Chapter 98: Chapter 96: Blade Severs Head, Pursuers Eliminated

Step 1: Contextual Analysis

Literary genre: Wuxia/Xianxia (Chinese martial arts fantasy) web novel

Language style: Action-oriented, descriptive, with frequent use of martial arts terminology

Tone: Intense, dramatic, violent

Plot keywords: archery, martial arts, pursuit, ambush, revenge, battle, cultivation

Characters:

- Wang Tianying (Eagle Claw Prince): Male martial arts master with eagle claw fighting techniques, currently injured and pursuing the protagonist

- Wu Liangchen: Male protagonist, skilled archer who recently had a breakthrough in power

- Xiao Rong (Master Xiao): Male martial artist, working with Wang Tianying to kill Wu Liangchen

- Yang Lian’Er (White Lotus Saintess): Female character mentioned but not present in this scene

- Yan Zongtai: Male character observing the battle

- Yan Yuhua: Female character, sister of Yan Zongtai, developing a fascination with Wu Liangchen

Step 2: Translation and Polishing

Starting with the first section:

This Chapter shows a battle scene where the protagonist Wu Liangchen is fighting against Wang Tianying (Eagle Claw Prince) and Xiao Rong (Master Xiao) while demonstrating incredible archery skills. The narrative indicates that Wu Liangchen has recently experienced a power breakthrough and is now vastly more skilled than before.

Let me translate the full text carefully, making sure to apply all the rules:

Wang Tianying, who was sprinting at full speed, suddenly felt a sense of danger. A moment later, he saw a black streak hurtling directly toward his face.

The attack came so fast that by the time he realized the danger, the arrow was already upon him.

He could even clearly see the faint gleam on the arrowhead. Every hair on his body stood on end as a chill ran from his tailbone straight up to the crown of his head.

But he wasn’t called the Eagle Claw Prince for nothing—his combat experience in particular was extraordinarily rich.

With a roar and an explosive exhalation, he curved his hands into claws, his finger joints as sharp as eagle talons. In the nick of time, he struck at the incoming arrow.

With a SNAP, the arrow broke in half.

But before Wang Tianying could catch his breath, he heard several WHOOSHES as more black streaks shot toward him.

His eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. It was now impossible to swat away the arrows as he had before, so he could only hastily retreat.

Yet these arrows seemed to anticipate his next move. As he backed away, two arrows flew directly into his escape path, blocking his retreat.

THUNK!

Blood splattered as Wang Tianying screamed in agony, clutching his left ear.

He had managed to dodge the arrow aimed at his throat’s vital point, but there was no way to evade the one targeting his eye.

Fighting for his life, he jerked his head to the side. Though his eye was spared, his ear became the sacrifice.

The arrow pierced straight through his ear and embedded itself in the tree behind him.

Blood now streamed through his fingers, and the combination of excruciating pain and utter humiliation nearly drove Wang Tianying mad.

"AAAAARGH! I’LL KILL YOU!"

With that, Wang Tianying recklessly charged toward the direction from which the arrows had come.

At this point, he no longer cared about capturing Yang Lian’Er. Only one thought remained in his mind: kill Wu Liangchen.

But just as he approached, several more black streaks shot out from another direction. This time, they weren’t aimed at him but at the disciples he had brought along.

THUNK! THUNK! Screams immediately rang out.

Though Wang Tianying had narrowly evaded Wu Liangchen’s arrows through his formidable skills, his disciples weren’t so lucky.

After his breakthrough, Wu Liangchen’s archery had reached a terrifying level of proficiency.

Not only did every arrow find its mark, but he chose his targets with deadly precision, aiming directly for their throats.

Combined with the fact that Wu Liangchen had pushed the longbow to its limits, the arrows were so fast and powerful that they would pierce through one throat and continue on to injure others.

Chaos erupted on the battlefield. Wang Tianying’s disciples scattered like frightened birds, fleeing in all directions.

Wang Tianying pursued through gritted teeth, but always found himself one step behind Wu Liangchen.

Just then, Xiao Rong arrived with his men.

Upon seeing him, Wang Tianying immediately shouted, "Master Xiao, the brat is right here. Let’s join forces and kill him first!"

Seeing Wang Tianying’s miserable condition, Xiao Rong was startled.

He knew that Wang Tianying’s strength was no less than his own. Although Wang Tianying had passed the prime age for a Martial Artist without breaking through to the Fourth Realm, years of tempering had made his experience unparalleled.

Xiao Rong questioned whether he himself could gain any advantage if he were to face Wang Tianying.

Yet unexpectedly, even such a renowned martial arts master had been wounded by Wu Liangchen.

What level of strength had this young man reached? How had he become so formidable?

This question surfaced in Xiao Rong’s mind, immediately followed by intense wariness.

