Chapter 69: The Sphere of Light

Not long after parting ways with Du Lili and the others, Shen Lie retrieved a dirt bike from his space gourd. He had traded food for it, along with two large canisters of gasoline, from a small group within the larger caravan.

He was still over 150 kilometers away from Yangcheng. Traveling on foot would take days, even if he encountered no danger, but with the motorcycle, he could reach his destination in a single day. As for whether the engine noise would attract monsters, he couldn't afford to care; his heart was consumed with desperate urgency for the safety of his cousin.

The motorcycle performed far better on the rugged terrain than a four-wheeled vehicle. After speeding across the wild, he soon hit a paved road. Once he verified his direction, Shen Lie twisted the throttle and roared ahead.

"Brother Hua, look, is that a motorcycle on the road?" In the fields below the road where Shen Lie was speeding, a small team was silently making its way. It was nearly dawn, and a faint light had begun to appear in the sky. A wide-eyed boy pointed at Shen Lie’s figure and spoke to a dark-faced man in his twenties beside him.

"Oh, so it is. Is that kid out of his mind? Daring to head toward Yangcheng at a time like this? And being so flashy about it, too?" The dark-faced man glanced toward the road, curled his lip, and went back to walking with his head down.

"Brother Hua, shouldn't we warn him? There are plenty of lantern monsters foraging behind us on that road. If he keeps charging ahead like that, he’s bound to run into them."

"Tsk, are you stupid? Do you know how much effort it took us to escape from Yangcheng? You want to go back? Besides, the guy is riding so fast, do you think you can catch up to him? Keep quiet. If you annoy Boss Hu, don't blame me if you get kicked out of the squad!"

The dark-faced man’s words made the boy stick out his tongue and fall silent. He cast a look of pity at Shen Lie’s retreating back before carefully following the pace of the group.

Shen Lie, of course, was unaware of this brief encounter. He was secretly relieved that he hadn't encountered a single spider monster after such a long time. With the road completely clear of vehicles, he twisted the throttle to the max, pushing the bike to even greater speeds.

Shen Lie felt as if he had transformed into the wind, nearly ready to take flight. Yet, even so, he felt he wasn't fast enough. He wished he could teleport instantly to Yangcheng to see if his cousin’s family had been caught in harm’s way.

Suddenly, his eyes caught sight of numerous glowing orbs in the distance ahead. They were floating, emitting a blue light, moving back and forth in various positions. Occasionally, an orb would sprout a peacock-tail-shaped screen of light, which looked exceptionally beautiful.

Shen Lie’s heart tightened for no reason. He hurriedly cut the throttle and braked, wanting to bring the bike to a stop. He knew that the more beautiful something was, the more dangerous it tended to be; he couldn't afford to approach such unknowns blindly.

However, the bike was moving too fast. The brakes couldn't stop it immediately; it skidded for a long distance, and before he could regain control, Shen Lie and the bike tipped over, sliding across the road.

As the bike fell, Shen Lie activated his bloodline power, turning his body into a shimmering golden hue. Though he looked disheveled, he wasn't actually injured. But when he went to stand up, he realized he had already slid directly beneath those glowing orbs!

From a distance, these things had looked like mere balls of light, but up close, Shen Lie realized they were eerie, head-shaped creatures!

Each was roughly the size of a human skull and possessed facial features. At the top of their heads sat a long tube, from which colorful matter periodically sprayed out—this was how they created the peacock-tail light screens.

Shen Lie didn't know if these things were harmful, so he dared not act rashly. However, he noticed that a screen of light from a distant orb suddenly turned thin and elongated, shooting not upward, but toward the fields beside the road with incredible speed.

A scream pierced the air. Shen Lie’s heart tightened as he saw a figure emerge from the tall grass in the field. It was a survivor who had wandered here by chance, only to be discovered by the orbs.

The thin light beam struck the survivor’s head with lethal precision. Mesmerized by the beauty of the light, the survivor stood frozen, unable to resist. Then, the woman’s body suddenly elongated, turning soft like a noodle, and was sucked directly into the orb through that straw-like tube!

The orb that had consumed the survivor wobbled slightly, then fell still. It didn't grow in size, but its glow became noticeably brighter.

Shen Lie witnessed the entire process. He had never expected such beautiful things to be so lethal. It reminded him of the "Peacock Plume" from the old classics—a deadly trap hidden behind a beautiful facade, waiting to take your life when you least expected it.

Striking first was always Shen Lie’s specialty. He didn't hesitate. While lying on the ground, he summoned a "Hammer of Annihilation," shrouding several of the orbs above his head in its reach!

A massive, ghostly golden hammer appeared in the air, wreathed in flickering bolts of lightning. It slammed down onto two of the tightly packed orbs. The strike was swift, hitting them before they could even react.

Shen Lie felt a surge of joy, thinking these orbs were slow and therefore easier to handle. His greatest fear was fast or flying monsters, but while these orbs could fly, they didn't fly high, nor were they fast. Even if he couldn't defeat them, he could at least defend himself.

But the next sight left him stunned. His Hammer of Annihilation struck the two orbs, yet it passed through them as if they were made of nothing but air! The hammer's phantom slammed into the ground nearby, gouging out a deep crater, while the orbs remained completely unharmed!

"What is this? Spell immunity?" Shen Lie stared in disbelief, a chill creeping up his spine.

Technically, his Hammer of Annihilation was a magical-type attack, specifically a powerful lightning-element strike. The golden hammer phantom was merely a manifestation of lightning. That such an attack was ineffective against these orbs was a grim realization.

The orbs didn't seem to be physical entities. If the hammer was useless, his "Savage Charge" would likely be ineffective as well—and given the orbs were airborne, he couldn't even reach them with such a skill.

This effectively neutralized two of his major abilities. All he had left was his black spear, but his star power was limited, and he couldn't use it many times.

Unwilling to give up, Shen Lie tried the Hammer of Annihilation again, but the result was the same. The orbs seemed truly made of light; his skills couldn't inflict any damage at all.

"Run!" What else could he do if he couldn't win? Run, obviously.

Shen Lie didn't hesitate; he turned and bolted, abandoning his motorcycle entirely. A wise man doesn't fight a losing battle. He had no stake in this, and he didn't have to take this specific road, so there was no need to provoke them.

But his movements were clearly a step too late. His two attacks had already infuriated the orbs. As he began to move, he saw two of the orbs collide. One was sent flying, leaping over Shen Lie’s head and landing directly in his path.

The orbs seemed to be mimicking each other. Other orbs began to collide, appearing as if they were playing like children. After a series of flickers, they shifted positions, surrounding Shen Lie.

Shen Lie had seen this coming, but he was powerless to stop it. He could only watch as he was encircled, his expression grim as he drew his black spear to watch for their next move.

"Chirp, chirp!"

Whether it was his imagination or not, Shen Lie heard a faint sound from the orbs, as if they were excited. Then, the tubes atop the two orbs closest to him suddenly bent, spraying their colorful, peacock-tail-shaped light beams directly at him!