Chapter 213 - 124: Divine Shooter (Part 2)

Chen Cheng could deal with the poison gas, and Wang Peng could just about bring himself to ask for his help.

But the situation at the exit of the Ancient Forest ahead was completely unknown. Chen Cheng might not be able to handle it, and if things went wrong, Wang Peng would be sending him to his death.

Wang Peng had always built his reputation on righteousness. He could never bring himself to ask Chen Cheng to walk into a deathtrap.

...

「At the exit of the Ancient Forest.」

On a massive, grayish-blue rock, a round hole the size of a child’s thumb had appeared.

The hole went clean through, its edges smooth, as if something had brutally punched through it with sheer force.

Behind the rock.

A thick Metal Arrow had pierced Meng Tang’s right shoulder, dragging him down and pinning him firmly to the ground.

The fletching was still vibrating with a low hum.

The Arrow was half a foot longer than an ordinary Feathered Arrow, and much thicker. Its entire shaft was forged from a special metal, making it abnormally heavy.

An ordinary Hard Bow and an ordinary Archer would be completely incapable of handling such an Iron Arrow.

"An Iron Arrow that can pierce rock... Is that Bai Fangshuo? Or some other Dark Force Archer? Careful... Everyone, be careful... Our cover isn’t safe anymore..."

Meng Tang screamed himself hoarse, trying to warn his companions.

He struggled to get back up, but with his shoulder pinned fast, every movement sent convulsions of pain through his body.

"WHOOSH—!"

Another sharp whistle tore through the air from a distance. The second Iron Arrow was loosed from the exact same spot.

This Iron Arrow was incredibly fast and pitch-black, its trajectory nearly invisible in the dim forest.

Only the piercing whistle grew closer, and closer...

From the sound of it, the arrow was tracing a perfect parabola through the air, plunging down from above.

As if there were nothing in its way.

The arrowhead instantly punched through the rock. After emerging from the other side, its ferocious momentum hadn’t diminished in the slightest.

The next instant, it pierced through Meng Tang’s back.

The entire process took less than a breath. One moment Meng Tang was still shouting desperately; the next, an Iron Arrow had pierced his heart, killing him instantly.

His companions watched it all happen.

Some were horrified, some were terrified, and still others were heartbroken...

And yet.

Not a single one of them dared to make a sound.

Not a sharp intake of breath, not even a choked sob...

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Because the enemy who had loosed the Iron Arrows was a Dark Force master who had dedicated himself to Archery.

Everyone’s time is limited.

For a Martial Artist to spend precious time that could be used to hone their Martial Arts on Archery instead, there was only one possibility...

Their natural talent and Root Bone were simply better suited for Archery.

Those with extraordinary vision could see the flutter of a gnat’s wings from a hundred paces away.

Those with keen hearing could pick out the sound of a breath or a heartbeat from the whisper of the wind.

Those with phenomenal strength could draw a Thousand-Pound Bow ten times in a row without a break, and with the aid of Blood Qi, that number could be multiplied several times over.

Of course, the most critical factor was the natural structure of their muscles and bones—a perfect fit for a Bow and Arrow. They were born to be Archers.

Such people were rare; you couldn’t find more than a few in all of Zhao City.

At the very least, the men of Jiuan Hunting Manor could think of only one person who fit that description: Bai Fangshuo!

And right now.

The man opposite them, the one firing the Iron Arrows, was clearly just such a person.

The Jiuan men still hiding behind cover knew that making the slightest sound could expose their position and turn them into the next corpse with an Iron Arrow through the heart.

In the distance.

Bai Fangshuo handed the Golden Patterned Hard Bow to two attendants behind him.

It took both of them to receive it steadily. As they took it, their four arms visibly sagged under its weight. Clearly, no ordinary person could lift this bow with one hand.

Two more attendants followed, each carrying a Quiver on his back that was twice the normal size.

Each Quiver held twenty Metal Heavy Arrows, and their weight was considerable. An average person couldn’t even hoist one onto their shoulder, let alone carry it on their back.

Right now, one of the Quivers was almost empty, with only two or three Arrows left.

"Patriarch Chu, have the men advance another ten paces."

Bai Fangshuo ordered casually as he shook out his arms, trying to get them to relax.

All told, he had already fired seventeen or eighteen Iron Arrows today.

He hadn’t fired them in rapid succession, but the strain on his muscles was still immense. Each draw of the bowstring was a trial that pushed his muscles and sinews to their absolute limit.

Now, his arm muscles were tense and hard. Beyond the soreness, he could feel the faint, tearing ache of overexertion.

Fortunately, thanks to his year-round training, his arms recovered far faster than an ordinary person’s.

He also had a technique for circulating his Blood Qi to soothe the muscles in his arms.

He secretly activated it now. His arm muscles rippled slightly, and a series of soft pops echoed from the joints in his shoulders, elbows, wrists, and fingers.

After just a few moments of this, the soreness would subside, and he would be able to draw the bow again.

When Zhu Biao led his men to advance the line ten paces, it was, for Bai Fangshuo, the equivalent of pressing an Iron Arrow to the foreheads of the Jiuan group.

If anyone dared make the slightest sound, or any movement that might give away their position...

Bai Fangshuo could kill them the instant they showed their face.

「On the other side.」

Zhu Kang hid behind a thick, ancient tree. With a slight twitch of his ears, he clearly caught the sound of the enemy closing in.

With his hearing and Archery skills, he was confident he could take out three enemies in quick succession if he acted now.

However, he didn’t dare make a move.

He didn’t want to die.

More importantly, the unconscious Wang Chuang was right beside him.

This was the boy they had all watched grow up, from a tiny bundle into a grown man. The entire future of Jiuan Hunting Manor rested on his shoulders!

Right now, the fate of his sworn brother, Wang Peng, was unknown. If he couldn’t even protect Wang Chuang, Zhu Kang would never be able to rest in peace, not even in death.