Chapter 46: Bravery is No Match

Sun Fuping couldn't even be bothered to answer; if the Illusionary Barrier could hold out until the end, he had no desire to cause unnecessary trouble.

He Chunhua, however, asked urgently, "What do we do now?"

"Borrowing the power of Heaven and Earth." Sun Fuping's speaking pace had never been this fast. "Governor He, prepare your State Decree!"

While He Chunhua was fumbling for the Kite Money, Nian Songyu and Zeng Feixiong were already issuing continuous orders, commanding the soldiers to form a circular formation to protect the important figures in the center.

Zeng Feixiong bellowed, "Hold fast! The vengeful spirits are almost gone. We only need to endure for another dozen breaths!"

Though he said it to boost morale, he wasn't entirely wrong. The Great Wind Army rushing out of the well was indeed becoming fewer and fewer, visibly nearing its end, no longer possessing the overwhelming momentum of before.

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

Therefore, this truly should have been the final wave.

However, as beautiful as wishes may be, reality is often helpless. Just as everyone mustered their courage, the Illusionary Barrier went "pfft" and shattered.

It shattered...

The ochre light flickered twice, as if contributing its very last ounce of strength, and then bid them farewell.

Everyone's hearts tightened, and they swallowed hard in silence.

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

Although the Illusionary Barrier was broken, the Soul-Numbing Powder they had consumed had not yet expired, and the life-fires on their shoulders and foreheads remained. Perhaps?

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

At this moment, what rushed out of the well was likely a small detachment of the Great Wind Army—a commander leading a dozen or so cavalrymen.

They had just flown five zhang out when the Illusionary Barrier broke.

*Gulp.* A sand bandit subconsciously swallowed.

The dozen cavalrymen showed no abnormality, but the commander suddenly reined in his horse and turned around, staring straight at them.

The yellow stallion let out a whinny and reared up, spinning its body so that its head faced directly toward them.

The dozen cavalrymen also turned in unison.

Time seemed to stand still; the opposing side made no move, and even the horses stopped swishing their tails.

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

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

Immediately following, the Great Wind Army commander nipped his horse's flanks, and the steed galloped forward in a straight line!

The dozen riders followed closely behind.

Though they were clearly just soul bodies and merely a small squad, their hoofbeats sounded like thunder, charging with the momentum of thousands of troops, causing the very ground to tremble incessantly.

He Lingchuan clearly saw the tip of the lead commander's spear lift slightly, a flash of cold light glinting from it!

"Get out of the way, everyone get out of the way!" he roared, "They've seen us!" Then, he grabbed He Chunhua and ducked directly behind Sun Fuping.

If the sky were to fall, the Imperial Preceptor would hold it up.

The distance between the two sides was already short, and with the added speed of the horses, they were almost upon them in a single stride.

He Lingchuan could even hear the huffing and puffing of the horses' breath from their nostrils.

So realistic, so dangerous.

Nian Songyu didn't even have time to roll his eyes; he lunged forward to get ahead of Sun Fuping, thrusting out a prismatic shield with his right hand to block the path for the two of them.

His angle of deployment was cunning; calculating that the heroic soul could not easily change direction during a high-speed charge, he held the shield sideways toward the opponent, having no intention of a direct head-on collision.

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

This shield was taken from the shell of a Prismatic Turtle Demon; its one hundred and fifty years of cultivation granted it incredible hardness. The square-shaped surface could absorb external force and offset part of the magical attacks.

He Lingchuan was slightly startled: *This guy can actually block the intangible attacks of vengeful spirits?*

As if sensing his thoughts, Sun Fuping pressed a finger against Nian Songyu's shield and gave a low shout: "Mu!"

The shield immediately emitted a faint green light.

Just as he withdrew his finger, the vengeful commander's long spear struck the prismatic shield with a heavy, dull "thud."

Nian Songyu was knocked seven steps back, only avoiding being sent flying directly by exerting strength through his waist and legs.

National Preceptor Sun was right behind him, one hand resting on his shoulder, retreating along with him. However, he appeared as light as an empty sack; upon landing, he looked not only unruffled but even somewhat elegant.

Taking advantage of the moment, he reached out, and the staff that had been planted in the center of the formation automatically flew back to him.

As for the He father and son, He Lingchuan had already pulled his father two steps away a moment before the spear and shield collided, his footwork swift and precise. This allowed them to avoid the impact perfectly without being caught in the aftermath.

He speculated that the reason Nian Songyu's turtle shield could resist the vengeful spirits' attack was due to the assistance of National Preceptor Sun. Otherwise, how could mere physical defense block a magical attack?

Nian Songyu couldn't help but glance at He Lingchuan, thinking to himself that while this kid's cultivation and character were equally inferior, his survival instincts were unexpectedly powerful, having avoided danger several times.

However, the others did not have the same luck as the He father and son. While the Great Wind Army commander dealt with Nian Songyu, the dozen ghost cavalrymen went after Zeng Feixiong's team.

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

But how could two legs run as fast as four? In just two encounters, six people were pierced through the chest by the ghost cavalry.

Though the opponents had no physical form, these six people clutched their chests, rolling on the ground in agony, with two vomiting blood on the spot. It was evident that the long spears in the hands of the ghost cavalry were not useless; they could wound the soul.

There was no way to hide, and no way to fight—what was to be done?

Panic set in.

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

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

Prompted by his reminder, everyone swarmed back together.

The dozen cavalrymen wheeled their horses around, preparing for another charge, only to find that the intruding group had reorganized. This time, it was not a circular formation, but all the soldiers standing behind their leader.

Their stance was somewhat disorganized.

The lead Great Wind Army commander looked at the crowd, then at the fallen wounded, and actually tilted his head.

This movement was very much like a human being in thought.

Situ Han whispered, "This fellow can actually think?"

He Lingchuan also sensed something was wrong. This commander already possessed formidable combat strength; if he could also use his brain, he could turn this attack into something unpredictable!

Sure enough, what one fears most comes to pass. The Great Wind Army commander gave the reins a light shake, and the yellow stallion charged toward the crowd once more.

However, as they passed the well, the commander pressed his arm down, dipping the tip of his spear into the water's surface.

This time, Nian Songyu again struggled to deflect the impact, but his arms were already aching from the blow, and the webbing of his left hand had split open.

Unexpectedly, as the commander rode past the side of the crowd, he retracted and pivoted the deflected spear tip, thrusting it out once again!

Fast as a dragonfly skimming water.

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

Clean, decisive, and perfectly controlled.

As a few droplets of blood splashed onto the faces of the bandit's companions, the yellow stallion had already charged three zhang away, with the sand bandit impaled on the eighteen-foot spear. He was not yet dead, his body twitching incessantly. The commander flipped him over with the spear, and a stream of blood flowed down, wetting his trouser leg and dripping onto the sandy ground.