Chapter 158: Chapter 122 Dark Arrow_2
Fifteen people in total.
Then the Volcanic Crow flew back. Chen Ku retracted it into his mind, seeing the scene from the Volcanic Crow’s perspective. Looking down from above, it was none other than the surging Dragon River, but on its banks, there were three monsters—one large and two small.
Their appearance featured lion heads, ox bodies, and wolf hooves. They were covered in black and red manes that draped over their bodies like straw coats, with waterweeds tangled within. A single horn, about a foot long, grew on each of their heads. The largest one was the size of a thatched hut, while the two smaller ones were as big as lions or tigers. They seemed like a family of three.
Year Beasts. Chen Ku recognized them at a glance; they were the Year Beasts from this world that would emerge from the depths of rivers and seas during the New Year to prey on humans and livestock.
But the Year Beasts were not the most crucial part. What was key was the group of people surrounding them on the riverbank. Each person wore red clothing and stood according to some kind of ’Formation.’ They continuously threw out a series of Explosion Talisman Paper. Under the night sky by the river, the thundering BLASTS they created were even louder than the torrential river water, sending the three horned Year Beasts into a panicked flight.
Those people were obviously Demon People from Peace Path. This act was clearly aimed at driving the Year Beasts from the riverbank into the forest, preventing them from escaping back into the water, and then exterminating all three beasts from the shore in one fell swoop.
From the scene observed through the Volcanic Crow, Chen Ku was able to gauge the strength of the Year Beasts and the fifteen Peace Path Demon People. At least twelve of those fifteen Demon People were in the Inner Qi Realm. The remaining three, he estimated, were of the Mystic Barrier Realm.
And for such a frighteningly powerful team to be hunting them, the largest Year Beast had to be at least Second Realm in strength, possibly even Third Realm.
Chen Ku slowly opened his eyes. He assessed the strength of the three parties. After all, the Year Beasts were demons without much intelligence. They faced fifteen human experts, three of whom were from the Mystic Barrier Realm, and this group had come prepared for this New Year’s hunt. The chance of those people successfully hunting the three Year Beasts was high, but there would surely be sacrifices and injuries. Overall, the Demon People of Peace Path were almost certain to prevail.
But if I could seize the opportunity... With just a thought, Chen Ku made up his mind. He turned and headed toward the direction where the group of Demon People was driving the Year Beasts into the forest.
Before long, he found a high vantage point. Then, using Golden Eyes Hundred Li, he looked down below.
Just as expected...
Under his watchful eye, he saw that one of the Little Year Beasts, having been driven into the forest, now lay there as a corpse, covered in numerous sword and knife wounds.ROAR!!
The Great Year Beast went berserk in the forest, darting around with the other Little Year Beast, seizing opportunities to bite at the Demon People from Peace Path. Their numbers had already dwindled to eleven. Even one of the Demon People leaders in the Mystic Barrier Realm was injured. On his arm was a layer of ice, apparently from frostbite.
Next, Chen Ku saw the cause of the leader’s frostbite. He witnessed the Great Year Beast suddenly lunge in the forest. It pounced toward a middle-aged man wearing a red headband and dressed entirely in red. The man had a middle-aged complexion, a beard, and fair skin. Opening its massive maw, it shot out a bowl-thick stream of water.
"Constable Zhang, be careful of the Year Beast’s Ice Stream Skill!"
The red-dressed, fair-skinned middle-aged man, Constable Zhang, heard the warning. In a panic, he instinctively turned to the side, feeling an intense coldness brush past his nose. When he looked in the direction of the water stream, it had already hit a tree, freezing a large section of the trunk and extinguishing its life force.
This Year Beast can actually spit water into ice. Chen Ku was also astounded. But it seemed that only this Great Year Beast possessed such an ability; the two Little Year Beasts hadn’t reached that level yet.
Looking down, Chen Ku saw the Demon People of Peace Path fiercely battling the Year Beasts. The Great Year Beast’s abilities were enough to crush any single Demon Person of the Mystic Barrier Realm.
Chen Ku kept his gaze fixed on the Mystic Barrier Realm Demon Person whose left arm was frostbitten. Standing on high ground and looking down, he didn’t hesitate. He activated the Arrow Technique Force Power from the Sky Eagle Eight Arrows, combined it with his Divine Power, and drew the Five Thousand Stone bow. Then, he released his fingers, letting the arrow fly from the bow!!
The Demon People of Peace Path, embroiled in the fierce battle in the woods, had no defenses up at all—they didn’t expect someone to ambush them from above.
WHOOSH!!
The moment someone heard the thunderous whistle of an arrow tearing through the air, one of them saw its streaking shadow. His face changed, and he instinctively shouted in panic, "No good, there’s a hidden arrow from the mountain, aiming to inju—"
Before he could finish his sentence.
BOOM!!
The arrow had already struck the back of that frostbitten-armed Mystic Barrier Realm Demon Person. The terrifying impact flung him from where he stood, pinning him directly to a tree.
From over a mile away, an arrow pierced his heart!
This Mystic Barrier Realm Demon Person was instantly killed by the hidden arrow. He had no time to react, not even leaving a final word.
"Constable Liu!"
Instantly, the Demon People attacking the Year Beast roared in terror, all subconsciously looking towards the mountaintop. "Someone ambushed us! An arrow killed a Mystic Barrier Realm Constable! What kind of expert is this?!"
Even Chen Ku was startled by the might of his own arrow. He hadn’t expected to kill a Mystic Barrier Realm Demon Person with a single arrow. After all, the formidable Life Force of the Zhao Family’s old servant, Liang Shi, had previously left him deeply wary. His greatest hope for this arrow had been merely to inflict a serious injury, requiring at most one more shot to finish the job. But unexpectedly, a single arrow had struck true, piercing the heart and ending his life instantly.
He couldn’t help but look down at his Five Thousand Stone Purple-Gold Heavenly Wolf Bow, seriously considering its might for the first time. It turned out that his Divine Power, combined with the Five Thousand Stone divine bow and a sneak attack, possessed such terrifying power.
He felt a momentary pang of regret. That was a strand of Mystic Barrier Realm Evil Qi... He had fired the arrow, and the man had died before he could even register hatred or plot harm against Chen Ku.
However, just as Chen Ku felt that moment of regret, it was also when the group of Demon People at the foot of the mountain discovered his location.
[Zhang Yuan intends to harm the Master...]
[Wen Tianjun intends to harm the Master...]
...
In an instant, ten consecutive alerts from the Transformation Diagram popped up. Triggered by the Demon People looking at him, Chen Ku’s diagram buzzed continuously.
Seeing this, Chen Ku, on the contrary, felt the corner of his mouth curl into a smirk. He turned, raised himself slightly, aimed down at the foot of the mountain, drew his bow, and fired several arrows in quick succession.
THUD! THUD!
In the woods, some Demon People were glaring angrily towards the mountaintop. However, the next moment, an arrow pierced through the air, directly nailing one of them through the skull.
[Diagram Master has killed Demon Person Wen Bin, obtaining one stream of First Realm Evil Qi...]
As Chen Ku continued to fire his divine arrows from the mountaintop, it was like a roll call of death with each shot.
WHOOSH!
WHOOSH!
[Diagram Master has killed Demon Person Qu Fang, obtaining one stream of First Realm Evil Qi...]
[Diagram Master has killed Demon Person Hu...]