Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

For a moment, the roar of battle shook the heavens.

The sound echoed through the woods, shaking snow from the pine needles in a cascade. It felt as if heaven and earth themselves were trembling.

「Deeper in the Ancient Forest.」

Wang Peng still lay where he was, his eyes bulging as if they were about to pop out of their sockets.

”Miss Yun, did you hear that? Those battle cries…”

His Adam’s apple bobbed, his voice trembling.

”Do you think… could Brother Chen have been discovered? The enemy is… they’re surrounding and trying to kill him…”

Yun Shuanglin also lay on the ground, her exquisite face growing even paler.

”It’s all my fault…”

Staring up at the interlocking pine branches, her eyes filled with worry and self-reproach.

”I know I brought a Small Returning Pill, but now I don’t know where it’s gone… If I could just find it, I could have helped Brother Chen. He wouldn’t have had to go into danger all by himself…”

”It’s my fault… This is my fault…”

Wang Peng let out a long, mournful sigh.

”When Brother Chen was about to leave, I should have stopped him. I should have told him to get you away from here first… Your status, the mission you carry… You can’t die here, you just can’t…”

”Manor Master Wang, this… it’s my fault…”

Yun Shuanglin’s gaze froze. The despair and guilt in her eyes were so thick they were almost tangible.

”I was traveling north on a critical mission, yet I insisted on detouring to hunt a Mutant Tiger. When I heard the signal arrow, I rushed off on my own without a second thought… Everything is my fault!”

”Don’t say that…”

Wang Peng adjusted his tone, trying to sound steadier as he attempted to comfort her.

”You only wanted a vial of Exotic Tiger Essence Blood to use as a catalyst to save a loved one… What’s wrong with that?”

When Yun Shuanglin offered no response, Wang Peng continued to console her.

”Maybe we’re being too pessimistic. Brother Chen is powerful. M-maybe… maybe he can break out, turn the tables on them, and come back to save us…”

”…Brother Chen.”

At his words, the cold despair in Yun Shuanglin’s eyes finally eased a fraction, but her voice was still dejected, barely a whisper.

”He’s… he’s only sixteen… Can he really do it?”

...

BANG!

A flash of silver arrived first.

An attendant, his quiver packed with Iron Arrows, was scrambling for cover when a Silver Bullet tore through it from behind.

The thick leather was ripped open in an instant, as if it were made of paper.

That wasn’t all.

The Silver Bullet had been imbued with Dark Force before it was fired, and its Thunder Burst Trait detonated inside the quiver.

More than half of the twenty Iron Arrows were sheared apart. The broken shafts, shattered Arrowheads, and twisted metal fragments were all propelled by the force, slamming violently into the attendant’s back.

Then, enhanced by its Penetrating Armor Trait, the Silver Bullet drove straight into his spine before finally exploding inside his body.

Countless fragments of shrapnel tore through his internal organs, ripping through his lungs, shredding his liver, and severing his blood vessels…

He didn’t even have time to scream. He was killed instantly, his body falling stiffly forward.

Blood, mixed with chunks of mangled flesh and metal shards, continued to gush from the ruined quiver on his back.

Unlike the bandits who had scattered and fled, the four attendants Bai Fangshuo had brought with him were all loyal.

They had followed Bai Fangshuo for years, owing him for his patronage and training. Though terrified, they didn’t immediately flee.

However, in the killing field of a master Archer, not fleeing simply meant death.

It was only a matter of time.

BANG!

A moment later, another flash of silver shot forth.

The two attendants in charge of carrying Bai Fangshuo’s bow had just managed to find cover. They had barely squatted down side-by-side to catch their breath.

The Silver Bullet struck.

It pierced the left man’s temple, tore straight through his skull, and drilled into the head of the man on the right, bursting out from his other temple.

The two heads trembled slightly in the same instant.

The tremor was faint, as if they had been gently tapped by something.

A half-breath later…

BOOM—

Both heads exploded into a mist of blood, leaving two headless corpses still sitting side-by-side.

One shot, two bursts!

”Brother Yu! Help me get the arrows! Quick!”

Bai Fangshuo’s figure darted behind a large boulder, his feet never stopping as he continued to change position at high speed.

His voice was kept extremely low, but it carried an undeniable urgency.

”I’ve been counting. He’s fired more than ten shots in a row with barely a pause, and some of those Silver Bullets were imbued with Dark Force…”

”He’ll definitely need to rest his muscles and regulate his breathing. This is our only chance! Brother Yu! Hurry!”

Bai Fangshuo was no weakling.

Though he felt fear in his heart, his mind remained clear and calm. When it was time to act, he would not hesitate for a second.

He knew exactly how skilled the enemy Archer was. Escape was impossible. Their only sliver of hope was to retrieve some Iron Arrows and find a chance to counter-attack.

However, Yu An, hiding behind an ancient tree in the distance, didn’t respond. He suppressed his breathing, utterly unwilling to risk going out to retrieve the arrows.

”Yu An! You bastard…”

Enraged, Bai Fangshuo squeezed the words through his teeth.

”I treated you like a brother! And you choose now to play games with me?”

Bai Fangshuo had already found a perfect spot of cover to hide and snipe from.

If Yu An would just retrieve some Arrows, even if they couldn’t strike back immediately, they could at least stabilize their position and keep the option of a counter-attack open.

But Yu An remained silent and motionless. He didn’t even bother to hide his selfish desire for self-preservation.

”Yu! Don’t say I didn’t warn you!”

Gritting his teeth, Bai Fangshuo could only continue to change positions, not daring to slow his speed in the slightest.

”That Archer is the number one Divine Shooter below the level of Transforming Force! Without my hearing to predict the path of his Silver Bullets, you’ll never escape on your own!”

”Besides, if I die, all of your Immortal Bone Sect’s plans in Zhao City will be ruined!”