Before long, a massacre concluded, and the bloodline practitioners from Prince Pingbian’s camp directly became the wandering souls of evil ghosts.
The young man holding the Yama Banner tore off his clothes, then fiercely shook the banner; countless wandering ghosts on the battlefield were absorbed by the banner, whether they were from the enemy camp or their own souls, all entered the Yama Banner, becoming nourishment for it.
Then the divine power within the Yama Banner circulated, a force infused into the young man’s body, and a black tattoo appeared on his body, vaguely resembling a King Yan from the Underworld, possessing the power to dominate life and death.
Soon the anomaly disappeared, the Yama Banner in the young man’s hand turned into black mist, attached itself to the tattoo on his back, and the tattoo flickered before disappearing into the skin, leaving no trace.
The three thousand strong men possessed by evil ghosts, as the ghosts departed, each had a deathly pale face, as if from excessive blood loss.
The leader sniffed and pointed afar: "That direction has a strong scent of the living, everyone follow me!"
He finished speaking, mounted a horse, and led three thousand cavalry away.
The blood sea beneath the ground receded, the Blood God Child transformed into a drop of blood, silently observing the crowd. Though the rebels had killed ten thousand troops of Prince Pingbian’s Mansion, they too suffered heavy losses, with less than ten thousand soldiers remaining, losing fifty to sixty thousand soldiers. If not for the young man wielding the banner to turn the tide at a crucial moment, the remaining army would have been entirely annihilated by Prince Pingbian’s troops: "The one holding the banner seems to have received aid from the Yama Banner. This slaughter claimed numerous lives nurturing the Yama Banner, which nourished his body in return. If this person doesn’t unexpectedly perish prematurely, he’ll rapidly ascend to a Ghost King level of power through continued slaughter."
Zhang Chen thought to himself: "The aura of that banner has reached the Tenth Tier, calling it the Yama Banner is quite appropriate. The tattoo on his back symbolizes Yama; if he can fully materialize Yama, his power will become unimaginably strong. This guy even detected the presence of a large group of people from dozens of miles away; it seems my main body might be in trouble."
Muttering to this point, the Blood God Child flickered and vanished.
The main group where Zhang Chen’s main body was located continued to move rapidly, but how can human legs compete against horses?
As they hurried along, they suddenly heard the sound of horses, Zhu Ziqing’s face turned pale with alarm: "Cavalry! We’re in trouble! Whether it’s human demon cavalry or Prince Pingbian’s cavalry, it’s bad news for us."
"It’s trouble indeed!" Zhang Chen muttered.
If it were a beast tide, the refugees might organize to resist, but faced with organized cavalry, all the refugees could do was surrender.
Everyone who had emerged from the chaos knew the sound of hoofbeats signified something, with some refugees abandoning everything and fleeing, while others with their families stayed put, faces full of despair, awaiting fate’s judgment.
In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the sound of hooves grew nearer, revealing a troop of over three thousand, each mounted on a steed, galloping from afar to near.
Zhang Chen looked at the approaching cavalry, his gaze on the leader, as he had received information from the Blood God Child, and softly sighed.
The leader was a young man in his twenties, with a fair complexion and a tall figure, somehow having changed into leather armor, riding a demon horse. The horse, surrounded by demonic aura, had reached the Fifth Tier, and it approached at full speed.
Most crucially, in Zhang Chen’s Dharma Eye, countless ghostly shadows followed behind the young man, forming into Celestial Ghosts, composing a Nine-Child Ghost Mother Array, hidden behind him.
"This is big trouble! It’s the legendary Nine-Child Ghost Mother. Although I have the True God Golden Light and am unafraid of ghosts, I cannot protect my mother and younger siblings! I must observe and adapt to the situation for now!" Zhang Chen thought to himself.
He also missed the Yama Banner, wondering if it could provide a skill related to King Yan. If he could control the lifespan of all beings, it would be delightful.
The cavalry dispersed, herding everyone together. The leader reined in his horse and announced: "I am General Wang Heng. You’re all conscripted under my command. Everyone will become soldiers under me, and must hand over all food and iron tools, any resistance will be met with death."
Zhu Ziqing’s voice was full of bitterness: "We’re doomed, we intended to flee the Northern Land to escape havoc but ran into this son of a turtle. This lad rebels, doing something that’ll cost him his head, if we’re conscripted by him, our days are numbered."
Hearing Zhu Ziqing, Zhang Chen glanced at Wang Heng. He saw the cavalry dismount and start collecting the food and supplies from the people, which made him sigh softly and show a hint of hesitation.
Wang Heng’s banner had reached the Tenth Tier, and a surprise attack might allow Zhang Chen to kill him, but there was also the risk of unforeseen circumstances. The Nine-Child Ghost Mother Array was a formation’s power. If unable to kill Wang Heng in one strike, Zhang Chen’s siblings would be in peril.
As for creating chaos to escape, two legs can’t outrun four, and Zhang Chen needed to find an opportunity.
This is the result of having loved ones at your side, unable to do as you please, considerations have to be made for various situations.
