Zhao Wei stood in the heart of his courtyard, surrounded by an expanse of white stretching far and wide. His breath turned to vapor, mingling with the icy air in tiny, fleeting clouds. A chilling wind howled past the desolate pine trees, shaking off the accumulated icy snow on their thick branches.
Zhao Wei gazed at the limitless heavens, his eyes cold and calm as the frozen grand river below the mountains.
"The morning sun is not being given a chance to shine," he softly mused, finding the dark, ashy clouds pleasing to the eyes. It was just right for what he was about to do.
Turning his eyes away, Zhao Wei took a deep breath and focused on the recently acquired technique.
Heaven Extermination Bow Technique.
From his understanding, the technique heavily favored those with extreme yang energy, those with an established Yang-attributed true energy, or those with physiques attuned to the Yang Laws.
It also demanded a strong physique and outstanding mental fortitude.
If you don't understand the essence of the flames, how can you hope to play around with fire? Zhao Wei smiled, the frost sticking to his eyebrows vaporizing voluntarily.
'First Form: Ten Suns Overshadowing Heaven and Earth.' He slowly closed his eyes, serenity permeating every inch of his body.
The insights of the technique flowed into Zhao Wei's mind as he leisurely comprehended it.
'Ten Suns above, commanding the heavens and destroying the earth.' Zhao Wei concentrated on the primordial stellar energy within him, the heat coursing through his meridians like molten lava.
In the era of antiquity, there was a legend of the Ten Primordial Golden Crows. They blazed with the brilliance of the sun, each taking turns to illuminate the world. Yet, if all ten appeared at once, it would herald calamity for all living things. Inevitably, this catastrophe came to pass, ushering in an apocalypse that threatened the very extinction of life. The ten Golden Crows, in their majesty, unfurled their fiery wings, poised to scorch heaven and earth.
The ancient humans were surely done for. However, it was only through the emergence of a supreme expert from the ancient race with exceptional archery skills, that humanity held onto hope. With his divine bow, the ancient god valiantly shot nine Golden Crows, erasing their existence from the universe.
'Of course, the Ten Suns Overshadowing Heaven and Earth isn't on the same level as the supreme one's archery Dao or the Golden Crows in destruction levels. The first form is just an inspired imitation. However, I can't ignore its lethality.'
'To destroy something akin to the sun a cultivator probably required conceptual comprehension of universal laws. Or just be extremely powerful that the sun and the moon pale in your presence,' Zhao Wei thought in amusement, 'Just like a heaven-toppling jade beauty.'
Heat waves gradually began radiating off his figure, distorting light and creating momentary mirages. The snow below his feet started melting and receding within 2 meters from where he stood.
Zhao Wei could feel the power of the stars, the primordial flames, urging him to release them into the world—to wreak havoc. Sadly, he was in control. He was the master of the flames.
With his brows slightly knitting together, Zhao Wei summoned the stellar flames according to the visualization of the Ten Suns Overshadowing Heaven and Earth.
His eyes abruptly snapped open, transcendental golden rings surrounding his silver pupils. From his hands, a bow created entirely out of pure stellar flames materialized. Flames that could easily melt a standard cultivator's bones to ashes, seemed servile to his presence.
Zhao Wei slowly pulled back the fiery string as he aimed the arrowless bow at the sky.
His internal energy depleted, congealing into a radiant, fiery arrow. The heat emanating from him was so intense that the cold dared not approach.
"Ten Suns," Zhao Wei muttered and dramatically released the string. There were no excessive movements, just a simple release.
The moisture and snow within a 5-meter radius instantly turned to vapor and the ground became a charred, black mess.
Boom!
The world held its breath as the golden flaming arrow roared, piercing the air, and illuminating everything in existence. In that dark world of snow and ice, only one flaming arrow reigned supreme. But that was not all. One arrow was merely the prologue. The follow-up change was what showcased the true state of the First Form.
The fiery arrow split into ten miniature suns as bright as the primal light of creation's dawn. It was terrifyingly beautiful, carrying the essence of ruination and the blissful song of death.
The ten suns descended upon the earth, their aim: the oblivious gigantic boulders, far in the distance.
From an outside perspective, the ten suns eclipsed everything below it, disdaining the heavens and earth. Existence itself seemed very tiny compared to the blazing light of destruction.
BOOM!
