Chapter 388 - 387: Firing First Arrow

Then her body dissolved into a brilliant orb of golden light.

The orb hovered in the air, pulsing like a living heart. Within it, Lin Yuan could sense the spirit’s consciousness, her familiar arrogance, and the immense spiritual power she had accumulated while residing inside the Human Emperor Sword.

The golden orb drifted toward the Sun Shooting Bow.

The instant it touched the dark star-iron, the entire weapon shuddered violently.

VROOOOOOM!

A deep resonance erupted from within the bow, spreading across the surrounding sky like the roar of an ancient beast awakening from a long slumber. The Golden Immortal Beast beneath them lowered its head instinctively, while Ku Ming’s Buddhist shield trembled beneath the sudden pressure.

The ancient runes carved into the star-iron ignited.

Their dormant red glow transformed into incandescent solar white, and brilliant lines of light raced along the bow’s limbs. The concentrated plasma forming the string vibrated with terrifying intensity, releasing waves of heat that distorted the air around the artifact.

Bai Qingyue felt the transformation immediately.

The bow no longer felt like a heavy, unresponsive object in her hands. Instead, it became an extension of her own body, connected to her consciousness through a newly established spiritual bond.

She could sense its internal structure, its immense reserves of solar power, and the complicated circulation of energy that had previously remained inaccessible to her.

Most importantly, she could hear a familiar voice inside her mind.

Master, can you hear me?

Bai Qingyue’s lips curved into a smile.

Yes. Your voice is much clearer now.

Wonderful! I can finally feel the full potential of this weapon!

The spirit’s excitement was almost impossible to conceal. Her consciousness flowed through the Sun Shooting Bow, establishing connections with its ancient formations and awakening the dormant mechanisms that controlled its solar plasma.

The previous restrictions were preventing you from accessing its true power. Now that I have established a connection with its internal formations, you should be able to draw the string without difficulty.

Bai Qingyue tightened her grip.

Then let us test it.

That is exactly what I wanted to hear, Master!

The Sun Shooting Bow released another deep vibration.

Its awakening was complete.

Bai Qingyue raised the weapon and pointed it toward the distant sky. Beyond the surrounding clouds, the Hollow Beyond’s influence had spread across the horizon, turning the heavens into a vast expanse of bruised purple and black.

Corrosive miasma drifted through the atmosphere, while strange spatial distortions appeared and disappeared like wounds in reality. Even the distant stars seemed dimmer beneath the encroaching darkness.

It was an appropriate target for the weapon’s first test.

Bai Qingyue placed her fingers against the plasma string and began to pull.

This time, the string yielded immediately.

The resistance she had encountered earlier disappeared, and the bow responded smoothly to her movements. As she drew it farther back, the ancient runes brightened, gathering the ambient energy around her into a concentrated point.

A brilliant arrow gradually formed between the bow’s limbs.

It was not created from her spiritual Qi alone. Instead, the Sun Shooting Bow drew upon the surrounding light and converted it into a dense stream of solar plasma, compressing the energy until it resembled a spear of incandescent sunlight.

The arrow’s tip burned with a radiance that seemed almost tangible.

Ku Ming instinctively strengthened his Buddhist shield.

Even from several steps away, he could feel the heat radiating from the weapon. If an ordinary Core Formation cultivator attempted to stand directly before the arrow, the concentrated solar energy might overwhelm their protective spiritual Qi before they could even react.

Bai Qingyue held the string steady.

She could feel the weapon spirit guiding the circulation of power, ensuring that the solar resonance remained stable. There was no need to force the energy into place or struggle against the bow’s internal formations.

For the first time since receiving the artifact, she felt that she truly understood how to use it.

She released the string.

THOOM!

The arrow shot forward.

There was no ordinary twang of a bowstring. Instead, a thunderous boom erupted as the projectile tore through the atmosphere, leaving a brilliant trail of white fire in its wake.

Its speed was so extraordinary that even a cultivator with powerful divine sense would struggle to follow its complete trajectory. The arrow crossed the distant sky in an instant, heading directly toward the dense mass of demonic clouds that had gathered above the Nine Provinces.

Then it struck.

A miniature sun erupted in the distance.

The explosion illuminated the heavens with blinding white light, and an enormous shockwave spread across the sky. The putrid purple clouds within a radius of a hundred miles were instantly vaporized, leaving behind a vast opening through which the actual stars became visible.

The surrounding atmosphere trembled.

The shockwave reached the Golden Immortal Beast moments later, causing its golden scales to vibrate. Ku Ming quickly reinforced his shield, while Lin Yuan watched the distant explosion with a thoughtful expression.

The attack was powerful.

More importantly, it had been released by Bai Qingyue without any elaborate preparation. She had simply drawn the string, aimed at a distant target, and fired.

Ku Ming slowly lowered his hands.

"A single arrow possesses the destructive power of a Peak Nascent Soul cultivator’s self-detonation," he murmured. "And that was merely a test."

Bai Qingyue lowered the bow.

Her chest rose and fell slightly as she absorbed the experience, but the smile on her face revealed her satisfaction. The weapon had responded perfectly to her intentions, and the Weapon Spirit had made the entire process remarkably smooth.

"It is perfect," she said.

Inside her consciousness, the spirit immediately responded.

Of course it is! Did you expect anything less from a weapon of this caliber?

Bai Qingyue’s smile widened slightly.

Lin Yuan nodded in approval. The golden-purple light of his Dao Fruit pulsed faintly, reflecting the immense solar energy still lingering around the bow.

They had finally obtained a weapon capable of changing the balance of their upcoming battles.