Chapter 628: Yin Soldiers Attacking the City
The Ritual Altar of the Heavenly Ghost Transformation Offering Tribulation Rite was not located upon the land of the Underworld.
It resembled a remnant fang of some forgotten colossal beast, hanging alone in the depths of the firmament, deep within the Yin clouds.
Chilling whirlwinds wrapped around the Ritual Altar. The Yin clouds were shredded by the spiraling winds, and what fell upon the altar were only scattered specks of fine soul-dust.
The altar itself was constructed from enormous, ghastly pale, crack-ridden bones pieced together. Along its edges, tiny bone fragments constantly flaked off, only to be completely ground away within the whirlwind.
“So, at the very end, I am the only one left?” Lord of the Forgotten River stood at the edge of the Ritual Altar, clad in a pitch-black robe.
The fierce wind outlined his gaunt frame ever more sharply. His wide sleeves clung tightly to his arms, revealing an almost inhuman, razor-like silhouette.
In the next instant, the languor in his eyes vanished. As he focused his mind, a fierce glint surfaced within them.
The Forgotten River Nether Prefecture, which he had painstakingly managed for many years, had truly reached its final juncture. The elite soldiers and capable generals under his command, along with numerous magic treasures and hidden trump cards, had all been forced into play to counter the provocations of various factions.
Truly capable lieutenants were now reduced to only five, all stationed beyond the whirlwind of the Ritual Altar, within the grand formation deep inside the Yin clouds.
Apart from the five Nascent Soul–level ghost cultivators, there were also more than thirty thousand Imperial Guards of the Forgotten River Nether Prefecture.
But Lord of the Forgotten River knew clearly in his heart that his own strength had already been weakened by at least sixty percent.
There was no other way.
The enemy had struck at the entire Forgotten River Nether Prefecture; he had no choice but to act.
The Nether Prefecture was both his wings and his shackles. As Lord Prefect, bearing the king’s mandate, he had to share the nation’s fortunes—prosper together, suffer together.
If he stood by and did nothing, losing the hearts of the people, he would suffer backlash, and his fate and destiny would plummet.
Only by doing his utmost to preserve the power of the Nether Prefecture was it the kingly path.
“I have been entangled and had so much of my strength drawn away. But from another perspective, I have used these to offset the assaults of many enemies.”
“My painstaking management has still borne great fruit.”
“Nearly a hundred years of planning—success or failure rests on this single attempt.”
“Report—!” Even through the whirlwind, his subordinate’s voice was transmitted via the formation.
Lord of the Forgotten River let out a cold chuckle. “What bad news is there this time?”
During this period, he had heard far too much ill news. His will had been greatly tempered.
Yet unexpectedly, this piece of bad news was also good news.
An enemy had sabotaged a dike, causing a section of the Forgotten River to burst its banks. However, the surging floodwaters had, by a twist of fate, turned a bend and happened to flow across thirty thousand mu of fertile farmland belonging to the fire rations.
In one stroke, the flood not only extinguished the fires but also irrigated the fields with the waters of the Forgotten River, rendering the soil even more fertile.
A misfortune had turned into a blessing.
Lord of the Forgotten River’s heart stirred, and a look of sudden understanding flashed across his face. “Those obstructing my Dao path this time are only calamities from the Yang World, not heavenly disasters or earthly tribulations.”
“In truth, by initiating the Heavenly Ghost Transformation Offering Tribulation Rite and worshipping the heavens of the Underworld, I have already obtained heaven’s favor. As the master of the Forgotten River Nether Prefecture, I have long possessed the advantage of the earth.”
“Thus, heaven and earth are favoring me—turning misfortune into fortune, allowing two human calamities to cancel each other out.”
He felt a slight easing in his heart, yet he did not relax in the slightest. Instead, he silently warned himself, “Even so, the fate and destiny of heaven and earth are being heavily depleted. It is unfavorable for my next step of fully refining the Heavenly Ghost Skull.”
