First Battle

"I'm fine!" Shi Shoushan said with difficulty.

"Big sister-in-law, nephew, don't cry. Brother Shoushan isn't in any danger of dying. Give him some time to recover, and he'll be as strong as a Reckless Bull. He'll be better soon," Shi Feijiao coaxed them.

The injury was truly severe. Even with Shi Shoushan's strong constitution, they couldn't afford to be careless. Otherwise, it might leave him with a serious lingering illness, frail health and asthma for the rest of his life.

Fortunately, Shi Linhu and the others had already treated his wounds for now. They had chewed up some old medicinal herbs from the mountains and applied them to the wounds, then fed him medicinal powder brewed by several clan elders from the true blood of vicious beasts and other ingredients.

"Don't cry. It's enough that you made it back alive." The clan chief, Shi Yunfeng, came over and suddenly pulled out the iron arrow. Blood spurted from the wound. His movements were swift; light flashed in his palm, and runes blazed like stars. He pressed his hand down quickly, stopping the bleeding and closing the wound.

Shi Yunfeng took a jade jar from his robes and poured out two fragrant purple pills. He crushed one and smeared it on the wound, then had Shi Shoushan swallow the other.

Shi Shoushan was carried home. Men and women, young and old—a great crowd of villagers came to visit, bringing all sorts of nourishing old herbs, dried meat, and other things. The place was lively, and the villagers were plainspoken and kindhearted.

"Uncle will get better soon!" Little One offered his own gift too: a basket of the red berries he liked best.

"What exactly happened?" In the clan chief's courtyard, a group of important figures had gathered. Shi Yunfeng frowned as he asked.

"Clan chief, it really was the people from Bei Village who caused trouble. They crossed into our territory and tried to take the Six-Legged Camel Brother Shoushan had shot. Then they attacked him viciously. If he hadn't dodged in time, that arrow would have pierced his heart and killed him," Shi Linhu said bitterly.

Everyone's expressions changed at his words. They had gone for the kill.

"They were so vicious. They have no regard for the rules at all. The two villages are dozens of miles apart, each keeping to its own territory, and we hardly ever meet. But we do live in the same mountain range, so we ought to show one another some consideration. They weren't like this before," one of the clan elders sighed.

Shi Feijiao said, "The one who attacked was a youngster, maybe fourteen or fifteen. He was a handsome lad, fair-skinned and good-looking. But his heart was truly vicious. He shot at Brother Shoushan as if he were killing a wild beast. There wasn't the slightest ripple in his eyes. They were terrifyingly cold."

"Why are they pushing us so hard? Do they think they're so powerful they can disregard our feelings? Otherwise, why would they bully us so brazenly?" Several clan elders were angry too. Living in the mountains, strong adult men were vital to a village. Yet the other side had acted with such reckless abandon, killing whenever they pleased.

Someone added, "That youngster is no ordinary person. There's something unsettling about him. Looking at him felt like facing an adult Pixiu—powerful, vicious, and cold-blooded."

"So Bei Village has produced an extraordinary young man. It seems that clan has grown much stronger. They're flourishing now, and their ambitions have grown with them," the clan chief murmured, narrowing his eyes as he gazed toward Bei Village.

Then he turned to Shi Linhu and the others and said, "We don't start trouble, but we aren't afraid of it either. Be on your guard from now on. If they push their luck, don't hesitate to do what needs to be done!"

"I understand." Shi Linhu nodded.

Shi Lin and Shi Hao listened quietly. The two exchanged a glance, and each made up his mind.

Another half month passed in the blink of an eye, and the people of Stone Village went hunting again.

"Come on, Little One. Let's sneak after them!" Shi Lin sat on a boulder, watching Stone Village's hunting party. He turned to Shi Hao beside him and spoke.

"Mm-hmm!"

Then, when no one was watching, the two secretly followed the hunting party.

Stone Village was lucky that day, and the hunt was bountiful. Deep in the mountains, they came upon a field of corpses left behind by a rampaging herd of vicious beasts. Powerful strange beasts had fought, devastating the mountain forest for dozens of miles. Many wild animals had fallen victim.

In the depths of the mountain range, Primordial Remnants sometimes clashed and slaughtered one another, and their battles could trigger terrible disasters. That was what had happened this time. Fortunately, the village had been spared.

In a deeper part of the forest, towering trees lay snapped, thousand-year-old vines had been destroyed, and beast blood was everywhere. The whole area was a mess. Two strange beasts had fought fiercely here, setting off a rampage that killed many wild animals. Stone Village's hunting party was clearing the area.

Shi Hao and Shi Lin hid in a patch of grass, quietly watching.

Suddenly, a gust of force shot toward Shi Linhu's throat. A cold, gloomy glint, as if from the underworld, chilled the soul.

"Dad, watch out!" Shi Lin couldn't help crying out.

It was a thick iron arrow, a meter and a third long. It flew faster than lightning, capable of killing in an instant. With power and speed like that, it could certainly pierce the scales of a Dragon-Horned Elephant. No wonder it had punched through the three layers of thick steel armor worn by the man from Stone Village. It was terrifying.

