Niu Hanshan's Trump Card, the Azure-eyed Antelope Horn Bow, the Demons Gather

A cultivation method of this level, even in Black Mountain County, was possessed by only a small handful of aristocratic clans.

Looking across the many villages and towns around Black Mountain County, most martial artists cultivated only methods that were beneath the grade.

If a martial artist possessed a High-grade Yellow Tier cultivation method, then the family he belonged to could absolutely already be counted as a renowned great clan in the vicinity of Black Mountain County.

When Niu Hanshan had previously invited him into the mountains to hunt demons, Lu Yang had guessed that he might have some trump cards in hand.

After all, for an ordinary Houtian First Level martial artist to charge alone into mountain forests crawling with the Demon Race was already an extremely perilous matter, to say nothing of going to kill Old Master White Crane, who was most likely at the late Second Tier.

Even so, Lu Yang had not expected that the Niu Family's foundation could actually rival that of the disciples of those aristocratic clans in Black Mountain County.

Not only did he possess Quasi-First-tier pills, he also had a High-grade Yellow Tier cultivation method. This truly lay beyond his expectations.

A moment later, Niu Hanshan slowly withdrew his technique and opened his eyes.

"This time, many thanks, Brother Lu. As for the silver, once we return, I will naturally raise it for Brother Lu," Niu Hanshan said with a smile.

Lu Yang waved his hand and said with a smile that was not quite a smile, "Those are all small matters. Rather, Brother Niu, you really hid yourself deeply enough. A High-grade Yellow Tier cultivation method is not something just anyone can possess."

"Heh heh."

Niu Hanshan smiled. "Everyone has their own secrets. Brother Lu, you are the same, are you not?"

"Brother Niu's words are exactly right," Lu Yang said. "However, you should at least let me understand your true methods. Otherwise, if we are suspicious of each other, how will we join hands in the future to deal with that Old Master White Crane?"

Niu Hanshan nodded. "My Niu Family did not have any shameful secrets to begin with. There is no harm in telling Brother Lu."

Lu Yang leaned his back against a large boulder as tall as a man, folded his arms, and adopted the posture of a listener.

Niu Hanshan said, "Since Brother Lu works in the Black Mountain County Yamen, I wonder if you have ever heard of a figure by the name of Niu Haocheng?"

Lu Yang's brow moved slightly. "Iron Arm Goat, Niu Haocheng! You are his descendant?"

"Haha, I did not expect that after so many years had passed, there would still be someone who remembered the ancestor's name!" Niu Hanshan's expression was somewhat complicated.

Lu Yang said, "Back then, Senior Niu Haocheng relied on an antelope-horn bow forged from the horn of an Azure-eyed Antelope, along with the strength of nearly ten thousand jin in his right arm, to achieve a resounding reputation in the Black Mountain County region, helping our Black Mountain County Yamen put down dozens of Demonic Calamities.

Afterward, he even ascended in one stroke to the position of County Lieutenant, and was known as the strongest County Lieutenant in Black Mountain County in nearly two hundred years. Naturally, his great name was like thunder filling the ears."

These words of Lu Yang's truly were not flattery.

According to the records, that Niu Haocheng had merely been born a hunter. Relying on the monstrous strength he was born with in his right hand, along with his transcendent archery, he rose from humble beginnings, repeatedly pacified Demonic Calamities, and ultimately established a family in Black Mountain County City.

Within the borders of Black Mountain County, he was a model of a martial artist's rise, and even more so a spiritual example for many constables of Black Mountain County.

Back when he had still been only a constable, Constable Chief Yan Liu had often used Niu Haocheng's deeds to encourage everyone to practice martial arts.

Lu Yang admired Niu Haocheng as a person. He sighed and said, "Unfortunately, Senior died young, buried at the hands of the Demon Race. Otherwise, today, it might not have been impossible for him to charge toward the Fourth Realm Grandmaster stage."

"If he had become a Grandmaster, then naturally it would have been the sea wide enough for fish to leap, the sky high enough for birds to fly." Lu Yang was not without regret.

Hearing these words, Niu Hanshan's expression turned complicated, and he said slowly, "Back then, if not for someone in the county yamen who was jealous of the worthy and envious of the able, worried that the ancestor's reputation was too great and might threaten his position, and then leaked the ancestor's whereabouts, the ancestor would not have ended up with both body and Dao extinguished."

"There was such a thing?" Lu Yang frowned.

Niu Hanshan sighed and said, "It is all in the past. That person also died in a demon's mouth long ago, so there is no need to mention it. Did you not want to know my methods? Look at this!"

