**Chapter 62: The Demon Bow Appears, Wei Qian Collapses**
February 9, 2013 Author: Gu Zhenren
Wei Qian also had his own fortuitous encounters. During his coming-of-age ceremony, he hatched a high-grade Demonic Beast egg and was rewarded with three Steel Feather Eagles.
These three Steel Feather Eagles, born from the same egg, were akin to triplets. They were innately understood a Dao Method and could fight with a unified mind.
Wei Qian named them: Boss, Second, and Third.
Now, Second was instantly killed by Chu Yun’s saber. With one of the triplets gone, it was like a complete hand losing a finger. How could Wei Qian not be heartbroken?
He was so pained he felt like going mad, like spitting blood!
“Ah, this infuriates me!” he roared, his eyes flashing with a fierce light. He glared at Chu Yun, his killing intent palpable, and shouted, “Boss, Eagle Wave Roars in the Azure Clouds!”
He intended to unleash a high-grade Dao Method, using sonic attacks to blast Chu Yun to death.
To his surprise, upon his command, the Steel Feather Eagle beneath him remained motionless.
“Hmm?!” Wei Qian was about to scold it when his gaze froze. He suddenly noticed a bloody gash on Boss’s neck.
In that instant, he remembered the Drunken Snow Saber flying towards him, slashing across his face…
His heart lurched, a profound sense of danger engulfing him. Wei Qian’s face turned deathly pale, his eyes widening in a futile attempt to comprehend.
At that moment, time seemed to slow down. The blood gash deepened, a torrent of crimson blood gushed out, and the eagle’s head began to separate from its body, the distance widening.
Everything unfolded like a slow-motion playback.
His heart sank lower and lower until, with a resounding clang, it hit rock bottom.
*Bang!*
High above the arena, a burst of blood bloomed. The Steel Feather Eagle was decapitated!
Wei Qian plummeted downwards. In mid-air, he could only summon the third Steel Feather Eagle to avoid a disastrous fall.
The crowd erupted in a deafening roar of astonishment.
“Holy cow! Two lives with one strike, what kind of saber technique was that?”
The Steel Feather Eagles possessed formidable defenses. One of them had even been reinforced with the Steel Coat Dao Method. More crucially, both of these Steel Feather Eagles were Great Demons, over 500 years old with deep cultivation.
With a single saber strike, Chu Yun had instantly killed both Great Demonic Beasts of the same level.
It was an astonishing feat that left everyone dumbfounded, speculating about the nature of Chu Yun’s unexpected saber techniques.
“My Boss!” Wei Qian’s eyes turned bloodshot, his face contorted, tears welling up. He stared wide-eyed as the eldest of the Steel Feather Eagle brothers erupted in light. Its head transformed into a Lesser Demon Crystal, and its body into a Great Demon Crystal, falling onto the arena, stirring up a miniature dust cloud.
“Ah—! Chu Yun, I will make you suffer a fate worse than death!” Wei Qian roared, clutching his chest, his mind in a frenzy.
The loss was too immense.
He had never imagined that such a foolproof tactic would result in the loss of two of his Steel Feather Eagles.
These three Steel Feather Eagles had grown with him. They were his flesh and blood, his cherished treasures, his strongest trump cards.
Now, Chu Yun had killed two of them with a single saber strike, leaving only the youngest, Third, with its inferior cultivation of over 300 years.
“You’ve lost the Drunken Snow Saber now, let’s see what you’ll use to resist me. Chu Yun, I will ensure you die a miserable death!” Wei Qian sat on the eagle’s back, his facial muscles twitching, consumed by rage.
The Drunken Snow Saber was embedded in the cliff face. Chu Yun stood with empty hands, his expression calm. “Don’t you know that sparring in the Academy does not involve life and death? Do you intend to violate the Academy’s rules? If you kill me, you will pay with your own life. Do you still intend to attack?”
Wei Qian couldn’t help but freeze.
Though only scholars were visible watching in the arena, many staff members were hidden, specifically to prevent vendettas that could endanger the scholars’ lives.
Wei Qian had no doubt that he was currently being watched by these individuals. If he were to make a move and harm Chu Yun, the consequences would be dire.
This realization startled him. Immediately, a greater surge of grief and indignation washed over him, filling his heart. The enemy who had slain the Steel Feather Eagles stood before him, yet he could not exact his revenge!
“Ahhh!” He raged, his hair disheveled, tearing at his clothes and pounding his chest. “Even if I don’t kill you, I’ll beat you so badly you won’t be able to get out of bed for half a year. I’ll make you feel deep regret and resentment! I’ll make you understand the consequences of offending me!”
He roared and bellowed, his previous demeanor completely gone.
The onlookers watched with a mix of apprehension and pity. The sudden loss of two primary combat forces, their demonic beast companions, meant all their past efforts and arduous training were in vain.
Regardless of anything else, after this battle, Wei Qian would cease to be a major figure among the aristocratic scholarly factions. Without strength, no one would respect him.
“Did he really think of me as just a piece of meat to be trampled upon at will?” Chu Yun shook his head, feeling a touch of helplessness at Wei Qian’s outburst. He reached into his Immortal Pouch at his waist and drew out the Star-Fixing Bow, holding it in his hand.
Then, from another Immortal Pouch specifically for arrows, he drew three replica Meteor Arrows and nocked them onto the bowstring. These arrows were exquisitely crafted and were of the Lesser Demon grade, the work of Master Yu Ya.
For a moment, the entire arena fell silent.
Everyone, including Wei Qian, was stunned.
“Am I seeing things? A Demon Bow, a Great Demon-grade Demon Bow!”
“Chu Yun is nocking an arrow. Does he possess mastery in Archery Skill in addition to his accomplished Saber Techniques?”
