Chapter 630: Iron Bone Zheng vs White Bone Crocodile Demon
The Funeral Music Phantom Performer had already become a Ghost Cultivator!
She wore plain white mourning garments, their texture like cold mist, faintly translucent. Her skirts hung soundlessly, and she drifted three inches above the ground.
Her features still vaguely retained the delicate beauty she had possessed in life, yet between her brows lingered an inextinguishable grief.
Her long hair cascaded like a waterfall of ink, wisps of mist coiling at the tips.
Her eyes were no longer clearly divided into black and white; instead, they were clouded as though veiled, and deep within her pupils burned two points of icy blue soul fire.
Her ten fingers had grown even more slender than in life, her nails a shade of ashen black. Floating beside her arm was a charred-tail ghost-patterned zither.
Just now, it had been this very magical treasure that she had activated, its music resounding to open the South City Gate.
Once the city gate opened, the consequences were no small matter!
It could be said that the situation on the battlefield had been instantly transformed.
Yet both sides on the battlefield froze at that moment, unable to react in time.
On the side of White Paper Immortal City, they had never expected that a former high-ranking figure would defect and directly activate the internal seal, causing the city gate to open automatically.
As for the Yin soldier army, they too were unaware of the existence of the Funeral Music Phantom Performer!
Even the Commander-in-Chief, Luo Si (he), had been kept in the dark. He had not known of her existence at all.
It turned out that after Lord of the Forgotten River (he) learned from Elder Gray Bone (he) of the prophetic poem (“When the Phantom Performer is beheaded, the city gate shall open…”), he had formulated a plan of action.
He had first sent men to assassinate the Funeral Music Phantom Performer, then converted her into a Ghost Cultivator and brought her firmly under control.
The results of that operation manifested at this very moment.
Why had the entire Yin soldier army been kept uninformed?
On one hand, Lord of the Forgotten River had not been certain whether the Funeral Music Phantom Performer under his control could truly open the city gate. If she failed, he would not lose face.
On another hand, this was an extremely important military operation; the fewer who knew of it, the safer it would be.
On a third hand, Luo Si (he) had only recently been promoted and maintained close ties with Elder Gray Bone (he). This Yin soldier army dispatched into the Yang World was not Lord of the Forgotten River’s direct lineage from top to bottom. The degree of trust was insufficient.
The Funeral Music Phantom Performer had succeeded!
Luo Si (he) was, after all, a talent who had fought his way up from the bottom ranks. Even without prior knowledge, he reacted instantly upon seeing this scene.
He decisively issued orders, commanding the formation at the South City Gate to launch an assault.
Even if the city gate was open, it remained narrow. For the entire formation to rush in at once would be foolish; only a portion could be sent in a strong assault.
Without the slightest hesitation, Luo Si immediately ordered the Headless Ghost Cavalry to commence a charge to the death!
The Headless Ghost Cavalry sprang into motion at once, iron hooves rumbling and shaking the earth. Several Ghost Generals at the forefront were all Golden Core cultivators.
Bang, bang, bang…
A succession of dull impacts rang out as skeletal dead soldiers were smashed apart under the cavalry’s charge. Broken bones and severed limbs were instantly trampled into powder.
These soldiers had earlier been storming the city walls, blocking the cavalry’s path.
To save time, not only did the Ghost Generals continuously employ the military maxim “Speed is the Soul of War,” they even directly abandoned their own skeletal dead soldiers!
For the opportunity in battle was fleeting!
“Not good!” Many cultivators atop the South City Wall felt as if they had fallen into an icy abyss.
Under the reinforcement of military art, the enemy cavalry charged as one, injuring even their own side, revealing a terrifying and ruthless style of warfare.
If the cultivators on the wall had also been reinforced by military art, perhaps some would have dared to leap down, block the city gate, and stall the cavalry long enough to buy precious time for the gate to close.
But everyone knew—they had no such reinforcement.
Without it, to jump down and block the gate with their flesh would be courting death!
In the face of certain death, cowardice and fear took the upper hand. Their eyes split with fury as they watched the ghost cavalry trample everything and surge forward.
“If only the Qing Jiao Army were here!” the Deputy Commander of the City Guard Army (he), who was guarding this stretch of wall, lamented bitterly.
He had indeed felt the impulse to jump down.
But sweeping his gaze around, he saw that he had too few subordinates.
Even if he leapt down, how many would follow? And even if they did, with the numbers of the City Guard Army alone, it would be nothing but meaningless sacrifice.
It would not stall the enemy in the slightest!
The attrition inflicted by the ghost tide upon White Paper Immortal City bore fruit at this moment.
It was precisely because the City Guard Army had suffered such heavy losses that the City Lord’s Avatar (she) had been forced to summon cultivators from surrounding villages and towns, offering heavy rewards for brave men.
