Things were not going his way.

Sage had never faced such a potent archer before. In the cultivation world, bows were a very uncommon weapon. As a cultivator climbed through the ranks, their physical strength would usually pale in comparison to the strength of their Qi. In order to launch projectiles with enough force to threaten those at higher ranks usually required increasingly expensive equipment. That was why it was far more common for crossbows to be used. With the various methods available to weapon refiners, there were many different ways to increase power and fight the drawbacks of a crossbow in comparison to a bow. The most obvious weakness being rate of fire.

Sage had even created the Stumblebow for the Jade Horde and possessed a far more expensive pair of crossbows that he took from that mercenary group the Fierce Tigers. It stored a few hundred bolts in a Storage Space and could fire a couple of them every second. It was also strong enough to instantly kill any third rank cultivator, scare those in the fourth rank, and could even harass a Core Formation cultivator.

On the other hand, that didn’t mean archery was forbidden, just uncommon. Sage was no stranger to Thousand Treasures and they had many exotic and expensive equipment for sale. Out of curiosity he had asked many questions about them and found that there were two main paths of archery in this world. The first and most rare were Body Cultivators. As they strengthened their flesh and muscle, they could draw more powerful bows. Theoretically, there was no upper ceiling on this strength and there was a legend of a Body Cultivator that could topple a mountain with a single pluck of his bow.

The second category of archer cultivated Qi and they came in various styles, based around their cultivation methods and archery techniques. Some of them used their Qi to enable them to draw stronger bows, but they were rare. Most of them actually used techniques relating to their arrows or aiming. As they increased in rank, they required extravagantly expensive bows. They needed special materials and weapon formations to let them draw a stronger bow with their comparatively weak physical strength. The most accessible form of archer was also the most expensive, so there were many famous young archers that switched weapons once they advanced too far in rank. Without a big power to support them, it became quite expensive. Especially since any third rank fighter could use their Qi to make ranged attacks. If you could fire a lance of flame at a target a hundred yards away for free, why would you invest so deeply in archery? On the other hand, an archer at the same rank could strike someone a half-mile away with three times the force if they just invested 100,000 on a bow and 1,000 per arrow. Worse yet, the prices were ten times greater for each rank, and that was just for a basic weapon of that level.

With these thoughts in mind, Sage was crawling through a cramped tunnel and wondering how many millions this guy had already spent trying to kill him. He also felt an increasing feeling of danger. As time passed, the feeling continued to get worse and he knew it was the enemy closing in on his location. He’d already sent the Warp Worms away at their top speed so they couldn’t give away his position. The Golden Mantis Body had also changed considerably. Not only was it less solid than before, it had changed colors. The aura was now a pale neon blue-green, and it seemed to be emanating misty gas of the same color. Poison Qi wasn’t the only thing that Sage’s clone had learned how to combine with the Golden Mantis Body. His aura had taken on the properties of the Cerulean Cloud, that technique from the Twin Ringed Soul Serpent that hid him from Spirit Sense, making him appear as a blank spot.

He didn’t expect this method to hide him completely from his foe. In fact, that growing sense of distress told him that the opponent was slowly locking in on him. All he intended to do with the army of bugs was to gather information on his opponents location and this tunnel was just a way to close the gap. How could he battle with an unseen enemy a mile away?

The feeling of pressure raised higher and higher until Sage felt his time was running out. The Warp Worm tunnels were only a few feet below the surface because Sage didn’t fancy dying while trapped underground. At this time, he rolled over onto his back and then thrust both palms towards the ceiling of the tunnel. He burnt some of his golden aura to enhance his already immense strength and the ground burst open above him. A burst of air shot from his palms, impelled by the Fluid Power Lines of his spider body. The air flow blew away the debris and caused a storm of dust to appear again. Sage threw himself to his feet and hopped out of the hole he’d created in the ground. Just as he was making contact with the surface, an object appeared in his hands just in time to catch a terrifying impact. That object burst into pieces and Sage threw it aside, just in time for another to appear.

There was a fluctuation of power in front of him as that object activated and that fearful impact wasn’t felt a second time. At least not for a few seconds. The Qi poured into that object fluctuated rapidly and then it suddenly exploded. As it blew, a dozen streaks of light shot out of it, shot randomly in the general direction of the enemy archer. Even though it blew Sage back a couple steps, it still blocked those attacks before detonating so Sage called it a win. He rushed forward, while another object appeared in his hands. He shot forward, using his full speed to rush towards the enemy, crouching down slightly to minimize his profile.

The objects he called out were circular in shape, a round disc with a convex front, the shape of a large shield. He felt the fluctuation of energy in front of him, which was that shield at work. The Arrow Wall. The same shield he’d developed for the Jade Horde so long ago. It had a very cheap Storage Bag incorporated within it to catch arrows, modified so they could maintain their momentum to be released back out again later. Against such a high rank enemy, that cheap Storage Bag could only contain a limited number of arrows before it was blasted apart. Each of these shields cost him a hundred Spirit Stones, but compared to the money the enemy was burning on him, it seemed like quite the deal. Everytime he took two steps forward, he’d also end up getting blasted one step back, but it was worth it to close the gap.

By the time he burnt through twenty Arrows Walls, he finally caught a glimpse of his foe. That person in black clothing with a mask over their face was standing on the same tree he’d seen them on earlier and casually launching an arrow every so often. It didn’t look like they were tired, or upset at Sage’s constant approach. That lazy look even made Sage think they were actually happy. Sage even caught sight of a set of dark eyes and had the feeling that the enemy was glad to be seen before killing him.