Skillful and Superior

"Blood Blade Sect."

Hearing Leng Yifeng announce his affiliation, Li Yun felt his heart tighten.

Isn't this the sect causing trouble in Green Wind Prefecture?

With a member of the Blood Blade Sect appearing here now, did the entire region fall, leading them to eye Crow Mountain City, or were they beaten and forced to flee?

Regardless of the scenario, it was not good news for Li Yun, who needed time to develop.

"The name sounds quite grand, but you haven't mentioned what the benefits are."

Li Yun had no idea what kind of drug the people on the ground had been hit with.

Buying some time might allow the effects of the drug to dissipate slightly, perhaps letting them recover.

Moreover, once the Hour of the Monkey passed, the servants down the mountain would notice their young mistress hadn't returned.

They should be able to guess that something had gone wrong, right?

"Benefits? There are naturally plenty of benefits. Sect-secret internal cultivation methods, battle-hardened martial arts, and cultivation resources gathered from all corners of the world. Once you join, everything is shared. Disciples of the sect are as close as brothers, advancing and retreating together in times of trouble. But shouting from this far away is truly exhausting. Why don't you come closer? As fellow disciples, we can get closer and have a heart-to-heart. To show my sincerity, I, as your senior brother, will make the call: you can pick any two of these three women to take away, and just leave one for me to amuse myself with. How about that?"

On the ground, Huang Shengnan and Lin Biling were frantically clawing at each other.

Forced to act, Leng Yifeng took out a pill.

He held it between his fingertips, brought it to their lips, and pinched their chins to force their mouths open, shoving it inside.

Within moments, their struggling weakened; clearly, the pill had temporarily suppressed the drug's effects.

He took a few steps forward, gripping the long blade in his hand tightly, never relaxing.

"Get closer? Sure, but first, throw away the blade behind your back. Who gets close to someone while carrying a blade?"

As he finished speaking, Li Yun fired another arrow.

Leng Yifeng didn't hesitate, performing a roll to dodge the projectile.

He looked down at the arrow, which had buried itself halfway into the ground less than half a foot from his feet, a bone-chilling coldness rising within him.

His expression darkened instantly.

He sighed inwardly: This brat's archery is terrifyingly accurate, and his mind is meticulous; he isn't falling for any tricks. It seems taking him down with just words today is impossible.

He had no choice but to take a desperate risk.

Leng Yifeng turned his head abruptly, veins bulging on his forearm as he grabbed one of the unconscious guards on the ground.

He hoisted the man up like a shield, holding him firmly in front of himself.

With a fierce stomp against the ground, his figure shot forward like an arrow from a bow, sprinting toward Li Yun.

Li Yun saw Leng Yifeng's blade technique clearly.

It was as swift as the wind, treacherous and ruthless.

Once he was closed in on, death was certain.

He had to stop him.

As for that guard, Li Yun could only say he was sorry.

This was a matter of life and death; there was no room for soft-heartedness.

He lowered his waist, steadied his shoulders, nocked an arrow, raised the Bull Bow, and drew the string until it formed a half-moon.

Aiming and releasing, the movements were fluid and seamless.

Arrow after arrow followed.

The first arrow struck the guard's waist and abdomen, the force of the half-moon draw from the Bull Bow causing the guard's body to shudder violently.

The arrowhead pierced straight through, its remaining momentum undiminished, slamming into Leng Yifeng's side. Though it didn't penetrate deeply, it still drew a spray of hot blood.

Leng Yifeng's forward momentum stalled abruptly, and he let out a muffled groan.

Swish, swish, swish~

The continuous sound of arrows tearing through the air exploded in his ears, leaving Leng Yifeng's mind in a state of shock.

Ignoring the searing pain in his ribs, he hacked an arrow in two with his blade, twisted his waist violently, and rolled clumsily behind a cluster of intersecting branches, narrowly escaping death.

The moment he steadied his position, several more arrows followed in quick succession.

His guards were riddled with holes, turned into sieves.

Looking at the guards beside him who were dead beyond any doubt, Leng Yifeng shouted loudly toward Li Yun:

"Li Yun, you bastard, you truly have the style of our Blood Blade Sect.

Vicious, decisive, ruthless, and heartless.

If our master saw this, he would surely be overjoyed and take you in as his personal disciple."

"Oh?

Then tell me, who is this future master of mine?"

