0p0 Chapter 162
Chapter 162
Long Yan glanced at Lin Ziyu's condition, his heart filled with worry. He stared at the seemingly endless swarm of insects before him. He took a deep breath and shouted, "Retreat!" With this command, Long Si and the others changed formation, alert to their surroundings, and began to retreat rapidly, fighting as they retreated.
Everyone retreated at a rapid pace, their expressions solemn. They didn't dare to stop, fearing they would be overwhelmed by the surging insect swarm. Only when they were far away from the insect swarm and felt that the danger had been temporarily lifted did they stop, panting.
Long Yan's face was filled with anxiety. He ignored his own fatigue and rushed to Lin Ziyu's side in two steps to check on his condition. He saw that Lin Ziyu's face was as pale as a piece of white paper, without a trace of blood. His lips were also pale, which made people feel pity.
Long Yan held Lin Ziyu's hand tightly, his eyes showing deep worry. He asked with a trembling voice, "Ziyu, how are you? Are you hurt?"
Lin Ziyu weakly raised his head, looked at Long Yan, and forced a smile. He replied softly, "Brother Yan, I'm fine. I just used up too much spiritual energy when fighting those bugs... Now I feel like my body has been drained. I'm very tired."
At that moment, Long Si, who had been observing her surroundings, suddenly spotted a relatively open, flat area not far ahead. She turned to Long Yan and said, "Your Highness, that area ahead looks relatively safe. Why don't we go there and rest for a while, and then make plans once everyone has recovered some strength."
Long Yan nodded slightly and helped Lin Ziyu walk towards the clearing. Once they reached the flat ground, Long Shen surveyed the surroundings while Long Yi began setting up defenses and guarding the formations. Long Yan took out a bottle of Soul-Restoring Pills and handed it to Long Si, asking him to distribute it to the others. He then took out another and said, "Ziyu, take this quickly." Lin Ziyu took the pills and swallowed them. Long Yan took another pill and swallowed it himself. Then, he sat beside Lin Ziyu and began to regulate his breathing and restore his spiritual energy.
After Long Si distributed the Soul-Restoring Pills, everyone except Long Yi and Long Shen who stayed behind to be on guard took a Soul-Restoring Pill, sat on the ground, adjusted their breathing, and restored their spiritual energy.
Time passed slowly, and Long Yan opened his eyes. Long Si walked up to him and said, "Your Highness, you're awake."
Long Yan felt that his spiritual energy had recovered to 90%. After looking around, he frowned and asked, "Zi Yu, what's going on now?"
Long Si replied, "Your Highness, Young Master Ziyu has woken up. Seeing that you were still asleep, he took Long Ba and Long Jiu to the beach to investigate the situation." As soon as she finished speaking, the figures of Lin Ziyu, Long Ba and Long Jiu appeared before them.
Lin Ziyu saw Long Yan wake up and came to him, with concern in his eyes, and said, "Brother Yan, you're awake."
Long Yan nodded slightly, "Yeah." Then he asked, "What's the situation at the beach now?"
Lin Ziyu said, "We didn't get too close to the sea, but observed it from a distance for a while. We found that whenever there was a living thing near the sea, the insects would appear, but if it was a certain distance away from the sea, the insects would stop chasing. Brother Yan, do you think the insect swarm is being controlled by someone?"
At this moment, Long Si whispered, "Your Highness, look at the sky!" Everyone looked up and saw a huge crack in the sky not far away. From it flew a flock of luminous birds, estimated to be nearly a thousand. Long Yan frowned, thinking that a new danger was approaching. Remembering that everyone's spiritual energy had not yet fully recovered, they could only retreat for the time being.
Long Yan clenched his fists, his gaze sweeping around with determination. "Let's hide in the valley over there and use the terrain to maneuver." Long Si and the others stood up and rushed toward the valley. Long Yan held Lin Ziyu's hand the whole time, his eyes filled with protectiveness. Once inside the valley, Lin Ziyu produced an invisibility talisman from his spacecraft and handed one to each of them. Long Yan instructed them to remain hidden and closely monitor the movements of the flock of birds. A new crisis was about to unfold.
