Transmigrating Into a Fantasy World: Signing in During Pregnancy, Reaching the Summit with My Childhood Sweetheart

23: Chapter 23: A Mysterious Shadow Strikes (Part 2)The pharmacy’s main door was completely blown open by brute force, sending splinters of wood flying in all directions!

Wang Er’s thick and ferocious figure was the first to step inside, his face wearing a look of cruel pleasure and impatient greed. Behind him followed four or five equally sinister-looking Minions, their machetes reflecting a cold, chilling light in the dimness. The thick stench of alcohol, sweat, and an unabashed killing intent instantly dispersed the lingering scent of medicine within the pharmacy.

“Old Man Sun! You old fogey! Your time is up! Get the hell out here and accept your—” Wang Er’s roar came to an abrupt halt.

The outer room of the pharmacy was empty. The counter was overturned, medicinal herbs were scattered about, and everything was in a state of Chaos. Only a cold wind poured in through the wide-open doorway, stirring the dust on the floor.

The expected scene of Old Man Sun kneeling and begging for mercy or being scared witless did not appear. An eerie silence filled the air, causing a trace of unease to inexplicably rise in Wang Er’s heart. The Minions behind him also looked at each other, tightening their grip on their blades.

“Damn it, playing tricks!” Wang Er suppressed that bit of unease and spat, his fierce gaze sweeping toward the curtain leading to the backyard and the Woodshed. That thick medicinal scent and bloody aura seemed to be coming from the direction of the Woodshed.

“Search! Drag that old thing out for me! And those half-dead freaks too!” Wang Er waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to move forward. He himself kept his hand on his hilt, standing warily in place, his eyes scanning the surrounding shadows like a hawk.

Two Minions exchanged glances, summoned their courage, and walked toward the backyard curtain while cursing. Another went straight for the Woodshed curtain. The Minion walking at the very back had flickering eyes as he quietly reached for a bamboo tube at his waist—it was a specially-made Signal Arrow of the Black Wind Stockade.

Just as the foremost Minion reached out and was about to touch the Woodshed curtain—

A sudden change occurred!

There was no world-shaking momentum, nor any flashy display of light and shadow.

The Minion in front, closest to the Woodshed curtain, suddenly stiffened! The ferocity on his face froze instantly, replaced by an extreme sense of bewilderment and blankness. His eyes bulged, seemingly trying to see something clearly, but his pupils dilated rapidly. A short ”ugh” sound escaped his throat, like a chicken having its neck snapped.

Then, under everyone’s watchful eyes, his body went limp as if all his bones had been sucked out, and he collapsed softly to the ground with a dull thud. There was no wound, no trace of blood, only a red dot smaller than a needle tip at the center of his brow, from which a single drop of crimson blood was slowly seeping.

Silence!

An absolute silence enveloped the pharmacy!

Wang Er and the remaining Minions were like they had been hit by a freezing spell; their sneers and ferocity froze instantly, turning into unbelievable horror! They hadn’t even seen how their companion died!

“Who is it?! Come out! Stop playing tricks! Get the hell out here!” Wang Er’s hair stood on end as he roared in shock and anger, suddenly drawing his Ghost-Headed Blade. The blade pointed toward the surrounding darkness, but his body trembled uncontrollably.

The Minion who was about to fire the Signal Arrow still had his hand on the bamboo tube, but he jerked it back as if bitten by a venomous snake, his face turning as pale as paper.

The curtain of the Woodshed swayed slightly, as if brushed by an invisible hand.

A tall, slender figure in mysterious black-green robes appeared silently before the curtain like a ghost. Nangong Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, his expression calm and rippleless. His deep gaze was like a cold pool or an ancient well, indifferently sweeping over the terrified bandits before him. His robes were pristine and untainted, completely out of place in this chaotic and filthy environment.

“Those who disturb the peace shall die.”

His voice wasn’t loud and even held a hint of peaceful magnetism, yet it was like a cold iron spike driven ruthlessly into the hearts of Wang Er and the others! Every word carried a suffocating chill and an unquestionable sentence.

“It’s... it’s you?!” When Wang Er saw Nangong Xuan’s face clearly, his pupils suddenly contracted! He remembered that figure from that snowy night in the desolate forest, the one who had effortlessly wiped out several of his capable subordinates like a god! A fear originating from the depths of his Soul instantly seized him, a hundred times more intense than when he saw those strange bone needles in the Woodshed!

“Fire! Fire the damn signal!” Wang Er’s courage failed him completely as he roared with all his might, while simultaneously shoving a terrified Minion beside him toward Nangong Xuan as he himself retreated frantically toward the door!

The Minion holding the bamboo tube snapped out of his daze and scrambled to pull the fuse on the tube!

Screech—! A piercing red flash of fire accompanied by a sharp whistle instantly broke through the pharmacy roof, exploding into a conspicuous red firework in the night sky! The emergency distress signal of the Black Wind Stockade!

The moment the signal was sent, Nangong Xuan moved.

His movements remained elegant and composed, as if he were merely casually brushing his sleeve.

However, in Wang Er’s eyes, that brushing sleeve was like a giant wave blotting out the sun! An irresistible, incomprehensible invisible force was born out of thin air!

