Chapter 206: Everyone is Erniang

With this order, the Baling army's swords, spears, halberds, and axes all went up to greet General Hong. Even an iron man would be stabbed into a hornet's nest.

However, when the first spear tip pierced, General Hong's figure vanished abruptly.

Without warning, and without leaving any residual image of movement, he was just gone.

The subsequent stabs, cuts, and slashes all hit nothing.

Only a cicada slough the size of a little finger was left in place, floating lightly into the sky with the breeze.

The Li Dai Tao Jiang technique.

General Hong had stolen a cicada slough and placed it in the stable the first time he entered, and no one noticed. If He Lingchuan saw this scene, he would probably smile knowingly.

General Hong, who had swapped positions with the Ghost Shadow Cicada slough, naturally appeared in the stable.

Shao Yingyang's gaze swept over, and he was suddenly terrified: a shadow appeared in the stable, wielding a knife to hack at the copper talisman on the ground.

In his shock, he didn't have time to think, bit the tip of his tongue, pointed at the stable, and shouted: "Suppress!"

A silver-white lightning bolt appeared in mid-air, striking General Hong's crown with the force of ten thousand jun.

This lightning bolt illuminated most of Weicheng, and it must have been very powerful; after all, thunder was the righteous law of heaven and earth, and logically it could break all ghosts and monsters.

But General Hong extended the index and middle fingers of his left hand and clamped them on his head, as if he had calculated it beforehand.

The aggressive lightning bolt was actually clamped in his hand! Understated.

It was still crackling and struggling like a live snake, but it couldn't escape General Hong's palm.

His right-hand long knife wasn't idle either, very smoothly drawing a "Z" on the copper talisman.

The knife moved lightly, but the mark was very deep, almost piercing the copper talisman.

In this way, the cyan light disappeared, and the array immediately stopped working.

The Three-Corpse Insects wandering everywhere had originally been afraid of the thunder and scattered, but once General Hong crushed the thunder snake and broke the copper talisman, they became as high-strung as if they had been injected with chicken blood, launching even more violent attacks against the nearest targets, as if they were ashamed and angry.

Hundreds of three-corpse worms invading hosts—it was impossible to describe how sinister and weird the scene was. If anyone on the scene could witness it with their own eyes, they would never forget it for the rest of their lives.

The Baling soldiers who were originally fighting in a ball with Captain Xiao Maoliang Maoliang and the others were all stunned, their pupils gradually losing focus, but their facial muscles twisted.

And then they turned around, howling and wielding weapons at their companions behind them.

The battle situation suddenly collapsed on one side, and the Baling army collapsed across the board.

The Baling people of this period hadn't yet figured out more effective means to deal with three-corpse worms.

General Hong's plan was finally completed, despite many twists and turns in the middle.

The enemy suddenly turned against each other, and Captain Xiao Maoliang Maoliang and the others breathed a sigh of relief, hurriedly pushing the city gate open again.

The enthusiastic sound of horse hooves finally arrived outside the city.

The Dafeng Army arrived, coordinating from inside and outside.

Summoning the thunder snake was originally a huge consumption, but it was subdued in one go, and Shao Yingyang vomited two large mouthfuls of blood on the spot. His spirit immediately withered, and his face shriveled, but his eyes stared fixedly at General Hong: "Impossible, even a divine messenger couldn't catch the small heavenly thunder..."

His subordinate supported him and shouted: "General, the city gate is broken, Weicheng cannot be stayed in!"

Weicheng's main gate was wide open, and the Dafeng Army surged in like a tide.

Although this ambush force only had four hundred people, the Baling garrison in Weicheng still had more than a thousand, but most of them were ridden by three-corpse worms and had almost no combat power. Even those around Shao Yingyang had to take out magic tools and light up talismans to ensure they wouldn't be confused.

Weicheng under the control of the Baling people was gone.

Shao Yingyang looked around, and no matter how unwilling he was, he had to order a retreat from the north gate.

