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墨書 Inktalez
I stood up and carefully looked at them, seeing them quietly kneeling on the thin mound, their expressions grave. Sweat was faintly beading on Nie Qiuyuan's forehead.
Were they experiencing a battle in their dreams?
I gazed at the jade statue of Chang'e, my palms pressed together as I silently prayed in my heart. Chang'e was the ancestor of Snowfall Villa, and now her direct descendants were kneeling before me; surely I couldn't harm them, could I?
The surrounding scene had not changed at all, remaining exactly as it was when I first stepped into this area. The deep sunken ground around the highland was flowing with lava, and a rumbling sound echoed from the distant depths, making this place seem even more mysterious.
With nothing else to do, I could only wait quietly, observing the situation around me and guarding them. Time passed slowly; it felt like at least half an hour had gone by, yet the two people kneeling on the ground showed no signs of returning.
As I aimlessly wandered about, a sudden cold wind rushed past me, sending chills down my spine. I jolted in surprise because I was very familiar with this feeling; it was my sixth sense kicking in, my body instinctively sensing danger!
Ever since I began diligently practicing martial arts, my sixth sense had become increasingly sharp. Whenever a crisis approached, my body would react with a special unease and restlessness like an animal. This time, the source of that unsettling feeling came from the distance behind us.
With a swift motion, I drew out the Caiyou Sword. At that moment, two sharp sounds pierced through the air as two feathered arrows shot towards Nie Qiuyuan and Luo Dachun's backs.
Pulling someone into an illusion and then using this method to ambush them—wasn't that just too cruel?
I quickly stepped in front of them, focusing on the direction of the incoming arrows. Channeling my internal energy, I swung my sword with all my might. With two clinks, I successfully deflected both arrows, sending them flying to the side.
Although the arrows were deflected, I couldn't tell what kind of bow or crossbow had fired them; their force was immense, nearly cracking my palms. The pain was excruciating.
Could this also be a test? Or was it specifically targeting me?
I concentrated on the direction from which the arrows had come. I felt that they originated from the other side of the Gate of Faithfulness we had just passed through.
It was strange. Normally, an exam is just that—once you pass, you pass. There’s no going back for a retake. So how could these two arrows have shot over from the Gate of Faithfulness?
I held the Caiyou Sword, standing protectively in front of Nie Qiuyuan and Luo Dachun, every cell in my body on high alert. Their souls seemed to be absent from this world, leaving me as their only protector in this realm.
As I focused my mind, my senses sharpened. This heightened awareness revealed something even more alarming.
Around us, on the high stone walls and scattered across the cliff surface where we stood, there appeared several metallic objects resembling Iron Thorns, faintly glimmering with a dark sheen. I was taken aback; these things looked so familiar—hadn’t I seen them before?
These were the very devices that Nie Qiuyuan had set up around a village when we first encountered the Vermilion Bird. During a thunderstorm, they would channel lightning down, creating a massive discharge field that electrocuted everyone and everything in the village.
So what were they doing here? There was no thunder or storm clouds to provide electrical charges for these devices to absorb. Could they still generate an electric field?
But as long as these things existed, we couldn’t afford to underestimate them. If my instincts were correct, they hadn’t been here just moments ago, meaning someone had quietly set them up while we weren’t paying attention.
What if these devices could convert other forms of energy into electrical energy without relying on natural lightning? We were in Rehai, after all—a place abundant with inexhaustible thermal energy.
If that were the case, we were in serious trouble.
I didn’t have time to ponder why these devices had suddenly appeared or who was responsible for it. My mind kept circling around three words: “What do we do?”
With both of them unconscious and unable to move, even if I could drag them away, there was nowhere to go. The only possible escape was through the Gate of Faithfulness we had come through, but I had no idea what lay beyond it now. Moreover, that gate had just shot two cold arrows at us.
“Let’s do this!” I gritted my teeth. At this point, I could only treat a dead horse as if it were alive and take my chances.
I swiftly darted to their side, beginning to remove every visible metal item from them as quickly as possible.
Weapons were the first to go, followed by hair ornaments, clothing accessories, hidden weapons, and tools like the Fire Scythe. I left them disheveled and chaotic, all while chanting softly and carefully checking them from head to toe.
Touching my own husband was certainly no issue, but as for Luo Dachun, I sincerely apologize; I didn't mean to take advantage of you!
Then it was time for my own belongings.
I quickly retreated to a high ground at a distance from them, holding the pile of items. I positioned Nie Qiuyuan's sword with the tip pointing up, embedding the hilt into the ground. I then placed Luo Dachun's dagger, my Cai You, and a third dagger with their blades pointing downwards in a triangular formation on the hilt of the sword, ensuring their tips were also embedded in the earth.
