One of the items was a secret manual—no explanation needed; it was definitely something good. In World of Beasts, secret manuals were always priceless treasures. The second item was a single leaf—the leaf of the Kunlun Divine Tree.
According to legend, World of Beasts had four great divine trees. Ranked first was the World Tree, Jianmu. Second was the mythical Tree of Life, which no one had ever seen, but everyone believed existed. Third was the miraculous Kunlun Divine Tree, and fourth was the Fusang Tree, also known as the Sun Tree, which once nurtured the Three-Legged Golden Crow.
What was so magical about the Kunlun Divine Tree? Ask a hundred people, and ninety-nine wouldn't know. All they had was a vague idea—it was simply mystical. Ancient texts recorded that every segment of the tree—its roots, branches, and even each leaf—possessed wondrous properties. Some could save lives, heal injuries, restore the dead to flesh and bone, enhance internal energy, be brewed into tea, refined into treasures akin to celestial swords, and more.
The leaf before Liu Wei'an had a unique effect: it bestowed boundless stamina. As long as you held it, fatigue would never touch you—like a perpetual motion engine generating endless energy.
As for the manual, it was Chain Arrow Technique.
Chain Arrow Technique: The archer's crown jewel. Arrows fly in rapid succession—relentless, unceasing, until the target is dead.
This technique was wrapped in mystery. Liu Wei'an had only heard of it, never seen it. Normally, archers had to shoot one arrow before readying the next, and no matter how fast they were, there was always a gap. But with Chain Arrow Technique, that interval was reduced to nearly zero.
It sounded simple—just a matter of practice. But in truth, unless one had learned the secret manual, no one in history had ever mastered it.
That was why Liu Wei'an was so thrilled. With this manual, his archery skills would advance by leaps and bounds. The looming crisis he faced tomorrow suddenly felt trivial.
He held the Kunlun Divine Leaf in his hand. A cool sensation spread through his body, followed by a strange wave of energy—full, content, warm, soothing. It wasn't intense, but came in waves, gentle and unending. It was more satisfying than eating a ginseng fruit.
Almost subconsciously, he picked up a brush and began drawing talisman arrows—one after another. His mind was calm as still water, peaceful as an ancient well. His thoughts worked yet felt detached, a paradoxical sensation—strange, yet somehow natural.
Like a dragon dancing, like a snake gliding, his brush flew. In the blink of an eye, a talisman arrow was completed. Every stroke was fluid, instinctive. The usual mental hurdles vanished; everything came effortlessly. It was as if he had been doing this his whole life—so familiar he could do it in his sleep.
He didn't know how much time passed. When he finally emerged from this trance-like state, he saw a small mountain of talisman arrows before him—over six hundred. He was stunned. How did I make so many? When he checked the time, he was even more shocked. Only an hour had passed. He thought it had been an entire night.
Looking at the leaf, he noticed its glow had faded a little. It looked slightly withered. Distressed, he carefully placed it into his storage ring, hoping a good night's rest would restore it. Otherwise, it would be such a pity.
He picked up the dozens of silver coins scattered on the ground, marveling at the bounty. No wonder everyone goes crazy over bosses. They really drop treasures. He had never seen a monster's loot pouch yield so many silver coins, let alone a secret manual and a divine leaf—three valuable items in one go.
Before this, the monsters he had killed dropped either items or copper coins—not both, and certainly not in this quantity. This was a first.
The next morning, the graveyard was bustling by 7:30. Word of yesterday's boss had clearly spread. The crowd had grown—over 700 people, with more still arriving. At this rate, the number would soon exceed a thousand.
Around 8 a.m., a 200-man team marched into the graveyard. The surrounding players immediately backed away. These newcomers radiated killing intent and looked fierce—not tourists, that was for sure. They didn't hunt monsters, but searched the crowd, clearly looking for someone.
In the withered grass nearby, three figures lay hidden: Liu Wei'an, Lu Yan, and Tong Xiaoxiao. The trio had arrived just after 5 a.m., waiting patiently. Tong Xiaoxiao, who had once mingled with this team, immediately recognized them.
"It's the Silver Ring Snake Exploration Team. They're here for revenge—for He Zhenfei."
