Chapter 1184

Qin Dongluo snapped, "Who are you? How dare you kidnap a honored guest of my Mangjiao Island!"

Yan Tianlu glanced at the white jade bow in Tang Jingyu's hand and said, "You must be from Luoying Palace—your weapon alone is so extraordinarily noble; it seems the young lord of Luoying Palace, Tang Jingyu, has arrived." From the weapon alone he had already identified the opponent; this youngest chief of Mangjiao Island, yet the most meticulous in thought, no wonder he earned Yan Tianlu's esteem.

Yan Boguang couldn't see what was before him, but hearing the voices he knew rescue had arrived, and he wailed, "He… he killed my sister…" Only then did he recall that his sister had been slain by Tang Jingyu.

Everyone's faces darkened, Yan Tianlu's thick brows knitting together; though he heard such terrible news, he did not lose his composure, for he was a hegemon who ruled his domain, and Yan Tianlu had already resolved in his heart to kill Tang Jingyu, saying in a low voice, "Mangjiao Island and Luoying Palace have never had any grudge; I don't know why you have come to Mangjiao Island and harmed my kin."

Tang Jingyu said, "Island Lord Yan, plain speaking—hand over the Shooting Sun True Classic and Lin Jinyu, and I will spare your nephew's life."

Yan Tianlu still managed to suppress his anger, saying calmly, "I have never heard of this Shooting Sun True Classic, and I do not know the Lin Jinyu you mention; Young Master Tang, could it be that you have believed slander and thus fallen into a misunderstanding?"

Tang Jingyu said, "If I had no real certainty, I would not have come to you. Yan Tianlu! I give you half an hour!"

Yan Tianlu replied coldly, "Young Master Tang probably doesn't understand my character—I never bargain with others; do you think killing my nephew will let you walk away alive from Mangjiao Island?"

Tang Jingyu chuckled, "Then I'll give it a try—see if you can actually keep me here." He suddenly turned the arrowhead toward the crowd opposite and loosed a shaft; this arrow was not aimed at Yan Tianlu but at a pirate on the edge of the throng, who could not dodge Tang Jingyu's arrow and cried out before collapsing dead on the spot.

Yan Tianlu sent a mental transmission to Luo Qianfu behind him: "Fifth Brother, you draw his attention." Then he called out loudly: "Old Fourth, take the brothers and retreat." Given the situation, having too many people stay would only be a big trouble; Tang Jingyu is ruthless and vicious—although he does not directly attack Mangjiao Island's five chiefs, he will surely not miss when shooting down the pirates who have followed them over.

Tang Jingyu said, "Island Lord Yan, please show some sincerity; as I know, your brother who is a bandit in Xichuan dotes on this son very much."

Yan Tianlu continued with mental transmission to the two beside him: "Dongluo, I will attack head-on from the front; you are responsible for rescuing the person, and Sixth Brother, you cut off his retreat." Yan Tianlu possessed no Shooting Sun True Classic, and even now he did not understand why Luoying Palace was seeking trouble with him.

Jiang Xingquan led the pirates in retreating to a distance, and Luo Qianfu followed suit; only Yan Tianlu, Qin Dongluo, and Lu Qingyuan remained on the scene.

Shooting Sun True Canon

Yan Tianlu was not indifferent to his nephew's fate; he simply had no Shooting Sun True Classic to offer. Having wandered half his life and seen many storms, even in a passive situation he knew how to resolve it, but if he yielded to Tang Jingyu's coercion, the situation would only become more passive.

Seeing the opponent begin to retreat gradually, Tang Jingyu felt a flicker of delight in his eyes. At that moment a birdcall came from above—a flock of gulls flapped their wings and dove from the sky toward him; just as Tang Jingyu looked up, Yan Tianlu had already surged forward, his Ironback Azure Dragon moving like a fleeing hare, rushing at Tang Jingyu with astonishing speed, while Qin Dongluo and Lu Qingyuan began to activate their techniques.

Tang Jingyu had not expected Yan Tianlu's speed to be so astonishing; in the blink of an eye the distance between them had closed to about sixteen meters.

Yan Tianlu never showed any intention of yielding; his aim was to make Tang Jingyu feel that Yan Boguang was not that important in his heart, so that Tang Jingyu would think threatening Yan Boguang's life now would be useless, only causing him to lose the initiative—and possibly his life—to Yan Tianlu's iron fist.

Yan Boguang saw his uncle actually rush forward without regard for his own life, and he was so frightened his face turned ashen, silently thinking it was over, fearing he would die today on Python Flood Island; if he had been able to foresee the present situation back then, he would not have taken even half a step out of Xichuan no matter what.

When Yan Tianlu activated, Tang Jingyu showed not the slightest hesitation; he decisively abandoned Yan Boguang, tapped his toes, his body shooting backward swiftly—Whoosh! —an arrow shot toward Yan Tianlu.

Yan Tianlu actually did not dodge or evade, throwing a punch straight at the arrowhead; the feathered arrow striking his fist could not penetrate his flesh the slightest bit, and on top of that his punch knocked the arrowhead askew. Tang Jingyu also could not help but feel shocked in his heart—he never expected Yan Tianlu to have already cultivated an Indestructible Vajra Body.

The tens of thousands of seagulls controlled by Luo Qianfu, like snowflakes, completely enveloped the figures of the few people locked in fierce battle; Yan Tianlu secretly sighed, this Luo Qianfu is truly foolish—just attracting Tang Jingyu's attention would have been enough, yet he actually managed to stir up such a huge commotion; now it's not only affecting Tang Jingyu, but even their line of sight is affected.

