Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension

Looking at the bald old man several miles away, Zhao Sheng's eyes narrowed slightly. This man possessed a grand and majestic aura, his strength unfathomable, yet there was something very peculiar.

This man was clearly brimming with vitality, but why did he exude such a dense air of death between his brows?

It's as if...he was experiencing a momentary burst of life before death!

At this thought, Zhao Sheng couldn't help but feel a retreating intention in his heart. However, recalling the people below and the experiments on Hidden Island, he resolutely strengthened his resolve, banishing thoughts of retreat or avoidance.

At that moment, the bald old man clasped his hands to catch the God Slaying Arrow and casually placed it into the arrow bag at his waist.

Zhao Sheng immediately lost his connection to the God Slaying Arrow, and his heart skipped a beat. He shouted in a loud voice, "Who are you, mysterious being? Do you dare to reveal your name?"

The bald old man suddenly chanted a Buddhist phrase, "Amitabha Buddha! Since I broke my vows and left the temple, my dharma name and worldly name became like passing smoke, long discarded and no longer mentioned. You may call this old man as you please.

Today, on someone's behest, I'm here to take your life. After your death, I will recite the Rebirth Mantra ten thousand times for your soul to ascend. Amitabha Buddha, the World Venerable shows compassion!"

As his voice fell, the bald old man's right hand flicked, revealing a bow about a foot long, entirely silver-white, resembling a toy.

However, Zhao Sheng dared not underestimate this bow in the slightest.

Because just moments ago, he had suffered greatly, nearly getting shot through the skull by an arrow.

This time, the bald old man raised the silver treasure bow in front of his chest, and a silver-white light arrow suddenly coalesced at the bow's arch, almost ready to be fired.

Simultaneously, under the old man's feet, a Xinghuang Wood Fish, as large as a water jar, appeared out of thin air.

Zhao Sheng, sensing a formidable enemy, thought to himself. The Ten Thousand Fire Tripod spun rapidly, spewing out seven or eight kinds of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire. The Spiritual Fire instantly transformed into layers of light flame barriers, standing before him.

"Senior, hold on! Even if I am to die, let me die knowing why!" Zhao Sheng shouted rapidly, as his right hand passed over his waist, revealing a giant Flat Peach the size of a head, with a red top jade skin.

The bald old man, upon seeing the Longevity Peach, couldn't help but narrow his eyes, his gaze flickering rapidly, revealing an intense desire.

Zhao Sheng carefully placed the peach in front of his chest. Seeing that the other made no move, he inwardly relaxed, and a smile appeared on his face.

If it wasn't absolutely necessary, he did not want to risk his life against someone close to death, especially since this person's cultivation was likely above his, perhaps having already touched the threshold of Divinity Transformation.

The reason for saying this is that the previous arrow light attack bore a three-part resemblance to Emperor Tianjian's attack pattern, both striking from the Void Realm to the present world.

It's just that this person's arrow strike was rough and clumsy, far less skilled and unrestrained than Emperor Tianjian's. It's well known that the Emperor's Sword Light was incredibly precise and without warning!

"Master Zhao, do you have anything else to say?" The bald old man suddenly dispelled the light arrow, his tone somewhat softening.

Zhao Sheng's gaze shifted, as he boldly flew over, stopping only when they were about a mile apart.

Throughout this process, the bald old man made no move to stop him.

Seeing this, Zhao Sheng's heart relaxed again, gaining three parts assurance, and he spoke up, "Senior, I don't know who could persuade you to come kill me. But I can assure you, even if you succeed, you will never escape my ancestor's pursuit! In the end, it will be a life for a life, not worth it! And can you be sure you can take my life?"

The bald old man fell into deep thought after hearing this.

Seizing the opportunity, Zhao Sheng rapidly pondered, a multitude of thoughts rushing through his mind.

Through the recent thrilling yet brief skirmish, he was certain the bald old man had deep knowledge of him.

No, that's not right! It must be someone or some force behind the scenes that understood him unusually well.

After all, in this world, very few knew of his "Instantaneous Movement" skill, even the vast majority of the family members within his clan knew nothing of this secret.

Recollecting those people or forces who might know this secret, Zhao Sheng's first thought was the Heavenly Dao Sect of the Netherworld, and second was Thunder Roc, Yama, Ou Feng, and others.

But he quickly eliminated these two options.

The bald old man was evidently a master of this world, with strength unfathomable!

By logical deduction, the Heavenly Dao Sect couldn't possibly have the power to persuade a "Half-step Divinity Transformation" grandmaster to sacrifice a life for a life.

Unless the major event he committed all those years ago had been exposed, but with Emperor Tianjian's intervention, the chance of exposure was minimal.

By similar reasoning, Thunder Roc, Yama, and others were even less likely!