It had come too suddenly. An arrow like that, fired from the depths of a dense mountain forest, was impossible to guard against. Shi Linhu was exceptionally brave and quick to react, twisting aside at once.

It was a hair's breadth from hitting him. The icy iron arrow scraped his neck and flew past, spraying a string of blood. Its tip tore away a patch of skin; it had missed piercing his throat by a fraction.

Only then did the arrow's sharp whistle reach them—the sound of its shaft tearing through the air, arriving long after the iron arrow itself. Its speed was truly terrifying.

"Clang!"

The iron arrow plunged into a boulder in the distance, piercing straight through with a metallic ring and a spray of sparks. It was terrifying. Who would dare face such a powerful blow from such a heavy arrow? If it hit, it would leave a hole right through you!

The scene fell silent. Shi Linhu touched the patch of skin scraped from his neck, a cold light flickering in his eyes. He had come within a hair's breadth of being killed by that arrow.

On a distant hillside, a youth stood with a bow in hand, his expression stern and his eyes glittering with cold light as he stared at them.

"It's that brat again!" Shi Feijiao and the others were instantly ablaze with fury. That cold-faced youth had already gravely wounded several adult men from their village.

The youth was fourteen or fifteen, tall and slender, with glossy, smooth black hair and fair skin. He was very handsome; only his cold eyes marred his looks, giving him a savage, cruel air.

Behind him, seventy or eighty people dragged one giant beast after another across the hillside. Blood covered the ground, and the grass and brambles had been crushed beneath them.

"Bei Village brat, besides shooting from hiding, what else can you do? Come over here if you've got the guts! I'll slap the top of your skull right off!" someone roared.

A cold glint flashed in the handsome youth's eyes. He immediately drew his bow and aimed at the man.

Shi Linhu said nothing. He held a black bow made from a dragon horn, nearly as tall as a man, swiftly drew the string, nocked an iron arrow, and fired.

"Clang!"

The two thick iron arrows collided in midair, sparks flying with an earsplitting clang. They stopped in their tracks at the same time and fell to the ground.

Everyone sucked in a breath. The youth's archery and arm strength were astonishing. He was barely in his teens, yet he could go toe to toe with Stone Village's strongest man, Shi Linhu.

"Clang!" "Clang!"...

Sparks flew through the forest. More than a dozen pairs of iron arrows collided one after another with metallic clanks, like a meteor shower raining down. They crashed to the ground, their shrill ringing making everyone's eardrums ache.

Divine arrows shook the wilderness!

The youth was evenly matched with Stone Village's strongest man, Shi Linhu. The sight stunned everyone. When the youth flexed his arms, he could lift at least five or six bronze tripods weighing a thousand catties each.

Everyone drew a sharp breath. What an outstanding young talent—a youngster barely old enough to be called an adult, yet already possessed of such astonishing strength. It was enough to make anyone afraid.

"Friends from Stone Village, forgive us. We need a large quantity of vicious beasts right now, so let us have today's game. We'll repay you handsomely in the future," a middle-aged man from Bei Village called out as he stepped forward. His voice rang loud and clear.

"You ambushed our people on the way here just to steal our game. Your attacks were vicious, every arrow piercing their vital organs and leaving several men gravely wounded, on the brink of death. And now you're asking us to forgive you? You've done every evil thing under the sun, yet you're so calm about it. What kind of reasoning is that?" Shi Linhu rebuked him angrily.

"Once there's an argument and a clash, bloodshed is inevitable. That's a rule every man of the Great Wilderness knows," the leader of Bei Village's hunting party replied.

"If you're not satisfied, then come at us!" another powerful man from Bei Village said, even more forcefully.

The people of Stone Village were furious enough to burst. They had been ambushed and robbed of their game, and the other side was still acting so brazenly, refusing to give an inch of reason. There was nothing left to say.

"Then let's fight!" Shi Feijiao roared.

"Do you think we're afraid of you?" the leader of Bei Village's hunting party answered. He was extremely burly, standing seven or eight feet tall, and gave off an oppressive presence.

"Clang!" "Clang!"...

Weapons rang as they were drawn, one after another. Many people raised broad swords nearly as tall as a man. Cold light flashed, killing intent filled the air, and the trees' leaves shook loose and fluttered to the ground.

"I'm telling you to go back where you came from. Take one more step forward, and I'll shoot every last one of you. This time, I won't show any mercy!" The handsome youth from Bei Village suddenly spoke. His tone was so provocative it made their blood boil, and they wanted nothing more than to shoot an arrow straight through him.

Shi Linhu said angrily, "Brat, you're not even grown, yet you're already this capable. You really are strong. But if you're this arrogant and ruthless, you won't come to a good end."

At the same time, he drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and fired straight at the youth. They had already said this much. What else could they do? There was only one choice: fight!

"Clang!"

The iron arrows collided once more, making the mountains and forests hum and tremble.

"Kill!"

The people of Stone Village either drew their great bows, gripped their broad swords, or swung wolf-tooth clubs. Like beasts breaking out of their cages, they charged forward in a fierce gale, whipping fallen leaves into the air.

