Hu Xiaotian swiftly made up his mind and said under his breath, "Help the snow eagle!" He bent his bow and shot into the sky. The arrow streaked like a meteor straight toward a black eagle. To his surprise, it struck home, piercing the bird's chest and sending it plummeting headfirst.
At Hu Xiaotian's command, Zhan Peng fired into the sky again and again. His archery was outstanding: of the five arrows he loosed, three actually killed two eagles apiece. Eight black eagles fell to his five shots. Such efficiency left Hu Xiaotian staring, tongue-tied, and dealt a tremendous shock to the Black Eagle Army.
Although Hu Xiaotian shot quickly, his aim was truly poor. Out of ten arrows, only one found its mark. Even so, the Black Eagle Army was already beginning to crumble. With the two men's help, the snow eagle fought with mounting ferocity, batting another three black eagles out of the sky in that short span.
The black eagles were not frightened off, however. Those that remained still attacked madly. One even swooped from high above straight at Hu Xiaotian. He fired twice in succession, only to miss both times. Seeing the black eagle almost upon him, he was about to draw his sword and cut it down when a feathered arrow shot out with a whistle and pierced its neck. Zhan Peng had fired in time to kill it.
Hu Xiaotian breathed a sigh of relief and turned to give Zhan Peng a smile.
Zhan Peng gestured skyward with his lips. Hu Xiaotian hastily looked up and saw another black eagle diving toward him. He hurriedly drew his bow. This time, his arrow struck squarely, entering the eagle's mouth and piercing straight through its head.
Under the combined assault of the two men and the