Chapter Twelve: Arrows Sever Demons and Fiends

Shen Chang'an was utterly stunned. He had intended to use the repeating crossbow to fire bolts inscribed with Demon-Slaying Talismans, but to his surprise, the thing outright rejected his talismanic magic.

“Well, this is just great…”

He hesitated, debating whether to pull out his trump card hidden in his robes, when he heard Zheng Xin’s voice calling from not far away: “Hey! Can you put your talisman on my bow instead?”

Zheng Xin darted and dodged with agility, unable to match Shen Chang'an and Wang Yue in strength, relying solely on nimbleness to evade the lashing vines. She was already drenched in sweat, utterly exhausted.

A thought struck Shen Chang'an, and he turned to Wang Yue. “Hey, Wang, lure the monster away for a bit. I’ll go over there and get the bow and arrows.”

Wang Yue didn’t protest, simply nodded. “Please hurry, Daoist. I can’t hold on much longer.”

With that, Wang Yue flicked a black pellet from his hand, which smashed into the vines with a sudden flash of fire. Unfortunately, those massive vines were hard to ignite, and the effect was limited. Still, it was enough to draw their attention, as the main mass of vines immediately redirected toward Wang Yue.

Shen Chang'an wasted no time, hurrying over to Zheng Xin’s side. “Hand me the bow.”

“Can you even use it?” Zheng Xin asked.

Shen Chang'an’s expression stiffened. A bow wasn’t like a crossbow—you couldn’t just pull the trigger. Without the proper technique, arrows from a bow would easily miss the mark, especially since they were all moving around so much. Hitting anything in these circumstances would be a challenge.

Fortunately, the vine was thick enough that they at least had a target. For Zheng Xin, that was manageable, but for Shen Chang'an, hitting anything at all would be a matter of luck.

“Give me the arrows.”

He didn’t argue further and asked Zheng Xin for the arrows. Zheng Xin, without thinking much, handed over her quiver. Shen Chang'an immediately dropped a Demon-Slaying Talisman inside, fusing it with the arrows.

“That’s not enough. Your talisman isn’t powerful enough to cut through that thing’s body,” Zheng Xin said after a glance. Living in these chaotic times, she had some experience with demonic arts and monsters. Shen Chang'an’s talisman barely worked on minor fiends; against a creature this big, it would be useless.

But then she was dumbfounded by what Shen Chang'an did next. He began slapping on talisman after talisman, igniting dozens in quick succession. Each arrow glowed like a lantern, shining brightly in the night—impossible to miss.

“Wait a second, Daoist, where did you get so many talismans?”

Shen Chang'an replied quietly, “I have my ways. It’s enough that you know—just don’t mention it to those officials.”

Zheng Xin immediately understood. The Hall of Loyalty wasn’t a charitable society; anyone from the tangled world of Jianghu would know better. Zheng Xin might be a bit naive, but she had the necessary experience.

“Give me the arrows, I’ll kill it myself,” Zheng Xin said hurriedly.

Shen Chang'an looked at her, puzzled. Her cheeks flushed with annoyance. “What’s that look for? Doubting my archery?”

He shook his head and handed her three arrows.

“Hey, give them all to me! If you keep any—”

Before she could finish, Shen Chang'an grabbed an arrow, raised it over his head, and hurled it like a javelin.

Whoosh!

The arrow traced a brilliant arc through the air and buried itself deep in the vine. Instantly, the talisman’s power clashed violently with the demonic energy, unleashing a terrifying force and snapping the vine in two.

Bang!

A massive portion of the vine crashed to the ground, severed cleanly by the talisman-empowered arrow.

“Holy—” Zheng Xin couldn’t help but curse. She’d forgotten that Shen Chang'an’s physical strength far exceeded anything she could muster with a bow; throwing an arrow with that kind of force was every bit as effective as shooting it.

He had no need for a bow. If he tried using one, he’d only lose accuracy. Relying on his supernatural strength to throw arrows was much more effective.

As another vine was pierced and severed, the remaining ones began to thrash wildly. The monstrous force threatened to level the entire village.

Seeing this, Shen Chang'an grabbed Zheng Xin and slung her onto his back. “Hold on!”

Zheng Xin quickly wrapped her arms around his shoulders as Shen Chang'an took two bounding steps up a tree that hadn’t been toppled yet. Then, launching himself into the air, he timed his throw as a raging vine swept beneath them, hurling another arrow down.

Bang!

The arrow streaked through the night and severed another vine.

“Beasts are beasts—their patterns are so easy to read…”

Shen Chang'an shook his head. He’d deliberately led the vines in this direction, knowing they would pursue. This monster hunted by sensing vibrations, and he’d tricked it, just as before, by leaping into the air to mislead it. Simple, yet effective.

The only problem was—

Thud!

“Damn, damn, my legs are numb!”

“Stop shaking, I’m getting dizzy…”

Even with Shen Chang'an’s formidable strength, landing from such a height left his legs tingling with numbness. Zheng Xin, though buffered by his body, was still nearly knocked senseless.

After two vines were severed in quick succession, the monster finally realized the danger. The three remaining vines stopped their wild flailing and rapidly withdrew, trying to retreat into the sacrificial altar.

“Daoist Lingxiao, it’s getting away!” Wang Yue called out, though he was doing his best to block it, his efforts were little more than a drop in the bucket.

Shen Chang'an fought through the numbness in his legs, tracking the retreating vines. Without hesitation, he hurled arrow after arrow in rapid succession.

This time, he didn’t bother aiming at the vines themselves, but targeted the altar directly. Seven or eight arrows flew, all striking home and exploding in bursts of light.

The vines were simply too massive to avoid the barrage. Shen Chang'an severed them all, one after another, until they crashed to the earth.

Cut off from the monster’s main body, the vines withered within seconds, rotting away into nothing but piles of decaying wood.