Chapter Sixty-Four: The Rock Hawk Requests an Audience with Lin An [Second Update]

It wasn’t that Yun Shan was unwilling to move, but rather that at this moment, a mysterious force had bound him in place, anchoring him where he stood, rendering him utterly immobile. He could only watch helplessly as the arrow that tore through space sped toward him.

Yun Shan sensed with chilling certainty that if this arrow struck him, it would mean instant death.

Desperately, he tried to summon all his strength to break free of the invisible shackles, but his efforts were futile. He wanted to retreat into the Hall of Yama, but to his horror, he discovered that even this route was now blocked.

“Is this how I, Yun Shan, will die—strangely and unjustly, without rhyme or reason?” he whispered in despair.

He had never imagined he would die in such a manner. After following Lin An, he had believed he could rise high, reaching heights he had never dared to dream of before. Yet now, with the shadow of death looming over him, his face was etched with hopelessness.

Below, many soldiers who had been fighting fiercely paused, their weapons forgotten in hand, staring in shock at the drama unfolding in the sky. Just as Yan Xiao had foreseen, should Yun Shan die before their very eyes, it would deal a crushing blow to all their morale.

Even Lin An, despite his efforts to pull Yun Shan into the Hall of Yama and save him, found himself powerless.

“System, what on earth is happening?” Lin An asked anxiously.

[The target has been locked by the Will of the Plane and cannot break free for the time being. The host may spend 10,000 Soul Points to preserve Yun Shan’s life!]

Lin An didn’t understand the details, but in this moment, he had no time to ponder. The Will of the Plane or whatever it was—he could only worry about it after the war.

Without hesitation, he spent 10,000 Soul Points to save Yun Shan’s life.

But Yun Shan would not be spared the agony of an arrow through the heart.

...

Everything unfolded just as Xiao Yan had predicted—Yun Shan was utterly incapable of dodging his shot. Inwardly, Xiao Yan marveled at the system’s power; with it, he felt there was nothing he could not accomplish. Even ascending to the legendary rank of Battle Emperor no longer seemed impossible.

Sun Ming’s eyes widened, so tense he dared not even blink, afraid to miss a single dramatic moment.

A spray of blood arced through the sky as the arrow pierced straight through Yun Shan’s heart.

Clutching his wound in disbelief, Yun Shan found himself unable to move even now, forced to feel his life ebbing away, death drawing ever closer. His body was being devoured bit by bit; he was fading away.

“System, is it done yet?” Lin An demanded, seeing Yun Shan’s form nearly vanished.

[10,000 Soul Points expended successfully. Yun Shan has returned to the Hall of Yama. For 5,000 more Soul Points, Yun Shan can be restored to peak condition.]

“At least his life is saved,” Lin An breathed out in relief, murmuring softly.

He spent another 5,000 Soul Points, and Yun Shan was healed to his former strength—though for now, he would remain hidden.

“Yun Shan is dead! Jia Ma Empire, abandon your futile resistance and surrender to our Izumo Empire. At least that way, you’ll live!” Sun Ming called out, thousands of soldiers behind him. He saw the despair in the eyes of Jia Ma’s troops, which was exactly what he wanted. Soldiers without the will to fight were mere loose sand, easily swept aside.

“The Izumo Empire simply doesn’t have the strength. I want to know who is secretly helping them—even at the cost of provoking war between our nations,” Lin An said, his expression dark.

To capture the ringleader is to seize victory; if he could catch the one supporting the Izumo Empire from the shadows, all mysteries would unravel.

“Our spies report that a mysterious black-robed figure always accompanies Grand Marshal Sun Ming of Izumo. It’s likely all of this is his doing,” Yao Chen analyzed, suspicion in his voice.

At that moment, the Izumo Empire’s forces suddenly ceased their assault. Soon, a messenger arrived.

“My lord, Sun Ming wishes to meet with you to discuss the course of this battle.”

“He just killed Yun Shan. By all rights, now would be the best time to press the attack. Why would he want to meet with you?” Yao Chen asked, puzzled by the enemy’s actions.

“If they want to meet, let’s see them. Perhaps all our questions will finally be answered,” Lin An replied with a smile.

For reasons unknown, Lin An felt certain that the opposing side suspected Yun Shan was not truly dead, merely grievously wounded. That, he thought, was why they sought this meeting.

Indeed, just as Lin An surmised, Yan Xiao had seen with his own eyes the arrow strike Yun Shan, watched him vanish before him. Yet the reward he expected was never delivered, and at that moment, he understood: Yun Shan was likely still alive.

This was the first time Yan Xiao had ever encountered such a situation. According to the rules, an arrow through Yun Shan’s heart should have been fatal. Even a mundane arrow to the heart would have sufficed. Yet somehow, Yun Shan lived.

Yan Xiao couldn’t help but suspect that Lin An’s fate was no less extraordinary than his own. Reflecting on Lin An’s recent deeds, he felt sure this was no ordinary man.

With the system’s confirmation, Yan Xiao decided to meet Lin An before making his way to the Cloudmist Sect.

Soon he received word: the other side agreed to a parley between the armies.

“Is this really necessary? Yun Shan is dead—this is our greatest advantage! Why not seize the moment and conquer Jia Ma Empire outright?” Sun Ming asked, baffled by Yan Xiao’s decision.

“The backbone of their army is broken.”

“What do you know?” Yan Xiao retorted.

“If we continue to press the attack, are you certain we won’t be the ones defeated in the end?”

Yan Xiao cast Sun Ming a dismissive glance. If victory were as simple as that, he would not hesitate to deal Lin An a crushing blow.

“Do you really think Jia Ma Empire still harbors some dreadful power?” Sun Ming asked in confusion.

“I’ve told you many times: Lin An of the Cloudmist Sect is no ordinary man. And don’t forget—by his side stands a seventh-grade alchemist. Our intelligence says Lin An is already at the front lines.”

“Do you think, at such a critical moment, Lin An would simply stand by and do nothing?” Yan Xiao asked.