Arrogant words, domineering demeanor, and an air of arrogance that makes one think that no one else in the world can compare to them.
Liu Xinya was so angry that her teeth itched. Just as she was about to retort, she suddenly noticed that Liu Lanyan had moved.
Raise your left hand, hold it straight up, and slightly loosely clench it.
Why does this pose look so strange?
Liu Xinya frowned as she pondered, when suddenly, a strange scene unfolded, far beyond her comprehension, causing her to forget her questions and stare in disbelief.
Points of light appeared in the air, countless points of light flashing from all directions, converging in the air, flying rapidly in one direction, their target—Liu Lanyan's left hand.
The rapid convergence and condensation formed a crystal-clear longbow that shimmered with a soft, luminous light.
It was formed entirely from an unknown force, and was completely translucent, as if it were made of crystal.
Spreading out from within Liu Xinya's palm, two streamlined longbows extended outwards, adorned with ancient yet grand patterns, appearing at first glance as if sculpted by the world's most skilled sculptor.
Peng Zhen stared intently at it, then opened his mouth in astonishment. What he saw was not a pattern at all, but an ancient talisman, a talisman that had been lost for thousands of years. He had only ever seen such an ancient talisman by chance in some ancient ruins.
how so?
Why would such a lost talisman appear on Liu Lanyan's bow?
Why?
At that moment, the longbow had already taken shape.
Liu Lanyan lightly placed her right hand on the bow, and a thin bowstring suddenly appeared on the longbow that originally had no bowstring. Under the moonlight, it shimmered with delicate light, as if it were made of silver thread. It was so slender, yet no one would underestimate its power.
The light converged once more, linking the bow back and bowstring together. As the light faded, a long arrow, translucent and gleaming like a piece of white jade, emerged.
Liu Lanyan stood there holding a delicate, crystal-clear bow and arrow, which seemed to gather the brilliance of moonlight and shimmered with a beautiful and sacred light.
With her robes fluttering and her black hair flowing, she stood proudly by the Lake of No Worries, like a celestial maiden.
Behind me, the lake shimmered, sparkling like scattered silver, a scene both dreamlike and ethereal.
One person, one bow, without any superfluous movements, yet it evokes an urge to bow down in worship.
She stood there, bow and arrow in hand, radiating a divine aura.
If Liu Xinya had thought Liu Lanyan's words were boastful and thoughtless arrogance just now, she now completely believed them.
That statement was definitely not an exaggeration.
If she wants to conquer the Demon Realm, she can definitely do it.
Because that beautiful, exquisite bow and arrow, which was bathed in moonlight like flowing light, contained a power that terrified her.
The arrowhead was pointed directly at her, facing her from afar, and she already felt a terrifying killing intent.
It is a force that cannot be reversed or changed.
Liu Xinya had a feeling that she couldn't escape.
She had never felt so powerless before. She had never felt this way since following her master. Why was she experiencing this despairing feeling with Liu Lanyan today?
The blood-red skull howled and charged toward Liu Lanyan. Wherever it passed, the damp soil turned to sand, the trees withered and collapsed, the grass turned to dust, and the solid rocks turned to powder in an instant.
But Liu Lanyan remained calm and composed as the demon, seemingly emerging from the underworld, charged towards her with fury.
Then, Liu Lanyan smiled, like a flower suddenly blooming on a branch in early spring, breathtakingly beautiful.
With a gentle release of his fingers, the moonlit arrow pierced the sky, shooting straight toward the blood-red skull.
The ferocious, blood-red skull seemed to sense the terror of the long arrow, its forward momentum paused for a moment, and then it continued to charge forward.
As if to bolster its courage, the massive skull roared with a piercing howl, its power suddenly increasing to more than double what it had been before.
A roar made Peng Zhen's blood surge, and only two words flashed through his mind—"So strong."
Before the thought had even faded, the crystal-clear arrow was already in front of the blood-red hole.
A thick, blood-like substance quickly blocked the blood-red skull, seemingly trying to stop the arrows.
Unfortunately, it had no effect whatsoever.
The arrow pierced through the air without stopping for a moment, and the arrow didn't even seem to encounter any resistance.
It pierced straight through the blood-red hole in her forehead and continued towards Liu Xinya.
With a muffled thud, the radiant arrow pierced through Liu Xinya's body, so fast that not a drop of blood was drawn.
After the arrow pierced through Liu Xinya's body, its powerful momentum was abruptly halted, and it quickly transformed into specks of light in the air before returning to the earth.
Everyone could see that the power of the long arrow did not dissipate after the attack, but rather that Liu Lanyan controlled it to prevent it from continuing to shoot forward and harming anything else.
But Peng Zhen was already taken aback by this level of control over the long arrow.
This is beyond what the word "strong" can describe.
How profound must one's cultivation be to control power so freely?
Peng Zhen turned his head in shock, staring at Liu Lanyan, who looked like a fairy from the heavens. He tried to assess her strength in his mind, but was horrified to find that he could not gauge her true power no matter what he did.
Just then, a crisp snap brought Peng Zhen back to his senses. Looking back, he saw the blood-red skull shatter instantly, turning into a cloud of blood mist that dissipated into the air. The night wind blew it away, leaving no trace.
At the same moment, a spurt of blood shot out from Liu Xinya's chest, and she staggered backward until she crashed into a large tree and came to a stop.
Crimson blood flowed down, staining her clothes red, creating a stark contrast with her pale face.
None of that matters. The most important thing is that the shocked expression on Liu Xinya's face has far exceeded her tolerance, making her unable to feel her injuries and completely immersed in Liu Lanyan's terrifying power.
