Chapter 45: Making an Appearance

The eyeballs of the sixteen-eyed monster moved in tandem with the Soul-Fixing Banner; it even tilted its head slightly, watching with extraordinary focus.

After waving the white banner for just a short while, the two young and vigorous attendants, Bai Shan and Qing Shui, were drenched in sweat.

However, the sixteen-eyed monster ceased its movements; its original violence and suspicion had been replaced by confusion. The Soul-Summoning Banner before it obscured all other life forces, emitting a vibration that brought it pleasure, but excessive focus on the banner drained its soul power, making its already unsettled mind even more muddled.

Its effect on the creature was much like a sedative is to a human.

After a moment, the sixteen-eyed monster even performed a very human-like gesture, scratching the back of its head before turning and walking away slowly.

Seeing it finally dissolve into black smoke and ascend into the sky with the main group, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Bai Shan and Qing Shui also put away the Soul-Fixing Banner and sat down on the spot, struggling to regulate their breathing, ignoring the sweat pouring from their foreheads like rain.

Such a brief period of banner-waving had caused a double exhaustion of both physical strength and mental energy.

At this moment, the entities emerging from the pool were all massive vengeful spirits—large in stature but few in number, each maintaining a certain distance from the others. They were unlike the previous vengeful spirits that had crowded together in a chaotic mass without any sense of boundaries.

Some even had a small group of vengeful spirits following closely behind them like attendants.

Seeing this, He Lingchuan understood that these entities held relatively high power and status among the vengeful spirits. Much like humans, those with prestige and standing were never lacking in subordinates.

Fortunately, they were not as keen as the sixteen-eyed monster, or perhaps they simply had no intention of looking down further; they ascended into the sky amidst the cluster of souls.

Once they had all passed, the pool fell silent, and no new vengeful spirits emerged.

By now, the light of the Illusionary Barrier had also begun to dim, clearly proving that Sun Fuping's claim about its short duration was no mere excuse.

Taking advantage of this lull, Nian Songyu whispered to Sun Fuping, "It looks like they've all run off."

Seeking stability, Sun Fuping shook his head, indicating they should "wait a bit longer."

While they remained safe and able to converse normally, the area outside Panlong City was already a scene of howling winds and flying sand and stone, with not an inch of tranquility left. The effects of the Soul-Dissipating Powder were still active; everyone could clearly see a pillar of souls, formed by tens of thousands of vengeful spirits, erupting halfway to the sky before splashing outward. Every sesame-sized black speck was a vengeful spirit, and these specks filled the sky, riding the gale toward every corner of the Panlong Desert.

The Sandstorm Season had begun. This was the first time the group had witnessed its birth process.

Within a mere half-day, the Sandstorm Season would sweep across the entire Panlong Desert and shroud the sun and moon for many long months to come.

Seeing this, the entire team silently lowered their heads.

He Lingchuan turned his head and saw the solemnity on He Chunhua's face.

Although there were only a few days left until September, and the regulars of the Red Cliff Road understood the unpredictable temperament of the Panlong Desert and would likely avoid it as early as possible, Sun Fuping's premature triggering of the Sandstorm Season must have resulted in many deaths.

Setting aside everything else, the relay stations that hadn't had time to evacuate would certainly be wiped out.

But they had only learned of Sun Fuping's plan after entering Panlong City, and his rank was far higher than theirs; how could they defy him?

Fearing the old man was carrying too heavy a psychological burden, he whispered, "Dad, are you alright?"

"Mhm." He Chunhua was staring blankly at the pool, replying subconsciously, "Protect me. I fear the true danger is only just beginning."

"Oh, okay."

For a long while, no new vengeful spirits appeared in the pool.

The group sought instructions from the State Preceptor.

While they stood watching, Sun Fuping was not idle; he had already picked up a branch and was drawing a talismanic array on the ground.

The array was large, encircling everyone within it, and the drawing process appeared uncomplicated.

Though the lines were clearly simple, He Chunhua found them increasingly intriguing and couldn't help but say, "State Preceptor, is this a summoning array?"

"Yes, just in case." Sun Fuping also felt they had waited long enough and stopped his work. "Alright, since nothing else is coming out of the pool, we shall prepare..."

Before he could finish, the calm pool water exploded once more without warning, and another cluster of vengeful spirits surged forth.

It was, unmistakably, an army of fallen souls.

Among them were infantrymen with swords and shields, and cavalrymen with horses and spears; the moment they appeared, they brought with them a sky-piercing murderous intent!

Even from several yards away, He Lingchuan felt a chill run down his spine, sending goosebumps across his skin.

There was the same howling of grief and indignation, the same eyes full of hatred, but to an onlooker, something felt different.

They did not appear any stronger or more robust than the other combat spirits; in fact, many of the soldiers looked quite gaunt. Some soldiers had multicolored feathers in their quivers, of unknown origin; some cavalrymen held long spears made of freshly shaved white wax wood, still bearing prickly splinters that had not yet been smoothed. Most of the soldiers' armor was very old, carrying the greyish patina unique to aged objects; the plates were of varying colors and sizes, clearly having been repaired and patched repeatedly—perhaps even cobbled together from mismatched pieces of armor.

Yet, their eyes were as tenacious and cruel as a pack of mountain wolves.

Even the frailest among them possessed an indomitable, death-defying aura when they ran.

The people of Blackwater City happened to be facing this army head-on; almost everyone immediately lowered their heads and closed their eyes, not daring to meet their gaze.

That edge, forged through countless battles, was something even the Blackwater City army—who had repelled enemies many times—and the fierce bandits who lived by the blade in the desert dared not face directly.

These vengeful spirits were truly different from the ones before.

He Lingchuan secretly clenched his fists.

These... were the Great Wind Army, weren't they?

Sure enough, the appearance of a flagman confirmed his thought.

This vengeful spirit rode a jujube-red horse, holding a large banner high. On the bright red surface of the flag, there was only one large, sweeping character

Zhong!

He Lingchuan remembered that his own team also carried a "Zhong" flag, and his heart was filled with complex emotions. His team carried the "Zhong" flag to avoid calamity and ensure peace, but these people carried it to go out to war and slay enemies.

This was the authentic Great Wind Army, the legendary force.

He could hear the heavy breathing of those around him; clearly, everyone present was profoundly moved.

He Lingchuan's eyes widened instinctively, wanting to catch a glimpse of the two legendary figures.

He had already spotted many generals within the ranks of the combat spirits; did that mean Zhong Shengguang or General Hong would also emerge from the pool?

Unfortunately, he was overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the procession and could not find his targets.

Just then, Sun Fuping shouted urgently, "The barrier can't hold!"

The shock felt by Nian Songyu and the others was immense. Looking back, the Illusionary Barrier was indeed in a precarious state; the yellowish-brown light shield flickered on and off, looking much like the temperamental hanging lamp in the attic He Lingchuan used to rent.

He Lingchuan let out a startled cry, "Can't it hold just a little longer?"

The ones appearing now were the Great Wind Army! Whether in life or death, they were just as ferocious at killing.