The Great Demon King’s brow furrowed slightly. That last arrow was clearly no accident; it had been deliberately struck! And that technique... it looked somewhat like a human deity’s art, yet also akin to the Violet Vein bloodline power of the Barbarians...
The Jin Leng Yi Jian bloodline family, led by Jin Leng Yi Jian, seemed to be struck by lightning at that instant. They collectively shot upright, staring fixedly at the arrow Qian Jin had loosed!
The layman watches the spectacle; the expert always watches the Dao!
One arrow! With just a single shot, Jin Leng Yi Jian perceived the Dao behind that intercepting arrow—it was a new technique! Unlike that of the True Policy Dynasty, and unlike the Barbarians, it was a technique similar yet distinct, as if fusing the very essence of two major arts.
Clearly, this technique had not yet reached its zenith, as currently displayed! Jin Leng Mo Yan stared blankly at Qian Jin; there should be higher-tier combat skills for this art!
Qian Jin gently pulled at the corner of his lips. The reward earned from a recent victory during a spar at Uncle Enlack’s place was this: a new technique forged by blending the arts of the Barbarian and Human bloodlines.
Among the Demon race, whether using the Barbarian or Human techniques would be detected by the Heavenly Demon Eye bloodline demon warriors. Only this new technique was safe, and furthermore... its might... was greater than any single power derived from the three major bloodline arts!
“Continue,” Qian Jin smiled toward Jin Leng Mo Yan. “What’s the point in competing by slaughtering these warriors? Today, we change the wager! You handle the killing; I handle the interception. We each prepare fifty arrows. If the number of charging Human warriors ultimately exceeds twenty-five, I win. Otherwise, you win.”
The surrounding demons were once again taken aback. The Great Demon King’s smile widened; this kind of contest clearly favored the Heavenly Demon Eye bloodline demon warriors. It seemed that Ji Liu Fei Jing was extremely confident in his technique.
“You want me to forge you a bow? No problem! If you beat me, I will forge the bow for you!” Qian Jin displayed a hint of pride on his face. “If you lose, however, I am quite eager to witness the essence of the Heavenly Demon Eye bloodline technique. I wonder if you dare show it to me?”
...
Jin Leng Mo Yan stared blankly at Qian Jin. What was this Master thinking? He should know that the techniques of the Heavenly Demon Eye bloodline were a form of bloodline combat skill; even if one watched, it would be useless.
“Agreed!” Jin Leng Yi Jian shouted in response. “Regardless of the outcome of this match, our Heavenly Demon Eye bloodline family welcomes the Master to observe and engage in sparring and exchange with us.”
Hearing the Clan Leader’s reply, Jin Leng Mo Yan launched his arrows again without hesitation.
This time, Jin Leng Mo Yan concealed nothing. Only victory would secure the mighty bow; what more needed to be considered?
Arrows erupted instantly, resembling a shower of blossoms, spitting out twenty-seven sharp shafts! Each arrow spiraled through the air in an erratic trajectory, making it impossible for even the demons and humans to predict the true target location! It was like a hundred venomous snakes soaring through the sky.
Hundred Snakes Returning to the Nest! Jin Leng Mo Yan loosed twenty-seven sharp shafts in one moment; his hand trembled slightly. This was his ultimate strike!
If he had made the trajectories slightly clearer, if he had slowed the arrows’ speed even a little, he could have instantly loosed one hundred arrows, but this extreme version, possessing true lethality, could only manage twenty-seven shots!
Confidence! Jin Leng Mo Yan was confident that his opponent could not stop this attack this time. This was his ultimate demonstration!
From a distance, Jin Leng Yi Jian couldn't help but utter an exclamation of praise! Jin Leng Mo Yan had already cultivated his clan's technique to the fourth layer! Truly worthy of being the new Shadow!
The Eighth Prince, Lucifer Starlight, showed a faint smile. This Jin Leng Mo Yan had finally unleashed his full strength. This time, he would secure the first victory in the Imperial Battle Competition...
Bang! An arrow exploded mid-air, followed immediately by the complete detonation of the remaining twenty-six shafts. Everyone present clearly saw Qian Jin’s countermove, yet they could not believe what they were witnessing was real.
The technique of the Heavenly Demon Eye bloodline was not merely a single arrow; the shafts contained terrifying sequences of fighting energy (Dou Qi). Not only did this make them unpredictable in flight, but even solid steel would be pierced by the organized sequence of Dou Qi. Even if an arrow struck, it should be the attacking arrow that shattered, while the Heavenly Demon Eye bloodline arrow should continue its flight.
How? How was this possible? Jin Leng Yi Jian jumped up excitedly. The entire demon crowd froze on the spot. Jin Leng Mo Yan’s ultimate strike had been completely intercepted by Ji Liu Fei Jing? Intercepting one or two arrows was conceivable, but intercepting all of them?
The smile that had just bloomed on the Eighth Prince’s lips froze instantly, turning icy. In contrast, the Crown Prince standing nearby burst into a full smile.
Qian Jin raised a hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead. His archery technique had only just consolidated two combinations of Dou Xu (Fighting Sequences). The difficulty of forging the third combination was far greater than the previous ones. Condensing the Dou Yin (Fighting Seals) by combining the sequences of two similar techniques was exceedingly arduous, even with the aid of the Third Dou Xin (Fighting Heart), his cultivation speed wasn't as frenzied as that during the Supreme Void Soul phase.