“I must not delay any further.”
Making a decisive decision, Lord of the Forgotten River officially began the final stage.
He ascended the Ritual Altar, his body straight as a spear. Looking up at the Heavenly Ghost Skull suspended midair above the altar, he chanted loudly:
“O resplendent heavens above! O profound earth below! Mysterious Lord of the Forgotten River bows low to proclaim—”
“Bearing heaven’s signs, let the inverted Forgotten River be my crown; receiving earth’s virtue, let ten thousand skeletons entwine as my foundation! The firmament grants me authority—to command souls and seize spirits, to rule the nether realms; the thick earth bears me with mystic bones—to build cities and raise towers, to establish dominion over the Forgotten River! Heaven’s vast favor turns tribulation waves into whetstones; earth’s deep grace transforms calamity into fertile source! Today I offer utmost sincerity, in boundless gratitude!”
……
“Now I gather shattered souls as lamps, ignite soul-flames as torches! I condense ten thousand years of solitude into a blade, forge billions of lingering grudges into an edge! Whoever obstructs my Dao—though tribulation flames descend again and karmic obstacles reassemble, I shall still rend their abyss and burn their roots! In the name of my Forgotten River, in the name of my will unchanging for eternity—I swear to take this bone into my palm and fuse it into my body!”
“Heaven and earth bear witness! Let the Nine Nether realms illuminate this heart and this will!”
……
As his chanting continued, the final phase of the Offering Tribulation Rite thunderously commenced.
In an instant, wild winds surged, Yin clouds churned, as though countless dragon-serpents roamed ceaselessly within them.
The power of the heavens gradually manifested upon the Ritual Altar. The Heavenly Ghost Skull began its final refinement.
Lord of the Forgotten River gradually felt resistance. The speed of his chanting slowed further and further; each word seemed as heavy as a thousand jun.
He knew the reason well. “My sacrifices were insufficient; the power of heaven I have mobilized is still not enough.”
“It will depend on the battle at White Paper Immortal City.”
He had long prepared for this.
Yang World.
White Paper Immortal City.
Yin clouds pressed down like an iron curtain. Under the dim, gloomy light, the terrifying formations of the Yin soldier army had already been arrayed, completely encircling White Paper Immortal City on all sides!
As far as the eye could see, a vast sea of Yin soldiers and ghostly beings filled nearly the entire field of vision.
Before each city gate stood a massive formation.
At the very front were the skeletal formations. Withered bone soldiers stood in ranks as orderly as a forest—densely packed, beyond counting. In their hollow eye sockets burned ghostly green soul-fire, and their decayed bone palms tightly gripped enormous bone blades or broken bone shields, rusted and entwined with resentful aura.
On both flanks of the skeletal formations surged the viscous “Water Ghost Tide.” Countless bloated, rotting drowned ghosts, draped in waterweeds and sludge, had gathered in such numbers that the moisture they exuded fused together, forming a river flowing across the ground.
They floated and sank within it, poised to strike.
Above the formations hovered large numbers of Flayed Ghosts, drifting in the Yin wind. They wore the skins they had peeled from themselves draped behind their backs. The skins caught the wind like kites or parachutes, allowing them to glide through the air.
Though they appeared sluggish at the moment, once battle began, they would move with extreme speed, producing piercing sonic shrieks. They could repeatedly dive and ascend at low altitude. In previous ghost tides, it was precisely these creatures that had inflicted the greatest casualties upon the cultivators atop the city walls.
Behind the skeletal formations stood ranks of tall, headless ghost cavalry clad in charred, tattered armor.
Both they and their skeletal warhorses burned with ghastly green ghost-fire. Especially at their necks, the flames traced the vague outline of skulls.
The ghost-fire licked their charred bones and armor, occasionally producing crackling sounds as black smoke billowed upward, warping the air. From their mere presence, one could sense their terrifying strength. No one within White Paper Immortal City wished to witness them charging freely through the city.