The people of Bei Village were just as tall and strong. They charged toward them too, and a chaotic battle was about to begin.

Just then, two figures shot out like flying clouds.

Shi Hao shouted angrily, "You're stealing the food we depend on to survive, and you even tried to kill the uncles! Uncle A Fu is such a good, kind man, and you nearly shot him dead. You're all wicked people!"

Shi Hao's little face flushed red with agitation. His small hands clenched tight, and fury filled his eyes. He had grown up in Stone Village, where he had known nothing but warmth and affection. He had never encountered people this overbearing.

"This is simply unforgivable!" Wang Quan cried angrily.

The people of Bei Village were surprised, then burst into laughter. They hadn't expected that, besides a few half-grown children, Stone Village had brought along a little kid too. Wasn't he just causing trouble for his clan?

"Little Feng, kill him!" the people of Bei Village shouted.

"Okay!" Bei Feng answered.

"Whoosh!"

The iron arrow tore through the air. The fourteen- or fifteen-year-old youth from Bei Village was expressionless as he drew that terrifying bow, aiming straight at Little One to kill him.

The people of Stone Village glared, their anger burning white-hot. Little One was still just a child, usually so sweet and well-behaved. Yet the other side was ruthless enough to attack even a toddler. It was beyond appalling.

Shi Linhu drew his bow and nocked an arrow, trying to save him by knocking aside the youth's iron arrow. But his expression changed in an instant.

This time, the youth had drawn four arrows at once. Four streaks of cold light flew toward them like lightning, while Shi Linhu had only managed to fire three. The other side was astonishingly strong.

"Clang!" "Clang!"...

Three pairs of arrows collided and fell to the ground. One iron arrow, over a meter long and thick as a beam, still shot toward Little One's throat, icy and terrifying!

"Hmph!" Shi Lin gave a cold snort. With a casual flick of his hand, he sent out a rune and shattered the iron arrow.

"If you want to hurt us, you've got a long way to go!" Shi Lin said domineeringly.

Everyone was startled too. They hadn't expected a half-grown child to be so formidable.

"Then let's see!" Bei Feng sneered. He drew his great bow again and fired several arrows in succession. Each arrow was wrapped in runes, like a white rainbow piercing the sun, like a comet striking the moon.

"Whoosh!"

"Let's go!" Shi Lin and Shi Hao exchanged a glance, then leapt up and charged straight toward the youth from Bei Village!

The two moved like agile apes, limbs sweeping out with effortless grace. They dodged every arrow with ease.

"Looking for death!" Bei Feng barked. Light blazed from his eyes like twin bolts of lightning. He drew a breath, opened his great bow, and fired arrow after arrow.

"Fwoosh!" "Fwoosh!"...

The iron arrows tore through the sky with a mournful howl, like the wails of ghosts in the Nine Hells. Their thick shafts gleamed with a metallic chill that made one's heart tremble as they sped toward their targets, terrifyingly fast.

Bei Feng kept drawing his bow, firing eight iron arrows in a row. They whistled toward them, each one terrifying, all aimed at their vital points!

The two continued to dodge with ease, closing straight in on Bei Feng.

Their performance left everyone stunned!

The people of Bei Village and Stone Village stared in a daze. Shi Lin and Shi Hao had exceeded their expectations. The two children were so young, yet their abilities seemed almost unreal.

Bei Feng barked as he frantically loosed his bow. Iron arrows poured over them like a torrential downpour, one after another, their thick shafts piercing through the forest.

"Had enough fun? It's our turn now!" Shi Lin said. He exchanged a nod with Shi Hao, and the two charged forward.

The two formed hand seals, runes dancing in their hands. A dazzling light appeared in each of their hands, and two golden moons formed in each pair of palms. The moons spun rapidly clockwise.

They flung out their hands, and four golden moons spread specks of light as they slashed swiftly toward Bei Feng.

Bei Feng cried out in alarm. He immediately took four dark red arrows forged from Blood-Vein Iron in hand, drew his great bow with both hands, and fired with all his strength at the four golden moons.

"Clang!"

The metallic impact rang out. The light dispersed, and the arrows snapped. The four golden moons kept hurtling toward him, unstoppable.

"Little Feng, get back!" the people of Bei Village shouted.

They knew Bei Feng's strength was astonishing. He was still a youth, yet there were already few people within a radius of several thousand miles who could match him. Now he couldn't gain the upper hand and was even in mortal danger. They could only flee.

But Bei Feng ignored their warning and tried to withstand the attacks with his body. The first strike left him off balance and coughing blood. The next three made him spit blood, and his body flew sideways, smashing through the branches of many trees before crashing to the ground.

With a thunderous crash, an ancient tree that had towered into the sky snapped and toppled onto the hillside, making a tremendous racket.

Bei Feng lay on the ground, covered in wounds. His eyes were half closed, and blood kept spilling from his mouth. He looked close to death.

The two went over and looked down at Bei Feng. Shi Lin sneered.

"You're no match for me!"