CHAPTER 730: CHAPTER 735: BATTLE OF THE TOP FOUR (3)

The arrows pierced the sky, flying so swiftly that the naked eye could almost not catch them.

However, for a master of the Earthly List, they did not pose much of a threat.

Three consecutive arrows were shot, and Yang Zhe easily dodged each, unscathed. They only forced him to keep his distance, hovering on the edge of the arena, unable to get near Ling Chen.

Yet, the arrows in Ling Chen’s quiver were ultimately limited. After shooting several arrows in succession, his quiver was already half empty.

Now the fight had only just begun for less than a minute. At this rate, Ling Chen’s arrows would soon be exhausted.

"This isn’t looking good." The spectators shook their heads one after another, not very optimistic about Ling Chen. The same move again? Did Ling Chen really think Yang Zhe was the same kind of opponent as Tong Nan? Besides, in this kind of one-on-one fight, the role of the bow and arrow was minuscule unless it was at a very close range or if there was a good opportunity.

However, Yang Zhe was well aware of this and always maintained a safe distance, minimizing the threat of the arrows.

At this moment, Ling Chen nocked an arrow to his bow. The arrow followed Yang Zhe’s movements, always aimed at his body.

Seeing Ling Chen hesitant to release the arrow, Yang Zhe took the opportunity to swiftly close the distance, preparing to launch an attack. But just as he was about to get close, a ’whoosh’ sound was heard as the sharp arrow finally flew out, forcing Yang Zhe to retreat several steps.

Thus, the cycle repeated. Under Yang Zhe’s continuous probing, Ling Chen’s arrows were rapidly depleting.

Two minutes later, Ling Chen was left holding his last arrow.

"You have one arrow left. Do you think it can change anything?" Yang Zhe said indifferently.

Hearing this, the corner of Ling Chen’s mouth lifted in a smile as he replied, "How do you know it won’t have any effect?" As he spoke, Ling Chen’s fingers loosened, and the arrow immediately shot forth.

As the arrow approached, Yang Zhe’s body shifted slightly, allowing the arrow to whiz past his right shoulder. However, at that moment, Yang Zhe suddenly sensed a flash of a figure before his eyes, and Ling Chen’s body instantly appeared in front of him.

"Take this!"

Ling Chen exclaimed softly, his fist laden with formidable power, thundering out.

Facing the heavy punch, Yang Zhe’s face still maintained its calm. As the fist neared, Yang Zhe touched it lightly with his finger, pointing upward from below, right on Ling Chen’s wrist.

Instantly, Ling Chen felt the strength in his fist halved.

Such precise technique!

Ling Chen’s pupils contracted. Without time to think further, he immediately pulled back to retreat. Yang Zhe’s simple touch had accurately landed on a soft spot on the wrist, capable of dissipating the force.

As Ling Chen retreated, Yang Zhe immediately pressed forward, closely following Ling Chen’s footsteps, pressing step by step, his sharp palm strike heading straight for Ling Chen’s chest.

Seeing this, Ling Chen frowned. Yang Zhe was pressing too close; if he kept retreating, he would inevitably fall off the arena.

No good, he had to find a way to avoid Yang Zhe’s offensive.

In the split second of his rapidly turning thoughts, Ling Chen suddenly stopped his retreat, his body falling stiffly backward.

Seeing this, the onlooking crowd couldn’t help but be startled. What was going on? Had he been hit?

But as the crowd watched in bewilderment, the fallen Ling Chen quickly rolled to the side, dodging Yang Zhe’s attack. Although the evasive move seemed somewhat extravagant, it had, in any case, allowed him to avoid disaster.

Failing to connect with his strike, Yang Zhe immediately withdrew and turned, darting towards Ling Chen’s location.

Ling Chen didn’t dare to linger; if Yang Zhe stuck to him, he would surely lose. He immediately took long strides, rushing towards the weapons rack again.

What on earth is this guy trying to do?

Everyone thought to themselves. From the beginning of the fight until now, everyone felt that Ling Chen was just delaying, showing no intention of engaging.

Just as he was thinking, everyone was stunned once again by the weapon Ling Chen had chosen.

A shield?

Ling Chen actually chose a shield.

After a brief moment of surprise, everyone immediately realized why Ling Chen had chosen the shield.

Yang Zhe was an Earthly List expert, proficient in the Hua Realm, and in this aspect alone, Ling Chen could not compare with Yang Zhe. Thus, choosing a shield was a very correct decision. In this way, he could use the shield’s sturdiness to fend off attacks from the Hua Realm.

At this moment, seeing Ling Chen holding the shield in front of him, Yang Zhe immediately changed his direction and rushed to the weapon rack beside the arena, then pulled out a broad-backed sword over a meter in length.

Without even trying it out, one could tell from the shape and material of the sword that it was very heavy, at least weighing around a hundred pounds or so.

Choosing such a heavy weapon to counter a shield was undoubtedly a good choice. Because Ling Chen was not very strong, and his power was lesser than Yang Zhe’s. Therefore, if used well, this broad-backed sword could easily break through the shield’s defense.

Clang!

Accompanied by a crisp sound, Yang Zhe held the broad-backed sword in one hand and chopped it onto the surface of the shield.

Immediately, Ling Chen’s body slightly shook, and he staggered backward for two or three meters before steadying his stance.

Feeling the numbness in both arms, Ling Chen secretly felt alarmed, not expecting the sword to contain such formidable power. If Yang Zhe were to strike twice more like that, he wouldn’t have the strength to hold onto the shield.

"Come again!"

Seeing Yang Zhe charging forward with the sword raised once more, Ling Chen quickly retreated, then raised the shield in his hand high, blocking the onslaught of the broad-backed sword.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

This time, Yang Zhe held nothing back, his strength, speed, and frequency of sword strikes had all tripled.

After three slashes, Ling Chen felt as if he was hit by a strong force, and in an instant, he was sent flying from the ground, crashing onto the floor along with the shield.

"How formidable!"

Seeing Yang Zhe’s moves, the crowd exclaimed one after another.

"It’s no wonder he’s among the top three disciples in Yangxin Pavilion, his strength truly is extraordinary. Ling Chen, being a Dragon List expert, simply has no chance of defeating Yang Zhe."

"That’s right, this battle already has no suspense; it’s just a matter of how long Ling Chen can last against Yang Zhe."

"Going by this trend, the fight will end in at most two minutes."

"I don’t see it that way; no matter what, Ling Chen is a disciple trained by Elder Su. Even if he is somewhat lacking, he can’t be too bad. Let’s not jump to conclusions, and just watch how it unfolds. Maybe Ling Chen has other techniques to turn the tide."

Amidst the discussion of the crowd, Ling Chen struggled to get up from the ground.

Taking a deep breath, he eased the pain inside his body and once again lifted the shield, looking at Yang Zhe on the other side, and slowly walked over.

"Stop hiding."

At this time, a sudden sentence came out of Yang Zhe’s mouth.

"What?" Ling Chen didn’t catch on for a moment and casually replied.

"You are a disciple of Elder Su, I don’t believe this is all you’ve got. Use whatever techniques you have; otherwise, I’m afraid you won’t have the chance later."

Hearing this, Ling Chen shrugged his shoulders and said with a resigned smile, "You seem to know me quite well."