Chapter 637: Prefect of the Forgetting River vs Prefect of Ghostfire
Ning Zhuo felt puzzled. He sensed that the Buddhist Doctor Meng Yaoyin had something more beneath her words, yet he could not discern it.
Since he could not understand, he immediately used his spiritual sense to ask.
The Buddhist Doctor Meng Yaoyin said, “Heaven’s secrets cannot be fully revealed. Although the Dao of Fortune Energy is profoundly mysterious, excessive abuse will incur the jealousy of Earth and the condemnation of Heaven.”
“Especially certain matters—if you learn of them in advance, Heaven and Earth will inevitably intervene. The future will undergo drastic change, slipping free from your calculations, perhaps even turning into the exact opposite.”
“I have already guided you too much, Little Zhuo.”
Ning Zhuo hurriedly said, “Mother, you know more than I do. I won’t ask anymore. You must take good care of yourself!”
The Buddhist Doctor Meng Yaoyin turned around and walked before the paper army.
This was the seventh army. It was precisely because it was incomplete that there had been an opportunity for her to exploit it during her lifetime.
The paper soldiers stood silently in place, having endured long years.
The cinnabar upon their thin armor seemed to have congealed into bloodstains. From the seams of their assembled joints seeped the scent of aged incense ash.
The infantry’s long spears stood in grim ranks like a forest; dew condensed upon the arrowheads of the crossbowmen.
Thirty-six divine-carriage war chariots rested still as coffins. The three-headed, six-armed paper deities upon them held cloud gongs and wind banners, yet appeared like clay and wooden statues. Only the plain silk grand standard, measuring nine zhang and nine chi, occasionally unfurled in the Yin Wind.
The Buddhist Doctor Meng Yaoyin also stood unmoving, gathering momentum.
After more than a dozen breaths, her lips moved as she softly chanted an incantation.
Mouth Imprint.
At the same time, her fingers fluttered like butterflies.
Hand Imprint.
Her spirit and mana poured into the formation disk, formally activating the arrangement she had laid down in life.
A faint glow spread across the vast ground.
The glow rapidly intensified, becoming dazzling, pouring into each paper figure.
This process lasted twenty breaths. The paper figures swelled as if lit from within, each becoming a humanoid paper lantern.
At last, the soul-guiding banner atop the grand standard suddenly trembled. The seven layered streamers lashed like furious serpents.
Rustle, rustle, rustle…
The sound of paper money scattering filled everyone’s ears.
Light ignited within the eye sockets of the paper figures. They gained spirit. Countless talismans manifested across their bodies, glowing like branding irons!
It was as if Heaven wielded a brush, coloring their forms stroke by stroke until complete.
The Ox Cavalry fixed their gaze forward. Their mounts snorted heavily, hooves beginning to paw the ground.
The fluttering paper armor thickened swiftly, transforming into heavy iron armor.
Spears, shields, bows, and crossbows all solidified into substance.
Only the three paper deities crouched upon the chariot shafts remained unchanged.
The central army general slowly opened his eyes. His armor shone in brilliant colors, the most magnificent of all.
The Buddhist Doctor Meng Yaoyin rose slowly into the air, then descended onto the war chariot, standing beside the central general.
She beckoned to Sun Lingtong.
“Coming, coming!” Sun Lingtong hurriedly led the Ox Cavalry Squad and merged into the army.
In the next instant, the paper army thundered forward!
Altar battlefield.
The waters of the Forgetting River had already risen to a towering surge, encircling and lifting the entire altar, flowing ceaselessly.
The Prefect of the Forgetting River concealed himself within the river, not revealing himself.
High above, the Prefect of Ghostfire sat cross-legged upon the Charred-Bone Lotus Platform, overlooking the waters below. Around him, within the lotus-seed cavities of the platform, were inserted nine candles. Each candle was as thick as an adult’s forearm.
Only the candle directly before the Prefect of Ghostfire was burning.
“The Soul-Tempting Spirit-Luring Candle truly lives up to its reputation,” the Prefect of the Forgetting River inwardly praised as he healed his injuries.
To inherit the position of Prefect of the Ghostfire Underworld, one had to traverse the Flameflow Silent Wasteland on foot and guard the Fire Soul Purgatory for eighty-one days.
The difficulty was extreme.
Thus, there were often periods when the previous Prefect of the Ghostfire Underworld passed away without a qualified successor, leaving the position vacant and the underworld’s strength declining.
Such times were precisely when the Forgetting River Underworld would seize the opportunity to launch an offensive.
But once a Prefect succeeded to the position, meeting those conditions meant that the individual was already exceedingly powerful.
Therefore, nearly every Prefect brought prosperity to the Ghostfire Underworld. With a Prefect, it was often domineering.
The current Prefect of Ghostfire was no exception.
In life, he had been an instructor of the Scarlet Bright Dao Academy, specializing in fire-attribute techniques. After death, he became a ghost cultivator and continued along his former Dao.
It was worth mentioning that the Scarlet Bright Dao Academy was a superpower devoted to fire-attribute methods, collecting flames from across the world. Yin Jiuzhu had held an important post there in life. His ascension to Prefect after death was due to his prior accumulation, which made him highly adept at handling fire.
Although in the Underworld the fire attribute did not flourish as in the Yang world—
Yin Jiuzhu had forged a different path. Expending the accumulated resources of an entire underworld and mobilizing all its strength, he gathered extensively, achieving explosive results through deep accumulation. He created nine distinct kinds of extraordinary flames.
The development of these extraordinary flames had not yet reached the level of true fire-seeds; they required fuel reserves.
