"You might not believe it, but it's true," the old monster sighed. "I have a premonition that regardless of whether any extraordinary treasures are unearthed beneath the palace, a calamity will strike in the near future."
Long Wu was shocked. She knew that the old monster's strength was at least at the fifth level. If he was still seriously injured with such a level of cultivation, one could imagine how terrifying that person's cultivation was.
Chen Nan pondered. Who was that person beneath the palace? How could they possess such terrifying cultivation? In an instant, he thought of the Undying Body. That peerless master possessed an immense and unfathomable power. Could it be that he had been resurrected? But that was too bizarre! A flying sword had pierced through that person's head. If he could come back to life after dying like that for thousands of years, it was truly terrifying!
The old monster continued, "As one's cultivation progresses, one can sense one's own fortune and misfortune in advance. The so-called profound skill that connects with the divine refers to the ability to perceive and predict unknown causes and effects after reaching a certain level of cultivation. I now sense that my time may be near, and before I leave this world, young man, I would like to ask you for a favor."
After several encounters, Chen Nan was already thoroughly exasperated with the old monster. Hearing his words, he didn't completely believe him, but still asked, "What is it?"
The old monster said, "Rumor has it that a divine treasure comparable to Hou Yi's bow is about to be unearthed, and unlike Hou Yi's bow, it is not sealed. This matter has attracted storms from all directions to the capital of Chu, and many ancient relics who have not walked the world for a long time have come. Among them, there are a few that I am somewhat wary of. I would like to ask you to lend me a hand with Hou Yi's bow, so that when the palace is in chaos in a few days, someone with ulterior motives may take advantage of the chaos to destroy the Chu royal family."
Chen Nan said, "Senior is overthinking it. Ordinary experts simply don't have that kind of strength. If there really were such invincible experts, they would never interfere in the government of a country. They are only here for the legendary divine treasures and would never do anything against the heavens."
The old monster looked worried and said, "Decades ago, I offended a powerful enemy. I thought he was dead, but I just learned that he is still alive and has come to Chu Capital. I was already overwhelmed by the other old monsters, and now that this great enemy has come again, I feel that the situation is really critical!"
"Damn it!" Chen Nan cursed inwardly. This old ghost was too underhanded; he actually wanted to drag him down with him. Facing such an invincible powerhouse, even with the Houyi Bow in hand, he was no match for him. Besides, only a fool would want to offend such a terrifying being for no reason.
"Senior, you think too highly of me. My skills are so meager that even with Hou Yi's bow, I would have no chance against those invincible masters!"
The old monster chuckled and shook his head, saying, "Don't underestimate yourself. You should know that your physique is far beyond that of ordinary people. If an arrow were stained with your blood and shot with the Houyi Bow, even a sixth-tier invincible expert would be terrified."
Chen Nan knew he was referring to "divine body" and "divine blood," but he had never imagined that his blood would have such a wonderful use. But why should he risk his life for the Chu Kingdom?
At this moment, the old monster seemed to see through his thoughts and said, "As long as you shoot those with ill intentions as I ask on that day, I will definitely not treat you unfairly afterward."
"Tch!" Chen Nan thought to himself with disdain.
"Since returning to the Chu capital, I have informed the Chu Emperor that you must never be held accountable for your rude behavior that day." The old monster made no attempt to hide anything from Long Wu and stated it directly. He continued, "If you do your best to help me this time, I will give you the Houyi Bow, the divine bow, afterward."
Chen Nan didn't hear anything else; he only heard the last sentence, "Afterwards, I will give you the Houyi Bow, the divine bow." These words rang in his ears like thunder. This was truly an incredible surprise!
If he had Hou Yi's bow, he would be considered a fifth-tier peerless master. What would Meng Ke'er, who rides the Jade Lotus Platform, and the Hun Tian Little Demon King with divine and demonic wings be? He could kill them instantly with just a bow and arrow!
The sheer size of it was something Chen Nan truly couldn't refuse.
The old monster's words were like a spell. He whispered, "The Houyi Bow was once sealed away and is of little use to others, but it is the most precious treasure in the world to you. If you have it in your hands, no matter how many supernatural powers others possess, they will find it difficult to withstand your divine arrow!"
Chen Nan blurted out, "Okay, I agree!"