He sat on the horse's back, looking at the stable and gritting his teeth: "There are gods three feet above the head, Mitian, you can't escape..."

He originally intended to say a harsh word before running, but a long spear suddenly shot from the post station, as fast as thunder, surrounded by electric light, with unparalleled power.

Shao Yingyang couldn't dodge at all.

Just as he was about to be skewered, a huge black shadow suddenly crashed over, blocking in front of him.

It was the huge stone man puppet.

Only a "pop" sound was heard, the stone puppet's chest was pierced, and the huge body disintegrated in the electric light.

This lightning was General Hong returning it in full.

The long spear's remaining power didn't fade, actually piercing Shao Yingyang's throat and bringing out a handful of red blood.

The stone puppet's blocking couldn't change his final outcome.

Shao Yingyang didn't even scream before falling off the horse.

The power of one spear reached this point.

Only then did everyone discover that what General Hong threw wasn't a long spear at all, but a pitchfork from the stable, only the fork head was broken.

He picked up whatever was at hand, just handy.

"Too much nonsense."

The remaining Baling people were scared out of their wits and had no fighting spirit, picking up Shao Yingyang's corpse and retreating to the north.

This time it was the Dafeng Army's turn to pursue relentlessly.

But there were streets and houses in Weicheng, with countless obstacles, hindering the Dafeng Army's interception efficiency. And the copper talisman array still running on the north gate restored the sanity of many Baling people.

Finally, more than a hundred riders ran out of Weicheng's north gate and fled east.

In Weicheng, Captain Xiao Maoliang Maoliang asked General Hong whether to pursue, and the latter only said: "Forget it, the mastermind has been eliminated, do not pursue the remaining bandits." He only brought four hundred cavalry to steal the city, and his troop strength wasn't abundant; for now, just consolidate the results. Moreover, the Baling people still had 40,000 troops wandering in the wilderness, who could kill a carbine at any time.

"Guard Weicheng well, the Panlong wilderness will naturally help us beat back the Baling army."

Captain Xiao Maoliang Maoliang responded with a "yes" and went to arrange the city defense mission.

This time, taking Weicheng didn't use strong attack means, the city itself was intact, and even the main gate only had a few more feathered arrows. By the way, Weicheng's city walls and main gate were re-reinforced by the Baling people, and several defensive works were installed. The Dafeng Army also found many defensive materials in the nearby warehouse, and even food and salt were surprisingly sufficient.

Clearly, after Huamucuo took Weicheng, he wanted to operate it well as a bridgehead and further covet the Panlong wilderness in the future. Who knew that Shao Yingyang would come and command it, causing Weicheng to return to the enemy's hands. If Huamucuo found out later, he would probably be so angry he'd vomit blood.

General Hong walked to the stone puppet.

Stones of various sizes were scattered all over the ground, and one stone the size of a fist was actually still trembling.

General Hong cut it into two halves with a knife, and inside was a red crystal with fine incantations engraved on the surface.

There was also a gold lacquer embedded on the crystal, which was a sealing spell.

If you looked closely, there seemed to be light smoke-like things swimming in the crystal.

General Hong scraped off the gold lacquer with the tip of his knife, and then squeezed hard, and the crystal opened from the middle. The light smoke swam out, actually forming a phantom of a bear in front of General Hong.

"So it was driven by bear soul." General Hong waved his hand. "You are liberated, go."

He lifted his hand, and the light smoke floated away four feet in fear, then bowed to him twice before dissipating in place.

Iron, stone, etc., have no life. If puppets made of such materials can move and fight, they must be driven by the souls of living things, and the stronger they were in life, the more solid the soul would be, and the more powerful the puppet. The core of the puppet can be used repeatedly. If General Hong hadn't opened the seal, it would have been trapped forever.

Only then did General Hong look at his left hand.

The palm was almost pierced, charred.

It was either red or black, and except for the back of the hand, there wasn't a piece of good flesh, and white bones were visible at the finger roots.

