"Get down on your knees and kowtow to me three times, beg for my forgiveness, and maybe I'll be merciful enough to spare you," Zhao Xinyi said coldly.

"Kowtow three times? Merciful?" Li Xiaoyao chuckled, shaking his head. "Well...you can leave now. I won't make things difficult for you."

After a few encounters, Li Xiaoyao had come to understand that this woman was arrogant and domineering, but she did have her own boundaries. Just like last time, when Yu Hao, an inner disciple, appeared. If Zhao Xinyi had given her approval, Yu Hao would have killed him immediately, but she didn't. Then there was the time at the foot of the mountain—if Zhao Xinyi had given the command, the Blood Flame Iron Cavalry would have trampled him flat. Yet, she only mentioned that they were fellow disciples and didn't use it as an excuse to kill him.

So, while Li Xiaoyao thought this woman could be pretty nasty, she wasn't outright malicious. Maybe she truly believed his first visit here wasn't a coincidence, but rather that he was there to spy on her.

"Not going to make things difficult for me?" Zhao Xinyi looked at Li Xiaoyao. This scoundrel certainly had confidence.

"On my recent trip home, my father gifted me the Silver Profound Bow. Let's see how you do as my target."

Zhao Xinyi took down the silver-white bow from her back, its radiant shine reflecting faintly. She drew an arrow, stepped forward, bent slightly, and pulled the bowstring. Her movements were smooth and fluid. Combined with her fitted battle attire and perfect figure, her actions exuded an almost artistic beauty, though hidden beneath that beauty was a deadly intent.

"Whoosh!"

The arrow shot from the bowstring, streaking like a fiery light, reaching him in an instant. Li Xiaoyao's gaze sharpened, and his body twisted suddenly, the arrow whizzing past his shoulder at an incredible speed.

"Boom!"

A tremor came from the rock wall behind him, with stones cracking and crumbling. The power of her arrow was astonishingly fierce.

"Hm?" Li Xiaoyao raised an eyebrow. So, she'd reached the Spirit Martial Realm. No wonder Zhao Xinyi had the confidence to come seeking revenge.

This woman was about the same age as him, yet she had also reached the Spirit Martial Realm. Her talent was quite outstanding, on par with Li Xin and Nalan Yanran. As such, it was only natural for her to carry a sense of pride. Moreover, Zhao Xinyi's status and position were likely even more distinguished than those of Nalan Yanran and Li Xin; this could be seen from the presence of those Blood Flame Iron Cavalry around her.

"Archers truly are terrifying." The speed of an arrow was simply too fast. It was said that as one's strength increased, a powerful archer could shoot arrows faster than the speed of sound. This meant that by the time you heard the sound, the arrow had already hit you. Used as an ambush, it could take a life with ease.

Among military units, archers were the most feared and revered.

Unfortunately, Zhao Xinyi's strength was not yet sufficient; for him, it was still far from enough.

"Lucky you." Zhao Xinyi saw Li Xiaoyao dodge her arrow, and she nocked another one onto her bowstring. "I'll give you one more chance."

"No... I've done nothing wrong, so why should I apologize, let alone kneel?" Li Xiaoyao shook his head, lifted his foot, and began to walk toward Zhao Xinyi.

"You really wanna die, don't you?" Zhao Xinyi shouted angrily, drawing her bow again, and an arrow shot through the air.

"Eight Desolation Palm."

Li Xiaoyao raised his hand, striking out with three powerful palm prints that clashed with the arrow, causing it to fall to the ground. His attack was overwhelmingly dominant.

"Profound stage martial skill—Eight Desolation Palm, Spirit Martial Realm!" Zhao Xinyi's heart trembled. Seeing Li Xiaoyao casually use the Eight Desolation Palm, she immediately understood that he's also stepped into the Spirit Martial Realm. No wonder he was so fearless.

After turning her body around, Zhao Xinyi suddenly sprinted in the opposite direction, her speed incredibly fast.

Just as Li Xiaoyao was feeling baffled, he saw Zhao Xinyi's body twist and bend into a perfect arch, her graceful curve on full display. Yet within this movement, there still lurked a fierce killing intent.

"Stampede!"

The arrow whistled through the air, even stronger than before.

Li Xiaoyao remained fearless, still striding forward with his head held high. He unleashed the Eight Desolation Palm, and this time, four palm prints shot out from his hands.

