Chapter 539: Unprovoked Attack

He Lingchuan had been subjected to multiple intense light attacks during his time fighting in Panglong City, both in training and on the battlefield. On two occasions, these attacks had even rendered him unconscious.

After such repeated assaults, his immediate reaction to sudden intense light was no longer to turn away. Instead, he would instantly raise his left hand, the Soul-Capturing Shield appearing on its back, to forcefully block the dazzling white light.

Intense light was usually followed by a barrage of attacks. His opponent, having finally seized this hard-won advantage, would certainly not waste it.

At that moment, He Lingchuan had no time to ponder whether the fireballs and white light were both unleashed by Bai Ziqian.

Indeed, less than a second after the white light hit the ground, it transformed into four massive serpents, charging directly towards the two men. Each serpent was over four feet in diameter and nearly thirty-three meters long, an imposing and terrifying sight. An ordinary person would surely be scared out of their wits by just one glance!

Cheng Yu was flung away with hardly any resistance.

One serpent turned to pursue Cen Boqing. The other two continued their path, each spewing an ice projectile and a fire projectile, both aimed at He Lingchuan! The final serpent paused briefly to gather strength, light and electricity shimmering within its half-open maw.

Fortunately, they had to arch their necks slightly before unleashing their powers. This half-second delay gave He Lingchuan a moment to recover from the light burst. Although his vision was still blurry, he could clearly discern three colossal monsters in front of him, requiring no keen eyesight—especially since they were still glowing brightly.

He Lingchuan sidestepped, evading the ice projectile. The second projectile, a fireball, followed immediately, as if perfectly calculated to hit his landing spot. He Lingchuan channeled power into his arms, raising his shield to block, but was blasted back over thirteen meters with a loud bang, even breaking a small tree. It felt like a cannonball, fired with incredible force from a cannon barrel!

Fortunately, he had undergone two "Emperor’s Nectar" transformations, making his physique considerably more robust. Had he taken such a hit five months ago, both his arms would have instantly shattered, and he would have suffered severe internal injuries. Even so, his internal organs still felt rattled, and his arms throbbed with intense pain.

Where did these things come from, and why were they attacking him?!

His primary focus, however, was the third giant serpent, which crackled with blue and white electricity across its body. After gathering power for a moment, it opened its maw and unleashed a bolt of lightning. The lightning moved several times faster than the ice and fire projectiles; almost the instant a flash of light appeared in its mouth, the bolt exploded right in front of He Lingchuan.

With a crackle and a spray of mud and dust, a three-meter-wide crater appeared in the ground. The soil inside had instantly hardened, its surface even shimmering faintly with a crystalline luster. This lightning bolt did not directly strike He Lingchuan because a tall figure suddenly appeared directly in front of him—the Golden Armored Warrior!

This was an advanced version of the Copper Golem, armored and armed. Its body was thicker, harder, and taller than the original Golems, wielding a long spear in its right hand and a massive shield in its left. The lightning bolt struck the shield, causing the Golden Armored Warrior to tremble momentarily.

It was then evident that the materials provided by Fu Shanyue were suitable and that the court master craftsmen he brought had not cut corners. The Golden Armored Warrior they created was only briefly paralyzed before charging towards the fire serpent, aiming directly for its eyes.

He Lingchuan casually pulled out his Soaring Dragon Spear and hurled it at the lightning serpent, simultaneously leaping away from his spot, for the ice serpent had already lunged! Wherever it touched the ground, a thick layer of solid ice formed. After He Lingchuan leaped away, the ice serpent turned to lunge at the Golden Armored Warrior, wrapping itself around one of its legs while it was engaged with the fire serpent. The Golden Armored Warrior’s rear leg immediately froze, preventing its knee from bending freely.

The lightning serpent ignored the Soaring Dragon Spear, letting it lodge in its eye, and lowered its head to snap at He Lingchuan. He Lingchuan raised his shield, blocking four times in less than a second. The lightning serpent’s agility was incredible, exhibiting none of the clumsiness typical of such a large creature. Fortunately, the shield’s mirrored surface reflected some of its attacks, causing the serpent to injure itself. It also had a long tail that coiled around from behind He Lingchuan. This creature was charged with electricity; any contact with it would be no laughing matter.