’This youth must not live. Otherwise, he’ll become an enormous threat in the future.’

With this thought, Xiao Rong temporarily set aside their factional disputes and called out, "Sect Leader Wang, I’m coming to help!"

With that, he charged forward.

The two coordinated their efforts, while Xiao Rong’s subordinates joined in the chase, all with a single purpose: to eliminate Wu Liangchen.

But no matter how they tried to surround him, Wu Liangchen was always one step ahead. Moreover, throughout the entire process, he continued shooting arrows, inflicting heavy casualties on their forces.

In truth, Wu Liangchen could have easily escaped at this point.

However, considering that they would be entering Thousand Waterfall Mountain that night, he needed to intimidate these men. Otherwise, once they entered the mountains without the cover of the pine forest, his situation would become extremely difficult.

So, relying on his exceptional Perception Power, Wu Liangchen began circling around the group, and soon became absorbed in the activity.

The reason was simple—the sensation of gaining massive amounts of skill proficiency with each arrow fired was incredibly satisfying.

Moreover, while evading the pursuit of Wang Tianying and Xiao Rong, his proficiency with the Eight-Step Wind-Chasing Fist was also increasing.

But just as Wu Liangchen was immersed in the growing exhilaration, he reached for his quiver and suddenly realized that he had very few arrows left.

This instantly brought him back to his senses.

’I can’t keep shooting recklessly like this. These underlings may deserve death, but killing them won’t accomplish anything. The key is to eliminate Xiao Rong and Wang Tianying.’

With this thought, Wu Liangchen greatly reduced his rate of fire.

Seeing this, Wang Tianying was elated.

"This brat is almost out of arrows! Everyone, push harder, soon—"

Before he could finish, an arrow suddenly flew toward him, cutting off his words.

After barely dodging this arrow, Wang Tianying felt a chill in his heart.

He realized that Wu Liangchen’s archery had become even more deadly than before. Such a rapid rate of growth was simply terrifying.

This also intensified his killing intent.

A threat like this—if not eliminated now, it would be his turn to die later.

Xiao Rong shared the same thought.

So both men independently intensified their pursuit.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, numerous Martial Artists from Dinghai City had gathered to watch the great battle.

Yan Zongtai and Yan Yuhua were among them.

Yan Yuhua spoke with a trace of excitement in her voice, "Brother, was Wu Liangchen really just a cart puller before? How did he become so powerful?"

Yan Zongtai was equally shocked and nervous.

"Who... who knows? Perhaps the Heartless Dao has some special techniques."

This reminded him of a rumor—that the White Lotus Saintess of the Heartless Dao possessed a unique constitution. If one were to claim her virginity before she reached her full potential, it would greatly benefit one’s martial Cultivation.

Could this young man have already done so? How else could his strength have increased so rapidly?

At this thought, Yan Zongtai’s eyes reddened with jealousy, filled with regret.

If he had known this earlier, he would have taken Yang Lian’Er by force long ago.

Unlike her brother and the others, Yan Yuhua was consumed with excitement.

Though many had died on the battlefield, Yan Yuhua had always been aroused by bloodshed. Just the thought that all this was caused by the handsome young man from the portrait made her body burn with heat.

Just then, she caught sight of a figure appearing in the forest on the opposite side.

Though partially obscured by pine branches, in the faint light, Yan Yuhua clearly recognized who it was.

It was him!

Heavens, he was even more handsome than portrayed in the painting.

Especially those phoenix eyes that seemed to contain a soul-capturing brilliance. Simply standing there, he made Yan Yuhua’s mouth go dry with uncontrollable desire.

When she had first seen the portrait, she thought Wu Liangchen looked familiar. Only now, seeing him in person, did she suddenly remember.

Wasn’t he the young man she had once seen at the Long Wind Martial Arts Hall?

At that time, Yan Yuhua had only noticed that this cart-pulling delivery boy was good-looking, but the vast difference in status meant she had barely paid attention to him.

It was like seeing a cute little animal on the street—you notice it and then forget about it, without giving it much thought.

Only now, seeing him again, did Yan Yuhua recall that scene, and her mind screamed:

’Holy shit, it was him!’

How had he changed so dramatically? How had he achieved this?

Just then, Wu Liangchen sensed the gaze from afar. Looking up, he saw Yan Yuhua staring at him with infatuation, causing him to slightly furrow his brow.

But there was no time to deal with this now. Behind him, Xiao Rong charged forward again, about to reach him. At this critical moment, Wu Liangchen turned and fired three arrows in rapid succession.

Xiao Rong had been on high alert, so when he saw three black streaks flying toward him, he immediately moved sideways to dodge.

But just as all his attention was focused on these three arrows, a flash of blade light sliced through the air.

SPLAT!

A spray of blood erupted in midair, followed by a human head dropping to the ground.