Chapter 67: Pursuit (1)
Su Chen sprinted with all his might, staring intently at Zhang Sheng’an, who was running in front of him.
Su Chen rarely hated someone to the extent that he hated Zhang Sheng’an. He had reached his limit, and he was determined to finish off that bastard no matter the cost.
Zhang Sheng’an continued to sprint forwards in the direction they had came from. After running for a while, he glanced behind him, only to find that Su Chen was still chasing after him. He laughed coldly, “Some guy who is too afraid to attend the end-of-year competition has the guts to chase after me? You must be out of your mind!”
He unslung the Tree Demon Bow off his back and fired off an arrow behind him.
Archers were the least afraid of being pursued.
This wasn’t just because every talented archer knew how to attack while moving at high speed, but also because Zhang Sheng’an’s range would increase if Su Chen was chasing after him.
When an archer shot behind himself, his target would usually be charging towards him. This silently cut the distance an arrow or Origin Skill needed to travel, increased the range of his attacks, and allowed his attacks to strike the enemy faster.
On the other hand, even if his pursuer was to use long-range attacks, the distance between them would be much larger because he was always running away.
Almost all Origin Skills were only effective within a given range, and a near miss was as good as missing by a mile.
Because of this, the current situation was extremely favorable to Zhang Sheng’an.
The arrow flew directly towards Su Chen’s face.
Su Chen had just turned his head to avoid it when he heard multiple arrows whizz through the air. They charged forwards rapidly, attacking him from the left and right as well as above and below, sealing off any possible escape routes.
Su Chen was met by guests from all sides.
The Moon-Swallowing Heavenly Wolf Blade flew through the air, precisely striking one of the oncoming arrows and shattering it.
If there was no escape route, he would create one. Su Chen’s response was both simple and direct.
Su Chen had broken through the encirclement. Su Chen charged forwards, his speed increasing. The distance between the two of them had decreased once again.
Zhang Sheng’an saw this and gently laughed. He pushed off a nearby tree with his palm before he continued to run forwards.
Su Chen chased after him at high speed. Just as he passed that same tree, he suddenly saw a large number of tree roots wrap towards him.
“You’ve used that already!” Su Chen had been prepared for this a long time ago. He leapt into the air.
However, he quickly discovered that the tree’s branches were also wrapping towards him like hundreds of skinny, gnarled arms.
Su Chen was forced to retreat, but in that same instant he saw another arrow headed in his direction.
This time, the arrow exuded a black sheen, carrying with it an aura of anguish and death.
This was the battle tactic Zhang Sheng’an was the most proficient in. First, he used the tree branches to force his opponents into a confined area before killing them off with a powerful, long-range attack.
Su Chen’s method of dealing with that arrow was very simple.
He stepped forwards.
This simple step forwards caused his figure to disappear. When he reappeared, he was tens of feet away from where he had started and was behind the Souldeath Arrow. Not only had he dodged it, but he had also once again closed the distance between himself and Zhang Sheng’an.
“Dammit!” Zhang Sheng’an cursed as he slung the bow over his back and continued to run.
But no matter how fast he was, Su Chen’s Snaking Mist Steps was faster.
Every step Su Chen took brought him closer to Zhang Sheng’an, giving Zhang Sheng’an a great sense of alarm.
His clan’s Windborne Steps was a speed-type Origin Skill, and it was the main reason why he remained undefeated even when faced with powerful opponents. When also considering the Grade 9 Gentle Breeze Boots he wore, making his body even lighter and faster, not many people could compare to him in terms of speed.
Unexpectedly, Su Chen, someone without a bloodline, was faster than him. The distance between the two of them continued to shorten.
Upon seeing this scene, a trace of savageness appeared on Zhang Sheng’an’s face. “You damned bastard!”
Zhang Sheng’an turned around and leapt backwards as he drew his bow in midair and shot an arrow towards Su Chen.
When the arrow left the bow, it was as if a silence was cast over the forest.
A shadow covered the sky, and an aura of death permeated the forest.
Souldeath Arrow!
Zhang Sheng’an’s Tree Demon Bow’s full name was the Cursed Tree Demon Bow. The source of its energy was the Tree Demon’s anguish, which was formed into an arrow. Thus, every arrow shot from the bow carried with it a powerful aura of anguish and hatred.
