After the Immortal Disappeared

He was turning to leave, so he bore the brunt of the attack.

Fortunately, Hee Lingchuan had warned him. Fuzzy Peach’s heart jolted, and he managed to knock the arrow away with his saber before it could find its mark.

Immediately after, the sound of whistling through the air was incessant as more than a dozen arrows were fired at once.

Hee Lingchuan knocked aside the arrow aimed at him and immediately smashed a vial on the ground. The bottle shattered on impact, releasing a thick white smoke that instantly billowed out in all directions.

This was the formula for a Smoke Bottle, which he had learned from the Female Patrol Guard, Willow, in the Panlong Dream Realm. He had commissioned the Medicine Ape Ling Guang to concoct several types, and the one he just threw had the effect of a Smoke Bomb.

Both sides of the conflict were enhanced by Primordial Power, so smoke summoned by Spells had limited effect on obscuring their vision. These Smoke Bottles were far more effective.

The light in the woods was already dim, and with the addition of the spreading white smoke, it became even harder for the enemy to see.

Shan Youjun also drew his saber to defend himself, but Hee Lingchuan heard him let out a stifled grunt. He had probably been hit.

Even the Cyan Beast Hee Lingchuan was riding shimmered with a faint light as two arrows struck its hindquarters, only to be deflected away.

Shoot the horse before the man.

Fortunately, the Horse Bell on its chest was also a Magical Artifact. It couldn’t be rung, but its protective qualities were superb.

However, it was drained significantly when deflecting attacks imbued with Primordial Power.

However, more than half of the arrows were aimed at Fuzzy Peach. He reacted with incredible speed, batting away two of them. Another two were stopped by his Protective Spiritual Artifact and failed to connect, but the rest...

In the corner of his eye, Hee Lingchuan saw a cyan light flash over Fuzzy Peach’s body before being extinguished. The thumb-sized Jade Talisman at his waist shattered with a CRACK.

There were too many enemy arrows, all imbued with Primordial Power. The Magical Artifact’s protection was depleted in an instant.

The remaining three arrows all slammed into his body. THWACK, THWACK, THWACK.

Hee Lingchuan saw it with perfect clarity. Fuzzy Peach’s body convulsed as an arrowhead burst from his back, having pierced straight through his heart. It was a ghastly sight.

"Fuzzy Peach!"

Hee Lingchuan was horrified and enraged, but he only dared to let out a low cry. He could already make out several shadowy figures behind the surrounding rocks and trees, drawing their bows to fire again.

He spurred the Cyan Beast’s flanks, and it shot forward like an arrow.

He had to move quickly through the mist to avoid becoming a target again.

Hee Lingchuan drew a Powerful Crossbow from his Storage Ring. It was already loaded and could be operated with one hand. He was no longer the rookie he once was; his aim was excellent even on the move. He fired two Crossbow Arrows, striking two of the archers.

One was shot through the right wrist, the other in the throat.

The Bo Beast was too fast. The enemy only saw a disturbance in the smoke before a tall steed charged out. They had no time to raise their bows and could only draw their weapons to engage.

Hee Lingchuan swung his saber, and two enemy soldiers froze in place.

By the time he caught up to a third man, the upper torsos of the first two slid to the ground, splattering blood everywhere.

That slash, delivered in a fury, was as swift as a Thunderbolt, cleaving both men and their weapons in two. The blade hadn’t even touched the second man; its projected aura of cold light, extending more than a foot, had sliced through his leather armor and bone as if they were butter.

Having just killed four men in a row, Hee Lingchuan was met by the enemy cavalry. A Long Spear thrust straight for his throat.

As their horses galloped past each other, Hee Lingchuan’s first slash severed the spear tip. His second slash arced back like a returning swallow, shearing off half the rider’s head.

Onlookers saw only two flashes of cold light before the cavalryman became a headless corpse.

Who wouldn’t be terrified by such a display? The Xunzhou people directly in front of him couldn’t help but scatter. The occasional opportunistic arrow was either dodged or batted away, failing to inflict any damage.