The instant his words fell, a small bow actually appeared out of thin air in Niu Hanshan's palm.

Accompanied by the infusion of true qi, in just a short while, that small bow had already become a strange great bow as tall as a person!

"This... a Spirit Weapon?!" Seeing this scene, Lu Yang's breathing grew a few degrees more hurried.

Niu Hanshan said, "This is the [Azure-eyed Antelope Horn Bow] left behind by the ancestor. It is not a Spirit Weapon, and is still only a Treasure Weapon..."

Lu Yang immediately understood in his heart, while also feeling a somewhat indescribable regret.

Spirit Weapons were blades that contained a trace of spirituality, and only Grandmaster-level experts could activate them. Their might was terrifying.

As for Treasure Weapons, they were the pinnacle of mundane weapons, and usually only Xiantian martial artists could control them.

Although this [Azure-eyed Antelope Horn Bow] had not reached the level of a Spirit Weapon, it already possessed the wondrous ability to grow or shrink at will.

From this, it seemed that back then, that Niu Haocheng had likely truly already reached Xiantian Peak, only one step away from breaking through to Grandmaster.

At that time, if this [Azure-eyed Antelope Horn Bow] had been tempered by a Grandmaster, it really could have become a Spirit Weapon!

Although this [Azure-eyed Antelope Horn Bow] was powerful now, in the end, it was still only an extremely rare Treasure Weapon.

Of course, with this Treasure Weapon in hand, Niu Hanshan's strength could naturally receive an enormous boost.

Lu Yang made a rough estimate. With a full-drawn arrow from this [Azure-eyed Antelope Horn Bow], if it struck a vital point, then even Old Master White Crane at the late Second Tier would be unable to avoid death if his vital point were hit!

No wonder, then, that though Niu Hanshan had only just entered Houtian, he had the confidence to go kill Old Master White Crane.

Treasure Weapons required true qi to activate. Clearly, before breaking through to the Houtian Realm, Niu Hanshan, who had no true qi, simply could not use this bow.

If not for that, the Demonic Calamity caused by those four Leopard Demons earlier could have been settled easily with this [Azure-eyed Antelope Horn Bow] alone.

Thinking of this, Lu Yang asked again, "Rumor has it that this bow is extremely difficult to draw. With Brother Niu's current arm strength, how many times can you draw it in one day?"

When Niu Hanshan heard this, he smiled awkwardly.

"Brother Gu overestimates me. With my current arm strength, even with true qi to bolster me, I still cannot draw this bow at all."

"Fortunately, this bow was personally refined by the ancestor. When it was refined, it absorbed a portion of the ancestor's qi-blood essence. When necessary, I can drip my blood essence onto the bow, forcibly draw it, and release one arrow!"

"After that one arrow, within three months, unless my cultivation breaks through again, I will be unable to release a second arrow!"

Lu Yang understood. "In that case, that arrow of yours was saved for Old Master White Crane at the end, right?"

Niu Hanshan nodded. "Exactly."

White Crane Ridge.

A group of the Demon Race had formed a circle around an enormous white crane.

"Two of the Butterfly Demon scouts I sent to Niushi Town are dead."

A faint voice echoed through the mountain forest.

The owner of the voice was a bewitching female demon with butterfly wings growing from her ribs.

"A batch of my subordinates are dead too." A huge gray Giant Wolf suddenly spoke in human tongue.

Not far away, a massive Brown Bear said, "Looks like what they said was right. That brat really did flee onto our territory."

"Hmph! The human race really are a pack of trash. With a mere Houtian First Level cultivation, they still let that brat escape." A Giant Python was coiled around a towering tree as it spoke disdainfully.

Beside the white crane, a Red Fox narrowed its eyes and said unhurriedly, "Heh-heh, doesn't that brat like hunting demons? Why not scatter some bait through the woods and catch him like a turtle in a jar!"

Old Master White Crane neither agreed nor disagreed. He looked toward a great tiger lying coiled on a large rock not far away and said with a hint of respect, "What does Brother Tiger think?"

The great tiger lifted his eyelids with some reluctance and said, "He's only a small fry who has just entered the Houtian Realm. Handle it as you see fit, but there is one thing: you must not diminish the dignity of Black Mountain Lord. You have failed repeatedly in Niushi Town these days, and the Lord is already somewhat displeased."

The white crane hurriedly said, "Brother Tiger, rest assured. That little constable is merely a tiny variable. In the past, I never took him to heart and let him hop around for a few days. This time, he won't have such good luck again."

The Tiger Demon said coldly, "It had better be so."