81 Gone without a trace (1/2)

Shi Yixian leaped backwards after her initial shot and ducked down to avoid the club from one of the men. Her arrow traveled in a curved motion and grazed the arm of the larger man. With a small graze, almost a liter of blood escaped his body like a leaking bucket. These men were seasoned fighters. The bulky man decisively took out a bottle from his pocket and poured it all over his arm. There was a moment of puffed smoke that cloaked the area before revealing charred skin underneath. He pulled over his staff and thrusted it forwards at the woman.

”You will pay for that!”

Shi Yixian once again gained distance from the men and pulled another arrow. This time, it wasn't her soul gem. It was an ordinary arrow from her repertoire of techniques. Three arrows of ice shot forwards towards the ground erecting a wall of ice.

”Shi Yaosha...today is the day you all die!”

A spear of light appeared on her fingertips and shot forwards. Green aura rushed out from behind the wall and absorbed the spear. There was a crack before she was faced with the end of a wooden staff. The tip was lined with a green aura that shot forwards striking her right leg. Shi Yixian coughed up a mouthful of dark blood. A glint of light shined in her eyes as she leaped over the wall with an arrow already drawn.

”Break!”

She thrusted her bow forwards to the head to the short man holding a club and released the arrow. A flaming red aura enveloped the man burning him from inside out. The aura retracted back into her arm as she blocked the staff headed for her chest.

”Killing of one's kin...A cardinal sin in the clan...Give up! You are only making your punishment worse!”

The man sneered as he held a whip and smashed the wall of ice sending shards flying in every direction. Shi Yixian kicked some dirt into the air before rushing up close and pulling out a dagger hidden under her robes. She spun forwards and slashed outwards cutting away at the throat of the man. The man with the staff slammed down upon her head however she dodged and kicked him in the knee. A sharp needle slid down her hands swung her arms aiming it at the throat of the man.

”You may be a higher stage but you still cannot defeat numbers!”

The man released his aura in every direction covering the area in a green smoke. From the underbrush snakes started to jump out and lash at her. She retreated up along the side of a tree unaware of the snakes that were on it. A snake dropped from a low hanging branch only to be pierced by the tip of an arrow. Shi Yixian aimed the arrow in the air and released it. The arrow traveled for 10 or so meters before dropping back down splitting into millions of white needles.

”YOU ARE REALLY GOING WITH THIS!”

From the depths of the forests, thousands of snakes shot up in the air to create a physical barrier protecting the men from the rain of needles. A lone tear fell down Shi Yixian's face as she stared at them in hate.

”It was like this the moment you decided to kill my husband...”

One by one, snakes fell down off the trees like a shower. Shi Yixian's skin turned red with blood as white needles started to pierce through them. Although it was her technique, the technique itself was indiscriminate in it's targeting. All will be struck down by it. Shi Yixian shot out 10 arrows from her bow. Each arrow curved in a different direction and vanished into the depths of the forest. Shi Yaosha flicked his whip forwards wrapping it tightly on Shi Yixian's waist. The rain of needles had stopped and the snakes resumed to attack her. The mother gave sneered slightly before gripping tightly on the whip.

”You think you can contest me in strength?”

She pulled on the whip wrenching it out of the hands of her enemy. From the thorns on the whip, red gashes streaked across her entire arm. A staff headed her way to which she retaliated by catching it with the whip. She shot an arrow at point blank range destroying the right arm of her enemy. Before she could release another shot, the man said something that stopped her.

”Stay back...If you want to keep your child alive. Drop that bow otherwise I will kill him. He has already been poisoned.”

Shi Yixian looked behind her to see her son being constricted by an extremely large snake. A piercing scream resonated through the forest causing great pain in her heart. She looked at the man with a burning rage. They say that dragons had a reverse scale that was to never be touched.

”You...said you will...kill....him...”