Volume 1: The Old Land of Shushan
At midnight, a full moon hung alone in the sky.
The dark cliffs were pockmarked with sharp sword marks; deep canyons flowed with murky blood. Nine thousand feet above the Jade Emperor's summit, the celestial palaces and temples that had once floated amidst the mist had collapsed to the ground, leaving only broken walls and ruins.
The corpses of her disciples lay strewn across the landscape.
Zhou Man, blood-soaked, stood on Dengfeng Terrace, gazing around with grief. Unable to suppress it, she laughed bitterly. "Four hundred years ago, the Empress Wuhuang ascended this terrace and cast down twelve golden tablets, proclaiming the truth through the ages, wielding the Long Strategy, vanquishing the feudal lords, and ruling the world. But now, I, Zhou Man, have had my palace and temple burned down, my teachers and friends slaughtered, and I have been reduced to this desperate situation..."
"The full moon wanes, the overflowing water recedes, and prosperity must decline. It is destiny. Why torture yourself, my lord? If you only hand over the Weary Heaven Bow, we will not trouble you."
The voice reached her before its owner arrived.
Zhou Man looked back and saw a figure in white, whiter than snow. Clearly stalking through a sea of blood and swords, he seemed to be stepping onto the moon itself, parting branches with ease. A smile played on his lips, his expression serene.
Behind him, dark shadows clung to the mountainside—a dense mass of figures following in his wake.
The guests who had beamed with smiles during the day for her Fengshan ceremony now wore cold expressions, hiding in the swaying shadows of trees. Their weapons, stained with blood, made them look like ghosts at a glance.
Zhou Man sneered. "Who was I thinking? It's Master Zhang Yi. Bearing the Six Provinces Sword Seal, admired by all, a teacher to the world—yet you dare stir up trouble?"
The mountain breeze blew fiercely. She wore a long, dark, gold-woven robe, still wearing the immortal crown from the Fengshan ceremony hours before. Her hair was as black as silk, her skin icy and delicate.
If you ignored the blood covering her, she would still be considered a divine figure.
But she was unarmed, not even a single magical tool on her person. Even the jade talisman she always used for protection was missing. She had lost some of the prestige she once held, commanding the cultivators and drawing the world to her side.
Zhang Yi stood still, observing her for a long moment, his gaze fixed on the wide sleeves of her robe.
Cloud patterns of golden thread flowed from the cuffs, perfectly enclosing her hands.
Aside from a trickle of blood, nothing else could be seen.
Faced with Zhou Man's questioning, he remained neither surprised nor angry, simply saying, "The Weary Heaven Bow is the bow used by the ancient Yi to shoot down the sun. Its power is unfathomable, possessing the capability to destroy the world. You have had a miserable life and endured many hardships. Although you have now established your own sect, attained enlightenment, and claimed to have wiped out all past grudges, can you truly let go of the vengeance that has torn you to pieces and the hatred that nearly killed you? How can we know you aren't just biding your time, waiting for a more powerful day to raise your sword against the world?"
Zhou Man felt as if she had just heard a tremendous joke.
However, Zhang Yi simply continued, "The divine bow has a spirit and chooses its own master. Your Majesty, there is no need to worry about us taking it for ourselves. We simply wish to borrow it for a few days and keep it safe for you."
"Borrow? What a 'borrow'!" That single, airy word suddenly stirred up her deep-seated anger. She stood high on Dengfeng Terrace, overlooking the group of cultivators on Jade Emperor Peak below. "Who wants to borrow? Is it you, Zhang Yi, or these thugs? Or perhaps, the high-and-mighty 'Young Master' behind you?"
Someone in the group suddenly shouted, "The Young Master is the Holy Lord of the Divine Capital, born with the divine law on his tongue. How can you allow such foul words to offend him?"
Someone else sneered, "The Young Master is kind and compassionate, so he sent Mr. Zhang Yi here in person. Otherwise, how could we spare your worthless life?"
Someone else impatiently said, "Hand over the Weary Heaven Bow now, or die!"
But before the person had finished speaking, a surge of magical power erupted, and he was slapped to the ground from mid-air. His bones were broken, his mouth unable to speak, and blood flowed from all his orifices. It was clear he was dead.
The other cultivators were instantly filled with shock and anger, glaring at Zhou Man.
Yet Zhou Man stood still, seemingly motionless, her wide robes billowing in the wind—a terrifying sight.
Her voice calmed as she spoke. "Even if Wang Sha himself were to meet me, he wouldn't dare utter such outrageous words. You are but lowly scoundrels. How dare you be so presumptuous in my presence?"
Zhang Yi remained unmoved, as if the death of his companion wasn't worth a second glance. His cultivation had reached a celestial state, and he hadn't even seen her attack. A touch of trepidation filled him, and he simply said, "Speaking of the young master, the Emperor still harbors resentment."
Zhou Man didn't answer, but leaned over to gaze at the moon. The full moon's radiance shone across the ruins of the battlefield atop Jade Emperor Peak, but it couldn't illuminate the darkness of human hearts.
Who wouldn't resent?
Born on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the moon is full—yet how could her life ever be fulfilled?