"Damn it, how many levels has this guy mastered in the Eight Desolation Palm?" Zhao Xinyi cursed inwardly. Her martial soul activated, and a radiant golden arrow-shaped soul appeared. Unlike before, three bows and arrows materialized behind her, arranged in a triangular formation, exuding a chilling aura.

It was clear that Zhao Xinyi's martial soul had also undergone its innate awakening.

She charged toward Li Xiaoyao, leaped into the air, and soared upward.

In the sky, all three bows and arrows of her arrow martial soul were aimed directly at Li Xiaoyao. At the same time, three arrows appeared on her silver Xuan bow, three illusory arrows and three solid ones.

"Meteor, Fallen Moon."

Zhao Xinyi's expression was solemn, her body pausing briefly in midair. Six arrows pierced through the void, making even the space around them tremble.

Her arrow martial soul seemed to be an aggressive type of martial soul, capable not only of locking onto the soul but also of destroying the body.

At that moment, Li Xiaoyao felt as if his soul was locked in place, overwhelmed by an immense pressure.

"What a domineering archer."

He muttered to himself, bringing his palms together, unleashing the Eight Desolation Palm to its fullest extent. Fourteen devastating palm prints filled the sky, colliding with the incoming arrows.

"Boom! Boom-crack!"

Explosive sounds echoed through the space as chaotic currents swept past, making Li Xiaoyao's robes flutter.

When the dust finally settled, Zhao Xinyi's figure reappeared. She was crouched slightly, and her chest heaving as she took deep breaths, an intense and captivating sight.

"How could he be this strong?" Zhao Xinyi was shocked as she watched Li Xiaoyao stand there unscathed, his clothes fluttering gracefully. After breaking through to the Lingwu Realm, her father had personally trained her in archery.

Through relentless practice, she shot two thousand arrows each day, building her inner strength. It was this rigorous training that gave her such powerful bursts of strength, allowing her to wield the Silver Profound Bow and Soul Arrow together, firing six arrows in one shot with terrifying power.

Even some elite Spirit Martial Realm soldiers in the army could barely withstand her attack, but Li Xiaoyao had blocked it effortlessly. She had been defeated again...

The air was filled with countless palm imprints—this was the pinnacle of the Eighth Desolation Palm's seventh level, both palms unleashed at once. Was this guy really just at the first level of the Spirit Martial Realm? How could he has such freakish talent in martial arts?

Seeing Li Xiaoyao approaching her with a faint smile, Zhao Xinyi's heart skipped a beat, and she asked warily, "What do you want?"

"Uh..." Li Xiaoyao was speechless. What kind of person did this woman think he was? This wasn't the first time she'd looked at him like that. And with her striking beauty, if he hadn't had such strong self-control, he might indeed have been tempted by her charms.

His gaze briefly drifted over her full figure, and Li Xiaoyao smirked devilishly. "What do you think I want?"

"You..." Zhao Xinyi's face turned pale. Seeing Li Xiaoyao continuing to approach her, she took an arrow from her back and pressed it against her own neck, her eyes cold but determined.

Li Xiaoyao, who had only intended to tease her a bit, was momentarily stunned, not expecting her to react this way. He couldn't help but feel a bit speechless.

"If I have any intentions toward you, I would not let you go last time," Li Xiaoyao said helplessly. Did he really look like some kind of lecher?

Hearing this, Zhao Xinyi relaxed slightly, her grip on the arrow loosening.

"If you want this place so badly, I'll leave it to you. Just don't come looking for trouble with me again." Li Xiaoyao continued forward, pausing briefly as he walked past her.

Turning his head, he glanced at Zhao Xinyi and couldn't help but admire how perfect her skin was, smooth and flawless.

Reaching out his finger, Li Xiaoyao gently touched her soft cheek, eliciting a look of astonishment from Zhao Xinyi. He chuckled and said, "Well, do you know...you're actually pretty cute... :)"

With that, he stepped into the narrow pass.

Zhao Xinyi stood frozen for several seconds before finally exploding.

"Ah... You bastard!"

Walking through the narrow pass, Li Xiaoyao could feel the walls trembling from her outburst. He quickly covered his ears and rolled his eyes. Did she really have to react so strongly? That resentful voice of hers sent a slight chill down his spine.

"All I did was just touch her cheek only....wtf..."

Li Xiaoyao's face broke into a radiant, innocent smile, just like a carefree young man. In this cold and indifferent world, sometimes it is necessary to get some relax a little.