The Battle in Journey to the West
Chapter 119 - 117: Drawing the Bow Like a Full Moon

Chapter 119: Chapter 117: Drawing the Bow Like a Full Moon

The Daoist Equal to Heaven beheld the profound secret of the Middle Ancient Period within the Hate Heaven Secret Realm and came across a black coffin identical to the one he saw beneath the Peach Garden. The owner of this black coffin had presented to him a Swallowing Dragon Stele.

The origins of the Hate Heaven Secret Realm were mysterious, and since its existence, outsiders have found it difficult to enter, while the Ancient Hate Heaven Clan inside could not leave. Therefore, the Four Great Continents knew nothing of the Hate Heaven Clan, let alone the specifics of their existence. The great massacre of the Middle Ancient Period was clearly related to the Ancient Hate Heaven Clan, but it was unknown whether this clan had died out; within this secret realm, not a single person had been found.

This altar was arranged according to the Bagua, and within it lay a Divine Bow and a Divine Arrow. The Daoist Equal to Heaven took but one glance to realize that these treasures were extraordinary, thinking to himself, "Could it be that this bow and arrow were also crafted by that Ancient Hate Heaven Clan? Such artifact refining prowess, I fear, is hardly inferior to that of Laozi."

He had witnessed the Ancient Hate Heaven Clan’s method of crafting Magical Treasures, where countless masters from Ancient Times absorbed Dragon Qi from their stone statues to heal their wounds.

"With this bow and this arrow to pierce through the prohibitions over the ocean, such methods are truly defiant of the heavens," the Daoist Equal to Heaven thought as he approached the altar.

There stood a stone statue beside the altar, which, unlike a suit of battle armor, seemed to serve merely as an object of veneration. The figure held a longbow, with its arrow pointed towards the sky, which naturally meant the sea above.

The Ancient Hate Heaven Clan, due to their duty of guarding the Ruins, lived perennially without sunlight, thus fostering resentment and taking the name "Hate Heaven," signifying their bitterness towards the heavens for their birthplace.

The Hate Heaven Clan was originally tasked with guarding the Ruins. However, that responsibility bred hatred within them, and they crafted this Sky-Breaking Divine Bow and Sky-Breaking Divine Arrow. These weapons were specifically designed to shatter the ocean’s prohibitions, the culmination of an entire clan’s blood, sweat, and tears. This statue seemed to represent the ancestors of the Hate Heaven Clan.

The Daoist Equal to Heaven bowed to the stone statue at the Bagua Altar, saying, "I, the Daoist Equal to Heaven, have come upon this noble clan’s secret realm by chance and mean no disturbance. To find a way out, I humbly seek to borrow the Magical Treasure for a time. I request the forbearance of the forebear." Inside, he couldn’t help but think, "This clan is named ’Hate Heaven,’ and their weapons ’Sky-Breaking.’ They must indeed hold profound resentment towards the heavens. I wonder if using these treasures will entangle me within some tremendous karma!"

As the Daoist Equal to Heaven entered the altar, he felt waves of power surging into his body. The Bagua Altar, gathering the vital essence of the Ruins, flooded his being, making him instantly feel overwhelmingly energized, as if he needed to find a way to release it lest he burst at any moment.

"Imitating Heaven and Earth, Buddha’s Golden Body!" the Daoist Equal to Heaven roared, transforming into a giant thousands of feet tall, with a point of golden light at his brow. In an instant, his expression became one of immense compassion for all beings, a Divine Skill found in the Sutra of the Other Shore that allowed one to morph into a towering Buddha.

Picking up the bow and arrow, the Daoist Equal to Heaven felt their extraordinary heaviness. The bow was inscribed with Talismans strung together, glowing with golden light.

Each Talisman on the arrow was linked together by Great Mystics using Great Magical Power. At the very least, it was a Magic Artifact created by creators, and certainly, not by a single one but by several acting together. There was even the possibility that beings at the Quasi-Saint Level were involved. Had it not been for the power of the Bagua Altar reinforcing him, the Daoist Equal to Heaven feared he might have been killed by the rebound of these Talismans.

The two Swallowing Dragon Steles detached themselves, transforming into two giant dragons that coiled around the Daoist Equal to Heaven’s arms, rearing their heads and roaring. Mysterious Xia Dynasty Dragon Seals flowed from the dragons, blanketing his arms and instantly generating an overwhelming mighty force.

"Humming sounds!"

As he employed the Magical Treasure crafted by the Ancient Hate Heaven Clan, the massive portal began to tremble. The Xia Dynasty Dragon Seals on it started to roar, and sounds like thunder came from behind it, booming continuously, but the portal, constructed entirely of Divine Iron, could not be broken.

"Get back, you cannot come out yet!" A cold, anger-filled voice seemed to issue from the coffin.

The Daoist Equal to Heaven immediately broke out in a cold sweat; the strength of the person in the coffin was definitely beyond that of the creators. He was merely at the level of a Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal of First Heaven, nowhere near capable of fathoming such majesty, which could terrify anyone not steadfast in mind.

"I must leave this place quickly," thought the Daoist Equal to Heaven. "Otherwise, should misfortune arise, it would be most unfortunate."

Having obtained a second Swallowing Dragon Stele in the Ruins, there was no need for him to linger any longer. He drew the Divine Bow to its full extent, like a full moon, and pressed the Divine Arrow against the bowstring, which trembled incessantly, as if eager to launch.

"Go!"

With a soft cry from the Daoist Equal to Heaven, he released his fingers. The Talismans on the bow and arrow swiftly rotated and converged at the arrowhead. The arrow shot forth with a twang, tearing a long rift in the void and flying at lightning speed.

