章 598: Heart of Loyalty
Chen Ran saw Han Sen pull out a crossbow and aim it at him. He disdainfully said, "I believed you to be the sort that would pack real heat. You know, the big guns – not a crossbow."
Chen Ran had been in the Second Shelter for a long time, and he had seen many things in his time there. He had even seen a sacred-blood crossbow used in conjunction with a sacred-blood bolt.
Against him, he thought a crossbow would be useless. If it was an ordinary bow, on the other hand, Chen Ran would have some trepidations. The power of a bow was derived from its wielder, and such weapons could be imbued with magical properties and other special powers; as such, he would be quick to try and avoid getting struck by one.
But the power of a crossbow was always derived from how it was initially manufactured. There was a limit to the power they had. Even a sacred-blood bolt, against an elite like Chen Ran, would be useless.
Chen Ran continued to swing his Anser sword with greater power and greater speed.
Pang!
Han Sen pulled the trigger and a black flash sparked from the crossbow's muzzle. The bolt was in front of Chen Ran's face.
Chen Ran's face changed, not expecting a bolt to ever possess such horrifying speed. And since it was fired at such a close distance, it didn't look likely he'd be able to dodge it.
But Chen Ran was a scary elder, and his reaction speeds had no equal. With the Anser sword, he blocked the black feather bolt.
Dong!
The blade deflected the speeding bolt at great cost. The berserk sacred-blood Anser sword shattered in half, shards splintering off in an array of different directions. The force knocked Chen Ran's body backwards, cleaving the earth with two three meter long skid marks.
Pop!
Chen Ran's mouth spewed blood. With utter shock, his eyes locked on the crossbow in Han Sen's hand. He could not believe a crossbow could possess so much power.
Han Sen quickly saw that his first bolt did not kill Chen Ran, so without hesitation, he loaded up another and fired again. The black streak beamed towards Chen Ran once more.
Chen Ran shouted, as clouds streamed out around him, masking his entire body in white puffs of cotton. Then, he immediately began flying away to dodge the second bolt.
"The Chen family's Seven Twist is powerful." Han Sen admired his hurried escape, but his hands did not stop moving. Again, he loaded and fired one bolt after another, not allowing Chen Ran to escape.
Chen Ran believed after dodging the first bolt, he'd be able to escape without a problem. The bolts were too frightening. He didn't dare rival such a formidable weapon, not knowing what was wrong with Han Sen's crossbow and how it possessed such a terrifying power.
What was more, he didn't expect Han Sen's crossbow to fire so rapidly. It was almost like a pistol. Chen Ran watched the black bolts soar past him in the sky, and the fear drove him insane.
If crying would have provided him mercy, he'd have bawled his eyes out in front of Han Sen.
Chen Ran gritted his teeth, flying like a creepy, headless bird in the air. He kept whizzing left and right with the strangest movements. He was smarter than a real bird.
But no matter how strong and agile he was, even he could not dodge the flurry of bolts that were being sent his way. After dodging four bolts, he could not dodge the ones that came after.
Pang! Pang!
Chen Ran was barely able to dodge the next two, but the gusts of wind that accompanied the bolts rattled his body so much that more blood spilled from his mouth. He could no longer maintain his formation.
The next second, a barrage of four bolts pierced his body. The bolts tore through the sacred-blood armor he was wearing like hot knives through butter.
The incredible power of the bolts sent him spiraling a few dozen meters away, pinning him to a nearby cliffside.
Huang Mian shouted, and as he did, Han Sen turned to fire another bolt his way.
Pang!
The bolt shattered Huang Mian's greatsword into little more than glitter, and still, its speed was not impeded. It went on to pierce his right arm.
Huang Mian did not react, as if he hadn't felt anything from the bolt that tore through his arm. Madly, he threw a fist towards Han Sen's face.
"What benefit has Chen Ran provided you. Why do you so earnestly wish to give your life for him?" Han Sen took a step back and dodged Huang Mian's incoming fist.
Huang Mian's punching skills were far inferior to his swordfighting ability, and thus not a threat to Han Sen.
"He saved my life, and as such, I must return the favor!" Huang Mian bit down on his teeth and started throwing more punches.
"Then I will allow you." Han Sen slapped Huang Mian's head, which caused him to fall down.
The other people who had accompanied Chen Ran were already running to the hills, at this point. A powerful character like Chen Ran had been defeated by a bolt, and fearing the same would happen to them, they wished they had an extra set of legs so they could skitter away at a greater pace.
They could not imagine how such a wretched crossbow could have come to exist. It was just like a pistol, and with such fearsome power, it was more overpowered than it had any right to be.
Han Sen could not be bothered to chase the yahoos that scampered away, and instead, ventured to the cliffside Chen Ran had been pinned to.
Chen Ran's body had four blood-stained bolts sticking out of him, but still, he had not died yet. He attempted to pull the feathers out but couldn't. Going forward, the feathers were as soft as silk, but going backwards, they cut like a dozen razor blades. If he attempted to pull them out, the organs and bones inside him would be butchered.
"Aw, Chen Ran. I hate to say it, but it's true – none of this had to happen." Han Sen smiled as he stood before Chen Ran's ruined body. Up and down, Han Sen's eyes lingered upon the near-lifeless defeated.
"Han Sen, you dare kill me? The Chen family will have their revenge. A world of pain will be the only thing that can come from this!" Chen Ran told Han Sen, as he seethed with rage.
But blood oozed from behind his lips, choking the words he wished to spit out at Han Sen. What might have been an unnerving warning was instead a pitiful sight.
"If you want to live, tell me the secrets to learning Seven Twist," Han Sen offered, smiling.
Chen Ran's mouth was full of blood as he laughed. "Kid, when I first wandered these lands, your father hadn't even been born yet. You dare give me such an ultimatum? Ha!"
Chen Ran spat blood out onto Han Sen's face. Then he gritted his teeth, which turned the blood in his mouth black. Then his pulse stopped. He was dead. Han Sen, to ensure the fact, examined his body.
Han Sen looked at Chen Ran with shock. He did not expect this evil, old fox would be so wild as to use poison to finish himself off.
"I really shouldn't underestimate prominent figures of such big families. Their loyalty to each other is almost scary."
Han Sen thought about it for a while longer. Then he started a fire to burn Chen Ran's body. If anyone from the Chen family came after him, his disappearance might lend credence to whatever story Han Sen decided to concoct.
Han Sen also believed burning his body would be considered a good deed in the eyes of any higher power that might have been watching. It wouldn't have been a very noble thing to leave his body to rot in the wild, after all.
But before Han Sen lit the fire on Chen Ran's corpse, his lifeless body suddenly came to life. He jumped up and yelled, "No, no, no! Stop! We can talk about this! Did you say you would like to learn Seven Twist? I can teach you, I can teach you!"
Han Sen's eyes opened wide and he stood motionless, looking at Chen Ran for a good long while.
After some time, Han Sen quietly swore, "Freaking loyalty. I can't believe I was willing to believe this old man had any modicum of loyalty. That makes me mad!"
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