Chapter 1187: Not Being Deceived

"These unreliable damn things!" Fu Liushan let out an exasperated sigh. "Could he truly not escape this calamity?"

Three years ago, when he left the mountains, an old charlatan had read his fortune, saying that his fate was said to clash with the Grand Duke Jupiter this year, and he should spend less time in the mountains.

Fu Liushan had completely ignored it.

As a mountain guardian, how could he not enter the mountains?

Now, thinking about it, could there truly be a hint of its prophecy coming true?

Scarcely had a few thoughts crossed his mind when the bell suddenly fell silent.

This didn't mean the crisis had passed; instead, it meant the true threat had arrived!

The chirping of insects in the forest had ceased at some unknown point, the leaves were still as if carved, as if even the wind had stopped moving.

The silence was suffocating.

He Lingchuan pressed his collar, his divine bone necklace growing hotter and hotter.

Based solely on this, he knew the black-armored figure was approaching.

With a 'shuala' sound, the jungle rustled, and a dark figure darted out, as fast as an arrow shot from a bow.

The small trees it brushed past had only just begun to sway when the figure was already in front of He Lingchuan.

"So fast!" Fu Liushan, from within the stone platform, watched without daring to blink.

He hoped He Lingchuan wouldn't be defeated in a single blow.

With a loud bang, not only had the two sides engaged, but one of them had been sent flying directly backward.

Fu Liushan's eyes widened, unable to believe that the one sent flying like a ball was none other than the black-armored leader!

The one who delivered this blow wasn't He Lingchuan, but a gigantic figure that had appeared out of thin air—

A massive, powerful ape!

This giant ape was tall and stout, and clutched a massive violet-gold staff. It was this staff that had just delivered a critical blow to the black-armored leader.

Not only was the black-armored figure caught off guard, but Fu Liushan was also utterly bewildered.

"Wait a moment, had it transformed from the small monkey from earlier?"

He Lingchuan, meanwhile, gritted his teeth and whispered to the Ghost Ape, "Who told you to hit it out?"

"Ung?"

"If it's outside the white circle, how can we seal it?" During tough fights, he particularly missed his Auntie. This monkey, though powerful, wasn't very clever.

"Oh, right, I forgot." The Ghost Ape scratched the back of its head and bared its teeth in an apologetic grimace.

The black-armored leader crashed through two large trees and got up as if unharmed, saying in a low voice to He Lingchuan:

"Return my heart-scale!"

Compared to when it first broke the seal, the red light in its eyes was even more intense. He Lingchuan had seen it battling among thousands of soldiers and knew it grew stronger from the joy of slaughter and the fear of its opponents.

This creature could indeed sense the treasure he had secretly hidden. He Lingchuan took out the scale wrapped in deerskin from his pocket and held it up, shaking it at the creature: "Come and get it yourself."

He had cast the bait, to see if the fish would bite.

The black-armored leader took a few steps forward, then suddenly lowered its head to look at the ground, deliberately stopping outside the white circle.

It still remembered this seal.

He Lingchuan glanced at the stone platform and raised his middle finger at Fu Liushan.

"This unreliable fellow. Didn't he say that when the Rakshasa Armor first emerged, its host's mind would be confused? But the black-armored leader didn't seem foolish at all!"

Fu Liushan quietly hissed in response. What he had said earlier was merely his ancestors' speculation; what did it have to do with him?

His ancestors hadn't fought with the black-armored leader either, and this was a completely new situation for everyone.

"So, the black-armored figure actually had a brain? That made it even harder to fight."

The black-armored leader let out a low chuckle, then suddenly turned and left, disappearing into the jungle in two steps, with a rustle, and was gone.

It actually... ran away?

It actually knew how to escape?

He Lingchuan was a little helpless. "Let's pursue it," he said.

This thing seemed to know they would certainly follow.

Since it had already seen through the trap, the stone platform array was useless. He Lingchuan and the powerful ape strode into the jungle.

Fu Liushan watched, wringing his hands in frustration:

Aside from the sealing array, he had made other preparations here. With the black-armored leader running off like this, all his hard work had gone to waste.

