Man as the Bow, Spear as the Arrow

Green Armored Immortal Soldiers!

At the bottom of the pond, Xiao Yi's heart skipped a beat as he clearly saw the figures of the two. Over the past month, the Bloodstone Tribe had hunted down the remaining fragments of the Immortal Soldiers. Almost all of the survivors, except for two thousand commanders from the two Immortal families, had been slaughtered and captured. These survivors had been used as sacrifices to promote the tribe's warriors.

The two Green Armored Immortal Soldiers were equipped for battle: one carried an iron axe, while the other held a copper spear. Their expressions were wary, scanning their surroundings. Their blue-colored immortal armor was riddled with cracks, nearly ruined.

"This time, only one of the three thousand commanders escaped," said the soldier with the iron axe coldly. "The rest of us, the scattered Immortal Masters, have been nearly wiped out. Almost all have been captured by the Bloodstone Tribe." He continued with a dark tone, "Now, we've barely escaped a few human warriors. Our only chance for survival in this human world is to align ourselves with a new force and wait for the opportunity to exterminate the Bloodstone Tribe."

"You're right," his companion with the copper spear nodded. "Not long ago, a group of five thousand Immortal Masters from three thousand miles away sent us a message. They asked us to join forces and eliminate the Blackwind Tribe three thousand miles out. If we align with them, we can take down the Blackwind Tribe, which is another lower-tier blood tribe. They don't have any human warriors at the Bone Refining Realm. Once we crush the Blackwind Tribe and gain strength, we'll return to annihilate the Bloodstone Tribe. It's been two years since we entered this human realm. The Thunder Sword Brigade in the North Wilderness has nearly severed the Celestial Path, but we can grow stronger. Eventually, we will work from within to restore the Celestial Path and open a permanent gateway for our Immortal Clan to this world."

While the two Immortal Soldiers were discussing their plans, the surface of the pond suddenly erupted. A faint green spear shadow shot through the air like a thunderclap, crossing three zhang (about nine meters) of space in an instant. It pierced the chest of the axe-bearing Immortal Soldier, and with a twist of its crystalline tip, it severed his life force.

"Who is it?!"

The other Immortal Soldier shouted in shock, retreating rapidly. His copper spear gleamed with cold light as it gathered spiritual energy. He narrowly avoided the spear's strike. Then, with a cold cry, he brandished his weapon. Eighteen wind blades, each about one foot and eight inches long, formed around his spear and shot toward the pond's surface.

"Third Style of Wind Control Spear, Wind Blade Sky Strike!"

The wind blades surged, flashing with spiritual energy, tearing through the air with a whistling sound. Their sharpness locked onto Xiao Yi.

His expression shifted slightly. Xiao Yi tapped the ground lightly, and his body shot back like an arrow. The power of the Immortal Clan was different from that of humans who developed the body's spiritual channels. The Immortals absorbed the world's spiritual energy, cultivating their Immortal veins and channeling celestial force. Their movements could manipulate nature itself, their techniques often appearing mystical and beyond ordinary comprehension.

In the next moment, Xiao Yi's spear broke through the air like lightning, striking seventeen times in rapid succession. The first seventeen wind blades were destroyed, one after another. The last wind blade grazed his body, leaving a faint bloodstain.

"What?!"

The Immortal Soldier's eyes widened in shock. This opponent's cultivation aura was not particularly strong—he only had fifteen celestial veins—but such a young person could still shatter seventeen wind blades with his spear techniques, which clearly showed he had reached an impressive level of skill. But what was even more shocking was that the last wind blade barely left a mark on the opponent's skin. What kind of physique could this be? It was stronger than most lower-level savage beasts. If an ordinary human warrior had taken the blow, they would have been heavily wounded or even killed.

As the Immortal Soldier's mind raced, Xiao Yi's aura suddenly surged, and all his energy and willpower were focused on his spear. A deathly aura emanated from him, a mental influence that had grown stronger over the past month. Through countless life-and-death struggles, his willpower had sharpened, and his spiritual power had grown exponentially. He could now easily handle the first stage of the Blood Refining Realm, and under the guidance of Shi Qi, he was beginning to grasp the contours of the second stage. At that moment, with a single movement, he released a powerful surge of energy that caught the Immortal Soldier off guard.

His face turned pale when he sensed Xiao Yi's true cultivation.

Three Celestial Veins!

He had only connected three celestial veins!

"What's going on? How is this person so powerful? He's only connected three celestial veins, yet his battle aura is so dense that it's almost on par with my eighteen celestial veins of cultivation!"

The Immortal Soldier's mind raced. "I once heard a thousand-man commander mention that some individuals with extraordinary physiques place great importance on their foundations, suppressing their cultivation growth intentionally to accumulate power. Once they break through, their strength is earth-shattering. In martial techniques, when one reaches the pinnacle of a top-tier combat technique, they can open celestial veins and absorb more celestial energy."

This Immortal Soldier realized that he had encountered a formidable opponent. It was very likely that this human had cultivated a top-tier combat technique—something that set him apart from the typical three-tier or two-tier martial techniques. These elite techniques touched upon the edges of mystical laws, possessing profound secrets. Along with such a technique, one could often wield powerful abilities. This soldier knew that he had no chance of winning.

Escape!

Without hesitation, the Immortal Soldier made his move, shooting toward the exit. His steps spanned four or five zhang (about twelve to fifteen meters) at a time, and the wind howled as his speed reached its peak. He knew that if he fought, he had little chance of survival.

"Wind Rises, Thunder Roars!"

