Chapter 14: Bending the Bow to Shoot the Heavenly Dragon

The old witch stared intently at the black dragon in the sky, her eyes fixed. “That’s the black dragon of Jason, the Fourth-Rank Dragon Knight. I’ve seen it before. This young man must be Jason’s disciple. I never expected he’d manage to borrow that old ghost’s dragon.”

Chen Nan searched carefully through the crowd and finally found Nalan Ruoshui. A warm current surged through his heart.

He withdrew his focus and gazed up at the colossal dragon in the sky, showing not a trace of fear. Raising his spear with one hand, he angled it toward the heavens, his battle intent surging like a tidal wave.

Seeing Chen Nan’s expression, the Dragon Knight’s face flickered with doubt. He waved toward the sky, and the giant dragon spiraled downward. Within the training grounds, a fierce gale kicked up, sand and dust blotting out the sky.

The Dragon Knight quickly climbed onto the black dragon’s back. The black dragon shot into the sky, roaring continuously like rolling thunder.

Listening to the ear-splitting roars, everyone felt a wave of dread. Facing a behemoth like that black dragon, even watching from afar was terrifying—let alone fighting it.

The battle erupted once more. The Dragon Knight held no weapon, focusing solely on commanding the dragon.

Pffft!

The diving black dragon opened its massive maw and spewed a cloud-like dragon’s breath toward Chen Nan.

Dragon’s breath was highly toxic and corrosive, typically only exhaled by high-ranking dragons above the fourth rank. Even a single drop could kill a normal man with poison, dissolving whatever it touched.

Chen Nan moved like lightning, darting sideways more than ten zhang in an instant. Where he had stood, the ground was scorched black by the dragon’s breath.

The enraged dragon spat three more streams of breath, forcing Chen Nan to keep dashing and dodging across the field.

The watching crowd watched with pounding hearts.

The Dragon Knight called down from above, “Surrender! I’ll spare your life. You cannot possibly defeat this dragon.”

After evading the last blast, Chen Nan halted and said, “I may not lose.”

He had decided to use the Houyi Bow. Relying solely on his own cultivation, he truly could not overcome this dragon.

Just then, the black dragon dove like a bolt of lightning. After spewing its powerful breath, it swung its enormous tail horizontally, cleaving through the air.

Startled, Chen Nan pushed his family’s mystic art to its limit. Golden flames blazed from his body as he retreated like a golden arrow to the edge of the training grounds.

BOOM!

The massive dragon tail slammed heavily into the ground. The earth shook violently, dust and sand billowing across the arena. When the haze cleared, a chasm one zhang deep, two zhang wide, and nearly ten zhang long scarred the field.

Everyone outside gasped. The dragon’s power was horrifying.

The dragon circled and roared in the sky, its sonic vibrations rumbling like thunder.

Chen Nan strode boldly back to the center of the field, showing no fear. Once there, he took the Houyi Bow from his back and nocked the long spear onto its string. Faint golden light emanated from the pitch-black divine bow.

Most of the attending civil and military officials had never seen the Houyi Bow. Seeing him use a spear nearly a zhang long as an arrow, they were stunned.

From all directions, the vital energy of heaven and earth surged madly toward the center of the field. Waves of immense energy rolled across the arena like ocean tides.

Even the civil officials, who understood nothing of cultivation, could feel the surging energy. Everyone was shaken.

Nearby, the flow of vital energy intensified. Powerful forces circulated between Chen Nan and the Houyi Bow, causing both to emit a blinding radiance. His face resolute, he stared coldly at the dragon in the sky.

On the viewing platform, Emperor Chu Han nodded. “This young man is truly remarkable. At such an age, he already possesses the demeanor of a top-tier expert.”

The little princess muttered, “That bastard is usually such a rogue… now he looks so serious…”

Nalan Ruoshui’s emotions were tangled. She could hardly believe her eyes. The Chen Nan in the arena was utterly unlike the youth she knew. He seemed like a completely different person. She felt a growing distance between them…

Boundless energy now surged violently across the field. Chen Nan and the Houyi Bow emitted a brilliant light, and an indomitable aura radiated from him.

Everyone felt an immense pressure. The young man holding the divine bow seemed to transform into a towering giant, inspiring an impulse to kneel in worship.

Having gathered enough power, Chen Nan released it. Golden light flowed like water from the Houyi Bow into the spear, turning the steel weapon entirely gold.

The dragon in the sky seemed to sense danger. Its body trembled. Letting out a reluctant roar, it shot upward, trying to flee into the highest heavens.

But it was too late. Chen Nan gently released the bowstring.

A golden lightning bolt shot into the sky. Gale winds swept the training grounds, and thunder rumbled.

The celestial phenomenon terrified the onlookers. Many faint-hearted individuals collapsed to the ground.

The golden bolt caught up to the dragon in an instant. A miserable shriek echoed from the heights. A torrent of blood rained down, and the dragon plummeted like a kite with its string cut.

Chen Nan sprinted out of the training grounds. The massive black dragon crashed to the earth, shaking the ground and leaving a huge crater where it landed.

The spectators could barely believe their eyes. What had just happened seemed like myth—a young man had bent his bow and shot down a dragon!

This world-shaking arrow stunned everyone.

The spear fired from the Houyi Bow pierced through the dragon’s left eye and emerged from its forehead. The fatal shot killed the dragon instantly.

The Dragon Knight fell with his mount. Thanks to the dragon cushioning his fall, he survived but was severely injured, knocked unconscious on impact.

After the initial shock, the crowd erupted into deafening cheers.

Amidst the celebration, deep within the imperial palace, the emperor’s great-grandfather—the 170-year-old elder—gazed at the sky and sighed. “Just as I expected… truly unbelievable…”