Originally, it was almost impossible for anyone in the world to catch thunder without paying any price.

Shao Yingyang still had two brushes.

The personal guard had sharp eyes and saw it: "General, you are injured! Do you want to..." Do you want to find someone to treat the wound?

General Hong clenched his fist: "No need."

￥￥￥￥￥

He Lingchuan's speed was not fast, but when he ran to the front of the passage, he found that the way back was blocked by heavy spider webs! Looking back, the spider was already a few zhang away.

Even though it was pregnant, its movement speed was still shockingly fast.

The spider also opened its mouth: "Little thing, where do you want to run?"

He Lingchuan swallowed his saliva: "Zhu Erniang?"

"Otherwise, who do you think it is?" It didn't look like Zhu Erniang; it was Zhu Erniang! This monster actually returned to the nest without a sound and wove a web on his retreat path one step ahead, only then going to the cave to block him.

High combat value was one thing, but its mind was also more meticulous than humans.

"Was it you who set the fire?"

Zhu Erniang received the report from the spider children and grandchildren, and when she returned, she saw the raging fire in the nest, and she was truly furious.

Although it used magical powers to extinguish the big fire, the aphid pasture it had cultivated for many years had been destroyed by at least one-third. With autumn and winter approaching, its spider army would likely face the trouble of insufficient food.

"There is only this one cave entrance." He Lingchuan said honestly. "The fires in other cave entrances were caused by the Baling people."

"The damage they caused is not even one-ten-thousandth of yours!" Zhu Erniang laughed out of extreme anger. "I will personally dissolve your muscles, tendons, and bones, turning you into a water bag. When my children eat you, you will definitely still be very clear-headed!"

Zhu Erniang walked over slowly, and countless spiders emerged from behind, the sound of rustling filling the entire cave, making one's hair stand on end.

This was an inescapable disaster. He Lingchuan cupped his hands: "Anyway, I can't fly with wings, can you please clear my doubts before I die."

This person who wasn't afraid of death, she had seen many, and eaten many, but it was rare to see someone who could still ask questions calmly before death.

She was a little curious.

Zhu Erniang's descendants in the Ghost Needle Shi Lin were endless, and even she herself didn't know how many cave spiders were here. But these silly things had limited intelligence; seeing her, they would lie on the ground, how would they dare to talk to her?

Alas, there wasn't one who could chat. And she was a Erniang who liked to chat.

He Lingchuan pointed his finger at the rock wall: "What's going on with those seven nesting-doll-like spider monsters, are they your predecessors?"

This place was like an exhibition hall. Did spider monsters have a tradition of collecting the remains of their predecessors?

This question made Zhu Erniang hesitate significantly before saying: "Yes, and no."

It stood beside the largest giant spider, and the difference in size was obvious: "These seven remains here are all my previous selves!"

This answer shocked He Lingchuan severely: "What did you say, these seven are all you?"

"Ignorant human, do you think I am a nameless wild monster on the side of the road?" Zhu Erniang said proudly. "In the ancient times, I walked on the Panlong wilderness with this body, which was then called the Panlong Mang wilderness. This place was my cave, Xixia Residence!"

He Lingchuan finally knew what characters were engraved on the big stone tablet outside the cave entrance.

"Then the few remains behind?" The so-called "remains," in He Lingchuan's understanding, were the sloughed skins and shells.

"Later, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth declined rapidly, not enough to support the activities of my original body, just like a giant whale cannot live in shallow water." Zhu Erniang's voice was very helpless. "I had to abandon my original body and evolve into a new self."

He Lingchuan was shocked.

This big monster was saying that its original body was more powerful in ancient times, but unfortunately, it couldn't adapt to the rapidly changing environment, so it had to actively abandon it and change into a weaker body? Its way of saying it was also very interesting, "evolve."

For such a big monster, it was actually degeneration, right?

