Passerby: Secret Image of Ancient Scrolls

The moment Bai Wuchang's voice fell, the oncoming rain of arrows suddenly intensified by three times. The poisoned arrows struck the bear scales and were mostly deflected. Several arrowheads that had pierced the armor plates dripped venom, and the black marks they left spread at a visible speed.

Shen Xun lowered his voice considerably: "What level are you capable of?"

"I can't touch strangers, and I can't hurt them. I can only use this wind and snow to dazzle the gunman the moment he pulls the trigger, making him lose his aim." Bai Wuchang's figure swayed in the gale, and his aura weakened even more. "My spiritual energy is too depleted. I can only make one move, and it will only be enough to disturb him for a moment."

"A moment is enough." Shen Xun nodded, tapping his peach wood staff on the ice with a crisp sound, instantly drawing everyone's attention back to the desperate situation.

"The tactics remain the same; charge toward the two vehicle bunkers twenty meters away."

"Let's go!" Shen Xun gave the order. Inside the bear-scale barrier, Ao Luya raised her hand and lifted the armor plate that served as a door, creating an extremely narrow gap. This gap was just enough to see the road conditions on the ice ahead, yet it left no opening for crossbow bolts to penetrate. After the armor plate closed, the small chimney at the top let in sunlight, which illuminated the interior.

The bear-scale tent has a bottom diameter and top height of only 1.8 meters, and the upper part is an arc-shaped structure. Bai Lu stands in the center, occupying most of the space. She, Ye Zhuo, and Lin Jian are pressed against the gaps on both sides of the tent wall, making it difficult to even turn around. However, they all grip the leather ropes on the inside, look at each other, and exert force at the same time.

The arc-shaped, cone-shaped bear scale curtain immediately slid out onto the smooth ice surface. As it swayed left and right, the armor plates of the curtain tilted at different angles. The slanted arrows that were shot at it struck the slope, and their kinetic energy was instantly decomposed by the slope, causing them to bounce off. The crisp "clanging" sounds continued one after another. Lin Jian's ricochet tactic was now being used to its fullest extent.

But the next second, an even denser barrage of crossbow bolts rained down like a storm. The crossbowmen in the windbreak drew all four crossbows simultaneously, unleashing a fan-shaped shower of arrows.

Standing in the wind and snow, Shen Xun strained his senses to the limit, focusing only on deflecting the arrows aimed directly at the bear-scale barrier. These arrows were fired at almost a ninety-degree angle to the front of the barrier, the only threat capable of piercing through the bear-scale barrier instantly.

Each swing of the peachwood staff was crisp and clean, precise as if measured. However, there were too many arrows in the rain. Although he knocked down most of them, a few still pierced deep into the bear scales.

Each time he swung his staff, it aggravated the wounds on his shoulder and back, and warm, golden blood dripped down his clothes and stained the snow.

However, his hundreds of years of martial arts cultivation, coupled with his ultimate senses, minimized his physical exertion. Even as his breathing became heavier, his wrists ache and his vision blurred, he remained firmly fixed in front of the bear-scale barrier, not retreating an inch, and guarding the most deadly line of defense.

The muffled impacts outside the bear-scale tent continued, clearly audible to the three inside. Ao Luya tightened her grip on the leather rope, her fingertips aching from the rough cord. Her gaze swept over the new cracks in the tent's armor plates, and the heartache in her eyes almost overflowed.

But she didn't stop, constantly adjusting the force and direction of pushing the canopy, repeatedly saying "Fifteen meters left" and "Twelve meters left" to calm the two people beside her.

Ye Zhuo crouched down beside the hole in the front of the tent, controlling the direction with one hand and holding an entrenching tool in the other. He was ready to block any stray arrows with the entrenching tool at any moment, firmly protecting Lin Jian and Bai Lu behind him.

The toxin had spread to her upper arm, and dark blue veins climbed up her forearm. The dizziness intensified with each wave, and her vision blurred intermittently, but she gritted her teeth and held firm to her defenses.

Lin Jian gripped the other leather rope tightly and shook it vigorously. Previously trembling, her eyes now held only determination. She coordinated with Ao Luya's movements, precisely shifting the canopy left and right to maximize the bounce effect.

Old Gu huddled to the left rear of Xionglinmu, clutching the cracked shield to block the stray arrows. The arrows struck the shield repeatedly, the crisp clanging making his arm numb. The cracks on the shield multiplied, but he never let go, preventing a single arrow from breaching the shield's defenses.

The rain of arrows continued unabated. Old Gu's heart pounded wildly. Every now and then, he would peek half his head out from behind his shield, squinting as he glanced towards the windbreak forest.

He knew he couldn't be of much help; the only thing he could do was keep a close eye on the armed assassin hiding in the snowy slope.

Shen Xun had to keep an eye on the rain of arrows coming from the front and couldn't afford to be distracted. He had only one thought in his mind: if the gunman dared to show his face, he would shout at the cost of his life to warn everyone.

"Ten meters to go!" Shen Xun said urgently, but his voice was firm. His strength had been pushed to the limit. Hundreds of years of cultivation had kept him from collapsing, but the blood loss from his reopened wounds was making his vision increasingly blurry.

Just as he deflected the three arrows aimed directly at him, a cold gun barrel silently rose from the shadows of the snow slope to his left, coming into Old Gu's view.

