Chapter 37: Ambush

“Control Center, I’m en route to Second High School now!” Guard Shang reported to the Security Bureau.

On his martial fighter armor, faint traces of bloodstains were still visible—a grim testament to the battles he had fought earlier.

He had already responded to several other distress signals across the county before arriving at Second High School. The initial message from there suggested that the attacking enemy had been neutralized without any student casualties—a relief indeed.

The low-altitude flight of his armored suit, combined with Yunxi County’s relatively small size, allowed him to reach any point swiftly. As he approached Second High School, he prepared to contact Schoolmaster Wang for more detailed information about the situation.

As Guard Shang flew over a residential area, the spiritual energy beneath him distorted abruptly. He felt a sudden weight upon his shoulders—the flight function of his martial fighter armor was being restricted. In an instant, he plummeted towards the ground.

A wave of alarm washed over him; he realized instantly that he’d entered some form of formation array. In these tumultuous times, he mused, using a formation to trap me as the law enforcement officer must be connected to the recent breach of Yunxi County’s protective barrier.

Despite this realization, he remained composed. His martial fighter armor elevated his combat strength to nearly match that of an early Foundation Establishment stage true cultivator. Convinced that no trouble could arise without an actual Foundation Establishment cultivator involved, he believed himself fully capable of handling whatever challenges lay ahead.

Rising from the ground, he surveyed his surroundings with cool detachment.

His vision extended only about twenty meters in all directions before fading into obscurity beyond that range.

He attempted to contact the Security Bureau headquarters through his identity bracelet but found it utterly incapable of reaching outside communication.

With a subtle shift of thought, a flying sword materialized and hovered above his head.

“Break this barrier!” he commanded with a forceful shout as the flying sword slashed downward towards them.

Enhanced by the martial fighter armor, Guard Shang wielded the power of a high-grade first-rank flying sword with unprecedented might. This single strike surpassed even the full-force blow of a cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refining. As the blade struck the formation, the very fabric of reality trembled around it.

Though the array held firm against this initial assault, he knew two more such blows would undoubtedly shatter its defenses.

Yet those who had meticulously trapped him here did not intend for him to break free so easily.

Three howls echoed across the void as three monstrous beings emerged from the hazy darkness—each nearly three meters tall, transformed by demonic energy into lupine fiends.

Each werewolf brandished a fearsome mace, thick as a man’s arm and long enough to match their towering height. The heads of these clubs were studded densely with sharp spikes.

Their eyes gleamed with both bestial madness and a hint of clear, sentient intellect—a chilling combination that promised death and destruction alike.

“The Demon-Worship Cult sure has grand ambitions,” Guard Shang observed grimly. “Could it be that all their actions in Yunxi County were aimed at me?”

Ever since spotting the three wolf demons, he had been plagued by an ominous premonition.

For these three wolves to maintain their intelligence even after transforming into demonic form indicated they possessed strength equivalent to the Late Qi Refining Stage—a level where one could retain consciousness despite such transformation.

While true power increased less with each step for those already highly skilled, any enhancement at the Late Qi Refining Stage would still grant them significant boosts in combat ability.

The aura emanating from the trio of wolf demons was only slightly weaker than Guard Shang’s own, clad as he was in state-of-the-art martial fighter armor. This realization left him uncertain about his chances against them one-on-three.

His question went unanswered; instead, what followed were the relentless attacks of the three wolf demons.

Though both Guard Shang’s first-class flying sword and the wolf demon’s mace shared the same rank and quality, there was a crucial difference: his flying sword was mass-produced, while the mace was a custom-made magical artifact.

Moreover, the weight of raw materials used in crafting the first-class mace far exceeded that of the first-class flying sword—by many times over. It was a stark reminder of the disparity between standardized weaponry and bespoke magic items forged with extraordinary resources.

Thus, Guard Shang dared not let his flying sword come into contact with the mace. His only recourse was to rely on the enhanced speed provided by his martial fighter armor for evasion.

Alas, after just a few steps back, he felt the void of empty space at his rear—the barrier created by the array formation had blocked his retreat path.

With a deafening boom, the mace struck the martial fighter armor with terrifying force.

Guard Shang was sent hurtling to the left, slamming twice against the ground and leaving behind two deep craters before once again being halted by the array formation’s barrier.

“Energy consumption: 31%. Current energy level: 46%!” The warning flashed across his retinal display.

This single blow had nearly depleted one-third of the total energy in his martial fighter armor. Having already used some power earlier, this left him with merely 46% remaining.