Everything happened so fast that Peng Zhen and Liu Xinya couldn't react at all.
Holding a longbow, Liu Lanyan frowned slightly. Judging from her expression, she was clearly not very satisfied with the arrow she had shot.
The wind blew gently, swirling up the withered branches and leaves on the ground, making a rustling sound, but no one spoke.
There was a suffocating feeling by the lake, as if the world had frozen in place.
Time seemed to stand still at this moment...
For a long, long time...
"Who...who are you..." The low voice sounded like a murmur, or perhaps a question, carrying a sense of fear, doubt, and above all, confusion.
"Who exactly are you?" Liu Xinya stared wide-eyed at Liu Lanyan, trying to see clearly who this person in front of her was.
Is this the Liu Lanyan she has always known?
That silly woman who has no demonic power whatsoever?
Her chest heaved rapidly as her breathing aggravated the injury on her chest, causing her to cough violently. Mouthfuls of blood gushed out with each cough, staining her clothes a striking crimson.
All the doubts paled in comparison to the shock that followed, because Liu Lanyan uttered something that terrified her. The words were few and simple, yet they struck Liu Xinya like a bolt from the blue, leaving her trembling with fear.
"Protective Crystal." Liu Lanyan gently curled the corners of her lips into a dreamlike and beautiful smile. Her eyes seemed to sparkle with starlight, blinking brightly and beautifully.
It wasn't doubt, but certainty, as he revealed the secret about Liu Xinya.
Protective Crystal?
Upon hearing the name, Peng Zhen gasped. Wasn't that an extremely rare treasure that was very difficult to refine in the Demon Realm?
The Protective Crystal can protect the user's spirit, minimizing damage.
These are definitely not items that ordinary royalty or nobles can possess; the few extremely rare protective crystals must be in the hands of one of the most powerful figures in the Demon Realm.
Given Liu Xinya's husband's status as a general, he is absolutely not qualified to possess it.
Peng Zhen was already quite surprised that Liu Xinya possessed a protective crystal, but what surprised him even more was Liu Lanyan's insightful remark.
The protective crystal is extremely well hidden; to see through it is definitely not something that can be done simply by having experience or being highly skilled.
"No wonder you didn't die." Liu Lanyan said casually, tilting her head slightly and smiling calmly. There was a hint of playfulness in that calm smile, as if she were talking about the weather.
"Who are you?" Liu Xinya asked solemnly.
She was now quite certain that this person was definitely not Liu Lanyan, or rather, not the Liu Lanyan she had always known.
Even if Hu Yuanjing were her father, Liu Jinli, she might not know, let alone that she was a fool.
Liu Lanyan revealed it so easily, exposing her secret in one sentence.
"Of course I am Liu Lanyan." Liu Lanyan smiled, her eyes crinkling, and said meaningfully, more like an exclamation than a statement, "The eyes will only ever see the surface."
Isn't this blatantly saying she's blind?
Liu Xinya was so angry that her face turned ashen, her body trembled, and the pain in her chest worsened.
"Yes, a mere mortal like me can't see the surface. How can I compare to the Lord? He saw through Sister Lanyan's abilities at a glance. No wonder he dotes on you so much."
Liu Xinya's eyes darted around, and despite her pain, she used sarcastic and provocative language to sow discord.
"Lanyan, you've become someone's shield, and now you even have to fight alongside them. It seems the Lord has really made a killing in this deal." Liu Xinya mocked, determined to put Liu Lanyan down.
When facing a strong opponent, in addition to defeating them, it is even more important to psychologically undermine them.
An opponent whose inner self is suppressed is the easiest to deal with. This should be a good strategy, but unfortunately, Liu Xinya chose the wrong target.
Is Liu Lanyan the kind of person who can be easily provoked by a few casual words?
After hearing Liu Xinya's words, Liu Lanyan just laughed and said with a smile, "Even if I'm being used, I'm willing. What's it to you?"
As he spoke, the radiance reappeared, and brilliant arrow fletchings once again appeared on the exquisite longbow. This time, Peng Zhen clearly felt that the arrow fletchings were different from the ones before.
The spiritual energy between heaven and earth surged rapidly, like a monstrous wave crashing towards this place. The rich spiritual energy of heaven and earth was refined, and the purest spiritual energy rushed over.
It swept over like a whirlpool, and at the center of the whirlpool was the dazzling arrow fletching.
The transparent light refracted into a variety of colors, enveloping Liu Lanyan completely, making her appear like a goddess radiating holy light, pure, noble, sacred, and inviolable.
Liu Xinya's expression changed drastically, and she no longer dared to underestimate her opponent. She quickly chanted something, and a bright red light emerged from her chest. It was a small crystal, thin and almost transparent.
The crystal was so thin and small that it seemed like it could shatter at the slightest touch, but after it appeared, Liu Xinya's face showed a relieved smile, as if it were her greatest protective barrier.
As Liu Xinya spoke, the small, almost transparent red crystal rapidly grew, eventually becoming as tall as Liu Xinya, like a shield blocking her way.
The swirling spiritual energy of heaven and earth was completely blocked out, and Liu Xinya was thoroughly protected by the red crystal shield.
Protective Crystal.
Peng Zhen had never seen what the Protective Crystal looked like, but after witnessing its astonishing protective power, he deduced that it was the legendary, extremely rare Protective Crystal.
The spiritual energy of heaven and earth surging wildly towards the arrow in Liu Lanyan's hand could not shake the protective crystal in the slightest. Under the faint red light, Liu Xinya could be said to be in a completely safe world.
"Liu Lanyan, let me see just how much strength you've been hiding. Don't disappoint me," Liu Xinya said smugly.