Monkey Flower looked down on the somewhat timid Cruz. In her perception, men were supposed to be brave, resourceful, and calm in the face of trouble. How could he be so disheveled just because he was chased? This really made her look down on him. However, thinking of what had just happened, a flush of embarrassment crept onto her face.
Yong Shanling was wiping her hair while pondering his words. Her deep eyes made it impossible to tell what was on her mind.
"Are you saying he suddenly rushed towards you? Logically, he should have stopped you when you were on the phone... Could it be that he was luring us there?"
Her words made Li Zhuo can't help but feel a chill run down his spine. He tightened his grip on Monkey Flower's hand, and she didn't seem to care about his strength.
"Did you notice anything else suspicious?"
"The tokens. There's something wrong with their tokens." Miao Yijie, who had been silent all along, voiced his long - held confusion.
"Yes, yes! It was probably a token with a spell on it. It suddenly turned into powder and then transformed into a flock of crows and flew away. I'm wondering if those crows will drop something."
She was also a bit worried. After all, spell - related things were very difficult to control, especially illusion spells. The person behind this must be no ordinary person. It seemed there would be another tough battle.
Liu Lingtong suddenly leaned over to her ear and kept repeating a single sentence: "They're coming, they're coming, they're coming..."
Her face inevitably looked solemn. Her spiritual power hadn't recovered much recently, and now there were people coming for them. It was really a headache.
"They seem to be coming. I guess the crows followed us here."
As soon as she said this, everyone in the living room's faces darkened at the same time. The magnificent chandelier in the living room also flickered. Cruz swallowed hard, and a thin layer of sweat broke out on his hands and forehead.
"When I was being chased by that guy, I found that my thunder power was halved, but it was just right. Now that it's thundering, maybe I can set up a barrier."
"How so?" Monkey Flower couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. She thought this man had something special.
"I can use thunder to create a shadow - body barrier. If they try to force their way in, they'll have to pass through ninety - nine levels of thunder. They shouldn't rush in rashly."
Yong Shanling's eyes lit up. She put her arm around Cruz's shoulder and said, "You're amazing! I never realized you could perform such a powerful barrier spell."
The man who was hugged felt his ears turn slightly red, and there was a hint of shyness in his deep blue eyes.
"You've always been protecting me. I feel so sorry. I can at least do this little bit."
Well, Miao Yijie's face darkened again as he watched her affectionate gesture and Cruz's inexplicable shyness. He pulled her into his arms and pinched her waist, which made her find it a bit funny.
Outside the door, Cruz was sitting cross - legged. A strong wind blew, messing up his hair and covering his eyes. The rain had soaked his clothes, and instead of stopping, it was getting heavier. Thunder struck intermittently.
But Cruz still sat there chanting the spell. Suddenly, he opened his eyes.
The wind, rain, and thunder suddenly froze in one frame, leaving everyone standing at the door stunned. Even Miao Yijie's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise.
Yong Shanling touched a raindrop, and it turned into water and landed in her palm. At this moment, Cruz, with the mixture of rain and sweat on him, looked a bit disheveled.
His face was also a bit pale. She asked worriedly, "Are you okay? Do you need to take a break? This formation is quite energy - consuming..."
Before she could finish her sentence, the man in front of her collapsed. Finally, with Li Zhuo's support, he fell onto the sofa.
Due to the barrier, they couldn't see what was going on outside. Yong Shanling had no choice but to ask Liu Lingtong, "Are those people here?"
"Almost, almost. Many people, many people..."
"Can you tell the exact number?"
"More than two hundred."
Yong Shanling's heart, which had just calmed down, tightened again.
"More than two hundred people... I don't know if this barrier can hold up. If not, I'll have to activate the teleportation."
Yong Shanling took out her storage bag and placed it on the ground. The black - robed man in front appeared before them. His hands and feet were tied with spirit - locking ropes, and his spiritual power was also under control.
She removed the speech - sealing spell. A look of coldness appeared on her face as she looked at the man in front of her and asked, "Are you from the underground city of Country M?"
"Why should I tell you?" The man looked at the young girl in front of him disdainfully.
She looked at the black - robed man with a bit of amusement and said, "Don't you feel your spiritual power draining away?"
Hearing the girl's words, the black - robed man stopped talking. He seemed to sense the draining of his spiritual power, but it was so subtle that even he himself could hardly detect it.
A look of panic finally appeared on the man's face. He kept moving his body, looking rather comical and ridiculous.
"What on earth do you want!"
"Tsk." Yong Shanling finally showed a bit of impatience.
"What do I want? If you'd just tell me who the mastermind is, I wouldn't have to go through all this trouble. Tell me everything you know."
"I... I don't know either. I'm just a hired hand. And in our line of work, we don't ask questions. That's the rule."
"Ha." The girl's eyes were filled with emptiness. She sat on the sofa, snuggling into a man's arms.
"Since you don't know, then it's your own fault for not saving yourself." Yong Shanling laughed, looking a bit strange.
Miao Yijie looked at the girl in his arms. A strange look flashed in his eyes and he asked, "Ling'er, what's wrong with you?"
The girl raised her head, looking at him with a confused smile. "What's wrong?"
Although she was smiling, her eyes were like those of a soulless puppet. Liu Lingtong on her body had also left.
Cruz on the sofa had woken up at some point. Leaning against the sofa, although he had rested for a while, his face was still pale. He closed his eyes and said, "It's spirit possession. That man used a spell to possess Shanling. Maybe Shanling has strong willpower, so she hasn't been completely controlled yet, but... it's just a matter of time."
Miao Yijie looked at Cruz nervously. He tightened his grip on her hand. The pain made Yong Shanling regain a bit of consciousness.
"What's wrong with me? My head hurts so much..." But soon the girl reverted to her previous state, holding her head and looking extremely uncomfortable.
Miao Yijie looked at her with heartache and shouted, "A way! I need a way!"
He roared at the man, his face full of worry. Li Zhuo's face was also full of sorrow. He never expected there to be so many schemes in this matter.
Monkey Flower looked at the somewhat irrational Miao Yijie with a headache and said, "Calm down first. That man must know the way to break the spell."
He stood up. He seemed about to collapse at any moment when he walked, but his steps were firm. When he walked up to the man, he grabbed his neck and tightened his grip.
The black - robed man's neck and face had turned red. Since his hands were tied, he looked extremely helpless. He kept shaking his body and laughing maniacally.
"Hahahahaha! You think I'll tell you how to break the spell? I'll never tell you even if I die."
Miao Yijie wasn't angry but instead laughed when he heard the man's words. He threw him to the ground and wiped his hands with a piece of paper. He didn't even care that his hands were bleeding.
Watching Cruz and Monkey Flower channel their spiritual power to control the possessed spirit made him feel a bit relieved. Then he turned his attention back to the black - robed man.
"You're so pitiful. It seems you've never been loved in your life. If I did this to the person you love, would you be happy? But anyway, you'll be dead soon. How about I fulfill your wish and send the person you love most to accompany you? Hmm?"