The gunman locked his sights on the very center of the bear-scale tent. Crouching behind the snow slope, he stared intently at the advancing tent, his mind already forming a precise assessment: the tent wasn't large, no more than two meters in diameter, and the white deer was undoubtedly in its center. If he wounded the deer, the startled animal would struggle wildly, and in the confined space, a single hoofbeat and a flick of its body would instantly flip the damned tortoise shell over.

He knew all too well the group's predicament. This bear-scale barrier was their only protection. Once it was overturned, the crossbow bolts from the windbreak in front and his gun barrels from the sides would instantly riddle them with holes, leaving them no chance of survival.

The assassin held his breath, his finger slowly pulling the trigger. Just before the shot rang out, Old Gu cried out, "They've fired!" to warn everyone.

The White Impermanence, who had already floated to the assassin's side, suddenly blew air, and the rapid airflow swept up snowflakes, blurring the assassin's eyes.

Caught off guard, the assassin felt a sudden stinging pain in his eyes, and instinctively raised his trigger hand slightly.

A gunshot rang out, shaking the wind and snow. The bullet whistled through the bear scale armor, piercing through the plates and leaving a small hole. It grazed the white deer's antlers and embedded itself in the inner top plate of the bear scale armor opposite to it.

The white deer was startled by the gunshot and reared up, neighing loudly, but Ao Luya held its neck firmly to calm it down and prevent it from losing its composure.

The three people inside the tent looked at the two vehicles that were less than five meters away, their hearts pounding, but they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, thinking that at least they hadn't been hit.

Having completed this disruption, Bai Wuchang's figure was so transparent that it was almost invisible. Before he could even speak, a flash of white light, and he vanished without a trace.

But no one expected that this rigorously trained assassin would give them no chance to catch their breath.

He quickly rubbed his eyes, regained his balance almost instantly, raised his gun again, aimed at the center of Xiong Linmu, and without the slightest hesitation, pulled the trigger repeatedly.

Bang bang bang.

Three gunshots rang out in quick succession. His hand was incredibly steady, and the three bullets flew towards the very center of the bear-scale barrier almost from the same point.

Just as Shen Xun deflected another volley of crossbow bolts aimed at him, the ruptured wound on his back sent a piercing pain through him, causing his movements to falter uncontrollably for a moment. By the time he tried to turn around and defend himself, the bullets had already left the barrel.

Old Gu's gaze was fixed on the dark muzzle of the gun. The surrounding wind and snow, the crisp sound of crossbow bolts, and Shen Xun's shouts all vanished in an instant. All that remained in his world were the bullets getting closer and closer, and the pounding of his own heart, which made his chest ache from the constant pounding, one after another, making his eardrums buzz.

His knees bent uncontrollably, and his back was already covered with bear scale armor plates. He instinctively wanted to shrink behind the curtain and hide.

Cold sweat streamed down his forehead, blurring his vision. His hand gripping the shield tightened until it cramped, his face was as white as a corpse, and his teeth chattered as he bit his lower lip until it bled, his mouth filled with a metallic taste.

He would die. That was the only thought in his mind, piercing his nerves like an ice pick. If that bullet hit him, he'd shatter. Hiding behind the bear-scale barrier would save him. But then, the hoarse voice of Ye Zhuo shoving the shield into his hands, Ao Luya's protective gaze on the white deer, Lin Jian's trembling hands still clutching the leather strap, and Shen Xun's unwavering figure, covered in golden blood, surged through him, and a resolute determination instantly welled up within him.

If I don't stop them, they're all doomed.

In that critical moment, Old Gu's mind went blank, and his whole body trembled like a leaf in a storm. But against his instincts, he grabbed the tattered shield and staggered like a madman to the center of the Bear Scale Barrier.

He didn't even dare to open his eyes, shrinking tightly behind the shield, using his body to completely block the direction from which the bullets were coming.

Clang! Clang! Two deafeningly sharp sounds rang out in succession. The first two bullets slammed into the shield, the enormous impact like a heavy hammer pounding into his chest, pushing him backward. His back slammed heavily against the armor plates of the bear scales, a metallic taste rising in his throat, his arms going numb and almost losing all feeling, and even the bones between his legs ached.

The shield, which was already covered in cracks, suddenly burst open with several large cracks.

He trembled even more violently, his legs were so weak that he almost knelt down, but with an amazing will, he still clung tightly to the shield and refused to let go.

He knew that this shield, which was on the verge of collapse, could no longer hold.

The third bullet followed closely, striking the same spot where the first two bullets had hit. A piercing metallic shattering sound erupted as the bullet pierced the tattered shield, carrying a sharp gust of wind as it hurtled straight toward Old Gu's chest.

The moment the ear-piercing sound of shattering metal exploded, Old Gu's world went completely silent.

The wind, snow, the sound of crossbows, and the shouts all dissipated, leaving only the whistling of bullets piercing the air and the heartbeat that made my chest ache, growing slower and farther away.

I'm going to die. The thought surfaced, but instead of the fear I expected, there was only a near-relieving calm. A revolving lantern of images raced through my mind: Xiulian standing at the door, smiling at me, her two shiny black braids swaying gently in the wind; Shen Xun's back soaked in golden blood; Ye Zhuo's bandaged arms; and the stars in Ao Luya and Bai Lu's eyes.

Is it finally going to end?

fair enough.

In the next life, I might meet Xiulian again.

He closed his eyes tightly, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.