Chapter 5: The Great Golden Armor (Part 2)

Guo Shier instinctively raised his hand to wipe his mouth with his sleeve. Only upon hearing Luo Zhan’s laughter did he realize he had fallen for Eagle Demon’s trick. Though he wasn’t drooling, he really wanted to snatch that beetle. He knew well just how powerful such a sigil insect could be. Mockingly, he said, “Uncle Eagle Demon, you’re starting to go bad too!”
Eagle Demon replied, “If I stay too serious, I’m afraid I won’t be able to withstand this terrifying pressure.”
Guo Shier said, “I’ll check the ancestral memories to see if there are any records of this kind of insect.” He immediately summoned his soul to search through the ancestral memories.
A moment later, shock appeared on Guo Shier’s face as he said, “Damn… I found it! It’s from the Secret Insect lineage. Its full name is Hidden Wing Dark Armor, and among the ancient sigil people, it’s also commonly known as the Great Golden Armor. It’s a mutated sigil insect from the Secret Insect lineage. In terms of potential and strength, it ranks ninth overall—extremely rare… It’s our luck to encounter it!”
Eagle Demon also found the ancestral memories. Nodding, he said, “It’s the Great Golden Armor! I like this name. Hidden Wing Dark Armor… it doesn’t sound good. The Great Golden Armor is much more impressive!”
Luo Zhan said, “It’s called the Great Golden Armor? That’s really impressive.”
With twelve sigil pillars surrounding them and Guo Shier and the others on the periphery, the three of them relaxed a bit and became less tense. With nothing else to do, they watched the excitement unfold—such an opportunity didn’t come around often.
The Great Golden Armor occasionally flapped its translucent wings, producing a rustling sound. It wasn’t very large, only a little over five meters long. Though small compared to other mutated sigil insects, its presence was formidable. Guo Shier could sense the intense unease of the Ancient Flame Sparrow—a fear and awe that stemmed from deep within.
The Ancient Flame Sparrow let out a cry filled with dread. Eagle Demon said, “Shier, your bird is scared. Take it back.”
Guo Shier slapped his forehead and grumbled unhappily, “Your bird is the one scared!”
Eagle Demon replied, “I don’t have a bird!” Then he added, “I wonder if that person intends to tame the Great Golden Armor or kill it.”
Guo Shier was completely speechless.
…
That person hovered in midair, with a virtual altar floating in front of him. His gaze was fixed on the Great Golden Armor as he suddenly shouted, “Sigil Array Binding!”
Countless virtual sigil lights flickered on the twelve sigil pillars, and pale green virtual sigil chains stretched out rapidly. In an instant, thousands of such chains sealed off the volcano’s crater, with a hundred or so of them wrapping around the Great Golden Armor, attempting to bind it.

The Great Golden Armor merely flapped its wings slightly, and with a hum, thousands of virtual talismans flew out as it moved, instantly turning into countless bursts of flames. The chains of virtual talismans that had wrapped around it immediately caught fire and turned to ashes in the blink of an eye.

The twelve great sage masters sitting atop the talisman pillars all let out groans at the same time; one of them even spat out a mouthful of blood. Guo Shier said in shock, “Amazing! Amazing! Talisman fire can be used like this! Burning virtual talismans… It’s very similar to the skills of the Black Talisman People—burning the power of souls… Well, it’s just a bit short, but it can burn virtual talismans.”

The man confronting the Great Golden Armor roared, “Looking for death!” He raised his hand and sent a bolt of lightning at it. The lightning was incredibly fast, striking the armor’s shell in an instant. With a thunderous crash, the Great Golden Armor sank sharply before a layer of golden light flashed, and it rose again as if nothing had happened, this time aiming at the man.

Guo Shier observed the man carefully. He wore a bright red robe and looked like a young man in his twenties. Last time in the Bloody Secret Realm, he had appeared with a young woman, and the two seemed like husband and wife. Back then, he had ignored Guo Shier, suggesting he must be a very proud person.

The man in red was filled with excitement, and the virtual altar in front of him kept spinning. His altar hadn’t taken solid form yet, appearing somewhat hazy. Due to the distance, Guo Shier couldn’t see what was on it, only that it occasionally flashed with some light spots.

The Great Golden Armor, struck by lightning, seemed furious but didn’t attack immediately. Instead, it kept moving, seemingly searching for an opportunity.

The man in red also didn’t rush to act, constantly casting talismans. The twelve great sage masters on the talisman pillars, after trying their moves, stopped attacking as well and merely kept chanting spells to strengthen the talisman array’s power.

For a while, the scene became quiet, with only the rustling sound of the Great Golden Armor’s wings heard, as if it too was gathering strength.

Guo Shier clenched his fists nervously. If he encountered a level-thirteen mutated talisman worm and failed to flee immediately, the only outcome would be being devoured. Undoubtedly, he had no chance against such a highly advanced mutated talisman worm.

As his strength grew and his perspective broadened, Guo Shier became increasingly aware of his own weakness. He often reminded himself to be extremely cautious, as the dangers in this world far exceeded those of his past life—there were too many unpredictable threats. As long as he continued moving forward, he might encounter them. Some dangers could be avoided, but others had to be faced head-on.

