43: Chapter 43 Preparing for the Blood Shadow: Various Forces Gather in Jiangcheng

The light at the exit of the Kunlun Secret Realm dissipated, and the figures of Lin Zhou and the other three slowly emerged.

The sunlight of the outside world fell upon them, which was distinctly different from the ancient Spiritual Qi within the Secret Realm, yet it allowed the four's tense nerves to relax slightly. The moment they left the Secret Realm, the communicator on Lin Zhou's wrist vibrated frantically, with the screen flashing with dense missed calls and messages, all urgent contacts from the military and the Jiangcheng Martial Arts Association.

"It seems the world outside has exploded while we were gone these past few days." Lin Zhou chuckled and connected to Colonel Wang's communication.

On the other end of the communication, Colonel Wang's voice carried an irrepressible excitement: "Lin Zhou! You're finally out! That's great! The news of Blood Shadow Old Monster's death has reached headquarters, and the entire military is in an uproar!"

"With Blood Shadow Old Monster dead, the Blood Shadow Pavilion is leaderless. This is the best time to wipe them out!" Colonel Wang's tone was urgent. "The military has united with all major Huaxia martial arts Sects to set a plan for a general offensive on Blood Shadow Mountain in a month. Now, all the top powerhouses are gathering in Jiangcheng. You guys hurry back!"

"We'll be there soon." Lin Zhou hung up the communication and turned to look at Su Ye and the other two. "The horn for the final battle at Blood Shadow Mountain has sounded. Jiangcheng is our headquarters for preparation!"

The four did not delay any longer, turning into four streaks of light and racing towards the direction of Jiangcheng.

Half an hour later, at the Jiangcheng Martial Arts Association headquarters.

Inside the discussion hall, people were bustling, and the atmosphere was heated.

At the head sat the Commander-in-Chief of the Military and the President of the Martial Arts Association, while on both sides were the Sect Masters and Elders of the various major Sects, each with a majestic aura, all of whom were at least legendary rank powerhouses. These top figures, who were rarely seen on ordinary days, were gathered here for one thing—to discuss the strategic deployment for the general offensive on Blood Shadow Mountain.

When Lin Zhou and the other three walked into the hall, all eyes instantly focused on them, especially the sun-shooting bow in Lin Zhou's hand, which radiated a kingly aura, causing a flicker of amazement in everyone's eyes.

"Young friend Lin Zhou, indeed a hero from the younger generation!" The Commander-in-Chief of the Military stood up and laughed heartily. "Killing Blood Shadow Old Monster and destroying the Blood Shadow Pavilion's Secret Realm stronghold—this merit is enough to be recorded in history!"

"The sun-shooting bow has appeared, and the successor of Hou Yi has arrived. This is the fortune of our Huaxia and the fortune of Blue Star!" A white-haired Sect Elder stroked his beard, filled with emotion.

Su Ye and Qin Yue were a bit flustered by this grand display, while Zhao Lie remained calm and composed as he cupped his fists in greeting. After all, as the successor of the Archery God Li Guang, he had seen many grand scenes.

Lin Zhou nodded slightly, his expression calm. "Seniors, you praise me too much. Killing Blood Shadow Old Monster is only the first step. The Blood Shadow Pavilion's ultimate trump card, the Blood Demon Grand Array, has already been activated. Blood Shadow Mountain in a month's time will be the true tough battle."

Hearing the four words "Blood Demon Grand Array," the atmosphere in the hall instantly became solemn.

"Blood Demon Grand Array..." The President of the Martial Arts Association's face darkened. "I have seen records of it in ancient books. This array uses a hundred thousand Blood Slaves as a catalyst and the essence blood of countless Strange Beasts as a foundation. Once activated, those within the array will be eroded by Blood Devilish Qi and reduced to monsters that only know slaughter. Even more terrifying is that within the Array Core, a legendary Blood Demon can be nurtured!"

"Blood Demon?" Su Ye's eyes widened. "What is that?"

"A Blood Demon is a monster condensed from endless resentment and Blood Devilish Qi, with strength at least at the king-level!" a Sect Master said in a heavy voice. "In ancient times, when a Blood Demon emerged, it once slaughtered half the continent. In the end, several king-level powerhouses joined forces to Seal it. I didn't expect the Blood Shadow Pavilion would actually dare to touch such a forbidden thing!"

Lin Zhou's eyes also became solemn. A king-level Blood Demon was definitely a massive threat. Even if he had the sun-shooting bow and the Divine Arrow of Sun-Shooting, he did not have absolute certainty when facing a king-level existence.

"Everyone, there is no need to be overly worried." Lin Zhou took a deep breath and spoke slowly. "Although the Blood Demon Grand Array is strong, it is not invincible. The key to this array lies in the Array Core. As long as we can destroy the Array Core, the grand array will collapse on its own."

"Young friend Lin Zhou is right." The Commander-in-Chief of the Military nodded. "We have already discovered that the Array Core of the Blood Demon Grand Array is at the Peak of the main summit of Blood Shadow Mountain. When the time comes, we will send the strongest Strike Team to strike directly at the heart and destroy the Array Core!"

"I am willing to lead the team!" Lin Zhou stood forward, his eyes firm. "The sun-shooting bow is a weapon of extreme Yang and rigidity, which happens to counter Blood Devilish Qi. The task of destroying the Array Core is most suitable for me!"

"Good!" The Commander-in-Chief of the Military slapped the table and rose. "With young friend Lin Zhou taking action, why worry about the Array Core not being broken!"

In the following days, Jiangcheng completely entered a state of war preparation.