He Lingchuan tentatively asked: "That is equivalent to giving up cultivation and preserving one's own spiritual consciousness?" This should be a species talent; humans probably couldn't do it.

The old turtle monster's "soldier disintegration" technique was very similar to it, it could only be said that creation was wonderful.

"Yes. In such long years, I have compressed my cultivation seven times before finding the way to survive today." Zhu Erniang sighed long. "All the light and heat emitted by the spores here come from the power remaining in the remains."

In the deep environment of the cave, without fluorescent spores, moss carpets couldn't be grown, giant aphid herds couldn't be raised.

That is to say, it actually supported the entire ethnic group with its own strength.

Who could understand the hardship of its struggle for survival over these thousands of years? Not only did it have to live well, but it also had to raise a family.

"Answer finished, where do you want me to bite?" She walked toward He Lingchuan, a bit impatient.

"I have two last questions!" He Lingchuan seized the time. "Was ancient times the era of immortals? Why did spiritual energy decline rapidly?"

Regarding the decline of spiritual energy, there was great controversy in historical theory, and it was truly a case of a hundred schools of thought with no consensus.

Later generations looked at it, and the more they looked, the more confused they became.

Zhu Erniang knocked on the ground: "Yes."

It knocked on the ground again, indicating the answer to the second question: "I don't remember clearly. In the process of changing these seven skins, I lost a lot of key memories." Things like reducing cultivation and secretly seeking longevity were originally going against the sky, so how could there be no price? Of course, the most critical thing was that its patience had run out, and it was too lazy to answer again.

The chat was enough, and this cat-and-mouse game should end. That's right, she was the impatient Erniang.

"Regarding ancient times, I only remember sporadic fragments and scenes, and these have nothing to do with you!"

It was tall and long-legged, and in a few steps, it came to He Lingchuan, opening its mouthparts and revealing sharp poisonous fangs.

Looking up from He Lingchuan's angle, this pair of poisonous fangs was pitch-black and shiny, as big as two curved forks, with saliva dripping from the surface.

Prey injected by this pair of poisonous fangs would be too light to describe as "unable to seek life or death."

"You are right, it has nothing to do with me." He Lingchuan smiled bitterly and drew his long knife with a clang.

This ant-like human still wanted to resist? Come on, come on, it liked to see the prey's struggle, so that it would taste better later. Zhu Erniang smiled contemptuously, but saw him turn his hand and slit his own throat, neat and clean!

"..."

A real man should die happily.

To avoid suffering.

Something flew over in the sky, circling twice in Weicheng. 【

Something flew over from the horizon and circled Weicheng twice.

General Hong raised a glowing spore and shook it twice before the thing confirmed the location and flew down to land on his shoulder.

It was exactly the sparrow hawk that had rushed back.

"The Panlong City reinforcements have arrived outside the Ghost Needle Shi Lin and are working with General Nanke to jointly resist Hua Mucuo." The sparrow hawk was tired; its journey here had been fast and urgent, and its wings hadn't rested all night. "On the way back, I also saw Commandant Sun's team; they are leading the Baling army in circles on the wasteland."

The mission of that Great Wind Army unit was to lure away the main force of the Baling army, allowing General Hong to take the city by surprise.

It opened its mouth, panting and dissipating heat, and added, "General Nanke was at a disadvantage facing Zhu Xiuer in the Ghost Needle Shi Lin, so he had to burn its nest to divert its attention, only then leading the army to successfully escape the stone forest."

Afterward, it recounted the whole process.

General Hong personally fed it water and stroked its feathers—his hand was already healed—letting the sparrow hawk rest for more than a quarter of an hour before instructing, "You go find Commandant Sun and tell him to return to Weicheng. From now on, we switch from offense to defense."

Dawn had broken, and the battle was about to enter its second half.

The sparrow hawk accepted the order, flapped its wings, and flew away.

General Hong glanced toward the Ghost Needle Shi Lin and fell into deep thought. —This volume ends here; the next chapter enters the new volume "Dunyue."

(End of chapter)