This fuel had been continuously adjusted, refined, and upgraded, culminating in the nine candles encircling him.
They were the grand culmination of his life’s cultivation. Yin Jiuzhu could not help but feel proud.
Thus, he abandoned his former name and adopted this near-epithet.
Soul-Tempting Spirit-Luring Candle!
Once lit, it ignited extraordinary flame, forcibly drawing the souls of nearby beings into the candlefire as fuel.
Under Yin Jiuzhu’s full activation, even the soul of the Prefect of the Forgetting River swayed within his body.
Of course, part of the reason was that the Prefect of the Forgetting River had already expended much strength in two prior battles.
If even he was affected, those outside the altar suffered worse. They had already lost nearly half; now only a single Nascent Soul and fewer than ten thousand Imperial Guards remained.
Especially the Imperial Guards—after taking command, the Prefect of the Forgetting River had continually eliminated and cultivated them, gradually replacing them with elites loyal solely to him. This was the painstaking accumulation of over a century!
The losses were grievous.
Thus, he manifested a smaller tributary of the Forgetting River, not only encircling the altar but also containing the might of the Soul-Tempting Spirit-Luring Candle, taking on most of its force to preserve his subordinates beyond the altar whirlwind.
Yin Jiuzhu remained seated upon the Charred-Bone Lotus Platform, gazing downward with concealed apprehension, unwilling to enter the river.
The Forgetting River was not a stream any being could casually tread.
Most beings, upon immersion, would lose memory and emotion; in severe cases, even their souls would sink.
Only the current Prefect of the Forgetting River, relying on his unique innate talent, could frequently and long-term traverse the great river and wield it to such an extent.
Witnessing this, the Prefect of Ghostfire’s resolve only hardened.
“I must absolutely prevent this action of the Prefect of the Forgetting River!”
“He already possesses such talent. If he succeeds this time, he will become terrifying.”
Though even now he did not know the ultimate objective, it did not hinder him from blocking the Dao with all his might.
For after such vast commotion, he had sensed danger, as if facing a great enemy, and sought out a master of divination.
The result had chilled him—after success, the Prefect of the Forgetting River would lie low for years, then surge in power unreasonably. Ultimately, through personal battle strength, he would lead the Forgetting River Underworld to conquer surrounding realms, annexing the Ghostfire Underworld and many other forces.
Not only that, he would extend his reach into the Yang world, seize White Paper Immortal City, claim the Yin Tide Black Marsh, and establish a Ghost-Human Kingdom spanning both Yin and Yang!
A cold gleam flashed in the Prefect of Ghostfire’s eyes as he ignited the second candle.
The Frozen Abyss Ice Coffin Candle blazed to life!
It was not a traditional candle but a palm-sized miniature ice coffin, crystalline and exuding frigid aura. A small aperture at the coffin lid housed an ice-crystal wick.
A soybean-sized extraordinary flame ignited there, icy blue, burning still without flicker.
Its blue light shone upon the flowing barrier of the Forgetting River tributary.
Ice spread like a plague!
Waves that had surged like furious dragons froze instantly into static sculptures.
Even space groaned beneath the burden, forming dense blue frost patterns.
Concealed within the tributary, the Prefect of the Forgetting River felt bone-piercing cold envelop him.
He was caught in a dilemma.
“If I leave, the Soul-Tempting Spirit-Luring Candle will draw my soul out.”
“If I remain, I will become a frozen captive in the river.”
His thoughts flashed like lightning.
In the next instant, a figure tore through the air toward the Prefect of Ghostfire.
It was a giant.
Three zhang tall, entirely black, muscles knotted like cracked riverbeds, dark-red veins glowing like magma beneath his skin.
Countless black apertures atop his head emitted smoke.
It was the Prefect of the Forgetting River’s avatar—Earth Fiend Turbid Deity!
Breathing Yin Qi, with subterranean turbid qi as blood and ancient heavy iron as bone, its defense rivaled mountains.
Though the Prefect of the Forgetting River’s main body cultivated water and Yin, his painstakingly forged avatar was tied to the earth attribute.
The Turbid Deity shattered ice and space alike with a single punch, restoring the river’s flow.
Pressing his advantage, it charged Yin Jiuzhu.
Snorting coldly, Yin Jiuzhu ignited the third candle.
The Heart-Carving Blood-Weeping Candle lit in dark crimson.
Its wick—a black bone needle—burned silently.
Where its flame shone, hearts convulsed in agony, blood essence draining.
Though not flesh, the Turbid Deity was still afflicted—its compressed earth-lung turbid qi was extracted and stained red.
It roared, staggering.
Under the combined brilliance of three candles, even a divine avatar suffered grievous blows.
The Prefect of the Forgetting River acted, chanting:
“Mouth Imprint: Earth-Lung Breathing, Turbid Waves Soar to Heaven! Activate!”
Columns of earth-lung turbid qi erupted skyward, thick as pythons, foul and potent.
To others, they were pollution; to the Turbid Deity, supreme nourishment.
Reinvigorated, it rose mightier than before.
The battlefield became shrouded in a boiling canopy of turbid qi.
Within it, Yin Jiuzhu felt as if trapped in a mire, mana sluggish.
He activated another candle to observe, while unleashing ghost arts.
A colossal bone hand seized the Turbid Deity, igniting in pale-green phosphorescent fire, melting heavy iron flesh.
Purple-black fire threads burrowed within its body like venomous serpents.
Finally, nine three-legged silver crows formed midair, crashing into its chest in nine explosions—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
After nine blasts, the Turbid Deity’s chest was blown open, barely held together by a strip of skin at its back.