Chapter 00129: Once Again...
# Once Again...
Chapter 129
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 129: Once Again...
This thing was essentially solidified spiritual energy from heaven and earth, capable of replenishing a mage's true energy.
The quality of the Profound Crystal that He Lingchuan had brought out was quite good.
As soon as the mage drew in a breath, the spiritual energy within the crystal transformed into true energy, continuously pouring into his dantian.
He felt like a pool that had been refilled to the brim and quickly nodded in satisfaction.
At that moment, a carriage's backboard was smashed to pieces.
Lu Yao gave it a forceful push, and the board flew off, clearing his line of sight.
From his vantage point, the situation on the slope was now completely visible.
These bastards were still digging pits for him? Lu Yao let out an angry roar, his gaze locking onto He Lingchuan, who was giving orders:
"You little brat, playing endless obstacles with me? Do you really think I, Lu Yao, have a good temper?"
With the Profound Crystal's support, the road's freezing process sped up significantly.
In the blink of an eye, the first layer was laid down.
Hmm, it looked very smooth.
But He Lingchuan still wasn't satisfied and asked the mage to reinforce it further.
Reinforce it again.
And so, two more layers were added.
Under the morning light, the icy road shimmered with a white glow, dazzling to the eyes.
By this point, the mage's face was pale, and he was swaying unsteadily.
Even with the Profound Crystal's energy, a person's mental strength was limited.
This was the first time he had cast spells at such a high intensity, and in just a few dozen breaths, he was utterly exhausted, feeling mentally drained and wanting to collapse into a deep sleep for three days and nights.
He Lingchuan reached out to him: "Give me the remaining Profound Crystal."
The returned crystal had shrunk by two whole sizes.
Mao Tao helped the mage onto his horse, ready to flee with the others.
No one noticed that behind the last line of carriages, Lu Yao suddenly stopped and waved to his subordinate: "Bring me the bow!"
Someone immediately handed him a bow.
Lu Yao called over an archer and pointed at He Lingchuan: "Shoot that He family brat! You know the one, the one who looks particularly arrogant!"
The archer didn't dare hesitate.
He took out an arrow, nocked it on the bow, and aimed at He Lingchuan on the slope.
This bow was more flamboyant and heavier than the usual kind, its lines resembling a bat spreading its wings, especially the exaggerated curve of the bow's ears.
The "head" of the bat was on the bow's grip, where one would hold and nock the arrow.
As the archer aimed, he suddenly found He Lingchuan's figure blurring, making it impossible to lock onto his position precisely.
It was like trying to see something beneath the surface of a violently rippling lake.
Yuan Power!
The bow he was using was a genuine magical artifact, and the opponent's Yuan Power interfered with the artifact's effectiveness, preventing it from reaching its full potential.
Their side was at a disadvantage due to their status as mere rogues, lacking the Yuan Power enhancement.
The archer tried twice but couldn't get a clear lock.
Cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
Lu Yao glared at him from the side, barking, "What are you hesitating for?" That brat was getting further away.
Seeing no way out, the archer gritted his teeth and shouted, "I offer three years of my life!"
As soon as he spoke, a sharp hook, resembling a claw or fang, emerged from the bow's grip and stabbed into his palm like lightning.
But the archer himself felt nothing.
The stab didn't affect his hand's stability.
Instead, his spirits lifted, and his vision suddenly cleared.
Everyone around saw a ghostly eye appear in front of the bow's grip, deep red with a vertical pupil, veins clearly visible.
The pupil shifted left and right, then suddenly opened wide, like a cat's eye at night, fully dilated.
Through the ghostly eye, the archer instantly saw He Lingchuan's back!
With the effect fully activated, all the distracting light and shadows disappeared.
In the archer's sight, there was only a simple target.
Now!
He aimed at He Lingchuan's lower back and let the arrow fly with a "whoosh."
In just two breaths, He Lingchuan's figure blurred again as the Yuan Power reasserted itself.
This bow's special effect was to help its user briefly seize the gap in Yuan Power fluctuations to deliver a fatal strike.
After firing the arrow, the archer gasped for breath as if he had just run forty miles in one go.
His previous calm demeanor was gone, replaced by a pale face and blue lips.
He was originally a tall, thin man in his forties with a yellowish complexion.
To others, his changes were visibly apparent:
The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepened, his eyes grew cloudier, his chin became sharper, and he looked even thinner.
In short, the archer seemed to have aged three to five years in just a few breaths.
This was the price of using the bow.
Lu Yao didn't want to bear it himself, so he made someone else use it.
The ghostly eye in front of the bow disappeared.
Lu Yao snatched the bow from the archer and handed it back to his subordinate: "Smash these broken carriages!"
...
Just around the bend ahead, they would be safe, temporarily out of the bandits' long-range attacks.
He Lingchuan was about to spur his horse forward when the broken sword at his waist suddenly vibrated.
At the same time, a chilling cold spread up from his back, causing his heart to contract violently.
His sixth sense was screaming a warning:
Something terrifying was rushing toward him from behind, and it was fast!
He Lingchuan didn't have time to think or look back.
He grabbed his shield and hurled it backward.
It was as if a firm, steady voice in his mind was urging him:
Jump off the horse!
For some reason, He Lingchuan didn't hesitate and immediately complied.
With a dull "thud," the lightweight shield, made from ancient mountain vines soaked in tung oil and processed through nine cycles of steaming and drying, shattered into pieces upon impact.
This thing was known for its hardness and flexibility.
Not only was it difficult to break with a single strike, but even if left alone for someone to hack at with an axe, it would take a long time to split.
Yet now, it couldn't withstand a single blow.
After smashing the shield, the object's speed only slowed slightly before continuing its forward charge.
Just as He Lingchuan jumped off the horse, he tumbled to the ground, nearly face-planting from the momentum.
Fortunately, his body's agility was excellent.
After a few quick steps forward, though unsteady and awkward, he managed to stop himself on a large rock at the edge of the cliff.
Ahead was a bottomless abyss.
That was close.
As for why he didn't jump to the other side—it was too dangerous.
The other side was filled with the flailing hooves of several horses.
Jumping there would have likely resulted in him being trampled into a cripple.
He Lingchuan was inwardly relieved at his choice when suddenly, his footing gave way—
Damn it, the rock he had landed on was loose.
Having stood there for years, enduring sun and wind, it was already just a shell of its former self.
How could it withstand the weight and force of a young man?
It promptly split into four or five pieces, tumbling into the abyss along with the one who had caused it all!
"******" He Lingchuan cursed loudly.
Why was it falling off a cliff again?
Couldn't death be a bit more creative?
Was the difference between him and his original self just that one had already died from falling off a cliff, while the other was on the way to doing the same?
But even as he cursed and free-fell, he saw a white shadow flash past his horse's back, and a burst of blood mist erupted from his mount's neck!
(End of Chapter)