Chapter 77

Zhang Ruochen and Zixi swiftly navigated through the perilous dense forest, searching for the traces of the warriors from Sifang County.

In the darkness of night, mournful screams frequently echoed.

"Who... are you...?"

"I am the son of General Wei Wu of Sifang County... you... pfft..."

...

The warriors from Sifang County had originally planned to ambush and kill the warriors from Yunwu County, intending to give them a painful lesson. However, they were first slaughtered by two mysterious individuals.

A night of blood and rain.

Zixi's tracking secret techniques and sense of smell were extremely powerful. No matter how well the warriors from Sifang County hid, she would eventually find them.

By midnight, Zixi had already killed eight warriors, and her purple clothes were stained red, turning into a blood-soaked garment.

Zhang Ruochen did not dislike killing, but he would not easily take a life himself. If he were to kill, it would be someone he deemed worthy of death.

"Eight have been killed, twelve more to go."

Zixi, holding her blood-soaked sword, planned to continue hunting the warriors from Sifang County.

"Danger!"

Zhang Ruochen grabbed Zixi's shoulder and dragged her three meters back.

"Whoosh!"

A purple lightning arrow flew through the air, striking a massive boulder nearby.

With a loud boom, the boulder shattered into pieces.

If Zhang Ruochen had not pulled her away, that arrow would have pierced her skull.

Zixi's back was drenched in cold sweat. She looked at Zhang Ruochen with gratitude and then gazed in the direction the lightning arrow had come from, saying, "What incredible archery, almost killing me. Among the young warriors of Sifang County, there is only one person with such skill. Feng family, Feng Zhiyi."

The Feng family is one of the eight major families of Sifang County, renowned for their archery in the nine counties of Lingxi, known as the "archery family."

Feng Zhiyi is one of the top archery geniuses in the Feng family. At just twenty-four years old, he has reached the Lesser Apex of the Profound Realm and has cultivated his archery to the Intermediate Stage of the Heart.

It's worth noting that among the young warriors of Sifang County, only three have reached the Lesser Apex of the Profound Realm.

A man's voice came from the darkness, saying, "Indeed, you are the top young warrior of Yunwu County, recognizing me. But what surprises me even more is His Highness the Ninth Prince. I am very curious, how did you detect my presence in the dark?"

Feng Zhiyi was naturally shocked because, at the same realm, almost no one could avoid his fatal arrow.

Moreover, that arrow was an ambush.

Zhang Ruochen naturally wouldn't tell him that he possessed powerful mental strength.

Zhang Ruochen released his spatial domain, enveloping a ten-meter radius to prevent Feng Zhiyi from shooting another lightning arrow. He said, "Your archery is too poor, of course, you can't hit us."

"You are the first person to dare mock the Feng family's archery! Don't you know that two years ago, in the Mo River battle, my grandfather used the Deer-Taming Bow and the Stone-Cleaving Arrow to injure your father, the Duke of Yunwu County? Ha ha!" Feng Zhiyi laughed loudly, "Unfortunately, that arrow was slightly off, otherwise, it would have taken the Duke of Yunwu County's life!"

Zhang Ruochen's eyes darkened, "You seem quite proud of that?"

Feng Zhiyi laughed, "Of course, because my grandfather injuring the Duke of Yunwu County earned our Feng family a city and eighty thousand slaves from the king."

"You should know that that city was once part of Yunwu County. Those eighty thousand slaves were once citizens of Yunwu County. If Sifang County destroys Yunwu County, our Feng family will receive even more rewards. At that time, even you will be our Feng family's slave. I'll make you bark like a dog, and you won't dare to speak like a human."

Zhang Ruochen said, "You're trying to provoke me to find a weakness in me?"

"Ha ha! What if I provoke you? Can you kill me?" Feng Zhiyi laughed.

Zhang Ruochen said, "Since that's the case, I'll kill someone today to see how it goes."

"Whoosh!"

Zhang Ruochen drew the Flash Soul Sword and, with incredible speed, rushed into the dark forest.

In just a breath, Zhang Ruochen found Feng Zhiyi hidden in the darkness.

Feng Zhiyi naturally did not expect Zhang Ruochen to be so fast. He was slightly startled and immediately drew his bow, firing three arrows.

The Feng family's superior human-level martial technique, the Three-Crack Cloud-Breaking Arrow.

The three lightning arrows flew out like three purple streaks of light.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Zhang Ruochen swung his sword three times, creating three sword shadows in the air, deflecting all three lightning arrows.

"How is this possible?"

Feng Zhiyi was extremely confident in his archery. At such a close distance, firing three arrows, even a Middle Apex of the Profound Realm warrior would not be able to dodge all of them.

However, Zhang Ruochen not only did not dodge but deflected all three arrows.

Even Zixi, who had caught up, was stunned by the scene. Even she could not guarantee that she could block all three arrows from Feng Zhiyi within twenty meters.

They did not know that Zhang Ruochen possessed a spatial domain. When Feng Zhiyi's three arrows entered within ten meters of Zhang Ruochen, he could easily see their flight paths. Deflecting the three lightning arrows was not difficult.

After deflecting the three arrows, Zhang Ruochen did not stop and continued to charge forward.

In an instant, Zhang Ruochen was in front of Feng Zhiyi, his arm extended straight, thrusting his sword.

