Once Bai Yunfei reached his resolution, he acted without a shred of hesitation. He cast a glance at Zhang Zhenshan, then suddenly swayed and darted towards the patch of woods to his left!
"Thinking of running now? Too late!!" Zhang Zhenshan spotted Bai Yunfei's movement instantly. Seeing his opponent's intent to flee, he snorted coldly and surged forward in pursuit.
However, after Bai Yunfei had covered barely ten meters, the Flame Spear in his hand abruptly vanished. Mid-stride, he spun around! His right arm whipped forward, unleashing two streaks of chilling light that streaked towards the pursuing Zhang Zhenshan!
Throwing Daggers!!
Zhang Zhenshan's momentary surprise was genuine – his opponent possessing dagger-throwing skills was unexpected.
But that was all. Even with the element of surprise, Bai Yunfei's attack posed no real threat in his eyes!
His body instantly shifted sideways. The two daggers whistled harmlessly past him. Zhang Zhenshan didn't slow his relentless charge towards Bai Yunfei.
Yet, the moment he evaded the first attack, three more daggers hurtled towards him in rapid succession!
Zhang Zhenshan's eyes narrowed. He shifted left another fraction, dodging the daggers aimed at his left shoulder and head. His right hand snapped out, effortlessly catching the final dagger aimed at his torso! For him, wearing the Ice Silk Gauntlets, snatching these fast-flying blades was no harder than catching a pebble.
"SQUEEEEK!!"
Just as a contemptuous smirk began to curl Zhang Zhenshan's lips, a shrill, agonized shriek ripped through the air behind him!
Zhang Zhenshan faltered, his expression tightening. He whipped his head around in a flash. There, pinned to the ground by a dagger, motionless, lay the Tracker Ash-Rat that had been cowering in the distance since the fight began!
"YOU!!" Zhang Zhenshan's face froze, then contorted with fury. He whirled back towards Bai Yunfei, channeling Soul Force to pursue at his absolute maximum speed!
"Zhang Zhenshan! Here's your son's 'Frost Soul Silver Needles' back!!"
Just as Zhang Zhenshan took his second step forward, Bai Yunfei's furious shout reached his ears. He saw Bai Yunfei's right arm snap forward once more, launching two more streaks of chilling light!
"What?!" Zhang Zhenshan's face paled slightly, a flicker of doubt surfacing. But he focused sharply – they were still just ordinary daggers, not the legendary needles!
"Hmph! Trying to distract me with words? Not happening!!" Cold light flickered in Zhang Zhenshan's eyes. He didn't even bother dodging. His right hand lashed out, snatching both daggers from the air, and hurled them back with vicious force!
Bai Yunfei ducked low, the daggers slicing the air above him. As he straightened, a flash of profound reluctance crossed his eyes, instantly replaced by steely resolve.
He locked eyes with Zhang Zhenshan, now terrifyingly close – less than ten meters behind. Bai Yunfei snorted coldly. Deliberately, he slowed his pace. His right arm, held low behind him, snapped forward repeatedly. In the span of a single breath, four daggers shot out almost simultaneously!
Immediately after, his lowered arm paused for a split second. Muscles coiled. With a movement far more powerful, far more committed than any previous dagger throw, he whipped his arm forward with every ounce of strength!
A streak of azure light streaked through the air—The Frost Spike!!
Zhang Zhenshan's expression remained unmoved. His right hand became a blur, effortlessly knocking away the four incoming daggers. He prepared to activate Ice Glide Step to close the final distance.
Then, his face transformed into a mask of utter shock!
The pale blue light, unleashed the moment Bai Yunfei flicked his wrist, traversed the scant ten meters separating them in the blink of an eye! It was here!
Fast! Unbelievably fast!!
Its speed was leagues beyond the flying daggers!
Zhang Zhenshan had no time for conscious reaction. Purely on instinct, his right hand shot up to shield his face and chest while his body twisted violently to the right!