Had it not been for the martial fighter armor, that strike would undoubtedly have claimed his life.

The true strength of the martial fighter armor lay not only in amplifying a cultivator’s prowess but also in its formidable resistance to physical attacks. Of course, it offered varying degrees of protection against magical assaults as well.

When a physical attack landed on the armor, its priority was to dissipate the impact by consuming the armor’s stored energy—a crucial feature that safeguarded the wearer from grievous harm.

Guard Shang felt an overwhelming sense of peril. Though he had repelled this wave of attacks, three werewolves wouldn’t stop there. His martial fighter armor alone couldn’t withstand their onslaught indefinitely.

With a flick of his wrist, ten talismans flew from his hand. At that moment, he spared no thought for their individual attributes; all he knew was that these were offensive talismans capable of unleashing water and fire energies against the charging werewolves. Additionally, earth spikes erupted from the ground beneath them, adding another layer of defense.

His flying sword streaked towards one of the werewolves—he needed to eliminate at least one enemy swiftly.

But the intelligent werewolves weren’t about to be mere targets sitting ducks. Just as the flying sword was moments away from striking its mark, the targeted beast activated a high-grade Diamond Talisman.

The talisman transformed into a golden barrier around the werewolf. The flying sword struck with resounding force upon this shimmering shield.

No ordinary golden barrier could hope to block Guard Shang’s full-powered strike—a blow carrying far greater might than what a cultivator in the ninth level of Qi Refining could muster.

Yet, even as the golden barrier cracked under the force of the flying sword, the werewolf seized the brief window afforded by the delay. With a savage swing, its mace-like club slammed into the blade.

A spray of blood arced across the air, splattering onto the visor of Guard Shang’s martial fighter armor.

Controlling the flying sword required precise mental focus. When the mace struck the blade directly, the energy resonating within—the very essence of his control—was violently jarred, causing him unbearable agony.

The flying sword’s spiritual glow dimmed as it clattered to the ground, severing his connection with the weapon.

Having been struck by the mace, he coughed blood—a blow that shattered not only the fragile lifeline he had conjured using ten precious talismans but also immobilized him instantly.

Three wolf-like clubs smashed into him simultaneously, draining the energy from his martial fighter armor in an instant.

Deprived of its power, the armor could no longer mitigate the full force of the impact. Simultaneously, Guard Shang lost the enhanced strength bestowed upon him by the armor. The residual shock waves now bore down directly on his true form—one merely at the seventh level of Qi Refining.

His eyes glazed over; if not for the robust physique honed through late-stage Qi Refining cultivation, he would have become a corpse right then and there.

The three werewolves ceased their attack. One among them released its demonic transformation, revealing itself as a middle-aged cultivator who appeared rather refined at first glance. However, due to the effects of his earlier metamorphosis, his clothing was now inadequate for modesty.

Unhurriedly, he stepped aside, retrieved fresh garments, and donned them before approaching Guard Shang. With a gentle touch, he activated the martial fighter armor, causing it to detach from Guard Shang’s body and morph back into a cubic metal box.

“By sacrificing you to the Demon God,” the refined middle-aged cultivator muttered, “I may finally grasp an opportunity to break through to Foundation Establishment.” As he spoke, he produced a magical binding rope artifact and swiftly restrained Guard Shang within it.

As if fearful that Guard Shang might truly die, he produced a blood-red bead and swiftly placed it between the fallen law enforcement officer’s lips.

The crimson bead dissolved upon contact with his mouth. A faint flush returned to Guard Shang’s face, banishing some of its earlier deathly pallor.

“I didn’t expect you to have a storage pouch!” The middle-aged cultivator remarked with slight surprise as he unfastened a small bag from Guard Shang’s waist.

“You won’t be able to open this storage pouch without killing me first!” Guard Shang insisted, his mind solely focused on seeking death. He refused to become a sacrificial offering; such a fate would prevent his soul from reincarnating—a prospect far more terrifying than mere mortality.

“Haha, do you really think the spiritual seal on your storage pouch will hold against me?” The middle-aged cultivator laughed heartily. “Let alone the seal on your storage pouch, I can even break the recognition bond on martial fighter armor!”

He then took out a special talisman, activated it, and pressed it against the storage pouch. Despair flickered across Guard Shang’s eyes as he recognized what that talisman was: a Broken Seal Talisman.

Few talisman makers possessed the skill to create these rare artifacts known as Broken Seal Talismans. Their purpose was singular—to dissolve mental imprints embedded within objects. However, such a talisman could only affect items marked by Qi Refining cultivators at or below their level.