Legend of the Divine Archer

The City Lord, whose aura flickered like a candle in a storm, was the first to speak. His voice was weak, tinged with both fear and desperation. "Is it with you?" he asked, alluding to the powerful presence of Scar.

"It comes from the Vein, same as the other," Yan Jin replied, his tone steady and reassuring. "We made a deal, so it is temporarily an ally."

The air around them tensed as the Purple Spear Meng, who was barely holding himself together, asked, "What about the Bloodwitch?"

"She should be making her way here soon," Yan Jin answered calmly, sensing the surge of killing intent from both men at the mention of her name. It was an instinctual reaction, their auras flaring up briefly before fading back into their weakened states.

Yan Jin remained unfazed by their response. "It\'s okay," he assured them. "I can handle it. You should go and help the survivors."

The City Lord hesitated, his voice trembling with uncertainty. "Are you sure...?" he began, but his words were cut off by a series of violent coughing fits. The sound of blood splattering on the ground reached Yan Jin\'s ears, the metallic scent growing stronger in the air.

"The source of the corruption has been dealt with," Yan Jin continued, his voice firm. "Although the Vein has not fully recovered, it is still fighting back. The people still need you. I remember my promise. You can go in peace."

The weight of his words settled over the two men, offering them a sliver of hope amidst their suffering. Yan Jin could sense their reluctance, their auras still flickering with doubt, but they knew they were in no condition to continue the fight. Their bodies were broken, their spirits battered, and yet, there was a duty that still called to them—a duty to protect the people of Pine City.

With a final nod, the City Lord and the Purple Spear Meng turned away, their footsteps heavy as they moved to fulfill Yan Jin\'s command. They would gather what strength they had left to aid the survivors, trusting in Yan Jin to handle the looming threat of the Bloodwitch.

As the battlefield emptied and the survivors moved to safety, a heavy silence settled over Pine City. Only one figure remained behind—Wei Xi, still kneeling and clutching the lifeless body of Meng Xiao. His tear-filled eyes were glued to the figure of Yan Jin, who now hovered above the city like a guardian angel preparing for judgment.

The innocence that once defined Wei Xi\'s features had vanished, replaced by a hardened resolve. He was waiting—waiting for the miracle his older brother was about to unleash.

Wei Xi had always known Yan Jin was different. From their earliest interactions, Yan Jin had carried himself with a unique poise, generosity, and fairness. He treated everyone with respect, never looking down on others, never placing himself above them. Yan Jin was an arbitrator of balance, a being untouched by the harshness of reality, pure and untainted.

But today, Wei Xi would witness a new side of his brother—a side that was both a conqueror and a ruler, a destroyer who would unleash his fury on those who had brought ruin to their world.

Supported by his ever-growing soul energy, Yan Jin began to ascend. The air around him shimmered with power as he rose higher and higher, levitating to the highest point in the city. His presence commanded attention, and despite their fear and exhaustion, every survivor paused to watch his ascension. Their eyes followed him, filled with awe and hope, as if they were witnessing the rise of a deity.

As Yan Jin reached the optimal point above Pine City, he closed his eyes and let his Soul Domain expand. It spread out like a delicate web, covering the entire city, with Yan Jin at its center. He could feel every detail within its boundaries—the crumbling buildings, the lingering corruption, the struggling survivors, and Wei Xi, still kneeling below.

The energy of the city, both light and dark, pulsed within his domain, mapping out the positions of every living being and every corrupted cell.

Taking a deep breath, Yan Jin spoke into the void, his voice resonating with an otherworldly power. "Threads of stars and bone, Blood hums where gods fear to tread— Echoes of the void. Primordial dusk, Veins of cosmic dust entwine— Timeless echoes bleed." The words were like an incantation, spoken not just into the air but into the very fabric of reality itself.

As he completed the spell, Yan Jin\'s body began to change. "Heritical God Eye-Soul Form," he declared, and the transformation began.

