Chapter 66: Primordial Power

Could it be?

He Lingchuan instinctively looked west; the burnt-out official quarters were in that direction.

“No reason. Young Master, we just need to hide here!” Maotao had killed many and suffered many injuries, but he wasn't reckless and didn't want to engage an unbeatable opponent.

Just then, a surprised voice from behind exclaimed, “Young Master, you’re here!”

Was that…?

He Lingchuan’s joy was immense; he spun around and indeed saw Zeng Feixiong with five subordinates standing at the opening of a cellar.

“Why are you only just arriving?” Young Master He complained immediately. “Where’s my father?”

With six skilled fighters joining their side, his strength suddenly grew, and He Lingchuan felt much more at ease.

“The Prefect sent us down to help Young Master. He’s staying above with his men to resist the vengeful spirits.” Zeng Feixiong looked around, bewildered, his mouth agape. “What’s going on? Why aren’t we helping the Imperial Advisor?”

“He has ill intentions; he even tried to ambush me just now.” He Lingchuan’s expression was stern. “Stay right here, all of you! No one goes up!”

Although he didn’t know why the Imperial Advisor would try to ambush He Lingchuan, Zeng Feixiong hesitated for a couple of seconds before deciding to stay by the Young Master’s side. Even though the fighting ahead was fierce, both the Imperial Advisor and Commander Nian were formidable individuals and could surely take care of themselves.

He Lingchuan narrowed his eyes.

Ever since he met Sun Fuping, the Imperial Advisor had been putting on airs as a great master, so why hadn’t he unleashed a major counterattack yet? Most of the monsters’ attacks were blocked by Nian Songyu, so where was the Imperial Advisor’s skill?

Even he, merely an observer, knew the principle of "catching the leader first." Unless the Black Dragon on the city gate was eliminated, the monsters on the ground would be endless.

Why hadn’t Sun Fuping acted yet?

He Lingchuan muttered to himself, thinking, “If I had known the Imperial Advisor was just a paper tiger, why would my father and I have obediently put up with him?”

Or perhaps the Great Osprey’s national fortune was weak, and consequently, the Imperial Advisor’s related power had also diminished?

In truth, he didn’t know that Sun Fuping’s power was being used to maintain the real-world barrier. After all, He Chunhua and the others outside weren’t dealing with just anyone, but the Great Wind Army!

With his power and focus divided, the Imperial Advisor was hampered in this battle, and quite annoyed.

Below the South City Gate, Nian Songyu was already panting. “Imperial Advisor, if you don’t unleash your trump card soon, it’ll be too late!” Their individual strength was limited, while the Black Dragon seemed to possess infinite power on its home ground. It was unfair from the start; how could they possibly win this fight?

Sun Fuping, who had long held his sword ready, had just slit the throat of a demonic ape. “Alright, buy me thirty breaths! I need to be completely undisturbed!” His swordsmanship wasn’t as good as Nian Songyu’s, but it was by no means weak.

During this brief respite, he also scattered a dozen bronze beans onto the ground. This was the secret art of “Scattering Beans to Form Soldiers,” and the golden-armored soldiers that emerged were identical to the two fallen comrades from earlier.

They formed a wall of soldiers, firmly protecting Sun Fuping in the center.

Divine abilities usable in battle consume a great deal of True Energy, and in this illusion, the energy cost was doubled. Thus, Sun Fuping was truly going all out, even using two deep-green Profound Crystals in one go.

Previously, the Walnut Disc had traversed the desert for several hours, carrying over two hundred people, and only used three low-grade Profound Crystals, which were far inferior in quality to these two.

If He Lingchuan had seen this, he would surely have slapped his thigh in regret, lamenting the loss of what amounted to three lavish estates complete with manors, beautiful maids, and unique produce.

Regarding “unique produce,” some inherited grand estates possessed their own distinct outputs, such as springs that yielded excellent tea and wine, or cultivated ancient plum trees and jasmine with exceptional fragrances, leading to confections like dregs cakes and fragrant pastries undoubtedly superior to those from other workshops. These estates benefited from unique geomantic energy and water sources, which could, in turn, sustain their owners. Of course, their greater significance lay in their immense prestige, allowing them to command far higher status and prices than ordinary luxurious homes.

One could say it was obscenely extravagant.

But I digress.

Nian Songyu certainly had no time for regrets. He looked at the monsters surging from all directions, calculated the thirty-breath time limit, and gritted his teeth. “Alright!”

If they didn't fight with what strength they had left now, they would soon be meat on the chopping block.

Sun Fuping’s gaze swept across the ruins of the South City. Somehow, it met He Lingchuan’s.

Of course, he also saw Zeng Feixiong and Maotao.

Since He Lingchuan discovered that the monsters summoned by the Black Dragon didn’t attack him, he had grown much bolder. He even dared to climb to the second floor of an abandoned tavern to watch the spectacle, and Zeng Feixiong and the others naturally had no choice but to follow.

This was the corner where the east and south sections of the city wall met, no more than thirty paces from the wall itself.

As their eyes met, a chill ran down He Lingchuan’s spine, because Sun Fuping gave him an unsettling smile.

It was just a smile, as if to say, “You’re in for a world of trouble.”

At this moment, Nian Songyu let out a furious roar towards the sky. A blue light gathered around him, and directly above him appeared the translucent image of a muscular giant, approximately five zhang tall.

This giant, like him, wielded twin blades. Though also a translucent image, its blades were a formidable four zhang long!

As monsters swarmed from all sides, Nian Songyu effortlessly executed two horizontal slashes, then carved a cleaving strike into the air.

Wherever his blade passed, the giant’s blade shadow followed, extending an additional three zhang beyond his own.

Cold light gleamed and sword energy surged, and within a seven-zhang radius, monsters were utterly annihilated with a single cleave, leaving no intact bodies.

Even the demonic birds in the sky plummeted to the ground, hitting with a clatter.

With a few more follow-up slashes, most of the monsters in the area would be cleared.

This set of martial arts had a name remarkably familiar to He Lingchuan: “Primeval Might.” It was Nian Songyu’s ultimate skill, allowing him to borrow the power of a primeval giant to be invincible on the battlefield, even suppressing the divine abilities of others.

Its only drawback, perhaps, was that its mighty manifestation lasted too short a time, making him an unstoppable force for only a mere fifty seconds.

With the surrounding threat temporarily gone, Sun Fuping pulled an ivory carving from his sleeve. He bit his index finger and dabbed the flowing blood onto the sculpture.

He Lingchuan was too far away to discern the details of the ivory carving, knowing only that the sculpture itself was slightly yellowed, a characteristic of aged ivory, clearly an ancient artifact.

Interestingly, after applying the blood, Sun Fuping released his hand, closed his eyes, and silently chanted. The ivory carving also floated in mid-air, motionless, and began to emit a faint glow.

No sooner had the carving appeared than the Black Dragon, which had been observing from the city gate, suddenly couldn’t stay put. It swam directly down.

Over fifteen zhang long, its speed was faster than a galloping horse. It practically plummeted to the ground and was already charging towards Nian and Sun!

The Black Dragon’s target was the ivory carving.

Sun Fuping, with his eyes closed and muttering incantations, was utterly incapable of stopping it.

Their only reliance was Nian Songyu.

Commander Nian was currently laying waste to everything around him; even the translucent giant above his head was gradually turning red, filled with a berserk aura.