Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies

"Were those guys who just passed by from the Sixth Group?"

On a government road outside the city, Dong Jing saw Shen Qing and the others flash by in the distance and couldn't help but feel puzzled.

"It's those lowlifes," an officer following him replied obsequiously as he stepped forward.

Dong Jing pondered for a moment and then instructed, "A few of you go check out the situation at Baili Village, the rest will come with me."

"Yes."

With a flick of the reins, Dong Jing chased after Shen Qing in the distance.

No matter what, the Sixth Group had gone to investigate the Baili Village massacre and must have some leads by now.

Following them might bring about some gains.

...

Shen Qing rode swiftly and, guided by Liu Sangui, arrived near a dilapidated and deserted Taoist temple.

From the temple's location, towering peaks could be seen piercing the sky all around. A raging river snaked through the valley below.

"Lord officer, we're here," Liu Sangui pointed toward a cliff behind the temple and said, "The locals often saw that Eagle Demon around here. Only, after several attacks by the demon, people stopped coming. Now, we don't even know if it's still here."

Shen Qing remained silent, perched on his horseback with his eyes narrowed, gazing intently around.

Under the azure sky, a few scattered clouds floated, empty of anything else.

At that moment, the sound of horse hooves came from behind, and Jiang Dacong and the others had followed as well.

Guan Yunjian and Uncle Shu exchanged a glance when they saw Shen Qing looking around cluelessly, a schadenfreude smirk appearing on their faces.

"The Eagle Demon is like seeing a dragon's head but not its tail; what are the odds of encountering it? Do they really think Eagle Demons are so easy to find?"

As they were thinking this, they saw a dark shadow streak across the sky and heard the cry of an eagle, immediately drawing everyone's attention.

Under the azure sky, a demon that was neither human nor eagle circled above their heads.

This Eagle Demon, over ten feet tall, was covered in black feathers that were close-knit and layered heavily.

Its outstretched wings were even wider, spanning thirty feet, like dark clouds covering the sky.

Guan Yunjian and Uncle Shu's faces tensed up.

Could it be that they actually encountered the Eagle Demon here?

Everyone looked up carefully upon hearing the sound, and spotted the sharp and curved beak, still dripping with fresh blood.

This Eagle Demon had already spotted them, its avian features merging strangely with human-like contours on its face, forming a mocking smile as if toying with prey.

Guan Yunjian and Uncle Shu, unable to accept their fate, thought to themselves, "Even if we are lucky to run into this Eagle Demon, what can we do? We have not reached the Innate level, unable to wield the rainbow light, and we are still powerless against this bird. If the Prefectural Governor from the government office and other lords were to take action, perhaps there would be a chance."

Compared to the tension of Guan Yunjian, Uncle Shu, and the others, Liu Sangui, who had seen many storms, appeared quite calm at this moment.

He couldn't help but look towards Shen Qing.

This man, their newly appointed officer for barely more than a month, now wore an expression of excitement on his face.

"As the saying goes, 'early arrival isn't as good as timing.' This really saves me a lot of effort," Shen Qing remarked.

As he spoke, he took down the dark iron Heavy Bow and dark iron Arrow from the horseback and silently nocked it onto the bowstring.

He flexed his arm, pulling the Heavy Bow to its full extent, aiming toward the heavens.

The Eagle Demon circling in the sky had sharp eyesight; it saw Shen Qing below, drawing the bow and readying the arrow and gave a human-like sneer.

"To think this broken bow and arrow could kill me is just wishful thinking."

The Eagle Demon turned its body, folding its wings and conjuring a gust of black wind as it plummeted toward the forest beneath the cliff. It vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye.

"It's escaping!"

Guan Yunjian, Uncle Shu, and the others saw the Eagle Demon take off and exclaimed, "Lord officer, the Eagle Demon has left. We should hurry and report to the Lord Chief Officer so he can make a decision. The Eagle Demon is not something we can handle."

"Leaving?" Shen Qing scoffed, "Did I allow it to leave?"

The Eagle Eye Skill was activated.

Instantly, Shen Qing's mind filled with the features of the surrounding peaks.

Roaring rivers, trees thick enough to embrace, mottled rocks...

A myriad of fractured images continually reassembled, gradually forming a bird's-eye panoramic view.

The gaze of Shen Qing plummeted as the sharp eyesight skill was activated.

