Chapter 354: Seven Arrows to Strike Down a Tyrant

Chapter 354: Seven Arrows to Strike Down a Tyrant

The world within the Spirit Realm Stone offered a variety of options, with over a thousand different Spirit Realm worlds available in the domestic Super League.

A few days prior, both contestants had decided to randomly select their maps.

Due to Zhao Manying, Ji Xinghuo had recently been watching her matches during his cultivation, and he instantly recognized his current location as "Qianfeng Mountain."

This place simulated the Qianfeng Abyssal Woods, where the Star Gate on Earth was located, featuring a landscape dominated by peaks and forests, and a familiar climate. The map was an irregular square, with each side slightly over 30 kilometers long, covering an area of 1,000 square kilometers.

Ji Xinghuo's electromagnetic induction spread out, but he couldn't detect Li Xuan.

Their birth points were also randomly determined.

Boom!

Ji Xinghuo soared into the sky, reaching an altitude of several thousand meters in just a few seconds. He scanned the area with his Myriad Phenomenon Star Pupils, his sharp gaze sweeping over the terrain.

However, he still couldn't find any trace of Li Xuan.

He activated his "Stealth Ring," causing his figure to become blurred, and then lowered his altitude to just above the forest, flying at a slower speed.

In the live broadcast, the two contestants were about 15 kilometers apart.

Li Xuan was to the north.

The host said, "Both sides are searching for each other's locations. In a battle between Tyrants, the first move is crucial and can sometimes directly determine the outcome of the fight."

"With their perception, the Spirit Realm map is too small. They'll encounter each other very soon," another commentator chimed in.

"Ji Xinghuo is the Magnetic Maniac, possessing magnetic field induction, which is his advantage."

"Yes."

"It's said that magnetic field induction is one of the most powerful perception abilities, far surpassing normal vision, hearing, and smell. Moreover, it's almost impossible to block since our world is built upon electromagnetic forces..."

As the commentators chatted, one of the cameras suddenly zoomed in, focusing on Ji Xinghuo.

All the viewers could see that Ji Xinghuo's gaze had become focused.

He slowly descended into the shade of the trees.

"Ji Xinghuo has spotted Li Xuan!" The commentator's words stirred up an astonished murmur, with most people finding it hard to believe.

The data showed that the distance between the two at that moment was over five thousand meters.

Moreover, Li Xuan was invisible, and Ji Xinghuo's vision was blocked by several peaks, making it impossible for him to be seen directly.

But in the next second, everyone believed it.

Ji Xinghuo held the Black Hengjing War Bow in his hand, his eyes fixed on Li Xuan's direction, following his trajectory.

"He really found him!"

"Damn! Is magnetic field induction that OP? He can locate an invisible enemy from five kilometers away!"

"Finding him is useless. I don't believe Ji Xinghuo's arrows can hit a target that far away."

The audience buzzed with speculation.

However, the commentators' attention was on the weapon in Ji Xinghuo's hand. "A few months ago, Ji Xinghuo showcased his archery skills in the Hindi Kingdom. This black crystal bow in his hand, I've asked many extraordinary people, and it turns out to be the Black Hengjing War Bow crafted by the Jingying Tribe, a super-ability three-star weapon from the Eternal Day City."

The screen displayed the Black Hengjing War Bow's data.

Its range, draw weight, arrow speed, and lethality, as well as the accompanying arrow storage space and specially made tungsten-core heavy arrows.

"Wow..." Countless viewers inhaled sharply in unison.

The extraordinary archers watching the live broadcast drooled with envy as they looked at the Black Hengjing War Bow's parameters.

Within "Qianfeng Mountain," Ji Xinghuo had locked onto Li Xuan.

He decided to test something.

The Spirit Realm world was a virtual world created by projection, with rules based on the Star Realm as a template. Here, one could use spatial equipment, and spatial extraordinary abilities were unaffected.

A tungsten-core heavy arrow was retrieved from the Black Hengjing War Bow's accompanying space and instantly nocked onto the string.

Without drawing the string, Ji Xinghuo continued forward.

Through electromagnetic induction, he could sense that Li Xuan was enveloped by a transparent, invisible sword light, silently tearing through the air at a subsonic speed without making a sound.

"Invisible Swordmaster."

Ji Xinghuo muttered to himself.

