# 117
Chapter 117: The Archer
Boom-boom-boom—!!
Three consecutive punches from the gaunt man slammed into the surface of the Yao-Guang Shield, finally shattering the golden light. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he whipped an elbow straight at Baili Pangpang’s head!
Yet the instant his elbow was about to connect, it met an invisible net of fire that ignited on contact. Skin charred and blackened in wide patches.
The man was ruthless; despite the agony he only hesitated mid-air for a split second, then drove the elbow even faster.
Baili Pangpang, veteran of countless close-combat beatings, saw the elbow coming and rolled sideways like lightning, barely evading it.
At last he yanked a glittering great-sword from under his bath-towel!
“Owowow… almost, almost sliced it…” Face green, Baili Pangpang swung the huge blade at the charging scarecrow!
The sword-light split: one became two, two became four, four became eight… In moments, a river of blades surged forward.
The gaunt man’s face darkened; he flashed back, dodging the torrent.
Just as he prepared another attack, a terrifying killing-intent erupted sky-high!
Startled, he glanced back. In a neighboring street stood a black-flame-wreathed humanoid monster gripping a Straight Blade, murderous aura spilling everywhere.
In front of the monster, the Three-Knife man swallowed hard…
“What the hell is that thing!?”
Whoosh—!!
Mad Cao Yuan’s blood-red pupils narrowed; he crossed a hundred metres in an instant. His Straight Blade, wrapped in roaring black fire, slashed down!
The Three-Knife man broke into a cold sweat. Without thinking he raised his own blade; the other two hovering knives crossed above his head, meeting Cao Yuan’s strike.
Screeech—!!
A shrill grind rang out. Monstrous force hammered down; the road beneath him cracked inch by inch, his bones buzzing in pain.
After advancing to the “Pool” realm, Cao Yuan’s baleful aura had thickened, his madness wilder. Again and again he swung the Straight Blade like a demented smith hammering iron.
Clang-clang-clang-clang—!!!
The Straight Blade rained blows on the defender’s knives. Accompanied by Cao Yuan’s savage laughter, the Three-Knife man’s legs buckled and he dropped to one knee, death’s shadow looming.
With a burst of unknown strength he kicked sideways, rolling away just as Cao Yuan’s edge smashed the ground, stone shards flying. The man tumbled, coughing up blood.
“What kind of monster is he!?” he shrieked, turning to shout, “If you don’t shoot now, I’m dead!”
Sss—!
The instant the words left his mouth a feathered arrow sliced the night, faster than eyes could follow, aimed between Cao Yuan’s eyes!
Mad Cao Yuan’s pupils contracted; his Straight Blade whipped out and struck the arrow-head dead-center—only to be blasted backward, crashing into a building still clutching his sword.
Hundreds of metres away, atop a high-rise, a bow-woman snorted:
“Catch my arrow bare-handed? Die then!”
She drew three more shafts and loosed them in rapid succession!
Sss-sss-sss—!!
The first demolished the small building, the second tore a crater ten metres wide, the third bored through the dust straight at Cao Yuan’s heart!
Cao Yuan roared, torrential killing-intent condensing into a black sabre-qi that met the arrow mid-air. Shaft cracked apart inch by inch and vanished.
On the rooftop the archer frowned, nocking another arrow.
“Can’t kill you? Fine—I’ll shoot the fat kid. Let’s see how many arrows he can take.”
“Oh? Which fat kid were you planning to shoot?”
A cool male voice sounded behind her. The archer’s pupils shrank; she spun, bow already drawn.
But the moment her fingers touched the fletching, absolute darkness swallowed everything, and she felt herself plunged into an icy abyss.
The arrow slipped from her grasp, floated lazily through the air, and landed in the hand of a black-top-hatted youth.
Moonlight brushed the brim, hiding his face. He toyed with the arrow and shook his head in disappointment.
“Nothing special about the shaft… so the trick is your Forbidden Ruins, huh.”
The archer stared, stunned.
Impossible! No one can reach my blind spot without a sound—was he a ghost?
For an archer, absolute vigilance was survival; within a few metres she could hear an ant crawl. Yet she hadn’t caught a single footstep.
She couldn’t know that, under the “Pool” realm bonus of [Starry Night Dancer], Lin Qiye’s concealment in darkness had reached a terrifying apex. If he switched careers to assassin, he’d be top-tier.
With a flick of his finger the arrow hovered half an inch from her brow.
“How many of you came?”
“How did you break into the [Borderless Domain]? Where’s Old Han?” she demanded.
Lin Qiye’s eyes narrowed; the arrow-tip pricked skin, a bead of blood forming.
“I’m the one asking… And if you mean the balding geezer, I’m afraid I’ve already sent him off.”
She glared for a long moment, then laughed coldly.
“So you’re the unprecedented double-god agent… finally surfaced.”
“Seems you won’t answer.” Lin Qiye’s gaze chilled. “Then be my test subject.”
His eyes were swallowed by darkness, his aura turning abyssal.
A sliver of night crept into the archer’s vision…