Chapter 491: Chapter 310: Hunting Three Beasts Alone, Crippling Heaven’s Pride, White-faced Red Bow, Fame Spreads across Feilong

Wang Dezhong was utterly discouraged, feeling dejected and frustrated as he walked to the place where the Snow Tiger had been shot dead. Suddenly, he was taken aback:

"The Snow Tiger’s movements are unpredictable, its fur blending perfectly with the snow. My ability to detect its traces relies entirely on my innate strange eyesight, able to discern even the slightest hint. Even so, being five hundred yards away, it would be difficult to perceive anything, even if the Snow Tiger were hunting or running. Yet this Snow Tiger was lying stealthily in the snow, making it even more difficult to find any trace of it, like picking a needle from the water, a grain from the sand... He..."

"Not only is his archery skills extraordinary, but his vision too is frighteningly remarkable. To shoot the Snow Tiger dead from miles away with a single arrow, isn’t it... isn’t it... too shocking!"

He found it hard to speak for a long time, his gaze flickering with a complex expression. By now it was past noon, nearing dusk. With no beast in hand, Wang Dezhong dreaded returning empty-handed from a promised meeting with the Tianjiao, as it would surely be embarrassing. Finding a Snow Beast was difficult, so he sought to hunt common wild animals instead.

Wang Dezhong shunned the mortal dust, his natural "Emerald Eyes" were washed out, possessing an "Emerald Eye Appearance." His ability to observe meticulously, to search out beasts and discern their traces, was indeed not shallow. Daring to propose a competition in "beast hunting" spoke to a certain confidence he had.

Soon he found a wild boar. Wang Dezhong raised his bow to shoot, but in the instant the bow was drawn, that figure floated in his mind. Suddenly, he felt self-disgust, annoyance, inferiority, and depression. Though performing similar actions, he was miles apart in skill. Wang Dezhong felt all the more that his archery was shallow and childish, and his posture at this moment appeared ugly and unbearable, shaming him to show himself.

"Archery... it’s meant for people like him. How do people like me even qualify to shoot? Even if I shoot a wild boar, what does it amount to? Self-entertainment is meaningless. Archery is not my forte, alas, from now on, I better not touch the bow again!"

He was overwhelmed with depression. Slowly releasing the bowstring, he sighed deeply, broke the arrow, and no longer hunted, retracing his steps the way he came.

...

...

Li Xian carrying the Snow Tiger on his shoulder knew nothing of Wang Dezhong’s setback, who was so discouraged that he dared not attempt archery. He held no ill will towards Wang Dezhong, only shooting down his flying arrow because he knew the proud Tianjiao would never hand over his prey willingly.

First winning by a margin and then vying for the beast would avoid trouble. Li Xian felt inconvenienced as he carried the tiger, glancing around and spotting a patch where the grass was thick with weeds.

He hid the Snow Tiger in the grass, covering it with snow, hiding it very well. The Snow Tiger’s fur was snow white, its blood light blue, mixing a faint fragrance with the pungent smell. The entire beast was precious, and its value in the Black Market was extremely high.

Li Xian further manipulated the surrounding elements, making small adjustments so that it became even harder to discover. With his "Heavy Pupils and Strange Eyes," his vision was astonishing, able to detect even minute details of concealment. Others, however, would find it extremely difficult to notice.

Having done this, he saw that there was still plenty of time. Li Xian thus went to search for the "Snow Ape."

Amidst Snow Dragon Mountain was a "Snow Forest," its vegetation dense, the trees tall and needle-leaved. A Snow Ape was hiding in this place. Zhou Shijie and Yue Kai collaborated, searching within the Snow Forest.

Zhou Shijie said, "Your sect’s keen nose is indeed formidable. Brother Yue, look, this is ape dung; the Snow Ape must be nearby!"

Yue Kai said, "Brother Zhou, the Snow Ape is cunning, with a strong life force and incredibly fast speed. Once we find its traces, let’s attack it from both sides. You shoot first, and if you can’t kill it, I’ll immediately shoot another arrow!"

Zhou Shijie laughed, "Alright! Though there’s a sequence to the actions, the credit will be shared equally."

Both knew that "Snow Beasts" were challenging to hunt. Zhou Shijie’s tracing skills were still lacking. After half a day, he’d only hunted wild boars, chickens, and a single deer worth considering. He was acutely aware of losing face as hunting wasn’t his forte, martial arts weaker than others by half. He encountered Yue Kai halfway.

Seeing that he had a rich haul, including wild tigers and leopards, he inquired about the reason and learned that the Yue Mountain Sword Sect had a martial art called "Keen Nose," which was quite effective at tracking and tracing.

Zhou Shijie thought... in this way, he would certainly be outdone. So he devised a way to persuade Yue Kai, inviting him to collaborate in hunting the "Snow Ape." If successful, he could cover his shortcomings. Moreover, hunting a Snow Beast would be such a spectacle that even peer Tianjiao would take notice.

Yue Kai also had this intention. So they collaborated to search, gradually finding the Snow Ape’s traces through the Keen Nose technique. Gradually approaching, they quietly drew near. Yue Kai suddenly said, "Brother Zhou, look!" pointing to a tree top.

The Snow Ape lay resting in the tree. Zhou Shijie and Yue Kai were over a hundred yards away from it. Both exchanged glances and nodded at each other. They approached from two sides, stepping lightly using martial arts skills. Feeling they were close enough, Zhou Shijie and Yue Kai drew their bows, ready to shoot.

Zhou Shijie shot first. With acute hearing, the Snow Ape immediately sensed it, leaping from the tree to avoid the arrow. Yue Kai seized the opportunity, promptly shooting another arrow. This arrow met the target head-on, precise and vicious.

Yet the Snow Ape’s agility was beyond expectation, twisting its body in mid-air and managing to evade once more. The arrow grazed past its cheek, only cutting the fur, without hitting a vital spot. Zhou Shijie exclaimed, "Oh no," while Yue Kai pounded his chest in regret.

Zhou Shijie shouted, "Chase!" Both used martial arts to chase swiftly. However, though the Snow Ape wasn’t as fast as both men, its fur blended with the snow, making it extremely hard to tell its direction as it swung between the trees.

The Snow Ape suddenly let out a long howl to the sky, its cry echoed, and snow accumulated in the trees instantly showered down with a crash, pressing down heavily. Zhou Shijie and Yue Kai knew this was not good, wanting to use martial arts to scatter it, but thought, "This move would break the rules, and if others knew, even if we caught the Snow Ape, it would not look good." Thus, unable to use martial arts, they were buried in the heavy snow.

Struggling to dig themselves out from the snow, they saw that the Snow Ape had run far away, now more than five hundred yards distant, zigzagging left and right with exceptional agility, making it seem hopeless.

Yue Kai was still unwilling to give up, drawing his bow to shoot again. His archery was precise and vicious, his skills exceptional, but the Snow Ape’s intelligence was extraordinary, moving with agility and dodging once more. Zhou Shijie too drew his bow and shot. His archery was also quite good, with a blend of reality and illusion, making the arrow’s trajectory unpredictable.