Chapter 29: Familiar

Above the lake at the heart of the Nine Nethers Secret Realm.

The ice coffin continued to endure the black-robed figures' assault.

Only now, the pace had slowed considerably.

Each time they gathered an energy orb, the toll on them was immense.

After each wave of attacks, they would rest for a time before launching the next.

With no end in sight, the Great Leader of the Black-Robed Figures could not help but grow restless and agitated.

All they had to do was shatter the ice coffin to complete the mission — yet they simply could not do it.

Indeed, those who could become wielders of the Seven Swords of Shenxiao were never easy to deal with.

Even the most meticulous of schemes could fall apart at the final moment.

As things stood now.

Without using the God-Slaying Bow, the Great Leader of the Black-Robed Figures had no good options.

The ice coffin sealing Leng Hanshuang was, if anything, harder than the shell of the giant turtle.

If this continued, complications were bound to arise.

Leng Hanshuang had to die within the Nine Nethers Secret Realm.

This was no longer simply a matter of the black-robed figures completing their mission.

If Leng Hanshuang were allowed to leave alive, the God-Slaying Unit would be exposed.

The Seven Slaughter Sect was not yet prepared to face a punitive campaign from the major powers of Li Continent.

Once things spiraled beyond control, even the Wuji Demon Sect might turn against them.

And then the Seven Slaughter Sect would truly be beyond salvation.

"Leng Hanshuang, you brought this on yourself!" the Great Leader of the Black-Robed Figures said through gritted teeth.

Inside the ice coffin, Leng Hanshuang's heart lurched — she thought of that earth-shattering strike.

He's already at his limit and has to use it again?

She had no idea whether she could withstand it.

The Great Leader of the Black-Robed Figures once again drew the God-Slaying Bow from his Qiankun Pouch.

Using the God-Slaying Bow twice in such a short span of time would inevitably cause his body to suffer a severe backlash.

If he had any choice in the matter.

He naturally would not use it.

But he had no choice.

There were only a little over half a month left before the Nine Nethers Secret Realm would open again.

Using the God-Slaying Bow once required a full month of recovery.

Even if he kept Leng Hanshuang trapped here indefinitely, time would run out.

And who could say whether new complications would arise in that remaining half month?

What if Leng Hanshuang managed to purge all the killing energy from her body and fully recovered her strength?

By then, even the God-Slaying Bow might not be enough to kill her.

So he had to strike while Leng Hanshuang had yet to recover — and finish her now.

Even if it meant suffering the backlash, it was a price worth paying.

The God-Slaying Bow was in hand.

The Great Leader of the Black-Robed Figures held the bow in his left hand, drew the string with his right, and simultaneously activated the God-Slaying Decree within his body.

A God-Slaying Arrow of devastating power began to slowly take form.

Yet this time it was far from as effortless as before — his body trembled without cease, as though bearing tremendous agony.

Leng Hanshuang could see it clearly. She called out urgently: "So that earth-shattering strike isn't something you can unleash at will. Look at yourself — your body is nearly at its breaking point. Stand down! I can promise that once I leave, I will not reveal that the Seven Slaughter Sect has been secretly cultivating the God-Slaying Decree."

No one responded.

The God-Slaying Arrow continued to take shape before their eyes.

Sealed within the ice coffin, Leng Hanshuang felt a powerful killing intent lock onto her body.

"Are you truly going to resort to this mutually destructive method? Even if you break the seal, your body will suffer grievous damage — why go this far?"

Still, no one responded.

Leng Hanshuang now understood the true terror of the God-Slaying Unit.

She began maneuvering the ice coffin to dart erratically within the barrier, desperately trying to break free of the God-Slaying Arrow's lock.

Yet it was all in vain.

Once the God-Slaying Arrow locked onto a target, unless its energy was exhausted or blocked by a greater force, there was nowhere to run.

Besides, Leng Hanshuang could not escape the barrier at all.

Whoosh!!!

The God-Slaying Arrow was loosed.

In an instant it entered the barrier and continued to absorb energy.

After releasing that arrow, the Great Leader of the Black-Robed Figures looked as though he had been drained dry — visibly thinner, he dropped to one knee and gasped for breath, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on what lay ahead.

Once the God-Slaying Arrow had absorbed its fill of energy, the Array Formation vanished along with it.