These soldiers were agile, but faced with the charging force of the Cyan Beast and the Sharpness of the Floating Life Blade, they were nearly helpless.

This was the stark difference between a commander and a common soldier.

Even Hee Lingchuan himself didn’t realize that in reaching this point, he was slowly starting to show the makings of a commander.

Suddenly, someone shouted, "That’s him! He’s the one who wounded General Baili!"

Someone had finally recognized him.

Among the men Hong Chenglu had left for the ambush, a few had followed Baili Qing to attack Xinhuang Town. They had a vivid memory of how their general was defeated. The visibility here was just too poor for them to identify Hee Lingchuan until he had cut down several of their comrades.

Hee Lingchuan suddenly heard Shan Youjun cry out a warning, "Watch your back!"

Indeed, the air stirred behind him.

Hee Lingchuan abruptly dropped flat, pressing his torso tight against the Cyan Beast’s side just as a red figure shot over the saddle. If he hadn’t dodged in time, he might have been knocked from his mount.

While in mid-air, the creature dipped its head and snapped its jaws at his neck. Hee Lingchuan twisted his head aside, and it bit on empty air, its teeth making a sharp CLICK.

Only when the creature landed did Hee Lingchuan see it was a massive red cat. Its long, powerful limbs clearly gave it exceptional leaping ability.

Shan Youjun yelled urgently, "Bladed weapons have no effect on it!"

He was locked in a desperate fight with another of the giant cats, his body already covered in several bloody gashes. The monster emitted a faint green glow and made no attempt to dodge Shan Youjun’s attacks, because his blade simply passed right through its body as if striking nothing at all!

’This thing isn’t solid?’

’No, that’s not it. It becomes intangible when evading, shifting into an incorporeal state. And since it’s also empowered by its master’s Primordial Power, the Primordial Power imbued in Shan Youjun’s weapon is ineffective against it.’

’They’re essentially canceling each other out.’

This Blood Cat was incredibly fast, leaving only a blur of motion as it ran. Shan Youjun had several close calls, nearly getting his eyes and throat clawed out.

He finally got a clear look and was horrified to see that the Blood Cat’s wrinkled hide wasn’t fur—it was a mass of human faces!

The faces had different features, expressions, and genders. Some were smiling, some were angry, some were crying, and some were screaming, but all of them were utterly silent.

He didn’t know that this type of creature was called a Revenant Spirit. With the sun having already set, it was the perfect time for it to emerge and wreak havoc.

Just as Shan Youjun was struggling against the Blood Cat, a shadow silently appeared behind him, thrusting a halberd toward his back.

It was none other than the Xunzhou general leading the ambush, Tao Ze.

The hair on the back of Shan Youjun’s neck stood on end. He knew he was in trouble, but there was no time to turn.

Just then, a long spear shot past him from the front, almost grazing his ear. With a resonant CLANG, it accurately struck the tip of Tao Ze’s halberd, knocking the weapon askew.

It was Hee Lingchuan who had acted, pulling out his Soaring Dragon Spear and throwing it like a javelin to narrowly save Shan Youjun’s life.

This move was a standard skill for every soldier in the Great Wind Army. As a Patrol Guard in the army reserves, he naturally had to practice it diligently. The javelin—no, the Long Spear—that Hee Lingchuan had thrown lacked the overwhelming power of Xiao Maoliang’s throws, but its accuracy and force were gradually becoming adequate.

After deflecting the Long Halberd, the Soaring Dragon Spear flew off at an angle and embedded itself in a tree trunk with a THUNK.

The Blood Cat that had been fighting him had also been overconfident, not bothering to dodge his attacks. Thus, Hee Lingchuan had simply swung his Floating Life Blade once and cleaved it in two.

The massive cat didn’t bleed or scream. It simply fell and disintegrated into ash, but the faces covering its body floated up, transforming into a field of shrieking Vengeful Spirits!

The halberd in Tao Ze’s hands was named "Red Tiger." The Wandering Souls of those it killed were likely absorbed into the weapon and used to fill the two Blood Cats—creatures transformed from Revenant Spirits—providing them with a continuous source of power.