Bang! Bang! Bang! The Minion charging at him, the Minion firing the signal, and the one Wang Er had pushed out as a shield—all three were hit head-on as if by an invisible battering ram! Their bodies twisted and deformed at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the ”crackling” sound of bones shattering was as dense as rain! Blood mixed with shattered internal organs sprayed wildly from their mouths and noses! The three mangled corpses flew backward like tattered sacks, slamming hard against the walls and overturned medicine cabinets, leaving large patches of striking crimson!

The entire process was faster than mortal perception could grasp! There was no violent collision, no flashing blades or swords, only a light flick of a sleeve, and three fierce lives were instantly crushed like ants!

Wang Er had just retreated to the door, one foot already across the threshold. He saw the most terrifying sight of his life! The tragic deaths of his companions hammered against his nerves. The instinct for survival made him burst forth with his final strength, lunging outward regardless of everything!

“No—!”

He only had time to let out a shrill, distorted scream before his body hit an invisible, indestructible wall of brass and iron!

Boom! Wang Er’s burly body flew back even faster than he had lunged out! He clearly heard the terrifying sound of his bones shattering inch by inch throughout his body, and his internal organs felt as if they were being ruthlessly crushed by a giant hand! Blood gushed from his seven orifices like a fountain! His body traced a parabola in the air, slamming heavily onto the floor in the center of the pharmacy, twitching a few times like a dead fish that had been skinned and gutted before becoming completely still. His wide-bulging eyes still held the freeze-frame of extreme fear and disbelief.

Inside the pharmacy, silence fell once again.

A bloody stench so thick it wouldn’t dissipate spread out, overpowering all the medicinal scents. Five tragically dead bodies lay strewn about, declaring the fate of the intruders.

Nangong Xuan didn’t even spare a glance at the corpses on the ground, as if he had merely swatted away a few noisy flies. His gaze turned toward the dark night sky outside the door, where the glow of the red distress signal was slowly fading.

“Troublesome,” he muttered softly, his brow furrowing slightly. The signal had been sent, and the main force of the Black Wind Stockade would soon come swarming in. While he did not fear them, the three people in the pharmacy were in critical recovery phases, especially Lin Mo, who had just undergone a Chaos Nirvana and was at his most vulnerable; they could not afford any disturbance.

He turned around, his gaze falling back into the Woodshed.

Lin Mo still lay quietly, the tiny spark of newly-born Chaos starlight in his chest pulsing weakly but stubbornly, like a newborn heart. Liu Qingxuan and Su Muxue, under the protection of the Yuan-Locking Life-Prolonging Needles, remained in a deep sleep. Old Man Sun’s body leaned against the wall, silent and still.

Nangong Xuan walked to Old Man Sun’s side and bowed slightly, performing a simple but solemn salute. “The promise is fulfilled, rest in peace,” he said softly. Then, a streak of black-green light flashed from his fingertip, and Old Man Sun’s body, along with the set of Yuan-Locking Life-Prolonging Needles (now dim and lusterless) that had exhausted his life’s effort, was enveloped in a soft light and instantly vanished. Nangong Xuan had temporarily placed them into a Storage Magical Artifact.

Having finished this, Nangong Xuan’s gaze once again turned toward the end of the dark street outside the pharmacy. There, the faint sound of dense and heavy hoofbeats could be heard, like muffled thunder rolling across the earth, drawing closer! Even the ground began to vibrate slightly! Furthermore, a mixture of bloodthirsty, violent, and powerful Spiritual Pressure, like a waking Vicious Beast, was rapidly pouncing toward the pharmacy!

The main force of the Black Wind Stockade had arrived! And the one coming was by no means ordinary! That Spiritual Pressure had actually reached the Foundation Establishment Stage! Or perhaps... even stronger!

For the first time, a truly solemn expression appeared on Nangong Xuan’s handsome face. He slowly raised his hand, black-green light flowing from his fingertips as complex and profound runes condensed out of thin air, moving like living things. He needed time—time to secure Lin Mo’s Nirvana and the awakening of Liu Qingxuan and Su Muxue!

“Barrier, rise!”

With his low voice, those profound runes instantly scattered, merging into the pharmacy’s walls, floor, and roof. A layer of black-green light, difficult for the naked eye to discern but even more solid and heavy, like a giant inverted glass bowl, firmly enveloped the entire Suns Pharmacy. On the surface of the barrier, runes flowed incessantly, emitting an aura of indestructibility.

Almost the instant the barrier took shape—

Rumble! The thunderous sound of hoofbeats reached the door!

Dozens of fierce bandits on tall horses, holding torches and sharp blades, surrounded the small pharmacy so tightly that not even water could leak through! The flickering firelight reflected their sinister faces and eyes gleaming with greed and killing intent. The leader was exceptionally burly, making the warhorse beneath him look a size smaller. He wore black armor and a green-faced, fanged ghost mask, revealing only a pair of cold, fierce, and emotionless eyes. A suffocatingly powerful Spiritual Pressure, far exceeding the Qi Refining Stage, pressed down heavily on the barrier like a solid block of lead!

It was the Great Boss of the Black Wind Stockade—Blood Butcher! A cultivator of the Late Foundation Establishment Stage!

His cold gaze swept over the mangled corpses of Wang Er and the others at the pharmacy entrance, then landed on the green light barrier flowing with profound runes. Beneath the mask, the corners of his mouth seemed to curl into a cruel and excited arc.

“Interesting,” a raspy voice like metal grinding sounded, carrying a bone-chilling killing intent. “It seems my Black Wind Stockade has run into a tough nut today? Smash it... open!”