The inner city walls were brightly lit.
Every few steps, torches were firmly secured to the walls.
Below, on the main avenue connecting the outer city to the inner city, the sound of galloping hooves echoed loudly, shaking the ground.
But as Jiang Ning's arrows flew, each shot effortlessly taking down a Black Mountain Cavalry rider, the deafening explosions of the arrows striking their targets disrupted the rhythm of the charging Black Nightmare Horses.
Following the orders of their leader, the Black Mountain Cavalry scattered in all directions, trying to use the buildings as cover to approach the city walls.
Seeing this, Jiang Ning leaped up and landed atop the battlements.
With the Black Mountain Cavalry closing within a kilometer, the high battlements had started to obstruct his line of sight.
Standing on the battlements, his view suddenly became completely unobstructed.
Immediately, he drew his bowstring to its fullest once more.
Meanwhile, in the outer city district
The leader of the Black Mountain Cavalry crouched low on his Black Nightmare Horse, reducing his exposure.
"Third Brother!" He stole a glance at Jiang Ning on the battlements before calling out in a hushed but urgent tone.
"Understood!" A cavalryman several meters away immediately reached for his bow.
This man was the most skilled archer in the Black Mountain Cavalry.
Though he couldn't unleash silent arrows, he had once shot an enemy general from a thousand meters away with a single arrow.
The next moment
Boom!
A thunderous explosion erupted.
The cavalryman, along with his horse, was instantly torn to shreds, blood and flesh scattering everywhere.
Seeing this, the leader of the Black Mountain Cavalry's pupils shrank dramatically.
He knew all too well the strength of his so-called "Third Brother."
Among his gathered brothers-in-arms, this man was not only an exceptional archer but also ranked fourth in individual combat ability an expert at the seventh level of martial arts, whose tendons had been tempered to the strength of a tiger's.
Such a powerful warrior, who had accompanied him through countless battlefields, killing over a hundred if not a thousand enemies, had just been obliterated by a single arrow from that mysterious marksman.
"Find cover! Quickly!!"
He immediately issued the order.
His voice, trembling slightly, carried far in the quiet of the night.
Meanwhile
Jiang Ning did not pause. He continued to shoot, his actions mechanical and precise.
With his current strength, he could fire two arrows in a single breath.
Under the augmentation of his Heart Arrow Technique, each arrow he loosed seemed to have a tracking system, locking onto its target effortlessly.
Against him, even an eighth-grade martial artist among the Black Mountain Cavalry could not withstand a single shot.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
One explosion after another shattered the night like rolling thunder.
With each thunderous blast, another Black Mountain Cavalry warrior was slain.
The relentless, one-sided slaughter threw the enemy into complete disarray.
Even though they were battle-hardened warriors who had crawled through countless corpses and traveled thousands of miles, their hearts as solid as iron, they could not help but feel despair at this moment.
Because they were dying one after another, utterly defenseless, unable to even fight back.
Soon
In less than a moment
All the remaining Black Mountain Cavalry had managed to find cover, hiding themselves away.
At last, the constant thunderous blasts ceased.
"Huuh"
The leader of the Black Mountain Cavalry let out a long breath.
"I hope the Saintess can deal with that archer..."
Peering out cautiously from his cover, he gazed at Jiang Ning atop the battlements.
At the same time
The soldiers on the city walls had witnessed the terrifying skill of Jiang Ning's archery firsthand.
Every arrow effortlessly claimed the life of at least an eighth-grade martial artist among the Black Mountain Cavalry, leaving them all utterly stunned.
Commander Xiao Chen's jaw dropped in disbelief.
As for Ge Zhengyuan, he couldn't hide his elation.
Jiang Ning's unexpected intervention had taken out seven or eight of the enemy's cavalry in an instant.
The once-momentum-filled charge of the Black Mountain Cavalry had ground to a halt.
Now, all they could do was cower behind cover, too afraid to reveal themselves.
With this, there was no longer any need to worry about the inner city being breached.
As long as the inner city stood, the Black Mountain Cavalry's plans for the night would amount to nothing.
His official position and even his very life were now no longer in danger.
It was as if he had been pulled from the depths of hell into paradise in an instant. How could he not be ecstatic?
His gaze turned to Jiang Ning, standing tall on the battlements, his eyes filled with deep gratitude.
He knew that if Jiang Ning hadn't been here tonight, the situation would have been dire.
Even if they managed to hold the city, the casualties would have been heavy, and he would have been held accountable.
He might have even perished in the battle.
But now, none of that was a concern.
With Jiang Ning standing there, the Black Mountain Cavalry didn't even dare to show their heads how could they possibly breach the city?
