Chapter 696 - 691: The Arrow That Shot The Stars

Chapter 696 - 691: The Arrow That Shot The Stars

Wei Wuyin's heart was suffused with anticipation. When he scoured the memories of that young-looking cultivator, he discovered something quite interesting. A dark, sinister operation that stealthily sold certain cultivators to an illicit organization, both men and women. However, the young-looking cultivator specialized in male cultivators, which was why Wei Wuyin was approached and tagged by an invisible insect.

In fact, the young-looking male cultivator had even established female-centric groups of vixens to attract males and place them in vulnerable situations. They were tasked to find loose and rogue cultivators who won't be missed, leading them into traps to be shipped off and sold.

Normally, Wei Wuyin wouldn't care much about such organizations. As long as cultivators existed, a differentiation of the weak and the strong, the exploitation of others will be a forever constant. The Everlore Starfield could've been the same, if not for the Myriad Transformations All-Alchemist who established the Alchemist Association.

The Four Extreme Continent was more blatant. The elves captured treasure seekers and resold them back to their human counterparts for a profit, causing them to be turned into Alchemic Proxies or Energy Converters. The dark side of cultivation was always present. If not this, then the uprooting of entire clans or cities for resources or revenge.

Death was abundant. Exploitation was endless.

Wei Wuyin indulged in this life as well, especially if he had forcefully extracted Na Xinyi of her yin energies that day. During that time, he led a group of cultivators who tracked down and slaughtered the weak, old, and young on orders of the Scarlet Solaris Sect.

The women who were marked for death were given to the men as reward, brutal and violent. The men were forced into life-bound servitude, killed if they resisted. Cultivation is difficult and the world is cruel. Two absolute truths that will never be eliminated, be it for humans or beasts, gods or ghosts.

It just didn't matter.

Even the Heavenly Daos saw nothing wrong with this. Bai Lin had just slaughtered millions yet would've been rewarded in her next life for doing so by the Heavenly Daos. Wei Wuyin was born into this world, and he wasn't ignorant of its primal laws. As long as he lived his life with a clear conscience, whether it followed the Bloodline of Sin's dogma or the Heavenly Daos' three thousand commandments, he wouldn't mind living in such a cruel world.

That being said, through the memories of the young-looking male cultivator, he discovered the faint hints of Heart of the World, World of the Heart Intent. Immediately, he decided to see if, by some chance, the man was still alive. If not, it was just a minor detour.

Wei Wuyin just hadn't expected that this so-called minor detour would end up being so fruitful. Not only did he find Yue Songli, gained copious amounts of Karmic Luck Value, he also learned how Blessed refueled their Karmic Luck Value and discovered answers to many of his long-standing questions. He had even learned of Fuxi's existence, obtained an artificial Yang Source Quintessence of a Yang Renewal Physique, and obtained an idea for a new alchemical product.

This little trip was so beneficial that Wei Wuyin had heartfelt suspicions that these events could've been linked to his Karmic Luck Value's recent deduction. However, there were no influential hints relating to any of it. This was just a product of his own decision and planning.

He had to once again remind himself that the Heavenly Daos were not responsible for all the benefits in life.

Yao Houyi felt incredibly confused. World Heart Intent? He was baffled and uncertain. What the hell was that? Let alone this, he had so many other questions, but he held them in for fear of angering Wei Wuyin.

"What...did you do to me?" Yao Houyi felt different. Completely different.

Wei Wuyin calmly said, "I suspected that limited mental energy prevented you from processing the Will inside the Intent, so I just expanded your mind a little. But I never expected..." Halting his words, that dignified gaze fixed on Yao Houyi, staring into his eyes.

Wei Wuyin had discovered something frightening. Yao Houyi hadn't comprehended a single World Heart Intent, but two. A type of Bow Intent and Arrow Intent, and these two Intents merged together into one with perfect synchronicity.

In the world of cultivation, bows were not limited to just hand-pulled bows, but crossbows with elastic launching devices and their ammo wasn't just arrows, but rocks, metal bullets used for hunting animals, bolts and canisters of liquid such as oil or adhesives. He was well-aware of this, having deployed some of these means himself during his battles in the Scarlet Solaris Sect.

However, the bow and arrow as a whole wasn't very well-used, oftentimes considered archaic. When a cultivator reached a certain level, comprehending wind energies and capable of birthing it, projectiles of this nature became obsolete. After all, a ward of wind could easily alter the trajectory.

In fact, he had never seen a single archer in his entire life beyond the Elemental Birth Phase. While some tools were used in the defense of cities, many of these warbows were substituted with cannons that can fire out compressed forms of destructive energies as societies advanced to such means.

He hadn't expected that this man had comprehended two Intents to the World Heart Level, merged them into one, and it originates from such an obsolete weapon. While talented, outrageously so, impossibly so, unfathomably so, it was also quite tempting.

Wei Wuyin had been trying to get Zuhei to merge his Battle and Slaughter Intent, believing its form would rival his Elemental Origin Intent. Yet this man, a Yang Growth Phase cultivator, had accomplished it with two Intents and brought them to the World Heart Intent level?

If brought to a certain level of strength, what feats could he accomplish with just a single bow and single arrow?

Yao Houyi was fiercely shaken. Wei Wuyin expanded his mind with a touch? What type of cultivation level could accomplish such an incredible feat?! A deep-seated curiosity was nestled in his heart.

Wei Wuyin and Yao Houyi stared at each other for a very long moment, as if connected by some unseen force.

Wei Wuyin broke this silence first, "Are you hun-"

But before his words could be finished, Yao Houyu kneeled directly with a harsh thud, startling even Wei Wuyin. "Let me, Yao Houyi, follow you. If asked, I'll be your arrow that shoots the stars if need be!"

"..." Wei Wuyin was taken aback by the initiative. With a hearty laughter, he couldn't help but amusingly said: "My arrow? The one that shoots the stars, huh? You don't even know if I have good intentions, yet you're willing to kneel before me and pledge your allegiance? Isn't that a little careless and unreliable?"

Yao Houyi's heart tightened. But he remembered his parent's words, and the last regret he had told that conniving woman. If one day, he could shoot down the stars in the sky, he would be able to be satisfied with life.

"I don't want to live my life with any regrets, so no matter what," Yao Houyi lifted his gaze to discover Wei Wuyin's silver eyes, "I'm willing to follow you with all my heart."

"..." Wei Wuyin was silent for a long moment, those words striking a heavy cord in his heart. Then, a bright smile overtook his expression, and with a hearty laugh... "Then, the arrow who promises to shoot the stars, I can't let your heart be disappointed."