It turned out the two Salamanders hadn't come through a spatial rift, but had arrived on the prime plane with the abyssal army back then. Now that the abyss had failed, these two Salamanders were unlucky to not have retreated with the army in time and were left here for some unknown reason, only to be discovered by Galidos.
There were quite a few abyssal demons scattered and left behind on the main world like this. The major powers of the continent were doing their best to hunt them down, but most of them were only mid-level demons, and even horned demons were rarely seen. This high-level Salamander this time was truly an accident.
Although Galidos was a seventh-level demon hunter, fighting two Salamanders would surely lead to his own defeat. That was why he wanted to gather a team to eliminate these two Salamanders with overwhelming force, to prevent them from causing further destruction to the prime plane. In doing so, he could also gain considerable benefits.
Salamanders, the enemies who had once sent Li Xi flying with a single hammer blow through a dimensional portal, were now no match for Li Xi in a one-on-one fight. Two of them might be a bit challenging. Now that Galidos had gathered four people, and they were all top-tier ultimate masters, Li Xi needed to figure out how to act quickly, otherwise, he wouldn't get much blood.
After introducing the intelligence, Galidos said somewhat apologetically to Li Xi, "This is an S-rank mercenary mission. Your current rank is B, so you can't accept the mission. Of course, to avoid you being at a disadvantage, you can take an additional twenty percent of the final profits."
"No problem." The Salamander bloodline was the most important thing right now; everything else could be sacrificed. Twenty percent was not a small amount.
While the three were chatting and waiting for the final Archmage Heme, there was a knock on the door. A priest entered, holding a long box with a sun emblem, and said to Li Xi, "Mr. Li Xi, this is from the Grand Princess's mansion. They said it's a thank-you gift for you."
Li Xi took it and probed it slightly with his mental power. He could only feel a surge of powerful magical energy within the box. Even with the box blocking it, the emitted aura was comparable to a fourth-level magical equipment.
"Open it. If I'm not mistaken, it should contain the Guardian War Bow, which was said to have hunted ancient dragons in ancient times," Galidos recognized the item from the box with the sun emblem, his tone laced with a hint of envy.
Although the Guardian War Bow was named "Guardian," its destructive power was enough to make enemies tremble in fear. Ancient dragons were the ancestors of the dragon race, and those that lived to that age had accumulated power to an eighth level. A war bow capable of killing an eighth-level powerhouse could be considered a divine artifact without exaggeration.
Such equipment was rare, even for royalty. Each one was cataloged and passed down through the ages, and their owners had to be the proudest sons of their generation, powerful figures renowned throughout the continent. Now, the Grand Princess was giving such a divine artifact to Li Xi, and Galidos couldn't help but feel envious. He had a good relationship with the Grand Princess too, so why hadn't she ever given him such excellent equipment? Was being handsome and young truly an advantage?
"A longbow?"
Li Xi guessed that perhaps Flin, seeing him break an ordinary longbow with just two draws, had kept it in mind and asked her sister to give him this. This favor was a bit too significant.
Li Xi intended to take a look and then return it. However, when he opened the box, a 1.5-meter-long longbow with a metallic sheen lay inside. Even as it rested there quietly, it possessed a magical power that drew all surrounding gazes.
This war bow was very simple, with a golden bow body and a silver string that rippled like water. There was nothing superfluous, and its extremely simplified design exuded an indescribable sense of heroism. Four magical runes that ran through the entire bow body endowed the Guardian War Bow with four abilities.
Galidos walked over and explained, "The body of this Guardian War Bow is carved from the main trunk of the Elf race's Tree of Life. Don't let its metallic appearance fool you; it's actually made of wood. The bowstring is made from the tendons of an ancient eighth-level Behemoth, blended with mithril to ensure its elasticity and strength. Even a ninth-level powerhouse cannot easily break it. The four attached enchantments were cast by the top elven mages of the time, and they are: extreme speed, armor penetration, indestructible, and ultra-long range."
"Extreme speed means that even a snail's speed, when using this Guardian War Bow, can achieve the level of consecutive arrows."
"Armor penetration means that every arrow shot by this bow carries the ability to penetrate armor, otherwise, it wouldn't be able to hunt ancient dragons. Of course, it also affects the shields of spellcasters. Shields below the sixth level are no different from paper in front of it."
"Indestructible. When enemies get close, this Guardian War Bow can be used as a main hand weapon. Its toughness is no less than a sixth-level weapon."
"The range of a sixth-level large bow and arrow is two thousand meters, while the range of this Guardian War Bow is five thousand meters, which is 2.5 times the range of normal arrows. It's not an exaggeration to call it a spellcaster's bane."
Li Xi's eyes lit up. This was truly a divine artifact! As long as his aim was good, the title of "Sniper Cannon" would be its!
"It has many benefits, but it's not without its drawbacks."
"What drawbacks?" Li Xi stroked the bow body as if caressing his wife, the smooth surface making him reluctant to let go.
"It requires extremely strong physical strength to draw this bow. Remember, it's physical strength. If you try to rely on the augmentation of battle qi, this bow will repel it."
