"A Demon? Watch Me Shoot It!"

"What did Senior Zhou—Principal Zhou just pull out?" The crowd watched Bai Zhou's figure, their gazes a tangle of doubt and anticipation. Their spirits had plummeted to rock bottom moments ago, but the Inverted Demon's abrupt silence and sudden solemn expression made them realize that things might not be so simple after all. People craned their necks to peek, catching sight of Bai Zhou rummaging inside his coat. Then, with their own eyes, they watched him pull out a section—a whole length—of a massive, thick wooden stake! Or rather, it looked like the trunk of a small tree! Was there a "Doraemon" pathway in the Destiny Sequence? Did this "Principal Zhou" have an Anywhere Door tucked inside his chest or what? How had he suddenly pulled out such a huge log?! The Extraordinaries were stunned by Bai Zhou's trick, feeling that his background was shrouded in ever deeper fog. The stake was as thick as a human arm and well over a meter long. Through the hazy mist and Bai Zhou's back, they couldn't make out the fine details of the stake, but they noticed its tip was razor-sharp, deliberately whittled into... an arrowhead? Sure enough, they watched as Bai Zhou notched the blood-red, razor-sharp stake onto the man-tall greatbow, poised to shoot it toward the Inverted Demon. "It—it really is an arrow?" The Extraordinaries were dumbfounded. At this moment, Bai Zhou, dressed in his school uniform, whose silhouette had loomed so imposing in their minds just moments ago, actually appeared diminutive before the massive bow and arrow—a startling contrast. Holding the man-tall bow of electrical arcs in one hand, he gripped the giant, sharpened "stake" with the other, slowly drawing the bow. "But what can a piece of wood even do?" The Extraordinaries were puzzled. Yet the Inverted Demon's vigilance and silence before this wooden stake were obvious to every Extraordinary present. Before this, whether facing Deputy Director Liu wielding the Thunderous Heavenly Bow or the Titled Extraordinaries banded together in formation, the Inverted Demon had acted as though none of them mattered in the slightest. Its casual demeanor was like a wicked human watching ants march past their feet, casually debating whether to scald them with boiling water or simply step on the gas and crush them beneath a jeep. That disdainful haughtiness had vanished the instant Bai Zhou produced the sharp stake. "Do you feel that—" Unlike the bewildered Extraordinaries, the expressions of the three Titled Extraordinaries were exceptionally solemn, yet beneath the gravity lay a surge of excitement. "Bloody, ferocious, violent, yet by no means evil—in fact, you could say it's inherently antithetical to evil!" The Rusted Silver Knight described what he sensed. "Rather than an arrow, it feels more like the congealed blood of some unknown entity taken physical form, imbued with an extraordinarily mysterious and potent property." "I sense the same," Emerald Flame nodded in agreement. "I even have a premonition that evil entities crossing paths with this arrow will be naturally suppressed, just like ordinary Ruin Realm aberrations encountering ritually purified black dog blood!" "...—" The Sword of Winter had been intently studying the bow and arrow in Bai Zhou's hands all along. Yet the longer he stared at that "wooden stake," the dizzier he suddenly felt. Clashing weapons, armored steeds, and the roar of armies seemed to echo in his ears. A chilling aura of slaughter rushed at him, making even him—an Extraordinary half a step beyond Rank 6—feel suffocated. "This is no wooden stake. It is a genuine arrow!" "Sharp! Ferocious! Dripping with murderous intent!" The Sword of Winter spoke with absolute conviction, an imperceptible lingering dread in his cold gaze. "The Spirit-Name Secret Treasure, the Thunderous Heavenly Bow, doesn't require arrows, but perhaps that was only because no arrow was worthy of it. "If an arrow worthy of the Heavenly Bow appears, what happens when the two unite?" His voice paused, carrying a touch of uncertainty. "Still, an arrow of this size doesn't seem meant for a hand bow. It feels like it belongs on... a ballista?" A ballista? A ballista that fired such a massive Evil-Dispelling Arrow, one that made even the School Demon—a prominent entity bearing an honorific name—feel wary? It sounded like a weapon forged for warfare against evil spirits, demons, or even the minions of evil gods. Even with the Sword of Winter's breadth of knowledge, he had never heard of such a thing. Setting everything else aside, just the fact that it made the School Demon wary— Could even a mithril sacred relic blessed with holy water from the Vatican in the Western Federation achieve such an effect? Yet the Sword of Winter could not rule out the possibility that such a ballista existed. If so, it meant Principal Zhou's origins might far exceed everyone's wildest imaginations! Tinghai City certainly possessed no organization capable of crafting siege engines of this caliber— —but that didn't mean they didn't exist elsewhere! "This Senior Zhou..." The three Titled Extraordinaries exchanged glances. Masterful combat skills, an endless array of secret arts and treasures, and storage methods capable of casually pulling out such a massive arrow— All of this seemed to point toward a "truth" Senior Zhou had never concealed: his background was immense! "Did the presence of the School Demon draw him here?" The Sword of Winter lowered his eyes, thoughts racing through his mind. The image of this newly minted "Principal Zhou" grew increasingly enigmatic in their eyes. Yet