Chapter 70: Successful Summoning Technique

He Chunhua, still shaken and filled with both dread and vexation, gritted his teeth and declared, "That old thief Sun deserves to die!" Even he, dull as he was, now understood. Sun Fuping's order for him to lead the Blackwater City army into the Coiling Dragon Desert was clearly malicious: they were to serve as a shield initially, only to become sacrificial offerings at the end.

Had he not possessed this broken comb fragment, the Blackwater City army would have undoubtedly focused all their efforts on maintaining the Heavenly Thunder Array under the Great Wind Army's relentless assault, and they would have been annihilated when the Blood Sacrifice Array activated.

The array's light had now vanished, but no one dared to enter. The sand bandit rescued by Situ Han soon ceased his moaning and twisting, instead fixedly staring at his leader, his chest heaving continuously. He Chunhua glanced at him and said, "He can't be saved. End his suffering."

Situ Han's face was ashen. He knelt down, patted the man's shoulder, and then slit his throat with a knife. It turned out that the rescue was only to prolong his agony; he couldn't escape death in the end. The bandit leader, who had killed countless people, silently pressed his hand to his forehead.

Looking at the remains of the dead, their bones were horrifyingly pale; even the marrow had been drained. The Blood Sacrifice Array was so cruel that it consumed its offerings completely, leaving not a trace of flesh or blood.

He Chunhua's expression darkened, and he suddenly unleashed a slash with his blade! The young attendant left behind by Sun Fuping was quietly slipping away, attempting to hide in the ruins. He Chunhua's blade, however, struck him, severing his head from his body. At the same time, he roared out an order: "Kill! Slay all these fiends!"

Sun Fuping and Nian Songyu originally had over a dozen subordinates within the array. Three had died during the blood sacrifice, and one more was killed by He Chunhua, leaving seven. Recovering their senses, they immediately scattered, either fleeing outwards or jumping into the pond well. But facing the furious Blackwater City army, they didn't get far before being cut down. Two of them fell by the edge of the pond well, hacked into a bloody pulp, just a step away from the water.

Afterwards, the Blackwater City army began to count their casualties. A subordinate finally reported, "My Lord, we have lost eighty brothers."

He Chunhua closed his eyes and exhaled a heavy breath. Just as he was about to speak, he heard a "clang" as the vertically standing staff fell to the ground. Before others could react, it suddenly flew up again, shooting into the pond well and disappearing from sight. A grim expression flashed across He Chunhua's face: "Let's go, we're going into the pond well too!"

Just then, a light pierced through the ruins. Something flew out, glaringly bright. To He Lingchuan, it was like a 5,000-watt light bulb itself, impossible to look at directly. Although he shielded his eyes, he instinctively knew it was the ivory carving. They had expended so much effort, even joining forces with the black flood dragon, yet they still hadn't managed to disrupt Sun Fuping's divine summoning art? So, what about his father and the others?

The black flood dragon raised its broken tail and mercilessly slammed it down, intending to shatter the object. At the same time, the ivory carving's tightly closed eyes suddenly opened!

With a crisp "clang," the ivory carving shattered, but a beam of white light flew out from it, swirling slightly in mid-air, as if lingering or hesitating. Mao Tao stammered, "Is that… is that the summoned god?"

The black flood dragon spat several bursts of fire at the white light. The white light, seemingly ethereal, narrowly dodged them time and again.

There was movement again in the crater below. Sun Fuping crawled out, cradling Nian Songyu, and shrieked at the white light, "My god is here!" With that, he raised the unconscious Nian Songyu, whose eyes were tightly shut.

Only then did He Lingchuan finally understand why Nian Songyu had accompanied the National Preceptor to Blackwater City and the Coiling Dragon Desert—as the vessel for the god's descent, or rather, as the god's weapon!

The demon apes charging from the side were all repelled by Sun Fuping. He himself was covered in blood. Besides the ring and little fingers of his right hand being severed at the root, he didn't know how many other bones in his body were broken. He was in very poor condition. Yet, his spirits were greatly agitated. His divine summoning art had succeeded! This was the fourth genuine divine descent in the history of this continent, excluding the ancient era!

Sun Fuping murmured a few incantations, and something flew from an unknown direction, landing in his hand. It was the staff! The staff Sun Fuping had left outside, used to summon heavenly thunder, fend off vengeful spirits, or rather, to activate the sacrificial array!

He Lingchuan's pupils contracted sharply. The staff no longer glowed, and the beast head at its top was empty-mouthed, no longer holding Governor He's Imperial Seal. The black flood dragon had previously mentioned that Sun Fuping had secretly embedded a sacrificial array to summon a deity using human lives and vital essence. Now that the deity had arrived, it meant...

"Old dog Sun, where's my father!" he suddenly roared at Sun Fuping, his voice hoarse. "If you dared to sacrifice him, I swear you won't die intact!" He had no time to think; rage consumed his mind, and his eyes immediately became bloodshot and swollen.

"Clever boy, you're quick to escape," Sun Fuping chuckled, maintaining his eerie smile. "Since you fled, your father naturally bore the brunt of this calamity."

With a roar, He Lingchuan vaulted over the battlement and leaped down. Mao Tao and Zeng Feixiong rushed forward, grabbing him and pulling him back with all their might: "Young Master, don't be impulsive, he's tricking you!"

At that very moment, the white light in the air bypassed the black flood dragon's attack and suddenly rushed towards them. Everyone was greatly alarmed. Wherever the white light went, the black flood dragon's breath would follow, and they certainly didn't want to die.

However, the white light was incredibly fast. Before anyone could react, it shot into He Lingchuan's mouth. He had been cursing loudly, but this interruption brought him to an abrupt halt, and his eyes became vacant. Caught off guard, everyone froze in stunned silence.

Below the city wall, Sun Fuping was equally dumbfounded. Why would this ancestral entity bypass a perfectly good Nian Songyu just to circle around and seek out He Lingchuan?

Seeing the black flood dragon's massive body turn, Mao Tao shivered and immediately dashed to the side, yelling, "Scatter! Run if you don't want to die!" In truth, they didn't need his warning; everyone scattered like startled birds. Zeng Feixiong instinctively tried to drag He Lingchuan along, but two subordinates forcibly pulled him several yards away: "Brother Zeng, the white light protects him, not you!" They had no idea what the white light could do, but any other living person remaining there would certainly become roasted chicken.

Immediately after, the black flood dragon climbed onto the city gate, puffed out its cheeks, and was about to unleash another burst of fire. At that moment, a monstrous bird flew down and screeched twice into its ear, its voice harsh and grating. No one knew how the two communicated, but the black flood dragon temporarily changed its mind, its cheeks deflating. It circled He Lingchuan twice, as if examining him continuously, then opened its massive mouth, ready to swallow him whole!

The white light had arrived too quickly for He Lingchuan to dodge. His mind went blank for a few seconds, and white, snowflake-like specks seemed to appear before his eyes. Then, his vision suddenly returned, and He Lingchuan found himself in freefall, continuously plummeting. Most bizarrely, a black shadow was directly above him, falling even faster than he was. In just two blinks of an eye, it crashed down onto him!