Li Xuan was an advanced "Invisible Swordmaster," a fusion of Swordmaster, Phantasmal Soundmaster, and two Shadow Blades. He excelled in illusions and stealth, possessed incredible speed, and had extremely ferocious attacking power. Swordmasters themselves were also no strangers to close combat.

On the web, one could find numerous combat videos of Li Xuan, where his signature move was a dazzling display of countless sword lights, yet his own figure remained elusive.

This was how he earned the title of "Thousand Illusion Sword Hero."

For such an opponent, the most challenging part was discovering and locking onto them, but it wasn't difficult for Ji Xinghuo.

The distance between the two narrowed slightly, but they were still outside the Black Hengjing War Bow's range.

Just as Ji Xinghuo was about to close in, Li Xuan suddenly changed direction.

The distance between them widened again.

"Hmm?"

Ji Xinghuo paused in mid-air, feeling a bit puzzled. By now, Li Xuan had flown beyond the radius of his electromagnetic induction.

He wasn't sure if Li Xuan had sensed him.

Based on past videos and data analysis, Li Xuan's perception abilities weren't particularly remarkable.

"This should be a coincidence."

The commentator in the live stream laughed, "But it's also possible that Li Xuan sensed the danger and subconsciously avoided it."

"If Li Xuan gives Ji Xinghuo the opportunity to strike first, he'll be at a disadvantage."

"The instincts of a Tyrant are indeed formidable!"

"What's he doing now?"

The host and commentators were suddenly startled, and the audience was equally surprised. On the screen, Ji Xinghuo suddenly flew up without any attempt at concealment, creating a loud sonic boom as he landed on a peak a kilometer away.

In the Qianfeng Abyssal Woods of the Star Realm, such suspended mountains were not uncommon.

"Heh..."

He opened his mouth and let out a dragon's roar, the sound reverberating through the land.

Everyone understood the meaning behind Ji Xinghuo's actions—he was openly revealing his position to attract Li Xuan into battle.

One of the commentators shook his head. "Giving up his advantage of magnetic field induction is unwise."

"In a direct confrontation, Ji Xinghuo has a low probability of winning."

As the commentator analyzed the situation, Li Xuan turned back.

However, he was cautious and did not directly engage Ji Xinghuo. Instead, he maintained his invisibility, reduced his flight speed, and silently closed in on Ji Xinghuo's location from high in the sky.

With this, the positions of light and darkness between the two instantly reversed.

On the floating mountain, Ji Xinghuo immediately detected Li Xuan as he entered his electromagnetic induction range, but he pretended not to notice and continued to scan the surroundings quickly, searching for his enemy.

Five kilometers, four kilometers...

Li Xuan drew closer and closer, causing the audience to hold their breath.

For a Tyrant, three kilometers was already a very close distance. With Li Xuan's strength, once he entered the two-kilometer mark, he could launch an all-out offensive.

Two kilometers!

Li Xuan suddenly surged forward, his invisible sword light accelerating to its fullest. He dove towards Ji Xinghuo.

If it had been in reality, ordinary people and most special ability users would not have been able to see Li Xuan's invisible sword light. But the live broadcast had been technically enhanced, allowing all viewers to clearly see the outline of a sword light spanning several dozen meters, with its speed also indicated.

In just one second, the invisible sword light reached 2 Mach, twice the speed of sound.

Li Xuan's "Silent Phantom" ability had failed.

Boom...

A sonic boom ripped through the sky, tearing the atmosphere.

Li Xuan's gaze was locked onto Ji Xinghuo. Before the battle, he had analyzed Ji Xinghuo's videos countless times and was most wary of his archery skills. Thus, he decided on a tactic—he would not give Ji Xinghuo any opportunity to shoot.

He had to engage in close combat, but not too close.

The two had to maintain a distance of about a hundred meters. This was within the range of his sword light's attack, where it was most lethal, while also ensuring he had space to dodge.

At this distance, Ji Xinghuo's archery skills would be difficult to utilize effectively.

"Maintain the distance!"

Li Xuan believed that this was the key to his victory.

Even though he was a Tyrant, and 97% of people believed he could easily win, he did not underestimate Ji Xinghuo in the slightest.

Strategically dismissive but tactically vigilant!

However, in the instant that Li Xuan accelerated, Ji Xinghuo's arrow was already on its way.