the more mysterious "Principal Zhou" was, the better it was for them. Because only then was there a chance that the School Demon could be stopped in its tracks! "It's just—" Emerald Flame hesitated, watching Bai Zhou's figure, which seemed weak enough to sway and collapse at any moment, her expression tinged with worry. "His spirituality was almost completely drained by that last arrow! "How can he shoot an even stronger arrow now?" Hearing this question, the Rusted Silver Knight remained silent for a moment before replying in a low voice, "In the occult world, I have never heard of any means to rapidly replenish one's spirituality to full!" Even they, backed by the mighty tree of the authorities and having seen all manner of potions, had never heard of such a thing. Most potions that restored spirituality only recovered a meager amount, nowhere near enough to handle their current predicament! "Then is there anything we can do?" Emerald Flame turned to look at the two men. The two pursed their lips without speaking, meeting her with silence. Then they slowly shook their heads, a trace of regret in their eyes. Though eager to help, they dared not act rashly. For in the occult world, disturbing someone in a state of deep concentration was a cardinal danger—especially when that person was doing something beyond comprehension! In the history of the Eastern Federation, there had once been a mighty Extraordinary of cosmic renown who could borrow the east wind— During the final forbidden ritual of his life, when he used the Seven Star Lamps to prolong his lifespan, someone had barged in and disrupted the ritual, ruining it on the brink of success and leaving him to pass away in regret! Yet the problem worrying the three Titled Extraordinaries wasn't within Bai Zhou's considerations at all. How much was his own strength even worth? Even if the strength of ten Bai Zhous were gathered together, or if the heads of ten Bai Zhous were kicked around like soccer balls, would it even be enough to entertain the School Demon surrounded by its mountain of flesh? Had that previous arrow, which had nearly drained Bai Zhou dry, forced out even one percent of the demon's power? Hardly! — Only by shooting through the building of flesh could he threaten the School Demon itself. Yet the lightning arrow had merely pierced three flesh tentacles before stopping short at the fourth. Now, those pierced tentacles—or rather, scale-covered giant serpents—though left with a mangled, gaping hole through their centers, were already squirming as their bright red flesh walls proliferated incessantly. The charred parts rapidly sloughed off, and tender pink granulation tissue regenerated at high speed, exuding an even more frenzied, famished aura. That arrow had barely scratched the flesh building; if anything, it had only provoked it to grow stronger! And the building possessed dozens more of these flesh tentacles! This was an overwhelming, indestructible, endless tide of flesh—something mortal strength could never overcome. "So what if human strength isn't enough?" Bai Zhou had never considered himself formidable, nor was he arrogant enough to believe his current self could face a demon head-on. A creature that existed only in myths was never something Bai Zhou, who had stepped into the realm of the extraordinary for less than a month, could contend with—even if it was still in an embryonic state! So what should he do if he wasn't strong enough? Simple. "Can't I just borrow the power?" Bai Zhou mumbled under his breath. Then, Bai Zhou straightened his back and lightly blinked. As if an invisible switch had suddenly been flipped, an anomaly abruptly manifested! "Hum—!" Rumble! The school grounds began to shake, tremors rising from the deepest subterranean depths, rolling continuously like ocean waves. From cracks between paving stones, shattered flowerbeds, windows of the teaching building, and every hidden corner across the school, massive billows of white mist surged forth. Withered flowers and grass beside the sports field and woods flanking both sides of the tree-lined path bent at bizarre angles, as if bowing toward Bai Zhou, spurting green mist. Deans, teachers, students—aberrations scattered all across the school simultaneously bowed their heads, yet struck the posture of nocking an arrow and drawing a bow. Their frozen postures gradually aligned with Bai Zhou's silhouette in the distance, and multicolored mist poured from the bodies of these aberrations. White, green, purple, blue— These vibrant swirls of mist converged from all directions, quietly churning into clouds above Bai Zhou's head to form a slow-spinning vortex before tumbling eagerly down into him. "Wh-What is this?!" "What's happening?" Witnessing this sudden spectacle, the Extraordinaries couldn't help but cry out in shock. Mist surged all around; the vibrant, multicolored world was like a bizarre fairyland, blurring their vision. Yet they could clearly perceive that this brilliant mist was completely different from the eerie fog that had previously cloaked the entire school. Because this mist was nothing other than the "spirituality" they knew best! At this moment, the Extraordinaries suddenly understood what the status of "Principal" represented, and what kind of existence a "King of Wicked Desires" truly was! All things are born with a "spirit." And all the spirituality within the minor secret realm of Yuanmeng Middle School— —was at the command of Bai Zhou, its Principal! "Exhale—" As the mist flooded into him, Bai Zhou's previously frail frame grew calm. The youth's presence gradually