Chapter 48: Heavenly Thunder Defense

The spirit aimed for another enemy, but Zeng Feixiong swiftly brought his blade down, cleaving half its head off. Only then did the heroic spirit dissolve into ashes.

Faced with such a formidable enemy, the Blackwater City army lost their will to fight and quickly retreated. After all, they were on an exploration mission, not a deathmatch.

He Chunhua calculated that even if he could win, it would be a pyrrhic victory. Moreover, the enemy leader still appeared vigorous and formidable, seemingly capable of taking on another twenty or thirty people without breaking a sweat.

Sun Fuping seemed to sense his concern. "Don't worry," he said. "As long as you unleash your national fortune, you can resist for a long time."

By this time, Zeng Feixiong had led the remaining troops back into formation. He had a deep gash on his left arm, which was nearly severed, yet he seemed oblivious to it. He simply raised his blade to the sky and roared, "Work together, protect our Great Kite!"

Everyone roared in unison, "Work together, protect our Great Kite!"

The beast-headed staff immediately radiated a brilliant light.

The light was a pale green with a hint of gold, yet it caused the surrounding vengeful spirits to cease their pursuit, shielding their eyes as if the brilliance was unbearable. Their mounts also shook their heads and tails uneasily, pawing at the ground.

This was the national fortune of their homeland, imbued within He Chunhua's kite-shaped coins and activated by the Imperial Advisor!

It was the confidence and consensus forged from the vitality of all living beings in Qiansong County, which, when combined with and amplified by the morale of Zeng Feixiong and the county soldiers, instantly transformed into a powerful and awe-inspiring righteous energy!

Had those dozen or so opponents been ordinary vengeful spirits instead of heroic spirits who had fought countless battles in life, they would have been instantly annihilated by the light.

Zeng Feixiong, however, turned to Situ Han and shouted, "Why aren't you shouting?"

Situ Han was startled. "Me, us too?"

"You've been officially inducted into the Blackwater City Defense Army. You are one with us, no longer mere desert bandits or marauders!"

So, their induction was serious? Since it was a matter of life and death, Situ Han turned and gave an order, and his subordinates joined the main force in chanting the slogan.

With the addition of these dozens of people, the quantitative change finally triggered a qualitative transformation.

The light from the monster on the staff receded, and then it suddenly let out a roar toward the sky.

A luminous greenish-blue orb shot out from its mouth. With a shake in the wind, it transformed into a magnificent azure bird over five *zhang* tall, adorned with a tall crest and splendid tail feathers, its form exquisitely graceful.

It circled once above everyone's heads before ascending and disappearing into the clouds.

This was the guardian beast after which Great Kite was named.

Of course, the true Azure Kite still guarded the capital; what appeared here was merely a manifestation of the national fortune.

As it vanished into the clouds, the dense grey clouds in the sky instantly churned into a vortex. Lightning bolts writhed within, and countless flashes of bluish-purple light flickered within the cloud masses.

Many vengeful spirits were still lingering in mid-air at that moment. Seeing this, they scattered and fled, like schools of fish pursued by a great white shark.

Just a few breaths later, a thick bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, precisely hitting the central point of the talisman formation.

Electrical currents snaked along the formation drawn by Sun Fuping. From an aerial view, the entire formation glowed with a brilliant silver light.

While describing this series of changes takes time, they actually unfolded in just a few dozen breaths.

Faced with such a display, the Great Wind army's soldiers, now heroic spirits, finally showed fear and retreated repeatedly.

While alive, they had witnessed countless wonders and strange arts, but in death, they held the utmost reverence for heavenly might.

After all, they were now spirits.

The commander nodded his head, and immediately a cavalryman charged forward.

As soon as the horse's hooves touched the talisman formation, there was a flash of electricity, and the rider and his horse vanished without a trace.

The commander, as if disbelieving, once again hurled his eighteen-foot spear like a javelin.

With a crackling sound of electricity, the spear penetrated less than a foot into the formation before silently dissolving.

This was the Heavenly Thunder Defense Sun Fuping had summoned using the Imperial Seal. The stronger the national fortune attached to the Imperial Seal, the greater the power of the formation.

The power of a single county should be sufficient to counter a mere dozen heroic spirits.

"Prefect He, I'll leave this to you here." Sun Fuping patted He Chunhua's shoulder, then turned and walked towards the pool's edge.

"Wait!" He Chunhua saw him about to slip away. "I'll go with you!"

"You cannot," Sun Fuping said, pointing to the staff standing in the formation. "The Imperial Seal will lose its power if it's more than a hundred *zhang* away from its wielder. I need every one of you to stay here and hold the line, to prevent the vengeful spirits from entering the pool."

Only then did everyone notice that the old man had, with astonishing speed, integrated the entire pool into the Heavenly Thunder Defense formation. As long as the formation remained, the vengeful spirits could not return to the pool.

The Imperial Advisor wanted to enter the pool to seize the treasure himself, yet he expected them to guard the entrance. He Chunhua's face darkened slightly, but he knew that Sun Fuping had brought so many people precisely for this purpose, but still—

"I will look after your son. You two will be reunited soon, so don't worry!" Sun Fuping, in a hurry, quickly reassured He Chunhua before leaping into the pool.

With a splash, he vanished, leaving only a candle thrown by the pool's edge, its flame still flickering faintly.

Situ Han grumbled indignantly, "That old man is using us!"

He Chunhua's expression flickered. Suddenly, he called Zeng Feixiong closer. "Take a few men and help Chuan'er."

Although He Lingchuan had always been a lucky general, He Chunhua, as a father, was truly uneasy knowing his son was alone in such an unpredictable place, especially with the malicious intentions of Nian and Sun.

Zeng Feixiong acknowledged the order, quickly selected five men, and jumped into the pool.

He Chunhua stared at the pool water, realizing he had been outmaneuvered again. Sun Fuping had deliberately left him and the Blackwater City army outside—a transparent tactic. To defend against the attacking Great Wind heroic spirits, his hundred-plus men couldn't enter the blood pool.

However, when his gaze returned, he was slightly startled. "Why is one of the Great Wind army souls missing?"

Situ Han said, "While you and the Imperial Advisor were talking, one of them slipped away."

He Chunhua inwardly thought, "This isn't good," but he still rallied his spirits to encourage everyone: "No matter how powerful the Great Wind army was in life, they are now spirits, unwelcome by heaven and earth, and bound by divine abilities and magic! As long as we remain calm, composed, and unwavering, the Heavenly Thunder Defense will be an impenetrable fortress!"

Army morale stems from confidence. For the Imperial Seal to remain effective, he had to actively boost troop morale.

Everyone had witnessed the power of the Heavenly Thunder, and their hearts settled. Consequently, the beast-head's light grew even brighter.

But just then, Situ Han pointed to the horizon and exclaimed, "What's that?"

The night was pitch black, and the lightning and thunder in the clouds had vanished, but an unusual red glow flickered in the western sky.

The light drew closer and closer.

He Chunhua also saw it clearly, his expression changing. "It's reinforcements. That wisp of a heroic spirit from earlier must have gone to find them."

What was wrong with these Great Wind army souls? Unlike other vengeful spirits, they hadn't lost their sanity. Not only could they figure out how to injure living bodies, but they also knew to summon reinforcements.

"This is trouble," He Chunhua couldn't help but gasp. "A new wave of Great Wind army souls is approaching fiercely!"

He Lingchuan was also greatly startled when he fell into the water.

He wanted to swim back, but his body was inexplicably paralyzed, and an unseen suction relentlessly dragged him downwards.

The light in the dark red water was dim; even with his eyes open, he couldn't see very far.