Though White Paper Immortal City’s defensive forces had been greatly replenished, the ranks had been diluted, and overall quality had sharply declined, rendering a desperate last stand impossible.
Life and death hinged upon a single thought.
War was like this.
Human hearts and morale exerted influence far deeper and broader than appeared on the surface.
Had it been the former City Guard Army—pure in composition, composed of loyal sons of White Paper Immortal City—perhaps they truly might have blocked the gate with their bodies.
Rumble…
The ghost cavalry reached the gate.
The Funeral Music Phantom Performer had already entered the city ahead of them.
“White Paper Immortal City is about to fall!” The several Golden Core Ghost Generals at the front revealed bloodthirsty, exhilarated expressions.
But at that very moment, the city gate tower and walls suddenly burst with light.
Countless sheets of wall paper flew forth, transforming into talismans that ignited in an instant.
The various spells contained within them erupted skyward, stirring deadly five-colored radiance. An array of spells dazzled the eye, and in that instant the Headless Ghost Cavalry thoroughly tasted every conceivable form of death.
Some were burned alive, some frozen to death, some struck by lightning, some buried in earth, some corroded to ash, some even seized and controlled…
The cavalry’s offensive was halted!
The cultivators atop the wall came to their senses and erupted into cheers. Morale visibly rebounded.
Luo Si’s pupils contracted slightly. He murmured, “Iron Bone Zheng (he).”
The one who had acted at this crucial moment, dragging White Paper Immortal City back from the abyss of defeat, was none other than the City Guard Commander.
Even though doing so would greatly deplete the defensive foundation at the South City Gate, Iron Bone Zheng had not hesitated in the slightest.
His experience defending the city was simply too rich.
How many times had he repelled ghost tides?
Even he himself could no longer remember.
“Just this round alone has thinned the South City Gate wall by at least fifty percent!”
Cold sweat beaded upon Iron Bone Zheng’s forehead.
Even though the Headless Ghost Cavalry’s terrifying charge had been repelled, the greatly weakened South City Gate would inevitably become the enemy’s primary direction of attack.
He had no choice but to act as he did.
Luo Si cast out multiple military command tokens in succession, redistributing forces while issuing further assault orders.
Empowered by military force, numerous Ghost Generals charged forward, braving the talismanic explosions and surging through the South City Gate.
Seeing this, Iron Bone Zheng felt alarm surge through him. “The enemy general is no ordinary figure—his reaction is so swift!”
He urgently mobilized elite cultivators to intercept.
At the same time, he attempted to mobilize additional wall paper to restrain the Golden Core Ghost Generals.
But Luo Si had already issued another command, ordering the Headless Ghost Cavalry to withdraw and directing the Drowned Ghosts on both flanks to attack next.
The Drowned Ghosts formed an unbroken mass, water vapor intertwining to create a river flowing upon land.
They concealed themselves within the river, evading most of the talisman attacks.
The river wound forward toward the gate.
Iron Bone Zheng had no choice but to redirect his efforts against the Drowned Ghost River. Though he once more suppressed the enemy’s advance, he lost the prime opportunity to contain the enemy generals.
Once the deadlock had been broken, Luo Si displayed his ability as a commander, directly pressing a capable general like Iron Bone Zheng into disadvantage.
Sound Art—Nine Springs Burial Melody!
Wuuuu…
The charred-tail ghost-patterned zither floated beside the Funeral Music Phantom Performer. Though her ten fingers did not touch the strings, eerie music resounded nonetheless.
The music resembled funeral dirges, bypassing most defensive measures to strike directly at the soul.
Cultivators rushing toward her became instantly stiff and sluggish under the melody, their expressions twisting in agony.
Some dropped their weapons with a clang, staring vacantly at the sky. Some collapsed to their knees, weeping bitterly. Some gazes turned vacant like walking corpses. Some even slit their own throats and ended their lives.
Confucian Method—Literary Heart Protects the Body!
In the next moment, Warm Soft Jade (she) descended through the air to provide support.
She activated the Confucian Method; characters fell like rain, covering many cultivators and saving their lives.
“Funeral Music Phantom Performer, what are you doing?!” Warm Soft Jade looked at her with anguish and roared.
Confucian Method—Cleanse the Heart and Renew the Face!
Her spell struck the Funeral Music Phantom Performer directly.
The latter’s numb expression shifted slightly—but only for a moment before fading entirely.
Yet in that brief instant, Warm Soft Jade detected some underlying truth and felt despair.
For she had perceived national power manifesting upon the Funeral Music Phantom Performer.
Clearly, this was the national power of the Forgotten River Nether Prefecture.
Unless Warm Soft Jade joined a cultivation nation and gained access to national power herself, she could not directly break it.
This was not a difference in magnitude of strength—but a difference in level!
“The problem is, national power is effective only within its own territory. Why can the national power of the Forgotten River Nether Prefecture be used here in the Yang World?!”
