Chapter 611: Three Military Branches
The Ghost Tide attacked again.
Countless ghosts surrounded White Paper Immortal City so tightly that not a drop of water could pass through, launching a frenzied assault against the city walls.
Big-Head Ghosts blew out Yin Wind, while Small-Head Ghosts grinned mischievously as they rode the Yin Wind upward toward the tops of the walls.
Ghost Mothers with enormous bodies lay within layers of protection at the center of the Ghost Tide, constantly producing Big-Head Ghosts and Small-Head Ghosts.
Lantern Ghosts spewed Yin fire, Hanged Ghosts climbed the walls, and groups of Drowned Ghosts worked together to cast ghost techniques, summoning the waters of the Forget River to wash away layer after layer of the pale white wall paper.
Tie Guzheng wore a grave expression as he commanded from the center.
His experience in defense was extremely rich, and his command was steady and composed. With him as the core, the City Guard Army occupied the walls and refused to yield a single step.
Large numbers of humans and Ghost Race cultivators also each took responsibility for sections of the wall. Acting as auxiliary forces for the City Guard Army, they actively helped with the defense.
A Ghost Yaksha suddenly flew onto the wall, killing two Ghost Race cultivators and successfully seizing a foothold.
It had to be eliminated quickly. Otherwise, if time passed, more and more ghosts would gather around the Ghost Yaksha and form a stronghold. At that point, this section of the wall would fall.
“Get down from there!” A Ghost Race cultivator charged the Ghost Yaksha with desperate determination.
After two exchanges, however, the Ghost Race cultivator’s head was sliced off by the Ghost Yaksha.
More Ghost Race experts followed, attempting to repel the Ghost Yaksha, but they were either wounded or killed, all returning in defeat.
“It’s at the Golden Core level. Only a Golden Core cultivator can drive it back!”
“Hurry and report it. We need higher command to send someone, or our position will definitely fall.”
“Hurry! Hurry!”
A Ghost Race cultivator shouted loudly.
In just this short time, five or six ghosts had already climbed onto the wall, gathering around the Golden Core–level Ghost Yaksha.
The situation was becoming extremely bad.
The more ghosts there were, the harder it would be to reclaim this section of the wall.
“There’s no need to request reinforcements. I can handle it myself.”
At the critical moment, a Ghost Race girl leapt through the air.
It was Qing Chi.
“Take my punch!” she shouted sharply as she swung her fist, striking out with a mass of flames.
At first, the green fire only wrapped around the surface of her fist. After flying out, it rapidly expanded, growing from the size of a bowl to the size of a washbasin, and then swelling to the size of a millstone.
Boom.
The Ghost Yaksha swung its ghost weapon and scattered the Green Fire.
Qing Chi’s pupils shrank slightly. She took a deep breath and suddenly spat out a stream of green flames.
The green flames roared outward like an inverted cone, engulfing the Ghost Yaksha.
The Ghost Yaksha resisted for three breaths before it could no longer endure. It let out a shrill scream as its entire body melted rapidly within the flames, soon turning into nothing!
The green flames then burst forth like a dam breaking, sweeping outward with even greater force and spreading down along the city wall.
All the ghosts along the way were burned to death.
The cultivators on the wall froze for a moment before erupting into cheers.
At the crucial moment, Qing Chi had turned the tide. With only Foundation Establishment cultivation, she had killed a Golden Core–level ghost, greatly boosting morale.
Many members of the City Guard Army began asking around, trying to find out who this outstanding young girl was.
This achievement immediately made Qing Chi famous.
But Qing Chi’s expression changed slightly as she felt the Army Morale inside her undergo a transformation, becoming completely whole.
During this period, she had been constantly condensing Army Morale. In this battle, her astonishing achievement had won immense support from the army, pushing the final step forward and completing the transformation.
Army Morale appeared like a heart, emitting a gentle green glow. Upon closer inspection, one would discover that it was formed from several hundred tiny points of light gathered together.
These green points of light varied in strength.
The Army Morale also beat like a heart. If Qing Chi listened carefully, she could hear the sounds of armor clashing, blades piercing bodies, shouting, war drums, and the chaos of battle.
An immense joy surged in Qing Chi’s heart, and she almost opened her arms and shouted in celebration.
But remembering Ning Zhuo’s warning, she forcibly suppressed the impulse.
Qing Chi continued fighting fiercely for a while. When her mana and stamina were nearly exhausted, she finally withdrew from the wall.
The Ghost Tide still continued to strike White Paper Immortal City.
And each wave of the Ghost Tide was larger than the previous one.
“Father, I’ve condensed Army Morale!” Qing Chi secretly transmitted a message to Qing Yan.