“The Demon Bow has an impressive appearance; its quality is at least Middle grade.”
After a brief silence, the crowd erupted.
“Chu Yun still has a trump card up his sleeve, no wonder he’s so calm.”
“Wei Qian is in trouble. Demon bows excel at ranged attacks; his plan has backfired.”
Wei Qian was dumbfounded. When did Chu Yun acquire a Demon Bow?
He sat motionless on the eagle’s back, feeling his heart suddenly plummet from the heavens to the abyss.
The contrast was too great.
When had Chu Yun acquired a Demon Bow?!
The Demon Bow was entirely azure, like the stars, so dazzling in his eyes.
His ardent passion froze. Seeing the three arrowheads aimed at him, Wei Qian felt a gust of cold wind, seemingly from nowhere, sweep through his entire body.
“Continuous Volley,” Chu Yun called out softly, and three arrows shot forward simultaneously.
*Swish!*
The three arrows formed a single sound, linked end to end, piercing the air with a whistling cry.
Wei Qian jumped in fright and shouted, “Third, evade!”
The Steel Feather Eagle screeched, flapping its wings and narrowly dodging the arrows. Wei Qian broke into a cold sweat.
“Starlight Flash.” Chu Yun immediately nocked another arrow and released it. The arrow moved with blinding speed, and as the bowstring slackened, it transformed into a streak of starlight, instantly striking the Steel Feather Eagle’s chest and abdomen.
“Third, hold on!” Wei Qian gritted his teeth. The Steel Feather Eagle was unstable, and he swayed violently on its back, his heart pounding.
He opened his mouth, attempting to order a counter-attack. Then he heard Chu Yun’s command: “Feather Rain.”
With a swish, the arrow scattered into countless light feathers in mid-air, dazzling and blinding. They wove into a dense net of firepower, raining down upon the Steel Feather Eagle.
Wei Qian was terrified. He frantically patted his Steel Feather Eagle’s head and roared, “Fly! Fly out quickly!”
“Pierce the Sky,” “Feather Rain,” “Starlight Flash,” “Continuous Volley”…
On the ground, Chu Yun’s arrows flew relentlessly. In the air, Wei Qian urged his Steel Feather Eagle to constantly flee.
The spectators were dumbfounded.
The situation had changed so rapidly. In the blink of an eye, Chu Yun had cornered Wei Qian in the sky, chasing him like a frantic chicken.
“Arrows like the wind, I never expected this ‘Young Tiger’ to have this skill.”
“Look at how seamlessly his archery techniques connect, like flowing water. Heavens, his talent for archery is also so high.”
“Senior Wei Qian’s meticulously planned strategy has failed. Look at him struggling, it’s truly a tragedy.”
The crowd’s words were almost enough to make Wei Qian vomit blood.
“Damn it…” He wished to unleash Dao Methods to salvage the situation, but Chu Yun’s arrows were constantly pursuing him, forcing him into a desperate, unceasing escape.
“Ah! Chu Yun, you are so shameless! Using a second Demonic Weapon!” He was furious and roared loudly, speaking without restraint.
The spectators chuckled. “Didn’t you yourself use your second demonic beast first, Senior Wei Qian?”
“Senior Wei Qian truly lives up to his reputation as an aristocratic scion. How shameless, to even utter such words.” A commoner scholar seized the opportunity to suppress the aristocratic faction.
The scholars from the noble families fell silent, feeling their faces were disgraced. Some, with expressions of disappointment, quietly exited. Many could not bear to witness the pathetic sight of Wei Qian being relentlessly chased and battered by Chu Yun’s arrows.
“Pierce the Sky!” Chu Yun saw an opening and unleashed an arrow.
This arrow flew in a straight line, piercing the heavens. Following Chu Yun’s prediction, Wei Qian guided his Steel Feather Eagle directly into the path of the arrow. The eagle let out a pained cry, flipped over in the air, and Wei Qian tumbled off.
“Continuous Volley!” “Continuous Volley!” “Continuous Volley!” Chu Yun’s eyes blazed as he fired nine arrows in quick succession. All the arrows penetrated the Steel Feather Eagle’s body, and it was shot dead in mid-air. Upon landing on the ground, it dissolved into white light and transformed into a Demon Crystal.
“No!!!” Wei Qian crashed heavily onto the ground, suffering multiple fractures, internal bleeding, and dizziness. Seeing his last Steel Feather Eagle shot dead, he cried out in pain, spat out a mouthful of blood, closed his eyes, and fainted.
Wei Qian’s defeat was Chu Yun’s forceful response to the arrogant scholars who were contemplating their next move.
“As expected of the ‘Young Tiger,’ he had such a trump card hidden.”
“Senior Wei Qian’s defeat was too devastating. He lost his three great demonic beast forces, and all his past efforts have gone to waste.”
“Strange, why didn’t Chu Yun use the Demon Bow during his fight with Shi Jiaming?”
“Don’t you know? Shi Jiaming and Chu Yun are quite close friends.”
“Damn it, so that’s it! This is blatant score-boosting!”
Many suddenly understood. Chu Yun had intentionally lost to Jin Bihan to boost his score. Naturally, someone reported this. The Academy’s response was that if you could also achieve such intentional losses, you were welcome to boost your score.
“Score-boosting!” “Score-boosting!” Many became excited.
But when they tried to do so, they suddenly realized—it was incredibly difficult.
This kind of score-boosting required consecutive victories as a basic prerequisite. However, not everyone possessed the strength for consecutive victories. Chu Yun’s consecutive wins were due to his mastery of Saber Techniques and his status as the number one in the Academy. Other strong scholars were too proud to lower themselves and concede to a peer.
