Chapter 46: Chapter 47: Unbeatable Ferocity

Sunx Fuping couldn’t be bothered to answer. If the Illusionary Barrier could have held out, he wouldn’t have wanted to cause more trouble either.

But Hee Chunhua asked anxiously, "What do we do now?"

"Qiankun Borrowing Technique." Sunx Fuping had never spoken so fast. "Hee Prefect, get your Society Command ready!"

While Hee Chunhua was fumbling for his yuan coins, Nian Songyu and Zeng Feixiong were already barking out orders for the soldiers to form a circle and protect the important figures in the center.

Zeng Feixiong roared, "Hold on! The Resentful Souls are almost gone! We just need to last for another dozen breaths!"

Although his words were meant to boost morale, he wasn’t entirely wrong. The number of Great Wind Army soldiers rushing out of the Pool Well was indeed dwindling. It looked like the end was in sight, no longer the overwhelming tide from before.

No one could think of any other Resentful Souls, aside from the Great Wind Army, that could possibly make a grand finale appearance.

So this really should have been the last wave.

But reality is often as cruel as one’s hopes are high. Just as everyone had mustered their courage, the Illusionary Barrier, with a soft "POP," shattered.

Shattered...

The earthy yellow light flickered twice, as if it had used up its very last bit of strength, and then bid its farewell.

Everyone’s hearts tightened, and they swallowed nervously.

Hee Lingchuan had already shouted a reminder, "Nobody move!"

The Illusionary Barrier was broken, but the Soul-Preventing Powder they had taken hadn’t worn off yet. The Life Fires on their shoulders and foreheads were still burning. ’Maybe?’

After all, even without the Barrier, the previous Resentful Souls hadn’t noticed them.

At that moment, what rushed out of the Pool Well was a small detachment of the Great Wind Army—a Commander leading about a dozen cavalrymen.

They had just flown about fifty feet when the Illusionary Barrier broke.

GULP. One of the Sand Bandits subconsciously swallowed.

The dozen or so cavalrymen showed no reaction, but the Commander suddenly reined in his horse, turned his head, and stared right at them.

The Yellow Steed neighed, reared up on its hind legs, and spun around, its head now facing them directly.

The dozen cavalrymen also turned in unison.

Time seemed to stand still. The figures opposite them didn’t move; even the horses stopped swishing their tails.

During this strange standoff, the living could hear their own hearts thumping loudly.

Nian Songyu squeezed the words through his teeth: "No—body—move!"

Immediately after, the Great Wind Army Commander kicked his horse’s flanks, and the steed broke into a gallop, charging straight for them!

The ten-odd cavalrymen followed close behind.

They were clearly just Soul Bodies, just a small squad, yet the sound of their hooves was like thunder. They charged with the momentum of a thousand-strong army, making the very ground shake.

Hee Lingchuan clearly saw the lead Commander slightly raise the tip of his spear, a glint of cold light flashing from it!

"Get back, everyone, get back!" he roared. "They can see us!" Then he yanked Hee Chunhua and hid directly behind Sunx Fuping.

’If the sky falls, the National Preceptor can hold it up.’

The distance between them was already short, and with the added speed of the horses, they were upon them in the blink of an eye.

Hee Lingchuan could even hear the HUFF, HUFF of air from the horses’ nostrils.

’So realistic. So dangerous.’

Nian Songyu didn’t even have time to roll his eyes. He leaped in front of Sunx Fuping, raising a Rhombus Shield in his right hand to block the way.

The angle at which he positioned the shield was clever. He calculated that the charging Heroic Soul couldn’t easily change direction, so he angled the shield to deflect the blow, with no intention of taking it head-on.

Even so, he tensed his entire body, bracing for impact.

The shield was made from the shell of a Ridgeback Turtle Demon. A hundred and fifty years of Daoist Practice had blessed it with astonishing hardness. Its checkered surface could absorb external force and even nullify some Divine Techniques.

Hee Lingchuan was slightly taken aback. ’This thing can block an attack from an intangible Resentful Soul?’

As if reading his mind, Sunx Fuping tapped Nian Songyu’s shield with a finger and uttered a low command, "Mou!"

A green light immediately emanated from the shield.

He had just withdrawn his finger when the Resentful Soul Commander’s Long Spear struck the Rhombus Shield with a loud, dull THUD.

Nian Songyu was knocked back seven steps, only managing to avoid being sent flying by using all the strength in his core and legs.

National Preceptor Sunx was right behind him, one hand on his shoulder. He was pushed back along with Nian Songyu, but he seemed as light as an empty sack. When he landed, he wasn’t disheveled at all; he even looked somewhat graceful.

He took the opportunity to stretch out a hand, and the Magic Staff that had been planted in the center of the group automatically flew back to him.

As for the Hee father and son, a breath before the spear met the shield, Hee Lingchuan had already pulled his father two steps aside with quick and precise footwork. This allowed them to perfectly avoid being caught in the impact.

He guessed that Nian Songyu’s Turtle Shield could only block the Resentful Soul’s attack because of National Preceptor Sunx’s help. ’Otherwise, how could a purely physical defense stop a Magic attack?’

Even Nian Songyu couldn’t help but shoot Hee Lingchuan a look. He thought to himself, ’This kid’s Daoist Practice and character are both lacking, but his Spiritual Sense for survival is surprisingly sharp. He’s managed to escape danger several times now.’

But the others weren’t as lucky as the Hee father and son. While the Great Wind Army Commander dealt with Nian Songyu, the dozen or so Ghost Soldiers charged Zeng Feixiong’s group.

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

But how could two legs outrun four? In just two clashes, six men were run through the chest by the Ghost Soldiers.

Although their attackers had no physical bodies, the six men clutched their chests and writhed on the ground in pain. Two of them even coughed up blood on the spot. It was clear the Long Spears in the Ghost Soldiers’ hands weren’t for show; they could injure a person’s soul.

’Can’t dodge, can’t fight back... What are we supposed to do?’

Everyone panicked.

Hee Lingchuan shouted, "Captain Nian is holding off the leader!"

He was just stating a fact, and there were plenty of onlookers.

At his reminder, everyone scrambled back together.

The dozen or so cavalrymen reined in their horses, preparing for another charge, only to find that the intruders had regrouped in one spot. This time, it wasn’t a circular formation; all the soldiers were now standing behind their leader.

Their stances were still a bit of a mess.

The leading Great Wind Army Commander looked at the group, then at the wounded men on the ground, and actually tilted its head.

The gesture looked very much like a human who was thinking.

Situ Han whispered, "This thing can think?"

Hee Lingchuan also had a bad feeling. The Commander was already a formidable fighter. If it could also use its brain, it could turn this attack into a deadly game.

Just as he feared, the Great Wind Army Commander lightly shook the reins, and the Yellow Steed charged the group once more.

But as it passed the Pool Well, the Commander lowered its arm and dipped the tip of its spear into the water’s surface.

This time, Nian Songyu again barely managed to deflect its charge, but the impact left both his arms aching and split open the Tiger’s Mouth of his left hand.

But who would have thought—as the Commander galloped past the side of the group, it retracted and twisted its deflected spear, then thrust it out again!

It was as swift as a dragonfly skipping across water.

A Sand Bandit standing at the very front was pierced through the throat by the spear.

Clean, decisive, and perfectly controlled.

By the time a few drops of blood splattered onto his comrade’s face, the Yellow Steed was already thirty feet away, the Sand Bandit impaled on the eighteen-foot spear. He wasn’t dead yet, his body twitching uncontrollably. The Commander turned, holding him aloft, and a stream of blood ran down, soaking its pant leg and dripping onto the sand.