The cavalry, having been possessed by evil ghosts, now appeared pale, and started cooking where they stood, devouring various meats and rice like starving ghosts.
Zhang Chen knew this situation was due to the opponents having lost a lot of Essence, Qi, and Spirit to the ghosts, making them ravenously hungry and in need of replenishment.
"You’ll be divided into two groups, men to the left to be enlisted, fighting in future battles under me, with promises of gold, silver, and titles rewarded in the future. As for women and children, they will go to the logistics group, transporting food for the army," Wang Heng loudly commanded, directing the refugees.
Although the refugees were unwilling, they didn’t dare resist the fierce and intimidating soldiers, nor could they even muster the courage to shout loudly.
At this moment, Zhu Ziqing hurriedly stepped forward with a fawning expression, saying, "General, I am Zhu Ziqing, and I know some literacy, so I can help the General with bookkeeping and organizing documents."
Upon hearing this, Wang Heng’s gaze fell on Zhu Ziqing, then glanced at Zhang Chen’s group, before returning his attention to Zhu Ziqing: "You can read and write?"
During this era, literacy was not easy to come by and those who could read were considered valuable talents.
Upon hearing Wang Heng’s words, Zhu Ziqing quickly replied, "I am literate."
"How many characters can you recognize? What is your background?" Wang Heng asked.
Zhu Ziqing chuckled bitterly: "My family’s heritage has been cut short over five generations, and now my knowledge relies entirely on family tradition. I recognize eighty percent of the characters in this world and have studied in an academy for a few years."
Wang Heng’s face lit up with joy: "In that case, my army needs a main scribe, and you shall take on this role."
Zhu Ziqing was overjoyed at the words, knowing that as a scribe, he wouldn’t have to fight. He quickly thanked: "Thank you, General! Thank you, General! However... my younger siblings are also well-behaved and can help sew for the General and attend to you."
Wang Heng glanced over at Zhang Chen’s family and then gestured for Zhang Chen to step forward: "You, come here."
Zhang Chen looked at Wang Heng and saw him wink, feeling a sense of gratitude that this guy remembered to pull him forward; he really was quite decent.
Zhang Chen quickly took off his bamboo hat and was about to jump down from the cart when Chengyu grabbed him by the hem. Zhang Chen turned and saw the murderous intent in Chengyu’s eyes and immediately understood Chengyu’s meaning. He shook his head at Chengyu, indicating to remain calm, then stepped forward to salute Wang Heng with clasped fists: "Greetings, General."
He pondered whether he could seize Wang Heng’s Yama Banner, which was certainly a valuable artifact.
"You are quite fair, looking like you come from a wealthy family." Wang Heng sized Zhang Chen up, a smile appeared in his eyes: "Since you are family, can you read as well?"
Zhu Ziqing claimed literacy; it would be unreasonable for Zhang Chen to say he was illiterate, so he had to speak: "I am also literate."
"How much literacy?" Wang Heng asked.
"Though not as much as my elder brother, I can recognize sixty percent," Zhang Chen replied.
"In that case, stay by my side to help me record documents," Wang Heng said, glancing at Mrs. Zhang, who looked disheveled and dirty from practicing martial arts, appearing like an old woman in whom he showed no interest.
Wang Heng then scattered the crowd, organizing them to set up tents as they waited for soldiers returning from cleaning the battlefield.
Zhang Chen thought to step forward to help, but Wang Heng beckoned him over: "Come here and massage my legs!"
Zhang Chen glanced at Wang Heng, who sat on a stool signaling him to come forward and massage his legs; internally, Zhang Chen cursed: "You bastard, asking me to massage your legs as if you don’t know how many eyes Lord Ma has. With such close contact, if I launch a Blood God Child ambush, who knows if I could strike this person and seize the Yama Banner."
The Yama Banner was certainly valuable, given the imminent chaos in the world, and lacking ghosts would not be a concern. With the support of numerous ghosts, it would be easy to reach the Twelfth Tier.
Especially after the Yama Banner evolves into an Underworld, its power becomes even more terrifying, possibly surpassing the Twelfth Tier.
Zhang Chen reluctantly massaged the legs, contemplating a way to leave: "Looks like I’ll have to wait until nightfall to act."
Zhang Chen mastered Blood Control Technique, accurately grasping the skin and acupoints of the human body, and his random massages had reached pinnacle levels.
"Very good, very good! Your technique is impressive!" Wang Heng savored the massage, his legs feeling limp, a glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes.
"Not only am I skilled in leg massages, but I also excel at full-body massages, helping blood flow. General, why not remove your garments for a full-body massage to relieve fatigue?" Zhang Chen suggested calmly.
He certainly wasn’t truly offering a massage. Blood God Child had witnessed firsthand this guy’s Yama Banner affixed as a tattoo. If he could manipulate things during the massage, it couldn’t be better.
That was a Tenth Tier treasure with Yama Authority, absorbing all the wandering souls of the Northern Land, and if he could extract some skills, it’d be an excellent haul.