A faint aura enveloped the Fúlóng bow, resembling flames from afar.

Chu Dijiang’s face suddenly paled as he felt his internal energy rapidly depleting.

The power contained in this arrow was astonishing. Even those engaged in combat sensed a threat, feeling they’d be reduced to ashes if they didn’t flee immediately.

This domineering aura covered half the imperial palace. Elder Zhi and Feng Shi, both at the Huajing level, naturally sensed it too.

Feng Shi glanced briefly at the two distant figures. Seeing their arrow wasn’t aimed at the Crown Prince, he calmly looked away. His duty was to protect the monarch, including the future monarch. As long as the Crown Prince’s life wasn’t threatened, he only needed to stay close and guard him; everything else was irrelevant.

Elder Zhi’s attention wavered only momentarily before refocusing on his bow and arrow. The slightly dispersed blue light reconcentrated.

The standoff seemed brief, yet felt interminable to both sides.

A crane’s cry pierced the sky.

Blue light blazed, dispelling the pre-dawn haze and casting an eerie blue glow on everyone’s face.

Immediately after, a clear phoenix cry rang out. An Jiu released her fingers, and a red phoenix of energy sprang forth, rushing towards the blue light with lightning speed.

Under the pressure of these two powerful forces, everyone’s movements slowed.

The Crown Prince squinted, watching the arrow hidden in blue light rapidly approaching the Second Prince. Three hundred paces, two hundred, one hundred, ninety… As the distance closed, his heart leaped. Just a little more, and victory would be his!

“Your Highness!” The second Prince’s guards cried out, leaping to protect him.

In that split second, everyone held their breath. Everything seemed to freeze, then explode in an instant.

The arrow containing Chu Dijiang’s full power collided precisely with the arrow shrouded in blue light. It suddenly spread into a sea of fire that could engulf a vast lake, like a giant beast opening its bloody maw, instantly vaporizing the icy water.

It seemed like both an eternity and a blink of an eye.

The thunderous impact made it feel as if the entire imperial city, all of Bianjing, and the whole Song Dynasty were shaking.

Hundreds of screams were drowned out by the enormous sound. Even the Crown Prince, standing hundreds of zhang away, felt his internal organs nearly shatter from the massive force.

The Chenglong Hall instantly brightened as if at noon. White banners fluttered as all officials stared in shock at the crimson sky outside.

On the battlefield, bodies were torn apart by the two forces. As the light gradually faded, flesh rained down.

The Crown Prince, face pale, stared fixedly at the center of the battlefield. “Did it succeed?”

Feng Shi slowly shook his head.

He had seen Elder Zhi’s arrow intercepted thirty paces away. Simultaneously, a ninth-level expert had tackled the Second Prince off his horse, dispersing his cultivation to form an invisible shield protecting the prince.

Perhaps the Second Prince was now in even better condition than the Crown Prince.

Feng Shi was surprised and curious. Dispersing one’s cultivation was self-destructive, at best reducing one to an ordinary person. Yet Second Prince had a ninth-level expert, on the verge of reaching Huajing, willing to sacrifice himself! However, he was more curious about who had shot that incredible arrow.

The aura on the arrow was familiar. It was from the Huajing expert who had once infiltrated the palace and fought him, but the archer was a petite woman.

Everyone seemed stunned by this turn of events, staring blankly at the dismembered limbs raining down.

The ninth-level warrior who had shielded Second Prince, having exhausted his lifelong cultivation, slowly rose. Blood soaked through his face cloth as he rasped, “Is Your Highness unharmed?”

The second Prince was covered in blood but uninjured. As a sixth-level warrior, he naturally understood what had just happened. “Retreat and rest for now. If we succeed today, I won’t forget this debt!”

Great favors need no words of thanks; the Second Prince’s promise was undoubtedly substantial.

The man didn’t waste words, bowing and limping away.

“Kill!” The second Prince’s command shattered the silence.

The Crown Prince glared at that blood-soaked face, wishing he could personally confront him.

The recent events left Elder Zhi in a daze for a long time.

Back at Meihua Village, he had knowingly damaged that child’s meridians by forcibly infusing his internal energy, yet he still did it. If Mei Yanran wanted her daughter to live like an ordinary person, he could grant that wish.

But only he knew this was just an excuse. He had ruined a promising Mei clan martial arts prodigy merely to glimpse the Jingxian technique! In the two years since he had comprehended Jingxian, but his mental state had been declining. Still, he felt it was all worth it. But today, he finally realized how foolish he had been.

“This is the true Jingxian…” Elder Zhi murmured, his aged eyes growing brighter.

How can a weapon’s power reach its peak? The wielder’s strength is certainly crucial, but how can one be stronger than an opponent of equal skill?

— It’s the will to fight!

The pinnacle of all weapons lies in the fighting spirit!

From that Jingxian arrow just now, Elder Zhi hadn’t paid much attention to the powerful internal energy wrapped around it. Instead, he had felt an incredibly strong killing intent! It was as if Death’s gaze was fixed upon him, that murderous aura sweeping over him like Death slowly reaching out its hand. Even he, nearly at the pinnacle of martial arts, felt a chill down his spine.

