Volume 3: A Long Journey Chapter 328: The Arrow of Time

The Bull Demon King followed Dayu at a daze for a long distance, saying, “He can’t possibly shoot his own people.”

Dayu replied, “If Hou Yi gets angry, I’ll have to stay away from him too.”

Hou Yi’s arrow quivers were strange—only one quiver showed three feathers, one red, one white, and one black, with unknown purposes. The rest of the quivers were empty, with not a single arrow in sight.

The Bull Demon King asked, “Where are Hou Yi’s arrows hidden? He doesn’t seem to take them out, yet he can shoot them as he wishes.”

Dayu said, “Wherever your strength is hidden, there are his arrows.”

The Bull Demon King murmured an “Oh” in confusion, then asked, “Dapeng is still nearby. Should we warn him to stay back too?”

Dayu replied, “He’s very clever. He’ll realize it on his own soon.” The Bull Demon King said “Oh” again, then realized something was off—was Dayu implying he wasn’t clever?

Just then, the two old monks drew their weapons—the monk with the shaved head took out a magic staff, while the other took out a staff that reached his eyebrows.

Hou Yi closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them with vigor and said, “Come!”

The two monks moved left and right, drawing two strange arcs in the air before rushing at Hou Yi.

Hou Yi placed his giant bow across his body and gently plucked the strings with his index and middle fingers. Countless thin beams of light shot out from the strings. The arrows moved silently, with only the sound of the plucked strings echoing, like the melody of an ancient tune.

These beams gradually solidified and thickened in the air, turning into sharp arrows that blocked the path ahead of the two monks. Hou Yi’s arrows weren’t meant to kill; they were simply to disrupt their rhythm and slow their approach.

Sure enough, the two monks moved sideways to avoid the arrows, slowing down. It was unclear where Hou Yi’s arrows came from—they seemed endless. This was no longer just a barrage of arrows but rather a chain of arrows, with heads and tails connected, forming more than a dozen swirling chains in the air.

These chains swayed wider and wider, filling almost the entire space of two or three hundred feet between Hou Yi and the two monks with beams of light.

The two monks were no ordinary foes either. Seeing they had nowhere to hide, they swung their weapons to knock the arrows flying. If they hadn’t moved, it might have been fine, but now their movements caused the arrows to collide with each other, creating a chaotic web in the air.

Dapeng was originally outside the battlefield, and now he had no choice but to retreat further and further. The two monks were even more flustered, but with such a dense barrage of arrows, it was impossible to dodge them, so they could only brandish their weapons to protect themselves. Yet it was still impossible to shield themselves completely; occasionally, one or two arrows struck them, but were deflected by their protective powers. It turned out that the dense arrowstorm, due to being fired too quickly, had little actual power—this was probably Hou Yi’s trick to deceive others.

The two monks remained calm, neither angry nor annoyed. Though they knew such arrows posed little threat, they still moved cautiously, advancing slowly while maintaining a defensive stance. The Bull Demon King said, “These two bald fools are truly cunning.”

Dayu replied, “It’s just a battle; being overly honest would be foolish loyalty.”

After observing for a while, the Nine Spirits Sage said, “I can’t defeat these two.”

Dayu said, “Not necessarily.”

“Oh?” The Nine Spirits Sage sensed something hidden in Dayu’s words and asked, “What’s your insight, Senior Dayu?”

Dayu said, “It’s not really an insight. Although these three old monks are highly skilled, they lack combat experience. If you faced one of them, you might not necessarily lose.”

Suddenly, the Nine Spirits Sage said, “A few days ago, reports came from Jinpao Mountain saying that it was three gray-robed old monks who helped Wukong escape. Could it be these three?”

Dayu seemed to have an epiphany and said, “Even if not, they belong to the same sect—what’s the difference? They didn’t use any of the Buddha or Bodhisattva figures in the West, but sent three strangers instead. Truly, they’ve made a clever plan.”

