Section 73: Hua Family’s Secret Arrows, Weakness of the Star-Fixing Bow
Author: Gu Zhenren (2013-02-09)
The fourth round.
The deep-sea nine-headed serpent’s demon essence was finally depleted, and its body began to show wounds.
Hua Ying took the stage, gracefully taking out an arrow. The arrow shaft was made of white jade, the arrowhead was spiral-shaped, and the tail bloomed like a flower petal.
“This is a small demon-grade Magnolia Flower Arrow,” he said, his jade-like mask concealing a hint of pride.
“Clear Fragrance Heavenly Heart Arrow!” Hua Ying nocked and drew his bow, whispering the incantation. The arrow transformed into an invisible fragrance, silent and shadowless. As the fragrant breeze passed, the nine-headed serpent’s poison-attribute head let out a pained roar.
Everyone cast astonished glances.
“Excellent!” Ma Youcai and others shouted with joy, their faces beaming.
The fifth round.
The deep-sea nine-headed serpent hissed, its body covered in injuries, blood flowing like a river.
Hua Ying took the stage again, taking out another small demon-grade arrow. The arrowhead resembled a half-moon scythe, the shaft was brown wood, and the tail was lush like overgrown grass.
“This is the small demon-grade Chariot Ascending Moon Arrow!” Hua Ying caressed it with his slender, fair fingers and leisurely drew his bow.
This arrow shot out with immense power. Brown light exploded, like an unstoppable war chariot. It slammed fiercely into a snake head, leaving it disfigured and bloody.
“What a great arrow!” Ma Youcai and Wei Qian cheered, deliberately shouting loudly and casting disdainful glances at Chu Yun’s side.
“Indeed, it’s a great arrow!” “The Hua family’s archery is truly renowned.” Many on the high platform nodded in agreement.
The atmosphere on Chu Yun’s side grew heavy.
The sixth round.
The poison-attribute head was already destroyed, leaving the nine-headed serpent with only eight heads. Sixteen pairs of snake eyes glared at the scholars, filled with intense anger and hatred.
Hua Ying produced another arrow: “This is the Iron Plum Blood Water Arrow!”
He held the arrow high, displaying it to the crowd and, as expected, heard gasps and exclamations of admiration.
The Hua family not only possessed intricate and varied archery techniques but also generations of accumulated craftsmanship for secret arrows. In this regard, even Master Yu Ya was inferior.
The arrow took flight, forming a blood-red plum blossom. It spun like a flying disc in the air. In an instant, it struck the fire-attribute snake head, and with a boom, it was instantly blown to smithereens!
Hua Ying was in his element.
“The Iron Plum Blood Water Arrow directly counters fire-attribute demonic beasts, demonstrating immense power!”
“This is a secret arrow, priced around 6,000 Disha Stone Coins on the market, and they are hard to come by.”
“Hua Ying is using secret arrows one after another. He’s investing heavily, it seems he truly intends to defeat Chu Yun and take first place.”
Amazed murmurs rippled through the spectator crowd.
The seventh round, the eighth round…
After several rounds, Hua Ying became the most spotlighted star. Each arrow, each appearance, triggered strong reactions and excitement. For a time, he was unstoppable.
“Chu Yun, you can’t possibly defeat me in archery. Why bother exerting yourself?” Hua Ying said with a smile as they briefly passed each other during the rotation.
Chu Yun remained silent, still doing his best to shoot arrows. Although their team was short one person, under his leadership, they were still tightly holding onto their opponents without any slackening of effort.
Jin Bihan, Yan Que, and others were filled with a fighting spirit, and members of the team occasionally performed exceptionally, eliciting bursts of admiration.
Hua Ying’s side gradually began to feel the pressure. Chu Yun’s team pursued relentlessly, making them increasingly nervous.
“Damn it, why are they pushing so hard?!” Wei Qian cursed under his breath, bewildered.
“A bunch of fools who won’t shed tears until they see the coffin!” Ma Youcai sneered with a dark expression.
“Hua Ying’s archery is like a profusion of flowers, dazzling the eyes. However, the perseverance of Chu Yun and his teammates is even more admirable,” mused the Lord of Jianghan Kingdom. He rarely saw such youths, possessing a spirit of stubborn determination that commanded respect.
“Such resilience…” The eyes of the Lord of Mengyuan Kingdom grew brighter. He could see that it was Chu Yun’s performance and spirit that drove and influenced the entire team.
“Facing the dire news of Shu’s island under siege, they remain so strong without losing their composure. Hahaha, I haven’t seen such an excellent young man in a long time!” The Lord of Mengyuan Kingdom exclaimed inwardly.
He understood deeply: there were not a few people with greater strength and talent than Chu Yun. However, one with his state of mind was one in a million.
“However, if it continues like this, Chu Yun has no chance of winning. Unless the opponent makes a major mistake…” Unconsciously, the Lord of Mengyuan Kingdom found himself rooting for Chu Yun, thinking for his benefit.
The ninth round, the tenth round…
Hua Ying was no longer just shooting arrows, but performing. His archery techniques were varied and never repeated. The exquisite and ingenious secret arrows further opened the eyes of the spectators, who cheered with delight.
By this point, participants had begun to withdraw from the arena. The demon soldiers had certain flaws, and the repeated use of powerful archery techniques caused the demon bows’ demon essence to be rapidly depleted. To prevent the nine-headed serpent from absorbing and recovering, the Vital Energy had been drained from the target area, thus the demon bows could not replenish their energy.
Both sides saw participants withdraw, but Chu Yun’s side had more. Their overall strength was still lacking, and it was beginning to show.
