Chapter 00065: Awakening in the Mortal World
# Awakening in the Mortal World
Chapter 65
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 65: Awakening in the Mortal World
He Chunhua lowered his head and noticed that beneath the Heavenly Thunder Formation, another set of runes had lit up.
Unlike the Heavenly Thunder Formation, each line of this new formation was a vivid blood-red.
Most importantly, while this formation wasn’t particularly profound, it was ancient, with many symbols that were no longer used in later generations.
Situ Han noticed that He Junshou’s eyes widened in shock, his pupils shrinking as he stared at the newly appeared formation on the ground.
He couldn’t help but feel nervous. “What’s going on? What’s happening?”
“This is a Blood Sacrifice Formation. Sun Fuping plans to use us as offerings!” He Chunhua hissed through clenched teeth.
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No one had noticed that just as Sun Fuping had taken out the ivory carving, a demonic bird descended from the sky and landed in front of He Lingchuan, the dust it kicked up startling both of them.
Mao Tao instinctively reached for his knife, while Zeng Feixiong immediately stepped in front of He Lingchuan.
Fortunately, the voice of the Black Flood Dragon soon rang out: “They are preparing a divine descent ritual. Your companions outside will soon be sacrificed and killed. Aren’t you going to help stop this?”
He Lingchuan and Zeng Feixiong were horrified. “What are you talking about?”
Mao Tao also exclaimed, “You’re lying!”
“The Thunder Summoning Formation outside is nested with a sacrificial formation. Once these two succeed in their prayers, the formation will extract the lives and essence of your companions as the price for the divine descent! The pain will be unbearable for any human.”
“Nonsense!” Sun Fuping’s voice suddenly echoed in He Lingchuan’s ears.
The two turned to look and saw that his eyes were still tightly shut, his lips still chanting incantations.
Somehow, he had managed to transmit his voice to them.
This man truly had a variety of methods at his disposal. “The Thunder Summoning Formation is only used to summon heavenly thunder and protect the Blackwater City army. Without it, your father would have been devoured by vengeful spirits long ago! This artifact spirit is trying to mess with your mind. Don’t fall for its tricks!”
The Black Flood Dragon, however, countered, “You’re hiding here, separate from them. They wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice others’ lives! Think about it—why are the others outside intercepting the spirits while only you can enter?”
It added ominously, “If I’m not mistaken, these two originally planned to use you as sacrifices. That would have been the easiest way.”
He Lingchuan felt a chill run down his spine.
He knew these two had been scheming against him and his father, as well as the Blackwater City army, but he hadn’t known what method they would use.
If the Black Flood Dragon’s words were true, then by not going to the southern city wall earlier, he had narrowly avoided disaster.
But even though he had escaped, Sun Fuping, who had been planning this for a long time, wouldn’t give up so easily.
He might very well use He Chunhua and the Blackwater City army as substitutes.
Cross-referencing the two accounts, the Black Flood Dragon’s explanation seemed to hold some weight.
Mao Tao was also stunned. “Young Master, this… this…”
Which side was telling the truth? Who should they believe?
Perhaps sensing his hesitation, Sun Fuping urgently shouted, “He Lingchuan, don’t fall for its tricks! If we don’t subdue the Black Flood Dragon, we’ll all die here. He Chunhua and the Blackwater City army will perish with you!”
He then added, “Zeng Feixiong, stop him! If the He family rebels, you’ll all be implicated!”
The Great Falcon Kingdom’s law stated that traitors would be executed along with their entire clan, including their subordinates.
If the He family were to rebel, Zeng Feixiong would indeed face certain death.
This threat worked on everyone.
Zeng Feixiong, who had been considering persuading the young master to make a calm decision—given He Lingchuan’s reputation for impulsiveness—suddenly retracted his outstretched hand upon hearing Sun Fuping’s words. “Young Master, I’ll follow your lead!”
Even the usually astute Sun Fuping was momentarily stunned, not understanding how his words had backfired.
In truth, the word “death” had reminded Zeng Feixiong that he had entered the Panlong Desert with a resolve to die, as long as the He family took care of his elderly father and ensured his peaceful passing.
The two men before him might be high-ranking officials, but the most important thing was to carry out He Junshou’s mission.
He Lingchuan, however, had no time to dwell on Zeng Feixiong’s thoughts.
He needed to make a decision—now, immediately.
In that brief moment, countless thoughts raced through He Lingchuan’s mind.
Then, he suddenly looked up at the demonic bird beside him and asked, “If I help, can you ensure our safe passage out of the Panlong Desert?”
The demonic bird immediately nodded, without hesitation.
Everyone was overjoyed.
This was indeed the outcome they had hoped for! The young master had truly awakened to the reality of the situation.
The strange phenomena in the Panlong Desert were all caused by the Great Square Pot.
If it wanted to spare them, it should be an easy task.
With no other choice, He Lingchuan made up his mind. “Take us to the city wall!”
Several more demonic birds descended, grabbing the group by their shoulders and flapping their wings as they ascended.
Just as they rose ten zhang, a cold light flashed from behind.
The demonic bird carrying Mao Tao was suddenly sliced in half on its right side, letting out a sharp cry as it plummeted.
It was Nian Songyu, who, in the midst of his busyness, had hurled a long knife to stop them from reaching the wall.
He had originally aimed for He Lingchuan, but the demonic bird carrying Mao Tao had intercepted the blade.
Fortunately, another demonic bird quickly took its place, catching Mao Tao mid-air.
Once they landed on the city wall, He Lingchuan pointed at the military equipment. “Load the arrows and fill the cannons!”
Zeng Feixiong and his men silently followed orders, though Mao Tao seemed uncertain. “Are you really going to help the Black Flood Dragon?”
He Lingchuan quickly loaded two cannonballs into the barrel and glanced at him sideways. “What, didn’t Nian Songyu’s knife give you enough of a thrill?”
Nian Songyu’s knife had not only split the demonic bird in half but had nearly killed Mao Tao as well.
Hearing He Lingchuan’s words, Mao Tao gave up any hesitation and quickly loaded a four-foot-long iron arrow onto the crossbow.
The military equipment on the city wall had already fired a round automatically, of course under the control of the Black Flood Dragon.
But its control over the area clearly wasn’t flawless, as it couldn’t handle more precise tasks like loading ammunition or arrows.
That had to be done manually.
Unfortunately, all the demon apes had been killed, and it would take some time for them to regenerate.
If it weren’t for the lack of manpower, why would it have turned to these uninvited little fleas for help?
He Lingchuan had initially thought of drawing his bow and firing a few arrows at Sun Fuping.
But without any official rank or the protection of fortune, the arrows he shot would be far less powerful than the specialized military equipment.
Now that he had made up his mind, he was determined to see this through and do it well.
Nian Songyu was furious, his face turning as red as the raging giant behind him. “He Lingchuan, how dare you betray us at the last moment? I’ll chop you into pieces and grind your bones to dust!”
“If you want someone’s help, you should show some respect. With an attitude like yours, tsk!” He Lingchuan placed the last boulder into the launch chute and turned to the demonic bird. “Do it!”
Flames suddenly erupted from the boulders and arrowheads.
With a series of loud booms, over a dozen pieces of military equipment fired simultaneously.
The loudest were, of course, the cannonballs, which left their ears ringing.
To be honest, firing cannons wasn’t as simple as it seemed.
He Lingchuan still hadn’t figured out the firing mechanism of Panlong City’s military equipment—whether it used a fuse or a flintlock ignition.
But that didn’t matter.
The Black Flood Dragon-controlled Panlong City took care of the rest.
(End of Chapter)