Chapter 516: Natural Enemy

Pei Mianman figured the opponent, being an undead creature, would likely fear fire. So, she conjured a fire dragon in her hand and sent it spiraling towards the enemy.

The skeletal warrior evidently sensed the danger, instantly turned, and drew a round shield from its waist. The shield initially appeared quite small, about the size of a disc, but with a spin, it suddenly elongated, expanding into a shield roughly a meter in diameter, blocking the flames directed at it.

Pei Mianman was startled. Just as she was about to maneuver the flames around the shield, the skeletal warrior twitched its hand, and countless sharp teeth suddenly extended from the edges of the round shield.

Nearby, Zu An's eyes widened in disbelief. During the Shang Dynasty, hadn't everything been made of bronze? How could such advanced craftsmanship exist then, creating such an intricate weapon?

The skeletal warrior hurled the serrated round shield into the air. The shield whizzed towards Pei Mianman, its edges gleaming with cold light. Coupled with the swift whooshing sound, it was clear that a direct hit would likely slice her in half on the spot.

Pei Mianman, suspended mid-air and with no leverage, twisted her waist at the critical moment, leaning her upper body backward and outward. Her entire form became as pliant as a weeping willow, showcasing extreme flexibility with remarkable grace.

However, the spinning shield seemed to have eyes; after flying past her, it circled around and then flew back, aiming to strike her again.

Fortunately, Pei Mianman had already landed. She quickly tapped her toe, flipping backward in one fluid motion, narrowly dodging the attack.

Even so, a section of her skirt wasn't quick enough and was grazed by the shield's blade, falling directly to the ground.

Pei Mianman's face turned pale. If she had been even a moment slower, she might have lost half a leg.

The skeletal warrior casually caught the shield, spun it once, and then launched it again.

Pei Mianman's body erupted in black flames, moving much faster than usual as she dodged to the side. Yet, the spinning shield clung to her like a maggot on a bone, constantly circling and waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Zu An immediately charged towards the skeletal warrior. He had noticed the red glow in its eyes flickering, clearly indicating it was controlling the flying shield. Fearing Pei Mianman couldn't hold out much longer, he swiftly attacked.

The skeletal warrior wielded its halberd, creating a fan-shaped zone of lethal danger around itself, making it impossible to approach.

Zu An, having just suffered a disadvantage in a direct confrontation, knew he was no match for its strength. He immediately cast "Sunflower Phantoms," creating two illusions that charged towards the opponent.

The skeletal warrior tilted its head, its red eyes showing a hint of confusion. How did this person suddenly become two?

Without hesitation, it swiftly swung its halberd, slicing the two illusory figures into four pieces.

However, it froze, as there was no familiar sensation of cutting flesh; it felt as though it had struck only air.

Just then, Zu An's third phantom appeared behind it, swinging the Tai'e Sword directly at its neck.

The Tai'e Sword was incredibly sharp, and with his charged strike, no matter how hard its bones were, it couldn't withstand the blow.

With a clatter, a skull rolled onto the ground.

The shield, which had been spinning in the air, seemed to lose its power and embedded itself in the wall, no longer flying up to attack as before.

Zu An hurried over and helped Pei Mianman up. "Mianman, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Pei Mianman replied, glancing at the fallen warrior with lingering fear. "If it had woken up and ambushed us at the gate earlier, we would probably be dead by now."

"So, our luck is pretty good," Zu An chuckled. He went to the wall to examine the shield. Having just witnessed its ingenuity and power, he figured it would make an excellent piece of armor and a weapon, and wondered if he could use it.

As he reached out to remove the shield, it suddenly whizzed, began spinning again, and flew off the wall. Zu An swiftly dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding having it embed itself in his head.

"What the hell? Does this weapon have a mind of its own?" Zu An exclaimed, staring at the shield flying in mid-air, a look of astonishment on his face.

"Ah Zu, over there!" Pei Mianman's trembling voice came from beside him, as if she had witnessed something bizarre.

Zu An quickly looked, and in that instant, his hair stood on end. The headless body of the skeletal warrior hadn't fallen; instead, it was constantly moving around. It then approached where its head had landed, squatting down and ceaselessly fumbling on the ground. Seemingly unable to see, even with its head just within reach, it struggled to locate it for quite some time.

Zu An immediately reacted, yelling as he swung his sword and attacked it. Unfortunately, the spinning shield in mid-air continuously intercepted, blocking the path between them.

Sword and shield clashed with a dull, thunderous clang. Zu An staggered back several steps, his arm feeling numb.

By then, the skeleton had found its head, lifted it, and placed it back on its neck. It then twisted it, seemingly to align the severed connection.

Immediately afterward, a flash of white light appeared on its neck, and the large wound vanished. The warrior was completely restored, and a red glow pulsed in its deep eye sockets as it once again swung its halberd towards the two of them.

Zu An dodged while exclaiming, "Is this thing immortal? What's the point of fighting then?!"

Pei Mianman said in a deep voice, "Let me see if I can burn it to ashes with black flames. I refuse to believe it can resurrect from that."

As she finished speaking, she acted, directly employing a flame technique to attack the opponent.

This time, the skeletal warrior didn't use its shield to defend. Instead, it pushed off the ground and instantly charged forward.

Both were greatly surprised; this creature's speed was incredibly fast, nothing like a typical clumsy skeleton soldier.

The three soon became entangled in combat. Pei Mianman tried to incinerate the opponent with flames multiple times, but her attempts were always interrupted by its fierce assaults.

The skeletal warrior's attacks were too formidable. With its halberd swinging, its attack range extended for several meters around it.

Normally, a long weapon like that would be a disadvantage in close quarters. However, once they managed to get close, the opponent wielded its serrated round shield, which could both defend and attack, making it like a hedgehog that gave them no opening.

A moment later, both Zu An and Pei Mianman were struck, falling back against the wall. Fortunately, at the critical moment, they managed to avoid the sharp edges of the blade, preventing being disemboweled.

As the skeletal warrior was about to press its advantage, a "ying-ying-ying" roar suddenly echoed from nearby, accompanied by heavy footsteps.

The three in the main hall instinctively turned their heads and saw five Tao Tie beasts slowly approaching.

The skeletal warrior immediately abandoned Zu An and Pei Mianman, turning to face the Tao Tie beasts, halberd in hand. Although its face was merely bone, an expression of grave solemnity was discernible.

The Tao Tie beasts did not look at Zu An either; instead, they snarled at the skeletal warrior.

Zu An was curious. "That's very strange. With the Tao Tie's gluttonous instinct, shouldn't they be more interested in flesh-and-blood beings like us? Why are they directly targeting that skeleton?"

Pei Mianman murmured, "The Shang people were fond of conquest and warfare. To intimidate the surrounding states, they captured fierce Tao Tie beasts, trained them, and deployed them in their armies. However, the Tao Tie are incredibly ferocious and wouldn't have submitted easily. So, over hundreds of years of hunting, countless Tao Tie died at the hands of Shang warriors, and at the same time, numerous Shang warriors were devoured by Tao Tie. Thus, they are natural enemies; seeing each other means a fight to the death."

Zu An's eyes widened. "How do you know all this so clearly?"

Pei Mianman also showed a hint of confusion, instinctively pressing a hand to her forehead. "I don't know either. Just now, many images seemed to appear in my mind. Those images were both strange and familiar, and when I heard your question, I instinctively answered."