The powerhouses of the various major Sects brought out their Sects' treasures to refine Medicinal Pills and weapons in preparation for the final battle. The military mobilized a large number of troops and resources to establish a defensive line on the outskirts of Jiangcheng, in case the Blood Shadow Pavilion became desperate and launched an early attack.

Lin Zhou was not idle either.

He locked himself in the cultivation room of the Martial Arts Association, throwing himself wholeheartedly into his Cultivation.

The Celestial Fox Physique Awakening degree had increased to 80%, and he needed to master the unlocked Celestial Fox Illusion Domain skill as soon as possible. He also needed to constantly adapt to the king-level power of the sun-shooting bow to exert its maximum power.

In the cultivation room, Lin Zhou sat cross-legged, holding the sun-shooting bow in his hand.

He circulated the Spiritual Qi in his body and infused it into the bow's body. The ancient runes on the bow's body shone brightly, and a soft golden light enveloped him. He attempted to Fusion the power of the Celestial Fox Illusion Domain with the True Sun Fire of the sun-shooting bow.

Buzz—

With a soft sound, within the golden light, several illusory fox shadows emerged. The fox shadows shuttled through the golden light, sometimes turning into arrows and sometimes into shields, ever-changing and unpredictable.

"Success!"

A flash of joy crossed Lin Zhou's eyes.

He discovered that when the Celestial Fox Illusion Domain and the True Sun Fire were fused, the arrows fired not only possessed the power to incinerate all things but could also create illusions to confuse the enemy. This was undoubtedly another trump card.

At the same time, his Perfection Concept of the Ten Thousand Arrows Return to Origin was also constantly improving. His Archery Dao had already reached the Realm where 'arrows follow the heart, and the heart follows the thought.' Wherever his thought reached, the arrow would follow.

In addition to Cultivating, Lin Zhou also used System points to exchange for a large number of healing Medicinal Pills and Demon-Breaking Arrows. These things would be of great use in the final battle at Blood Shadow Mountain.

Su Ye and Qin Yue were not slack either.

In the cultivation room, Su Ye was frantically tempering his Physical Body. His Berserker Bloodline had become even denser after absorbing the Spiritual Qi of the Kunlun Secret Realm. His strength also showed signs of an impending Breakthrough to the Peak of the legendary rank.

Qin Yue was researching ways to counter Blood Devilish Qi. Her Azure Cloud Sword Technique was a sword of extreme clarity and purity, which had a natural countering effect on Blood Devilish Qi. She constantly deduced the sword technique, hoping to create even stronger sword moves to play a role in the final battle.

Zhao Lie was responsible for contacting the archers of the various major Sects and forming an archery Strike Team. He taught everything he had learned in his life without reservation. This Strike Team would be responsible for long-range support in the final battle at Blood Shadow Mountain, providing cover for Lin Zhou and the others.

As the days passed, the date for the general offensive on Blood Shadow Mountain drew closer and closer.

The atmosphere in Jiangcheng also became increasingly tense.

Everyone knew that the final battle in a month's time would determine the future of Blue Star. Win, and the Blood Shadow Pavilion would be annihilated, and Blue Star would restore peace; lose, and the Blood Demon would emerge, turning Blue Star into a Hell on earth.

This was a final battle that could not afford to be lost!

On this day, while Lin Zhou was Cultivating in the cultivation room, his communicator suddenly rang.

After connecting, Colonel Wang's voice carried a hint of gravity: "Lin Zhou, something has happened! People from the Blood Shadow Pavilion have actually infiltrated Jiangcheng and kidnapped a group of civilians, saying they would use them to refine Blood Slaves!"

Lin Zhou's eyes instantly turned ice-cold, and a surge of killing intent erupted from his body.

"The Blood Shadow Pavilion truly never changes its nature!"

He stood up abruptly, and the sun-shooting bow in his hand let out a buzz.

"Su Ye! Qin Yue! Senior Brother Zhao Lie!"

Lin Zhou's voice resounded through the entire Martial Arts Association like a thunderclap.

"Assemble! Follow me to save the people!"

As his voice fell, Lin Zhou's figure had already turned into a streak of golden light and rushed out of the cultivation room.

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

The four figures, like four streaks of lightning, raced towards the outskirts of the city.

They knew this was a scheme by the Blood Shadow Pavilion. The other side wanted to provoke them and disrupt their preparation plans.

But they didn't care!

The lives of the civilians were more important than anything else!

Since the people of the Blood Shadow Pavilion dared to run wild in Jiangcheng, they would have to pay the price!

In a dense forest outside the city.

Dozens of evil cultists from the Blood Shadow Pavilion were escorting hundreds of civilians, preparing to withdraw. Their faces wore hideous smiles.

"Hahaha! Lin Zhou, aren't you very powerful? If you have the ability, come and save these lowly commoners!" an evil cultist leader shouted arrogantly.

However, as soon as his voice fell, a golden arrow pierced through the air and instantly shot through his throat.

The evil cultist leader's eyes widened, and his body fell straight down.

"Who is it?!"

The other evil cultists' faces changed drastically, and they looked around vigilantly.

Lin Zhou's figure slowly walked out from the dense forest, the sun-shooting bow in his hand flashing with dazzling golden light.

The figures of Su Ye, Qin Yue, and Zhao Lie also appeared, surrounding the evil cultists.

Lin Zhou's eyes were ice-cold, like the frost of midwinter.

"Scum of the Blood Shadow Pavilion, your time is up!"

As his voice fell, Lin Zhou raised his hand and pulled the sun-shooting bow to full draw, and an arrow condensing True Sun Fire and the Celestial Fox Illusion Domain slowly took shape.

The golden light illuminated the entire dense forest.

A fierce battle erupted once again!