"Black Rock Tribe?"
Lina's brow furrowed even deeper.
She had never heard of this name.
In her view, this land had been a masterless wild territory since ancient times, serving as an outer barrier for their Elven Kingdom.
Since when did it become the turn of a tiny human Tribe to dare declare sovereignty here?
"I don't care what Tribe you are."
Lina's tone carried an innate arrogance.
"I only know that the filthy and violent power emanating from you has polluted the peace of this forest."
"Leave here immediately, and I can act as if nothing happened. Otherwise, don't blame us for being impolite."
"Oh?"
Wu Liang was amused by her matter-of-fact, commanding tone.
"Impolite? How impolite are we talking? Just with those little bows and arrows in your hands?"
"Presumptuous!"
Before Lina could speak, a young elf behind her couldn't help but roar in anger:
"Filthy human, how dare you insult the Moon Goddess's sacred relic! legion commander, please let me take action and show him the wrath of nature!"
Lina raised her hand to stop her subordinate's impulse, but the gaze she directed at Wu Liang had already turned cold.
"Human, my patience is limited."
Her voice carried no emotion.
"I will say it one last time: leave this place."
"And if I say no?"
The smile on Wu Liang's face remained unchanged.
Finally, a flash of killing intent crossed Lina's eyes.
"Then we'll just have to... purify you."
Before her voice had even faded, the ancient white bow in her hand suddenly burst with light.
An emerald-green light arrow, composed entirely of mana, appeared out of thin air upon the bowstring.
"Lock on!"
Lina gave a light shout, and the tip of that light arrow instantly locked onto Wu Liang's heart. A powerful pressure enveloped Wu Liang's entire body.
He could feel as if he were being held by an invisible hand; no matter where he hid, he wouldn't be able to evade this arrow.
"Interesting, is this an elven magic arrow?"
Wu Liang thought to himself, yet his face still maintained a calm and breezy expression.
"Go!"
Lina released the bowstring.
Swoosh—!
The light arrow turned into a green streak of light, carrying a sharp whistling sound as it shot toward Wu Dalian's chest at a speed almost impossible for the naked eye to capture.
Ignis's expression changed, and she subconsciously moved to block Wu Liang.
But Wu Liang merely raised a hand, gently pressing down on her shoulder to signal that there was no need to be nervous.
Just a split second before the light arrow was about to strike his chest, Wu Liang performed an action that left all the elves dumbfounded.
He didn't dodge, nor did he parry; he simply extended two fingers—his index and middle fingers.
Then, with absolute precision, he pinched that unstoppable magic light arrow.
Hum—
The light arrow vibrated violently between his fingertips, letting out bursts of unwilling humming. The massive natural mana contained within the arrow's body frantically surged against his fingers, yet it could not advance another fraction of an inch.
The entire jungle instantly fell into a dead silence.
Every elf, including the leader Lina Starseeker, stared with wide eyes, their faces written with disbelief.
That was the legion commander's 'Tracking Arrow'! It was a finishing blow that fused the wind element with the power of nature!
Even an Orc Berserker wearing heavy armor would have their heart pierced through by this arrow!
But now, it was actually... actually caught by a human using just two fingers?
How is this possible?!
"The strength is decent, and the speed is alright."
Wu Liang looked at the light arrow still struggling at his fingertips, as if evaluating an ordinary piece of handicraft.
"It's just the power... is a bit lacking."
After saying that, his two fingers gave a gentle pinch.
Pop!
A crisp sound rang out.
That indestructible Tracking Arrow, composed of pure mana, shattered instantly like a soap bubble, turning into dots of green light that dissipated into the air.
Lina Starseeker's body jolted, and her face instantly turned pale.
The magic arrow had been forcibly crushed, and the mana backlash caused her chest to surge with blood and qi.
But the physical impact was far less intense than the mental shock.
She looked at the man who had a relaxed and casual expression, and a massive wave of shock surged in her heart.
This human... just what kind of monster is he?!
Silence.
A deathly silence.
In the jungle, only the rustling of wind blowing through the leaves and the heavy breathing of the elves could be heard.
The dozen or so elven guards Lina Starseeker had brought were all frozen in place.
The hands they used to hold their longbows were trembling slightly. The arrogance and contempt on their faces had long since vanished, replaced by a ghost-like shock and fear.
The archery they took pride in and the natural power they believed in appeared so laughable and fragile before this man.
This man had simply used two fingers to nonchalantly crush the legion commander's magic arrow, which was powerful enough to slay a dragon.
This had completely exceeded the scope of their understanding.
Lina Starseeker stared fixedly at Wu Liang. Her beautiful purple eyes were filled with vigilance, confusion, and a hint of... fear that she herself was unwilling to admit.
"You... just who are you?"
Her voice was no longer as cold and forceful as before, but instead carried an imperceptible tremor.
"Me?"
Wu Liang smiled and took two steps forward.
"My name is Wu Liang, the leader of the Black Rock Tribe."
His tone was very flat, but the absolute confidence revealed in his words was like a great mountain, weighing down so heavily that every elf present found it hard to breathe.
"Black Rock Tribe..."
Lina mulled over the name in her heart.
She swore that once she returned to the kingdom, she would definitely investigate this human Tribe that had suddenly appeared.
But right now, the priority was how to handle the situation at hand.
The opponent's strength was unfathomable; a direct confrontation would clearly be asking for humiliation.
"We have no intention of becoming your enemy."
Lina took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
As a legion commander, she knew when to be firm and when to back down.
"We only sensed abnormal mana fluctuations here and came to investigate."
"Since this place is your territory, then it was our offense. We will leave now."
After speaking, she gave a look to her subordinates behind her, preparing to lead the team in retreat.
"Wait a moment."
Wu Liang's voice rang out again, blocking their way.
Lina's heart sank. She turned around and asked vigilantly, "Does Your Excellency have anything else?"
"Since you're already here, why leave in such a hurry?"
The smile on Wu Liang's face became somewhat playful.
"Aren't you elves very arrogant? Didn't you say you wanted to 'purify' us? Why have you wimped out now?"
"You!"
A young elf behind Lina was provoked once again. Just as she was about to flare up, she was stopped by Lina's stern gaze.
Lina suppressed the humiliation and anger in her heart, trying to speak in as steady a tone as possible:
"Your Excellency, we have already admitted to being the offenders first and are willing to withdraw. Why must you be so aggressive?"
"Aggressive?"
Wu Liang looked as if he had heard a hilarious joke.
"Just now, when you were pointing arrows at me and telling me to get out of my own territory, why didn't you say you were being aggressive?"
"Now that you've realized you can't win, you want to just pat your butts and leave? How can anything in this world be that cheap?"