"Ding—"
After a crystalline chime, the copper coin arced through the air, spinning rapidly before settling back into waiting palms. Peiheng, positioned ahead of Glenn and Hermione, continued casting his hexagram divinations with increasing urgency. He'd maintained this ritual for considerable time now.
Hermione detected restless energy radiating from his movements and felt her own tension mounting correspondingly.
Throughout these recent days, the girl who'd previously harbored skepticism toward divination had witnessed the formidable power of Peiheng's prophetic abilities firsthand. From major decisions like selecting safe travel routes to minor calculations during their evening mahjong games, this premier student of the Divination Department had never erred once. So why was he displaying such obvious agitation now?
"The celestial mysteries are being deliberately obscured—most peculiar..."
Glenn caught fragments of Peiheng's muttered observations from ahead. The diviner was now manipulating his hands in complex patterns, switching to alternative fortune-telling methodologies, though his continued restless movements suggested this approach was yielding equally fruitless results.
"Something feels profoundly wrong. Should I advise Lin Yu to halt and investigate this anomaly?"
Warning signals pulsed through Glenn's consciousness, generating waves of subtle alarm. His instincts insisted something was fundamentally amiss, prompting his voiced concern.
"This humble Daoist shares precisely that sentiment."
Peiheng captured the spinning copper coin decisively, his expression crystallizing into grim seriousness. Without further hesitation, he raised his hand—a talisman materializing within his grasp. Crossing his palms in fluid motion, he transformed the paper charm into an animated figure, then launched it skyward. The paper construct took immediate flight, soaring rapidly toward Lin Yu's position at the formation's center.
However, the talisman messenger—streaking through the air at considerable velocity—hadn't traversed even half the required distance before abruptly ceasing all movement, reverting to ordinary parchment that drifted earthward with natural gravity.
This slowly descending paper figure became the harbinger of imminent catastrophe.
Glenn whirled around explosively, scanning their backtrail with heightened alertness while simultaneously positioning Hermione behind his protective stance.
The magic within his body had vanished entirely.
"Glenn, I can't sense any magical energy whatsoever!"
As Glenn reacted, Hermione pivoted equally swiftly, assuming combat readiness despite her words betraying unmistakable confusion regarding these unknown circumstances, tinged with primal fear of the incomprehensible, all overwhelmed by deadly serious determination.
Something was approaching.
Alarmed cries erupted throughout their expedition immediately. Almost simultaneously, every member discovered their complete inability to sense or manipulate the spiritual energy within their bodies. The formation threatened to dissolve into chaos.
"Enemy assault! Anti-magic array deployment—maintain vigilance!"
"Establish Mystic Defense Formation!"
Their group's tactical structure held firm despite this revelation, while Lin Yu's commanding voice rang out instantly, carrying clearly to the formation's rear elements.
But Glenn possessed no time for contemplating Lin Yu's references to "anti-magic arrays" or defensive formation adjustments, because the warning klaxons in his mind now screamed with deafening intensity, sending spine-chilling sensations cascading through his consciousness.
Though magical manipulation was impossible, his enhanced perception still functioned perfectly.
Space itself was rippling and distorting—unmistakably spatial magic.
Without hesitation, Glenn delivered a powerful kick that launched Peiheng—positioned at the spatial magic's periphery—clear of the spell's effective range, then used that momentum to lunge desperately toward Hermione, who remained within the magical field's influence, extending his hand with desperate urgency.
"Take hold of me!"
Glenn and Hermione's gazes locked with perfect understanding. Their hands clasped together with iron determination before their forms twisted impossibly and vanished completely.
"Hiss... that bloody hurts."
Propelled backward while simultaneously colliding with several other young wizards caught within the spatial magic's radius before landing ungracefully on his posterior, Peiheng used his momentum to execute a backward roll and regain his footing. Clutching his bruised ribs while grimacing, he cast a rueful glance toward Glenn and Hermione's former position.
"Control the entire formation, then systematically eliminate targets beginning with front and rear elements—truly masterful tactical planning..."
During Glenn's forceful ejection of him, Peiheng glimpsed through his peripheral vision that Feng Lian at the formation's vanguard had seized two young wizards—one in each massive hand like grasping chicks—and hurled them beyond the spatial magic's influence before disappearing amid the dimensional fluctuations himself, leaving only his burden—that mysterious coffin—to crash groundward with a resounding clang.
The surrounding auras multiplied exponentially in number and malevolent intensity. Countless black-robed figures materialized from the forest shadows like emerging nightmares. Peiheng silently withdrew the talismans from his sleeve compartment, examined them briefly, then returned them to concealment with equal discretion before pivoting and sprinting toward Lin Yu's position.
"Dragon Kingdom expletive, I'm a curse practitioner—without spiritual energy I'm completely Dragon Kingdom expletive useless! So the earlier divination result stating 'positioning oneself before the outsiders ensures absolute safety' meant this kind of safety?!"
"Lin Yu, preserve me!"
Black-robed adversaries continued materializing in ever-increasing numbers, periodically releasing sinister cackles that echoed through the woodland. They'd successfully encircled the wizarding expedition, while the young wizards—following Lin Yu's tactical commands—contracted their defensive perimeter and established back-to-back positioning, clearly forming a battle-tested protective formation.
Meanwhile, the coffin that seemed forgotten by everyone—even receiving a contemptuous kick from a passing dark wizard—began vibrating ominously. The lid shifted upward, and a pale hand emerged from the interior darkness.
"Ugh! Revolting... drank far too much... Wait, what's... have we reached our destination?"
The world spun chaotically, reality inverted completely, and illumination returned to his vision—though considerably dimmer than previously experienced. Glenn's form materialized within a shadowy cavern, balanced on one knee with Hermione cradled protectively in his arms.
Assessing his physical condition, Glenn confirmed that Lin Yu's anti-magic array maintained its influence here—magical energy remained completely inaccessible.
"Hmm? How did we capture merely two insignificant whelps? Hey, you incompetents over there—how can you bungle something as elementary as prisoner acquisition!"
Nearby, a towering black-robed figure hefted a gore-stained cleaver across his shoulder, malevolent eyes glowing beneath his hood as they fixed upon Glenn and Hermione. He bellowed complaints toward his companions, producing guttural sounds before expectorating contemptuously upon the stone floor.
"Cease your prattling. The Stellar Transposition technique executed flawlessly—who knows why we secured only two brats. Stop wasting precious time—cripple these specimens immediately, dispatch them for blood sacrifice, then we'll capture additional subjects!"
"Damn it all, just these two whelps won't provide adequate entertainment. I specifically selected this assignment to savor torture and execution!"
"Whatever. Consider them appetizers. Wretched luck."
The massive black-robed figure swung his oversized cleaver forward with visible irritation, directing the blade's point toward Glenn and Hermione while roaring menacingly:
"Listen well, you pathetic little whelps—I possess particular fondness for children. Tender flesh, delicate skin—so easily severed with a single stroke. Therefore, I'll graciously warn you: this location is now encompassed by an anti-magic array, rendering spiritual energy completely unusable. Abandon any thoughts of employing spell-based trickery. Advance immediately for your final struggles before becoming blood sacrifices."
Glenn completely ignored the black-robed figure's taunts, first gently lowering Hermione from his protective embrace, then rising to full height. They exchanged meaningful glances before simultaneously reaching within their robes.
"You just confirmed that spiritual energy cannot be utilized here, correct?"
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