Chapter 43

The sky, filled with twinkling stars, suddenly brightened, and the formation array enveloping the Divine Legacy Mountain Range began to change. Streams of meteors appeared out of nowhere, as if a giant canvas had been laid out, and an invisible hand was painting a magnificent scene in the air.

In an instant, the starry sky was transformed into an abstract painting, with dozens of bright spots flickering clearly. In the center was a red mark, with the words "Dragon Severing Platform" written beside it.

Uh... Bu Li was moved by this grand gesture. How much soul power would it take to create such a vast sky canvas? What did the bright spots mean?

His mind raced, and Bu Li felt as if he had turned into a computer, working furiously. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of Chu Zhongze, who had turned to look at him from a distance, his eyes sharp like a knife.

Did he find me?! Bu Li was startled, but his hands remained as steady as a mountain, and his body showed no signs of change. Under the pressure of Chu Zhongze's aura, Bu Li did not reveal any weakness.

Chu Zhongze looked suspiciously at the forest, slowly guarding the space in front of him, and then raised his head to look at the starry sky.

Damn! It's a map! Bu Li suddenly understood what had appeared in the sky from Chu Zhongze's actions. Each bright spot represented a surviving descendant, and the Dragon Severing Platform in the center was the endpoint of the "Great Trial of the Descendants." Chu Zhongze saw his own existence on this map hanging in the air, which was why he was looking for him.

After surviving in the mountains for so many years, Bu Li had learned how to blend his aura with the forest. Even the cunning beasts in the forest could not track Bu Li's movements, let alone ordinary pattern warriors.

However, with his position marked in the sky, no matter how carefully he hid, Chu Zhongze could force him out of the forest with indiscriminate attacks, without expending much soul power.

Strike first!

Bu Li moved like the wind, holding the ox-horn longbow in his left hand and drawing it with his right. An ironwood arrow was shot out almost without thought or aim, relying entirely on instinct.

Chu Zhongze was at least three hundred steps away from the forest where Bu Li was hiding, and he never expected an attack from such a distance. His earlier guard was a subconscious reaction, a habit honed over years of hardship, not a preparation for an attack.

In a moment of distraction, he heard a sharp whistling sound. It was as if a savage beast had flown out of the forest, the sound carrying a fierce and brutal nature.

This time, Bu Li did not underestimate his opponent as he had on the Heavenly Gift Platform. He focused all his attention on the ironwood arrow, using all his strength to shoot it.

A block of ice appeared in front of Chu Zhongze, just in time to block Bu Li's arrow. The ice was thick and cold, and as the ironwood arrow approached, a layer of frost covered it, spreading rapidly. The black arrow turned white in an instant, the shaft encased in ice, making a series of creaking sounds. The whistling sound of the arrow also became strange, sounding grating and unpleasant.

In a split second, the ironwood arrow, covered in frost, struck the ice, leaving a trail of frost that looked like an ethereal tail feather, illuminated by the light of the map in the sky, creating a dreamlike scene.

The ice shattered with a loud boom, and Chu Zhongze, standing behind it, caught Bu Li's ironwood arrow between his fingers with a cold snort, casually throwing it to the ground. The arrow seemed to move even faster than when Bu Li shot it, disappearing into the ground with a "swoosh."

Bu Li did not have time to admire Chu Zhongze's show. As soon as he released the arrow, he shot in the opposite direction, once again hiding in the dark forest.

Chu Zhongze's reception of Bu Li's arrow was not as easy as it looked. His fingers were slightly numb from the impact, and the ice shield was shattered by the arrow, which shocked Chu Zhongze. He knew the great cost the clan had paid to obtain a defensive ring suitable for him from a merchant. He had never expected to use it.

But Bu Li's arrow was so sudden and powerful that if not for the ice shield, he would have been seriously injured. More terrifying was the possibility of a hidden jungle hunter taking advantage of the situation to pursue him, leaving his survival in doubt.

A white ice cicada appeared behind Chu Zhongze, indicating that he had activated his pattern power and pushed it to its maximum.

This was an opponent worth taking seriously.

After entering the Divine Legacy Mountain Range, Chu Zhongze had been on a killing spree. In the face of pure pattern and soul techniques, the ordinary descendants of the Western Mountain Divine Legacy were weak and could not withstand his attacks. Even without the power of a pattern beast, it was the same. However, Bu Li's single arrow forced Chu Zhongze to use his true strength.

His body was as light and agile as a cicada, as if flying with the wind, quickly approaching the forest.

Wherever Chu Zhongze went, frost spread, making it impossible to hide. His movements were swift, and in a moment, a third of the small forest turned white, with ice-covered branches trembling in the mountain breeze, occasionally shedding frost like a snowfall.

Bu Li did not try to hide his movements. Seeing the sudden appearance of the ice shield in front of Chu Zhongze, Bu Li's heart sank. Chu Zhongze was already stronger in both soul power and pattern techniques, and he had soul techniques and equipment that Bu Li had never seen. There was no chance of winning. Knowing this, retreat was his only option.

Despite having been in hiding for almost a day, Bu Li's movements were still incredibly agile. He leaped and bounded like a wild leopard, full of dynamic rhythm. Each jump, though far, made no sound. The small forest was not large, and by the time Chu Zhongze crossed it, Bu Li was already far away. Although the distance had been slightly reduced, the difference between Chu Zhongze's use of pattern power and Bu Li's simple leaping through the forest was immeasurable.

Chu Zhongze cursed inwardly, the ice cicada's shadow becoming more real behind him. He did not stop, floating forward. A white snow mist began to form between his hands, gradually becoming clearer.

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