The most likely to take action was, contrarily, "one of their own" from the Tianzhu Realm!

After all, the Southern Sky Zhao Family had grown too rapidly, not only producing a Dragon-subduing Demon-suppressing Great Master but also increasing the number of Nascent Soul Ancestors, with the overall power surging year by year.

From one perspective, the Southern Sky Zhao Family's rise was too fast, with power growth beyond all estimations, inevitably disrupting the "peace and stability" that had lasted for millennia in the Central Continent.

Possibly, to all the established overlords, the existence of such a formidable family was unacceptable!

Therefore, the top forces motivated to take necessary "actions" were not in the minority; even the Ksitigarbha Sect, which had close ties with Zhao's family, might be contemplating the same.

However, having motive is one thing, while actually taking decisive action is another!

Zhao Sheng initially thought the "mastermind" might be the Beast Taming Sect, especially since he'd spent years experimenting on Gu God Peak.

In terms of the force most accurately tracking his movements, it was unquestionably the Beast Taming Sect.

But this thought only flashed momentarily in his mind before Zhao Sheng dismissed it.

If he were to die, the biggest suspect would be the Beast Taming Sect.

Unless the Nascent Soul Ancestors of the Beast Taming Sect collectively went mad, they wouldn't risk everything to kill him.

Those cunning old thieves who toy with beasts were each more cowardly and death-fearing than the last. They surely considered that if this incident came to light, they wouldn't withstand the Great True Monarch's thunderous wrath, thus they wouldn't commit such a folly.

At this point, Zhao Sheng had a sudden flash of insight, and suddenly thought of the most likely suspect to choose to act: the Supreme Sensing Sect!

This sect had been the top chair of the Central Continent since ancient times, with continuous Divinity Transformation ancestors for tens of thousands of years, always leading the Central Continent!

Until the collective ascension incident a millennium ago, which caught all forces off guard, also making the Supreme Sensing Sect face the first True Monarch succession void!

The result was Zhao Xuanjing seizing the millennium opportunity to leap to become the sole True Monarch in the Central Continent, simultaneously propelling the Southern Sky Zhao Family to unprecedented heights, with power expanding rapidly to today's scale.

Undoubtedly, the existence of the Southern Sky Zhao Family had threatened the Supreme Sensing Sect's supreme position.

Previously, failing to take timely action allowed the Dragon Subduing True Monarch to dominate for five hundred years.

The Supreme Sensing Sect wouldn't idly watch for another "Zhao Xuanjing" to emerge from Zhao's family.

This sect's foundation is the deepest in this world; Zhao Sheng didn't know to what extent they'd seized control of the Central Continent, but undoubtedly it exceeded everyone's imagination.

From motive, strength, means, and any other perspective, the Supreme Sensing Sect had the greatest suspicion.

At this point, Zhao Sheng suddenly recalled the events from two hundred years ago.

Back then, before he ascended to Nascent Soul, to evade Li Daoheng's pursuit, he had to showcase "Instantaneous Movement" in front of people multiple times to escape with his life.

Although only a few witnessed this firsthand, the secret inevitably got out.

Given the Supreme Sensing Sect's attention to the Southern Sky Zhao Family, discovering this secret wasn't particularly difficult.

Having identified the prime suspect, Zhao Sheng slowly put his heart at ease.

In fact, since the bald old man's first attempt failed, he had already lost the only chance to kill him!

If he desired, Zhao Sheng had absolute confidence he could escape, possibly even counterattack.

However, doing so would leave him unable to care for the young family members below, leading to significant casualties.

Moreover, if he fled back then, Zhao Sheng wouldn't bear to face the shame.

The best scenario...would be to turn hostility into harmony!

Zhao Sheng glanced at the Longevity Peach in his hand and thought to himself, "Perhaps this person can be persuaded to become a great ally for the family!"

"Amitabha Buddha!" At that moment, the bald old man seemed to have made up his mind and suddenly chanted the Buddhist phrase loudly, his voice carrying a certain decisiveness.

Zhao Sheng realized things were going awry, his figure flashed, moving over three hundred miles away.

Then, with a flicker of light, he returned to his original position, shouting, "If I want to leave, you can't stop me!"

Before his voice had finished, he saw the bald old man stomp on the wood fish with his right foot, and a muffled dong resonated, shaking the Void.

However, this move, once its surprise factor was lost, was ineffective against Zhao Sheng.

In an instant, a light of annihilation formed out of nowhere, transforming into an "eggshell" that protected Zhao Sheng, successfully nullifying the wood fish's Buddhist sound.

Zhao Sheng dispelled the "eggshell" with a single thought, simultaneously sending a Divine Thought transmission forward: "Senior, stop! Don't you want to see the glory after reaching Divinity Transformation?"

At these words, the bald old man's body trembled instantly, and he stalled his actions.