Fortunately, He Lingchuan’s mind was clear. The moment these large serpents launched their attack, he bellowed: “Chief Inspector Bai, save me!” This was not the time to worry about saving face. The sudden appearance of these giant serpents, not of flesh and blood, and radiating a majestic, sacred white light, convinced him they were connected to Bai Ziqian!

Bai Ziqian had also followed. Hearing He Lingchuan’s plea for help, he immediately raised the segment of platinum candle, waved his hand, and commanded, “Nonsense! Return at once, all of you!”

The three large serpents immediately abandoned He Lingchuan and the Golden Armored Warrior, transforming into streaks of light that flew into Bai Ziqian’s hand. With three soft hisses, the candlewick lit up. The pale white flame flickered a few times before steadying.

As expected, these three giant serpents were also manifestations of lamp spirits.

“My apologies,” Bai Ziqian said, approaching with the candle and a look of remorse. “These fellows aren’t entirely obedient yet; they just can’t control themselves when they see living creatures. Are you alright?”

He Lingchuan took a few deep breaths and shook his numb hands. “Chief Inspector Bai certainly possesses impressive abilities.” These lamp spirits were truly formidable; just two brief encounters had been fraught with peril. Had Bai Ziqian stopped even a few breaths later, He Lingchuan would have had to unleash all his trump cards.

He Lingchuan suddenly shivered as faint blue electrical currents coursed through his body. The residual electricity hadn’t dissipated; his entire body still felt numb. Seeing himself in such a sorry state while Bai Ziqian remained perfectly composed, He Lingchuan wondered if this was Bai Ziqian’s attempt to put him in his place.

Bai Ziqian pretended not to notice the sarcasm in He Lingchuan’s remark. He glanced at the Golden Armored Warrior and smiled, “This golden puppet is truly well-made; it’s remarkably agile.” The Golden Armored Warrior acted entirely according to its master’s commands, essentially serving as a larger avatar of He Lingchuan. It was incredibly difficult for him to master this skill of dual-tasking. Furthermore, the Golden Armored Warrior’s responsiveness was far superior to that of the Copper Golems; it followed his every command, and its agility, offensive, and defensive capabilities were on a completely different level. Ah, indeed, you get what you pay for.

He Lingchuan recalled the Golden Armored Warrior because the fourth serpent had already caught up to Cen Boqing and was using its signature skill to coil around him, leaving him gasping for air. After all, Cen Boqing was still a citizen of Lingxu City and held an official position, so Bai Ziqian had not used lethal force.

Cheng Yu, however, fared worse. He had been fleeing at the very front, and the full force of the recent light burst had largely fallen upon him. Consequently, he and his wolf had been blasted back over thirteen meters and rendered unconscious. It was no different from being hit by a cannonball. The puppet wolf, which had absorbed most of the impact for him, lay motionless after rolling, its fur burning and sizzling with smoke.

Bai Ziqian waved his hand, and the giant serpent released Cen Boqing. Cen Boqing gasped for breath repeatedly, coughing several times.

Bai Ziqian walked over calmly, observing him with his hands clasped behind his back: “Do you still wish to make a desperate stand? The world is vast, but there is nowhere left for you to hide.” A suspect targeted by Lingxu City had no escape!

Cen Boqing took two steps back, his legs gave way, and he fell to his knees with a thud. He was relatively unharmed, his combat power undiminished, but from the moment he fell off the wolf’s back, he couldn’t muster an ounce of fighting spirit. This was the end of the road; what was the point of further struggle? He was utterly despondent.

Only then did Bai Ziqian wave his hand at the giant serpent: “Alright, be obedient, come back.” The next second, the enormous serpent transformed back into a tiny lamp spirit, slowly floating into Bai Ziqian’s hand. It then crawled back onto the candlewick, rejoining the small flame.