"The creator of this Guardian War Bow is the Behemoth clan, the royal family of the Orcs. With this explanation, you should understand why it requires drawing solely with physical strength, right?" Galidos's title was demon hunter, and his main weapon was a short blade, belonging to a high-agility, low-defense close-combat profession. However, his secondary weapon was a bow and arrow. Anyone knew how much a good weapon could enhance a professional. It was a comrade more intimate than a wife, let alone a weapon like the Guardian War Bow, which could be called a divine artifact.
It was just that the usage conditions for the Guardian War Bow were too harsh. With physical strength alone, perhaps only berserkers who had cultivated to great mastery, barbarians, and orcs with exceptional talent could use it in this world. Other races might have such individuals, but warriors who had cultivated to such a level might not even be interested in this bow. It wasn't that the divine artifact was bad, but rather that it might not be suitable for them. A weapon that wasn't suitable, even if it was a divine artifact, would likely have its power reduced to less than the sum of its parts. This was why the weapon had gathered dust in the royal treasury.
Li Xi didn't know what Flin had to say to obtain this bow for him, but as he held it in his hand, he felt a connection, a sense of spiritual resonance, that made him unable to speak of returning it for a long time. He had a feeling that this Guardian War Bow was also searching for a suitable owner. All things had spirits, and humans were always on the path of finding suitable weapons, so why wouldn't weapons be?
Li Xi pondered for a moment, but still couldn't bear to part with it. He had incurred a debt of gratitude, and as long as it wasn't selling himself, everything was manageable. Then he asked, "There's only the bow, why are there no arrows?"
Cameron smiled, "This bow was taken back from the Orc royal family. Do you think the Orc royal family would happily send you the matching arrows as well?"
"Can't we make them ourselves?"
Galidos replied, "The matching arrows for this Guardian War Bow are polished from the bones of Behemoths. This is how the greatest energy amplification is achieved with the bowstring. Do you think humans would have them?"
"However, you don't need to be sad. Even with ordinary arrows, you can still unleash half of the Guardian War Bow's amplification. Even so, this bow would still rank among the top ten of all existing bows without a doubt."
Li Xi nodded. After hearing the extraordinary requirements for the arrows, Li Xi gave up the idea of making matching arrows. Behemoths were the overlords of the land; even dragons couldn't defeat them in a one-on-one fight.
Li Xi's contracted beast, Sun Er Dai, was also powerful, but in a one-on-one fight against a Behemoth, it truly couldn't win.
With horns several meters long, claws exceeding half a meter in length and harder than metal, a reptilian quadrupedal body, and a considerable intelligence that could learn simple human skills, it was truly terrifying. You wouldn't fear a demonic beast charging headlong; you'd fear a demonic beast that knew martial arts.
A creature twenty to thirty meters long performing a series of agile combination punches in front of you would surely disorient anyone. Its innate magical ability was metal armor, which made it impervious to blades and spears after release. Any blow would only result in a shower of sparks. No wonder dragons didn't provoke them. A single swipe of its claws could topple ordinary city walls.
More importantly, Behemoths were the totemic beasts of all Orcs, and they had been nurtured by the Orcs for generations. To target a Behemoth was to declare war on those Orcs whose minds were filled with nothing but muscle. They were a group of madmen who cared nothing for their lives. Their impoverished lives had instilled in their blood a penchant for fighting, and without armor, they dared to face enemy attacks with their chests. They never retreated in the face of death. No one on the entire continent was willing to provoke such opponents.
Fortunately, ordinary arrows would suffice, so there was nothing more to say.
Li Xi reached out and held the bowstring, his legs exerting slight force, his back arching. To the stunned surprise of both Galidos and Cameron, who had stood up, the bowstring, which even a sixth-level warrior couldn't budge, was slowly being drawn by Li Xi.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak."
Li Xi's face turned red. The bowstring had been drawn to a half-moon shape. Without any enhancements, this was Li Xi's limit.
"Clap, clap, clap."
Galidos and Cameron applauded simultaneously, not sparing any words of praise. "Little brother Li Xi, to possess such physical strength at your age is truly astounding. If you were to go to the beast arena, you could bankrupt the bookmakers."
"Not at all, not at all. I don't have much skill, just a bit more strength."
No one took Li Xi's words seriously. Everyone knew that he had become famous for his water magic. If his physical strength was already like this, how powerful must his water magic be?
Li Xi was extremely satisfied with this Guardian War Bow. Currently, no other weapon could match it. Although he could only draw it halfway now, it was important to remember that this was without Li Xi activating Dragonization, the Three Gates, the Doubling Technique, or the Shadow Clone in Cado City.
If Li Xi's state were fully restored, using this bow would be effortless.
Li Xi also began to look forward to how he would look wielding this bow. With inhuman strength combined with a divine artifact-like weapon, the ancient feat of hunting dragons would likely be repeated in Li Xi's hands. He wondered who would be the first enemy to fall to this Guardian War Bow.
Just then, the spatial ring on Galidos's finger vibrated. Galidos took out a magic orb, glanced at it, and then said to Cameron and Li Xi, "Both of you, Master Heme is already on his way. Let's get moving as well."
The three quickly left Aisinger. Cameron took out a jade flute from his waist and lightly touched it. A green light flashed, and a twenty-two-meter-long, adult, slender emerald dragon appeared. Its aura was already at the sixth level. As soon as it appeared, it stirred up gusts of wind on the ground. Even a casual flick of the dragon's tail felt like a strong gale.