The hundred-zhang-long Divine Arrow was launched into the sky, reaching tens of thousands of feet high in an instant. Above was a vast expanse of water; below the water lay the Heavenly Dao’s prohibitions, impermeable even to the creators. Otherwise, they would not have combined forces to forge such a Magical Treasure.

"A thunderous boom!"

With the firing of the arrow, the entire layer of prohibition broke apart, and the laws and restrictions shattered. The endless seawater poured in, as if the sky were collapsing, reminiscent of Gonggong breaking the Heavenly Pillar.

The Daoist Equal to Heaven activated his Escape Technique, becoming a beam of golden light, soaring toward the breach. Torrential waters cascaded down with a force of a million pounds or more. Such was the depth of the ocean here that with a gap breached, the water rushed in with an immense force.

In an instant, the Daoist Equal to Heaven reached the rift to find the waters churning below, the sight enough to instill dread.

He channeled his mana, and the two divine dragons on his arms roared. One plunged into the water, and he instantly felt as if a Mount Tai had grown on his back. He quickly engaged the water escape method.

The immense pressure made Daoist Equal to Heaven’s skin split open all over his body, and the blood was forced out in squirts. He knew that if he couldn’t break free before the gap closed, he would have no way of getting out. With a loud shout, his muscles swelled, his veins writhing like dragons. Employing the innate divine ability of the Tongbei Monkey, his arms suddenly grew incredibly long, grabbed onto the breach in the enchantment, pulled and snapped it, propelling himself out of the water with a great force, ’whoosh!’

Although he had made it out, a massive suction force dragged him downward again, trying to pull him back into the Hate Heaven Secret Realm in Ruins.

"Go!" Daoist Equal to Heaven released the two divine dragons in his hand, grabbing onto their tails. The two dragons immediately headed towards the surface.

The two divine dragons were immensely powerful. Despite the terrifying suction force below, they slowly pulled Daoist Equal to Heaven upward.

Finally, the enchantment below snapped shut, blocking the water from pouring in any longer, and the massive suction force finally disappeared.

Daoist Equal to Heaven was brought to the surface by the two divine dragons, which then transformed back into the Swallowing Dragon Stele and returned inside his body.

At that moment, Daoist Equal to Heaven heard a loud noise from the horizon and exclaimed, "Aiyo, not good! My arrow has broken the Southern Sky Gate."

The arrow released by Daoist Equal to Heaven had broken through the enchantment and shot straight up into the Nine Heavens, piercing the clouds and heading in the direction of the Southern Toad Continent. Little did he expect such terrifying power from the arrow, which shot up into the sky.

The soldiers and Heavenly Generals at the Southern Sky Gate only saw a streak of golden light from below and were about to challenge it, to identify which Immortal it was, when they realized with horror upon its close approach—a gigantic arrow had pierced through the Southern Sky Gate, toppling it with a thunderous noise, and reducing the surrounding soldiers to pools of bloody water with its enormous power.

"This is bad! The arrow is headed towards VLOOKUP(A1309,[1]Sheet1!$A:$B,2,0)!" The Heavenly General guarding the gate couldn’t help but shout, as he hastily mounted the clouds to give chase.

But this Sky-Breaking Divine Arrow, after all, was crafted by a Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal of the Third Heaven, and possibly even had the involvement of a Quasi-Saint level master. How could they possibly catch up to it?

The Jade Emperor had been attending to state affairs in VLOOKUP(A1309,[1]Sheet1!$A:$B,2,0), listening to the officials’ reports, when suddenly he heard a piercing sound resembling a feathered arrow. He couldn’t help but smile to himself, "Who is so bold as to shoot arrows wildly in the Heavenly Court?"

As he was pondering, suddenly, Angel Xu Jingyang shouted, "Quick, dodge! Get down!"

The officials didn’t understand and hesitated, but he suddenly threw caution to the wind and threw himself to the ground, as did some of the formidable Golden Immortals. However, many did not understand the urgency.

"Boom!"

The Jade Emperor was about to speak when he saw an enormous arrowhead shatter the front door of VLOOKUP(A1309,[1]Sheet1!$A:$B,2,0), carving it into pieces as it flew inside.

Those officials who had not yet dropped were grazed by the Divine Arrow, the talismans on the arrowhead flashing as it instantly turned them into pools of blood—none, not even the Daluo Golden Immortals, could withstand such a blow.

The Jade Emperor was petrified in shock, and the You Yi Ling Officer by his side swiftly pushed him, and the two of them together fell to the ground.

"Boom!"

The Divine Arrow shattered a desk as it pinned itself into the wall behind. Its power was spent—if it had just been shot, coming into proximity with the force that could break through the enchantment would have grind them to death!

"Quick, protect the Emperor!" You Yi Ling Officer shouted.

The Duty Hall General quickly stepped forward, and the Military Generals surrounded the Jade Emperor, helping him up. Then they swiftly evacuated VLOOKUP(A1309,[1]Sheet1!$A:$B,2,0), retreating to his sleeping quarters.

Xu Jingyang dusted off his sleeves, rising up from the ground, and said in shock, "What kind of magical treasure is this, possessing such might? Who is the archer? I’m afraid even the Ancient Hou Yi would be hard-pressed to compare!"

The Sky-Breaking Divine Arrow flickered for a moment, then transformed into a flash of golden light and fled, vanishing from sight.

The surviving civil and military officials, who had just escaped the catastrophe, looked at their slain colleagues with trembling dread and continuous shudders.

To find out what happens next, please tune into the next episode.