His clothes burned away, leaving him clad only in a pair of tattered pants. His once healthy and muscular physique started to decay, becoming pale and emaciated, his skin stretched tight over his bones. His hair, which had once been dark, turned a ghostly white, growing long and flowing around him like strands of silver grass caught in an unseen wind.

Though he appeared frail, like a scholar who had spent too many years poring over ancient texts, the pressure that radiated from him was enough to deter anyone from approaching. He was a paradox of power—a figure who looked as if a single breeze might blow him away, yet exuded an aura of such overwhelming force that it seemed to crush the very air around him.

As his bandages fell away, revealing his eyelids, they quivered for a moment before parting, allowing a glimpse of the color of his pupils—bright gold, shining with the intensity of a Buddha\'s gaze. The energy within him surged, his soul energy reaching a level comparable to that of a Blood Resonance Realm Warrior.

Yan Jin hovered above Pine City, his transformation complete, and the weight of his presence pressing down on everything below him. His hand moved with a grace that belied the immense power he now wielded, reaching for his bow. The moment he grasped it and aimed toward the city, an overwhelming pressure descended like a torrent, crashing down on the city with the force of a waterfall.

The very air seemed to grow denser, the weight forcing everyone down, their knees buckling under the strain. But the pressure was most intense on the corrupted beings scattered throughout the city.

These creatures, twisted and malformed by the corruption, found themselves shackled by an invisible force, unable to move. Their bodies, once menacing and full of malevolent energy, now writhed helplessly on the ground, squirming like worms caught under a crushing weight. They resisted, their twisted limbs twitching in a futile attempt to break free, but the force that held them was absolute.

The corrupted beings could do nothing but wait, their once-powerful forms now reduced to pathetic, writhing shapes beneath Yan Jin\'s overwhelming presence.

As Yan Jin drew his bow, the string taut with tension but without an arrow, the sky above began to change. Dark clouds gathered, swirling together as if pulled by some magnetic force. Thunder crackled through the air, the atmosphere growing heavy with static, making the hair on the necks of those below stand on end. With every strike of lightning, the shadow of a giant bird flickered across the sky.

Sometimes, the silhouette appeared as a massive bird, wings spread wide as if ready to dive; other times, it shifted into the shape of a colossal fish, its form swimming through the stormy clouds as if they were water.

All eyes were fixed on Yan Jin. The survivors who had once cowered in fear now watched with a mix of awe and anticipation. They knew something monumental was about to happen, something that would change the course of their lives forever. The corrupted beings, too, though helpless, could sense the impending doom, their feeble struggles growing more frantic as they felt the looming end.

Then, like rays of light piercing through the dark clouds, thousands of tiny, shimmering lights began to illuminate the sky above Pine City. They spread out wide and far, engulfing the entire city in a radiant glow. These lights were not random; they were the manifestation of the technique Yan Jin had comprehended during his journey through the corrupted mist.

"The intent of an arrow is a sharp whisper in the wind, a focused expression of will forged from tension and precision. It carries the archer\'s resolve, a silent pact between bow and target. In flight, it becomes the embodiment of purpose, cutting through air and doubt alike.

Whether it seeks to protect, to hunt, or to strike with vengeance, the arrow\'s intent is singular and unyielding—a straight line drawn between desire and impact, where hesitation cannot follow. Its aim is not merely to reach its mark but to deliver the intent that propelled it, with all the weight of meaning behind it."

As the tiny lights flickered, they began to change, shifting from mere points of light into the sharp, unmistakable shape of arrowheads. Slowly, they transformed further into fully formed arrows, each one imbued with the intent to kill. Yan Jin\'s resolve had taken shape, his intent clear for all to see.

The sky above Pine City was now filled with hovering arrows, each one brimming with lethal intent, waiting to be unleashed like a deadly rain shower.

"Arrow Intent," the City Lord murmured, his voice filled with a mix of awe and dread as he watched the sky.

"No," someone else whispered in the crowd, their voice trembling with reverence. "A celestial descent."

With that, Yan Jin released the string of his bow.

The sky erupted with a deafening roar as the arrows shot forward, each one moving with the speed and precision of a divine judgment.