Chapter 04: Hou Yi Slays the Dragon
by Donghua ReaderIn the shadow of the volcano, the clash of mortal and beast ignites, with the legendary Houyi Bow as the key to victory or doom.
The colossal serpent loomed, its hundred-foot body standing erect with terrifying might, its tail gripping the volcanic ground as if poised to transform into a dragon and ascend to the heavens.
The Power of the Houyi Bow
The young princess, Chu Yu, casually plucked an eagle-feathered arrow and nocked it onto the Houyi Bow. Summoning every ounce of her strength, she drew the ebony bowstring back just a fraction. A faint golden light emanated from the bow, flowing like mist toward the arrow. The ordinary iron tip transformed into golden essence, and the eagle-feathered arrow became a radiant streak of light as it left the string.
Amidst roaring winds and thunder, the heavens and earth paled.
The golden arrow tore through the void, reaching the serpent’s eyes in an instant. Sensing the immense power, the serpent recoiled in terror, plunging toward the ground to evade the blinding beam. Its massive body coiled around the crater’s rim, trembling uncontrollably.
The arrow missed, leaving the group disappointed. But thunder roared again as the golden arrow screeched back from the distance, its brilliance outshining the sun. In a flash, it pierced the serpent’s body.
“Pfft!”
A torrent of blood erupted, crimson mist billowing from the crater. The serpent thrashed violently, hurling boulders in all directions. Chu Yu and her companions scrambled for cover.
After several minutes, the serpent ceased convulsing, rearing upright again, its monstrous head towering over ten zhang. It glared malevolently at Chu Yu, but its eyes flickered with fear upon seeing the Houyi Bow. A gaping wound, pierced by the arrow, bled profusely, light shining through the gash.
An apprentice mage urged, “Your Highness, fire the divine bow again! Strike that wound, and you’ll slay the demon serpent!”
“No, I have no strength left to draw the Divine Bow. You try!” Chu Yu replied.
Over a dozen guards attempted to draw the bow, but none could budge the string.
Chen Nan, hidden behind a rock, watched closely. He knew the Houyi Bow better than anyone present. Without supreme martial prowess, drawing it was impossible. Had Chu Yu possessed greater strength, a single shot could have slain not just a serpent, but a mighty dragon. Legends spoke of the bow felling celestial deities, making it one of the Xianhuan Continent’s most formidable treasures.
The Serpent’s Wrath
The serpent, realizing the bow was no longer a threat, blazed with ferocity. Glancing at the Blazing Immortal Lotus, it charged toward the group.
Chen Nan, sensing danger, bolted down the mountain. Chu Yu, panic-stricken, admitted, “I’ve vastly overestimated my strength!”
The guards shouted, “Your Highness, flee now!”
Slinging the Houyi Bow over her back, Chu Yu cast a lingering glance at her companions before racing down the mountain. The serpent plunged downward, stirring a whirlwind. Its massive head reached the group instantly, shattering their pale blue magical barrier. The three apprentice mages coughed up blood, and the guards were hurled down the mountainside.
The serpent caught two guards, crushing them into pulp before the others could react. Ignoring the rest, it pursued Chu Yu with vicious fury. Chen Nan, running ahead, felt his soul nearly leave his body as the princess trailed close behind, the serpent in relentless pursuit.
Chu Yu screamed, “Ah…”
Chen Nan shouted, “Little Devil, stop whining like a ghost! Don’t trail me like a shadow!”
“You filthy thief! How dare you speak to me like that? I’ll have you castrated!” Chu Yu retorted, her composure gone. “Ah… the stinking snake is coming…”
The surviving guards, despite their injuries, thrust their swords at the serpent, but their blades were useless. The serpent’s massive body slammed them aside like scarecrows. It opened its blood-red maw, spewing a torrent of flames toward Chu Yu.
Her face twisted in terror as she screamed. As the flames closed in, the Houyi Bow emitted a faint golden glow, blocking the inferno. Startled, the serpent halted.
The Master’s Arrival
A thunderous roar echoed from the distance, shaking the volcanic slopes. “Yu’er, do not panic. Your master has arrived.”
Chen Nan’s ears rang, nearly causing him to stumble. A middle-aged man in loose robes materialized a hundred paces away.
“Waaah… Old man, why did you take so long? That stinking snake would’ve eaten me!” Chu Yu cried.