I was attempting to create a primitive lightning rod. The principle of a lightning rod is to erect a pointed metal object at a height to attract and gather electric charges from storm clouds, channeling the lightning through wires and grounding devices to protect buildings from lightning strikes.
However, all I had were these metal objects, and I wasn't sure if these Iron Thorns constituted a Thunder Array or how they would discharge electricity. So all I could do was take a gamble.
Somehow, luck was on my side. Just as I finished setting everything up and rushed back to Nie Qiuyuan and the others, spreading my arms to shield them behind me, sparks flew before my eyes. After a series of hair-raising crackles and hisses, there was a loud bang followed by an intense flash of white light. In an instant, my body swayed and I fell backward onto the ground, unable to hear or see anything.
Sitting there on the ground, dizzy and disoriented with a buzzing in my ears and my heart pounding like a drum, I hurriedly focused on my Dantian to regulate my breathing. After several minutes of calming myself down, I gradually regained my normal senses.
When my vision cleared, I was astonished to find our weapons scattered chaotically across the ground. The spot where I had set up the "lightning rod" had been drastically altered; a large chunk of the cliff had been sheared off, changing the entire shape of that high ground.
Was that really a Thunder Array? If so, did my makeshift "lightning rod" actually work?
Phew. Regardless, it seemed I had temporarily escaped death. At that moment, I felt a wave of fear wash over me. Clearly, there had been an immense force that struck this area and sent our weapons flying in all directions. It was truly fortunate that none of those blades hit us or pierced anyone among us with a transparent hole.
I quickly scanned my surroundings and found that all the Iron Thorns had melted and deformed, indicating they were no longer usable. It seemed that this Thunder Array was a one-time use.
I struggled to get up, stumbling as I felt around and retrieved the weapons of a few of us. I held the Dagger of Ethereal Shadows close to my chest, carefully observing the movements around me.
As my Senses began to recover, my cognitive abilities gradually became more active.
It couldn't be Qiu; this was a truly inexplicable method aimed at putting us to death. Qiu would never do such a thing; otherwise, all the effort expended earlier would be pointless.
Then, was it them?
I almost immediately concluded in my mind that the Mirror Gate had arrived, and their understanding of this area had surpassed ours. The ones attacking us were likely the true form of Zhuque.
So where was Zhuque now? Just now, it was mostly luck that kept us safe; could I withstand the next wave of attacks on my own?
Although Zhuque was young, he was undoubtedly talented. I had witnessed his abilities in array formations, machinery, and the design and manufacture of offensive weapons. Therefore, I couldn't imagine what he would do next.
As it turned out, no amount of imagination would help.
In that instant, a massive fire dragon suddenly burst forth from the other side of the Gate of Faithfulness, charging toward our location.
The flames surged fiercely; this was something I couldn't handle. Moreover, the fiery dragon seemed to have eyes fixed directly on our position.
In a moment of desperation, I spread my arms to shield Nie Qiuyuan and Luo Dachun behind me, tightly closing my eyes.
I'm sorry, but this is all I can do. Although I know that even this won't truly protect you. If my body can block just a little bit and buy you a chance, then that would be good enough.
Everything happened so quickly that I barely had time to think. Suddenly, I felt myself being swept away, clearly in someone's arms, as they moved me out of the danger zone.
My hair stood on end. The person who saved my life was neither Nie Qiuyuan nor Luo Dachun; their presence was very familiar. I instantly recognized them. I opened my eyes wide and looked back at the spot where I had just stood. Flames engulfed that area, which had turned into a sea of fire.
The fire blazed fiercely around the jade statue of Chang'e, and the person in front of the Jade Sculpture was completely consumed by the flames.
"Qiu!!" When I realized what had happened, my heart shattered, and I couldn't help but let out a piercing scream.
I struggled desperately, wanting to rush into the fire, but the person held me tightly with one arm, preventing me from escaping their grasp. I shouted and thrust my short sword toward their chest, but they easily caught it with their palm.
They didn't speak to me but turned back toward the Gate of Faithfulness and coldly shouted with anger, "Not for you! Until I give the signal, you are not allowed to use such indiscriminate means. Do you want to die?"
The murderous intent surrounding me was so intense that it was the first time I felt a person's killing aura could be so overwhelming. It robbed me of my ability to struggle; my legs turned to jelly, and a chill seeped into my marrow.
Ren Pingsheng lowered his head, his face devoid of any smile, yet he whispered softly in my ear, "Don't be afraid; it's okay now." (To be continued...)
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