A thunderous crack echoed across the mountains, followed by the sharp hiss of air as the ten suns administered cataclysmic punishment onto the earth. The gigantic, imposing boulders, six meters in size, exploded into small, fragmented stones that shuttled through the air like bullets. The snowy landscape was overturned into scorched earth, devoid of any moisture. A misty veil of vapor lingered around the devastated area, affecting overall visibility.
It didn't take long before a portion of the ground turned to lava.
"This is better than I expected. Its area of effect is quite effective against an army of enemies," Zhao Wei analyzed the first form of the technique.
"If I hadn't set up the noise cancellation array, defensive array, sensory isolation array, and other reinforcing sub-arrays, people might have thought the sect was under heavy attack." He pursed his lips while thinking aloud. "Good preparations saved me a bunch of useless explanations to offer."
"Now to the Second Form: Heart Lock Explosion."
The second form's foundation lay on one's mastery over true energy and extreme precision. Its success relied on the cultivator's level in Archery Dao. Each archer had his/her unique understanding of the art of archery.
Do you control the bow or does the bow control you?
Are you and your bow one or two separate existences?
Do you understand your target's anatomy?
What's your intent?
The second form was all about synchronicity between man and bow and finally, the target.
The intent of the archer? Intent? The profound connection between the bow, arrow, and the wielder? Zhao Wei tightly gripped the flaming bow as he gained insights into the second form.
As if in a trance, Zhao Wei drew the bowstring again.
"Focus. Intent. Focus your intent," he murmured as his energy coalesced into a blazing spear, the size of an average man. The odd thing about the spear was the lack of heat waves on its body.
Zhao Wei had concentrated all the heat, killing intent, and momentum into one singular point—the spearhead. However, even that fact was concealed— camouflaged through exquisite control over energy.
"Heart Lock." Zhao Wei released the string, allowing the blazing spear to devour sound and lock onto its target. The spear distorted light and heat, becoming visible and invisible, phasing out of existence and returning as it pleased.
A thick ancient pine tree was the unlucky enemy as the arrow spear struck its icy bark, digging 50 centimeters into it.
"Explosion," he whispered.
It only took an instance of dramatic silence and a golden flash of light before a quiet kind of explosion turned the tree into gloomy, grey ashes and tiny wooden remains. The second form was like a Trojan. Once a target was locked on and penetrated by the arrow, it induced a full-body explosion like a grenade stuffed inside someone's guts.
"Phew, I still have enough inner energy for the Third form: Existential Incineration." Zhao Wei inspected his energy reserves. The technique required a tremendous amount of inner energy to create an equivalent level of devastation.
The moment he conjured the last arrow, he felt his energy being sucked at a rapid rate.
'What a greedy third form. Show me what you've got then.' Zhao Wei released the arrow that shot straight like a flaming comet or wheels of Helios.
Like an incarnation of destruction, it incinerated everything in its path into ashes. Some rocks and trees on the ground didn't even get the chance to turn into ashes but were instead severed from existence.
"Wow," Zhao Wei murmured, his mouth slightly agape in awe of what he was witnessing. That final move had shattered a section of the array network fortified by layers of superimposed, perfectly crafted spiritual-tier defensive arrays.
"The third form has the possibility of killing an early True Spirit Realm cultivator. But that's just a guess."
It was then that a sense of lethargy washed over him, making him feel depleted. The Third Form had sapped even his mental energy, making him feel extremely drained.
The flaming bow in his hand disintegrated into motes of light that were absorbed into heaven and earth.
"Now, how should I deal with this environmental devastation?" Zhao Wei muttered to himself as he collapsed onto the ground. Propping himself up on his arms, he stared out at the apocalyptic landscape before him.
"That's too much work. I wish I had a spiritual automaton to repair the mess I leave behind. Anyway, I'll call the servants to deal with it." He finally concluded.
After resting and donning fresh clothes, Zhao Wei knew the time had come to venture back into the world. He couldn't remain sheltered within the confines of the Broken Moon Sect forever. The resources he enjoyed came with a price, and he had to earn them through his own efforts. Besides, a part of him longed for the thrill of adventure. The outside world was treacherous, its dangers indifferent to anyone who dared challenge them.
But before that, Zhao Wei chose to head towards the Blacksmith's Forge first and then leave for the sect's mission.
***