Although the speed of piling up Dou Yin remained fast, the difficulty in stacking the Dou Yin formed by merging the essence of the two major bloodline arts—as devised by Uncle Enlack—was unusually high.
Jin Leng Mo Yan must have used the Dou Yin condensed from the fourth layer of his bloodline combat skill, Qian Jin deduced secretly. Indeed! The new combat skill combined by Uncle Enlack, only at its second layer of Dou Yin, could contend against the opponent’s fourth layer of Dou Yin.
The Human warriors who initiated the counter-charge stood frozen where they were, watching the series of bizarre events unfold, completely bewildered as to what had just transpired.
Qian Jin calmly stroked the mighty bow in his hand. “Shall we continue the contest?”
Jin Leng Mo Yan gazed silently at Qian Jin. His ultimate secret technique had been broken! The honor of the Heavenly Demon Eye bloodline, spanning many years, had been utterly shattered before so many Demon Clan leaders by a half-breed demon devoid of innate bloodline power? If it were a deliberate concession, that would be one thing.
But now, any discerning demon could see that this defeat came during a full-power confrontation.
Losing by concession was entirely different from being defeated by another demon in this manner.
“Continue!”
Jin Leng Mo Yan disregarded the potential offense to Qian Jin; his mind focused only on how to reclaim the glory of the Heavenly Demon Eye bloodline. The Heavenly Demon Eye was considered the strongest technique bloodline of the entire Demon race; even the True Policy Dynasty dared not underestimate it. Victory today should have belonged to the Heavenly Demon Eye bloodline.
Crack... crack... crack...
Jin Leng Mo Yan snapped the precious arrows in his quiver one by one, leaving only the very last shaft. He gently took the arrow in his hand, and his Dou Hun (Fighting Soul) slowly rose behind him.
Jin Leng Mo Yan slowly closed his eyes, gently placing the arrow onto the bowstring. The Dou Hun seemed ready to affix itself to the arrow.
An arrow loosed with whole heart, whole will, whole strength, and whole spirit!
The gems embedded in the bow began to emit dazzling seven-colored light. Streams of auxiliary magic attached themselves to the arrow, to Jin Leng Mo Yan’s body, and seemed even to try and attach themselves to the rising Dou Hun.
Jin Leng Mo Yan’s Dou Hun was simple: a colossal eye, covered in spiral patterns that radiated a terrifying, imposing power.
The intent of the arrow (Jian Yi), the aura of the arrow (Jian Qi), first emanated from Jin Leng Mo Yan, then returned like a returning wanderer to the arrow shaft. The target battlefield of Human warriors, merely locked by this aura, felt their chests collapse, and they spat out mouthfuls of crimson blood, staggering backward repeatedly.
The mere Jian Yi was enough to shatter a warrior’s body! Jin Leng Mo Yan was no longer the hidden Shadow striking from the dark; he was the general leading the charge on the main front lines. Wherever the arrow flew, there was a sea of corpses!
This was a desperate gamble! Qian Jin’s eyebrows jumped. Driven by his clan’s honor, Jin Leng Mo Yan had destroyed all his other arrows, forcing himself into a position with no retreat, unleashing his ultimate shot! If this single arrow wasn't stopped, he would be the victor!
The Three Great Dou Xin! The Supreme Void Soul!
The Dou Hun had appeared, and Qian Jin dared not show the slightest neglect. The Three Great Dou Xin spurred the Supreme Void Soul Dou Yin within the First Dou Xin to continuously propagate. That aura, akin to a Demon King, began to writhe and ascend, as if about to truly hatch from that massive Golden Dou Xin!
The searing, tricolored Dou Qi churned within the Heart of the Earth Fire, located in the core of this Demon King-like heart. It truly felt like a beating heart; with every pulse, the illusory Supreme Void Soul became slightly more real, and with every beat, the power of the Supreme Void Soul increased again.
What kind of combat skill was this? The surrounding Demon Clan leaders had witnessed many techniques, but never one so bizarre! Even the Great Demon King looked upon Qian Jin’s movements with surprise, a flicker of astonishment coloring his brow. No wonder he could make the Saints List; if he were not an ordinary demon warrior but a bloodline demon warrior, his ranking would likely be much higher?
“Great Ancestors! Are you watching me from the stars? Great Ancestors! I have inherited your noble and invincible technique bloodline. Today! I will prove that the Heavenly Demon Eye bloodline technique is the strongest under the starlight!”
The massive single-eyed Dou Hun released a stream of Dou Qi—the effect achieved after the technique Dou Yin shattered within the Dou Hun, now affixed to the arrow in Jin Leng Mo Yan’s hand. The writhing arrowhead seemed to genuinely sprout an eye to survey the battlefield.
Crack! The moment the arrow left Jin Leng Mo Yan’s bow, the sturdy bowstring instantly snapped. The gems on the bow lost their brilliant luster, growing dim before shattering, and then even the bow body split into two sections!
A full-strength strike! A strike capable of shaking the stars!
As the arrow flew, it emitted a sound akin to the roar of a colossal dragon from ancient times. All the air surrounding the shaft seemed to be entirely vacuumed away by this roar. A rumbling sound, like violent thunder, surged around the arrow, amplifying its might—as if anyone who dared block its path would be utterly pulverized!