On top of that, reinforcements from all over the inner city were already on their way, steadily arriving at the battlefield.
The longer this dragged on, the stronger the city's defenses would become.
The Black Mountain Cavalry's chances of breaking through the inner city were dwindling by the second.
Meanwhile
Jiang Ning had already activated his Heavenly Eye.
From the corner of his eye, he discreetly observed a black-clad woman hidden within the dark mist.
She stood perfectly still on the edge of a rooftop, her legs straight and poised, as if completely indifferent to the chaos unfolding below.
Seeing this, Jiang Ning temporarily stopped paying attention to her and instead cast a faint glance into the distance.
With his Heavenly Eye now open, his vision had been greatly enhanced, and the darkness of night no longer posed any obstacle to him.
He saw that dozens of Black Mountain soldiers were still rushing toward the city.
These soldiers were all clad in armor and wielding sharp weapons. A single glance was enough to tell that they were battle-hardened veterans who had crawled out from piles of corpses.
Only then did Jiang Ning shift his gaze back to the Black Mountain Cavalry hiding behind their cover.
"Fortunately, I have already awakened the Heavenly Eye."
"If this were a few days ago before I had unlocked my Heavenly Eye, I really wouldn't have had many options against you hiding behind cover!"
"But now, mere obstacles won't protect you!"
Jiang Ning chuckled.
The next moment, his eyes sharpened, and his pupils contracted slightly.
The ethereal Heavenly Eye on his forehead suddenly grew even stronger. His gaze pierced through solid objects, easily revealing the Black Mountain Cavalry hiding behind the cover.
Immediately, he nocked an arrow and drew his bowstring once again.
The ordinary longbow in his hands was pulled to its full draw in an instant, and his sight locked onto a Black Mountain Rider.
"Commander Jiang, what is he…" Ge Zhengyuan glanced at Jiang Ning, then at the battlefield below.
In his line of sight, not a single Black Mountain Rider was visible.
That meant they had all successfully hidden behind cover.
Against a master archer, staying out of sight was the best way to survive.
At that moment
Twang!
Jiang Ning loosened his fingers, and the arrow shot forth.
The bowstring vibrated violently, instantly producing a misty white vapor.
In the blink of an eye, the arrow disappeared from Ge Zhengyuan's view, leaving only a faint white trail in the night sky.
Boom!
A thunderous explosion echoed from below the city walls.
Everyone turned to look.
Blood and flesh were splattered everywhere, and the snow behind the cover was instantly dyed red with fresh blood.
"Was that… luck?" Ge Zhengyuan stared at the scene, his expression filled with uncertainty.
Meanwhile
The Black Mountain Cavalry's leader was just as shocked.
The next moment
Boom!
Another thunderous explosion tore through the night.
Once again, blood and flesh flew in all directions, and the pure white snow behind the cover was stained red.
"Impossible!!!" The Black Mountain Cavalry leader's pupils shrank, his eyes filled with disbelief.
He immediately looked back toward Jiang Ning, standing on the battlements.
To his horror, Jiang Ning's arrow was already aimed in his direction.
"Not good!!!"
A surge of cold dread washed over him.
An icy fear gripped his entire body from head to toe.
At that moment, all thoughts fled his mind he had only one goal left.
Escape!
The farther, the better.
He didn't even care about his battle-hardened Black Nightmare Warhorse, which had accompanied him through countless battles.
There was only one thing on his mind
If he stayed where he was, he would be shot dead.
The two comrades who had just died behind cover were proof enough.
He didn't understand how, but the archer on the city wall could see through solid objects.
His arrows could effortlessly find their mark, even behind the cover.
A master archer of this level, with the high ground advantage, was an invincible force in the dead of night.
Then
Boom!
Another thunderous explosion erupted.
This notorious leader of the Black Mountain Cavalry, a man who had taken thousands of lives and committed countless atrocities across the land, was reduced to nothing more than scattered blood and flesh.
His remains were silently spread across a filthy alley in the outer city.
The blood from his explosion mixed with the grime on the ground, turning it a dark crimson.
Meanwhile
Jiang Ning locked onto his next target.
Twang!
The arrow sliced through the air.
A white streak cut across the darkness.
Boom!
Another thunderous explosion erupted, claiming yet another Black Mountain Rider's life.
Then
Twang!
Twang!
Twang!
With each passing breath, two arrows left Jiang Ning's bow.
Each shot claimed a life.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
One after another, explosions rang out across the outer city.
With each thunderous explosion, another Black Mountain Cavalry fell dead on the spot.
In just a few breaths' time, the thirty cavalry who had arrived were now reduced to barely a dozen.
