"A being of the same level." The demon god sighed in shock, his blade trembling involuntarily.
At this moment, a familiar figure slowly walked out from the other side of the altar's raised platform.
"Sylwin, the Bow of the Elves. So this is what you look like. I never thought I'd have the chance to see you in my lifetime." Silfer said, slowly drawing the Queldorei bow he held in his hand.
This bow was a replica of the Bow of the Elves.
And the target of the arrow at this moment was Xu Mu and Qiong Qi.
"We brought you here, showed you the sacred relic. Didn't you say you cared about the friendship between our two races? What is the meaning of this?" Sensing the powerful life essence emanating from the arrow, Xu Mu couldn't help but question, his and Qiong Qi's hearts pounding with extreme tension.
Silfer's strength was too great, on par with Yao Huo. Among humans, he could easily be ranked on the World List. Even with his current weakened state, he and Qiong Qi would be no match for him.
Moreover, the bow and arrow in his hand were no ordinary items, capable of greatly enhancing his combat power.
"What do you mean? Of course, I'm going to acquire the true Bow of the Elves." Silfer chuckled lightly, his bowstring still taut. "The bow I hold is a replica of the Bow of the Elves, made by my father before his passing."
"And I've had enough of replicas. Now I want the real one. You don't want me to have the real one, so I will kill you."
"But you haven't made a move yet," Xu Mu stated calmly, staring at him. "You don't know if there are things you're unaware of. For example, how to open the shield of the sacred relic. If you kill us, you'll never get it!"
Xu Mu threatened loudly, but even Qiong Qi could see his bluff.
Silfer could see it too. He really wanted to kill Xu Mu with a single arrow, but he didn't want to gamble.
"You're no threat to me anyway. I'll try to get the bow first. What harm is there in letting you live a little longer?" Silfer said, slowly retracting his bow and arrow. With a leap, he instantly appeared on the raised platform.
After a few seconds of hesitation, he slowly reached out his hand towards the transparent shield.
"After a while, I'll breathe fire at him, and then I'll use my spatial magic to teleport to the exit marked on the map. You be quick, and we'll escape through that exit. We'll give him the sacred relic!" Qiong Qi said, his eyes fixed on a wall mechanism in the underground palace, which was the exit marked on the map.
Escaping from here might not guarantee their safety, but at least it was a chance. If they stayed to fight, they would undoubtedly die!
...
That pale, powerful hand slowly reached out towards the Bow of the Elves. Silfer's movements were meticulous, his nerves taut, fearing an ambush or triggering some forbidden enchantment.
But fortunately, nothing happened.
He easily grasped the bow.
The legendary Bow of the Elves.
"Damn, it was that simple! Run quickly!" Qiong Qi's eyes widened in disbelief. He immediately used his spatial magic and shot towards the wall, intending to activate the escape mechanism. But Silfer, a half-step Human King, had already control over this space. The moment Qiong Qi moved, he shot an arrow towards the mechanism.
This was the last arrow fired from the Queldorei bow by Silfer's hand.
Because from now on, he would possess the Bow of the Elves!
"Boom!"
With an arrow, golden light flowed, accompanied by a strong gust of wind. Qiong Qi and Xu Mu could only retreat backward, unable to press the mechanism.
"Hahaha, so that's the exit! You two are truly my lucky stars!" Silfer laughed heartily, casually tossing the Queldorei bow onto the platform. He then held the Bow of the Elves in his hands, caressing its magnificent body with an obsessive gaze.
"What a wondrous item. Who could have created such a magnificent bow as you? Even the Ancestor of the Dwarves would be no match." Silfer kept stroking the bow, his movements akin to an old man who hadn't married in thirty years finally getting his bride, sending chills down Xu Mu and Qiong Qi's spines.
"He's definitely got some issues," Xu Mu thought with a shudder of revulsion. How had he not noticed Silfer's crazy king-like demeanor earlier? Meeting him was truly his worst luck!
"Which one of you wants to die first?" Silfer's voice echoed from the platform.
Xu Mu and Qiong Qi looked up. Silfer's hand was already on the bowstring, but there was no arrow.
"The arrows of the Bow of the Elves are the Great Daos within space," Silfer said with a smug smile. "Now, to kill you, I just need to flick my fingers like playing a guzheng, and a rain of Dao arrows will shoot towards you, and then you will die."
Upon hearing this, Xu Mu's expression turned even more grim. He could sense that what Silfer said was true. The moment Silfer's fingers touched the bowstring, he instinctively felt a fear of the unknown.
That fear was unavoidable because it existed within the intangible Great Daos of heaven and earth!
"Later, I'll use spatial laws to go up and tie him down. You try to open the door. If you can, escape quickly." Qiong Qi said, his eyes locked on a wall mechanism in the underground palace. The stone here seemed different from other places, pure black, and should be able to withstand a few arrows from the sacred relic.
"What about you if I leave?" Xu Mu asked, gripping his blade tightly and gritting his teeth. He couldn't bring himself to abandon Qiong Qi and save himself.
"Don't worry, if you can escape, I can escape too. I have a spatial imprint on me, and I can teleport at any time," Qiong Qi replied after a moment of silence.