As a child, she lived with her mother, Zhou, in Shuzhou. Shuzhou, also known as "Jianchuan," is surrounded by mountains and home to countless sects of cultivators, many of whom use the sword as their magical weapon.
At the age of sixteen, Zhou Man was diagnosed with natural sword bones—a rare talent for swordsmanship.
People say that those with sword bones will one day become the world's greatest sword masters. Overjoyed, Zhou Man returned home to share the news.
However, her mother, Zhou, stared at her for a long, dazed moment, saying nothing. That night, she forgot to add salt to her cooking. That night, she woke her daughter from sleep, dragged her out to the courtyard, found a rusty hatchet, and ruthlessly chopped off her right little finger.
Zhou Man struggled to free herself, screaming in pain.
Zhou's long, bony fingers gripped her shoulders and sternly demanded, "Ah Man, swear to me, you will never learn swordsmanship again!"
Zhou Man clutched her severed finger and swore through tears.
Afterward, Zhou fell ill. After several nights of suffering, she finally passed away on a drizzling morning.
The monks arrived in the village the day after Zhou's burial.
Zhou Man opened the wooden door and saw them. They ranged in age, young and old, their attire and manners distinct from those of the Shu region. Though none of them bore swords and feigned friendliness, they nonetheless exuded a chilling, cold air.
Young Zhou Man, unaware then, had no idea their arrival would mark a turning point in her life.
They came from the Divine Capital of Zhongzhou.
They served the Wang family, the foremost of the three great aristocratic families.
They came for her natural sword bones.
She invited them in for a cup of tea, but the elder leading them bowed and said, "The Wang family of Divine Capital would like to borrow your sword bones."
Borrow.
How grand!
It turned out that the Wang family of Divine Capital possessed a noble son, known as "Wang Sha," of similar age, born with divine will and bearing the sage's mandate to save the Divine Land from peril and turn the tide. The only thing he lacked was natural sword bones.
And she just happened to have them.
Sixteen-year-old Zhou Man, never enrolled in any sect, never learned any magic, and with her mother having passed away, was already in a state of panic. On the one hand, the other party promised that if she would lend him the sword bones, the Wang family would be grateful and would treat her with respect. On the other hand, he demonstrated his power to summon wind and rain, and to move mountains and seas. How could she refuse?
After seven days of mourning for Zhou, a blue bird bearing a phoenix chariot descended from the clouds, soaring over the thousand Shu Mountains to take her to the Divine Capital of Zhongzhou.
There, the world's most gorgeous peonies bloomed, and the world's most elegant and distinguished scholars flourished. Zhou Man had marveled at the splendor, but when she stepped into the Sword Washing Pool and felt the heart-wrenching pain of thirteen bone-splitting knives ripping out her sword bones, she realized that beneath this paradise of the Divine Capital lay the blood and tears of mortals.
The jade-clear sword bones were placed on an ornate lacquer tray, passed through a series of doors, and delivered to Wang Sha, the prince of the Divine Capital of Zhongzhou. Zhou Man, drenched in blood, sank, dazed, into the Sword Washing Pool, also soaked with her own blood. From beginning to end, she never even saw this favored son of heaven.
With the sword bones ripped out, she became a useless, abandoned child.
The Wang family, ostensibly grateful for her kindness, escorted her from the Divine Capital, but secretly dispatched men to pursue her for thousands of miles, attempting to strangle her several times.
Zhou Man fled for three years, from the Divine Capital of Zhongzhou to Mount Tai in Qizhou.
She had shed blood by swords and hidden herself in the mud.
Fortunately, in her despair, she encountered the three great gates of Mount Tai, opening wide. She resolutely threw herself within.
Within the gates lay the former monastery of Ying Zhao, the Empress of Qizhou and the Martial Emperor. Cultivators from all over the world, seeking opportunity, entered and engaged in chaotic battle.
Zhou Man, with her limited cultivation, navigated the complex, returning to the Hall of Hell several times.
After narrow escapes, she finally recovered the twelve golden tablets dropped from the Jade Emperor Peak during Mount Tai's enthronement ceremony.
Each of these twelve tablets contained the Emperor's lifelong learning.
With half a finger missing and her sword bones gone, Zhou Man was unable to learn the sword. However, the eleventh tablet contained the "Yi Shen Jue"—a technique specifically for archery.
He wielded the bow with his left hand, never using his pinkie to hold the string.
What other art in the world could be more suited to her?
Zhou Man first practiced the Yi Divine Art, then obtained the Weary Heaven Bow. In thirty years, she reached the Divine Transformation Realm; in sixty, she overcame the Ninefold Thunder Tribulation; and in a mere ninety, she reached the Mahayana stage, unstoppable wherever her bow and arrows pointed. So, carrying on the legacy of Emperor Wu, she rebuilt Jade Emperor Peak as a Taoist temple, aiming to seal the heavens and achieve the Great Dao.
Cultivators from all over the world came to congratulate her, while the three great families remained silent.
She had thought that this was the moment to defy fate and achieve perfect success, that her future would be marked by sweet rewards and a glorious ascent.
But who could have imagined...