The Bull Demon King asked, “Are you saying… they’re using battles to train their troops?”

Dayu replied, “Perhaps so.” Then he raised his voice and declared, “Exactly! They’re using battles to train their troops!”

Hou Yi, hearing Dayu’s words, suddenly understood and changed his arrow strategy. He pulled the bowstring tightly, stretching it to its limit, then suddenly released it. With a “whoosh,” two invisible arrows shot straight at the two old monks.

The monk holding the staff at shoulder height suddenly felt that the previous arrows had ceased, only to be met by another extremely sharp arrow. He leaped up instantly and used the “Smashing Mount Hua” technique to strike at the invisible arrow.

The arrow moved at great speed. Even after leaving the bowstring, it continued to accelerate. As it approached the monk, it suddenly disappeared. The monk swung his staff downward. Though he couldn’t see where the arrow was, he still struck. He thought it was just a trick. But the staff hit nothing, and soon after, there was a sound of something piercing flesh—the arrow had gone straight through the monk’s thigh.

The monk was injured, but he frowned slightly only to quickly regain his composure, acting as if nothing had happened. He used his cultivation skills, and in moments, his leg injury was healed. The Bull Demon King exclaimed, “What kind of magic is this?”

Dayu replied, “It seems unharmed, but the injury remains.”

The arrow shot at the Buddha with the Shaved Head was even more peculiar—it slowed down gradually until, at a distance of ten feet from him, it stopped mid-air. The Buddha with the Shaved Head dared not act rashly; he focused intently on the arrow, thinking, “If you move even slightly, I’ll dodge. What can you do to me?”
The arrow remained suspended in the air as Hou Yi swiftly fired three more arrows—two at the Monk with the Tea Head and one at the Buddha with the Shaved Head.
The Monk with the Tea Head no longer dared to confront them head-on. He dodged left and right to avoid those two arrows, but just then, another arrow appeared like a ghost from an unexpected angle, piercing straight through his left side, sending blood flying!
It turned out Hou Yi had used a feint—his arrow aimed at the Buddha with the Shaved Head actually hit the tail of the arrow suspended in the air. As the two arrows connected, the suspended arrow then flew toward the Monk with the Tea Head. With such a short distance between them, how could he possibly dodge?
The Bull Demon King exclaimed, “Good!”
Although the Monk with the Tea Head was hit by another arrow, he seemed unfazed. He leaped in front of the Buddha with the Shaved Head, and the two of them rushed toward Hou Yi side by side. Having suffered in a distant battle, they decided to make up for it up close. Though the Monk with the Tea Head appeared unharmed, his combat strength had been weakened. Now he intended to act as a living shield for the Buddha with the Shaved Head, protecting him as they approached Hou Yi to turn the tide.
The Buddha with the Shaved Head summoned a huge rice bowl to shield the Monk with the Tea Head, and in moments, they reached a distance of a hundred feet in front of Hou Yi.
The Bull Demon King urged, “Why has Hou Yi stopped?”
Dayu replied, “This arrow is special.”
At a distance of a hundred feet, Hou Yi looked solemn, narrowing his eyes as he stared at the giant bowl. He reached out and took out a red feather arrow. Before he could fully draw his bow, the arrow left the string and struck the bowl with a “thud.”
Hit by this arrow, the giant bowl immediately lost its luster and shrank to the size of a pancake. The Buddha with the Shaved Head’s expression changed—this arrow seemed to have the power to break magical defenses. He quickly retracted his magic artifact and took out a golden leaf, waving it in the wind to cover the two of them.
That red feather arrow was called the “Annihilation Arrow.” Hou Yi only had one, and after using it, he needed to use magic to craft another. Seeing that this golden leaf was of higher quality than the giant bowl, he sighed helplessly and took out the black feather arrow.
By now, the two monks had reached a distance of fifty feet in front of Hou Yi. Hou Yi drew his bow and shot. In an instant, wherever the black feather arrow passed, the wind ceased, dust stopped moving, and time seemed to freeze.
“The Time Arrow!” Hou Yi said gravely.
The arrow appeared to miss its target, passing close to the golden leaf, circling around, and then returning from the other side. The two old monks immediately felt their magic power slow down and hurriedly used their energy to resist.

