Taking a detour meant risking discovery.

Faced with this choice, Yang An gritted his teeth and took the Bow Lady into his hands.

'There's no other way. I have to see if I can kill that guy!'

As long as he wasn't too close, the man's Power of Rules shouldn't be able to affect him. The best solution, then, was a long-range attack.

'And when it comes to long-range attacks...'

A hideous mouth promptly opened on Yang An's palm and spat out a long arrow.

The arrow was three feet long, slender, and shimmered with a silver light. At first glance, one might think it was merely an arrow forged from some kind of metal.

But who could have guessed that this arrow was connected to a Forbidden Artifact and had fused with the Miaohua Celestial Sect's Kui!

Ever since obtaining the arrow, Yang An had never witnessed its true power.

The last time, when facing the Wild Forbidden, he had come close to using it, but ultimately hadn't.

Before, he might have only thought the arrow had an extraordinary origin and must be terrifyingly powerful.

But now that he understood what a Forbidden Artifact was, his imagination regarding the arrow's power ran wild.

A mere Forbidden Artifact Fragment possessed a portion of the Power of Rules. This arrow, however, was connected to the Southern Dipper Celestial Sect's Forbidden Artifact. It was stained by Kui Blood and had fused with the Kui itself.

'He suspected that once unleashed, its power would be far beyond his imagination.'

'And this was, without a doubt, his best long-range offensive option right now!'

"Bow Lady! Let's go after him!"

With the Bow Lady in hand, Yang An no longer hesitated. He shot off at once, chasing in the direction the man had gone.

"You little shit, I've already locked onto that guy's soul-aura for you. As soon as you're within five thousand meters, just let it fly!"

The Bow Lady seemed to be eagerly anticipating what it would feel like to be used as a launch platform for this arrow. From the sound of her voice, she couldn't wait.

After all, when they faced the Wild Forbidden, Yang An's hesitation to shoot had nearly driven her mad.

At this thought, the Bow Lady quickly added,

"If you son of a bitch don't shoot this time, I'll never be done with you!"

"Alright, alright!"

The Bow Lady's words gave Yang An an extra boost of confidence.

'Power of Rules? It's just from a fragment!'

'Let's see how you handle the power of one of the Twelve Royal Treasures, linked to a Forbidden Artifact! You bastard!'

「At that very moment.」

「Over a hundred li away.」

The naked man, standing atop a red robe, was originally heading toward the Treasure Temple Domain. Chunks of his flesh were constantly sloughing off, peeling away and falling onto the robe beneath his feet.

From his rotting flesh, a red liquid—not blood—began to ooze.

The fluid gave off a nauseating stench, seeping from every inch of his flesh in increasing amounts, as if his body were about to melt.

The price for his power was beginning to take its toll. If he stayed out of combat for too long, the cost would strike suddenly, giving him no chance to react.

'But it didn't matter. As long as I can find that guy and kill him, it'll be fine.'

'It's just a painful price to pay. It definitely won't kill me.'

ACHOO—

He suddenly sneezed for no reason, and the liquid-like red robe beneath his feet came to an abrupt halt.

The man wiped his eyes. A smile spread across his face, which was caked in the red fluid, as he looked down at the robe.

"What do you think? Someone's cursing my name, aren't they? It must be him.

He's definitely still in the Fusheng Domain!"

"Quick! We're going back!"

"That bastard tricked me again! I have to kill him this time! Kill him!"

The smile on his face twisted into an even more demented grin. He whipped around and accelerated, speeding back the way he came, seemingly unconcerned that he might be wrong and all his progress would be for nothing.

Ten li... twenty li... forty li... 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

The man urged the red robe onward, moving faster and faster. He kicked up a gust of wind and vanished in an instant.

About halfway back, he came to a sudden stop and looked toward the distant sky.

Amidst the gloomy sky, a faint glimmer of light appeared, like a sunbeam breaking through the clouds to shine down upon the land.

It was over ten li away, but he still keenly sensed the unusual aura of a Technique. He could even faintly make out the figure standing behind the light.

Over there, despite the vast distance between them, Yang An had also seen him and was now smiling.

A long arrow was nocked on the fully drawn bowstring. He abruptly let go, and the arrow shot from his grasp in an instant.

"He really is still here!"

The man's body trembled slightly, as if he were overcome with extreme excitement.

"Quick! We have to catch him! Kill him!"

he yelled, and the red robe beneath his feet was about to surge forward again.

But at that exact moment, a silver streak of light suddenly appeared, tracing a brilliant silver line across the sky. In the blink of an eye, it was right before him.

It was an arrow—a slender, silver one, trailed by a brilliant plume of light and a long tail of flame. It looked so utterly ordinary.

A look of disdain immediately crossed the man's face.

'What good was this thing against my Power of Rules? Anything that came within a hundred meters of me would be activated by my Power of Rules and fall under my control.'

'It seems this guy never learns his lesson!'

'Well then, the price for not learning is death!'