Translator: Law Editor: Hitesh
Bows and arrows were sacred to Eastern Wasteland people. The vow of a broken arrow was the most sacred vow in all Eastern Wasteland clans.
When an Eastern Wasteland archer broke an arrow and threw it to another warrior, this represented the start of a decisive battle!
Even those master Maguspriests from all Eastern Wasteland clans, who possessed the highest status, or the king of Ten Sun Country, didn’t have the right to stop a battle started by a vow of a broken sword.
Yi Ren was enraged, but the rage didn’t burn his mind. At the moment, Ji Hao was the chief commander of this united army. Therefore, Yi Ren could never let Yi Di finish his speech and reveal Yi Ren’s disloyalty to Ji Hao.
Ten Sun Country leaders had made the call; whoever killed Ji Hao would be the next king of Ten Sun Country. Nevertheless, this could only be kept in mind, instead of speaking out, not to mention shouting it out loud in front of the entire army.
Hao Tao was in here, maintaining the order of the entire army. If Yi Di exposed Yi Ren’s ill intent, Yi Ren believed that Hao Tao would definitely execute him right on the spot, before everyone’s face. Therefore, he broke an arrow and threw it to Yi Di, boosting up his power as he burst with a resonant growl to challenge Yi Di,
Yi Di, if you still remember that you’re an Eastern Wasteland man, if you still remember that you are a possessor of the noble Ten Sun Country bloodline, fight me!
Letting out a long breath, Yi Ren gave a frigid smile and continued,
This time, let’s bet with all we have!
Yi Di’s look turned colder and colder. Staring at Yi Ren, he responded coldly,
Bet with all we have?
Yi Ren seriously nodded and said,
Our warrior, our properties, our territories in Ten Sun Country, including our fiancées, our lives, our honors… all that we have… all!
Thunderous wing-flapping noises could be heard. Iron feather eagles and blood-eyed vultures rose from the city and screamed shrilly, swished straight into the sky. These enormous fierce birds hovered in the air for a while, then slowly lined up behind Yi Ren and Yi Di.
Nearly a hundred elders and high-grade commanders from Ten Sun Country and other Eastern Wasteland warriors flew up into the sky. Strong gusts of wind roared behind their bodies and condensed into gigantic wings, holding them up in midair. They silently floated in the air, blandly looking at Yi Ren and Yi Di.
The battle started by a vow of a broken arrow was sacred. Not a single Eastern Wasteland person would stop the sacred battle.
Yi Ren turned around and growled at the two-hundred-thousand archers mounting on blood-eyed vultures, floating behind him,
I broke an arrow to make a vow. Under the witness of my ancestors’ souls and the Gods of the world, if I die in the battle, you shall follow Yi Di’s lead, be loyal to him, and obey every word he says!
All warriors mounting on blood-eyed vultures roared out in response. They each pulled out an arrow from the quiver, cracked it, then threw it down.
Yi Di turned around as well and seriously ordered his warriors, who were mounting on iron feather eagles,
A vow of a broken arrow… Under the witness of my ancestors’ souls and the Gods of the world, if I die in the battle, you shall follow Yi Ren’s lead, fight for him, and obey every word he says!
Warriors mounting on iron feather eagles also pulled out arrows from their quivers, with their faces slightly twitched and teeth gnashed. They cracked the arrows, then tremblingly threw those broken arrows down.
The arrows broken by Yi Ren’s warriors were regular arrows. Therefore, those warriors felt nothing when cracking those arrows. However, Yi Di had just distributed a large number of spell symbol arrows to his warriors. By now, contained in those warriors’ quivers were all super-grade spell symbol arrows provided by Ji Hao, without even one regular arrow. The vow of a broken arrow cost each of those warriors such a precious spell symbol arrow, because of which, those warriors even had their internal organs twitching in pain.
Yi Di, you first!
Yi Ren raised his bow and slightly shook his body, then slid backward for over ten miles with his tiptoes dipped in the water.
Yi Ren, after you!
Yi Di raised the thunder running bow. All of a sudden, a hurricane started around his body. A roaring gale rolled him straight up into the sky.