The arrow's flight caused an explosive sound!

The tungsten-core heavy arrow transformed into a black streak, surpassing a speed of one kilometer per second. Just as Li Xuan flew to a position about 1,500 meters away from Ji Xinghuo, the tungsten-core heavy arrow reached him, colliding with his invisible sword light. The arrow shattered, and the sword light stalled for a moment.

Li Xuan reacted swiftly, his body rolling sideways in mid-air to avoid the fragments of the arrow.

At the same time, his sword light stabilized once more, again protecting his entire body.

And it was now even faster.

The second arrow arrived.

Li Xuan sideways-shifted instantly, and the tungsten-core heavy arrow grazed past him. Not only was he unharmed, but he had also closed the distance to within a kilometer.

At this distance, with Li Xuan's current speed, it would take less than two seconds to close in on Ji Xinghuo.

However, the third tungsten-core heavy arrow struck him.

This arrow was noticeably faster, with a tricky angle, and it had predicted Li Xuan's shift, leaving him unable to shift instantly again.

Swoosh!

Li Xuan neither dodged nor evaded. His invisible sword light abruptly surged, directly cleaving the tungsten-core heavy arrow in two.

He faced the countless arrow fragments, his body and sword becoming one, and a massive sword light slashed towards Ji Xinghuo.

This move unleashed a torrent of sword energy.

Purple and blue sword lights appeared in sync, numbering in the hundreds. Each one was several dozen meters long, appearing substantial, and they formed a terrifying sword shadow frenzy, wildly sweeping towards Ji Xinghuo and the entire floating mountain.

Boom...

Countless sword lights fell, and the hundred-meter-high floating mountain seemed to be shredded by a thousand cuts, directly losing half of its mass as large chunks of rock fell towards the ground.

The power of a Tyrant's sword strike caused viewers worldwide to widen their eyes.

The commentators fell silent for a second.

Then, a sharp-eyed commentator shouted, "He's using Empty Sword!"

The live camera captured Ji Xinghuo, displaying the scene to the audience. In the nick of time, Ji Xinghuo had entered supersonic flight, flying upside down in the sky, now a kilometer away. Not only had he evaded Li Xuan's sword strike, but he was also continuously shooting with the Black Hengjing War Bow in his hand.

His hands moved like phantoms, shooting five arrows in one second.

Due to the burst of star power from Li Xuan's sword strike, there was a gap in his output power, causing a temporary dip. He was unable to react in time.

Bang! Bang! Bang...

A tungsten-core heavy arrow struck Li Xuan, and an oval-shaped shield of frost appeared around his body.

It was icy cold, with red and blue energy flowing rapidly on its surface, emitting a bright glow.

"Ice Extreme Shield!"

One of the commentators exclaimed in surprise.

The host also exclaimed, "The 'Heat Energy Ice Ball' of 'Flaming King' Qi Feiyang, a Heaven's Key one-star equipment, how did it end up in Li Xuan's possession?"

But this time, his teleportation seemed to lead him right into danger. The fourth tungsten-core heavy arrow loomed larger in his field of vision as it sped towards him, striking his Ice Extreme Shield and shattering into fragments that knocked him backward.

As Li Xuan flew backward, one tungsten-core heavy arrow after another rained down on him, giving him no respite.

Bang! Bang! Bang...

Ji Xinghuo's shooting frequency increased, like a torrential storm.

Li Xuan teleported again, his sword light surging.

He forcefully withstood the impact of the arrows and rapidly closed in on Ji Xinghuo.

However, Ji Xinghuo was faster. Even flying upside down, his speed and accuracy remained unaffected. No matter how Li Xuan accelerated and circled the Spirit Realm world, the distance between them persistently hovered around one kilometer.

A sense of foreboding crept into Li Xuan's mind.

Ji Xinghuo appeared far too relaxed, and his strength had evidently grown far beyond what it was when they first clashed.

Many of the Legends and Monarchs in the audience noticed this as well.

One of the commentators also sensed the change.

"Ji Xinghuo has evolved! He's not a Super anymore; he's advanced to a Legend!"

Viewers worldwide were stunned by this revelation.

While it would be a pipe dream for a Super to defeat a Monarch, the prospect of a Legend doing so, especially one with unparalleled talent in human history, sparked hope that Ji Xinghuo could create a miracle!

