Chapter 46: Fierce Courage Is Hard to Overcome

Sun Fuping couldn't even be bothered to answer. If the Illusion Barrier could hold out, he wouldn't want to create any more complications.

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

"Heaven and Earth Borrowing Spell," Sun Fuping said, speaking faster than ever before. "Prefect He, get your Nation's Decree ready!"

While He Chunhua fumbled for the Kite Coin, Nian Songyu and Zeng Feixiong had already given repeated orders for the soldiers to form a circular formation, protecting the important figures in the center.

Zeng Feixiong roared, "Hold fast! The vengeful spirits are almost gone; we just need to hold on for ten more breaths!"

Although intended to boost morale, his words weren't far off. The Great Wind Army emerging from the well pool was indeed dwindling, clearly nearing its end, no longer resembling the overwhelming tide from before.

No one could imagine what other vengeful spirits, besides the Great Wind Army, could possibly make a final, climactic appearance.

So, this truly should have been the last wave.

However, as beautiful as their hopes were, reality was just as helpless. Just as everyone mustered their courage, the Illusion Barrier popped and shattered.

It shattered...

The earthy yellow light flickered twice, as if expending its last ounce of strength, before fading away.

Everyone's hearts tightened, and they secretly swallowed.

He Lingchuan had already shouted a reminder, "Don't move!"

Although the Illusion Barrier was broken, the Soul-Suppressing Powder they had taken hadn't expired yet, and the life flames on their shoulders and forehead were still present. Perhaps?

After all, even without the barrier, the previous vengeful spirits hadn't detected them.

The group currently charging out of the well pool appeared to be a small detachment of the Great Wind Army: a commander leading a dozen cavalrymen.

They had just emerged about five *zhang* when the Illusion Barrier coincidentally broke.

*Gulp*. A sand bandit subconsciously swallowed.

The dozen cavalrymen showed no unusual signs, but the commander suddenly reined in his horse, turning around to stare directly at them.

The yellow piebald horse neighed, reared up, and spun around, its head now facing their direction.

The dozen cavalrymen also uniformly turned with him.

Time seemed to stand still. The figures opposite made no move; even their horses stopped swishing their tails.

During this peculiar standoff, the living heard their own heartbeats thudding exceptionally loud.

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

Immediately afterward, the Great Wind Army commander opposite spurred his horse, and the steed galloped forward, charging straight towards them!

More than ten riders followed close behind.

Though they were mere spirits, just a small squad, their hoofbeats thundered like an army of thousands, shaking the very ground.

He Lingchuan clearly saw the leading commander slightly raise his spear tip, and a cold glint flashed.

"Get out of the way, everyone!" he roared. "They see us!" Then he dragged He Chunhua directly behind Sun Fuping.

If the sky fell, the National Preceptor would be there to hold it up.

The distance between them was already short, and with the horses' speed, they were practically upon them in an instant.

He Lingchuan could even hear the snorting breath from the horses' nostrils.

So real, so dangerous.

Nian Songyu didn't even have time to roll his eyes. He swiftly moved to shield Sun Fuping, holding up a faceted shield in his right hand to block the two.

He angled the shield shrewdly, calculating that the charging heroic spirits couldn't easily change direction. Thus, the shield faced them sideways, with no intention of a direct head-on collision.

Even so, he tensed his entire body, adopting a defensive stance.

The shield was crafted from the shell of a demonic leatherback turtle. The added power from 150 years of cultivation made its hardness astonishing. Its square-patterned surface could absorb external force and partially neutralize supernatural attacks.

He Lingchuan was slightly surprised: *Can this thing really defend against attacks from formless, insubstantial vengeful spirits?*

As if knowing his thoughts, Sun Fuping tapped Nian Songyu's shield with a finger and uttered a low "Moo!"

A faint green light immediately emanated from the shield.

No sooner had he withdrawn his finger than the vengeful spirit commander's long spear struck the faceted shield, producing a loud, dull thud.

Nian Songyu was pushed back seven paces, only managing to avoid being outright knocked away by bracing with his core and legs.

National Preceptor Sun was right behind him, his hand on Nian Songyu's shoulder. He was also pushed back, but he seemed as light as an empty sack, landing not only without disarray but with a touch of elegance.

Seizing the opportunity, he extended his hand, and his staff, previously stuck in the very center of the formation, automatically flew back to him.

As for He Lingchuan and his father, a breath before the spear struck the shield, He Lingchuan had already pulled his father two steps aside with extremely quick and precise footwork. This allowed them to perfectly evade the impact and remain unaffected.

He speculated that Nian Songyu's turtle shield could only withstand the vengeful spirits' attacks with the National Preceptor's assistance. Otherwise, how could a purely physical defense block a spiritual attack?

Nian Songyu couldn't help but glance at He Lingchuan, secretly thinking that while the boy's cultivation and character were equally poor, his survival instinct was surprisingly strong, allowing him to evade danger several times.

However, others weren't as fortunate as He Lingchuan and his father. While the Great Wind Army commander dealt with Nian Songyu, the dozen ghostly cavalry charged towards Zeng Feixiong's group.

Without needing instruction, everyone scattered in all directions.

But how could two legs outrun four? In just a couple of passes, six people were impaled through the chest by the ghostly cavalry.

Although the enemies were incorporeal, these six clutched their chests, writhing in pain on the ground, and two even spat blood immediately. It was clear that the long spears wielded by the ghostly cavalry weren't harmless; they could wound a person's soul.

They couldn't hide, and they couldn't fight. What were they to do?

Panic set in among the group.

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

He was stating a fact, as there were many witnesses.

At his reminder, everyone quickly regrouped.

The dozen or so cavalrymen reined in their horses, preparing for another charge, only to find the invading group had reformed in a different spot. This time, it wasn't a circular formation, but all the soldiers had positioned themselves behind their leader.

Their stance was still somewhat disorganized.

The leading Great Wind Army commander looked at the group, then at the fallen injured, and surprisingly tilted his head.

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

Situ Han murmured, "This fellow can think?"

He Lingchuan also felt a bad premonition. This commander already had considerable combat power; if he could also strategize, he could turn this attack into a truly cunning maneuver!

As feared, what they dreaded came true. The Great Wind Army commander lightly shook the reins, and the yellow piebald horse once again charged towards the group.

However, as he passed the well pool, the commander pressed his arm down, dipping the tip of his spear into the water.

This time, Nian Songyu again exerted himself to deflect the commander's impact, but his arms were aching, and the web of his left thumb had split open.

To their surprise, the commander rode past the side of the group. With a swift pull and pivot, the deflected spear tip struck out again!

It was as quick as a dragonfly touching the water.

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

It was clean, decisive, and executed with perfect control.

As a few drops of blood splattered onto the faces of the sand bandit's companions, the yellow piebald horse had already galloped three *zhang* away, with the sand bandit impaled on the eighteen-foot spear. He was still alive, his body convulsing. The commander, with the bandit on his spear, turned around, and a stream of blood flowed down, soaking his trousers and dripping onto the sand.