Since Fang Senyan and Wuge were still clinging to the notion of destroying the bridge to slow down their pursuers, the Fogsong Maiden, wanting to prevent any unforeseen complications and unwilling to stain her hands with more blood, utilized the power of the last Ancient Elven Rune she possessed, dispatching the task with effortless ease. A multitude of nascent branches erupted from the thick, sturdy wooden bench, wrapping the old brute, who had been dozing in the corner, into a tight knot. A leaf even managed to plug its eye shut. The only things it could manage were terrified howls and roars!

Three minutes later, Fang Senyan and Wuge successfully crossed the terrifying ice valley. By this time, the crudely constructed, highly dangerous wooden bridge behind them had undoubtedly been utterly demolished... Of course, because the two fugitives had been quite hasty and sloppy in their destruction of the bridge, restoration remained a possibility. However, this would require a massive undertaking that would consume considerable time. Under normal circumstances, this should buy Fang Senyan and his companion at least ten hours.

After trekking alongside the ice valley for over an hour, the "Black Jagged Pass" was finally in sight. Crossing that point would virtually guarantee their escape. This towering, majestic mountain range effectively blocked the harsh northern winds, so while the climate ahead was certainly cold, it would not resemble the icy desolation surrounding them here.

The "Black Jagged Pass" was in sight!!

One hundred meters, fifty, thirty—they arrived!

Time to climb!

This pass was incredibly peculiar, looking as if an invisible, colossal blade had cleaved down from the heavens, savagely carving a deep gash into the towering peak on the southern side. Even so, its height stretched several hundred meters. The entire area was surrounded by black rock; for reasons unknown, snow simply could not accumulate upon it, giving the pass its name: the "Black Jagged Pass."

Fang Senyan began to struggle against the wind, using all four limbs to inch his way up the pass. He even had to cover his mouth and nose with his hand every time he gasped, lest the frigid wind rush in and completely fill his lungs.

Undoubtedly, the Dawn Elves, capable of resonating with nature itself, were true darlings of the world, completely unaffected by such harsh conditions. And the wind on this particular day was considered gentle compared to what it could be… Back when they were being escorted into the basin to ascend the pass, Fang Senyan had actually witnessed a gale sweep through, lifting a screaming Dwarf, arms and legs flailing, and carrying him off to meet his end in the valley below.

The summit of the pass was within reach, less than three meters away, promising the blessed descent that lay beyond. Fang Senyan could already spot the slightly whitened deep green of the canopy of the Silver Willow Village in the distant valley floor. Wuge, meanwhile, was already smiling, crouching atop the pass, extending a hand toward him. Fang Senyan reached out as well, pulling himself up straight with a powerful tug.

Just then, Fang Senyan, for reasons he couldn't fathom, suddenly looked back.

He didn't know why he turned, much like how many people instinctively look up when a shadow passes overhead and the sunlight abruptly vanishes.

With that glance back.

Fang Senyan saw him, perched on a towering rock formation across the ice valley, diagonally below the pass.

An Orc stood there, unmistakably.

Even though the distance between them exceeded three hundred meters, making the Orc appear no larger than his thumb to Fang Senyan, the moment he appeared, it seemed as though the swirling snowflakes and the whistling, millennia-old glacier winds converged upon this Orc as their epicenter. In a shockingly short span, a terrifying Category Thirteen Destruction Hurricane seemed to coalesce around him!

The Orc paused, still slightly breathless, clearly having arrived after a frantic, intense sprint. He must have initially followed the tracks left by the pair, only to be stopped by the destroyed bridge. But he immediately considered the logistics: whoever was fleeing would eventually have to pass through the formidable choke point of the "Black Jagged Pass," prompting him to sprint directly across the far side of the ice valley.

Fang Senyan was intimately familiar with this particular Orc. In fact, this creature played a pivotal, if grim, role even in the world of The Lord of the Rings!

His white, unruly hair hung loose around his shoulders. His protruding brow ridge made him look doubly savage. His triangular little eyes held a fierce, blade-like glare. His arms were unnaturally thick and disproportionately long! Though crisscrossed with clear scars, they radiated an even greater sense of brute power.

Even more terrifying was the longbow he gripped—it resembled the scythe of Death itself. Merely looking at it sent a tremor through the very soul!

"Lurtz..." Fang Senyan muttered, "...Damn it! Saruman actually sent him to chase me!"

At most, a few more seconds, and Fang Senyan would reach the crest of the "Black Jagged Pass," slipping beyond Lurtz’s shooting range on the far side of the gorge. But Lurtz’s arrows were capable of felling a Boromir and grievously wounding even a freak like Hama! Even at his peak, Fang Senyan could never withstand one of his shots, let alone now, when he had been reduced to the power of a common man?

