There should be no shortage of skilled opponents across from us. Unfortunately, Lin Beichen is not here, and Barney mistakenly believed they were fortunate and strong, playing an indispensable role in the battle.
At this moment, he said with immense relief, "Phew... that was incredibly thrilling. Luckily, we managed to slightly outdo them."
The rest nodded in agreement upon hearing his words, saying, "The Goddess of Victory is indeed watching over us."
Sheng Dan laughed and teased.
However, the muscles twisted into a smile caused his wound to twinge painfully, making him wince and suck in a cold breath.
Although Lin Beichen's image momentarily flashed in their minds, they quickly dismissed it, yet never fully forgot.
A rustling sound was spreading through the jungle. It turned out to be Lin Beichen and his team cautiously advancing with lowered bodies.
Lin Beichen, at this moment, felt increasingly uneasy, but he didn't intend to consult an array again since the divination was unlikely to provide a precise answer.
He silently cast a protective talisman while pretending to walk normally, contemplating the 400 faith points recently received, likely contributed by Barney's teammates. He intended to make them dedicated followers once this mission ended.
Besides their group, Lin Beichen discovered another six 100-point faith values, making him ponder whether one was from someone familiar with the legends of Xia Country's Daoist Art, while the remaining five should be genuine high-ranking figures.
As for the string of 0.5 faith values, it seemed questionable—there were too many, definitely much more than those he had slain along the way.
This made Lin Beichen's gaze grow slightly heavier because his talisman had already identified the target of this journey.
The talisman was found at a spot where it buzzed twice before turning to ash, leaving Lin Beichen puzzled: according to his expectations, they shouldn't have suffered only one ambush.
Nevertheless, Zhang Hao and Xia Luyao had swiftly entered combat mode, drawing their guns and immediately firing rounds and burst shots at the location. Sounds of dinging resonated, as if something had been hit.
"Stop shooting," Lin Beichen commanded in a low voice.
Upon hearing this, Xia Luyao immediately stopped without hesitation, and after a moment of hesitation, Zhang Hao also ceased firing.
"Wind come!" Lin Beichen snapped a branch and casually drew on the ground, conjuring a gentle breeze instantly.
The slight shift in the wind didn't warrant Lin Beichen to earnestly draw an Eight Trigrams Diagram.
A breeze passed, the grass bending gently, revealing a semi-spherical object reflecting a metallic sheen.
Then, a gun barrel subtly emerged from behind the grass.
Seeing the barrel, Lin Beichen exhaled in relief, ridiculing, "What can this gun do, can it possibly deflect my talisman?"
He tossed a talisman lightly, letting it float in mid-air.
The gun fired, but the bullet lost its momentum upon encountering the talisman.
During this battle, the talisman's miraculous hovering ability transformed an otherwise intense war into an effortlessly managed affair.
The breeze carried a faint hissing, alongside sparks flickering, prompting instant vigilance from the three.
Xia Luyao glanced down, her expression changed abruptly, and she exclaimed, "Lin Beichen!"
Lin Beichen's eyes narrowed, noticing the grenade. Without hesitation, he tossed out another talisman while swiftly retreating.
Out of trust in Lin Beichen, Xia Luyao had stepped back several meters, while Zhang Hao hesitated slightly.
With a roar, the grenade violently exploded, affecting Lin Beichen but leaving him unharmed.
Xia Luyao and Zhang Hao were far from the blast center, remaining unharmed.
Fragments from the explosion were halted mid-air by the talisman, unable to touch them.
This accident, however, alerted Lin Beichen to the situation's severity. Their use of grenades indicated the enemy had spotted their weakness.
He looked down at his injured calf, promptly bandaging it and applying a Healing Talisman.
"Let's all take a break and replenish our strength," Lin Beichen suggested, while secretly exchanging some materials from the system interface into his pocket.
He turned to Zhang Hao, saying, "Zhang Hao, could you handle the lookout?"
Zhang Hao, without hesitation, agreed and jumped onto a tall tree with a clear view, vigilantly scanning the surroundings.
The wind hadn't lessened; after Zhang Hao left, Xia Luyao approached Lin Beichen, eyes flickering with doubt.
She was aware that Lin Beichen mastered multiple arrays for detecting and guarding against enemies, and his actions seemed to have deeper implications.
With his left hand softly holding a Sound Transmission Talisman, Lin Beichen mentally recited, "Xia Luyao, listen carefully, don't speak."
Xia Luyao's expression sharpened, nodding to indicate her understanding.
Lin Beichen continued transmitting, "Pretend you're recharging, don't draw Zhang Hao's attention."
With that, he began rummaging through his backpack, and Xia Luyao promptly followed, pulling out some dry rations and water.
"I've figured out who our enemy is," Lin Beichen said via the Sound Transmission Talisman, while verbally shouting to Zhang Hao, "Zhang Hao, quickly recharge too, we'll be moving soon."
From the tree, Zhang Hao replied, "Alright!"
Xia Luyao grasped Lin Beichen's intention but found herself puzzled about his prior trust in Zhang Hao.
Lin Beichen, noticing her thoughts, explained via transmission, "It's to lower his guard and offer him a chance to rethink."