He Lingchuan noticed at a glance that only the base of the candle remained. It was evident that while the lamp spirit was active, the candle had been steadily burning down, nearing the end of its life. Noticing his gaze, Bai Ziqian explained, “It’s fine; this is just a small avatar of the Ever-burning Lamp Spirit.”

He Lingchuan was genuinely impressed, his expression even showing a hint of awe. “Truly formidable,” he murmured. Just one Ever-burning Lamp avatar had taken down both Cheng Yu and Cen Boqing, and left He Lingchuan in such a sorry state. If the giant serpents formed by the lamp spirits were truly disobedient, how could Cheng Yu and Cen Boqing still be alive? They had handled the two fugitives gently, yet unleashed a barrage of attacks on him, an innocent envoy from Chiyan. He Lingchuan simply couldn’t believe it wasn’t at Bai Ziqian’s instruction!

But there was no point in showing off or arguing now; he could only accept the loss.

Watching the expression on his face, Bai Ziqian’s smile grew warmer. Zhongsui Mou, Cen Boqing, and the Fan brothers had all been consecutively humbled by this young man, which likely led him to believe that Lingxu City lacked capable individuals. No matter how incompetent they were, they were still officials of Lingxu City. How could they tolerate being lectured by an outsider! Whoever set foot on Beijia’s soil should treat Lingxu City with utmost reverence. Of course, a slight lesson for this young man would suffice.

He Lingchuan obediently retrieved Cheng Yu, tossing him beside Cen Boqing. “Captured and brought to justice,” he declared, “Mission accomplished!”

Bai Ziqian glanced at him, then suddenly raised the Ever-burning Lamp and shone its light towards Cheng Yu’s face. The flame transformed into a faint, eerie green glow, sending a shiver down He Lingchuan’s spine. Moreover, his vision suddenly blurred in the area illuminated by the green flame.

He Lingchuan asked cautiously, “What’s wrong with him?”

Bai Ziqian merely flickered the green light in front of Cheng Yu’s face and immediately withdrew it, so close it nearly singed his nose. In that brief moment, He Lingchuan realized he could actually see through things; a transparent shadow seemed to flicker within Cheng Yu’s skull. Was that... Cheng Yu’s soul?

Before He Lingchuan could examine it closely, Bai Ziqian withdrew the candle, blew it out with a puff, and smiled, “Both his body and soul sustained minor injuries, but nothing serious; he’ll live.”

He Lingchuan casually turned his head, secretly thinking, “That was close.” Fortunately, when he first captured Cheng Yu, he hadn’t used the Soul-Capturing Mirror to directly extract his soul. Otherwise, that glance would have exposed his secret. This Chief Inspector Bai was meticulously observant to a chilling degree.

He Lingchuan turned back to look at the rhino beetle swarm, only to find them all obediently lying on the ground, scuttling about on their six tiny legs, not a single one flying in the air. They were all crowded on the ground, a vast, dark, squirming mass.

He Lingchuan asked curiously, “What’s wrong with them?”

“Their wings are useless; they can’t fly anymore,” Bai Ziqian said. He picked up the fabric puppet from the ground, dusted off the grass, and examined it carefully. “This is quite a good item.” There was a seam on the puppet’s belly. He reached inside and rummaged, pulling out a golden rhino beetle. This one was striking in color but smaller in size, only about the size of a thumb, and struggled frantically in Bai Ziqian’s palm.

“This is the king beetle,” Bai Ziqian announced.

With the king beetle captured, the swarm of rhino beetles on the ground stirred restlessly, all crawling towards Bai Ziqian at a considerable pace. Bai Ziqian smiled and said to He Lingchuan, “If you can tame this king beetle, this entire nest of insects will be yours. What do you say?”

Punishment first, then a reward? He Lingchuan didn’t decline. “I can try,” he replied. Others might have dismissed this swarm of rhino beetles, but He Lingchuan found them quite useful.

Bai Ziqian tucked the king beetle into the fabric puppet and casually tossed it to him, curious to see how he would go about taming it.