Ye, Qin Yue, clear the minions! Senior Brother Zhao Lie, help me restrain the old monster!"

At Lin Zhou's command, he drew the sun-shooting bow to its limit once more.

Su Ye had long been unable to hold back. With a roar, his body swelled to three meters tall, and his Mountain-Opening Axe, carrying raging flames, charged toward the panicked cultists. Qin Yue moved like lightning, her Qingshuang Sword flashing with cold light. With every strike, a cultist fell, and wherever the sword wind passed, the blood mist dispersed.

Zhao Lie was not to be outdone, his longbow firing sharp arrows one after another to restrain the blood-colored scythe's assault. Although his arrows were not as overbearing as Lin Zhou's, they were precise and tricky, specifically targeting the weak points of the Formation.

Lin Zhou took a deep breath, and the spiritual power of a Pseudo-King at the early stage erupted without reservation. He fully activated the Perfection Concept of Ten Thousand Arrows Return to Origin, and the 60% Awakening degree of his Celestial Fox Physique allowed his perception to cover the entire valley.

What he aimed at was not the blood-colored scythe, but the Blood Shadow Old Monster controlling the Formation!

"Ten Thousand Arrows Rending the Sky and Piercing Clouds!"

Lin Zhou shouted low, and an arrow left the string, instantly splitting into a rain of a hundred gold-red arrows. Each arrow carried True Sun Fire and target-locking power, like a golden net enveloping Blood Shadow Old Monster.

"You're looking for death!"

Blood Shadow Old Monster roared, his blood-colored scythe sweeping across in an attempt to cut down the rain of arrows. But those arrows seemed to have eyes, avoiding the scythe's edge and shooting directly toward his vital points.

Pfft, pfft, pfft!

Several arrows pierced through his protective blood mist and into his limbs. True Sun Fire surged into his body along the arrows, burning his Meridians and making him grimace in pain, his face turning pale.

"Ah—! I will kill you!"

Blood Shadow Old Monster went completely mad. He tore his robes to shreds, revealing a chest covered in blood-colored patterns. He grabbed the nearly formed Blood Pill with both hands, bit the tip of his tongue hard, and sprayed essence blood onto the pill.

"Blood Pill Sacrifice, explode!"

Boom!

The Blood Pill instantly exploded, and a terrifying spiritual power of the Peak Pseudo-King Rank surged wildly. Blood Shadow Old Monster's aura soared to the extreme. His hair turned crimson, his eyes became bloodshot, and he looked like a malevolent ghost crawling out of Hell.

"Peak Pseudo-King?"

Lin Zhou's eyes flickered. Instead of showing any fear, a smile played at the corners of his mouth. This was the opportunity he had been waiting for!

[Ding! Enemy detected forcibly increasing cultivation; aura is unstable, and defense has revealed a flaw!]

[Ding! It is recommended that the host use the Divine Arrow of Sun-Shooting for a one-hit kill!]

The System prompt sounded in his mind, and a sharp light flashed in Lin Zhou's eyes.

The Divine Arrow of Sun-Shooting's cooldown was over!

He no longer held back, and spiritual power surged frantically into the sun-shooting bow. The ancient runes on the bow glowed brilliantly, and the Divine Dragon Sinew bowstring let out an overburdened hum. A king-level pressure quietly spread out.

"Is this... king-level power?"

Blood Shadow Old Monster's expression changed drastically, and for the first time, despair appeared in his eyes. He could feel that the arrow currently condensing contained power enough to destroy him!

"No! I refuse to accept this! I haven't even broken through to the king-level yet!"

Blood Shadow Old Monster shrieked, pouncing toward Lin Zhou. The blood-colored scythe, carrying world-destroying power, slashed toward Lin Zhou's head.

"Too late."

Lin Zhou slowly raised his head, his gaze as indifferent as ice.

He released his fingers.

"Divine Arrow of Sun-Shooting!"

Buzz—

A golden light that pierced through heaven and earth shot out from the sun-shooting bow. This golden light was more dazzling than the sun and more brilliant than the stars. Everywhere it passed, space distorted and blood mist melted away; even the blood-colored scythe turned to ash in an instant.

The golden light arrived in an instant, sinking into the center of Blood Shadow Old Monster's forehead.

Pfft!

Blood Shadow Old Monster's body froze in mid-air, the madness and resentment on his face solidified, and the light in his eyes quickly dimmed. He looked down at his chest, where a large hole had been burned by the True Sun Fire; his heart had long since turned to ash.

"Boom!"

Blood Shadow Old Monster's body crashed to the ground. A powerhouse at the Peak of the Pseudo-King Rank had fallen!

With the death of Blood Shadow Old Monster, the blood-colored Formation instantly lost control, and its light dimmed. The exotic beast corpses and Secret Realm treasures on the altar also turned to ash under the burning of the True Sun Fire.

The blood mist in the valley was completely dispersed by the golden light, and the sunlight fell down, warm and gentle.

Su Ye and Qin Yue also finished off the last of the cultists. The two of them walked over panting, and seeing Blood Shadow Old Monster lying on the ground, excited smiles appeared on their faces.