Warm Soft Jade’s heart churned with shock and doubt.
She wrote swiftly in the air, scattering another flurry of characters.
Confucian Method—Cease Song and Halt Dance.
The characters formed an essay in midair, encircling part of the battlefield and greatly suppressing the sound art’s effectiveness.
The Funeral Music Phantom Performer continued playing Nine Springs Burial Melody, her reactions sluggish.
Clearly, being forcibly controlled had drastically reduced her combat strength.
Yet Warm Soft Jade’s pressure sharply increased.
For behind the Funeral Music Phantom Performer, six Golden Core Ghost Generals had arrived together. Even more terrifying, all were empowered by military force—their combat strength approaching the Nascent Soul level!
“How can this be fought?” Even with her deep affection for White Paper Immortal City, Warm Soft Jade could only temporarily avoid the edge and preserve herself.
But in the next moment, the Confucian Method rose again.
Gentle white light not only reinforced Warm Soft Jade but also strengthened the earlier essay, suppressing the sharpness of the six Ghost Generals.
Her spiritual sense swept behind her, and her heart eased. She saw Zhou Wenyuan (he) leading a squad of cultivators to reinforce.
It turned out that after realizing the South City Gate would become the primary assault point, Iron Bone Zheng had immediately led elite forces here at full speed.
Zhou Wenyuan’s original position had been closest, thus he arrived first.
The six Golden Core Ghost Generals communicated via spiritual sense and immediately combined forces. Their momentum surged once more as they ferociously charged toward the two Confucian cultivators.
Even though both were Golden Core true disciples from superpowers, they could not withstand such military momentum.
Boom!
A tremendous explosion resounded—but not between the two scholars and six generals. Instead, it erupted at the base of the South City Gate wall.
The Drowned Ghost River suddenly exploded. A massive pillar of water burst forth, and a colossal figure broke through the waves.
It was a gigantic Bone-Spiked Crocodile. When all four feet landed, it stood taller than most of the city wall. Its jagged, heavy bone armor disheartened nearly all who sought to attack, and upon that armor grew savage, pale bone spikes—offense and defense in one!
From within the crocodile’s body came the roar of the White Bone Crocodile Demon (he): “White Paper Immortal City will fall today!”
Boom!
The Bone-Spiked Crocodile charged like a siege hammer and smashed into the already half-thinned wall.
Cracks instantly spread across the wall like a spiderweb.
Cultivators on the wall staggered. Those who managed to stand launched fierce attacks at the crocodile.
Various strikes landed upon its armor with minimal effect.
The Bone-Spiked Crocodile was also part of the army roster, benefiting from military force reinforcement, its strength approaching the Nascent Soul level.
The crocodile stepped back several paces, preparing to charge again.
If that impact landed squarely, the wall might collapse in a great section.
The city gate could be closed—but if a large stretch of wall were destroyed, it would be equivalent to most of White Paper Immortal City plunging into the abyss of defeat.
“Beast—taste my iron fan!”
At the critical moment, Iron Bone Zheng’s eyes blazed red as he charged forth.
With a powerful stomp, his magical treasure battle boots erupted in yellow spiritual light, activating an earth-attribute law restriction of shrinking the ground, carrying him across a distance to the South City Wall.
The situation was dire. Iron Bone Zheng leapt atop the wall like a projectile from a catapult, charging fiercely toward the Bone-Spiked Crocodile.
Midair, he raised his iron fan magical treasure overhead, pouring his mana into it wildly.
Martial Art—Mountain Shatter!
The seal of the City Guard Commander shone. The formation of White Paper Immortal City reinforced him!
Geng Metal energy surged from the iron fan, merging with multiple forces into a terrifying strike.
The air compressed to its limit, emitting a wail of strain!
This blow was as though an iron peak had been swung, bearing the force to break earth veins and shake the city itself, crashing down with unmatched ferocity.
Dong—!!!!
The iron fan smashed against the crocodile’s skull with a deafening explosion.
Violent shockwaves erupted outward in all directions.
Cultivators nearest—friend and foe alike—had bones shattered, tendons snapped, blood spraying from all seven orifices, flung like rag dolls and crashing into battlements or buildings behind, reduced to mangled flesh!
The Bone-Spiked Crocodile roared.
Its howl shook heaven and earth, filled with agony.
Its massive body was smashed downward, sinking halfway back into the Drowned Ghost River.
Crack, crack…
Bone spikes across its body shattered and splintered under the impact.
Within its body, the White Bone Crocodile Demon coughed up a mouthful of blood and slumped.
The crocodile’s ferocity was aroused, wishing to retaliate, but the White Bone Crocodile Demon hurriedly controlled it, submerging it to recover.
This giant crocodile was his greatest trump card and the foundation of his strength. It could not be exhausted in a direct exchange at the outset.
He still intended to rely upon it to dominate the battlefield later and reap spoils of war.