The hundreds of black-robed figures who had been sustaining the Array Formation all collapsed to the ground.

That single arrow had nearly exhausted the strength of every black-robed figure present.

With such an enormous cost, its power was naturally not to be underestimated.

Leng Hanshuang even felt that this arrow was stronger than the last.

What could she do?

There was no dodging it!

There was no blocking it!

Was she truly going to die here?

Whoosh!!!

Having absorbed its energy, the God-Slaying Arrow surged forward once more, shooting straight toward the ice coffin.

Leng Hanshuang poured every last bit of her strength into soaring upward, desperately trying to flee.

But she had already been locked on by the God-Slaying Arrow.

The chance of escape was zero.

The only thing she could do was watch helplessly as the God-Slaying Decree closed in on her.

Ding!!!

A sharp, piercing sound rang out.

Everyone who heard it could not help but cover their ears.

The God-Slaying Arrow struck the ice coffin.

The ice coffin that had withstood countless attacks from the black-robed figures without breaking — now, at last, cracks appeared.

Crack!!!

And as the cracks grew wider and wider, they spread like a spider's web.

Crackle, crackle, crackle!

The ice coffin shattered like glass into countless fragments.

The ice coffin forged from the ten-thousand-year glacial energy within the Bingpo Sword was destroyed.

But it was not over.

After destroying the ice coffin, the God-Slaying Arrow did not vanish — it continued driving straight toward Leng Hanshuang's chest.

Without the protection of the ice coffin, Leng Hanshuang, who could only muster thirty percent of her full strength, had absolutely no way to withstand the power of the God-Slaying Arrow.

She watched as the God-Slaying Arrow drew closer and closer.

In her heart, Leng Hanshuang had already given up.

At her peak, perhaps she could have put up a fight.

Now, there was nothing left to do but wait for death.

At the very moment Leng Hanshuang closed her eyes to await the end — that razor's edge between life and death —

A figure appeared from thin air before her, using their back to block the God-Slaying Arrow's path.

The two of them were nearly pressed face-to-face against each other.

Had it been even 0.0001 of a second later.

Leng Hanshuang would have been run through, her body destroyed and her Dao extinguished.

The God-Slaying Arrow struck the back of the figure who had appeared so suddenly.

The imagined scene of the arrow piercing through both of them never came to pass.

It seemed as though some force had blocked that earth-shattering arrow.

Yet the enormous energy carried by the God-Slaying Arrow still pushed the two of them forward a short distance.

Throughout this entire process.

That figure who had appeared out of nowhere held Leng Hanshuang tightly, bearing everything in her stead, so that she did not suffer even the slightest injury.

Leng Hanshuang had already closed her eyes to await death.

Instead, she felt her body tighten — as though wrapped in something.

She opened her eyes.

And found that someone was holding her.

She had been saved?

Impossible!

Leng Hanshuang's mind was in a daze.

The outside world was one thing.

But inside the Nine Nethers Secret Realm — who could possibly have the strength to block that earth-shattering arrow from the black-robed figures?

Since the two of them were embracing face-to-face with their heads resting on each other's shoulders, Leng Hanshuang's gaze naturally fell upon the neck of the person before her.

But what she saw made her entire body tremble.

An expression of utter disbelief filled her eyes.

Her thoughts flew back to more than twenty years ago.

On that day, Senior Brother Su Mubai had come to find Leng Hanshuang.

"Junior Sister, I have business that takes me away. Would you mind looking after this little one for me?"

As he spoke, Su Mubai handed Leng Hanshuang a swaddled infant.

"Senior Brother, where did this baby come from?" Leng Hanshuang asked as she reached out to take the child, cradling it in her arms.

"Found him on the road!"

"Then what is his name?" Leng Hanshuang asked again.

"He doesn't have one yet! Why don't you give him one?" Su Mubai said casually.

"All right! Leave the naming to me."

That evening.

While bathing the infant, Leng Hanshuang discovered a birthmark on the right side of his neck — one that looked remarkably like the character "Lin."

"Senior Brother asked me to name you, and you happen to have the character 'Lin' on your neck — so I'll simply call you Lin Feng! What do you think?" Leng Hanshuang said with a smile.

"Wah, wah…" the infant cried out.

"You agree, do you? Then from now on, your name is Lin Feng."

Leng Hanshuang knew that birthmark far too well.