Volume 1, Chapter 100 – The Battle Begins

The black-robed elder didn’t have time to keep bickering with the burly man. He turned his gaze into the distance.

When that cluster of dark figures drew near, the elder’s eyes suddenly widened, his face flushing red.

“Chief You, why didn’t you say earlier we were going after a bunch of little beauties like this? I don’t want the spirit crystals anymore—just give me these beauties. I happen to be short a few sword attendants!”

He turned back and called out to the Body Tempering Realm martial artists behind him, “In a bit, don’t kill those beauties. Capture them alive for me. One beauty for ten spirit crystals.”

A cold smile curled at the corner of You Hong’s lips. He couldn’t be bothered to waste words on this lecher and focused all his attention, ready to strike at any moment.

The burly man at his side chuckled in disdain. It was just a group of women; why make such a big fuss?

……

Shi Lan and the others urged their flood-dragon horses for all they were worth, heads down as they hurried along.

Bang—

Bang—

A sudden string of explosions rang out as several iron chains burst from the ground, barring the party’s path.

Shi Lan and Wu Lingkong reacted almost at the same time, slapping their mounts’ backs and shooting into the air.

“Neigh—!”

The flood-dragon horses couldn’t stop in time. The few in the very front were instantly tripped by the chains and went tumbling.

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At the same moment, over a dozen streaks of light shot out like rainbows, diving in to slaughter the group!

With the size of the flood-dragon horses and the speed of their charge, the impact they carried was terrifying. The chains were dragged far off, and several martial artists on either end, caught unprepared, were yanked out of hiding and sent rolling across the ground.

Before those martial artists could get to their feet, several qi arrows fell like meteors, pinning them to the earth.

Wang Ning and the others barely managed to rein in their mounts. They swung down from the saddle, drew their weapons, and rushed to meet the Body Tempering Realm fighters charging out.

Shi Lan stood in midair, Divine Cloud Bow in hand, eyes like lightning as she drew the bowstring again without hesitation, aiming at the dozen-odd streaks of light hurtling toward them.

Three qi arrows, each four feet long, formed at once and screamed out!

In the blink of an eye, the arrows smashed head-on into three streaks of light.

The shields formed from Innate true qi didn’t last even a single breath before being pierced through. The three figures within hadn’t even had time to defend themselves before the arrows punched straight through their chests, leaving bowl-sized transparent holes and killing them on the spot!

Among these three Innate Realm martial artists, the strongest was only at the third stage of the Innate Realm. They had no way to withstand Shi Lan’s arrows.

After killing three Innate Realm fighters with one opening volley, Shi Lan’s expression didn’t change. Murderous intent pooled in her eyes as she drew the bow again.

She had no desire to ask who these people were. Faced with enemies clearly here with bad intentions, she’d rather cripple them first and ask questions later.

And if she accidentally killed them, then they’d only have themselves to blame.

Wu Lingkong had just summoned her spear and was about to leap in when a blazing sword aura slashed out from within the valley.

A man in blue, long sword in hand, shot out from the valley and blocked her path.

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Seeing three companions die in an instant, the charging streaks of light faltered, then split apart, weaving left and right as they continued to rush at Shi Lan.

A hint of mockery flashed in Shi Lan’s eyes. She released the bowstring, and three more qi arrows screamed forth.

The arrows clung to their targets like maggots on bone, locked onto the three streaks of light. No matter how they twisted and dodged, they couldn’t shake them off and were soon shot dead one after another!

The Divine Cloud Bow was a magic artifact. The arrows locked onto their targets first before leaving the string. There was no such thing as missing.

In the span of a breath, the Innate Realm fighters who had rushed in were nearly half wiped out by just two volleys from Shi Lan!

Seeing this, You Hong’s pupils tightened.

“Chief You, better get ready. That girl’s bow is too deadly,” the burly man not far from him muttered with a frown.

You Hong nodded and looked toward the black-robed elder. “Let’s move together. I’ll suppress that girl’s bow.”

“Just be gentle when you hit her. Don’t damage this little doll too much.”

The black-robed elder cackled. With a flick of his fingers, the four longswords in his maids’ arms let out a hum and shot from their scabbards, quietly hovering at his side.

With a thought, a pair of gloves thin as cicada wings wrapped around You Hong’s hands. His figure turned into a streak of light and shot into the sky.

Just as Shi Lan’s third volley left the string, a massive crimson palm aura, over twenty zhang across, slapped down from above.

Even from nearly a hundred zhang away, Shi Lan could feel the searing heat rolling off that giant palm.

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Boom—

With a thunderous crash, the three qi arrows were intercepted mid-flight. The arrows melted away, and the palm aura shrank sharply until it was less than three zhang across, then continued descending slowly toward Shi Lan.

Shi Lan’s fingers had just touched the bowstring when a figure flashed past the fading palm imprint and appeared before her in an instant, one hand seizing the bow while the other reached out, palm aimed at her!

Shi Lan’s expression shifted slightly. There was no time to summon her halberd. She raised her fist to meet the strike.

Bang—

Pain shot through her knuckles, as if she’d punched a steel wall. The force in her hand scattered, the Divine Cloud Bow slipped from her grasp, and she slammed toward the ground, unable to steady herself.

You Hong was knocked back over ten zhang through the air before he could stabilize, shock in his eyes as his right hand trembled. When fist and palm had clashed just now, he’d felt a tremendous force crashing into him, nearly snapping his wrist on the spot!

That hadn’t been just Innate true qi—it was backed by raw physical power.

Shi Lan had long since trained the Jade Tempering Art to the fifth layer. Her bones and tendons were so tough that an ordinary Innate Realm martial artist couldn’t compare, and the strength she could unleash far surpassed common imagination.

Compared to her Innate true qi, her powerful body was her second trump card. If she hadn’t been caught off guard just now and failed to draw on even half her strength, that punch alone would have been enough to cripple one of You Hong’s arms.

Boom—

Shi Lan’s boots hit the ground, her body sliding nearly two zhang before she managed to brace herself.

She had barely found her footing when the light above her dimmed. Looking up, she saw a hammer as large as a millstone hurtling down toward her head, a bare-chested hulk grinning savagely as he gripped the haft.

“Little girl, without that bow, let’s see how cocky you really are!”

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“Stop! Get back here!” You Hong’s face changed, and he roared.

The big man didn’t slow in the slightest. The hammer continued its descent, carrying the weight of ten thousand jin as it smashed down!

The black-robed elder, who had just arrived nearby, watched this scene with a sour look. “That oaf is clearly doing this just to spite me. What a waste of a fine beauty.”

You Hong’s expression was ugly as he flung the Divine Cloud Bow aside like a worn shoe. This time, he’d really misjudged things.

Faced with the descending hammer, Shi Lan neither dodged nor retreated. She raised both hands, her right leg suddenly stomping down as Innate true qi surged ceaselessly into the Cloud-Stepping Boots under her feet.

Boom—

A deafening roar, like thunder exploding on flat ground, erupted without warning!

The big man’s grin froze at the corners of his mouth, his eyes filled with disbelief as he stared beneath the hammer.

Shi Lan stood with her arms crossed above her, holding up the hammer. Spiderweb cracks radiated from under her right foot and spread for dozens of zhang across the ground. Several fissures had already split across her armor.

The big man stared at Shi Lan’s arms, which were barely thicker than bamboo poles, unable to process what he was seeing.

Shi Lan’s expression stayed indifferent. She swept the hammer aside with one hand, then snapped out a straight punch that slammed into the big man’s chest.

Bang—

His upper body exploded into a cloud of blood mist, torn to shreds by the raging force of her fist!