"They brought two hundred people?" Liu Wei'an was surprised, but his eyes gleamed with excitement. Without preparation, this would've been a nightmare. But now? These two hundred were fat sheep. Lu Yan was just as thrilled—while Liu Wei'an looked at the people, she was eyeing their gear. Top-notch.
From yesterday's loot, Tong Xiaoxiao and Lu Yan each received 20 gold coins. Liu Wei'an kept half the total, along with the Strength Seed and loot pouch from the white-haired zombie. The girls split He Zhenfei's bronze-tier armor and his Reflecting Moon Sword—a bronze weapon worth a fortune.
"That's their vice-captain, Tian Daha—bronze-tier expert," Tong Xiaoxiao continued, unaware of the excitement in her companions. "The Silver Ring Snake team has two bronze-tier fighters, five iron-tier elites. They're not big in numbers, but no one in Stone City dares mess with them."
She paused, frowning slightly.
"The two men beside Tian Daha—I've never seen them before. But they look strong."
"That skinny one on the left," Liu Wei'an said, "is a silver-tier expert."
Tong Xiaoxiao was shaken. She had never seen a silver-tier player before.
"And the one on the right…" Liu Wei'an narrowed his eyes. "His aura rivals the skinny guy, but he's bronze-tier."
This man was short, draped in a flame-red cloak like a walking blaze, holding what looked like a wooden staff—but definitely wasn't a staff.
Liu Wei'an studied him for a while but couldn't identify the weapon. He gave up and said gravely, "It's time."
"Leave it to me." Tong Xiaoxiao crawled from the grass, circled around, and stepped onto the road, pretending she had just arrived. Her tall frame stood out immediately. The Silver Ring Snake team spotted her and, with a shout, gave chase.
Tong Xiaoxiao gasped in feigned panic and fled.
Lu Yan had already moved into position. Liu Wei'an, seeing that the enemy had taken the bait, also slipped away.
About a kilometer from the graveyard's edge, Tong Xiaoxiao was "caught." She bent over, panting hard, her tongue sticking out, cheeks flushed.
"Tong Xiaoxiao," Tian Daha sneered, halting five meters away, "our team has no grudge with you. But you sided with the ones who killed our captain. That makes you our enemy. I'll give you one chance—tell us where those two are, and we'll give you a quick death."
Over forty archers had their arrows trained on her. He wasn't worried she'd pull anything.
"I'm dead either way," Tong Xiaoxiao smirked. "You think I'd tell you?"
"You'll still die, but talking means dying once. Staying silent… who knows how many times you'll die."
Tian Daha felt a chill—something wasn't right.
"Let's see how you'll kill me," she said with a grin, and suddenly turned and bolted—this time, with startling speed, like a rabbit fleeing an eagle. She vanished in seconds.
"Fire!" Tian Daha roared.
But before any arrows flew, screams erupted behind him—not one or two, but a dozen at once.
Tian Daha, the skinny silver-tier expert, and the short cloaked man all turned to see a nightmare: a line of archers collapsing like dominoes. Each had a single arrow buried three inches deep in their backs.
The bowstring trembled again. A terrifying sound split the air.
Everyone saw it—an arrow, no, a chain of arrows, five to six meters long, twisting like a serpent. On closer look, it was nine arrows, head-to-tail, barely two fists apart. From a distance, it looked like a warped arc.
It ripped through the sky, vanished in a blur, and then blood sprayed. Only after the light vanished did the piercing whistle reach them. Nine arrows, nine archers—no more, no less. Only now did they understand the strange posture of the fallen.
Panic erupted. Archers scrambled. One suddenly vanished with a scream—falling into a pit.
A hidden spike shot out from the shadows, piercing a warrior's eye. Screaming in agony, he swung wildly—decapitating the man beside him.
The rest backed away in terror—only to fall into deep pits riddled with barbs. Over a dozen spearmen and warriors were impaled, screaming as the spikes shredded their insides.
Hidden arrows, traps everywhere. The Silver Ring Snake team was thrown into chaos. What had seemed like safe ground had become a deathtrap.
And then, like a thunderclap, Tong Xiaoxiao returned—armored, wielding a massive six-blade plum blossom mace, charging in like a beast from the mountains. Each step hit the ground like a war drum.