Chen Nan, his qi churning, plopped onto the ground. “Such powerful sound techniques—could it be the Azure Dragon Roar? She called him ‘old man’—is he a rejuvenated master?” He stared as the man closed fifty paces in an instant.
“Shrinking the Earth to an Inch—a technique bordering on the Dao! His martial prowess is at least master-level.”
The man stood before Chu Yu, ignoring the serpent’s menacing glare. He patted her head affectionately. “Ha ha, little girl, had enough of a rough time?”
“Stop it, don’t hit my head!” Chu Yu pushed his hand away, pouting. “Were you hiding, laughing at me?”
“If I’d been here, would I let that little snake chase you?” he replied.
Chen Nan was baffled by their casual dismissal of the colossal serpent as a “little snake.”
The surviving guards stumbled toward them. The man ordered gravely, “Stay away from this volcano. Retreat as far as you can.”
Chu Yu led the wounded guards down the mountain. Chen Nan had already fled, eager to escape the princess. “Hey, scum! Stop, or I’ll skin you alive!” she snarled.
Having endured her torment, Chen Nan retorted, “You stinking princess, you’re dreaming! I’ll make you pay, you XXXXX…”
The guards cursed him from afar, too injured to pursue. Chu Yu trembled with fury, restrained only by her exhaustion. Chen Nan reached the mountain’s base and hid in the forest, eager to witness the battle.
Man Versus Beast
The serpent, wary of the Houyi Bow now with Chu Yu, hesitated to attack her master. Sensing his immense power, it writhed uneasily. The man’s aura shifted, radiating confidence like a colossus.
Enraged by repeated challenges, the serpent spewed searing flames. The man dodged with lightning speed, striking the serpent’s wound with a palm. Blood gushed forth, and the serpent collapsed, its eyes glowing savagely. Its tail lashed out, carving a gash into the mountainside with a thunderous roar.
When the dust settled, the man stood atop the volcano. The serpent reared, its jaws lunging to devour him. Undaunted, he charged, his fists unleashing a vast white light that collided with the serpent’s maw.
“BOOM!”
The serpent crashed to the ground, sending rocks flying. The man was hurled across the crater, tumbling in disarray. Chen Nan marveled at his transcendent cultivation.
The battle resumed, the man targeting the serpent’s eyes with lightning-fast strikes, while the serpent countered with brutal sweeps. Man and beast clashed across the volcanic terrain, boulders tumbling as their struggle shook the mountain.
The Battle Descends
The fight drifted from the crater, descending the mountain. Chen Nan sensed trouble and fled further. Chu Yu and her companions retreated a mile back, just as their former hiding spot became the new battlefield. The man’s punches unleashed blazing white light, pulverizing rocks and trees, while the serpent’s fiery breath and sweeping tail razed the forest.
In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the forest was reduced to scorched earth. Chen Nan, watching in terror, recalled his father’s prowess but had rarely seen such intensity. Chu Yu rejoiced, knowing the serpent’s earlier fury would have killed her.
The man gained the upper hand, relentlessly pounding the serpent’s wound. Chu Yu cheered, “Master, kill that stinking snake! Avenge my guards!”
Her taunts grew bolder: “Old man, you’re so clumsy! How could you let that snake gain the upper hand? Did my praise make you proud?”
“You’re hopeless! How could you let it set your hair on fire?”
The man severed the scorched hair and retreated. Chu Yu teased, “Master, you’re such a coward!”
Chen Nan chuckled inwardly. Having such a demonic disciple must be this man’s greatest misfortune.
Stung by her words, the man unleashed his full might, beating the serpent into exhaustion. But the serpent’s tail coiled around his waist, flinging him into the air. Chu Yu screamed, rushing forward despite her guards’ protests.
The man glowed with white light, loosening the coils, but the serpent’s maw lunged. His fists repelled it, but the tail tightened again. Chu Yu, now ten zhang away, cried, “Master… waaah…”
“Yu’er, I’m fine. This little snake won’t take my life,” he reassured.
“Master, catch the Houyi Bow!” She tossed the bow and an arrow upward.
“Waaah… I’m sorry, Master. I wanted to see your true strength, so I didn’t give it earlier,” she sobbed.