In reality, he hadn't told Xu Mu the whole truth. While the spatial imprint could teleport, it required a lot of demon power and some preparation time, just a few seconds. In normal circumstances, it might be possible, but now, he was facing a half-step Human King, Silfer, wielding the Bow of the Elves.
If he didn't use spatial magic to dodge, he might not survive the second second.
Xu Mu didn't know this, and even if he did, there was nothing he could do. Because no matter what, he was no match for Silfer.
"Neither of you will escape. I'll make you disappear right now!" Silfer couldn't wait any longer. He enjoyed playing cat-and-mouse games, but he wanted to experience the power of the Bow of the Elves firsthand. So he gently plucked the bowstring!
*Hum!*
Just like the strings of a guzheng, the moonlit string of the Bow of the Elves vibrated slightly with this pluck, the amplitude front and back not even the size of a copper coin.
But even so, the invisible arrow shot from it instantly sliced the black obsidian torch in half.
Xu Mu and Qiong Qi, who were hiding behind it, were sent flying by the terrifying cutting Dao.
"Not dead?" Silfer was a little surprised. Had Xu Mu's blade blocked this shot?
"What grade is your blade?" he asked Xu Mu curiously.
"Sacred relic." Xu Mu used his left hand to put his dislocated right shoulder back into place and replied, "Let him go, and this blade is yours!"
Silfer clearly froze for a few seconds upon hearing that the blade was a sacred relic, and then a thunderous laugh erupted from his mouth: "Ahahahahaha!!!"
"You human, you really know how to make me laugh. Do you think your blade being a bit harder makes it comparable to a sacred relic? This is the Bow of the Elves, with Great Daos as arrows. What does your blade have, other than hardness?"
Xu Mu and Qiong Qi exchanged a look and then gave a helpless wry smile.
He hadn't expected that Silfer wouldn't believe his claim of being a demon god and would even argue logically, leaving him speechless.
Indeed, the Bow of the Elves used Great Daos as arrows. With a slight touch, it possessed such terrifying power, cutting through black obsidian and sending him flying. This was the power a sacred relic should have. As for his blade, besides being sharp and hard, and possessing some terrifying demonic Dao, it seemed to have no other significant use.
At least, in the short term, its effect couldn't compare to the Bow of the Elves.
"Alas, demon god, it's all your fault. If you were as strong as the other guy, we wouldn't be in this predicament," Xu Mu muttered, complaining playfully.
"If you hadn't signed the contract with me back then, and I couldn't absorb demon power beyond your realm, I would have already conquered the world by now. I could have easily dealt with this elf!" the demon god replied angrily.
Xu Mu also sighed helplessly. Yes, they had signed the contract with the demon god themselves. The realm of their soul weapon couldn't surpass the owner, so there was nothing they could do. Otherwise, they couldn't just stand by and watch the demon god destroy the world.
"This is indeed a sacred relic, believe it or not." Everything that had happened so far had occurred in a flash. Xu Mu looked up at Silfer, his voice slightly cold, "As I said, let him go, and this blade is yours."
"But if I kill you, won't this blade still be mine?" Silfer sneered, and at the same time, his fingertip gently twitched the bowstring. The invisible Dao laws condensed on it, sharp and imposing, as if they would shoot out the next second, dooming Xu Mu.
"Are you really sure you can kill us? Don't forget, I was the one who dealt with Veigar's demon king. If you push me too far, it won't be difficult for me to take you down with me," Xu Mu said, stealthily pulling out a smoke bomb from his spatial ring, his little finger hooking the string, ready to escape in the ensuing chaos.
"If you truly had the strength to die with me, would you be resorting to bluster like this?" Silfer's heart tightened for a moment, but then he immediately relaxed. He didn't believe Xu Mu had any other trump cards.
"It's just that you, kid, do have some tricks up your sleeve, and your background seems quite strong. I really can't let you two go. Blame fate." Silfer sighed, then instantly exerted force on his finger, releasing the bowstring. The Bow of the Elves drew countless demonic powers from his body, and the Dao power at the arrowhead was almost solidified.
"You run first!" Xu Mu roared, throwing the smoke bomb into the air. For a moment, obscuring Silfer's vision, he charged into the sky with his blade.
Behind him, Qiong Qi was clearly stunned for a moment, because according to their plan, he was supposed to be the one to stall for time.
"We go together or not at all!"
Qiong Qi didn't activate the mechanism. Instead, he instantly flew to Xu Mu's side and spat out Samadhi True Fire, trying to prepare in advance and help block the arrow.
But to their surprise, the suffocating Dao pressure in space suddenly disappeared.
The Samadhi True Fire directly hit Silfer, knocking him off the platform and sending him crashing heavily to the ground.
Thus, Xu Mu and Qiong Qi, who had reached the escape door, were stunned. What was going on? Was he toying with them?
"Sacred relic, you are truly my good brother." Silfer lay on the ground, spitting blood. His noble and elegant demeanor was long gone, his expression contorted with malice.
The malice was unlike his own.
It was more like his brother's.