"Alright, I'll send someone to fetch you to the palace tonight. I'll explain the details to you later." The old monster got up and left.
Long Wu listened to their words and was utterly shocked. She whispered, "Are you really going to take this risk?"
"It's absolutely worth it for the Houyi Bow!" Chen Nan replied, then added, "You absolutely must not believe that old guy's words. It would be good if half of what he said was true."
"What do you mean?" Long Wu asked.
"If he knew his time was coming, he would have hidden himself away long ago. What formidable enemy? It must be fabricated. There will definitely be an invincible sixth-tier expert making a move, but it's definitely not what he said. I suspect he wants me to help him seize that rare treasure that's about to be unearthed. Hmph, he must have invited many powerful figures to help him, and I'm just one of them."
"Awoo... I knew this old guy was no good." The purple-gold dragon flew in through the window. It was very wary of the old monster, and as soon as it noticed his arrival, it flew out of the house.
Chen Nan continued, "I'm sure he's after that rare treasure. His cultivation has stagnated, and he wants to break through it to reach the Life and Death Realm. He must be determined to get that treasure." After dealing with the old monster several times, Chen Nan had gained some understanding of his character.
That evening, the old monster indeed sent someone to pick up Chen Nan.
Chen Nan said to Long Wu, "You should come into the palace with me. It would be troublesome if that little devil came looking for us. I really can't bear to leave you here alone."
Long Wu nodded in agreement and accompanied him to the capital of Chu.
Chen Nan was no stranger to the capital of Chu, and approaching it again brought back a unique feeling. Long Wu knew there was definitely something hidden about his relationship with Chu, but she couldn't guess.
The moon was high in the sky, and a misty, ethereal atmosphere enveloped the imperial city. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged and rippled, and countless rays of light shone brilliantly. From afar, the scene was one of continuous, shimmering, and colorful movement.
The old monster wasn't surprised to see Long Wu follow him. He smiled and said to Chen Nan, "Do you know why I only brought you in at night?"
"You're not planning to take me to explore that ancient tomb, are you?"
"Hmm, it seems you already understand my intentions." The old monster seemed to be implying something.
"Hehe, since you have gifted me the Houyi Bow, I will do my best and won't think about anything else."
The old monster led Chen Nan to the Royal Ancient Library, where the spiritual energy density was clearly greater than anywhere else in the palace. Being there felt incredibly comfortable; the entire library seemed to be permeated with a misty, ethereal atmosphere, with faint glimmers of light.
When the bookshelf concealing the underground cavern was pushed aside, a pitch-black cavern appeared, and a violent energy surge rose from the ground like ocean waves. Long Wu was left in the ancient library, while Chen Nan followed the old monster down into the cavern.
The cave spiraled downwards, and Chen Nan followed behind the old man, his steps uneven. The violently fluctuating energy made him somewhat uneasy.
After walking down the dark tunnel for about thirty meters, a hazy light blocked our way ahead—the barrier the old monster had mentioned.
At the barrier, multicolored light surged and immortal mist swirled. If one did not know the details, one would really think that they had stumbled into an immortal's cave. No wonder the old monster rashly forced his way in back then.
Chen Nan pushed it with his hand, and immediately a mysterious and unpredictable force rebounded back. He felt a tingling sensation all over his body, as if he had been electrocuted. He examined it closely and found that the barrier under the light mist was as clear and bright as white jade, like a materialized jade disc.
At this moment, the old monster spoke up: "You and I both possess spiritual roots. I will now transfer some of my power to you. Use your heart to sense and see what is unusual inside that ancient tomb."
He placed his hands on Chen Nan's back, and a surge of immense power flowed into Chen Nan's body. The surging true energy was like the rolling Yangtze River, like a mighty river. Chen Nan felt incredibly comfortable all over, and did not feel anything amiss despite the inexplicable influx of external power. It was as if every pore on his body had opened up, and his six senses became exceptionally sharp.
At that moment, he felt his hearing and vision sharpen, and everything around him seemed to become exceptionally vivid. Chen Nan gently placed his hands on the jade-like barrier, but he didn't dare to use force, just lightly touching it. At this moment, a noisy sound entered his heart.