Now that Hee Lingchuan had slain one of the Revenant Spirits, the Vengeful Spirits trapped inside immediately broke free. Brimming with vicious hatred, they began to indiscriminately attack every living thing in the vicinity!

Having spent so long inside the Revenant Spirit’s body, they had acquired its traits—normally formless and intangible, they only solidified for a split second to attack. The nearby Xunzhou Soldiers were caught completely off guard. In the blink of an eye, four of them were swarmed. Some had Vengeful Spirits drill into their mouths and noses to wreak havoc inside their brains, while others were devoured alive, their screams endless.

Seeing this, Tao Ze, the master of the Red Tiger Halberd, was also taken aback and had no choice but to withdraw the Primordial Power fueling the remaining Revenant Spirit.

Once the faint glow around these Vengeful Spirits disappeared, the ambient Primordial Power on the Xunzhou Soldiers would repel them. Weaker spirits would be deflected, while stronger ones would be dispersed on impact. They no longer posed a threat.

But Tao Ze couldn’t understand how Hee Lingchuan had dispatched the Blood Cat so easily. This type of Revenant Spirit maintained an intangible Soul Body at all times, except for the moment it attacked.

Of course, he didn’t know that the Floating Life Treasure Blade in Hee Lingchuan’s hand possessed a special property called "Void Shattering," allowing it to strike the formless and intangible. The Revenant Spirit clearly fit that description. Why would Floating Life show it any mercy?

Once he withdrew the Primordial Power from the Revenant Spirit, the pressure the remaining Blood Cat put on Shan Youjun greatly diminished. As a mere aggregate of Vengeful Spirits, it couldn’t inflict much damage on a Xiazhou Army soldier who was protected by his own Primordial Power.

Shan Youjun caught his breath and turned to face Tao Ze in a one-on-one duel.

The white smoke still covered the battlefield, and the Xunzhou people, wary of the blade in Hee Lingchuan’s hand, dared not rush in. Seizing the opportunity, Hee Lingchuan leaped to the ground, rushed to Fuzzy Peach’s side, and pried open the dying man’s mouth to shove in a life-preserving Pill.

He had taken this medicine himself before. After the Leopard Demon knocked him off a cliff, it had kept him alive for two full double-hours, and he had only taken half a Pill. He knew it worked. It was just so precious that no amount of money could easily buy it.

The Pill dissolved the moment it entered his mouth, but Fuzzy Peach was too far gone to benefit. He stared at Hee Lingchuan and used all his remaining strength to force out three words:

"Go... Go now!"

As soon as the words were out, the light in his eyes faded.

Medicine can’t bring back the dead. His heart had been pierced straight through. It was a miracle he’d lasted this long. No medicine could save him now.

Shan Youjun shouted, "We have to go!"

With enemies so close, he refrained from shouting the word "Master."

Just then, two Xunzhou Soldiers blew their whistles, the sharp, urgent sound echoing throughout the forest.

Hong Chenglu’s troops were nearby; upon hearing the whistles, they would surely rush to provide backup.

Two men against several hundred... they weren’t the Red General. It was certain death.

Hee Lingchuan gritted his teeth and closed Fuzzy Peach’s eyes. Then he leaped onto the Cyan Beast and charged toward Tao Ze.

The Bo Beast was the size of a regular horse, but it could accelerate much faster, reaching top speed within thirty feet.

Tao Ze was still locked in combat with Shan Youjun, and the white smoke was about to dissipate. Once it did, his soldiers could swarm their enemies. But who would have expected the sudden roar of wind as Hee Lingchuan charged straight at him, man and beast as one!

Tao Ze had heard his subordinate’s shout. He knew the young man before him was the one who had wounded Baili Qing in a single move. Tao Ze hadn’t been present for that ambush, so he didn’t know that Hee Lingchuan had only managed that feat by luckily activating the Floating Life Blade’s "Breaking Army" property. All he knew was that his own strength was far inferior to Baili Qing’s. Pinned down by Shan Youjun, his confidence faltered. How could he possibly dare to meet Hee Lingchuan’s charge head-on?