The pirates watching from the periphery only saw birds filling the sky and covering the ground ahead, each of them secretly praising the Fifth Chief's formidable tactics, and Jiang Xingquan said, "Fifth brother, let's go over and help!"

Luo Qianfu said, "Fourth brother, just stay calm; with the eldest brother's and their martial arts, subduing Tang Jingyu is more than enough."

Tang Jingyu's three consecutive arrows failed to make Yan Tianlu retreat even half a step; Yan Tianlu was now less than one zhang away from him, Tang Jingyu's long-range attack advantage had been completely exhausted, panic flickering in his eyes—judged purely by martial skill, he was absolutely no match for Yan Tianlu.

At that very moment, amidst the sky-filling birds, a gray great eagle appeared, upon which sat a small-built old man in gray robes, his eyes deeply sunk, sharp light flashing; he held a black wood bow, drawn like a full moon, the arrowhead aimed and shot straight at Yan Tianlu.

Yan Tianlu had not expected that this flock of birds would actually provide cover for the enemy; one enemy had long been hidden among the birds, lurking in the air, the feathered arrow came rushing at him, Yan Tianlu let out an angry roar and swung his fist to meet the arrow—each time before he had shattered Tang Jingyu's incoming arrows, it was not thanks to his tough body but to a layer of protective aura surrounding him.

The arrow struck the invisible aura, actually producing a sound like a gas explosion; at the instant fist and arrow collided, centered on that point, a wave of air radiated outward, dozens of birds were shaken to the ground by this powerful air wave, half of them already dead.

After the old man fired his first arrow, the second arrow he merely drew the bowstring to the full without nocking an arrow—Bang! —though the sound was not loud, it felt as if someone had dealt a heavy blow to Yan Tianlu's chest, leaving him feeling a tightness in his sternum; then the old man shot another arrow, this one containing an incomparable amount of power; although Yan Tianlu again used his iron fist to shake the arrow away, he felt an invisible arrow qi like needle-points prick his heart, his eyes filled with shock—the opponent had actually reached the stage of condensing qi into arrows; Yan Tianlu pressed his lips tightly, saying nothing, and strode forward to the right front.

The old man rode the gray eagle close behind, continuously shooting three more arrows at Yan Tianlu, who actually leapt straight down from the edge of the cliff ahead.

Qin Dongluo had already gotten close to Yan Boguang's side, he grabbed Yan Boguang up in one hand and shouted loudly, "Fifth brother, withdraw the formation!" He complained that there were too many birds, seriously obstructing his line of sight; at that moment Lu Qingyuan also arrived behind him and said softly, "Third brother, how is it?"

Qin Dongluo said, "He's already been rescued, hurry and go help the eldest brother!" While speaking he kept striking at the chaotic birds flying and colliding in front of him; suddenly a chill ran through his back, Qin Dongluo lowered his head to look, and saw a blood-stained arrowhead protruding from his chest.

Tang Jingyu rushed over from the front, drew his white jade bow, and shot an arrow straight at Qin Dongluo's throat; Qin Dongluo tilted his head back and fell. He and Lu Qingyuan exchanged a tacit glance, and Lu Qingyuan let out a mournful howl: "Third brother, third brother! Tang Jingyu, I'll fight you to the death!"

Tang Jingyu drew his bow, nocked an arrow, aimed at Lu Qingyuan's right shoulder and shot again; Lu Qingyuan let out a miserable cry, clutched his shoulder, and blood seeped out between his fingers.

Yan Boguang, with his eyes covered, not knowing what was happening around him, cried out in panic: "Save me… save me…"

Luo Qianfu dispersed the birds, and the sight before them left everyone shocked beyond belief—yet they saw Yan Boguang still sitting on the ground, terrified to the point his soul seemed to have left his body, trembling uncontrollably, while Third Chief Qin Dongluo lay on the ground, an arrow in his throat, dead on the spot; Sixth Chief Lu Qingyuan also had an arrow in his shoulder, his whole body stained with blood, but Chief Yan Tianlu was nowhere to be found.

Everyone hurriedly gathered forward, Jiang Xingquan lifted Lu Qingyuan's body and asked anxiously, "Sixth brother! Sixth brother! What's wrong with you?"

Luo Qianfu, however, lifted Qin Dongluo's body from the pool of blood, tears streaming as he cried out, "Third brother! Third brother…" While loudly weeping, he probed Qin Dongluo's pulse and breath, overcome with grief, saying, "Third brother has been killed!"

Upon hearing the news of Qin Dongluo's death, wailing rose all around; Qin Dongluo was generous and righteous, deeply beloved by the bandits on the island, and besides, he had followed Chief Yan Tianlu from childhood, being the most loyal of them all.

Lu Qingyuan covered his shoulder with one hand, his forehead beaded with cold sweat, his face ashen, evidently enduring great pain; he said in a trembling voice, "Third brother was killed by Tang Jingyu… we… we must avenge third brother…" These words immediately provoked a response from the bandits, who shouted in unison, "We will avenge the Third Chief!"

Luo Qianfu said, "Brothers, let's first find the island lord and then talk!"

Everyone began to return to spread the news, and not long after, the pirates of Python Flood Island almost poured out en masse, launching a carpet‑like search on Flying Dragon Peak. (To be continued~^~)