Skirmish, Snipe

Li Bufan gasped heavily, his chest heaving like a bellows as the icy air seared his lungs with a faint sting. That burst of lightning-fast action, especially the final Mighty Ox Fist killing blow that had condensed all his blood and energy, had nearly drained him of most of his strength, and the intense mental strain left him deeply exhausted.

To Li Bufan's stunned gaze, the figure that should have fallen swayed, propped itself against a tree trunk with its hand, and struggled back to its feet!

Wu Hai's face was pale as paper, the leather armor on his chest visibly dented inward, its edges even cracked in places. Blood trickled steadily from the corner of his mouth, signaling severe internal injuries. But he stood, his eyes blazing with even more frenzied hatred as he locked onto Li Bufan.

"Good... good... good!" Wu Hai's voice was hoarse and broken, each word accompanied by bloody froth. "Such fierce fist force... unmatched in its brutality, at least five or six hundred jin of power! But... cough... this force clearly hasn't reached minor success in Muscle Tempering! It's just the initial stage!"

He sucked in a few ragged breaths, a grimace of survival mixed with extreme hatred twisting his face. "Kid... I admit I underestimated you! Agile footwork, fierce fist techniques! But what a pity! You're still lacking in realm! If you'd truly reached minor success in Muscle Tempering, that punch just now—with a bit more force—I wouldn't be standing here."

"You didn't kill me with one blow... that's your biggest mistake!" Wu Hai roared, bloodshot eyes blazing. "Now, it's my turn! Even if it costs me my life, I'll tear you limb from limb today and avenge my brother!"

Boom!

Something seemed to explode within him. The blood and energy that had stagnated from his severe injuries forcibly surged again, even more violently than before!

Ignoring his dangling left arm and the cracked right shoulder, driven by sheer mad will, he yanked the long blade still embedded in the tree trunk with his left hand and lunged at Li Bufan once more!

Li Bufan's heart jolted, a silent cry of alarm rising within him. He never expected the man to still have such strength after surviving that killing blow. Wu Hai was undoubtedly at his last gasp, but a cornered beast was most dangerous!

He dared not slack off, suppressing his body's fatigue and the instability of his blood and energy as he once again fully executed Spirit Monkey Three Leaps, darting backward.

Yet, while Spirit Monkey Three Leaps granted him agility and direction-changing ability far beyond his peers, in absolute straight-line speed, he was still outmatched against a higher-realm Warrior burning blood and energy at any cost!

Moreover, Wu Hai, completely disregarding his injuries, stomped the ground with each step, sending snow flying, and moved even faster than during their earlier clash!

The distance between them was shrinking, inch by inch! The sharp wind of the blade nearly grazed Li Bufan's back!

"Little beast! Where do you think you're going! Die!" Wu Hai's maddened roar chased close behind.

In this critical moment, Li Bufan forced his mind to steady. A direct fight was impossible; he was slightly slower in speed. He had to rely on external help!

His eyes locked onto the hunting bow he'd tossed aside in the snow earlier.

"I have to get that bow!"

In a flash of thought, his tactic was set. He stopped fleeing in a straight line, using Spirit Monkey Three Leaps's flexibility to weave irregularly around the trees—sudden stops, sharp turns—disrupting Wu Hai's pursuit rhythm while cleverly angling toward the bow's landing spot.

Wu Hai roared in fury, his blade slashing at trees, sending wood chips flying, but always missing by a hair. Li Bufan's footwork was too agile and cunning, like a fish in water within this forest.

Finally, after a hair-raising dodge behind a tree, Li Bufan was less than three steps from the bow on the ground!

Now!

Just as Wu Hai's blade struck empty air and his old force faded, Li Bufan rolled sideways in a swift, fluid motion, his right hand precisely snatching the hunting bow from the snow!

But the instant he touched the bow, Wu Hai's twisted face was already upon him, the gleaming long blade slicing horizontally toward his waist with a shrill whistle! The strike was fast and vicious, sealing off most of his escape routes!

Li Bufan's pupils shrank. As he grabbed the bow, he threw himself backward in a desperate arch, executing a bridge stance. The blade skimmed past the tip of his nose by a hair's breadth! But his left arm, holding the bow, couldn't fully evade!

"Rip—!"

The sharp blade tore through his leather sleeve, leaving a gruesome wound on his left forearm, deep enough to see bone! Blood gushed out instantly, staining his sleeve and the bow!

A searing pain shot through him. Li Bufan grunted, cold sweat beading on his forehead, but he gritted his teeth, using the backward momentum to kick off the ground with his right foot. As he slid back, his right hand had already drawn an arrow from the quiver!