“Really?” Qing Yan raised his brows, then quickly suppressed his excitement. “Chi’er, you actually did it! That aptitude called Inferior Fish Filling the Numbers is truly incredible.”
Qing Chi said, “Senior Li’s aptitude was indeed crucial, but the reason I could condense Army Morale so quickly was mostly thanks to Jiao Ma.”
“Father, don’t forget that he gifted me the Bearing Soldiers and Carrying Killing Aura Art. This military technique is extremely precious, yet he gave it to me for free.”
Qing Yan: …
Qing Chi giggled, completely ignoring Qing Yan’s expression. “I want to tell Jiao Ma about this right away!”
Qing Yan quickly reached out to stop her. “Don’t rush. Rest first before you go. Don’t forget that the traitor inside the city still hasn’t been found.”
Qing Chi understood the importance of the matter. After resting briefly and recovering most of her mana and stamina, she hurried toward the southern city gate.
These days, Ning Zhuo had spent almost all his time cultivating inside the Giant Paper Puppet Statue.
When Qing Chi arrived inside the statue, she immediately summoned her Army Morale with a thought, showing it off to Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo was astonished. “So this is Army Morale? Truly mysterious!”
Just as he wanted to study it further, Qing Chi suddenly withdrew it.
She stepped closer to Ning Zhuo.
“Little Ma, if you want to study Army Morale, I can satisfy you.”
“But this is still outside, with too many eyes watching. Didn’t you remind me to remain patient and keep pretending for now?”
“I listened to you and didn’t reveal anything. Right now, only you, my father, and I know about it.”
“Why don’t you come with me to a cultivation chamber? The two of us can secretly research this Army Morale together.”
Her eyes burned brightly as she stared at Ning Zhuo, her intentions completely obvious.
Ning Zhuo felt speechless, though he secretly thought the girl’s straightforwardness was rather adorable.
After thinking for a moment, he said, “The greatest contributor to your Army Morale is Senior Li Xiangshang.”
“I’ll make the decision to host a banquet for both you and him as a celebration of your success.”
Seeing that she couldn’t trick Ning Zhuo into being alone with her, Qing Chi pouted unwillingly.
“I’ll thank Senior Li myself. But I still want to thank you first. If it weren’t for your Bearing Soldiers and Carrying Killing Aura Art, I wouldn’t have condensed Army Morale so quickly.”
This conversation made Sun Lingtong laugh so hard he nearly fell off the ox he was riding.
Through the Divine Ability—Life Hanging by a Thread, he constantly received information from Ning Zhuo. Watching the situation unfold, he gleefully fanned the flames.
“Little Zhuo, just agree to it! Let’s see how she thanks you! Hehehe.”
Ning Zhuo replied through spiritual sense with a serious refusal.
“I’m not Jiao Ma. Why would I deceive an innocent girl? If Qing Chi learned the truth, she would be deeply hurt. I’m not someone who takes advantage of others.”
Seeing Ning Zhuo refuse, Qing Chi could only reluctantly accept his invitation to the banquet.
Li Xiangshang, though the greatest contributor, was the last to learn about the condensation of Army Morale.
He wasn’t angry at all and was extremely happy.
During the banquet, he still tried to help Qing Chi by persuading Ning Zhuo to return to her side.
Ning Zhuo refused.
“My becoming a Male Consort was a necessity for the Jiao Family. I’ve reached my current level thanks to my clan’s support. How could I neglect public duty for personal feelings?”
Qing Chi immediately retorted, unwilling to hear such words.
“Little Ma, then why did you give me the Bearing Soldiers and Carrying Killing Aura Art?”
Ning Zhuo looked at her seriously.
“I gave it to you not because of personal feelings, but for the greater good.”
“With Senior Li’s help, you had the greatest chance of condensing Army Morale. I did it for the sake of the entire White Paper Immortal City.”
Qing Chi felt deeply hurt by his attitude. She stood up and stepped closer to him.
“Little Ma, why have you become like a stranger?”
“Have you forgotten our promise?”
“We once stood by the river, looking at that rare bright moon, and vowed to accompany each other for life!”
“Have you forgotten that oath completely?!”
Ning Zhuo suddenly felt his scalp tingle. With a cold expression, he waved his hand threateningly.
“Qing Chi, if you keep pushing like this, I’ll leave immediately. From now on, we won’t meet again.”
Qing Chi was startled by his expression. She froze in place, fists clenched, her eyes quickly reddening.
In the Underworld, Sun Lingtong laughed so hard he almost fell off his ox.
Li Xiangshang quickly smoothed things over, calming Qing Chi and easing the atmosphere.
Ning Zhuo then asked about the main matter.
“Senior Li, now that Qing Chi has condensed Army Morale, what should she do next?”
Li Xiangshang looked at Qing Chi.