The man in red also saw Guo Shier and the others. He gave them a quick glance before ignoring them, clearly having recognized Guo Shier.
Guo Shier, after being glanced at by the man in red, nearly broke out in cold sweat, but he sensed no malice from him—his soul’s intuition was always accurate. He felt slightly relieved. If he had sensed ill intent, he would have immediately taken Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan and left. Any of the Great Sage Masters here could eliminate the three of them.
Since the man had no ill intentions and hadn’t ordered them to leave, Guo Shier decided to watch. Such a spectacle wasn’t something one saw often.
Fortunately, the man recognized Guo Shier and Eagle Demon; otherwise, none of the three would have survived—they would definitely have been killed. Watching others fight was a threat to those fighting, especially in a secret realm.
Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan both wanted to leave, but since Guo Shier wasn’t leaving, they wouldn’t either. After all, they were followers and had to obey Guo Shier’s decisions.
Guo Shier whispered, “It’s about to start!” His voice trembled slightly, not from fear but from excitement.
Both the man in red and the Great Golden Armor were fully prepared within minutes.
The Great Golden Armor attacked first. With a slight flap of its wings, it vanished from its spot. The man in red also disappeared into the air. At the same time, the twelve talisman pillars glowed brightly, and countless beams of blue light converged on where the Great Golden Armor had been. With a loud explosion, they all struck empty space.
Guo Shier opened his mouth wide in admiration. “What precise timing!”
The man in red reappeared beside one of the talisman pillars, pointed at the virtual altar, and shouted, “Seal the talisman array!” Twelve Great Sage Masters chanted spells simultaneously, each casting the exact same spell. It was normal for one person to wave spells, but when twelve Great Sage Masters waved the same spells at once, it was truly awe-inspiring.
As each spell was cast, a virtual talisman flew out, and the talisman pillars also emitted several virtual talismans, combining to form a complex one. The twelve people moved their hands rapidly and suddenly leaped up together, casting powerful spells. Their synchronized movements, along with the flickering virtual talismans, were absolutely magnificent, leaving Guo Shier stunned. It was as if he were seeing a group of super dancers from his past life—the burst of power was exhilarating.
As the virtual talismans overlapped, a hissing sound arose, immediately restricting the Great Golden Armor’s movements.

The man in red moved his hands swiftly, completing twelve spells almost simultaneously, which turned into twelve light dots and flew into the twelve talisman pillars. Like sparks falling into a bucket of gasoline, with a loud boom, twelve columns of light shot upward. After gathering in the air, they descended rapidly, forming two hexagonal columns that enveloped the giant golden armor.

This level of talisman array transformation far exceeded what Guo Shier had been taught; he could no longer understand it at all.

After a while, Guo Shier said, “I feel like a country bumpkin, an ignorant fool… Damn it, I don’t understand anything. I’m like an idiot and an illiterate…”

Eagle Demon was confused and asked, “Shier, are you cursing yourself?”

Guo Shier nodded. “Yes, I’m cursing myself!”

Luo Zhan was puzzled. “Others are fighting, and you’re cursing yourself… Shier, what are you doing?”

Guo Shier smiled bitterly. “I… I really don’t understand! It’s terrifying. If we were trapped in such a talisman array, we wouldn’t even know what death is. It’s scary… Not having knowledge is truly terrifying…” He was deeply shaken, realizing he had always relied on luck; otherwise, he would have been doomed. He resolved in his heart to study harder and improve his strength from now on.

The giant golden armor seemed to sense the danger. Its triangular head drooped, and the golden horn trailing behind it stood upright. A shrill cry shook the ground, causing the wind and clouds to change.

Guo Shier hated it. “I hate that sound!”

If not for Eagle Demon holding him, Luo Zhan would have fallen. He lamented, “Not to mention fighting up there, even just watching is impossible… We’re not strong enough!”

As the armor cried, its horns began to glow, and its wings vibrated continuously with a rustling sound. Another shrill cry followed, and a tiny red dot shot out from the tip of the horn, instantly turning into a dazzling red beam that shot straight at the man in red.

The two hexagonal columns hadn’t fully closed when they were pierced by the red beam. The man in red couldn’t dodge—there was a talisman pillar right behind him. If it were destroyed, the entire talisman array would lose its effect, making it extremely difficult to trap the giant golden armor again.

The man in red conjured a virtual altar, and with a crackling sound, a giant shield flew out to meet the incoming red beam. He didn’t expect much from this shield. Then another shield appeared, followed by nine more in succession. If Guo Shier could have seen it, he would have realized that all nine shields were defensive mechanisms of the virtual altar, all sent out by him.

I don’t know what was used to forge these shields—they emit a brilliant golden-red light, and each shield bears a beautiful golden rune. Guo Shier recognized the first rune, which translated to the character “solid.” The runes on the shields that flew out later were all different; there were nine ancient runes in total, corresponding to the nine shields. Unfortunately, the attacks launched by the Great Golden Armor were too fierce. The man in red hadn’t expected that even the combined power of the twelve rune pillars wouldn’t be enough to hold them back. The nine shields couldn’t quickly form a rune shield array, so they could only defend one after another against the red beams shooting at them.