"The Divine Capital of Zhongzhou, the Holy Lord of a generation, Young Master Wang Sha..." Zhou Man slowly read out the name. A thousand feelings surged through her heart, finally producing a third of desolation. "You borrowed the sword bones from me that year and never returned them—that's all; today you come to borrow the Weary Heaven Bow. It turns out that the truth of this world is that if you take a step back, others will advance three feet, and the kind-hearted are often bullied!" A cloud moved over, burying the Moon Palace in the sky, and her eyes were suddenly covered with gloom. "If I had foresight earlier, I would have fought to the death and destroyed the sword bones and died with them. It's better than today, implicating innocent people..."
Among the crowd were supporters of the three major families, and every word she said was full of regrets. The sentence referred to Wang Sha, and one couldn't help but say sinisterly, "If you really didn't care about the past grudges, why would you spread the Taoist methods contained in the twelve golden slips to the world?"
Some people ridiculed, "The Taoist methods in the golden slips are all rare mysteries. Who would let ordinary cultivators know about them? But you want to make them public. I think you must be keeping something to yourself and don't want to show it to others."
Others said, "If even butchers and peddlers can practice the great way, then where will we, the thousands of families, be left? You clearly have evil intentions!"
After hearing this, Zhou Man clapped her hands and laughed. "Excellent! It turns out that I was wrong to inherit the will of Emperor Wu and want to spread the great way to the world!"
Zhang Yi remained silent.
Zhou Man said, "It seems that regardless of whether I have hidden secrets or ill intentions, I must have them. If not, wouldn't all your efforts have been in vain? It's a pity that I don't see your young master from the capital today..."
Zhang Yi suddenly felt something was wrong. Concentrating on his thoughts, he was startled to realize that the two hands Zhou Man had previously hidden in her sleeves had been revealed with the movement of clapping. Her left hand was intact, but half of her right pinky finger was missing. A black iron ring adorned her thumb, now reflecting a dim black light.
Someone cried out in surprise, "Weary Heaven Bow—retreat!"
But it was too late.
Zhou Man had already mastered the Yi Shen Jue to the point of unity between woman and bow. Her left hand grasped the longbow in mid-air, and it instantly appeared in a ripple like mercury. With a light flick of her right hand, a feathered arrow made of rotten wood landed between her fingers and expertly rested on the string.
"Six states and one nation, thousands of families, have ascended Jade Emperor Peak to congratulate me on my descent to heaven and earth, and to borrow the Weary Heaven Bow. I invite you all to witness its power!"
At that moment, she raised her arms, flexing the silver bow like a full moon!
Looking down upon all living beings, they seemed like ants.
"Tonight, I will lend you your heads as a sacrifice to heaven and earth, to comfort the souls of the wronged!"
With her words, the arrow was released!
The bowstring hummed with a throbbing sound, and the moment the rotten wooden arrow flew out, it seemed as if the entire world had fallen silent.
The rivers stopped flowing, the sun and moon stopped rotating!
Everyone on Jade Emperor Peak was stunned.
Zhang Yi frowned, but he slapped his waist and swiftly summoned six golden sword-shaped seals!
As the sword seals appeared, they summoned a myriad of sword energies from the boundless sky! They swirled into a vast circle, soaring into the air, attempting to block the arrow released by Zhou Man's Weary Heaven Bow.
But who could have imagined that the seemingly easily broken rotten wood arrow, seemingly invisible, pierced through the six sword seals and shot toward his brow!
The flow of time seemed to change with the arrow's release.
Even the celestial being Zhang Yi, at that moment, could sense the scent of death.
Wherever the rotten wood arrow passed, beautiful women turned to bones, mulberry fields turned to sea, spring flowers bloomed and withered—the very color of heaven and earth changed dramatically!
Even the hand he had extended to manipulate the sword seals became wrinkled like dry paper the moment it touched the arrow's energy!
Zhang Yi finally felt a deep sense of shock, discerning the arrow's origin. He uttered in a trance, "Regret of life..."
One arrow sealed his throat with blood, two pierced the rainbow, and the third arrow fell like a meteor.
Looking back with melancholy, he asked the heroes of the world:
Do you dare to invite the bright moon to watch the setting sun fall over the Jade Emperor's Peak? Do you have any regrets in this life?
Do you, my fellow cultivators, know what the most powerful arrow in the universe is?
It is time, which, once gone, cannot return.
This arrow drained Zhou Man of her spiritual energy, and even her appearance rapidly withered.
Standing on Dengfeng Terrace, looking out into the distance, a mighty wind swept through as the arrow passed, transforming living beings into withered skeletons, their bodies shrunken and shriveled, as they instantly collapsed to the ground, tumbling into a single mass.
On Jade Emperor Peak, countless cultivators perished!
Yet, the mountain vegetation, in this fleeting passage of time, flourished, growing in the wind, towering and lush.
Zhou Man suddenly smiled.
The Weary Heaven Bow in her hand crumbled to dust, the Immortal Crown on her head crumbled to ash. Her black hair ruffled in the wind, but her pale face seemed to have returned to a bygone era. The full moon in the sky was reflected in her dark pupils.
She fell backward, tumbling into a boundless sea of clouds.
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