Seeing this scene unfold beneath the city walls, Ge Zhengyuan was ecstatic.
The crisis of the city's fall had been so effortlessly averted.
This was entirely beyond his expectations.
Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that Luoshui County could produce a warrior capable of defending an entire city alone with nothing but a bow!
Meanwhile, atop the battlements
Jiang Ning had already noticed the eerie, ghost-like figure of a woman dressed in a black robe with a black veil covering her face as she glided forward.
Though she was invisible to ordinary eyes, Jiang Ning, with his Heavenly Eye activated, could see her presence.
Without hesitation, he discarded the longbow in his hand, which was on the verge of breaking, and retrieved a brand-new, standard-issue longbow from his Spatial Ring.
He nocked an arrow and pulled the bowstring once again, drawing it to its full length.
At that moment
His robes flapped violently, and his long hair, which hung down his back, was lifted into the air by the fierce winds.
The howling wind gathered around him, and arcs of electricity crackled across the arrow.
In the next instant
His arrow was aimed directly at the black-robed woman, who was invisible to the naked eye.
He had already formed a theory regarding her peculiar concealment.
It was likely a method that distorted vision similar to mirages in the desert or at sea.
All illusions are caused by the refraction of light.
This thought flickered through his mind in an instant.
Twang!
Jiang Ning released his fingers, and the bowstring let out a sharp, explosive snap.
The air in front of the bowstring condensed into a visible white mist.
This was the most powerful arrow he could unleash at his current level.
The arrow tore through the air, forming an eye at the center of a storm.
The howling wind was sucked into the arrow as it accelerated.
With every inch it advanced, its speed increased. The lighting on the arrowhead flashed ever brighter.
This was an arrow that truly lived up to the phrase "An arrow loosed, and the winds and thunder follow."
At this moment
The distance between Jiang Ning and the black-robed woman was less than three hundred meters.
In her widening pupils, the arrow carrying the power of wind and thunder rapidly closed in.
The arrow's reflection in her eyes grew larger and larger.
"How is this possible?!"
"How could he see me?!"
A fleeting thought raced through her mind before she could afford to think any further.
Because this arrow radiated an unparalleled sense of danger
A deadly threat.
The distance was too short she couldn't dodge it!
She made an instant decision.
Biting down on the tip of her tongue, she spat out a mouthful of heart's blood.
The moment her heart's blood ignited, her figure became blurry in Jiang Ning's eyes.
"Such speed!!"
Jiang Ning's gaze sharpened.
Through his Heavenly Eye, he could see that the black-robed woman had suddenly accelerated to an extreme degree, almost as if she had teleported, shifting half a foot away from her original position.
A mere half-foot
But that was enough to narrowly evade the arrow.
Yet
As the arrow whizzed past her temple, nearly grazing her cheek, the sheer force of the wind it generated sliced across her face like a blade.
Her black veil was instantly torn away, revealing a face as pure as a celestial maiden's and as flawless as white jade.
At the same time, her shoulder-length black robe was ripped apart by the arrow's turbulent winds. The shattered fabric fluttered in the night air, exposing her slender, delicate shoulders.
In that instant
She was finally revealed in full view to everyone on the city walls.
And at that moment
The soldiers on the battlements, upon seeing her face, were instantly dazed.
"How can there be such a beautiful woman in this world…?"
"So beautiful!!"
"..."
Soft murmurs of awe slipped from their lips.
Even Jiang Ning himself was momentarily entranced.
Before he knew it, he found himself standing in the heart of a steaming hot spring.
Thick mist swirled around him.
In the waters, countless breathtakingly beautiful women frolicked some as graceful as celestial maidens, others as seductive as demons.
Some were completely bare, some wore only sheer silk, while others wore nothing at all.
Water splashed as they played, droplets occasionally landing on his body.
Then
A soft, warm body pressed against his back.
Two supple peaks rubbed against him.
A pair of slender legs wrapped around his waist.
The fire of desire within him was instantly ignited, heat surging through his veins.
Meanwhile
The black-robed woman landed lightly on a rooftop.
She touched her cheek, feeling a faint stinging sensation. When she looked at her delicate fingertips, they were stained with a trace of blood.
Then, she chuckled softly.
"What an interesting young man."
Her once pure and holy expression was now tinged with a captivating seductive charm.
Her autumn-like eyes rippled with intrigue.
With a light tap of her embroidered shoes against the rooftop, she floated weightlessly into the air, drifting gracefully toward the city walls.
As she approached, she saw Jiang Ning still standing there, motionless, his eyes vacant.
The smile on her lips deepened.
-support me on Patreon for more chapters, 410+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LordoftheReader