"Sigh, what an unlucky year."

Before they had run a hundred paces, He Lingchuan and the powerful ape stopped:

Ahead, the trees and tall grass were so thick they brushed their faces. They couldn't maneuver well in such a place, and it was easy to be ambushed.

However, just as they stopped, several ice cones shot out from the dense forest.

He Lingchuan raised his shield to block them, while the powerful ape swung its staff to deflect them.

But one ice cone exploded on its kneecap armor, and the bronze armor immediately frosted over. In less than two breaths, a palm-thick layer of solid ice formed!

Moreover, this ice quickly spread upwards, and everywhere it touched, whether fur or armor, was corroded by the cold.

The powerful ape's movements instantly stiffened, and it couldn't even lift its leg.

Meanwhile, the Mirror Shield also shrieked, "So cold! So cold!"

The shield's surface, struck by an ice cone, also formed a thick layer of solid ice. He Lingchuan could feel the shield's weight noticeably increase. The ice also tried to extend behind the shield, but the mirror held it firmly back.

This scene seemed familiar.

At this moment, a black serpent suddenly darted out of the tall grass and lunged at He Lingchuan's lower leg.

It had been lurking in the tall grass, less than seven feet from its enemy. Waiting for He Lingchuan to be distracted by the ice cones, it then sprang into attack.

Just one puncture, and the enemy would be unable to move.

But just as it leapt, He Lingchuan acted as if he had eyes in the back of his head, and with a backhanded downward slash, nearby grass blades were decapitated, and the black serpent was also struck.

However, He Lingchuan couldn't slice it in two. The black serpent made a clanging sound and instead wrapped itself around the blade several times.

This was not a snake, but a black chain.

The chain's tip was also a barbed spike. Earlier, the black-armored leader had used it to pierce the wing membrane of the Bat Demon Puppet, intending to climb onto the aerial mount and fight He Lingchuan to the death.

As soon as it coiled around the Flotsam Blade, its spiky tip darted straight for He Lingchuan's hand, swiftly and smoothly.

He Lingchuan, quick-witted and agile, released the Flotsam Blade a moment earlier, sending it directly toward the dark figure behind the tree to his left—

acting on the Soul-Absorbing Mirror's warning.

With a clatter, the chain forcibly pulled the Flotsam Blade away. The dark figure also threw a spear, which instantly lunged toward He Lingchuan's face.

He Lingchuan swiftly turned sideways, the spear tip grazing his waist. Had he not forcibly sucked in his abdomen, the spear would have pierced right through him.

This black-armored figure's reaction speed was on par with his own.

According to the unreliable master Fu Liushan, the Rakshasa Armor's power was weakest right after it escaped the seal, and would grow stronger with continuous battles and slaughter.

He couldn't imagine what this armor would be like at its peak.

Snowflakes began to fall from the sky at some unknown point. It wasn't heavy snow, but fine, delicate powder, which, when it landed on a person, caused a slight chill and stiffened their movements.

"Be careful!" the Soul-Absorbing Mirror immediately warned, "This snow powder, when it lands on a person, has a slowing effect!"

He Lingchuan immediately released his protective energy, preventing the snow powder from getting close.

No sooner had the dark figure thrown the spear than a strong gust of wind arose from behind its head. It was the Flotsam Blade, which had vanished into thin air to escape the chain's entanglement, and then flew to strike the enemy again.

The dark figure suddenly flickered and vanished from its spot.

"Not good," a chill ran through He Lingchuan's heart. Every time he did this, it caused his enemies a headache; now it was his turn.

Without hesitation, he dropped to the ground, twisting his body halfway, and with a raised left hand, two sleeve arrows shot out rapidly behind him.

The black-armored leader indeed appeared behind him, raising its hand to throw another short spear, aiming for his back neck.

But with He Lingchuan's sudden drop, it missed its target. Just as it was about to thrust downward, He Lingchuan's sleeve arrows arrived, hitting its waist with two 'ding-ding' sounds.