Chapter 2024: Phoenix's Cry with an Arrow

"I deeply regret it," Jiang Wang said.

"Regret what?" Qing Wang asked.

"Someone who has surpassed the absolute peak of existence like you, yet finds enjoyment in this," Jiang Wang said regretfully. "I strive day and night, diligently and arduously, with a single heart longing for that high place... How can the scenery of that high place be so ugly?"

"Haha." Qing Wang, seated on the highest throne, merely laughed once and crushed another totem spirit in her hand. The water-blue smoke was inhaled, granting her a moment of lazy, hazy trance.

Giving hope repeatedly, and repeatedly crushing it. She truly is like this. She tormented Qi Huo Yu Xiu in this manner. She tormented a world will until it was utterly unbearable, until heaven itself seemed ancient!

What difference did these people in front of her make? This world actually never truly experienced upheaval; all the twists and turns came from her indulgence. She stood high above, controlling everything. The tide of history followed her will!

But... in this moment, facing the young person before her, facing those red-gold eyes, a thought still inevitably arose in her mind— since when did she start to feel this kind of pleasure?

No. Within the world she had grown accustomed to for many years, and controlled for many years, with history propelled by immense inertia, she keenly sensed a trace of disharmony.

Just then, a flowing light broke the long sky, a frosty rainbow hung high, rising from outside the heavens and falling upon—

"It's the direction of Jing Shui Department!" Bai Yu Xia, who had already memorized the map of the Floating Land, shouted.

And Jiang Wu Xie's feeling was even clearer. He inevitably looked towards Jiang Wang.

Jiang Wang's face showed worry: "Why is Sister Feng Yao here too?"

Jiang Wu Xie said irritably, "You weren't worried when I came!"

Jiang Wang furrowed his brow. Why did this Jiang Lao Jiu always say things that were easy for the Hua Ying Palace Master to misunderstand? But going back to the point, he was indeed ignorant when he first came to the Floating Land World. He just followed the steps and went through the whole process, without considering how to explore this world. This time, encountering Chi Lei Yan, encountering Qi Huo Yu Ling, he only thought that Lei Zhan Qian, Jiang Wu Xie, and the others were naturally flirtatious, leaving affection everywhere. Only now did he realize that everything had a purpose. The Li family sister standing guard here was also paving the way for her return. Only he, Jiang Wang, came to the Floating Land World to participate in the life and death chess, and truly just participated in the life and death chess. Although he seized the Tian Kui, his actual gains were not necessarily more than these people. If Ao Kui hadn't suddenly cheated in this step, he might not have come back.

Jiang Wu Xie and the others might also open this situation in a better time, with a more secure approach, or not be so abrupt and dangerous as this time...

Ao Kui is truly the chief culprit!

Outside the water temple of the Jing Shui Department stood the statue representing war, wisdom, and beauty. When the arrow light, flying from near the sea in the present world, passed through Qi Huo Ru Shi Bo's convenient door and penetrated this world, that goddess statue, seemingly carved from ice crystal, instantly concealed all frost. A truly goddess-like appearance, at this moment, appeared in the Floating Land World!

Phoenix eyes, frosty eyebrows, a face like ice and jade. In her hand, she held a Frost Kill Bow cast from eternal ice marrow. On her body, she wore the Lin Dong armor personally crafted by Dou Wen Zhou, a famous craftsman during the Wu Emperor era... Every piece of armor leaf, every detail, could be called art. She, wearing the armor, was like that as well! Even her hair seemed to make people feel both beautiful and frosty.

The young disciples of the witch priests guarding the water temple bowed down piously. The new totem, three palms wide, on their backs, flowed with frosty light at this moment, showing through their clothes.

Li Feng Yao glanced faintly, took a step, and was no longer visible.

Jing Shui Cheng Yan, the witch priest of the Jing Shui Department and the strongest in the tribe, was still kneeling before the highest throne at this time, waiting for Qing Wang's absorption. He had calculated well. There were over ten people in front of him, so it was not his turn yet. And when the frosty rainbow crossed through, he suddenly rose, pulling himself up like a tree within the prostrate field of bodies!

