Chapter 64: Being Trapped by Oneself

Upon seeing the colossal dragon approach, he neither dodged nor hesitated. Clutching his blade with both hands, he leapt high towards its head, delivering a powerful downward slash through the air! It was a strike that could cleave mountains and slay gods.

Even He Lingchuan, who typically loathed him, had to admit that the move was incredibly striking.

Confronted with such an overwhelmingly dominant attack, the formidable black dragon had no desire to take it head-on. Therefore, it resorted to its old trick, lashing out with another tail whip. Even the tip of its tail was as thick as two people embracing; a strike from it would undoubtedly result in shattered bones and torn sinews.

But Nian Songyu showed no fear. He shifted his blade's trajectory and chopped directly into the dragon's tail. He was flung straight back, but the dragon's tail tip, over three meters long, snapped off instantly.

Sun Fuping seemed oblivious to the fierce battle unfolding before him, but his murmured prayers grew increasingly fervent. Correspondingly, the white light emanating from the ivory carving grew progressively brighter, clearly indicating that its peak would bring about changes detrimental to the black dragon. Thus, after shaking off Nian Songyu, the behemoth lowered its head and charged directly at Sun Fuping.

Its massive dragon head, resembling a battering ram and tipped with sharp, angular protuberances, could pierce multiple large holes even in an iron-clad city gate; what chance did Sun Fuping's flesh and blood stand? However, the dozen or so golden-armored warriors protected him, forming a solid wall with their bodies. The dragon's head struck, sending several of them flying, but the remaining warriors, combining their strength, miraculously held it at bay.

Several demonic birds in the air swooped down, pecking at Sun Fuping. But before their sharp beaks could pierce his skull, they collided with an invisible, hard barrier and snapped with a sharp crack.

It was a barrier.

To gain these thirty precious seconds, Sun Fuping had already deployed his energy-consuming golden-armored warriors, so how could he possibly overlook the importance of a protective barrier? However, for one person to maintain two barriers simultaneously, even Sun Guoshi, despite his profound cultivation, felt his strength waning. Such a high expenditure of energy was unsustainable. He just needed to endure for thirty seconds.

He Chunhua drew a deep breath and shouted to the Great Wind army outside the Sky-Thunder Formation, "Behold what this is!" He pulled an object from his storage ring and held it aloft. Storage spaces were typically very small, only about one cubic meter in volume, and exceedingly rare. Even high officials and nobles in the capital might not each possess one. He Chunhua, having long guarded the border, had acquired this one as confiscated loot. The object he produced took up very little space.

It was merely a broken comb, bearing scorch marks and traces of fire. The small blue flower pattern on its top was faded but still remarkably intact. The moment this unassuming comb was revealed, the opposing army stirred restlessly. Several commanders, including the squad leader who had previously engaged with the Blackwater City army, suddenly stepped forward, standing just outside the formation and staring intently at the wooden comb.

He Chunhua distinctly recalled that Grand Preceptor Sun had identified this item among the Sand Leopard's relics, stating that it still contained the powerful lingering resentment of Zhong Shengguang, the Commander of Panlong City. Although Grand Preceptor Sun was deeply cunning and his motives remained unclear, his knowledge and expertise were consistently reliable. Therefore, this resentment must be familiar to the Great Wind army. As expected, the moment the wooden comb was produced, the Great Wind army's malevolence instantly dissipated, and they even ceased urging the vengeful spirits to assault the formation. Anyone could perceive that their hostility had significantly diminished.

"Withdraw!" He Chunhua, holding the wooden comb aloft, commanded the army souls outside the formation, "You are not needed here!" The Great Wind army remained utterly motionless; not even the horses beneath them snorted or pawed at the ground.

Situ Han whispered, "My lord, they may not understand human speech. Furthermore, they were Xiluo people in life."

He Chunhua suddenly realized, "That's right. I've heard that many vengeful spirits exist only within their own world and cannot communicate with the living. Otherwise, why would the Great Wind army withdraw its hostility simply upon seeing the wooden comb? Sane humans typically wouldn't be so gullible." But this didn't mean he and the Great Wind army were entirely incapable of communication.

He Chunhua pondered for a moment and then gestured for retreat. It was said that Panlong City's military discipline methods had spread throughout the Panlong Wasteland, and had been continuously adopted by later generations, including many training and combat hand signals. As someone who had led troops into battle, He Chunhua was well-versed in these tactics. Sure enough, upon seeing the gesture, several commanders bowed to him, then turned and gestured. It was unclear how the specters communicated among themselves, but the entire army collectively turned and slowly retreated.

The living finally breathed a collective sigh of relief, feeling they were saved.

Situ Han touched his wet, cold back. "My lord," he exclaimed, "you should have told us you possessed such a treasure earlier!"

He Chunhua rubbed his face, disinclined to entertain the country bandit's complaints. Although he appeared to have done little, confronting the Great Wind army for so long, while using the Sky-Thunder Formation's Imperial Decree, had rapidly drained everyone's energy. Now, he felt utterly exhausted, body and mind, wishing he could just sit down and rest properly.

"Exit the formation, but don't stray too far." He gestured for everyone to leave, simultaneously reaching for the Imperial Decree on his staff. With the Great Wind army no longer posing a threat, they no longer needed the formation. Moreover, having been previously deceived by Sun Fuping, He Chunhua remained wary.

Several soldiers stepped onto the rune array and began walking out, then— with a loud cry, they were flung back by the Sky-Thunder barrier. Their entire bodies stiffened, trembling as if afflicted with malaria, and the hairs on their skin stood on end. Everyone was startled. Situ Han hurled a throwing knife, but it, too, was repelled. Evidently, the formation was still merciful internally, not as vicious as it was against the vengeful spirits outside.

"My lord, we're trapped."

Meanwhile, He Chunhua found himself unable to retrieve his Imperial Decree—the beast-head hilt of the staff bit down too tightly, refusing to release its grip no matter how he tugged. By now, even the most obtuse person sensed something was amiss. He Chunhua, more directly, drew his sword and slashed at the staff's head, intending to sever the beast-head hilt. With a crisp "clang," his attempt failed. The precious blade was sharp, yet the staff remained unscathed.

Two mages in the party, witnessing this, came forward to assist. However, their spellcasting proved equally ineffective.

"Men, pull it out!" He Chunhua instructed men to tie ropes around the staff, and six burly men, chanting in unison, pulled with all their might. Honestly, even a pillar requiring two people to embrace would have toppled, yet this staff stood rooted to the spot, utterly motionless.

"What do you make of this? What should we do?" He Chunhua asked the two mages.

"The staff and the formation have merged into one," the two pondered for a moment before stating, "and until the formation is broken, the staff will not budge. To dismantle the formation, you must first retrieve the Imperial Decree." The formation was powered by the Imperial Decree; to break it, the source of its power had to be removed first.

The cruel irony lay here: Sun Fuping had used the power of the Imperial Decree to trap He Chunhua himself. For He Chunhua and his men to escape, they would first have to negate their own power! If they were to unite with high morale, the power of the Imperial Decree would strengthen accordingly. The stronger the formation became, the more difficult it would be for them to escape. This was utterly absurd!

At that moment, a mage suddenly pointed to the ground. "My lord," he exclaimed, "there's another formation here!"