As they rotated again, Hua Ying brushed past Chu Yun. “I should thank you for waking me up. This time is my repayment. Chu Yun, you are bound to lose!”
He smiled slightly, exuding a confident and poised demeanor, looking heroic and extraordinary.
“I have never lost,” Chu Yun replied calmly, looking at him.
“Never?!” Hua Ying, unaware of Chu Yun’s definition of loss or victory, raised an eyebrow. “Then today, you will thoroughly taste the bitterness of defeat!”
The eleventh round, the twelfth round…
The deep-sea nine-headed serpent showed unexpected resilience, and most participants on both sides reluctantly withdrew.
“This Nine-Headed Serpent must have had a fortunate encounter, ingested some rare heavenly treasure, or its recovery and defense wouldn’t be so monstrous,” someone deduced.
“The deep sea is teeming with demonic beasts and demonic plants, always a forbidden zone for humans. It has never been exploited, so it’s not surprising that there are plenty of heavenly treasures.”
“But this way, Chu Yun’s chances are even slimmer. Most of his team has already withdrawn…”
Chu Yun’s team was down to only four or five people, while Hua Ying’s side still had nearly ten.
“You might as well just surrender. You definitely can’t win, so why persist?”
“We’ve already won. Stop struggling. Struggling only brings pain!”
“Don’t waste any more time. There’s no possibility of a comeback.”
Hua Ying’s teammates spoke to Chu Yun’s team in a condescending tone, gloating.
Some of Chu Yun’s team wavered. But every time they saw Chu Yun’s resolute face, they gritted their teeth and held on until their demon bows were completely drained of demon essence.
The twentieth round, the twenty-first round…
The deep-sea nine-headed serpent was left with only four heads, each with varying degrees of injury. Chu Yun’s team was reduced to just him, Yan Que, and Jin Bihan. Hua Ying’s side, however, still had all four of their key members.
Hua Ying did not use any more secret arrows, resorting to a common archery technique. He then walked off the stage with a slight frown. Passing Chu Yun, he sneered, “Since you want to persevere, I’ll play along. Rest assured, I will suppress you until the very end!”
Some onlookers sighed in disappointment. “Hua Ying actually using such a common arrow technique. How disappointing.”
“What do you know? Hua Ying used so many secret arrow techniques consecutively. The demon essence in his demon bow is greatly depleted, so naturally, he has to choose classic, common arrow methods,” someone revealed the truth.
The nine-headed serpent’s unexpected tenacity forced Hua Ying to change his strategy, daring not to show off. He had indeed grown.
Initially, he would have preferred to remain in the spotlight regardless of victory or defeat. Now, after being defeated by Chu Yun, he had shed his superficial mindset and become more pragmatic.
An average person improves after failure, let alone a genius like Hua Ying.
Chu Yun’s side finally had an opportunity to catch up. All along, they had been using common arrow techniques. These classic techniques were legendary because they consumed less demon essence, were powerful, and offered excellent value.
The demon bows of Chu Yun and the other two currently had significantly more demon essence than the opponents.
The twenty-seventh round, the twenty-eighth round…
Wei Qian and Ma Youcai were forced to withdraw as their demon bows were depleted of demon essence.
The thirty-third round…
“I apologize, Young Master.” Yan Que regretfully withdrew. His combat prowess mostly came from demonic plants, not demon soldiers.
The thirty-fifth round…
Jin Bihan and Ning Yiyi both exited the competition simultaneously. Only Chu Yun and Hua Ying remained. The deep-sea nine-headed serpent still had three heads, retaining considerable strength.
“This year’s Grand Shooting Ceremony is unexpectedly long…” sighed a prominent figure from the high platform.
“And exceptionally spectacular,” another immediately added.
This sentiment garnered nods and agreement from many.
“Indeed, not only did we witness dazzling archery, but we also experienced the unwavering persistence and fighting spirit of these youths.”
“Furthermore, this demonic beast is unexpectedly resilient. The deep-sea nine-headed serpent still has a considerable amount of vitality,” the Lord of Anding exclaimed, turning to Feng Bole. “The remaining two certainly won’t succeed in killing this beast. In that case, would it be considered a draw?”
“No,” Feng Bole shook his head. “We will intervene then and slay the beast. The resulting demonic crystal will be absorbed by both sides, and we will compare the amounts to determine the victor.”
The Lord of Anding said somewhat reluctantly, “In my opinion, it should be a draw. Both sides have tried so hard; declaring one a winner and the other a loser would be disheartening.”
“The winner takes all, the loser is defeated. Lord Anding, your words miss the mark,” the Lord of Mengyuan Kingdom immediately countered. “Victory is victory, and defeat is defeat. According to this, Chu Yun should have lost, given Hua Ying’s significant early advantage. However, Chu Yun loses with honor, and I am more optimistic about his future.”
“Precisely,” the Lord of Jianghan Kingdom agreed, a rare display of accord. He then added, “Moreover, Chu Yun will fail first, and Hua Ying will be the last one standing.”
“Oh? How do you figure that?” the Lord of Anding asked, puzzled.
“Look at Chu Yun’s hand!” the Lord of Jianghan Kingdom’s gaze was piercing.
The Lord of Anding looked over and initially saw nothing unusual. Upon closer inspection, he gasped, “His hand!”
Chu Yun’s hand was emitting a faint grayish-blue color. After drawing the bow so many times, the coldness from the Star-Fixing Bow had seeped into his arms, gradually stiffening and hardening them.
When it rains, it pours. The weakness of the Star-Fixing Bow manifested at the critical moment!