He was Jing Shui Cheng Yan, a powerful witch priest destined to leave his name in the history of the Jing Shui Department, an existence who had once challenged Qing Huo Zhu Shu. His old body instantly became strong. The witch priest robe on his body exploded into butterfly-like fragments, and he tore off the Jing Shui totem on his back with one hand. His entire person turned into a group of humanoid soldier evil!

Soldier evil spirit! War totem!

After Qi Huo Yu Ling, Jing Shui Cheng Yan also escaped from the binding of the kingly power totem. But unlike Qi Huo Yu Ling, who launched an attack on Qing Wang the first time, he flew back and retreated. As he retreated, the soldier evil behind him gathered into a war flag.

Amidst the vast army surrounding the entire mountain range of the Qi Huo Department, like mountains and seas, the army belonging to the Jing Shui Department suddenly detached from the main force, becoming its own entity, forming the Ming Feng array!

Among these warriors, those with their own totem power had already transformed their totems, changing from Jing Shui to war. And Jing Shui Cheng Yan demonstrated a soldierly ability that was unmatched in the Floating Land, instantly completing such a complex military array change. It was clearly much stronger than the surrounding armies. Fifty thousand strong army's blood energy connected, the soldier evil cloud condensed into a phoenix spreading its wings.

Amidst the surging soldier evil, Li Feng Yao, wearing armor, stepped out of the array, like a goddess descending upon the world.

Without any wasted words, she directly pulled open the ice crystal long bow that caused snow to drift in heaven and earth, gathered the soldier evil, and aimed straight at Qing Wang...

One arrow, phoenix cry!

Frost heart concludes, mirror reflects all images. Possessing the divine power of the frost heart, she fundamentally didn't need to ask anything. The moment she descended, she already knew who the enemy was. She also believed that she didn't need to communicate anything. These people in the field would certainly understand and seize the opportunity.

This arrow rotated madly in the air. The terrifying power of the soldier evil spun around the arrow, finally becoming an incredibly beautiful ice crystal phoenix, piercing towards Qing Wang's heart.

The entire Qi Huo Department had been slaughtered. Jiang Wu Xie's plan was naturally nowhere to be mentioned. But Li Feng Yao's arrangement was still in place. The Jing Shui Department was her strong army, her backup, her capital to contend for the Floating Land in several years! As the largest clan in the water department, the Jing Shui Department raised an army of fifty thousand, ranking among the front in all departments of the world. Training an army was not a task of three to five days. It had been several years since she left!

Jing Shui Cheng Yan had executed her command very well, training an elite troop within the framework she drew—compared to the armies of other tribes in the Floating Land, this troop was not just one or two points more elite. At this moment, led by her, amidst disrupting the allied army array of all departments in the Floating Land and influencing Qing Wang's control over the army situation, they unleashed a strike that could be called terrifying.

Cultivators of any school from ancient times to the present could never confront soldier family cultivators head-on on the battlefield. Unless they possessed an overwhelming power advantage themselves. The soldier family had no holy land because military art separated from the battlefield had no meaning, and more importantly, all countries prioritized strong armies! From ancient times, strong soldiers and robust horses could make a monarch. Military power was absolutely not allowed to be interfered with by others.

This arrow landed, its killing force approaching Dong Zhen. That was because the army was not yet elite enough. Otherwise, Dong Zhen's battle force would not be far out of reach.

The beautiful ice crystal phoenix, refracting myriad lights, reflected a slightly dazed look in the eyes of Qing Wang on the highest throne.

Whether it was the evil ghost clan she created or the human clan of the Floating Land, they were all intelligent beings. It was impossible for them to be willing to suffer imprisonment, to merely eat and wait for death, accepting their destined fate. Even if one raises a pig, it knows to struggle when it's time for slaughter! So from the evil ghost clan to the human clan of the Floating Land, resistance had never stopped.

