Chapter 00067: A Successful Divine Summoning
# A Successful Divine Summoning
Chapter 67
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 67: A Successful Divine Summoning
He Chunhua was still shaken, a mix of fear and regret gnawing at him.
He gritted his teeth and cursed, "That old scoundrel Sun Fuping deserves to die!"
Even someone as slow-witted as him now understood the sinister intentions behind Sun Fuping's command to lead the Blackwater City army into the Coiling Dragon Desert.
They were meant to be sacrificial lambs, used as shields and ultimately offered as sacrifices.
If it weren't for the broken comb in his hand, the Blackwater City army would have exhausted themselves maintaining the Heavenly Thunder Formation under the relentless assault of the Windstorm Army.
When the blood sacrifice formation activated, they would have been wiped out completely.
The light from the formation had faded, but no one dared to step inside.
The bandit rescued by Situ Han soon stopped writhing in agony, his chest heaving as he stared at his leader.
He Chunhua glanced at him and said, "He's beyond saving. Put him out of his misery."
Situ Han's face turned ashen as he crouched down, patted the man's shoulder, and then slit his throat.
The rescue had only prolonged his suffering, and death was inevitable.
The bandit leader, who had killed countless people, silently pressed his hand to his forehead.
Looking at the remains of the dead, the bones were pale and brittle, the marrow completely drained.
The blood sacrifice formation was horrifyingly cruel, consuming every last bit of flesh and blood from its victims.
He Chunhua's expression darkened, and with a sudden slash of his blade, he struck down a young servant Sun Fuping had left behind.
The boy had been trying to sneak into the ruins but was decapitated in an instant.
At the same time, He Chunhua roared, "Kill them! Kill all these demons!"
Sun Fuping and Nian Songyu had brought over a dozen followers with them.
Three had died during the blood sacrifice, and He Chunhua had killed one, leaving seven.
These seven scattered in panic, some fleeing outward, others jumping into the well.
But before the enraged Blackwater City soldiers, they didn't get far.
Two were hacked to pieces near the well, just a step away from the water.
The Blackwater City army then began tallying their losses.
A subordinate reported, "Commander, we've lost eighty brothers."
He Chunhua closed his eyes, exhaling a heavy breath.
Just as he was about to speak, a loud clang echoed as the upright staff fell to the ground.
Before anyone could react, it suddenly flew up and shot into the well, disappearing from sight.
A fierce glint flashed in He Chunhua's eyes.
"Let's go. We're heading into the well too!"
￥￥￥￥￥
At that moment, a faint light emerged from the ruins.
Something flew out, shining so brightly it was impossible to look at directly.
To He Lingchuan, it was like staring into a 5,000-watt lightbulb.
Though he shielded his eyes, he instinctively knew it was the ivory carving.
Despite all their efforts, even teaming up with the Black Flood Dragon, they had failed to stop Sun Fuping's divine summoning ritual.
What about his father and the others?
The Black Flood Dragon raised its broken tail and slammed it down, trying to shatter the carving.
At the same time, the tightly shut eyes of the ivory carving suddenly opened!
With a crisp clang, the carving shattered, and a beam of white light shot out, hovering in mid-air as if hesitating.
Mao Tao stammered, "Is that... the summoned god?"
The Black Flood Dragon spewed flames at the white light, which seemed to flicker and narrowly evade the attacks each time.
From the crater below, Sun Fuping emerged, clutching the unconscious Nian Songyu.
He shouted hoarsely at the white light, "My god, come forth!" He then raised Nian Songyu, who was unconscious and eyes closed, toward the light.
It was only then that He Lingchuan finally understood why Nian Songyu had accompanied the Grand Preceptor to Blackwater City and the Coiling Dragon Desert—he was to be the vessel for the god's descent, or rather, the god's weapon!
The demon apes charged forward but were repelled by Sun Fuping.
Sun Fuping himself was covered in blood, missing the ring and little fingers on his right hand, and who knew how many bones were broken.
His condition was dire, but his spirit was exhilarated.
His divine summoning had succeeded!
For the fourth time in recorded history on this continent, a true god had descended!
Sun Fuping muttered a few incantations, and something flew into his hand from nowhere.
It was the staff!
The staff Sun Fuping had left outside to summon heavenly thunder, ward off vengeful spirits, or rather, to activate the sacrificial formation!
He Lingchuan's pupils contracted.
The staff no longer glowed, and the beast's head at its top no longer held Prefect He's Seal of State.
Earlier, the Black Flood Dragon had mentioned that Sun Fuping had embedded a sacrificial formation, using lives and essence to summon a god.
Now that the god had arrived, it meant...
"Sun, you old dog! Where's my father?" He Lingchuan roared at Sun Fuping, his voice hoarse with fury.
"If you used him as a sacrifice, I'll make sure you die without a whole corpse!"
Before he could think further, rage consumed him, his eyes bloodshot and bulging.
"You're quick to run, boy," Sun Fuping chuckled, his smile still eerie.
"Since you escaped, your father had to bear the consequences."
He Lingchuan let out a roar, vaulted over the battlement, and leaped down.
Mao Tao and Zeng Feixiong lunged forward, dragging him back desperately.
"Young Master, don't be rash! He's lying to you!"
At that moment, the white light in the sky dodged the Black Flood Dragon's attack and suddenly shot toward them.
Everyone was horrified.
Wherever the white light went, the Black Flood Dragon's breath followed.
They didn't want to die.
But the white light was incredibly fast.
Before anyone could react, it shot into He Lingchuan's mouth.
He had been cursing loudly, but the moment the light entered him, he fell silent, his eyes glazing over.
Caught off guard, everyone froze.
Below the city, Sun Fuping was equally stunned.
Why had the god bypassed the perfectly good Nian Songyu and gone for He Lingchuan instead?
Seeing the Black Flood Dragon's massive body turn toward them, Mao Tao shivered and bolted to the side, shouting, "Scatter! Run if you don't want to die!"
No one needed the reminder.
They scattered like frightened birds.
Zeng Feixiong instinctively tried to drag He Lingchuan with him, but two of his men yanked him several yards away.
"Brother Zeng, the white light protects him, not you!"
They had no idea what the white light could do, but anyone else staying there would surely be roasted alive.
The Black Flood Dragon climbed onto the city gate, puffing up its cheeks, ready to unleash another blast of fire.
Just then, a demon bird landed beside it, squawking harshly.
Whatever communication passed between them, the Black Flood Dragon changed its mind, its cheeks deflating.
It circled He Lingchuan twice, as if inspecting him, then opened its massive jaws, preparing to swallow him whole!
...
The white light hit He Lingchuan's face too quickly for him to dodge.
His mind went blank for a few seconds, and his vision filled with white, snow-like dots.
Then, his sight suddenly returned, and he found himself in free fall, plummeting downward.
Strangely, a dark shadow above him was falling even faster.
In the blink of an eye, it crashed into him!
(End of Chapter)