Chu Dijiang caught his breath, feeling his internal energy rapidly recovering.

At this moment, he was no match for Feng Shi, but with Elder Zhi lost in enlightenment, it was a rare opportunity. “I’ll draw Feng Shi away. If Elder Zhi nocks another arrow, just focus on dodging.”

“Mm,” An Jiu acknowledged.

Chu Dijiang’s figure flashed across the battlefield like rolling thunder, his three-foot sword striking directly at the Crown Prince’s vital points without flourish.

Feng Shi raised an eyebrow, stepping forward to shield the Crown Prince behind him.

Enlightenment sometimes comes in a flash. Elder Zhi, now oblivious to all else, immediately grasped this fleeting insight and nocked another arrow, aiming at the Second Prince.

For now, he didn’t want a life-or-death battle, but rather to gain more understanding through this contest.

An Jiu’s attention was mostly on Chu Dijiang’s side. He had just lost a lot of internal energy; this battle would surely be perilous. She felt a vague worry.

The second Prince and his guards also saw the flickering blue light, but as the attacker, he couldn’t retreat now. One push and the second would falter. If he retreated, the hope of victory would be slim.

“We’ll carve a bloody path for Your Highness,” the Second Prince’s guards shouted.

If they couldn’t avoid it, they could only rely on a ninth-level warrior exhausting his cultivation to protect him once more.

An Jiu saw the Second Prince’s predicament, but she knew Elder Zhi’s internal energy couldn’t have fully recovered in such a short time. The arrow’s power likely wouldn’t surpass the previous one. With so many experts willing to die protecting Second Prince, and room to move, he probably wouldn’t be in danger. Chu Dijiang’s situation was far more worrying.

An Jiu hesitated, then drew the Fúlóng bow again.

This time, she wasn’t aiming to counter Elder Zhi, but directly at the Crown Prince.

Feng Shi stayed close to the Crown Prince, clearly to protect him. If she wanted to distract him, the simplest, most direct method was to target the Crown Prince.

The Fúlóng bow held a specially crafted arrow. When shot, its hexagonal arrowhead would spin at high speed, capable of piercing through a human body and leaving a bloody hole. This was inspired by the Liao Kingdom’s Blue Light Crossbow, created by Lou Xiaowu. Though not as powerful as the Blue Light Crossbow, it was more practical.

An Jiu focused all her mental energy on the arrow. This way, as long as the arrow came within ten zhang of the target, her mental power could immobilize them, turning the target into a stationary mark and preventing others from rushing to their aid, thus increasing the hit rate.

An Jiu believed that aside from the three Huajing experts completely focused elsewhere, no one here could resist her mental power.

“Archers! Protect His Highness!” a guard shouted.

Numerous archers crouched on rooftops and walls, all targeting one person – the young woman with the bow across the battlefield.

Chu Dijiang had successfully diverted Feng Shi’s attention. The assassins hidden among the Crown Prince’s forces tensed, preparing to strike.

They were Longwu Guards, while those closest to the Crown Prince now were Eastern Palace secret guards. They had to find a way to strike decisively! They knew the earlier Jingxian shot had drained much of Chu Dijiang’s internal energy; he couldn’t hold out for long. They exchanged glances, confirming their strategy.

In the chaos, no one noticed these subtle movements.

Locked on by hundreds of bows and crossbows, An Jiu faced a situation reminiscent of her final mission in her previous life. Should she continue to shoot at the target, or temporarily avoid the attack?

In that split second between life and death, she hesitated – something she never needed to do in her past life.

Once a person has hope for life, they become reluctant to die. An Jiu had just found meaning in her life and was unwilling to die so soon.

After a brief internal struggle, An Jiu decided to avoid the attack for now.

As she lowered her bow, she glimpsed Chu Dijiang and Feng Shi’s fight reaching a critical point.

The two were battling so fiercely that their forms were barely visible. Shooting Feng Shi wouldn’t be simple.

She had to target the Crown Prince again.

An Jiu frowned, scanning the area. With so many archers ready to fire, she couldn’t possibly dodge the incoming arrow rain unless she had a protective energy barrier.

Many thoughts flashed through her mind, but her body moved before her consciousness could fully process them.

Drawing the Fúlóng bow again, An Jiu’s mind became utterly clear. Her senses were more acute than ever before. She could feel every threatening presence aimed at her as if she could hear the taut bowstrings. Her target’s figure stood out vividly, as if right before her eyes.

Feng Shi had maintained the upper hand since beginning his duel with Chu Dijiang. However, having spent most of his time in the palace, with other secret guards handling most assassins, it had been a long time since he’d personally fought. His killing intent was far weaker than Chu Dijiang’s. Although he firmly controlled the battle, he couldn’t immediately overcome Chu Dijiang.

Now, noticing An Jiu aiming at the Crown Prince, he became even more distracted, his attacks growing more vicious.

An Jiu knew that if she continued to hesitate, it would be even more disadvantageous for Chu Dijiang. Her goal was to divert Feng Shi’s attention, not necessarily to ensure the Crown Prince’s death. So after briefly aiming, she immediately released the arrow.

However, before she could let go, hundreds of archers had already begun firing.

The arrow rain surged towards her like a swarm of yellow hornets.