She acknowledged this. She acknowledged the existence of resistance and knew that there would certainly be people who would find ways to bypass the kingly power limit. Qi Huo Yu Ling's method was to walk a path that escaped the totem system. Jing Shui Cheng Yan's method was to create a brand new totem that was not controlled by her, the behind-the-scenes manipulator!

All were beautiful methods. And none... harmed the grand scheme. She had originally left enough gaps to allow this world to have more vitality. Because a world with truly great potential could never be a pool of stagnant water. Just as she, though she ruled this world with the kingly power totem and constructed the kingly power system, did not play the "mandate of heaven returns" game. Instead, she offered the competitive method of life and death chess, leaving a period for the replacement of kingly power. This was precisely to give this world some breathing space, to give the human clan of the Floating Land some freedom. A world completely imprisoned by shackles cannot bloom into free flowers, cannot grow into towering trees. Nor can it supply the power she needs.

This reason was completely understandable to her. So she gave opportunities, she gave many opportunities. Hence, although this arrow before her could be called powerful, and this young woman's grasp of the army situation could be called exquisite, and she precisely obstructed her, creating a war machine that originally did not exist and could defeat her... it should still be within her imagination.

No. What made her feel uneasy was certainly not this. Nor was it Yan Ling, who was resolutely killed with one sword, or Jiang Wang, who came killing wrapped in fire. She admitted that this person's sword momentum was powerful, admitted that this person's timing was precise, admitted that this person's courage was commendable, but she did not think that facing this person, this sword, would give her such an ominous feeling.

It was not Xi Ming's mechanism art, not Jiang Wu Xie's Hong Luan spear, not Qi Huo Yu Ling's fierce flame, not Jing Li's Fan Xin Fo Yin... It was not these terrifying offensives that surged in an instant. Of course, it was even more impossible for it to be Bai Yu Xia or Lian Yu Chan, or even Yan Ling, who had just barely survived!

What was it?

At this moment, she suddenly felt pain. That arrow, phoenix cry, had not yet reached her body. That person's character sword had not yet struck. She actually felt pain!

She suddenly looked towards Qi Huo Yu Xiu! The frost-colored long cloak exhibited by the Sword Immortal person floated, stirred by the wind. Like a door curtain being lifted, behind Jiang Wang, who came killing with great strides, little Qi Huo Yu Xiu sat gracefully in a wheelchair. Her hands were exactly covering her face, and it was at this moment that she took off the exaggerated witch priest mask, revealing the face that could not bear the origin of the world and was very ugly. That pair of eyes, far away, struggled to approach.

She gazed at Qing Wang with 'you mo' eyes, her child's voice innocent: "Aren't you feeling uncomfortable?"

Uncomfortable?

Qing Wang gathered the soldier evil, raised her palm as a five-elements knife, and chopped the soldier evil phoenix arrow into pieces. She then received her palm as a fist and unleashed the momentum of heaven and earth, forcing back the person's character sword. She then bloomed her fist as a finger, countering Jing Li's Ci Bei Yin with Fan Xin Yin... White rainbow spat from her mouth, penetrating as a spear, directly colliding with Hong Luan. One 'luan yuan' from her eye caused Xi Ming's manipulation of the puppets to lag. Her fist and palm changed like flowers blooming and falling. Each killing method followed her heart's desire. She responded wonderfully to every enemy she targeted, conveniently ignoring Qi Huo Yu Ling's orange flame...

Just like this, it was lightly described, faintly written as a playful child. But her eyebrows furrowed. What uncomfortable?

Qi Huo Yu Xiu added, "I'm talking about after you swallowed the witch priests of my Qi Huo Department."

The strange feeling became clear. Qing Wang lowered her head to look at her waist and abdomen. A point of 'you hei' had appeared there at some unknown time... A class of 'you tian' that swallowed all light and existing colors!

She felt strange. She recognized it, of course, but she felt especially strange!

