After the great battle finished, King Lin and Xu Qing didn't linger in the Capital, but returned swiftly to Taishi Mountain hundreds of miles away before a terrifyingly powerful aura descended.

…

…

At the summit of Taishi Mountain, a dense bloody aura filled the air. A gigantic Blood Bodhi Tree stood there, its roots like crimson giant pythons sprawling outwards, firmly entrenched in the mountainside as if seeking to conquer the entire summit.

King Lin leaned wearily against the rough, cracked bark of the tree, his chest heaving violently as he gasped for breath, his clothes soaked through with sweat, continuously sliding down his face.

At this moment, the Heaven Shaking Bow tightly held in his hand suddenly emitted a sharp cracking sound like shattered porcelain, a sound that seemed particularly piercing in the silence of the mountain top.

King Lin felt a shock in his heart and instinctively looked at the divine weapon in his hand, only to see the Heaven Shaking Bow break completely.

The broken pieces fell to the ground, and at the instant of contact, a strange thing happened. Those pieces turned into spots of iron rust as if they had been mercilessly corroded by time for a thousand years.

King Lin had already become one with the Heaven Shaking Bow, and now that it was destroyed, he felt as though a large piece of his heart was missing, leaving him bewildered and lost.

Suddenly, a rustling sound emanated from the treetop, prompting King Lin to look up instinctively, only to see Xu Qing's phantom hanging upside down on the thick Blood Vine.

Xu Qing's expression remained calm, and three drops of amber-colored sap dangled from his fingertips, sparkling with mysterious brilliance in the sunlight.

"The bow is gone, yet the Way remains; why cling to the form?" Xu Qing's voice drifted over like a resounding bell echoing next to King Lin's ear. As soon as the words fell, he flicked his fingers lightly, and the three drops of sap shot like meteors into King Lin's brow.

Instantly, myriad Martial Arts insights surged like a torrential flood, furiously pouring into King Lin's mind.

His gaze gradually grew distant as if entering a whole new world. In this world, he saw a farmer tilling the land, the waist and horse unified, each hoe strike embodying a unique rhythm—the reverence for the land and the fusion of strength; he saw a fisherman casting a net, movements alternating between hardness and softness, adeptly harnessing the power of water to cast the net just perfectly, embodying the understanding and utilization of natural forces; he also saw a child playfully kicking a ball, that altogether instinctive movement technique full of agility and freedom, unfettered by any constraints.

At the same time, the Blood Bodhi Tree seemed to respond to some kind of call, suddenly blooming with bizarre red flowers. Each petal mirrored the fragmented pages of the Martial Arts Scripture, those obscure and difficult texts and illustrations now clear and comprehensible as if revealing the true essence of Martial Arts to King Lin.

King Lin's body began undergoing intense transformation, his spine seemingly igniting like a powder keg, emitting bursts of Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound that shook the surrounding air.

The broken bowstring emerged from his palm, like it had gained life, transforming into seventy-two segments of Dragon Bone, rapidly piercing into the major acupoints around his body. The intense pain twisted King Lin's features, sweat in large beads rolling from his forehead, but he gritted his teeth, forcefully enduring the heart-wrenching agony.

Amidst the excruciating pain, he glimpsed Xu Qing's deep eyes and saw tens of thousands of soldiers rehearsing formations. Their actions were uniformly precise, spears thrusting like dragons emerging from water, with an imposing momentum; swords chopping as if mountains were collapsing, full of destructive power.

King Lin's eyes shimmered brightly; his thoughts at this moment became exceptionally lucid.

When the last fragment of the bow exploded into ash, a flash of Spirit Light shot through his mind, and he finally comprehended: a Martial Saint indeed never requires a divine weapon.

The true power originates within, stemming from the understanding and perception of heaven, earth, and all beings.

The Blood Bodhi Tree seemed to sense King Lin's transformation and suddenly drooped three thousand aerial roots, each root entwined with the phantom of a common tool.

There was the woodcutter's somewhat worn yet sharp hatchet, the heavy anvil a blacksmith uses to forge steel, and even the beggar's dilapidated, tattered bowl. These seemingly ordinary items now emitted a distinct aura.

Xu Qing stepped over the morning dew, walking slowly, his steps light yet steady, holding a stalk of rice.

He smiled as he glanced at King Lin, gently asking, "Brother, do you know where the true Heaven Shaking Bow lies?"

With that, he gently waved the stalk in his hand, the awns sweeping past like a gentle breeze.

In an instant, the farm tools within a hundred-mile radius seemed to be summoned, emitting resonant sounds in unison, the mooing of oxen gathering together to form a mysterious Martial Arts mantra.

King Lin was instantly enlightened, his gaze became steadfast and bright.

He raised his hand and drew a "human" character in the air with his fingers. Following his movement, countless people's spirits seemed to be invisibly summoned, rapidly coalescing into a huge, invisible bow.

This gigantic bow radiated powerful momentum as if containing endless strength.

The manic laughter of Red-haired Yan Kong echoed from the heart of the tree: "Brilliant! With all beings as the string, and the mountains and rivers as the arrow!" The entire Blood Bodhi Tree suddenly shed its blood-red color, the branches turning lush green, those verdant branches swiftly weaving into a massive arrow holder.

King Lin took a deep breath, his eyes revealing an unprecedented confidence and composure.

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