High-level sword intent erupted, and Zhang Ruochen seemed like a possessed sword god, with a sword aura over a meter long appearing on the blade.

Feng Zhiyi no longer had the chance to shoot another lightning arrow, so he used his bow as a weapon, slashing horizontally at Zhang Ruochen.

After all, he was a Lesser Apex of the Profound Realm warrior, how could he fear an early-stage Profound Realm warrior?

"Bang!"

One exchange, and both retreated.

Feng Zhiyi looked at his injured wrist, his face changing, "What incredible swordsmanship. If it were a late-stage Profound Realm warrior, they would have lost their arm."

"You Feng family took a city from our Yunwu County. Now, I'll send one of your geniuses to hell." Zhang Ruochen said.

Feng Zhiyi sneered, "Even the Duke of Yunwu County was almost killed by my grandfather. What are you? That was just a moment of carelessness. Now, the battle has just begun."

As he spoke, Feng Zhiyi spat out a silver needle from his mouth.

The silver needle, unexpected, flew towards Zhang Ruochen's heart.

If it pierced his heart, it would be certain death.

Who would have thought that Feng Zhiyi had a needle hidden in his mouth?

If it were another warrior, even a Middle Apex of the Profound Realm warrior, they would likely have been killed by his ambush.

But he encountered Zhang Ruochen. When the silver needle entered within ten meters of Zhang Ruochen, he immediately sensed the danger and blocked it with his sword.

The silver needle flew back, narrowly missing Feng Zhiyi's neck, leaving a shallow blood trail.

Feng Zhiyi touched the blood on his neck, even more shocked, "You actually blocked my tongue-shot arrow?"

The tongue-shot arrow refers to using the tongue to shoot a hidden arrow, achieving a surprising effect. It can kill someone while speaking.

The tongue-shot arrow is a secret technique of the Feng family, known for its accuracy, often killing warriors of higher cultivation.

"You try to block my sword as well!"

"Heavenly Heart Plum Blossom!"

Zhang Ruochen stepped forward, thrusting his sword.

The brilliant sword light split into seven, like a plum blossom blooming in the air.

Feng Zhiyi retreated, but no matter how he moved, the seven sword auras followed him, getting closer and closer.

Feng Zhiyi finally panicked, his eyes wide, "Spirit-level sword technique... you..."

"Poof!"

The seven sword auras simultaneously pierced Feng Zhiyi's forehead, passing through his head and exiting from the back of his skull.

A small, blood-red plum blossom appeared on Feng Zhiyi's forehead, with seven drops of blood spilling out like the stamens and petals of a plum blossom.

Zhang Ruochen sheathed the Flash Soul Sword, walked over, and tapped Feng Zhiyi's chest with the sword sheath.

"Bang!"

Feng Zhiyi's body fell straight down.

Zixi stood nearby, staring at Zhang Ruochen's back, exhaling a long breath, and said after a while, "I thought you wouldn't kill anyone!"

Zhang Ruochen said, "If I don't kill him, he'll kill me. What can I do? Besides, you heard him, he was asking for it. Can you blame me?"

Zixi said, "You, at the early-stage Profound Realm, can kill a Lesser Apex of the Profound Realm warrior. With your talent, if you don't get killed, you will surely become a Profound List warrior."

Zhang Ruochen said, "Mainly because Feng Zhiyi is an archery expert, suitable for long-range combat, not close combat. In close combat, his strength is equivalent to a late-stage Profound Realm warrior."

Zixi nodded. If she were to fight Feng Zhiyi in close combat, she could kill him in three moves.

"Feng Zhiyi is a top genius of the Feng family, requiring many resources to cultivate. The elders of the Feng family have high hopes for him. His death in the Wu Market Academy exam will surely enrage them." Zixi said.

Zhang Ruochen squatted down and searched Feng Zhiyi's body, finding a box. Inside the box were eight beast eyes, equivalent to four second-tier lower-grade savage beasts.

"I only need to collect ten beast eyes to pass the first round of the exam. Now, I only need two more." Zhang Ruochen smiled, showing no psychological resistance to his first kill.

Zhang Ruochen's mental fortitude was stronger than many Heaven Apex Realm warriors.

Zhang Ruochen then searched Feng Zhiyi's body, finding thirty-two spirit crystals and a two-star VIP card.

To obtain a two-star VIP card, one must deposit at least ten thousand silver coins in the Wu Market Bank.

"Indeed, a genius from a sixth-tier family, truly wealthy."

Even if Zhang Ruochen obtained the two-star VIP card, it would be useless because to use it, one must drop a drop of their own blood on the card to unlock the special restriction.

Only by unlocking the restriction can one withdraw silver coins from the Wu Market Bank.

Even if Zhang Ruochen collected some of Feng Zhiyi's blood now, it would be useless because once Feng Zhiyi died, his blood would quickly lose its vitality. Once the blood loses its vitality, it cannot unlock the VIP card's restriction.

Zixi, seeing the two-star VIP card in Zhang Ruochen's hand, said, "Using the blood of Feng Zhiyi's direct blood relatives can also unlock the VIP card's restriction! As far as I know, Feng Zhiyi's biological brother is cultivating in the outer palace of the Wu Market Academy, also a genius."

"Since that's the case, I'll keep it for now!" Zhang Ruochen put the two-star VIP card away.

Ten thousand silver coins were a significant fortune for him.