As the Orc captain loosed his explosive arrow, Zheng Zha saw not only the two shafts collide in an explosion but also that the leading arrow became invisible to the naked eye. Then, with a resounding clang, a massive force traveled up the Hupo Saber's radiant arc. His hand felt as if it would split open, and this immense force transferred to the Skeleton Warhorse beneath him, forcing even the steed a step back before the force was finally absorbed.

Zheng Zha quickly examined the Hupo Saber in his hand. The arrow had pierced the saber’s radiant blade, striking the layer of protective saber aura surrounding him. It was only because of the double layer of protection that the arrow was stopped; one layer of the saber aura was shattered by the impact. How terrifying was the power of this Explosive Arrow? "Good thing it was only a Twin-Shot Burst Arrow. If it had been a Triple-Shot..." As far as he knew, only Zhang Heng could use the Triple-Shot Burst Arrow. Even counting the story characters, there was only one more: the Elven Prince. Zheng Zha wasn't overly worried about that; his concern was for Boromir, who had sustained a fatal wound in his back, and the two others who were nearly combat-incapable.

As Zheng Zha blocked this arrow, the surrounding Orcs swarmed in. These Orcs were nearly identical to those Zheng Zha had previously slain, possessing incredibly strong bodies and rudimentary Dou Qi. Consequently, fighting them became quite troublesome. The days of him slaying dozens of monsters with a single sweep of his blade were over. Yet, the hundreds of Orcs outside were unable to reach Zheng Zha.

They then veered toward the Hobbit, Merry.

"Damn it! What is this Dou Qi? It can actually block a saber aura!" Zheng Zha roared in frustration.

He made a decision in his heart: once this Lord of the Rings world arc was over, he absolutely had to upgrade the Hupo Saber. Otherwise, the power of the saber aura alone would soon be insufficient in the horror film worlds.

Boromir had been pierced straight through the chest by the Explosive Arrow, leaving a wound the size of a small bowl. Yet, the man was truly iron-willed. When the Orcs attacked again, he trembled, pushing himself up from the ground. As an Orc brought its blade down towards his head, a light of Dou Qi erupted from Boromir, far stronger than before.

Before the Orc’s great blade could connect, his heavy sword cleaved the Orc’s upper torso in two.

"Run! Run with the Hobbit!" Boromir roared, blood sputtering from his mouth as he shouted. Aya barely had time to stick a Three Pure Ones Talisman to his back before the man bellowed and charged headlong into the mass of Orcs.

Aya's thigh was already broken, so she could only tell the Hobbit Merry, "Run! Don't let them catch you!" With that, she summoned a swarm of venomous hornets, though she knew well the limited effectiveness they would have.

Boromir’s heroic burst of strength, like a final blaze before death, did not last long. The Orc captain had raised his bow, intending to fire another shot at Zheng Zha—after all, Zheng Zha’s offensive power was terrifying; in these short moments, he had already piled up hundreds of dismembered Orc corpses. However, the other Orcs saw that they were on the verge of capturing the Hobbit.

Only the suddenly empowered Boromir stood in their way. The Orc captain paused momentarily, then once again aimed two arrows at Boromir.

Boromir's display at this moment was utterly tragic.

He shouted loudly while continuously spitting blood. Thanks to the regenerative properties of the Three Pure Ones Talisman, his bleeding and other conditions had slightly stabilized. Countless Orcs had fallen beneath his sword during this time. Just as he prepared to strike again, a massive force slammed into his right chest with a thud, launching him nearly ten meters away, pinning him against the trunk of a large tree.

"Boromir!" The Hobbit Merry, who had already retreated some distance, could not stop himself from crying out in anguish upon seeing Boromir’s horrific state. The Hobbit mustered his courage, drawing his short sword and charging the Orcs. But given his physical condition, he was no match. In the first clash, he was hoisted onto an Orc’s shoulder, and then a throng of Orcs followed that one, gradually disappearing into the distance. Only about two or three hundred Orcs remained on the battlefield, still entangled with Zheng Zha, while the ground was already littered with countless shattered corpses.

Zheng Zha was intensely focused on slaying the Orcs around him when he heard a sharp crack. The saber aura surrounding him suddenly shattered, and an arrow shot through the rupture, sinking into his back shoulder. Fortunately, he was channeling his internal energy at that moment, and the arrow's force was greatly diminished after piercing the saber aura, so it only lodged itself deep within the muscle, becoming stuck in a muscle gap.