Each formation was overseen by a Nascent Soul–level ghost cultivator, with numerous Golden Core–level Ghost Generals beneath them.
Luo Si had already arrived in the Yang World to command the overall situation.
The Vanguard General, Flying Spear Ghost General, White Bone Crocodile Demon, Xie Sichao… even Sun Lingtong had mingled among them.
Beyond the four grand formations assigned to each city gate, the spaces between them were filled with vast numbers of ghostly beings.
These ghosts were of countless varieties—the accumulated result of deliberately gathering previous ghost tides.
Small-Headed Ghosts, Big-Headed Ghosts, Ghost Mothers, Hanged Ghosts, Drowned Ghosts, Lantern Ghosts, Soul-Hooking Geckos, Ghost Yakshas…
Among them, the most eye-catching were the Dead Bone Colossi.
These were gigantic monsters formed from innumerable black and dark-gray bones interwoven and pieced together. Each of their bones was thick, heavy, and ancient, eroded by Yin energy and time. The towering city walls did not even reach their necks.
Within a ghost tide, their combat strength could reach the Nascent Soul level.
Now, though this was a siege and not a ghost tide, their battle strength remained formidable, approaching Nascent Soul–level!
Upon the walls of White Paper Immortal City, countless City Guard troops, Black Marsh cultivators recruited at great expense, and cultivator squads from several super forces all wore solemn expressions.
The commander of the City Guard, Tie Guzheng, was undoubtedly the core figure of the defensive battle.
From Myriad Phenomena Sect, Yang Three-Eyes; from Complete Book Tower, Zhou Wenyuan; and from Soul-Devouring Sect, Daoist Bone Tomb each led a cultivator squad, stationed along the other three sections of the wall.
Within the city, the City Lord’s Avatar and Warm Soft Jade primarily held the lines.
At the very heart of the City Lord’s Manor naturally lay the City Lord’s True Body of White Paper Immortal City.
Without question, judging solely from military strength—whether in number of cultivators or high-level combatants—the side of White Paper Immortal City was far inferior to the army of the Underworld. The disparity between the two sides was strikingly clear.
Previously, when the City Lord of White Paper sought reinforcements, she did not break convention. The cultivators she invited were all Golden Core–level, none reaching Nascent Soul.
Even Yang Three-Eyes, though possessing Nascent Soul–level battle strength, only had Golden Core cultivation.
What the City Lord of White Paper relied upon was naturally White Paper Immortal City itself!
Possessing an Immortal City granted immense defensive advantage.
Whether the disparity in military strength could nullify that advantage would likely determine the outcome of this great siege.
Commander-in-chief Luo Si remained silent, merely waving the command flag in his hand.
The flag pointed straight at the city gate ahead.
In the next moment, war banners fluttered throughout the army, and war drums thundered. Stimulated, vast numbers of ghostly beings surged forward like mad, charging toward the walls of White Paper Immortal City.
Big-Headed Ghosts blew Yin winds; Small-Headed Ghosts, Ghost Yakshas, Ghost Bats and others rushed toward the battlements.
Ghost Mothers lay upon the ground, continuously giving birth to more ghosts.
Hanged Ghosts and Soul-Hooking Geckos began scaling the walls.
……
Tie Guzheng immediately activated the city defense command, causing the White Paper walls to radiate brilliance, scorching all ghostly beings that touched them and instantly burning countless to death.
The cultivators atop the walls, following military orders, began launching attacks in batches.
Various magical artifacts and spells were unleashed, annihilating ghostly beings mid-charge.
Luo Si and the other generals remained seated firmly upon skeletal ghost horses. Xie Sichao stroked his beard, his gaze constantly sweeping across the city’s defenses.
Reports of military intelligence were continuously delivered into their hands.
