Li Xuan was sent flying backward when one tungsten core heavy arrow after another struck him, allowing no time to catch his breath.
The frequency of Ji Xinghuo’s shooting became faster and faster, like a whirlwind or a sudden downpour.
Li Xuan used instantaneous movement again, and his sword light surged.
Despite the impact of the arrows, he kept pressing toward Ji Xinghuo at high speed.
But Ji Xinghuo was even faster. Even flying backward, his speed and shooting were unaffected. No matter how much Li Xuan accelerated, circling around the Spirit Realm World for half the distance, the gap between them remained at about one thousand meters.
Li Xuan sensed that something was amiss.
Ji Xinghuo appeared so at ease, his strength clearly having increased far too much since their initial encounter.
Many of the Legendary Mutants and Heavenly Kings in the audience could see it too.
One of the commentators also noticed the change.
"Ji Xinghuo has evolved! He is no longer a Super Mutant; he has ascended to be a Legendary Mutant!"
The global audience was shocked.
If a Super Mutant dreaming of defeating a Heavenly King is considered an act of folly, then a Legendary Mutant, especially one with a talent that eclipses all of human history, could make some believe that Ji Xinghuo could work miracles!
"He actually ascended to Legendary in just over two months..." Li Xuan was both shocked and angry, his confidence inevitably beginning to waver.
He immediately steeled his resolve, "So what if he’s Legendary? He still has to lose!"
However, reality taught him a lesson.
No matter how desperately Li Xuan tried to accelerate, he could never catch up to Ji Xinghuo. The one-thousand-meter distance between them remained insurmountable.
Before the fight, his tactic had been to keep a distance, and this was already in place.
But it turned out that he was the one being kept at bay.
Under the gaze of over four billion global viewers, no matter how Ji Xinghuo flew, in whatever posture, his Black Constant Crystal Battle Bow never stopped for a second. The bowstring was drawn and released rapidly, emitting streaks of black light.
Each arrow struck Li Xuan, a kilometer away, while he could not counterattack. Invisibility was useless; he could only be a target.
This scene was like flying a kite.
The tungsten core heavy arrows continued to strike Li Xuan and then exploded upon impact.
Initially, Li Xuan was somewhat anxious whether the Ice Extreme Shield, triggered by the "Thermal Ice Ball" he borrowed from Qi Feiyang, could hold up. It wasn’t until dozens of consecutive arrows exploded that he began to feel reassured.
The Thermal Ice Ball, with its integrated offense and defense, high-temperature damage, and low-temperature protection—could Apocalypse One Star’s equipment be so easily broken through?
Initially, Li Xuan would still swing his sword light to sever the incoming arrows.
Later, finding that the Ice Extreme Shield was unscathed, he focused solely on chasing Ji Xinghuo, looking for an opportunity to counterattack.
The situation seemed passive, but in fact, he held the upper hand.
The presenters and commentators in the live broadcast arrived at the same conclusion, believing Li Xuan was still at an advantage—or at worst, it was a draw.
The audience was also convinced.
The stand-off lasted for three to four minutes before Ji Xinghuo had to slow down his shooting frequency as the tungsten core heavy arrows in his hidden quiver were running low.
"He’s almost out of arrows!" Li Xuan was overjoyed inside.
Once Ji Xinghuo ran out of arrows, he would have to engage in close combat, and that would be an opportunity.
As Li Xuan was considering how to land a decisive blow, he was momentarily distracted when suddenly, Ji Xinghuo unexpectedly increased his shooting frequency.
The Magnetic Spirit Star Core output at full power.
In an instant, a dark ink-like glow flowed over the bow, soaking the string, and finally converging into the tungsten core heavy arrow, emitting a faint, ethereal light.
This arrow was infused with 300 points of electromagnetic Star Power!
It was ten times more than the previous tungsten core heavy arrows, drastically increasing both arrow speed and lethality.
With a loud sound, the tungsten core heavy arrow struck Li Xuan’s Ice Extreme Shield and still exploded.
But this arrow sent Li Xuan’s whole body reeling, flinging him back a hundred meters.
Li Xuan realized the danger and instantly used instantaneous movement, then turned into an invisible sword light and fled into the distance.
The next tungsten core heavy arrow arrived.
Unnoticed by anyone, a faint ring of light shone in Ji Xinghuo’s right pupil, predicting every move of Li Xuan. Each arrow struck the same spot on the Ice Extreme Shield with immaculate precision.
Li Xuan’s newly gathered sword light was shattered, and he could not control his flying posture as his body was repeatedly hit and sent flying backward.
In one second, he was hit by seven arrows.
In the midst of losing control, Li Xuan heard a sound like glass breaking. Before he could react, another tungsten core heavy arrow penetrated the Ice Extreme Shield. His "Ether Nanomaterial Armor" did not even have a chance to activate before his body exploded.
Darkness fell before Li Xuan’s eyes.
When he opened them next, he found himself outside the Spirit Realm World. This death caused a spiritual shock, leaving him somewhat dizzy in the head.
Thunderous cheers came from outside the projection pod, penetrating even the soundproofing.
Li Xuan sat up and saw that hundreds of thousands of spectators on the scene had stood up, applauding and cheering for Ji Xinghuo on the big projection screen!
Only then did he come back to his senses, stunned for a few seconds, unable to believe it all.
"I lost?" Li Xuan’s face showed his bewilderment.