The arrow whistled sharply, directly aimed at Li Qi!
The sharp arrow carried a chilling killing intent. The officer didn't even bother to speak; he simply wanted to kill Li Qi immediately!
Fortunately, Li Qi had been fully focused. As soon as the officer raised his crossbow, Li Qi dropped to the ground in a tiger crouch. The arrow shot past where he had been standing and smashed into a stone behind him, embedding itself deeply.
Li Qi's scalp tingled!
Damn it, not even bothering with two words, they went straight for the kill!
These people were indeed like bandits in uniform!
Li Qi didn't waste any more words. Lying on the ground, countless plans flashed through his mind. He threw the stone he was holding forcefully towards the mountain!
This mountain wasn't tall, only several dozen meters high.
At the top was the altar Li Qi had built earlier.
The stone struck the altar atop the cliff, causing it to wobble dangerously. Relying on Li Qi's careful force analysis, the altar had been precariously balanced. Now, under the impact, it began to collapse, thousands of pounds of stone tumbling down!
Thousands of pounds of stone falling from dozens of meters created pressure far beyond their weight.
At this moment, the stones' impact could multiply by several dozen times!
The soldiers quickly retreated, trying to escape!
But Li Qi, keeping an eye on the progress bar, seized the opportunity. Ignoring the falling rocks above, he charged forward!
He collided with one soldier, grabbing him firmly and lifting him up!
With the Bull Strength Technique activated, Li Qi possessed immense strength—six thousand eight hundred jin. None of these soldiers could match him in terms of power!
Under normal circumstances, brute strength alone wouldn't be enough to defeat them, but now, startled by the falling rocks, they scrambled to retreat. Li Qi used the progress bar to identify and exploit their vulnerabilities, interrupting their movements and lifting them up!
Li Qi hurled one soldier into a shadowy area on the ground and protected his head with his hands, crawling and rolling into a gully amidst the rain of stones.
He recklessly plunged into the falling rocks, managing to hinder one soldier's movements!
Though he sustained some wounds from smaller rocks, these injuries gradually healed under the effects of the Great Forest Wood Qi.
The soldier Li Qi had thrown to the ground struggled to rise due to his armor. Struck by another falling rock, he let out a cry but remained alive.
Other soldiers tried to rescue him, but within half a second, the smaller rocks had all fallen, leaving only larger boulders crashing down, burying the soldier Li Qi had thrown to the ground.
At first, faint cries could be heard, but soon only the sound of rocks hitting the ground remained.
The altar stones weren't numerous, and the rain of stones lasted less than five seconds, but it had already killed one soldier.
"Kill that bastard!" the officer roared, swinging his long sword toward Li Qi!
"Roar!" the other soldiers shouted, preparing to charge through the pile of stones toward Li Qi.
But Li Qi didn't wait for them. While the soldiers were blocked by the falling rocks, he fled desperately.
By the time the soldiers started chasing, Li Qi had reached a pond.
It was an ordinary mountain stream pond, about several dozen meters deep, formed by waterfalls from small streams. The pond flowed downstream into a river leading elsewhere.
Without hesitation, Li Qi jumped into the pond.
"Go to the river mouth! Intercept him!" the officer immediately ordered.
In an instant, the officer assessed the situation.
This guy had jumped into the pond, likely thinking they wouldn't dare enter the water due to their heavy armor, planning to escape when the opportunity arose.
Indeed, the armor was too heavy and restricted movement, making it easy to drown if worn while swimming.
After scanning the surrounding terrain, he decisively chose to intercept Li Qi. Between the pond and the river mouth, there must be a stretch of rapids!
This was where water carrying sand and gravel would inevitably form. Rapids were higher in elevation and shallower!
Stationing four or five soldiers here would trap Li Qi in the small pond!
If he dared to surface, they would shoot him with bows and crossbows.
If he didn't surface, he'd drown.
Unexpectedly encountering a Wu practitioner from Mount Wushen here!
Killing such a person would earn significant merit!
Wu practitioners from Mount Wushen had caused great damage on the Songtang battlefield.
"Five of you block him; the rest go back and take your crossbows. If he dares to show himself, shoot him dead!" the officer shouted loudly.
The soldiers acted swiftly, with five occupying the rapids. The water was only waist-deep, far from deadly. They stood ready with their swords, prepared to hack Li Qi to pieces if he tried to escape through the river mouth.
The remaining three quickly returned, equipped their crossbows, and surrounded the small pond, aiming at the water.
If Li Qi dared to surface, they would immediately shoot.
Dodging underwater was difficult, and being hit meant certain death!
Meanwhile, the officer removed his armor.
"Be cautious of his spells. Different Wu practitioners serve different ghosts and gods, hence different techniques. This man has Bull Strength Technique, indicating he's not a mere village shaman but a true Wu practitioner from Mount Wushen, surely possessing special abilities. We can't let him act slowly below; I'll go down to drive him out."
"Sir, be careful, this man is incredibly strong!" a soldier warned.
"That's Bull Strength Technique, deriving from the Earth Deity Qiongnu. Clearly, he belongs to the Earth Deity lineage, adept at using mountains and water. The falling rocks already showed his capabilities. We can't let him prepare slowly; we need to take the initiative," the officer replied promptly.
His reasoning was clear and convincing, leaving no room for rebuttal. The others followed his instructions.
"Don't worry, I see his Four Seasons Qi is unrefined, clearly an unranked individual. As a ninth-rank warrior, how could I fear him?" With that, the officer had already removed his armor.