Chapter 46: The Fierce and Brave Are Hard to Resist

Sun Fu was too lazy to even answer; if the Falsehood Barrier could have held out to the end, he would not have wanted to complicate matters. He Chunhua, however, asked urgently: "What do we do now?"

"Borrowing the Law of Heaven and Earth." Sun Fu’s speech had never been this fast. "Prefect He, have your State Decree ready!"

While He Chunhua was busy searching for Kite Coins, Nian Songyu and Zeng Feixiong had already issued orders in quick succession, commanding the troops to form a circular formation and protect the important figures in the center.

Zeng Feixiong shouted: "Hold on! The vengeful spirits are almost gone; we only need to hold out for another dozen breaths!"

Although he said it to boost morale, his words were not entirely wrong; the number of Great Wind Army soldiers rushing out of the pool was indeed dwindling, and it was clear they were nearing the end, lacking the overwhelming, sea-toppling momentum they had before.

No one could imagine what other vengeful spirits could appear as a finale besides the Great Wind Army.

So this truly should be the final wave.

However, as wonderful as one's wishes may be, reality is just as helpless. Just as everyone had mustered their courage, the Falsehood Barrier went "pop" and shattered.

It shattered...

The earthy-yellow light trembled twice, as if it had contributed even the last bit of its strength, and then it bid farewell.

Everyone’s heart tightened, and they swallowed their saliva in secret.

He Lingchuan had already shouted a reminder: "Don't move!"

Although the Falsehood Barrier was broken, the Soul-Suppressing Powder everyone had taken had not yet expired, and the life-fires on their shoulders and foreheads were still there. Perhaps?

After all, even without the barrier, the previous vengeful spirits had not discovered them.

At this moment, what rushed out of the pool was a small detachment of the Great Wind Army, a commander leading a dozen cavalrymen.

They had just flown out five zhang when they happened to catch the moment the Falsehood Barrier broke.

Gulp—a sand bandit subconsciously swallowed his saliva.

The dozen cavalrymen showed nothing unusual, but that commander suddenly reined in his horse, turned back, and stared straight over.

The yellow-maned horse neighed, reared up on its hind legs, and spun around, its head facing directly toward them.

The dozen cavalrymen also turned in unison.

Time seemed to stand still; there was no movement from the opposite side, not even the horses flicking their tails.

In this bizarre standoff, the living could hear their own heartbeats pounding exceptionally loudly.

Nian Songyu squeezed words out through his teeth: "Don't—move!"

Immediately after, the Great Wind Army commander on the opposite side squeezed his horse's flanks, and the steed galloped forward, charging straight at them! The dozen riders followed closely behind.

Even though they were only soul bodies, and even though it was only a small squad, the sound of hooves was like thunder; they actually charged with the momentum of a thousand troops, causing even the ground to shake incessantly.

He Lingchuan clearly saw the commander at the lead slightly raise his spear tip, and a cold light flashed! "Dodge, everyone dodge!" he roared, "They see us!" Then, he pulled He Chunhua and hid directly behind Sun Fu.

If the sky falls, the State Preceptor will be there to hold it up.

The distance between the two sides was already close, and with the speed of the horses, they were upon them almost as soon as the hooves hit the ground.

He Lingchuan could even hear the snorting sounds from the horses' nostrils.

So realistic, so dangerous.

Nian Songyu didn't even have time to roll his eyes; he leaped forward, snatched a prism shield in his right hand, and blocked it in front of the two.

The angle at which he held the shield was tricky; he calculated that the heroic spirits could not easily change direction during a charge, so the shield was angled toward the opponent, with no intention of meeting it head-on.

Even so, he tensed his entire body, assuming a defensive posture.

This shield was taken from the shell of a prism-backed turtle demon; the 150-year cultivation bonus gave this shield astonishing hardness, and the grid-shaped surface could absorb external force and offset some supernatural attacks.

He Lingchuan was slightly startled: this thing could withstand the attack of intangible, formless vengeful spirits?

As if knowing what he was thinking, Sun Fu tapped a finger on Nian Songyu's shield and whispered: "Mou!"

The shield immediately emitted a faint green light.

Just as he retracted his finger, the vengeful spirit commander's long spear struck the prism shield, emitting a loud, dull "thud."

Nian Songyu was knocked back seven steps, relying on the strength of his waist and legs to avoid being sent flying.

State Preceptor Sun was right behind him, one hand resting on his shoulder, being pushed back along with him, yet he looked as light as an empty sack; upon landing, he was not only composed but even had a touch of elegance.

He took this opportunity to reach out, and the staff that had been stuck in the very center of the group flew back automatically.

As for the He father and son, one breath before the spear and shield collided, He Lingchuan had already pulled his father two steps to the side, his footwork very quick and precise. This allowed them to avoid the clash perfectly, escaping the fallout.

He speculated that the reason Nian Songyu's turtle shield could resist the vengeful spirits' attack was due to the help of State Preceptor Sun. Otherwise, how could a purely physical defense block a spell attack? Nian Songyu couldn't help but take another look at He Lingchuan, secretly thinking that while this kid's cultivation and character were equally inferior, his survival instinct was unexpectedly strong, having avoided danger several times.

However, the others did not have the good luck of the He father and son; the Great Wind Army commander dealt with Nian Songyu, while those dozen ghost cavalrymen went for Zeng Feixiong's team.

Without needing to be told, everyone scattered in all directions.

But how could two legs run faster than four? In the time it took for two exchanges, six people were pierced through the chest by the ghost soldiers.

Although the opponents had no physical bodies, these six people clutched their chests and rolled on the ground in agony, and two of them vomited blood on the spot. It was clear that the long spears in the ghost soldiers' hands were not just for show; they could injure a person's soul.

They couldn't hide, and they couldn't fight back—what was to be done?

Everyone panicked.

He Lingchuan yelled: "Captain Nian is holding off the leader!"

He was stating a fact; there were plenty of onlookers.

Reminded by him, everyone gathered back together in a rush.

The dozen cavalrymen reined in their horses, preparing for another charge, but they discovered that the invading group had regrouped in one spot—this time not in a circular formation, but with all the soldiers standing behind the opponent's leader.

Their standing formation was a bit messy.

The leading Great Wind Army commander looked at the crowd, then at the wounded who had fallen to the ground, and actually tilted his head.

This movement was very much like a human thinking.

Situ Han whispered: "This guy can even think?"

He Lingchuan also felt something was wrong; this commander already had impressive combat power, and if he could use his brain, he could play all sorts of tricks with this attack! Sure enough, what one fears comes to pass; the Great Wind Army commander lightly flicked the reins, and the yellow-maned horse charged at the crowd again.

However, while passing the pool, the commander pressed his arm down, and the spear tip dipped into the water surface.

This time, Nian Songyu again managed to block the charge, but he was already knocked into such pain that his arms ached, and the web between his left thumb and index finger had split open.

Who would have thought that as the commander rode past the side of the crowd, the deflected spear tip retracted and turned, actually thrusting out again!

As fast as a dragonfly skimming the water.

The sand bandit standing at the very front was pierced through the throat by a single spear.

Clean, crisp, and perfectly controlled.

By the time a few drops of fresh blood splashed onto his companion's face, the yellow-maned horse had already charged three zhang away, with the sand bandit hoisted on the eighteen-foot spear. He was not yet dead, his body twitching incessantly. The commander turned while carrying him, and a stream of blood flowed down, soaking his pant legs and dripping onto the sandy ground.

(End of chapter)