"Done! Lin Zhou, you're amazing! You took down a Peak Pseudo-King with a single arrow!" Su Ye laughed loudly, plopping down on the ground and gasping for breath.

Qin Yue also looked at Lin Zhou with admiration: "The Divine Arrow of Sun-Shooting truly lives up to its reputation. With this power, even a king-level powerhouse would have to keep their distance, right?"

Zhao Lie stepped forward, looking at the sun-shooting bow in Lin Zhou's hand with a hint of envy in his eyes: "Brother Lin Zhou, this Divine Artifact is practically tailor-made for you. With you here, the Blood Shadow Pavilion is nothing to fear!"

Lin Zhou smiled and put away the sun-shooting bow. Just then, the System prompt sounded again.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the emergency mission—Stop the Blood Shadow Pavilion!]

[Ding! The host has slain the Peak Pseudo-King Blood Shadow Old Monster, gaining 150,000 points!]

[Ding! The host has destroyed a hidden stronghold of the Blood Shadow Pavilion; Celestial Fox Physique Awakening degree has increased to 80%!]

[Ding! Celestial Fox Physique Awakening degree is at 80%, unlocking a new skill: Celestial Fox Illusion Domain (can create illusions to confuse enemies below the king-level)!]

[Ding! The Sun-Shooting Squad has completed the Oath of Protection mission progress: 3/10 (Hunt Pseudo-King Rank targets)!]

A series of prompts made Lin Zhou's heart leap with joy. The Celestial Fox Physique's Awakening degree had reached 80%, and he had even unlocked a new skill—this was a huge gain!

He could clearly feel that his perception had become stronger, his speed had increased significantly, and the spiritual power in his body was more condensed.

"Alright, the Blood Shadow Pavilion's stronghold in the Kunlun Secret Realm has been completely destroyed by us." Lin Zhou looked around and said solemnly, "Now, it's time for us to leave the Secret Realm. The general offensive on Blood Shadow Mountain in a month will be the true final battle!"

Qin Yue nodded: "Blood Shadow Old Monster is dead, and the Blood Shadow Pavilion is leaderless. As long as we unite the major forces, the general offensive on Blood Shadow Mountain will surely be a victory!"

Su Ye also stood up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and said excitedly: "Exactly! Once we get back and rest up, we'll charge up Blood Shadow Mountain and wipe out the Blood Shadow Pavilion once and for all!"

Zhao Lie also said seriously: "I will contact my sect immediately and have them send experts to support the general offensive on Blood Shadow Mountain."

Lin Zhou nodded, his gaze turning toward the exit of the Kunlun Secret Realm.

In his hand, he held the sun-shooting bow, and in his heart, he carried the will to protect.

Blood Shadow Mountain, he comes!

Just as the four were preparing to leave, a strange voice suddenly sounded in Lin Zhou's mind.

"Successor of Hou Yi... not bad..."

The voice was old and majestic, carrying a king-level pressure, yet it vanished in an instant.

Lin Zhou looked up sharply and scanned the surroundings, but found nothing.

"What's wrong, Lin Zhou?" Qin Yue asked in confusion, noticing his strange behavior.

Lin Zhou shook his head, a hint of gravity flashing in his eyes: "Nothing. I just felt as if a powerhouse was observing us in secret."

Su Ye and Zhao Lie also looked around warily but sensed nothing.

"It might be an ancient powerhouse of the Kunlun Secret Realm," Zhao Lie mused. "The Kunlun Secret Realm has existed for tens of thousands of years; it's not surprising if there are some hidden experts."

Lin Zhou nodded and didn't think more about it. He always felt that the voice just now seemed to contain some deeper meaning.

"Let's go."

Lin Zhou gave a low shout and took the lead in flying toward the Secret Realm exit.

Su Ye, Qin Yue, and Zhao Lie followed closely behind.

Four figures turned into four streaks of light, disappearing into the depths of the Kunlun Secret Realm.

Not long after they left, a blurry figure slowly emerged in the depths of the Kunlun Secret Realm.

The figure wore an ancient robe and was surrounded by king-level pressure. He looked in the direction where Lin Zhou and the others had left, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Blue Star has finally produced a decent seedling."

The figure whispered and slowly dissipated into the air.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of miles away at Blood Shadow Mountain.

Inside the main hall of the Blood Shadow Pavilion, there was a dead silence.

Dozens of high-level members of the Blood Shadow Pavilion knelt on the ground with pale faces, and the throne in the center of the hall was empty.

An old man in a black robe slowly stood up, his face filled with gloom.

"Blood Shadow Old Monster is dead..." The old man's voice was bone-chillingly cold. "Lin Zhou... I want you to pay for this in blood!"

The old man looked up, a hint of madness flashing in his eyes.

"Pass down the order to activate the Blood Shadow Pavilion's ultimate trump card—the Blood Demon Grand Array!"

"In one month, at Blood Shadow Mountain, I will turn all invaders into blood slaves!"

The cold voice echoed in the hall, carrying a heart-palpitating chill.

A storm sweeping across the entire Blue Star was quietly brewing.

The decisive battle at Blood Shadow Mountain was about to begin!