"If I were Lurtz..." Though stripped of his strength, Fang Senyan's mind remained terrifyingly sharp! The thought flashed through his mind, and with a sudden surge, he lunged forward, aggressively yanking the hand of the still completely unaware Wuge toward himself! He pulled the slender Elven maiden directly into his embrace, shielding her completely.

It was at that precise moment that Lurtz began his distinct routine: retrieving a shaft, nocking the arrow, drawing the string, and—release!

This series of actions, though seemingly complex, flowed with the grace of running water, executed in an impossibly brief instant!

Lurtz possessed phenomenal eyesight. He instantly discerned that of the two fleeing figures, Fang Senyan's strength was negligible, perhaps liable to be blown off the snowy ridge by a stiff breeze. The truly formidable one was the Dawn Elf, Wuge!

Therefore, he completely ignored Fang Senyan, that "ant," and swiftly notched a special arrow, firing it with a specialized technique!

Lurtz was absolutely confident in hitting his mark with this shot, intending to bury the arrow deep into the body of the female Elf. This +2 enchanted arrowhead, crafted from Sindarin metal, was not meant to pass through the back but to explode inside her body! This would inflict damage that even a Legendary creature would struggle to endure!

But Lurtz hadn't accounted for the fact that while the shot was guaranteed to hit, it was Fang Senyan who intercepted it with his own body! With a slight gesture from Lurtz, two gouts of scarlet blood instantly jetted from Fang Senyan's back and chest, while a silver-glowing, razor-sharp arrowhead protruded from his right breastbone! It then shattered like a falling star, fragmenting into seven or eight chaotic sparks that sprayed outwards!

Only then did a horrifying, wailing shriek—the eerie sound of air rushing in to fill the vacuum left by the projectile—echo through the air!

A complex expression, a mixture of sarcasm, realization, mockery, triumph, and pain, contorted Fang Senyan’s face. A cold smirk played on his lips. A torrent of prompts from the Nightmare Mark flooded his awareness: "You have been attacked by the Orc Chieftain Lurtz."

"Theoretical damage sustained: Fall (Skill Damage/Critical Hit) 17787 points + Sindarin Enchanted Arrowhead 6671 points."

"You will also suffer from the 'Life Essence Evaporation' debuff: taking 5% of your maximum health as bleed damage every second for 800 seconds!"

"Notification: When the Life Essence Evaporation effect acts upon a Legendary/Elite/Leader/World Boss creature: it will inflict bleed damage of 300 health every 5 seconds, lasting for 30 seconds."

"Notification: The Life Essence Evaporation effect has priority!!"

"Warning, warning!! Subject ID 1018's maximum health is 120 points; theoretical damage sustained is 24458 points."

"Subject ID 1018 has suffered a fatal attack!"

"Notification: World Rules are taking effect! Subject ID 1018 is currently engaged in a Team Mission; any damage that would result in a fatal outcome will forcibly place you into a state of Severe Injury, followed by 10 seconds of Invulnerability!"

"Subject ID 1018's actual damage sustained: 108 points."

"Warning: You have only 12 health remaining! You have entered the Severe Injury state: Your movement speed is reduced by 80%; all attack power is reduced by 80%; all attributes are reduced by 50%."

"You have gained the Domain: Absolute Protection, duration 10 seconds."

"Under the Absolute Protection state: All abnormal status effects on your body will be nullified; all incoming damage attacks will be absorbed, but you are unable to launch any attacks yourself."

"This effect holds Domain Priority."

Fang Senyan violently shoved the stunned Wuge and barked, "Go! I can cover you! This is a blessing granted to me, but I only have ten seconds. You must get into the blind spot within those ten seconds!"

With that, Fang Senyan spread his arms wide, turning to face Lurtz! A look of utter indifference was plastered across his face. He then gripped the shaft of the arrow embedded in his chest and ripped it out. Blood sprayed wildly, yet despite the gruesome, ragged wound blooming on his chest, he managed to extend his middle finger toward the disbelieving Lurtz with a gesture of contemptuous dismissal...

Though the powerful Orc did not grasp the meaning behind Fang Senyan's provocative gesture, Fang Senyan's expression clearly conveyed the message: "Idiot, you are vastly inferior," written in six bold characters. Lurtz, whose pride in his marksmanship was legendary, felt his eyes burn red: no one dared to slight his shooting skill, not even the great Saruman himself!

But this ant... this damnable insect dared to be so arrogant!!!