Zheng Zha spun around in alarm. Indeed, he saw the Orc captain aiming his bow at him. That last shot was clearly executed using the explosive technique; a regular arrow could never have pierced his saber aura defense. Furthermore, judging by the Orc captain's movements, he clearly intended to use the Burst Arrow again.

"Damn it! You think I’m a sick cat just because the tiger isn't roaring!" Zheng Zha glanced over to see Boromir impaled on the tree trunk, and on the other side, Aya being carried on an Orc's shoulder, while the Hobbit Merry was already fading into the distance. A furious rage ignited in his heart, especially seeing the Orc captain lurking nearby to snipe him—this rage was mixed with a darker, wicked heat.

Zheng Zha pulled the reins, guiding the Skeleton Warhorse towards a large tree. As the warhorse leaped onto the trunk, Zheng Zha abruptly stood up from the saddle, tapped his feet, and leaped down toward the ground below. Several great blades immediately swung at him.

These Orcs were certainly much stronger than normal humans, but their speed was slightly inferior to that of an ordinary person, let alone Zheng Zha, who had now unlocked the second stage of his Gene Lock. Zheng Zha stomped hard between the weapons, crushing one Orc’s head, and used that force to launch himself into the air.

The Orc captain had already fired another Burst Arrow. Zheng Zha saw the two shafts crisscross as they were loosed. In that instant, he plunged into the "Instant Annihilation" state. Once the Burst Arrow’s effect materialized, its speed and force surpassed that of a bullet; there would be no dodging it then. He had to evade before the explosive phase began. Upon entering the Instant Annihilation state, he utilized "Moon Walk," forcing his body to change direction mid-air.

As expected, when the Burst Arrow’s explosion took effect, an arrow invisible to the naked eye zipped past him several meters away, piercing deep into a tree trunk. A resounding boom followed as the arrow exploded, manifesting the full power of the Burst Arrow.

Zheng Zha did not hesitate. Upon landing, he immediately activated the "Shave" technique from the Instant Annihilation state, flashing to the Orc captain’s side. Before the captain could drop his bow and draw his blade, Zheng Zha ripped off his single arm and single leg. With a savage roar, Zheng Zha tore the half-beast captain in two. Guts and bloody flesh splattered all over him. The Orc captain was not yet dead, however. Amidst its agonizing screams, Zheng Zha stomped down on its upper torso, utterly annihilating the Orc capable of using the Burst Arrow with his own hands.

The remaining Orcs were still charging towards Zheng Zha, but before they could reach him, he let out a massive shout and lunged into their ranks. This time, Zheng Zha did not use the saber aura for protection but unleashed the full power of his "Explosion" state. In an instant, the battlefield was a frenzy of flying flesh and gore. When the others arrived later, the ground was covered only in piles of shattered corpses and gore, and Zheng Zha stood there like a demon god, enveloped in a blood-mist that kept everyone at bay.

Aragorn and the others were stunned by Zheng Zha's appearance. They knew he was strong, but the previous Zheng Zha always felt benevolent. This current presence was like facing a demon. Only after Zheng Zha reined in his killing intent did the group snap back to reality and survey the battlefield. Upon seeing Boromir impaled on the tree trunk, Aragorn and the others cried out loudly.

Zheng Zha watched Aragorn and the others run toward Boromir. He merely said to Richard, "Your team member Aya has been taken by the Orcs. They fled in that direction. You should hurry after them. I need to see if Boromir can be saved; with our team's acquired medicine and Cheng Xiao's medical skill, there's a good chance."

Richard froze upon hearing this, then gripped his axe and charged down the path, clearly frantic. Zheng Zha ignored him, using the Mind Link to ask Zhan Lan, "How is your situation? How many Orcs attacked?" Zhan Lan quickly replied, "It's alright. Zhang Heng and Chu Xuan have very strong attacks. Oh, Neos chased after Aya—he’s an Intelligence-type captain, he should be fine, right?" Zheng Zha considered this and said, "Let him go. If this man chased after them on his own, he must have his own plan... Chu Xuan, the plot has reached a turning point here. The story characters are splitting into three directions. You need to make a decision about the future arrangements quickly; I need to speak with Cheng Xiao."