"He actually advanced to Legend in just over two months..." Li Xuan was both astonished and furious, his confidence beginning to waver.

He quickly steeled himself. "So what if he's a Legend? He's still going to lose!"

However, reality soon taught him a harsh lesson.

No matter how desperately Li Xuan accelerated, he couldn't catch up to Ji Xinghuo. The thousand-meter distance between them seemed like an uncrossable chasm.

Before the battle, his strategy had been to maintain a specific distance, and he had achieved that.

But now, he was the one being kept at bay.

Under the gaze of over four billion viewers worldwide, no matter how Ji Xinghuo flew or what posture he assumed, his Black Hengjing War Bow never ceased its dance. The bowstring rapidly stretched and retracted, sending forth black streaks of light.

Each arrow found its mark on Li Xuan, a thousand meters away, and he was unable to counter or hide, serving only as a target.

This scene resembled kite-flying.

Bang! Bang! Bang...

Tungsten-core heavy arrows kept striking Li Xuan and exploding.

Initially, Li Xuan had been somewhat concerned about whether the Ice Extreme Shield, triggered by the 'Heat Energy Ice Ball' borrowed from Qi Feiyang, could withstand the onslaught. But after dozens of arrows exploded consecutively, he relaxed, confident in the defensive capabilities of a Heaven's Key one-star equipment.

Originally, Li Xuan would have also swung his sword to sever the arrows.

But upon seeing that the Ice Extreme Shield remained unscathed, he focused solely on pursuing Ji Xinghuo, looking for an opportunity to counter.

The situation seemed passive, but he actually held the upper hand.

The live broadcast's host and commentators reached the same conclusion, believing that Li Xuan still held the advantage, and at worst, it was a draw.

The audience was persuaded by their analysis.

The two combatants tussled for three to four minutes, after which Ji Xinghuo had no choice but to slow down his shooting frequency; the stash of tungsten-core heavy arrows in his arrow storage space was dwindling.

"He's running out of arrows!" Li Xuan rejoiced inwardly.

Once Ji Xinghuo was out of arrows, he would have to engage in close combat, and that would be Li Xuan's chance.

As Li Xuan contemplated how to strike decisively, he became slightly distracted. Suddenly, Ji Xinghuo unexpectedly increased his shooting frequency.

The Magnetic Spirit Star Core was outputting at full power.

In an instant, a pitch-black light, like ink, flowed along the bow, permeating the bowstring, and finally converging into the tungsten-core heavy arrow. A faint glow emanated from the arrow.

This arrow was infused with 300 points of electromagnetic stellar power! It was ten times more powerful than the previous tungsten-core heavy arrows, resulting in a drastic increase in speed and lethality.

Bang!

The tungsten-core heavy arrow slammed into Li Xuan's Ice Extreme Shield and exploded.

However, this arrow sent shockwaves through Li Xuan's entire body, knocking him backward for hundreds of meters.

Sensing the danger, Li Xuan immediately teleported and then turned to flee as a formless sword light.

The next tungsten-core heavy arrow struck.

Bang! Bang! Bang...

Unbeknownst to anyone, a faint light circle glowed in Ji Xinghuo's right eye, and he could predict Li Xuan's every move. Each arrow he fired struck the same spot on Li Xuan's Ice Extreme Shield, their aim unerring.

Li Xuan's newly gathered sword light was shattered, and he lost control of his flight, his body repeatedly struck and knocked backward.

Within a second, he was hit by seven arrows.

Crack!

Amidst his uncontrolled flight, Li Xuan heard a crisp sound like shattering glass. Before he could react, another tungsten-core heavy arrow pierced through his Ice Extreme Shield, and the 'Ether Nanobot Armor' on his body didn't even have time to activate. His body exploded.

Li Xuan's vision went dark.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself outside the Spirit Realm world. The mental shock from this death caused his head to spin, leaving him dazed.

"Wah..."

A deafening cheer reverberated from outside the projection cabin, overwhelming even the soundproof barriers.

Li Xuan sat up and saw that the tens of thousands of viewers present had all stood up, applauding and cheering for Ji Xinghuo, whose image was displayed on the giant projection screen.

It was then that he came back to his senses, stunned for a few seconds, unable to believe what had just transpired.

"I lost?" Li Xuan's face was blank with disbelief.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end