Where Immortals Once Walked

Could it be...?

He Lingchuan could not help but glance west, where the burned-out official residences lay.

“There’s no need to overthink things, Young Master. Let’s just stay hidden here and play it safe,” said Mao Tao. Even though he had killed plenty and survived plenty of wounds, he was never reckless. He had no desire to tangle with opponents he could not beat.

Just then, an excited voice called out from behind, “Young Master, you’re here!”

Wait, that voice—

He Lingchuan felt an enormous wave of relief wash over him as he heard that voice. He whipped his head around, and sure enough, Zeng Feixiong was standing at the entrance to a cellar, flanked by five of his men.

“What took you so long?” He Lingchuan immediately snapped. “Where’s my father?”

Now that six skilled fighters from his own side had arrived, his confidence soared, and he finally felt at ease.

“Commandery Administrator He sent us down to assist you, Young Master. He stayed above with the other men to hold off the wrathful souls,” Zeng Feixiong replied, scanning their surroundings in bewilderment. “What happened here? Shouldn’t we be helping the state preceptor?”

“He’s up to no good. He just tried to ambush me,” He Lingchuan answered gravely. “Stay right here, all of you. No one goes up!”

Zeng Feixiong was not sure why the state preceptor would try to harm He Lingchuan, but after hesitating for a few seconds, he decided to stay by Young Master He’s side. The fighting up ahead was fierce, but both State Preceptor Sun and Commandant Nian were formidable figures, so he felt that they would be fine on their own.

He Lingchuan’s eyes narrowed.

From the moment he met Sun Fuping, the man had been putting on airs as if he were some kind of sage. Because of that, He Lingchuan could not help but wonder why he had yet to unleash some sort of devastating counterattack. Most of the monsters’ attacks had been blocked by Nian Songyu, so what about Sun Fuping?

Even a bystander could see that if they wanted to win, they would have to go for the ringleader first. As long as the black flood dragon held the city gate, the monsters would never stop coming.

Why hasn’t Sun Fuping made his move?

He Lingchuan was full of doubts. If he had known that State Preceptor Sun was merely a paper tiger, he and his father could have saved themselves the trouble of listening to orders and getting pushed around.

Or maybe Great Yuan’s own fate and power had waned, dragging down the strength of its state preceptor along with it?

What he did not know was that Sun Fuping was burning all his energy just to keep the barrier between reality and illusion intact. After all, He Chunhua and the others outside were not facing some run-of-the-mill rabble; they were up against the Gale Army!

With his power and concentration divided, the state preceptor’s hands were tied here in the illusion, frustrating him to no end.

Under the southern gate, Nian Songyu was already panting for breath. “State Preceptor, if you don’t use your trump card now, it’ll soon be too late!” Their individual power was limited, while the black flood dragon seemed to command boundless might on its home turf. The whole fight was unfair from the start. If things continued as they were, they had absolutely no hope for victory.

Sun Fuping already had his sword in hand and had just slit the throat of a demon ape. “Fine, give me thirty breaths of time completely undisturbed!” His bladework was not on par with Nian Songyu’s, but it was far from weak.

Taking advantage of the gap, he scattered over a dozen copper beans on the ground. This was the secret spell of “Scattering Beans to Raise Soldiers.” The golden-armored soldiers that sprang up were identical to the ones who had fallen before, forming a living wall to shield Sun Fuping in the center.

All divine techniques that were useful on the battlefield devoured true energy, and in this illusion, the cost was doubled. Sun Fuping was going all in, even burning through two dark green profound crystals in one go.

For context, that walnut-shaped airship they had used in the desert for hours, which had carried over two hundred people, had only consumed three low-grade profound crystals. Those profound crystals did not even come close in quality to the two he had just used. If He Lingchuan had seen this, he would have smacked his leg in regret. In the blind of an eye, Sun Fuping had just burned through enough to buy three mansions, each complete with estate, maids, and productive lands.

Those “productive lands” could mean anything: maybe a manor with a spring famous for tea and wine, or groves of centuries-old plum, or jasmine trees that imparted a unique fragrance, producing pastries or cakes tastier than anywhere else. Some grand estates came with rare resources that nourished their owners, and above all, conferred status and prestige, placing them leagues above ordinary homes.

In short, those profound crystals could have bestowed one with extravagance beyond belief.

But, back to business.

Nian Songyu did not have time to sigh over such losses. He glanced at the monsters swarming from every direction, calculated the thirty-breath window he had to provide the state preceptor, and gritted his teeth. “Alright!”

If they did not seize this final burst of strength to fight back, they would end up no different from meat on someone else’s chopping block.

Sun Fuping’s gaze swept over the ruins of the south city wall and, as fate would have it, landed right on He Lingchuan. He also caught sight of Zeng Feixiong and Mao Tao.

Ever since He Lingchuan realized the monsters summoned by the black flood dragon were not attacking him, he had grown much bolder, even daring to climb up to the second floor of an abandoned inn for a better view of the chaos. Naturally, Zeng Feixiong and the others had to follow.

This spot was at the corner where the eastern and southern walls met. It was no more than thirty paces from the city wall at its closest.

The moment their eyes met, a chill ran down He Lingchuan’s spine, for Sun Fuping flashed him a strange, unsettling smile.

It was just one smile, yet he could tell that it was as if Sun Fuping had just said, “You’re in for a world of trouble.”

At that instant, Nian Songyu threw back his head and let out a furious roar. Azure light blazed from his body, and above him appeared the towering phantom of a giant, nearly seventeen meters tall, its muscles bulging with raw power.

The giant held twin blades, mirroring Nian Songyu himself, but each blade was over thirteen meters long!

With monsters closing in from all sides, Nian Songyu unleashed two sweeping horizontal strikes, then cleaved upward into the sky.

Wherever his blades fell, the giant’s phantom blades followed, reaching more than ten meters farther than his own.

A chilling light flashed, blade qi rose, and every monster within a twenty-five-meter radius was cut down in a single stroke, not even a corpse left whole.

Even the bird monsters in the sky tumbled down in droves, raining onto the ground.

A few more finishing blows, and the battlefield would be nearly cleared.

This martial technique bore a name He Lingchuan knew all too well: Primordial Power. This was a trump card that Nian Songyu kept in reserve. It let him channel the might of a primordial giant, making him unstoppable in battle and allowing him even to suppress other people’s divine techniques.

Its only real drawback was that its awe-inspiring power was short-lived, granting him merely fifty seconds of sheer dominance.

With the immediate threats eliminated, Sun Fuping seized the opportunity. He drew a small ivory carving from his robe, bit open his fingertip, and dabbed his blood onto the carving.

He Lingchuan was too far away to see the details, but he could tell from the yellowed patina that it was old ivory, signifying that it was a relic from long ago.

Curiously, as soon as the blood touched it, Sun Fuping released his grip, closed his eyes, and began silently chanting. The ivory carving hovered in the air, motionless, and started to emit a faint glow.

The moment the carving appeared, the black flood dragon, who had been perched above the gate, watching everything in a relaxed state, suddenly sprang into action. It slithered down at astonishing speed, its massive body over fifty meters long, moving even faster than a galloping horse. In the blink of an eye, it landed and charged straight for Nian Songyu and Sun Fuping.

Its target: the ivory carving.

At this point, Sun Fuping stood still, eyes shut, lips moving in silent prayer. He was in no position to defend himself.

His only hope rested on Nian Songyu.

Commandant Nian was still in a berserk killing frenzy, the giant phantom above him now flushing red, radiating a wild and violent aura.