Chapter 1422: The Murderer

Zuan and the others reacted quickly, instantly dodging the incoming arrows. As they prepared to counter-attack, they were astonished to find that the arrows curved, circled around, and shot towards them again.

"Infrared guided?" Zuan was dumbfounded. However, he had no time to marvel. Because they hadn't anticipated the arrows' magical properties, and the women were about to counter-attack, it was too late to dodge.

Zuan used his Great Wind technique, instantly appearing before the three women. There was no time to summon a weapon, so he directly punched one of the arrows.

To his surprise, the arrows were not tangible. His punch went through nothing, and the invisible arrows directly struck his body, erupting in clouds of blood mist.

"A'Zu!" The three women cried out in alarm.

"I'm fine, not dying," Zuan said with a pale smile. Fortunately, at the critical moment, he had used the Gluttonous Devourer Art to absorb and dissipate much of the force. Otherwise, even with his powerful physical body, resisting those four arrows directly would have likely turned him into blood mist.

Truly, a divine archer who inherited Yi's true skill. These arrows were incredibly powerful. He wondered what it would be like if Yi himself shot them.

Seeing that he was out of mortal danger, Yun Jianyue's eyes filled with killing intent, and she charged directly at Peng Meng.

Yan Xuehen, her face icy, also attacked with her Flying Snow Sword, flanking him.

Yu Yanluo cradled Zuan in her arms. Tears welled in her eyes as she frantically applied medicine to his wounds.

Seeing that Zuan had not been shot to death, Peng Meng's eyes showed shock and regret. However, he also knew he was severely wounded and currently no match for these two women. He decided he would return to play with them later, after he had recovered.

He transformed into a wisp of black mist, intending to leave. Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen's hearts sank. It seemed the Demon Qi of Fengxi on him hadn't been removed at all, or perhaps he *was* Fengxi!

The crucial point was that they had seen how quickly this black mist dissipated before. Neither of them was at their peak state, so they probably couldn't stop him.

Just then, Zuan sneered, "Trying to leave?"

He immediately unleashed a torrent of verbal abuse.

The black mist paused, then re-formed into Peng Meng's figure. His eyes red, he glared at Zuan. "I'll kill you!"

This guy was clearly inferior to him in every way, yet why was he accompanied by three such peerlessly beautiful women? Did he deserve them?

These women only had eyes for him, just like his master's wife back then, who only had eyes for Yi!

For a moment, he felt the man before him merged with his former master. Years of grievances and hatred erupted completely.

This time, he would kill their lover in front of the three women, making them realize who the stronger man truly was.

He drew his bow and nocked an arrow. An invisible bow appeared in his hand. Though it had no physical form, as he drew the non-existent bowstring, a glowing arrow materialized before him, radiating a terrifying aura.

Just then, a dazzling moonlit glow flashed. He was startled to find that his hands seemed to have detached from his body.

Yun Jianyue had unleashed the Star-Moon Wheel of the Star-Shattering Profound Seal. Its power was immense.

The intense pain from his arms brought Peng Meng back to his senses. Had he gone mad? Ignoring two attacking women, focused only on killing that man?

As he was about to retreat, the Flying Snow Sword, like a streak of light, pierced directly through his forehead.

He stiffened, murmuring, "Master's wife..."

After that, he collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

The two women had just let out a sigh of relief when a wisp of faint black mist emanated from his body, coiling towards them. It was clearly Fengxi's demonic energy, seeking a new host.

Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue's expressions changed slightly. If that demonic energy were to parasitize them, death would be preferable to life.

Unfortunately, neither of their techniques could deal with this kind of demonic energy. They could only prepare to resist it head-on, one with killing intent, the other with profound mystic arts.

Just then, Zuan's voice slowly resounded: "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, what should leave, do not stay..."

The black mist, as if encountering the most terrifying thing, let out a piercing shriek and then vanished into thin air.

Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue turned to look at Zuan, their expressions somewhat dazed. For years, being immensely powerful, they had always been the strongest support for those around them, the ones protecting others.

Now, being protected by someone else, this feeling was truly unique.

Recalling his voice from moments ago, it was incredibly steady, giving an inexplicable sense of security.

At this moment, both noticed the other lost in thought, and inexplicably, they flushed with a guilty conscience. They hurried to Zuan's side. "How are you?"

"Thick-skinned, can't die," Zuan tried to say with a carefree smile. But the pain made him wince, which certainly ruined the image.

"Don't do such impulsive things again," Yun Jianyue said sternly. "I am a Grandmaster; couldn't I handle an arrow?"

Yan Xuehen, her face like frost, added, "Exactly. With our cultivation, even if we were injured, dealing with an arrow would be no problem. You should have just gone to save Sister Yu."

Zuan chuckled softly. These two women had been famous for many years. Yet, after getting to know them, he found they could sometimes be as childish as little girls.

Of course, no one else would likely ever see this side of them.

"These arrows are truly strange," Zuan explained. "Didn't I miscalculate just now? It's better for me to be injured than for you beautiful ladies to have extra bloody holes. Besides, I recover quickly."

"Even if you recover quickly, you shouldn't be so careless with your body," Yu Yanluo said, her voice trembling slightly as her fingers gently caressed the area around his wounds.

Yun Jianyue gave him a complicated look. "You brat, you're really risking your life to flirt. No wonder Hong Lei... *cough cough*. This trick of yours is fine for Sister Yu and the Ice Stone Woman, but it's completely wasted on me. Don't do this again."

Yan Xuehen immediately grew agitated. "What does that have to do with me? And don't use it on me either."

Yu Yanluo frowned. "A'Zu is so injured; stop arguing."

Given Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue's usual status and position, who would dare scold them like that?

But this time, for the first time, they weren't angry; instead, they felt a little guilty.

They wondered if they had reacted too strongly just now, not that they weren't truly grateful to Zuan, but they didn't want to show it too obviously.

But if they had to explain it now, they couldn't.

Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Zuan quickly intervened to smooth things over. "By the way, did any of you hear a warning voice just now?"

The three women froze, then nodded in unison. "Yes, there was indeed a faint, indistinct voice just now."

So, who was the source of this warning?

They looked around, but unfortunately, no one was in sight. The cold wind whistled, sending a shiver down their spines.

Zuan suddenly had an idea. He turned to look at the massive mulberry tree behind them. "That must have been your warning, Senior."

"Who are you talking to?" The three women weren't slow, however, and quickly caught on.

A gentle breeze blew through, and the leaves rustled like a human voice, though very indistinct. "Indeed, it was this old one who warned you."

The group was somewhat surprised. Had this great mulberry tree truly become a spirit?

As if sensing their thoughts, the great mulberry tree sighed. "The laws of this land are incomplete, so I have never been able to take human form; I have only gained sentience."

"Thank you for your assistance, Senior," Zuan said politely. After all, this entire area was the mulberry tree's territory, and offending it would not be wise.

"It wasn't really a rescue, just a warning," the great mulberry tree mused. "I simply didn't want Fengxi to harm anyone else."

Zuan's heart stirred. "Was that Fengxi all along then? So, his claim of being Yi's disciple, Peng Meng, was a lie too?"

"That part wasn't a lie; he truly is Yi's disciple, Peng Meng. However, their master-disciple relationship was not good, and it's rumored that he was the one who killed Yi," the great mulberry tree's words were truly astonishing.