Chapter 00048: Heavenly Thunder Defense
# Heavenly Thunder Defense
Chapter 48
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 48: Heavenly Thunder Defense
It still wanted to attack another enemy, but Zeng Feixiong raised his blade and with a swift strike, chopped off half of its head.
The heroic spirit then turned into ashes.
Facing such a fierce enemy, the Blackwater City army lost their fighting spirit and quickly retreated.
After all, they were here on an exploration mission, not to engage in a life-and-death battle.
He Chunhua calculated that even if they could win, it would be a pyrrhic victory.
Moreover, the enemy leader still looked as vigorous as ever, as if he could easily take on another twenty or thirty men alone!
Sun Fuping seemed to sense his worry and reassured him, "Don’t worry. As long as we use our fortune energy, we can hold out for a long time."
By now, Zeng Feixiong had already led the remaining troops back into formation.
His left arm had been slashed, nearly severed, yet he seemed oblivious to the pain.
He raised his blade to the sky and shouted, "Unite as one, protect our Great Falcon!"
The crowd roared in unison, "Unite as one, protect our Great Falcon!"
The beast-headed staff in his hand suddenly burst into brilliant light.
The light was a pale green with a hint of golden radiance, and it forced the surrounding vengeful spirits to halt their pursuit.
They shielded their eyes as if the light were blindingly bright.
Even their mounts grew restless, shaking their heads and stomping their hooves.
This was the fortune energy of the nation, carried by He Chunhua’s Falcon Coin and activated by the Imperial Preceptor!
It was the collective confidence and unity of all the living souls of Qiansong County, merging with the morale of Zeng Feixiong and his soldiers.
Together, it transformed into a powerful, righteous force!
If the dozen or so enemies had been ordinary vengeful spirits instead of battle-hardened heroic spirits, they would have been obliterated instantly by the light.
Zeng Feixiong turned to Situ Han and barked, "Why aren’t you shouting?"
Situ Han was taken aback.
"Do we have to?"
"You’ve been officially incorporated into the Blackwater City defense forces. You’re one of us now, no longer bandits or outlaws!"
So their recruitment was genuine? Realizing this was a life-and-death situation, Situ Han turned and gave the order.
His men joined the main force in shouting the rallying cry.
With these additional voices, the change in quantity finally led to a qualitative transformation.
The light from the beast-headed staff dimmed, and suddenly, it let out a roar toward the sky.
A glowing green orb flew out of its mouth, growing into a massive green bird over fifteen meters tall.
It had a majestic crest and dazzling tail feathers, its form graceful and elegant.
It circled above the crowd before soaring into the clouds.
This was the Great Falcon, the divine beast that gave the nation its name.
Of course, the true Green Falcon still guarded the capital.
What appeared here was merely a manifestation of the nation’s fortune energy.
As it disappeared into the clouds, the gray clouds above churned into a vortex, with lightning snakes dancing wildly within.
Countless flashes of green and purple light flickered within the clouds.
Many vengeful spirits still lingered in the air, but upon seeing this, they scattered like fish fleeing from a shark.
Within a few breaths, a thick bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, hitting the exact center of the formation.
The lightning snakes followed the lines of the formation Sun Fuping had drawn.
From above, the entire formation glowed with a silvery light.
All these changes, though complex, happened in mere moments.
Faced with such a display, the heroic spirits of the Great Wind Army finally showed fear and began to retreat.
In life, they had witnessed countless extraordinary feats, but in death, they revered the might of heaven.
After all, they were now spirits.
The commander tilted his head, and a rider charged forward.
The moment the horse’s hooves touched the formation, a flash of lightning struck, and both rider and horse vanished into thin air.
The commander, seemingly unwilling to accept this, hurled his long spear like a javelin toward the formation.
With a crack of lightning, the spear penetrated the formation but disintegrated before it could go more than a foot in.
This was the Heavenly Thunder Defense summoned by Sun Fuping using the Imperial Edict.
The stronger the fortune energy attached to the edict, the more powerful the formation.
With the strength of an entire county against a mere dozen heroic spirits, it should be more than enough.
"County Governor He, I leave this to you," Sun Fuping said, patting He Chunhua on the shoulder before turning and walking toward the pool.
"Wait!" He Chunhua called out, seeing him about to leave.
"I’ll go with you!"
"You can’t," Sun Fuping replied, pointing to the staff in the formation.
"The Imperial Edict will lose its power if it’s more than a hundred feet away from its master. I need all of you to stay here and hold the line, to prevent the vengeful spirits from chasing me into the pool."
Only then did everyone notice that the old man had quickly drawn the entire pool into the Heavenly Thunder Defense formation.
As long as the formation remained, the vengeful spirits couldn’t return to the pool.
The Imperial Preceptor wanted to enter the pool to seize the treasure, but he needed them to guard the entrance.
He Chunhua’s face darkened, but he knew this was why Sun Fuping had brought so many people.
Still—
"I’ll look after your son. You’ll see him soon, don’t worry!" Sun Fuping hurriedly reassured He Chunhua before jumping into the pool.
With a splash, he disappeared, leaving only a candle by the poolside, its flame flickering faintly.
Situ Han grumbled, "That old man is using us!"
He Chunhua’s expression shifted, and he suddenly called Zeng Feixiong over.
"Take a few men and go help Chuan’er."
Although He Lingchuan had always been a lucky charm, he was now alone in an unpredictable place, with Nian and Sun harboring ill intentions.
As a father, He Chunhua couldn’t help but worry.
Zeng Feixiong acknowledged the order, quickly selected five men, and dove into the pool.
He Chunhua stared at the water, realizing he had been outmaneuvered again.
Sun Fuping had deliberately left him and the Blackwater City army outside.
It was a blatant scheme—they couldn’t enter the blood pool because they needed to defend against the Great Wind Army’s heroic spirits.
But as he looked around, he frowned.
"Why is one of the Great Wind Army spirits missing?"
Situ Han replied, "While you were talking with the Imperial Preceptor, one of them slipped away."
He Chunhua’s heart sank, but he quickly rallied his men.
"No matter how powerful the Great Wind Army was in life, they are now spirits, rejected by heaven and earth, bound by the limits of divine arts! As long as we remain calm and steadfast, the Heavenly Thunder Defense will be an impenetrable wall!"
The army’s morale depended on confidence.
To keep the Imperial Edict active, He Chunhua had to keep their spirits high.
The power of the heavenly thunder was undeniable, and everyone felt reassured.
The light from the beast-headed staff 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 in the clouds had vanished, but the western sky was glowing with an unusual red light.
The light was getting closer.
He Chunhua’s expression changed as he realized, "It’s reinforcements. That missing spirit went to call for backup."
What was going on with these Great Wind Army spirits? Unlike other vengeful spirits, they hadn’t lost their minds.
Not only did they know how to harm the living, but they also understood how to call for reinforcements.
This was trouble.
He Chunhua couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
The new wave of Great Wind Army spirits was coming in full force!
￥￥￥￥￥
He Lingchuan was also startled when he fell into the water.
He tried to swim back, but his body wouldn’t move.
An inexplicable force was dragging him down relentlessly.
The dark red water was murky, and even with his eyes open, he couldn’t see far.
(End of Chapter)