When this kind of hatred was amplified, it would assume the physical form of an arrow and seep into a person’s heart and body. It could only be satisfied upon the death of its target. This was the most powerful Origin Tool that Zhang Sheng’an possessed.
When he released the Tree Demon Bow’s full anguish, the entire forest seemed to wilt in sorrow.
When faced with this arrow, Su Chen suddenly had the feeling that there was no way for him to avoid the arrow.
A thought began to surface in his heart.
You can’t dodge it. There’s no point in dodging it.
His will was being weakened!
This was another special point about these anguish arrows.
Even though he had quite a strong will and was able to quickly shake off the arrow’s influence, it was already flying towards him, the tip charging straight for his forehead.
In that critical moment, Su Chen shoved his palms forward, which exploded with the rumbling of thunder. At the same time, his body began to fly upwards.
The long arrow zoomed forwards, piercing through the thunder. It pierced Su Chen’s chest, sending waves of energy rippling upon impact.
Su Chen was sent flying backwards. He inspected his chest and found that the Heartguard Mirror on his chest had been completely shattered by this arrow. As expected, it really was frighteningly powerful.
Upon seeing that his arrow was unable to kill Su Chen, Zhang Sheng’an was a bit disappointed. He slung the bow over his back and continued to run.
The ground that Su Chen had gained, however, was instantly nullified.
“You won’t be able to get away!” Su Chen slammed his palms on the ground, vaulting himself into the air.
When Zhang Sheng’an saw this, he angrily said, “You haven’t had enough yet? Since you want to die, I’ll fulfill your request.”
He did not stop as he spoke, instead continuing to run forwards.
Distance was safety and protection.
As he charged forwards, he constantly waved his hands to the side.
The leaves on the ground would suddenly come to life, becoming extremely sharp weapons. They flew through the air, creating a space of death.
Su Chen activated a barrier and charged right through the space of death. Cries of death sounded around him, and the leaves flew towards him like darts, slamming into the barrier and creating sparks of light as the barrier flickered.
Zhang Sheng’an laughed loudly. “Su Chen, you’re seeking death! Fighting with me inside a forest…… Where do you think my nickname ‘Treebow’ came from?”
“Erupting…… Firebird!”
Su Chen used his simplest and most direct method to counterattack.
The powerful flames ignited in the forest, and the waves of flames burned and incinerated all of the traps that Zhang Sheng’an had set up for him.
“It’s no use!” Zhang Sheng’an yelled as he shot out three arrows towards Su Chen consecutively, sealing Su Chen’s path forwards. “Even though your Erupting Firebird is powerful, its range is limited. As long as I don’t let you get within three hundred feet of me, it won’t pose any danger to me!”
His perception was quite acute. In an instant, he had discovered that Su Chen’s Erupting Firebird’s greatest weakness was its distance, and that it was not effective at a range beyond three hundred feet.
“You’re right. Let me get a bit closer!” Su Chen raised his speed again, flying towards Zhang Sheng’an like an arrow. His speed was once again faster than before.
Zhang Sheng’an coldly harrumphed. As long as he continued to put obstacles in Su Chen’s way and attacked from long range with his bow, there was no way that Su Chen could catch up with him. If Su Chen continued to pursue him, he would only be putting himself in dire straits and would eventually die to his bow.
While continuing to retreat, he accidently looked into Su Chen’s intense gaze.
This gaze caused Zhang Sheng’an’s consciousness to tremble. His entire being seemed to fall into a daze.
Thankfully, this daze lasted for just a moment. An instant later, Zhang Sheng’an snapped out of it, only to find that Su Chen had already closed the distance between them once again.
He knew the situation wasn’t good. He had definitely been hit by one of Su Chen’s consciousness-type attacks, and did not delay in continuing his retreat.
However, in that precise moment, his consciousness was rocked by another attack.
Soul-Fixation Technique.
Zhang Sheng’an was startled once again.
His consciousness had been disrupted twice, causing him to miss a great opportunity. Su Chen charged forwards like an arrow shot from a bow, entering the “safe boundary” that Zhang Sheng’an had established for himself.
He gestured, and a flaming bird flapped its wings as it soared forwards.
