The Archer Who Can't Fight in Close Combat Isn't a Good Archer!

Fast! Too fast!

It was so fast that even Zhao Tiandu, a third-level Spirit Body, only had time for his pupils to contract. He didn't have time to make a move to rescue them.

"Thud! Thud! Thud!"

The muffled sounds of blades piercing flesh rang out one after another.

Of the six second-level Spirit Bodies surrounding Luo Li, three of them didn't even have time to scream before their bodies suddenly stiffened.

A black feathered arrow, still trembling slightly, was lodged in each of their throats and hearts.

The feathers at the ends of the arrows were dyed bright red with blood.

The three men widened their eyes, their faces filled with terror and disbelief, before falling stiffly to the ground.

The fourth arrow grazed Yang Hong's cheek as it flew past, leaving a bloody mark.

It then sank deep into the mountain wall behind him. Its tail trembled wildly, giving off a buzzing sound.

"Who?!"

Zhao Tiandu's expression changed drastically. He abruptly turned toward the direction from which the arrows had come.

The few remaining men were even more terrified. They hurriedly huddled together and stared fearfully in the direction the arrows had come from.

A tall, slender figure slowly emerged from the woods.

He held an Ice Crystal Longbow in his hand, a quiver strapped to his back, and that familiar dagger hanging at his waist.

Bing Tianxiao's expression was blank, his gaze cold as ice.

His usual carefree, unreliable air had vanished completely, replaced by a chilling murderous aura.

When Luo Li saw the figure walking out, the fingers gripping the Luoshen Sword relaxed slightly.

A trace of imperceptible calm flickered in her glasslike eyes.

"When did it become your turn, you worthless minnows, to lay a hand on my people?"

Bing Tianxiao's gaze passed over Zhao Tiandu and landed directly on the terrified Yang Hong.

"Yang Hong, looks like last time didn't teach you a lesson."

"Or do you think that because you've found yourself a backer, I won't dare kill you?"

The wound on Yang Hong's cheek burned painfully. Blood trickled between his fingers, glaringly bright.

As he watched that figure approach step by step, his legs began to tremble uncontrollably.

The fear of having been dominated by Bing Tianxiao last time surged into his heart like a tide.

"Y-You... don't come any closer!"

Yang Hong shouted harshly despite his fear, but his body honestly shrank behind Zhao Tiandu.

"Bing Tianxiao! If you dare touch me, Big Brother Ji Xuan definitely won't let you off!"

At the mention of "Ji Xuan," the few followers who had been scared witless seemed to regain a sliver of courage.

However, Bing Tianxiao's footsteps didn't stop in the slightest.

Every step sounded as though it had landed on Yang Hong's heart.

"Ji Xuan?"

Bing Tianxiao chuckled, the laugh brimming with mockery. "Using someone who isn't here to intimidate me? Yang Hong, you're really getting worse with age."

He stopped and deftly spun the dagger between his fingers, its blade flashing with a bone-chilling light.

"Let alone Ji Xuan—even if Heavenly King Laozi himself came today, this debt would still have to be settled..."

Zhao Tiandu's brows knitted tightly, his expression so dark it seemed water might drip from it.

Though he feared Bing Tianxiao's astonishing archery from earlier, as one of Ji Xuan's right-hand men,

if he backed down now, how would he survive on the Spirit Road in the future?

"Bing Tianxiao, leave some room for compromise."

Zhao Tiandu stepped forward, every muscle in his body taut.

"Is it worth offending Big Brother Ji Xuan for a woman? As long as you hand Luo Li over, I can make the decision to let you join us..."

"Enough nonsense."

Bing Tianxiao cut him off impatiently, a hint of savagery flashing in his eyes.

"First, she isn't an object. You don't get to demand her."

"Second, I already said it: she's my person. If I can't even protect my own people, I might as well die!"

At those words, ripples stirred in Luo Li's heart, normally as cold and still as an icy lake.

She watched the young man standing in front of her. That usually unreliable fellow was now blocking all the killing intent from reaching her.

My person...

Luo Li silently repeated those three words in her heart.

A strange emotion she had never felt before quietly took root in the girl's heart.

She drew a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the flutter in her chest.

In the next instant, Luo Li raised the Luoshen Sword and walked step by step to Bing Tianxiao's side, standing shoulder to shoulder with him.

"I'll fight alongside you."

Luo Li's voice remained cold and clear.

Bing Tianxiao grinned, revealing a row of stark-white teeth. The savage aura in his eyes erupted in an instant.

"Yang Hong is yours. I'll handle the rest!"

Before his voice had even faded, the two figures vanished from where they stood almost simultaneously.

"Courting death!"

Seeing this, Zhao Tiandu laughed out of extreme anger.

He was a dignified third-level Spirit Body and one of the strongest experts under Ji Xuan. When had anyone ever dared look down on him like this?

What's more, the fellow before him was wielding a longbow.

He roared as the muscles throughout his body bulged like rocks, then slammed his fist viciously toward the charging Bing Tianxiao.

However, just as he thought he could easily defeat Bing Tianxiao,

the latter's punch made him wonder who had really trained in archery.

"Boom!"

A deep, thunderous crash suddenly exploded.

The smile on Zhao Tiandu's face instantly froze.

He felt as though his fist hadn't struck a body of flesh and blood at all, but a piece of ten-thousand-year black iron!

"Thud! Thud! Thud!"

Zhao Tiandu grunted and staggered back more than a dozen steps, his body unable to stop itself.

Bing Tianxiao, on the other hand,

only swayed slightly. After taking half a step back, he stood firmly in place.

He shook his slightly numb palm and looked at Zhao Tiandu, whose face was filled with disbelief.

"What? Surprised?"

"Y-Your strength..."

Clutching his trembling right arm, Zhao Tiandu's eyes were filled with shock. "You're a peak Level 3 Spirit Body?!"

In his understanding, archers were all fragile people who hid in the distance and fired sneak attacks.

Once someone got close, they were lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

But the fellow before him was simply a ferocious beast wearing human skin!

Bing Tianxiao casually drew the dagger from his waist.

He flourished it beautifully between his fingers and walked toward Zhao Tiandu step by step, his tone matter-of-fact yet faintly teasing.

"Who told you that archers have to be fragile?"

Bing Tianxiao suddenly stomped on the ground, his body shooting forward like a cannonball.

The dagger in his hand drew a vicious streak of cold light, aimed straight at Zhao Tiandu's throat.

"Remember this basic fact—"

"An archer who can't fight in close combat isn't a good archer!"

Before his voice had even faded, Bing Tianxiao had already closed in.

This time, he held nothing back.

The dagger flickered like a venomous snake darting out its tongue, every move ruthless and every angle devilishly tricky.

Though Zhao Tiandu was also a third-level Spirit Body, he was far inferior to Bing Tianxiao.

Damn it! Damn it! This kid's a madman!

Zhao Tiandu roared inwardly, growing more alarmed the longer they fought.

He discovered that Bing Tianxiao's fighting style was extremely savage, and that the dagger always struck the places that made him most uncomfortable.

"Come help me, you three!"

Seeing the other three standing there in a daze, Zhao Tiandu immediately roared.

The three men exchanged glances, then charged forward with their weapons.

Elsewhere.

"Clang!"

A clear sword ring sounded.

The Twin Maces in Yang Hong's hands were sent flying, and he tumbled awkwardly across the ground.

He raised his head in terror and saw Luo Li holding her sword, looking down at him from above.

The girl's silver hair danced in the air. Though she was wounded, the sharp sword intent surrounding her was stronger than ever.