“Don’t be afraid, Yu’er. With the Houyi Bow, it’s doomed.” He punched the serpent’s head, sending it reeling, and drew the bow into his grasp with a soft glow.
Chu Yu retreated as the serpent recoiled from the bow. The man nocked the arrow and strained to draw the string. “Release!” he bellowed, but the bowstring didn’t budge.
“Yu’er, has someone else used the Houyi Bow?” he shouted.
“Yes, old man. That bloody hole was my arrow. Aren’t you pleased? I drew the divine bow!”
“What? You foolish child! The Houyi Bow can only be used once a year. You’ve ruined everything!”
“Ah… Master… Wuu…”
The serpent, realizing the bow’s limitation, lunged. The man swung the bow like a club, snapping the serpent’s fangs in a spray of blood. The serpent flung him into the air, but he landed and charged again.
Chen Nan winced. Using the Houyi Bow like a club? What a waste!
Chu Yu laughed, “The old man is truly amusing!”
The man leapt, striking the serpent’s scales with the bow, sending blood and fragments flying. The serpent thrashed, its tail shaking the earth, but the man evaded, beating it relentlessly.
The Serpent’s Transformation
Suddenly, the serpent glowed golden, its scales turning into armor, four protrusions emerging, and golden antlers sprouting. A dragon’s roar echoed, its aura forcing creatures to prostrate within a hundred miles.
“A dragon! I’ve seen the legendary dragon!” Chen Nan exclaimed.
“Heavens! We’re fighting a dragon!” Chu Yu cried.
The man’s expression turned somber. He knew the serpent’s transformation had failed—its claws hadn’t emerged, dooming it to death.
“Brother Serpent, I apologize. I mistook you for a snake demon. You cultivated ten thousand years for dragonhood. Had you not been at this critical moment, we’d have perished,” he murmured.
The serpent’s scales peeled, revealing mangled flesh. It roared, expelling a golden inner core that burst into a golden rain and then vanished. The serpent, now a streak of golden light, plunged into the volcano.
The man felt profound loss. Killing a sacred serpent poised for dragonhood weighed heavily on him. “Right or wrong? Perhaps this world has no such thing,” he sighed.
He approached the crater, plucked one petal from the Blazing Immortal Lotus, and tossed the plant into the volcano. “Brother Serpent, this may be Heaven’s will. Had the lotus ripened earlier, you might have ascended. May you attain dragonhood in your next life.”
Chu Yu and her entourage arrived. “Master, what happened? How did that snake turn into a dragon?”
“You must have seen wrong. How could it become a dragon?” he replied.
“It was a dragon! I saw it clearly!” she insisted, turning to the guards.
“It was a dragon,” they affirmed.
“Hallucinations from tension,” the man said calmly.
“Hmph, you’re acting strange, old man. You’re hiding something,” Chu Yu huffed.
He chuckled, handing her the lotus petal. “Here’s the Blazing Immortal Lotus you wanted.”
“Only one petal?” she whined.
“Getting even one is fortunate. The rest fell into the volcano.”
“Oh, what a pity,” she sighed. “Did you kill the snake?”
“It perished beneath Hou Yi’s bow.”
“You’re so listless after slaughtering a dragon—no, a serpent!” she teased.
He pinched her nose playfully. “You snuck out of the palace! You nearly gave your father a heart attack.”
“I came for the lotus for Father Emperor’s birthday. He’ll be overjoyed,” she retorted.
“You don’t realize how dangerous this was!” he scolded.
“Enough! You’re naggier than my grandmother. I heard you had a crush on her when you were young, true?” she teased.
“Don’t change the subject,” he said, exasperated.
She giggled, “Yes, as you command. I’ll return to the palace.”
“You’re too mischievous. I can’t rest easy,” he sighed.
“Aren’t you coming back?” she asked.
“I heard of a divine qilin in the Luofeng Mountains. I must investigate, but I’m worried about you,” he replied.
“A qilin? I want to go!” she exclaimed.
“No, your mother’s ill from worry. Return at once.”
Her face fell. He returned the Houyi Bow. “How did you sneak this out? It’s Chu’s treasured heirloom, meant to deter foreign masters.”
“I just borrowed it,” she said nonchalantly.
“It’s sealed to one use per year. Fortunately, Chu has no major enemies now,” he warned.
“I know—it,” she drawled, trailing off.
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