The area within the barrier seemed to be another world, from which came the sounds of people shouting and horses neighing, as if tens of thousands of horses were galloping and roaring. The earth seemed to tremble, and the vibrations made Chen Nan's ears ache.
He was utterly astonished. This was far too strange. It was clearly an ancient tomb, yet such a sound was coming from there. It was simply unbelievable.
"Kill them..."
"Clang"
"puff"
Inside the barrier, it was like an ancient battlefield, with shouts of battle shaking the heavens. Chen Nan seemed to see tens of thousands of people fighting, with flashing swords, mountains of corpses, and rivers of blood...
"Hallucinations, hallucinations, it's all fake!" He shook his head vigorously, but the sounds of battle from the ancient battlefield still reached his ears.
In the time that followed, Chen Nan felt as if he were in a dream. He could not only hear sounds, but also see terrifying scenes. He seemed to be in an ancient battlefield, where there were corpses everywhere, broken weapons everywhere, blood staining the earth red, and countless wronged souls floating and howling in the air...
Just then, a resounding dragon's roar echoed across the ancient battlefield, and a colossal Western dragon, sixty zhang long, descended above it. This dragon had three heads and two tails, and was exceptionally ferocious. Its entire body was covered in blood-red scales, as if stained with blood, making it appear sinister and terrifying. Its enormous body was several times larger than that of ordinary Western dragons, hovering high in the sky, blotting out the sun like a terrifying red cloud.
A blurry figure hovered atop the colossal dragon, his face and physique indistinct, yet emanating an eerie, malevolent aura. Three soul-summoning banners were planted behind him, and his hands moved incessantly, forming hand seals, each one strange and malevolent. Countless souls floating on the ancient battlefield seemed to be drawn towards him, rapidly converging upon him.
In an instant, the three soul-summoning banners surged up from behind the man, transforming into three ten-zhang-tall white bone demons, which devoured countless souls like whales drinking water.
The two sides clashing on the ancient battlefield seemed stunned, both sides halting and staring in terror at the scene in the sky. Just then, the blurry figure on the super dragon stopped forming hand seals and struck each of the three skeletal demons with a palm. The three previously somewhat dazed behemoths seemed to suddenly awaken, transforming into three streaks of white light and charging towards the army of ten thousand on the battlefield.
Countless people suddenly exploded in an instant, and countless souls floated up, rushing towards the mouths of the three skeletal demons. On the ancient battlefield, limbs and bones were scattered, and blood flowed like rivers. In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, there was no more fluctuation of life, only a gloomy death aura...
Before Chen Nan could recover from his shock, the scene rapidly changed, and a crystal-clear, dazzling white jade hand suddenly appeared in the void. Upon closer inspection, Chen Nan felt that it didn't resemble a white jade hand at all, but rather a jade glove, though it was shrouded in a hazy glow, making it difficult to see clearly and impossible to distinguish.
In a flash, the scene shifted again, revealing a void where a tall figure stood with his back to Chen Nan, muttering to himself: "Divinity? Demonic nature? Slay the demons, seal yourself here..."
Each word and sentence felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, crashing straight into Chen Nan's heart. He coughed up a mouthful of blood with a "poof," and his hands, as if electrocuted, quickly broke free from the barrier.
A tremendous force surged forth from the ancient tomb, instantly blasting Chen Nan and the old monster several dozen feet away. Just now, the old monster had channeled half of his power into Chen Nan's body, making the two like conjoined twins. When Chen Nan was injured, the old monster felt the same way and also spat out a mouthful of blood.
The two quickly retreated from the cave. Long Wu was shocked to see them like this. After a long while, Chen Nan seemed to calm down and recounted the scene he had sensed.
"Hmm, I see!" The old monster seemed to be deep in thought. He didn't comment on the scene of battle on the ancient battlefield, but instead began to speculate about the jade hand. He muttered to himself, "Could the extraordinary treasure that is about to be born be that jade hand?"
The old monster paced back and forth in the ancient library, finally stopping to say, "An unusual phenomenon appeared in the sky above the imperial city during the last full moon. If nothing unexpected happens, the next full moon in five days will be the day that wondrous treasure is born. At that time, the winds will surely rise from all directions, and countless powerful figures will rush here. I will now pass on the Houyi Bow to you, granting you supreme divine power, so that nothing untoward may happen during this period."