"Thwip-thunk!"
A soft, wet sound, audible only to Zhang Zhenshan, reached his ears, yet it resonated like thunder within his mind.
The Frost Spike met the palm of his raised right hand. The Ice Silk Gauntlets, a formidable Human-Tier Superior grade weapon, offered no resistance whatsoever!
The Frost Spike punched clean through his shielding palm, bursting out from the back of his hand! Its momentum barely checked, it plunged onward with a sickening "THUNK!" deep into Zhang Zhenshan's right shoulder! The force was so immense that even the hilt sank halfway in. It seemed lodged between his bones, the wicked tip protruding grotesquely from the back of his shoulder!
A flicker of regret passed through Bai Yunfei's eyes. Then, gritting his teeth, he turned without a backward glance and fled!
Zhang Zhenshan watched, stunned, as Bai Yunfei, trailing a blur of afterimages, vanished into the dense woods opposite. He stood frozen, a trace of bewilderment mingling with the fury in his eyes. He looked down at his pierced palm, then at the spike embedded in his shoulder, his face a mask of thunderous rage.
He reached up with his left hand, gripped the Frost Spike jutting from his shoulder, and wrenched it free with a grunt. Blood welled, but he swiftly stemmed the flow with Soul Force.
Channeling Soul Force to mend the wounds in his hand and shoulder, he lifted his gaze once more towards the direction Bai Yunfei had escaped. His expression shifted through complex shades of anger, frustration, and reluctant acknowledgement. Finally, he could only shake his head in resignation, releasing a heavy sigh.
"I actually… let a junior at the Soul Warrior realm reduce me to this state... and in the end, allowed him to escape." The thought brought a bitter, self-mocking twist to his lips. "Was it my depleted Soul Force reserves? Or… my thirst for vengeance blinding me to his true capabilities?"
He pondered for a moment, then shook his head again, muttering aloud, "No. Those aren't the core reasons. His strength… his Soul Force level is indeed Mid-stage Soul Warrior, that's undeniable. But his mind… his judgment and meticulousness, they far surpassed my expectations! Though his combat experience and technique felt somewhat raw… that decisiveness, that attention to detail were extraordinary!"
"And then," his voice grew lower, more intense, "the crucial factor… the Soul Tools he possesses…"
He raised the Frost Spike before his eyes, its blade slick with his own blood. Replaying the battle's key moments – the inexplicable anomalies – a mixture of profound puzzlement and stunned disbelief flooded his gaze.
"The crimson spear, the golden armor, and now this Frost Spike… Every one defied my expectations. The impossible explosion of fire elemental force. Attacks he shouldn't have withstood, yet shrugged off effortlessly. And this Frost Spike… Earlier, my gauntlets deflected its thrusts easily. But just now…"
Zhang Zhenshan stared intently at the weapon in his hand, eyes flickering with concentrated effort as he meticulously reconstructed every detail of the confrontation. Long moments passed. As the injury in his right hand finally stabilized under the relentless flow of Soul Force, a sudden jolt of realization struck him. His eyes widened, gleaming with shock.
"Wait! This Frost Spike… could it be…?"
A thought occurred to him, so absurd he almost dismissed it. His expression shifted through disbelief, intense scrutiny, and finally, dawning comprehension. He murmured, half to himself, "How foolish of me. Instead of guessing… why not simply test it?"
Gripping the Frost Spike firmly, he drew his arm back and flung it forward with considerable force.
The instant the Frost Spike left his grasp, Zhang Zhenshan's face contorted in astonishment: "Soul Force… it's draining Soul Force uncontrollably?!"
Then, his eyes bulged like saucers, fixed unwaveringly on the Frost Spike hurtling through the air. His jaw slackened involuntarily, sheer, unadulterated shock plastered across his features.
"That speed… How is this possible?! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!!" The roar tore from his throat, echoing his utter disbelief at the impossible velocity of the thrown weapon.