After roughly the time it took half an incense stick to burn in relentless assault, Luo Si gave a soft grunt and issued the second military order.
The war drums ceased, horns sounded, and upon hearing the signal, most ghostly beings began to withdraw. Only a small portion, still immersed in battle, were ultimately obliterated by the city’s defensive power.
Tie Guzheng exhaled a turbid breath, no longer as tense.
The enemy’s first wave of probing had ended. Under his command, White Paper Immortal City had defended superbly, revealing no flaws. Its performance could be called perfect.
Luo Si reviewed the intelligence on Tie Guzheng and inwardly acknowledged, “Indeed, a great general of defense.”
The Yin soldier army had long plotted this assault; White Paper Immortal City had likewise prepared for a long time.
The first wave had been perfectly received. Whether along the four walls or within the command system, everything had operated smoothly, giving Luo Si no opening to exploit.
If no opportunity appeared, then one must create it!
Since the ghost tide had failed to probe out weaknesses, they would deploy the main forces.
Luo Si decisively issued a new military order.
The gray-white skeletal formations advanced with heavy, orderly steps. Each time their bony feet struck the ground, the grating clatter of countless joints scraping together gnawed at the nerves.
The cultivators atop the walls immediately launched attacks.
Yet when these assaults landed upon the skeletal formations, their effectiveness was poor. Though the gray-white bones appeared fragile and broken, they were far more resilient than most ghostly beings.
“This is a regular army!”
“They undergo daily training and cultivation.”
“Before marching here, who knows how many military arts have enhanced them.”
The Yang World cultivators felt a chill in their hearts and attacked even more fiercely.
But soon they were halted by Tie Guzheng.
“Do not linger in battle. Return at once to rest and regulate your breathing. Recover your magic power with all your might!” Tie Guzheng’s voice echoed across the walls.
The cultivators suddenly understood, recalling the pre-battle instructions. They turned and descended the walls, replaced by another batch.
However, many still launched one more attack at the skeletal formations below before leaving.
Seeing this, Tie Guzheng felt helpless and could not help but think of the Qing Jiao Army, of their three military systems where orders were executed without question.
“We are not a cultivation army after all.”
“This is the result of insufficient training.”
Perhaps the City Guard alone could have achieved that level, but now too many others had been mixed into the city’s defensive forces.
To have reached this level was already the limit of Tie Guzheng’s ability.
“After all, I excel at defensive warfare, not at training troops.”
“If only I had a military unit of my own, everything would be far more convenient!”
Secretly, Tie Guzheng felt deep envy toward Qing Chi.
After the first batch of cultivators descended from the walls and reached the temporary barracks, they immediately received assistance from medicinal agents and formations, rapidly healing their injuries and restoring magic power.
The second batch ascended the walls and unleashed their attacks, yet still achieved little effect.
The skeletal formations seemed to have merely been shaved of a thin layer of flesh. The main body reached the base of the walls and began climbing atop one another, constructing human ladders!
This was no simple climbing.
Crack—crack—
Bones continuously disassembled and reassembled, tightly interlocking. The base of the bone structure expanded outward, forming a stable foundation.
Above, the bone bridges were rapidly constructed.
Watching the human ladders swiftly approach, the cultivators’ expressions changed. They attacked frantically, yet with little success.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Suddenly, enormous fireballs exploded at the foot of the wall.
Amid the violent explosions, one bone bridge ladder collapsed outright.
The cultivators who witnessed this were invigorated—this was the greatest achievement since the battle began.
Many turned their gazes toward the one who had acted and saw a yellow-faced youth.
It was Jiao Ma (Ning Zhuo)!
Tie Guzheng was already aware of Ning Zhuo’s identity and was not surprised.
Ning Zhuo continued attacking. The Five Elements spells were cast in rotation, augmented by the power of his five viscera. Without expending the strength of the Qing Jiao Army, he still managed to clear out the nearby enemy forces.