After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 64: Chapter 65: Trapped by Oneself

When he saw the giant Flood Dragon attack, he didn’t dodge or evade. Without a shred of hesitation, he gripped his saber with both hands, leaped high toward the Flood Dragon’s head, and brought his blade down in a powerful mid-air cleave!

A strike powerful enough to cleave mountains and slay gods.

Even Hee Lingchuan, who had always disliked him, had to admit that the move was ridiculously cool.

Faced with such a supremely domineering strike, even the mighty Black Flood Dragon didn’t want to meet it head-on. It resorted to its old trick, lashing out with another Tail Whip.

Even the very tip of its tail was as thick as two men’s arms linked together. Anyone struck by it would surely suffer torn tendons and shattered bones.

But Nian Songyu was utterly fearless. He changed the angle of his blade and chopped right into the Flood Dragon’s tail.

The impact sent him flying, but a ten-foot section of the beast’s tail snapped off.

Sunx Fuping seemed oblivious to the battle unfolding before him, but his chanting grew increasingly urgent.

In response, the white light emanating from the Ivory Carving grew brighter. It was clear that once the light reached its peak, something disastrous for the Black Flood Dragon would occur.

So, after flinging Nian Songyu aside, the behemoth lowered its head and charged straight for Sunx Fuping.

Its massive Flood Dragon Head was like a Siege Hammer, complete with sharp horns. It could punch massive holes in an iron-clad city gate, let alone the flesh and blood of Sunx Fuping.

But the dozen or so Golden Armored Soldiers shielded him, forming a wall of armor with their bodies. The Flood Dragon Head sent several of them flying, but the rest pushed back in unison and, against all odds, held it at bay.

Several Demon Birds dove from the sky, swooping down to peck at Sunx Fuping.

But before their sharp beaks could pierce the crown of his head, they slammed into an invisible, hard barrier. CRACK! Their beaks shattered.

A Barrier.

To buy himself thirty precious seconds, Sunx Fuping had already deployed the energy-draining Golden Armored Soldiers. How could he possibly overlook the importance of a Barrier?

But for one person to sustain two Barriers at once... even for National Preceptor Sunx, with his profound Daoist Practice, it was a struggle.

This level of energy consumption was unsustainable.

’I just have to hold on for thirty seconds.’

***

Hee Chunhua took a deep breath and shouted to the Great Wind Army outside the Celestial Thunder Array, ”Take a look at what this is!”

He pulled an object from his Storage Ring and raised it high.

Storage Spaces generally have a small capacity, only about a cubic meter. They are incredibly rare; not even every dignitary in the Capital City could hope to own one. Hee Chunhua had the advantage of guarding the border for many years, so the ring he wore was originally a piece of confiscated loot.

The object he produced didn’t take up much space at all.

It was just a broken comb, bearing the marks of smoke and fire. The small blue flower pattern on its crest had faded slightly but was still mostly intact.

The moment this plain-looking comb appeared, the army on the other side grew restless. Several commanders, including the Squad Commander who had previously engaged the Black Water City Army, suddenly took a few steps forward. They stood just outside the Array, staring intently at the wooden comb.

Hee Chunhua remembered clearly: National Preceptor Sunx had identified this object among the Sand Leopard’s belongings, noting that it still held the powerful resentment of Zhong Shengguang, the Commander of Panlong City.

Though Grand National Preceptor Sunx was cunning and his motives were unclear, his knowledge and experience were always on point.

Therefore, this resentment must be familiar to the Great Wind Army.

Sure enough, the moment the comb appeared, the Great Wind Army’s vicious aura diminished instantly. They even stopped driving the Resentful Souls to charge the Array.

Anyone could feel their hostility had lessened dramatically.

”Stand down!” Hee Chunhua said to the army of souls outside the Array, holding the comb aloft. ”You are not needed here!”

The Great Wind Army remained motionless. Even their mounts didn’t snort or paw the ground.

Situ Han whispered, ”Sir, they might not understand us. Besides, they were Xiluo People when they were alive.”

Hee Chunhua had a realization. ”Of course. I’ve heard that many Resentful Souls live only in their own world and cannot communicate with the living.” ’Otherwise, why would the Great Wind Army back down just from seeing the comb? A clear-headed person would never be so easily swayed.’

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t communicate with the Great Wind Army at all.

After a moment of thought, Hee Chunhua made the hand signal for retreat. Legend had it that the military doctrines of Panlong City had spread throughout the entire Panlong Wasteland and were still in use by later generations, including many hand signals for drills and combat.

As a man who had led troops in battle, Hee Chunhua was familiar with them.

Sure enough, upon seeing the signal, several of the Commanders bowed to him before turning and waving to their troops.

It was impossible to know how Ghost Souls communicated amongst themselves, but the entire army turned as one and began a slow retreat.

The living finally let out a collective sigh of relief. They were saved.

Situ Han touched his back, which was cold and damp with sweat. ”Sir, you should’ve told us you had this treasure sooner!”

Hee Chunhua rubbed his face, too tired to deal with the ruffian’s complaints. It might have looked like he did nothing, but holding off the Great Wind Army for so long meant the Society Command, which drew upon the power of Celestial Thunder, had been rapidly draining everyone’s strength. He felt utterly exhausted, body and soul, and wanted nothing more than to sit down and rest.

”Exit the Array, but don’t go far,” he ordered, signaling for the men to move out. At the same time, he reached for the Society Command on the Magic Staff.

With the Great Wind Army no longer a threat, they didn’t need the Array anymore. Besides, after being played by Sunx Fuping earlier, Hee Chunhua remained on high alert.

A few soldiers stepped onto the Talisman Array to walk out, and then—

With a loud cry, they were thrown back by the Celestial Thunder barrier.

Their bodies went rigid, and they began to tremble as if they had malaria, the hair on their skin standing on end.

Everyone was stunned. Situ Han flicked out a Flying Blade, but it too was repelled. Apparently, the Array was more lenient on those inside, not as brutal as it had been with the Resentful Souls.

”Sir, we’re trapped.”

Meanwhile, Hee Chunhua found he couldn’t retrieve his Society Command either—the beast head on the staff was clamped down tight, refusing to release its grip no matter how hard he pulled.

By now, even the slowest among them realized something was wrong. Hee Chunhua drew his saber and slashed directly at the top of the staff, intending to sever the beast head.

CLANG! The strike was futile.

His Treasure Saber was sharp, but the Magic Staff was unharmed.

There were two Mages in the group who, seeing this, came forward to help.

But their spells were equally ineffective.

”Someone, pull it out!” Hee Chunhua ordered his men to tie ropes to the staff. Six large men grunted in unison as they pulled with all their might.

Honestly, their combined strength could have toppled a pillar thick enough to require two men to encircle, yet the Magic Staff stood its ground, not budging an inch.

”What do you make of this?” Hee Chunhua asked the two Mages.

”The Magic Staff and the Array have become one. The staff won’t move unless the Array is broken,” one of them said after a moment of thought. ”To break the Array, we must first retrieve the Society Command.”

The Array was powered by the Society Command; the best way to break it was to remove its power source.

And therein lay the paradox. Sunx Fuping had used the power of the Society Command to trap Hee Chunhua himself. For Hee Chunhua and his men to escape, they would first have to overcome their own power!

If the hundred of them were united, their morale would soar, and the power of the Society Command would increase with it. The stronger the Array became, the harder it would be for them to escape.

How utterly preposterous!

Just then, one of the Mages suddenly pointed to the ground. ”Sir, there’s another Array here!”