Li Yun didn't believe a single word of Leng Yifeng's nonsense.

After saying this, his figure moved, and he immediately charged down the slope.

He circled clockwise.

He wanted to take advantage of the moment the enemy was hiding behind the tree and couldn't see him to change his angle and continue firing arrows.

After all, only a breathless enemy is a good enemy.

Leng Yifeng did not notice Li Yun changing his shooting angle.

With his back against the rough tree trunk, he pressed one hand against his bleeding ribs while the other reached into a deerskin pouch at his waist to pull out a small, pitch-black porcelain jar.

He pulled out the stopper and poured the dark brown powder from the jar onto his wound.

The moment the powder touched his flesh, he grimaced in pain, veins popping out on his forehead.

Immediately, an unnatural flush surged onto his face, and his breathing suddenly grew heavy.

Within a few seconds, the wound began to scab over.

Once the wave of pain subsided, he raised his voice to answer Li Yun, his tone filled with flattery:

"Our master is the Great Elder of the Blood Blade Sect.

Here in Red Maple Prefecture, aside from the Clear Wood Sect, who doesn't show him a bit of respect?"

Red Maple Prefecture, Clear Wood Sect.

Li Yun noted these down to himself.

However, his footsteps did not stop, and he soon reached an angle that perfectly bypassed the tree branches.

Without hesitation.

He nocked an arrow and fired.

Leng Yifeng, behind the tree, was completely unaware of this; he dared not rashly poke his head out to expose his position.

He only slowly extended his long blade, angling it upward, hoping to use the reflection on the blade to catch a glimpse of Li Yun's trail.

Whoosh~

At that exact moment, the sound of an arrow piercing the wind exploded.

A bone-chilling cold surged from Leng Yifeng's tailbone straight to the top of his head. Before he could even think, he twisted his waist violently and rolled forward in a clumsy heap.

But this forward roll was ultimately half a beat too slow; it was too late.

Puchi~

With a dull thud, the arrow slammed deep into his thigh.

The arrowhead tore through with unstoppable force, piercing straight through, causing Leng Yifeng to gasp in agony.

"Ah~"

A shrill scream was cut short, as if an invisible hand had clamped around his throat.

Because.

A second arrow had arrived like a bolt of lightning, precisely pinning into his chest.

The immense force shook his chest cavity violently; it was as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer, sending him rolling several feet away.

He happened to collide with another tree trunk, leaving only half of his body exposed.

"Hm? Is it stuck in the bone?"

Li Yun saw the arrow in Leng Yifeng's chest and was somewhat surprised to see it had only penetrated a few inches.

But it didn't matter.

Li Yun nocked another arrow and fired, releasing three shots in rapid succession.

After waiting for a few breaths and seeing that Leng Yifeng truly had no reaction, he finally walked over slowly.

However, he kept a spare arrow notched between his fingertips the entire time, guarding against any trickery from his opponent.

As Li Yun approached step by step, he saw the ground was covered in blood, which put his mind slightly at ease.

With this amount of blood loss, even a martial artist at the level of Bright Force would have no way of holding on.

Thinking that this guy might be a master of poison, Li Yun dared not let his guard down and did not approach directly.

Instead, he turned the Bull Bow sideways and used the bow frame to nudge the corpse.

The moment Li Yun touched Leng Yifeng...

He moved!

Leng Yifeng actually moved?!

His previously stiff, prone body sprang up like a tiger coiled to strike, the arrow shaft still swaying where it was lodged diagonally in his chest.

He ignored it entirely, his fist wind whipping up a bloody mist as he smashed straight toward Li Yun's face.

In his haste, Li Yun had no time to draw an arrow to counterattack and could only instinctively cross his arms to block in front of him.

BANG!

A dull thud, heavy enough to rattle the heart and lungs, exploded outward.

The fist hit Li Yun's arm bones like a heavy hammer.

Li Yun was sent flying backward several meters as if struck by a cannonball.

Piercing, agonizing pain spread from his arms throughout his entire body.

Pfft~

A sweetness rose in Li Yun's throat, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, staining his face mask crimson.

Leng Yifeng took a blood-red pill from his pocket.

He wore a pained expression as he swallowed it.

A sinister smile hung on his face:

"Kid, you're not bad.

It's a pity.

In the end, I am still the one with the superior skill.

To be defeated by my Bone Shifting Technique is nothing to be ashamed of."