Xiao Yi let out a long cry, his battle aura flooding his body. The black broken spear hummed, resonating with the surge of crystalline energy surrounding him, as though it was made of transparent, flawless crystal. A spear energy of one and a half feet long materialized, and in the blink of an eye, Xiao Yi's body arced like a bow, his form curving into a crescent moon shape. His bones cracked and snapped as they stretched.

This technique turned his body into a powerful bow, the broken spear becoming the arrow, blending spear techniques and archery into one. It was a spontaneous thought, but as the Immortal Soldier attempted to escape, Xiao Yi was unable to complete his archery technique. With the increasing distance between them, it became more difficult to hit. After all, humans were not stationary targets like wooden stakes—they could dodge or block attacks. At least with Xiao Yi's current mastery in archery, he wasn't able to reach that level yet.

The sound of thunder rang out as the spear shot forward, a strike more powerful than a simple wind-thunder spear technique. The force behind it surpassed even that, and in a flash, the spear crossed over ten zhang, piercing through the Immortal Soldier's green armor and pinning him to the mountain wall.

Xiao Yi stepped onto the shore, his bones creaking as he winced in pain. His face was pale, his battle aura drained, and his muscles were sore from overexertion.

"I was a bit too careless. I need to be cautious when using such a technique in the future. Thankfully, my physical body is tough—ordinary officers at the rank of Fifth Leader would probably be unable to withstand it. I need to continue refining my body," Xiao Yi muttered to himself. "I'll absorb the essence of these two Immortal corpses quickly... Mighty Elephant Drinking Water! Dragon Longing for the Sea!"

Xiao Yi activated the Mighty Elephant Great Strength Technique. In his mind, the image of a blue-scaled Mighty Elephant appeared. This technique, modeled after the mythical creature's body and energy, allowed its practitioner to absorb the elephant's supernatural powers. By successfully cultivating the Blood Refining Scroll, Xiao Yi had gained the elephant's strength. He was now beginning to understand the mystical aspects of this power, with its effects gradually revealing themselves.

Xiao Yi reached out with his hand, mimicking the Mighty Elephant's long trunk, and an Immortal corpse was suddenly lifted by an invisible force. The blood essence within it poured out like rivers flowing into the sea. Xiao Yi inhaled deeply, swallowing the essence whole. He repeated the process with the second Immortal corpse, extracting all the blood and spiritual power from it.

One hour later.

"Right here, there's a trace of celestial energy remaining!"

"The capture has nearly been completed. There are fewer and fewer Immortal Soldiers left, and they're getting harder to catch. At the slightest noise, they run faster than rabbits!"

"Now, with the area around here cleared, our Bloodstone Tribe will have a period of peace. It's the perfect time to recuperate and multiply our descendants."

In any tribe, population is key. Without new blood, no matter how strong, a tribe will eventually lose its power.

Two Bloodstone Tribe warriors entered the mountain gorge. Both were clad in animal skins, wielding long green iron spears. Their clothes were stained with blood, clearly having just been through a brutal slaughter.

Hmm!

One of them suddenly spoke, stopping in his tracks. His eyes narrowed as he focused on a hole in the mountain wall. Around it, blood had congealed, dark purple in color, and emitted a faint trace of celestial energy. Below, a withered Immortal Soldier's corpse lay. Not far from the water pool, another Immortal Soldier's body lay, its blood essence also drained.

The other warrior noticed the anomaly and stopped as well. After a moment, both of them gasped in shock.

"Wind-Thunder Spear Technique!"

The two warriors exchanged a glance. One of them, his expression serious, said, "Both of them died with a single strike. Judging by the remaining celestial energy, both Immortal Soldiers had eighteen celestial veins of cultivation. From the wounds, it seems they were struck by the same spear. This matches the first form of the Wind-Thunder Spear Technique—'Wind Rises, Thunder Roars.' But..."

"But the two strikes are worlds apart in their realms." The other warrior interjected, his eyes flickering with awe. "The first strike seems plain, at most on the level of a beginner. It probably relied on a sneak attack. The attacker must have been hiding in the water pool, launching a sudden strike before the Immortal Soldier could react. That's why he was killed in one blow. The attacker's cultivation seems to be on par with the two Immortal Soldiers. He could likely rank among the top thousand in our Bloodstone Tribe's two thousand warriors. But the second strike... it's beyond comprehension. Its power and speed were greatly enhanced. More importantly, it seemed to contain an effortless quality, as if the attacker touched upon that very essence of skill. Or perhaps it was just a faint aura, but regardless, the attacker seems to have grasped a critical level of mastery. That is no small feat."

"Exactly. Who could this be? The Wind-Thunder Spear Technique is our Bloodstone Tribe's unique third-tier martial technique. It's impossible for some random human wanderer to wield it. Among our tribe's warriors, there are some approaching Fifth Leader strength who have touched upon the concept of effortless mastery. But if that were the case, the first strike wouldn't have been necessary. It would have been easy to crush them. I've thought it over, but no one fits the profile."

"Could it be one of the younger generation?"

"One of the younger generation? Shi Lei, Shi Qian, Yu Tianye, or Yun Shaoyan... any of these four could be a possibility. All four of them have mastered the Wind-Thunder Spear Technique."

"If it's really one of them, our Bloodstone Tribe has a promising future. Let's continue the hunt. There are still about three hundred Immortal Soldiers who escaped our grasp. Those who've survived this long must have at least fifteen celestial veins of cultivation, with abundant blood essence. If that person is keen on refining their skills and increasing their cultivation, this is an excellent opportunity. Any Immortal Soldier we hunt down or capture belongs to the individual who takes them. We might even encounter him."

"Alright! I want to see which young expert in the tribe has been hiding so deeply!"