swelled, rising like an ascending dragon, as an unseen, profound power manifested upon him. The "spirituality" of all Yuanmeng Middle School—everything settled within the soil, everything drifting through the air—was converging on Bai Zhou at unprecedented speed! Then, passing through Bai Zhou's body, it poured wave after wave into the Thunderous Heavenly Bow in his hands! Fortunately, Bai Zhou had advanced to a Rank 4 Destined; otherwise, without opening up the inner and outer circulation of spirituality, even with the authority to borrow it, he could only have stared helplessly, unable to channel a single drop into his body! Boundless strength rested in his grasp. At this moment, the spirituality within Bai Zhou was fuller than ever before, swollen to the point of near-bursting ache! Or rather, the power he borrowed was not stored in his body at all. He merely served as a "converter." In this instant, Bai Zhou seemed one with heaven and earth, channeling the secret realm's spirituality from above and delivering it to the Thunderous Heavenly Bow below. The colossal torrent of spirituality surged briefly through Bai Zhou's body before flooding directly into the Thunderous Heavenly Bow in his grip and the Evil-Dispelling Bolt notched upon it. Buzz—! With the continuous influx of spirituality, the Thunderous Heavenly Bow began to vibrate with unprecedented intensity. The azure lightning seemed to combust, turning into a deep, blazing crimson. The lightning runes coursing along the bow appeared to become pulsing blood vessels, and the dancing electrical arcs were dyed a bizarre deep scarlet. The Spirit-Name Secret Treasure had come alive! Its hue was identical to that of the Evil-Dispelling Bolt mounted on the bow! A crimson palace traced in blood-red lightning loomed faintly within the sea of thunder encircling Bai Zhou. "Gods, demons, whatever..." Bai Zhou muttered softly under his breath, then drew the bowstring. A piercing screech wrapped around the bow. Be it gods or demons, before that mysterious and terrifying Xiluo Empire, they probably weren't worth much. Bai Zhou would never forget the domineering shout that had boomed out when that civilization's divine army descended from the heavens: "Deification without a permit is strictly prohibited!" And a defensive siege weapon placed atop the battlements of such a civilization was almost certainly a special secret weapon carefully refined over countless years specifically to deal with "remnants of evil gods"! Even the leader of countless skeletons, the unfathomable blood-red skeleton, had been unable to shatter this giant Evil-Dispelling Arrow, forced to rely on god-bestowed power to redirect its trajectory. So— Let this mysterious School Demon taste this gift from the Xiluo Empire—"Even a demon—watch me shoot it!" Thunder reverberated, mingling with Bai Zhou's whisper. The torrent of spirituality poured in completely. Then, his fingertips released. Twang! The bowstring sang! The blood arrow left the string, blasting forth! At the same instant, the Inverted Demon widened its pale white eyes. Its tranquil countenance took on a breathtaking, haunting beauty because of those eerie white eyes. Bzzzt! Still separated from the blood arrow by a distance, the flesh tentacles let out sharp screeches as if encountering a natural predator. Then, scarlet shadows flickered as the Evil-Dispelling Bolt flashed past. One squirming crimson tentacle after another withered and decayed like paper meeting flame, reduced in the blink of an eye to pitch-black cinders. "Roar!" The flesh building erupted into an unprecedented collective roar mingled with agony and rage. Yet it was futile. The counter relationship truly existed; the ecstatic shiver the blood arrow had transmitted to Bai Zhou had not been without reason. Utterly defenseless, the overbearing flesh-and-blood high-rise was pierced through layer after layer in an instant! Boom! Boom! Boom! One layer, two layers, three layers— The flesh-linked mountains exploded one after another. Mountains collapsed! Flesh ruptured! The building was crumbling to pieces! Swoosh! Faster than lightning, the blood arrow left behind overlapping afterimages and sonic booms as it tore straight through one raised tentacle after another. Whenever it hit thicker walls of flesh, the blood arrow's speed was slightly impeded, but the crimson glow upon the shaft never dimmed in the slightest! Along the path of the speeding blood arrow, onlookers could only see devastation: severed limbs and shattered remains blown everywhere. These severed limbs that made up the writhing tentacles had originally been bound, enslaved, and unified by the flesh-and-blood high-rise. The heads and hearts belonging to them were fused deeper within the core of the flesh building. Yet now— As the tentacles disintegrated one by one, the severed limbs crashed to the ground, no longer anomalous, as if the wickedness clinging to them had been wiped out. They even decayed and withered swiftly as the passage of time abruptly asserted itself upon them, no longer displaying that vivid, pulsing, eerie crimson of before. Yet in Bai Zhou's eyes—wherever the blood arrow passed, although the ground was strewn with black, rotted limbs, new crimson simultaneously "burst" forth everywhere! "What is that—" Bai Zhou focused his gaze, suddenly holding his breath as his eyes widened. They were scarlet characters bursting across the ground from the flesh mountains and tentacles pierced by the blood arrow! More precisely, they were fragmented, disjointed words and phrases appearing upon those broken organs—their last words!