Chapter 23

"Not good."

Dali Shen, seeing another of their side fall in battle, couldn't help but feel anxious, "Now it's five against three, and both Wang Qiao and I need to be constantly on guard against the archer's arrows. We can't fully concentrate on fighting."

The archer was too much of a threat. During the battle, any significant opening could result in an arrow coming their way.

Take Sun Yuting, for example. Without the archer, even if she were hit and spat blood, her teammate Blood Axe Wang Qiao could block Xu Jingming, allowing Sun Yuting to get back up and continue fighting.

But with the archer, Sun Yuting being hit and spat blood? She would be a sitting duck!

"Gao Chong, if we don't deal with the archer, we won't win," Blood Axe Wang Qiao said, moving closer to Gao Chong and speaking through the team's voice chat.

"I'm wearing heavy armor, so I can't possibly catch up to the archer. At most, I can charge in and disrupt their companions. It still relies on you and Old Master Liu Jianfeng to chase and kill him," Gao Chong replied through the team's voice chat. He was frustrated; he had to hold back during the fight, dedicating half his attention to the archer, otherwise, he would have already dealt with Wu Sai, who was mediocre with cold weapons.

"Bang!"

Suddenly, a sound came from a nearby house.

This startled Xu Jingming, Wu Sai, Zhang Qian, as well as Gao Chong and Wang Qiao.

That was where the archer was!

"Old Master has made his move," Gao Chong and Wang Qiao both confirmed, knowing that Liu Jianfeng had now reached the house.

...

Archery expert Wang Yi stood by the window of the house, ready to shoot at any moment. All other windows were tightly shut! The door was also locked, preventing anyone from entering without alerting her.

However, the ancient town was mostly made of wooden buildings, and this ordinary house was no exception.

"Bang." One of the walls suddenly exploded, and a slender figure instantly rushed in, changing direction upon entry and lunging towards the archer Wang Yi.

The person was none other than Liu Jianfeng!

"Whoosh."

From behind a curtain in the house, a figure suddenly emerged to intercept the slender figure, and it was the cunning dual-sword wielder Dong Xu.

Dong Xu had not found Liu Jianfeng's hiding place earlier, but he was very clear: "Old Master Liu Jianfeng's first target must be the archer. As long as I stay by the archer, I can wait for this old master."

The room was not large, deliberately chosen to be only about five meters long and wide, which was too small for these experts.

As soon as Liu Jianfeng rushed in, Dong Xu immediately intercepted him. But at the moment of interception, Dong Xu's heart trembled: "He's faster than me!"

Their first direct confrontation revealed the gap between them.

"Whoosh."

Liu Jianfeng's figure was like a ghost.

Both practiced the "Shadow Leopard Evolution Technique," but Liu Jianfeng was visibly faster and more agile.

Dong Xu, wielding dual swords, lunged forward.

If the opponent engaged in combat, it would waste time. If he retreated to avoid, it would also delay him.

As Dong Xu rushed to intercept, his sword flashed.

"Whoosh." Liu Jianfeng's body contracted, instantly shrinking into a ball to avoid the sword, then bounced forward to charge at the archer. But Dong Xu, a martial arts master, quickly turned his wrist, and the right sword blade struck the contracted body.

"Clang!" The strike felt like hitting metal, causing Dong Xu's face to change.

Taking this hit, the figure's speed increased, and it was already at the archer Wang Yi's front.

The moment Wang Yi saw the wall break and the attacker rush in, she knew escape was impossible due to the short distance, so she immediately drew her bow.

But the assassin was too fast, moving and changing direction upon entry, and even taking a hit from a sword. From start to finish, it took less than 0.2 seconds to reach her.

"Whoosh." Wang Yi had no time to prepare; the figure was too ghostly. She could only shoot based on instinct.

"Puff."

It hit!

Blood mist exploded!

But the assassin still lunged forward, a sword flash, and Wang Yi felt a pain in her forehead, her body beginning to fade.

"Facing these god-level experts, it's over in one move," Wang Yi sighed helplessly. Her archery skills were strong, and she was a god-level expert in archery. But in close combat? She was perhaps on par with Li Miaomiao. In front of a god-level expert, one move was enough to end her life.

"Kill!" Dong Xu's face was twisted with anger as he lunged forward.

At this moment, he felt immense humiliation!

He had been guarding here, but he couldn't even delay the time... allowing the archer Wang Yi to be assassinated.

"Such a powerful archer." Old Master Liu Jianfeng smiled, admiring her. His left arm was completely severed, the arrow's power too strong, causing the arm to explode.

Fortunately, the pain was fixed at one percent. Old Master Liu Jianfeng looked at the approaching Dong Xu, who would not give him a chance to stop the bleeding.

"Whoosh." Liu Jianfeng didn't run; instead, he charged forward, but the loss of an arm greatly affected his movements.

They passed each other.

The sword and knife flashes were dazzling.