Nock, draw! The motion was slightly distorted by the pain, yet still astonishingly fast!

At such close range, there was no need to aim!

"Whoosh!"

The arrow left the string, flying straight at Wu Hai's chest!

Wu Hai hadn't expected Li Bufan to counter so swiftly despite his injury. His charge was too fierce to fully dodge, so he could only twist sideways!

"Thud!"

The arrow missed the vital spot, burying itself deep into his right thigh! The arrowhead sank inches deep, blood pouring out!

"Ah! Damn brat!" Wu Hai howled in pain, stumbling as his pursuit faltered. The successive severe injuries began to drain his strength, his face growing even paler.

Seizing the chance, Li Bufan, enduring the agony in his left arm, once again fully executed Spirit Monkey Three Leaps, leaping backward a great distance, temporarily widening the gap between them.

He dared not pause, not even to tend to his wound. While staying mobile, he drew another arrow and nocked it!

Now, they were about one and a half zhang apart, forming a strange standoff. Wu Hai, slowed by his leg injury and exhaustion, couldn't close in instantly; Li Bufan, with his wounded left arm, struggled with the bow's stability and power, and his arrows were limited, so he couldn't waste them.

Wu Hai panted heavily, his eyes still wild. Dragging his injured leg, he advanced step by step, his long blade pointing at Li Bufan. "Let's see how many arrows you have left! Once I get close, I'll grind you into meat paste!"

Li Bufan's gaze was icy. His breathing was rapid from pain and running, but his fingers gripping the bow were eerily steady. He kept moving, using trees as cover, seeking shooting opportunities.

Whoosh! Another arrow flew, deflected by Wu Hai's blade!

Whoosh! Another grazed Wu Hai's shoulder!

Whoosh! The third was dodged as Wu Hai twisted aside, the arrow embedding into a tree trunk behind him.

Only four arrows remained in the quiver! The pressure was immense!

Yet, under this life-or-death pressure, amid the relentless chase and shooting, the countless times Li Bufan had practiced archery—every breath adjustment, every subtle difference in force—were forcibly refined, merged, and connected by an invisible hand!

The [Heaven Rewards Diligence] destiny spun wildly!

A realization dawned on him! His perception of the bowstring's vibration, the arrow's flight, and the target's movement prediction suddenly soared to a whole new level!

Archery, breakthrough to Minor Success! (3/2000)

An unprecedented sense of control surged within him! It was as if the bow and arrow in his hands had become extensions of his own body!

At that moment, Wu Hai closed in again, less than a zhang away! A vicious grin twisted his face as he raised his blade, ready to pounce.

Now!

Li Bufan's eyes flashed with killing intent. His breath settled into stillness, the searing pain in his left arm seemingly suppressed for the moment. He drew arrows in a blur.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Three arrows in rapid succession—so fast they sounded like a single bowstring snap!

The first arrow flew straight for his face, forcing Wu Hai to swing his blade in a desperate block.

The second followed close behind, aimed at his heart. Wu Hai twisted his body in shock to deflect it, sparks flying where blade met arrowhead.

And just as his spent strength waned, his new strength not yet gathered, his body tilting back slightly from the parry—

The third arrow, like a viper striking from its lair, arrived silently and pierced his already wounded right thigh with deadly precision.

"Aagh—!" Wu Hai let out a bloodcurdling scream. His right leg gave way completely, his balance shattered, and he lurched forward violently, on the verge of crashing to the ground.

And in that fatal instant, as his body tipped forward, his guard wide open—

Li Bufan nocked his final arrow. The bow drew taut like a full moon. The arrowhead gleamed with cold, deathly light, locked firmly onto the forehead tilted up in pain and terror.

Time seemed to freeze in that moment.

"It's over."

Li Bufan murmured the three words softly, and his fingers on the bowstring loosened without a sound.

Swish—!

The final arrow, like the sigh of death itself, cut through the air without a whisper and buried itself precisely between Wu Hai's brows.

"Thud!"

Wu Hai's forward motion froze abruptly. The ferocity, pain, and madness on his face congealed instantly, transforming into stark shock and disbelief. The light in his pupils guttered out like a candle in the wind.

He swayed, then toppled forward stiffly, crashing heavily onto the snow-covered ground, sending up a spray of white powder. No sound followed.

Only the arrow standing upright between his brows trembled faintly in the cold air.

Li Bufan held his release stance, breathing raggedly. Blood streamed from his left arm wound, torn open by the final exertion, but he seemed not to notice.

He stared at Wu Hai's lifeless body, then slowly lowered his hunting bow. A wave of immense exhaustion and the hollow relief of survival washed over him.