Thousands of birds, emitting a faint glow, circled above the valley for a long time, not leaving. Long Yan was worried. If they discovered their whereabouts, it would be difficult to deal with them in their current state. Lin Ziyu leaned close to Long Yan's ear and whispered, "Brother Yan, I feel like these birds are not without flaws." Long Yan looked at him and motioned for him to continue. Lin Ziyu pointed to a slightly larger bird and said, "That one looks like the leader. If we can subdue it, perhaps the others won't be a problem."
After a moment's thought, Long Yan decided to take a chance. He quietly gathered his remaining spiritual energy into his palm, preparing for a surprise attack.
Lin Ziyu released two fantastical beasts from his space. They burst forth from the snow and raced out of the valley, instantly attracting the attention of the birds. Long Yan seized the opportunity and, like an arrow from a bow, dashed towards the bird suspected of being the leader. The bird, sensing danger, shrieked and lunged at Long Yan. Long Yan nimbly dodged, simultaneously directing his psychic energy at the bird. Lin Ziyu and the other dragon guards were also busy, attacking the other birds with talismans and psychic energy. After a fierce battle, Long Yan successfully slew the leader. Then, they united to slay the remaining birds.
After Long Yan slashed and slashed the last bird, his tense nerves finally relaxed, and he let out a long breath. Then, he slowly turned around and cast his gaze upon Lin Ziyu, who was standing not far away. His eyes were filled with relief and gratitude, as warm and clear as a thawed stream on a spring day. Smiling, he turned to Lin Ziyu and said, "Ziyu, thank you for being here!"
Lin Ziyu nodded unceremoniously. He walked over to Long Yan holding the Dream Beast, looked at the sky, and asked solemnly, "Brother Yan, where are we going now?"
Long Yan thought for a moment, then raised his head and replied, "Let's leave here first and go back to the small town we passed by when we came here before. Have a good rest before making other plans." After that, he took Lin Ziyu's hand and walked forward. Seeing this, the others hurriedly followed.
Shortly after they left, a portal-like light slowly emerged from the spot where the birds had appeared. From within, a mysterious figure, shrouded in a black robe, emerged. He reached the edge of the valley and saw the dead birds scattered across the ground. He angrily declared, "Whoever killed my spiritual bird? I will not let them go!" His voice was icy and bone-chilling.
The mysterious man squatted down, stroking the dead spirit bird, muttering something. A moment later, the bird he was stroking came back to life. A video appeared above the bird's head, showing Long Yan and his companions fighting the bird. It was very clear, with sound.
After watching the video, the mysterious man slowly stood up, his voice filled with anger: "Brother Yan? Your Highness? There are also people with high spiritual power in this world. Very good, I will remember you." He waved his sleeves and scattered the flying bird.
Elsewhere, Long Yan and the others hurried along, soon arriving near the town where they'd rested the previous day. But the town before Lin Ziyu had become dark and eerie. Only one house appeared intact, its gate flanked by red lanterns. Lin Ziyu reached out to grab Long Yan, then paused. His voice trembled with surprise as he said, "Brother Yan, look, there's something wrong with the town ahead."
At this moment, the bustling town before Long Yan disappeared in an instant, transformed into a town emitting a strange atmosphere. He was shocked. They were still resting in this town yesterday. This situation definitely did not form in one day. What was going on?
At that moment, a deep, mysterious voice echoed through Lin Ziyu's consciousness. It seemed to emanate from a distant, mystical realm. It was the Dream Beast he had subdued. The Dream Beast slowly spoke, "Master, this place is an illusion. It tricks passersby into believing everything is normal. With me here, this illusion has no effect on you."
Hearing the Dream Beast's words, Lin Ziyu's heart was shocked. He quickly turned his head and his gaze fell on the orc Long Yi behind him. He asked, "Long Yi, take a look, what exactly do you see?"
Upon hearing this, Long Yi first looked forward, then turned to glance at Long Yan beside him. He then replied respectfully, "Master Ziyu, I see a bustling town ahead, bustling with activity. Some are in a hurry, while others are leisurely and content. It looks just like any other town."