"Ye?" The pain intensified at this time. That point of 'you hei' in her abdomen rotated and expanded, like a bottomless vortex! She used one hand to press it down. So only one hand remained to fight Jiang Wang and the others. This one hand was raised high, her five fingers spread wide, and heaven and earth received her command!

She spoke Dao language, her voice like an ancient bell: "Tian Yuan! Xuan Chi! Xin Lao! Yi Shou Tian Xiang, Si Xiang Shen Yu!"

From the nine heavens descended the Azure Dragon. From the west came the Geng Jin Tiger. The Southern Sparrow cried out, Li Fire filled the sky. The Northern Turtle Snake were one body, supporting heaven, Xuan Wu!

With the presiding power of this world, relying on the four directions of the Floating Land World, the Four Images Holy Beasts descended upon this place. For a time, dragons roared and tigers howled, wind rose and clouds surged, blocking Jiang Wang and the others far away.

Dao technique? Fa technique? Jin fa? This fa was too complex for Jiang Wang to understand its trajectory, but he could completely feel the strength of these Four Images. The four spirits of the four directions guarded Qing Wang, truly like a copper wall and iron wall.

Without any hesitation, he first circled the Azure Dragon with one sword, collided vertically with the dragon's body with his sword. Under the state of the Sword Immortal person, various killing methods surged like fountains, all the way up to the nine heavens. The sword's cry momentarily suppressed the dragon's roar: "This hand is mine!"

What a chaotic battle! Those participating in the surrounding attack on Qing Wang were all proud talents, each exhausting their fierce means. And she, covering her abdomen with one hand, her control over the army situation obstructed, still responded freely, remaining seated on the king's seat, not retreating a single step!

Only Qi Huo Yu Xiu looked at her calmly, calmly conversed with her, and even countered and consumed her: "The 'ye' of this world, you poured it all into 'you tian'. Do you think that by turning them into dung for your star beasts, into nutrients for 'you tian', they can truly disappear? Dark energy can be exhausted, negative power can disintegrate, but pain will not be forgotten. The harm you have caused to this world is forever indelible. The 'ye' of billions of beings, all that pain, fell into the deepest place of the world—"

She stroked her heart with her hand, her long hair flying up: "In my heart!"

Peng Peng! Heaven and earth were like drums. Her heart and Qing Wang's heart beat at the same frequency!

"So that's it!" Qing Wang suddenly realized. That pitiful witch priest of the Qi Huo Department, the guy who misinterpreted the creation book hugged and born by Qi Huo Yu Xiu, had half of his heart already replaced by Qi Huo Yu Xiu. Qi Huo Yu Xiu had always said her ideal was to be a witch priest. In fact, she already was! Within this half of the heart, Qi Huo Yu Xiu had hidden the deepest 'ye' of the Floating Land World. Because of the cover of the world origin, it had concealed itself from Qing Wang and had been swallowed!

Qing Wang had been hit by a severe poison. The poison was the pain she had caused this world! The poison was not only in Qing Wang's human body but also spread to her true self!

"Truly... you surprise me." She hadn't felt a trace of excitement in a long time.

Qi Huo Yu Xiu sat in the wheelchair, gazing forward properly, at this moment seeming to be seated on her own venerable throne! "After the evil ghost clan came the human clan of the Floating Land. After the human clan of the Floating Land came the totem spirit clan... You are constantly sublimating this world, the essence of the world is constantly leaping, and correspondingly, I am also constantly becoming stronger. You can defeat me countless times, but this world is still in me as long as it still exists. As long as you don't erase me, I will forever fight for this world. Do you feel I am weak? Do you feel I am stupid? I dare to challenge you, I am not weak! I have made a thousand stupid calculations, and there will always be one gain! Can you hold me in your palm forever? I don't believe it! Even if I lose a thousand or ten thousand more times, I still don't believe it!"

Her 'you tong' eyes seemed to contain a fierce flame. The creation book behind Qing Wang began to turn a page! It turned slowly but firmly! Finally, it opened to a flat page. This page said—

"The world faces disaster, heaven descends Yu Xiu!"