Old Master Liu Jianfeng's chest was covered in blood, and he smiled at Dong Xu, "Young man, your knife skills are good." Then his body faded away.

"Such a fast sword, how could it be so fast?" Dong Xu's chest slowly bled, and his body also faded away.

...

In the official Xia country live stream room.

"Old Master is amazing!"

"666!"

"First, he killed the archer, then he severely injured and exchanged blows with Master Dong Xu."

The audience was沸腾, and the comment section was flooded with messages.

The host, Liu Xin, replayed the assassination in slow motion above the battle space.

"Old Master Liu Jianfeng had only one goal after entering the house: to kill the archer," Coach Huang Yong pointed at the screen, "After entering, he first encountered Master Dong Xu's interception! Dong Xu's strategy was correct, and he indeed intercepted Old Master Liu Jianfeng's assassination."

"Master Dong Xu was very smart. He intercepted to delay, not to achieve success but to avoid failure! His two strikes were to waste time. If Old Master Liu Jianfeng resisted, it would waste time. If he retreated to avoid... it would still waste time. But Old Master's body contracted, shrinking from about 1.6 meters to just a few dozen centimeters, directly avoiding the two sword strikes. I'm sure Old Master practiced Xingyi, specifically the Monkey Form," Coach Huang Yong was certain.

"Practiced the Monkey Form for a lifetime, the movement is incredible," Qin Yiwén also said.

"Master Dong Xu was also very skilled. His moves were old, but when he saw Old Master's body contract, he quickly turned his right sword and struck Old Master Liu Jianfeng," Coach Huang Yong pointed at the screen.

The sword strike hit, and Old Master Liu Jianfeng didn't dodge, only blocking with his left arm. The cloth was split, and the fragments flew, revealing a black metal arm guard on his left arm.

"Old Master was wearing a metal arm guard. Although he chose a close-fitting soft leather armor, his forearm was metal," Coach Huang Yong said, "He withstood the strike with this arm guard and continued to charge at the archer."

"At this moment, the archer Wang Yi was forced to shoot. Old Master was moving at high speed, and the assassination was too fast. The archer didn't have full confidence, but if she didn't shoot, she would lose the opportunity. This arrow was quite accurate, aimed at Old Master's left chest."

The slow-motion replay clearly showed the arrow was very accurate. At close range, it should have hit the left chest.

But Old Master's body twisted, and the arrow only pierced his left arm, which exploded.

"By twisting his body, Old Master instinctively turned at the moment Wang Yi released the arrow. He only lost an arm but survived. With him alive, Wang Yi was doomed," Coach Huang Yong shook his head in admiration, "Impressive, impressive."

Qin Yiwén said, "After losing an arm, the bleeding was too fast, and his strength was affected. Master Dong Xu wouldn't waste this opportunity, so Old Master couldn't escape and charged towards Master Dong Xu's attack without hesitation."

"Master Dong Xu, with dual swords, was both offensive and defensive," Qin Yiwén said, "But Old Master only used one sword! At the moment Master Dong Xu's right sword struck, he used his sword! Although Master Dong Xu's left sword tried to block, it missed, and Old Master's sword pierced Master Dong Xu's heart."

The screen was clear.

Master Dong Xu's right sword cut through half of Old Master's chest, a fatal wound.

Old Master's sword, like a venomous snake's bite, was too fast! Master Dong Xu's heart was already pierced.

The two faded away, disappearing one after the other.

"The sword is known for its speed and agility," Huang Yong praised, "Old Master Liu Jianfeng's 'Shadow Leopard Evolution Technique' is highly advanced, making his movements and speed faster than Dong Xu and Lian Shuang. But his sword is even more impressive! The sword speed is too fast! When he ambushed Xu Jingming, Xu Jingming, known for the 'Shadow Thrust,' barely defended. But Master Dong Xu couldn't block it, and because of this, Old Master Liu Jianfeng, with a death wish, charged with all his might. This made him even more terrifying."

"Truly unexpected, on the first day of the virtual world's opening, a 97-year-old old master could display such terrifying movements and sword skills. Amazing!" Huang Yong praised.

...

In the official Xia country live stream room, the audience had reached 630 million, and the number was still rising.

In the audience, a burly middle-aged man sat there, none other than Liu Hai! The top professional players in the country were mostly his disciples.

"Uncle's Xingyi Monkey Form is truly ingrained in his bones," the burly middle-aged man smiled happily, "Seeing Uncle display his sword skills again is truly delightful."

Liu Hai learned from his uncle as a child, and later, due to his talent, he was personally taught by his great-grandmaster.

His great-grandmaster had long passed away, and the only one who had taught him was his uncle! His uncle, at 97, had long enjoyed his retirement, hunched over, practicing swordsmanship and maintaining his health. Who would have thought that the times had changed, and his uncle had returned to his peak, and his body had evolved, fully showcasing his skills.

"Uncle must be very happy too," Liu Hai felt elated, more so than when he became the world's best.