Terrifying Archery

The moment his second brother, Sun Zhongheng, breathed his last, Jiang Feng heard a burst of heavy, hurried footsteps rapidly approaching the wooden hut.

There was no need to think twice. The newcomer had to be the eldest brother of the two men from earlier—the one at the eighth layer of the Blood-Moving Realm.

He acted without hesitation, smashing through a side window and vaulting outside. Without looking back, he sprinted toward the depths of the nearby woods.

In his view, taking on an eighth-layer opponent head-on while only at the sixth layer of the Blood-Moving Realm was simply too much of a stretch.

His only chance now was to draw the fight out as long as possible and stall until after the midnight settlement.

The two people outside had also heard the commotion from within the hut. Their hearts lurched at the same time; they knew something major had happened inside.

Without a word, they charged into the hut. The thick stench of blood hit them like a wall, almost suffocating them.

In the moonlight, the horrific scene inside was laid bare.

Sun Bowei saw his two younger brothers sprawled in pools of blood, already lifeless. His whole body shuddered, then he let out a heart-wrenching howl:

"Ahhh—!!!"

"Second Brother! Third Brother! It's all Big Brother's fault! I'm so sorry!"

After wailing for a while, he spun around and grabbed Fan Qingyang by the collar. His bloodshot eyes bulged as if they might split open, and his voice came out hoarse and savage:

"Fatso, didn't you say he was at most at the second layer of the Blood-Moving Realm?

"My two brothers were both skilled fighters at the fifth layer of the Blood-Moving Realm. They're both dead in such a short time! You'd better give me an explanation!"

Fan Qingyang had already been scared pale by the horrifying scene. His fat quivered like a sieve, and his tongue tangled in his mouth.

"I... I don't know either...

"Jiang Feng, he... he really was only at the first layer of the Blood-Moving Realm before..."

Sun Bowei stared hard into his beady eyes. Only after confirming he wasn't lying did he shove him aside, turn, and charge out the door, bellowing:

"Move! Come with me! We're going after him! He killed my brothers—I'll tear him limb from limb!"

Fan Qingyang's mind was already a tangled mess. He staggered after him, his face full of worry as he called out:

"B-but that brat's already fled deep into Black Wind Mountain. Can we still catch him?"

Sun Bowei didn't even look back. His voice was full of murderous intent that chilled to the bone:

"Have you forgotten what I do for a living? I'm a hunter who makes his living in Black Wind Mountain. If he'd fled somewhere else, I wouldn't dare say. But if he fled into these mountains, he's as good as dead!"

Meanwhile, Jiang Feng hadn't gone far. He was lying low in the woods not far from the hut, holding his breath and watching it closely.

He didn't dare rush deeper into Black Wind Mountain. The dangers in those mountains were far more frightening than an eighth-layer Blood-Moving Realm cultivator.

Besides, he wasn't familiar with these woods. If he charged in blindly, things would only get worse. His goal had never been to escape; it was to buy time.

Just then, two figures rushed out of the wooden hut.

Seeing that there were only two of them, Jiang Feng secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If a whole crowd had suddenly appeared, even if none of them were above the eighth layer of the Blood-Moving Realm, he'd have had to run at once.

Sun Bowei crouched and looked at the ground, then raised his head and swept his gaze across the shadowy woods like a blade.

His nostrils twitched, and his ears flicked a few times. In the next instant, his hawk-like eyes locked onto a direction.

He reached back and snatched up the large ox-horn bow on his back, nocked an arrow, and drew the bow in one fluid motion. A savage grin tugged at his lips. "You've got some nerve! The brat hasn't even run off—he's watching us!"

Jiang Feng's heart lurched. The direction his opponent was aiming was the very spot where he was hiding. There was no time to think about how he'd been discovered; he rolled forward almost on instinct.

The instant he moved, a thick arrow came whistling through the air and punched through the tree trunk where he'd been hiding. Splinters flew everywhere.

Jiang Feng sucked in a sharp breath. "If that had hit a person, it would've gone straight through them!"

He didn't dare hesitate. He took off toward the densest part of the woods. The thicker the trees, the less dangerous the bow and arrows would be.

Terrifying whistles of arrows kept chasing him from behind, one after another, each closer than the last.

Though he did his best to weave like a snake instead of running in a straight line, several arrows still skimmed past him, carving bloody gashes along his arms and ribs that burned fiercely.

"This guy's archery is fucking terrifying! Thank heavens it's night and he can't see clearly. If it were daytime, he'd have turned me into a pincushion already."

He clenched his teeth and didn't let up for a moment. Seizing an opening, he threw everything he had into plunging deeper into the dense woods. At last, his figure vanished completely into layer upon layer of darkness.

As he watched Jiang Feng disappear into the mountains, Sun Bowei showed no trace of anxiety.

He slowly lowered the ox-horn bow in his hands, and a mocking, cat-playing-with-a-mouse smile rose at the corners of his mouth.

Seeing Sun Bowei's expression, Fan Qingyang grew even more uneasy. He ventured to ask, "Boss Sun, did you notice something?"

Sun Bowei nodded and answered in a deep, rumbling voice:

"That brat's nowhere near as weak as you said. Those few moves just now were enough for me to get a good read on him."

"He... what realm is he at?" Fan Qingyang's beady eyes widened, brimming with curiosity.

"The sixth layer of the Blood-Moving Realm. And he's got an exceptionally solid foundation. He's every bit as good as the elite disciples with excellent Root Bones from those martial arts schools."

Fan Qingyang's fat wobbled three times over at the news, and his voice rose without him meaning it to:

"H-how is that possible? Jiang Feng only tested at the first layer of the Blood-Moving Realm a month ago. How could he have jumped to the sixth layer in just one month? Boss Sun, are you sure you didn't misjudge him?"

Sun Bowei let out a cold laugh, his certainty as unyielding as iron:

"Hmph. There are plenty of things I wouldn't dare claim, but I couldn't possibly be wrong about this.

"You didn't notice because you're blind to what's right in front of you. That brat's got a deep game. He's been deliberately hiding his strength all along.

"Just now, if his foundation had been even a little shaky, or his body control even a little worse, he absolutely wouldn't have dodged those arrows."

Fan Qingyang opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but when he met Sun Bowei's stern, almost baleful expression, he swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue.

"Boss Sun, if Jiang Feng's true strength is the sixth layer of the Blood-Moving Realm, can we still kill him? Maybe... we should head back and call for a few more people, then surround him together?"

Sun Bowei shot him a sidelong glance, the corners of his mouth curling into a disdainful sneer. He looked at Fan Qingyang as though he were some ignorant fool:

"The seventh layer of the Blood-Moving Realm is a hard barrier. No matter how solid his foundation is, he's still only at the sixth layer. He doesn't stand a chance against someone at the seventh layer, let alone me at the eighth."

He paused, each word landing like a nail hammered into place. "As long as he dares show his face in front of me, he's dead."

At that, Fan Qingyang's anxious heart settled completely. Free of all misgivings, he followed close behind Sun Bowei as they pursued Jiang Feng in the direction he'd fled.