Behind Ji Hao’s body, a silhouette swiftly flashed across. With a dark face, Hao Tao stood on the watchtower as he said,
Starting a fight in the army, this is a grave crime!
Ji Hao didn’t even take a glance backward as he responded quickly,
We should respect the tradition of Eastern Wasteland. They want to fight to death, so let them do it.
Pausing slightly, Ji Hao lowered his voice and said,
Only one leader is needed for the troops from Eastern Wasteland. I was just wondering how we should send Yi Ren back to Pu Ban City…He jumped out, seeking death… Then, let him die.
Hao Tao’s face twitched intensely.
What Ji Hao said didn’t meet Hao Tao’s principles at all. Nevertheless, this plan of Ji Hao would serve the interest of the entire humankind under the current situation, and was pretty perfect for the series of plans made by Si Wen Ming and Emperor Shun for the future. Hao Tao struggled a while in his head, but at last, he sighed silently.
The tradition of Eastern Wasteland…Alright!
A long while later, Hao Tao murmured.
Iron feather eagles and blood-eyed vultures had been screaming. They rose to the higher sky, hovering like two dark torrents. They screamed and challenged each other; they vibrated their wings, breaking the air, and letting feathers drift down from the sky.
The feathers fell down like snowflakes. All of a sudden, Yi Ren gave a deep shout,
Autumn breeze blows off the cicadas
. Saying this, he pulled the bowstring in his hand. A dim light flashed across the cicada-falling bow of his, and in the following moment, three-thousand arrows were released, flying silently to Yi Di, glowing with a faint cyan-golden light and looking like a golden wind in late autumn.
The wind was dry and cold, withering all living creatures, and delivering a fierce aura of killing.
Yi Ren launched the first shot. When the arrows were still tens of miles away from Yi Di, the strong aura of killing had spread out. From the water treading under Yi Ren’s feet, a giant number of dead fishes floated up, showing their white bellies.
Eastern Wasteland archery, indeed impressive!
Hao Tao’s dark face twitched again as he praised sincerely.
‘Autumn breeze blows off the cicadas’, nothing more than this!
Ji Hao smiled coldly. This shot seemed to be extraordinary, yet it only contained a slight race of the great Dao of autumn withering, and was still far, far away from the true great Dao.
Ji Hao had reached a certain stage on the study of great Dao, which allowed him to despise this shot launched by Yi Ren.
Insects Awaken!
High up in the air, Yi Di suddenly burst with a great roar. ‘Insects Awaken’ was a move of the Twenty-four Solar Terms Art of Sword gifted by Yu Yu. Yi Di launched the move and created an earth-shaking thunder, roaring down along with a cyan bolt of lightning.
A tremendously strong life-force descended straight to Yi Ren’s head. This life-force was completely against Yi Ren’s ‘Autumn breeze blows off the cicadas’. Stimulated by the move of ‘Insects Awaken’ was the life-force that belonged to all living creatures in the world. After that thunder, the life-force of the world was boosted up, and all living creatures were seemingly awakened. That overwhelming force immediately tore Yi Ren’s intent apart, and blew the three-thousand arrows up.
Yi Ren howled out with a high-pitched voice. He lost his balance, as his head swung backwards. A brightly shining ‘wolf tooth’ arrow sank deep into the spot between his eyebrows. Cyan-colored bolts of lightning had been sizzling around the arrow. Yi Ren’s body wasn’t damaged too badly, but his soul was already crushed by the intent delivered by the move of ‘Insects Awaken’.
Facing the divine bow, the powerful arrow and the amazing archery art of Yi Di, Yi Ren’s challenge was like a bubble on the water surface, shattering with a slight touch.
A vow of a broken arrow!
Yi Di raised his thunder running bow high.
The two-hundred-thousand blood-eyed vultures stopped hovering. In the air, a giant number of Yi Ren’s warriors kneeled on one knee, loudly calling Yi Di ‘master’.
Among Yi Ren’s two-hundred-thousand warriors, around six-thousand didn’t kneel. Instead, they pulled out their swords and neatly beheaded themselves.
Blood splashed out, while those warriors fell from the sky, into the water.
Their mounts screamed in sadness, dove straight down from the sky, and cracked their neck bones on the water surface.