Without the Magic Messenger, the golden leaf became uneven in brightness. At its darkest moment, a white feathered arrow flew through the air and struck the center of the leaf.
“Armor-piercing arrow!” Hou Yi shouted. It was the very arrow that had pierced Xiang Liu’s three heads back in those days. Extremely powerful, it sank deep into the golden leaf, causing great trouble for the Monk with the Tea Head behind it.
The Monk with the Clean Head felt his magic weapon fail, so he retracted the golden leaf. The “Armor-piercing Arrow” was firmly embedded in the Monk with the Tea Head’s right shoulder, leaving him pale.
Anger finally appeared on the Monk with the Clean Head’s face. Fortunately, the Monk with the Tea Head had taken the arrow for him. By now, he was already thirty zhang away from Hou Yi. The Monk with the Clean Head leaped into the air, wielding his demon-subduing staff with immense force to smash down on Hou Yi’s head.
The Bull Demon King exclaimed, “That’s bad!”
Dayu remained calm and said, “It’s fine.”
Hou Yi raised his giant bow to meet it. The bowstring collided with the demon-subduing staff, producing a loud noise. Hou Yi fell straight down, giving the Monk with the Clean Head a chance for close combat. He didn’t hesitate to pursue him.
As soon as he moved, a strong wind blew toward him. It turned out Hou Yi was using his fall to create distance from the Monk with the Clean Head. Three more arrows were shot from the air, aiming straight at the Monk’s face.
The Monk with the Clean Head leaned back in mid-air, just managing to dodge the three arrows. His demon-subduing staff flew out of his hand and spun like a windmill toward Hou Yi.
Hou Yi shot an arrow casually, causing the staff to lose its balance and spin wildly before falling. Then the Monk with the Clean Head took out another wooden fish and struck it three times.
When the Bull Demon King and the Nine Spirits Sage heard the sound of the wooden fish, they felt as if sacred chants were cleansing them, as if they had entered a Buddhist hall. The people on the other side, including Wenshu, looked solemn, as if listening to the Buddha’s teachings with reverence.
Dayu was also stunned. In just that instant, the Monk with the Clean Head floated up in front of Hou Yi and struck his head with the mallet.
This wooden fish was the Monk with the Clean Head’s most precious magic weapon. He believed few could match him. Seeing Hou Yi’s dazed expression, he thought that if he hit him properly, Hou Yi would lose all his combat strength.
The mallet fell, just hitting Hou Yi’s head. Hou Yi quickly regained his clarity. The Monk with the Clean Head thought, “You were a step late.” But at that moment, a strange scene occurred:
The mallet was just a few inches away from hitting Hou Yi, yet the Monk with the Clean Head, as if possessed, stopped moving and froze in mid-air.
Everyone saw a black feathered arrow shoot out of thin air, passing by the Monk with the Clean Head and falling into Hou Yi’s arrow quiver.
Hou Yi gently pulled back the bowstring and shot three arrows nonchalantly. One arrow knocked the mallet away, another pierced the wooden fish, and the third struck the Monk with the Clean Head’s ribcage.

After shooting three arrows, Hou Yi turned to put away his bow. Wenshu and the others rushed over, helping the bald monk and the tea-headed monk back, filled with utter shock. When Hou Yi returned to his camp, the Bull Demon King, who seemed to understand only half of it, asked, “Why were those monks so stunned?” Hou Yi replied slowly, “They say time flies like an arrow, never to return, but that’s not really the case. It was only after leaving the three realms that I realized this truth.”