In the midst of obscurity, he seemed to have captured with uncanny accuracy, a fleeting shadow hovering in the depths of the forest.

A slight smile involuntarily crept up the corners of Shen Qing's mouth.

In an instant, his eyes suddenly condensed; his fingers abruptly released their hold.

The bowstring, tense to its utmost limit, trembled and issued a clear and stirring explosive sound.

A dark iron Heavy Arrow, like a bolt of lightning, shot forth with a piercing whiz, cutting across the sky, directly aiming at a certain point in the void.

The Eagle Demon, wandering through the mountains, felt a sense of self-satisfaction at the time.

Ever since it had relied on its innate ability to control the wind and roamed freely across the world, making its way near Yongzhou County, it had always come and gone as it pleased.

The members of the Human Clan in the areas outside the city were completely unable to do anything to it.

In its eyes, the gatherings of the Human Clan outside the city were no different from granaries, ready to be used whenever it wished.

"Once I devour enough flesh and blood, my cultivation will certainly progress. How can those Four-legged Demons compare to me? The throne of the King of Demons must surely be mine."

Thinking of this, the Eagle Demon swelled with excitement and almost couldn't help but let out a triumphant howl to the heavens.

It shot up from the ground, suddenly bursting out from the depths of the forest with an unstoppable force.

Thwack!

Just as the Eagle Demon burst out of the forest, it abruptly heard the sharp, ear-piercing sound of an Arrow cleaving through the air.

Turning its head to look, it saw a dark iron Heavy Arrow, carrying an air of invincibility, speeding directly toward it.

Bow Technique's Limit-Breaking Skill, every arrow hits the mark!

The distance of three hundred meters was well within the maximum lethal range of a Heavy Bow.

Without the slightest hesitation or obstruction, in the astonished gaze of the Eagle Demon, the heavy arrow pierced through its feathers as tough as iron, erupting with a muffled sound of flesh and blood ripping apart.

The dark iron Heavy Arrow, with its unstoppable momentum, bored through the Eagle Demon's body, leaving a trail of blood and shattered bones along its path, and made a ghastly gaping hole.

A flash of disbelief swept through the Eagle Demon's eyes; its massive body violently shook, releasing a painful scream that echoed to the heavens.

"To think a mere human should die, I'll eat you alive!"

The Life Force of a demon is exceedingly robust.

Even after being pierced by an Arrow, the Eagle Demon had not lost its life or the power to move.

It flapped its wings, swooping straight toward Shen Qing, intending to tear this diminutive human into shreds.

But before it got far, several dark iron Heavy Arrows came flying from behind, as if anticipating the Eagle Demon's movements, shooting toward it with precision.

The Eagle Demon's pupils contracted sharply as it suddenly realized it had guessed wrong, and a wave of terror overcame it instantly.

Thwack, thwack, thwack...

Numerous dark iron Heavy Arrows penetrated its demon body one after another, turning it into a sieve.

The Eagle Demon looked down at the various bloody holes in its body in disbelief: "Mercy..."

"Mercy? Now?" Shen Qing, without haste, notched another heavy arrow and cast a casual glance ahead: "Too late!"

The heavy arrow shot forth, exploding the Eagle Demon's head upon impact.

Splashes of crimson blood sprayed continuously from the sky, like a rain of blood.

The headless Eagle Demon's massive body slid through the air before crashing heavily to the ground not far from Shen Qing, kicking up a ten-foot-high cloud of dust.

All was silent.

Shen Qing, with an indifferent expression, re-mounted the Heavy Bow on his horse and nonchalantly said to Guan Yunjian and Uncle Shu behind him, "Do I have to do the dirty work as well?"

Guan Yunjian and Uncle Shu, along with others startled from their shock, couldn't believe it.

They couldn't comprehend how Shen Qing had so effortlessly slain the Eagle Demon, one of the most troublesome creatures dealt with by the Guardian Martial Department.

At that moment, Dong Jing just happened to arrive nearby and witnessed the scene of Shen Qing shooting the Eagle Demon, his mouth agape in astonishment.

They were all too familiar with this Eagle Demon; it had almost become a bane of their Military Department.

But now, this bane had been so effortlessly dealt with by Shen Qing.

That precise Archery even made him a bit frightened.

Suddenly, he felt that this new Chief Officer was rather formidable...