“After condensing Army Morale, the next step is to investigate military intelligence.”
“Once she possesses Army Morale, she can listen to the voices of the army and gather much more military intelligence.”
“This ability will rapidly improve with practice.”
“When her grasp of military intelligence reaches a certain level, she will receive an answer from the depths of her heart—what type of military branch she should build.”
Ning Zhuo asked, “How long will this step take?”
Li Xiangshang replied, “It varies from person to person. Some complete it instantly, while others take a year or more. It mainly depends on the size of the army, its complexity, and the commander’s abilities.”
He then looked at Qing Chi again.
“According to my estimate, Qing Chi will not take long.”
“First, the Qing Family Ghost Race is very simple in composition, with only two or three hundred members.”
“Second, everyone in the Qing Family fully supports Qing Chi. When Army Morale points in the same direction, success becomes inevitable.”
Li Xiangshang sighed.
“This situation is actually very rare.”
“Qing Chi, you should thank your father. He voluntarily gave up his authority to give you this opportunity.”
“Normally, your father would be the commander.”
“A parent’s love for their child… this is the first time I’ve truly felt it.”
“When my intelligence awakened, my parents had long passed away. In truth, for a carp, parents don’t really exist in that sense.”
“Since beginning my cultivation, I’ve only survived thanks to the support of the Dragon Lord.”
Ning Zhuo’s heart rippled slightly.
Li Xiangshang’s words about parents stirred a deep resonance within him.
In some ways, Ning Zhuo had lost his father before birth and his mother at the age of two.
He understood Li Xiangshang’s feelings very well.
“Compared to him,” Ning Zhuo thought, “my situation was actually better.”
“Sigh… there will always be people in the world who suffer more than I do.”
“My greatest fortune is that the boss has been cultivating me. And even though my mother has passed away, there’s still a faint hope that she might be revived!”
Seeing Li Xiangshang somewhat downcast, Ning Zhuo encouraged him.
“Senior Li cultivated alone with great hardship. Even with support from powerful figures, rising from the depths of Weak Water to the surface must have required tremendous effort.”
“Such perseverance is truly a model for our generation.”
“Heaven may be ruthless, but it is also fair. When it takes something away, it often gives something else in return.”
“If you had grown up with your parents, perhaps you wouldn’t have achieved what you have today.”
Li Xiangshang looked at Ning Zhuo gratefully.
“Boy from the Jiao Family, those words sound nice.”
“But you may be overestimating me.”
“The reason I could rise from the Weak Water was mainly because the Weak Water wasn’t pure.”
“Every once in a while, fresh water was introduced into the deep pool to dilute it.”
“And each time the fresh water came in, I seized the opportunity to rise.”
Qing Chi, hearing this for the first time, asked curiously, “Why introduce fresh water?”
Li Xiangshang explained.
“As the saying goes, water flows downward. Maintaining pure Weak Water requires a great cost. Without proper measures, pure Weak Water will naturally dilute itself over time until its concentration stabilizes.”
“If cultivators want to maintain Weak Water cheaply, they must dilute it themselves by introducing fresh water.”
“If the Weak Water had been pure, I would have been nothing more than a carp.”
“How could I have swum against the current and broken through the surface?”
He shook his head.
“There would have been absolutely no chance.”
After the banquet, Ning Zhuo told Qing Chi:
“Now that you’ve condensed Army Morale, you don’t need to come to the southern gate anymore.”
“You should focus entirely on gathering military intelligence and determining the direction of your military branch.”
Qing Chi was unwilling, but Li Xiangshang secretly persuaded her.
“Miss Qing Chi, Jiao Ma also has his own difficulties. Forcing him will not end well.”
“In my opinion, if you can command the only army of White Paper Immortal City and rise in status, then asking the White Paper City Lord for a Male Consort would be as easy as reaching out your hand.”
Qing Chi’s heart jumped.
“Good idea!”
“I’ll become stronger! I’ll lead an army! I’ll bring Jiao Ma back!”
The Ghost Race girl clenched her fist, bursting with fighting spirit.
Her motivation surged, and she focused entirely on mastering military intelligence.
Li Xiangshang’s prediction was correct.
In just a day and a half, she had fully grasped the military intelligence and discovered three possible directions for military branches.
The first was called Paper Money Netherworld Soldiers.
The second was called Yin Talisman Calamity-Suppressing Guards.
The third was called Ghost Cry Gate-Sealing Troops.
Qing Chi fell into a dilemma.
For a time, she did not know which one to choose.
Ning Zhuo had been paying attention to her situation. When he learned of this, he was also puzzled.
“When the Three Generals Camp was first established, there was no such choice of military branch at all. Everything was much simpler!”
So which one should she choose?