Chapter 185: Broken Halberd

One corpse after another dissolved into blood-red threads, every last one pouring into the mouth of the Lizard-Headed Zhenjun.

The soldiers could not see the apparition, but they could see flesh and blood turn into blood-threads, all of them flying to the altar at the enemy formation's front and then vanishing.

There's an apparition!

That apparition is up to something.

The apparition is eating corpses—will it eat me too!

Watching such an uncanny scene, the militia's expressions turned to terror.

Fear of apparitions is etched into instinct itself.

Li Lin shouted, "Don't worry, the Tree Immortal Lady will protect us. The enemy's apparition can't get in."

Hearing this, the others looked up once more at the peach-tree phantom in the night sky, and only then did their hearts settle.

That Lizard Zhenjun soon devoured every last scrap of flesh and blood from beneath the city wall.

Nourished by it, its form grew ever taller.

Then it raised its head and, toward the peach-blossom phantom in the air, smiled provocatively.

Qin Donglai turned, cupped his fist, and said, "Please, Zhenjun, help me break open the city wall."

The Lizard Zhenjun nodded and drifted slowly forward.

Once it drew near, Li Lin realized this Zhenjun's size was truly a bit exaggerated.

At least two zhang or so.

By now Bai Zhiwei, Bai Bufan, Ding Yingqiu, and all the spirit-hunters of Yulin County had taken their places behind Li Lin.

Li Lin said to the du-kofficers beside him, "All of you, go down. Carry out the plan."

The du-officers went down, taking most of the militia with them.

The number of people on the wall dropped sharply at once.

And at that moment, the lizard-man had drifted over as well.

Only about ten zhang from the city wall.

Then it extended a claw.

A peculiar yin-energy gathered in the claw of its right hand, taking shape rapidly.

It was a ball of grey mist that, compressed, became a spinning black pearl in less than two breaths.

Its surface was smooth and bright.

Yet every spirit-hunter could sense an astonishing might within that pearl.

Ding Yingqiu could not help hissing, "That's lethal—can't believe a fourth-rank or above spirit-hunter could deal with a great apparition like this. Just how strong are those old undying things in Jingcheng?"

Li Lin said nothing.

The Lizard Zhenjun looked toward the phantom, a provocative look on its face.

The black pearl began to tremble rapidly, as if about to break free.

Just as the black pearl in its hand was about to "fire" out, the peach-tree phantom above the county town vanished.

The Tree Immortal Lady, only a little over half a zhang tall, appeared three zhang in front of the Lizard Zhenjun.

A little over half a zhang against a two-zhang frame... the two sides were not on the same scale at all.

Contempt flashed in the Lizard Zhenjun's eyes. Its right claw pressed forward, intending to grind the Tree Immortal Lady before it into dust on the spot.

But at that very moment, the Tree Immortal Lady moved.

A peach tree suddenly appeared beside her.

The tree was covered in peach blossoms; then the petals came loose and scattered, filling the sky.

The whole world seemed to turn pink.

Even the ordinary soldiers who could not see apparitions saw this sky-filling rain of peach blossoms.

"How beautiful!" Ding Yingqiu could not help exclaiming.

And amid such beauty, the Lizard Zhenjun suddenly went still.

Its eyes glazed over.

The Tree Immortal Lady laboriously turned her neck, looked toward Li Lin, and slowly nodded.

"Sound the horn!" Li Lin said at once.

The soldier beside him immediately took up a horn and blew a long, muffled note.

The sound spread through the entire county town.

The city gates swung open; a few du-officers led the charge, dashing straight out.

Li Lin used a light-body art, gripped his long spear, and leapt straight down from the city wall.

The other spirit-hunters followed at once.

"For the County Captain, for the fathers and elders behind us—follow me and kill the enemy!"

Su Bei roared and surged to the very front.

Soldiers raised their weapons, howling wildly, and surged after him.

And on the enemy side at this moment, surprise showed on Qin Donglai's face.

Generally speaking, in Great Qi, aside from the border troops who dared fight outside the walls, the rest—the militia, the imperial guards, and so on—were all cowardly sorts who only knew how to hole up behind their walls.

Then his gaze shifted to the Lizard Zhenjun frozen midair, and he shook his head helplessly and sighed, "Knew these apparitions couldn't be relied on—actually pinned down by a Zhenjun from some little county town. All that blood-qi it ate, wasted. Useless thing."

Qin Donglai waved his hand, and the gaunt Southern Barbarian soldiers behind him also began to charge.

But unlike Yulin County's militia, they made not a sound, charging in silence.

And Qin Donglai, watching Su Bei at the very front, saw that the two sides were now only some ten-odd zhang apart; he could make out that young, callow face.

"Greenhorn—dies fastest of all."

He spun around abruptly, an arrow suddenly in his hand; then he planted his horse stance firmly, nocked the arrow, and drew the bow. Just as he was about to release the shaft, his eyebrows twitched violently, and he immediately abandoned the shot, leaping backward with a sudden burst.

In the instant he jumped, purple heavenly thunder split down from the sky.

Boom— it struck the ground half a zhang before him.

At such a distance, it was practically right against his face.

Qin Donglai could see the twisted edges of the lightning and the stones exploding from the ground where the bolt struck.

Qin Donglai landed and looked forward again, discovering Li Lin standing ten zhang away, while the Great Qi rural militia surged past the man's side.

The other man stood perfectly straight, like a reef in a torrent, towering immovably.

Such a fast Fallen Thunder Incantation?

Qin Donglai vaguely felt that events had slipped beyond his control.

Whether it was the Lizard Taowu Zhenjun being immobilized, or... the rate of progress of that man before him.

Just a few months ago, the power of his Fallen Thunder Incantation had not been this great, nor its casting speed this fast.

Qin Donglai nocked the bow again, intending to shoot, but this time his target was no longer Su Bei, but Li Lin.

The man dressed in red official robes.

Yet the moment the arrow touched the string, he leaped backward violently once more.

Another massive purple thunderbolt struck the ground before him.

This time, it was even closer to his body.

He could even feel the heat radiating from the lightning.

The opponent seemed to be getting faster.

As Qin Donglai thought this, a third Fallen Thunder Incantation descended.

He fled in a wretched state; this heavenly thunder struck one chi before his forehead.

He could even smell the scent of singed hair.

This is wrong, this is wrong!

He roared angrily within his heart.

It should not be like this.

When he arrived, he had been full of confidence.

To breach the city, he had brought over a thousand people, not to mention even a Taowu Zhenjun.

With such a lineup, dealing with a small county town should have been a simple matter.

But why had it turned into this state now?

At this moment, yet another heavenly thunderbolt fell.

The speed at which the opponent cast the thunder grew faster with each strike.

This time, his body was still mid-air, with no way to dodge.

But the purple heavenly thunder had already formed in the sky; escape was impossible.

He gritted his teeth violently and hurled the iron-laminated bow in his hand upward with all his strength!

Boom.

The purple heavenly thunder struck the iron-laminated bow.

It exploded.

Wood splinters and iron shards flew everywhere; one piece pierced his shoulder.

Qin Donglai let out a muffled groan.

(End of this chapter)