This cauldron was a powerful Magical Treasure capable of changing the weather within a certain area. It could bring a thunderstorm over the entire Knife Ghost Ridge in just twenty minutes.
As thunder boomed and heavy rain poured down, the once silent Knife Ghost Ridge erupted with successive roars.
SQUEAK!
A few Knife Labor Ghosts approached, flickering in and out of sight among the wild grass and shrubs.
The Saint and his many disciples each swallowed an Elixir.
The Elixirs they ingested were for holding their breath. The poisonous fog sprayed by the Knife Labor Ghosts could also poison a person, so they had to be extremely careful.
Ten Mental Cultivator disciples made the first move; their task was to control the actions of the Knife Labor Ghosts through their intent. If they succeeded, the plan to tame the Knife Labor Ghosts would be halfway to success.
After a little more than five minutes, the Knife Labor Ghosts, who had merely been observing until then, began to attack everyone. The Mental Cultivators had failed to control them and had instead agitated them.
This was the difference in perception that Cui Tiq had spoken of.
The Mental Cultivators could sense and infiltrate the thoughts of the Knife Labor Ghosts, but the ghosts’ perception had become severely distorted. In their minds, the Mental Cultivators had already launched a physical assault.
Since the Mental Cultivators were ineffective, Insect Cultivation was employed next.
Was Insect Cultivation useful against the Knife Labor Ghosts?
This wasn’t just the Saint messing around; it stemmed from research findings from years past.
During the Saint’s reign, he had once sent people to investigate Knife Ghost Ridge. They had obtained numerous findings, one of which the Saint himself had approved: that people became Knife Labor Ghosts after being infected by a specific parasite on Knife Ghost Ridge.
If Insect Cultivation could control the parasites, then there was a possibility of controlling the Knife Labor Ghosts. This was a meticulously arranged plan by the Saint.
After another five minutes, Insect Cultivation also failed. The number of Knife Labor Ghosts kept increasing, and they grew increasingly agitated. Many disciples had been splattered with the Knife Labor Ghosts’ poisonous liquid.
They wore water-resistant soft armor, and the Saint also had a water-resistant Magical Treasure, which offered some degree of protection against the poison. However, there were too many Knife Labor Ghosts, and some disciples had already suffered fatal wounds.
The Saint still wasn’t worried and ordered the third group of disciples to take action.
The third group of disciples were Nightmare Cultivators, who had also prepared based on the previous investigation results.
One of the findings was that the Knife Labor Ghosts, true to their name, were the ghosts of those who had died from poisoning. Nightmare Cultivators could control Lost Souls, so dealing with ghosts was naturally within their capabilities.
Seven or eight minutes later, the Nightmare Cultivators also failed.
Knife Labor Ghosts swarmed the area, encircling them tightly, three layers deep both inside and out.
The Saint was not worried at all; this outcome was within his expectations.
Turning the Knife Labor Ghosts into an army was considered a pipe dream by most; it was an incredibly difficult task, so an initial failure was to be expected.
Although they hadn’t succeeded this time, they had at least learned three lessons: Mental Cultivators, Insect Cultivation, and Nightmare Cultivators were ineffective against the Knife Labor Ghosts.
The Knife Labor Ghosts’ retreat was still under the Saint’s control. Once the thunderstorm subsided, according to the Knife Labor Ghosts’ habits, they would immediately return to their nests, allowing the Saint to leave at his leisure.
Twenty minutes passed quickly; the heavy rain stopped, and the thunder also disappeared.
Everyone prepared to retreat, but the Knife Labor Ghosts did not leave; they seemed even more agitated.
The Saint found this surprising and ordered his disciples to hold their ground and not panic. If they could just hold out a little longer, the Knife Labor Ghosts would inevitably leave.
After more than twenty minutes, the number of Knife Labor Ghosts kept increasing.
About ten of the Saint’s Disciples had fallen. They weren’t poisoned to death but were torn apart and bitten to death by the Knife Labor Ghosts.
A black fog enveloped the area, so dense they could barely see their hands in front of their faces. The elixirs the disciples had ingested were also about to wear off.
The Saint ordered a retreat, and the disciples still intended to carry the palanquin.
The Saint himself abandoned the palanquin. He used the Lust Cultivation Technique to suppress the Knife Labor Ghosts’ frenzy and weaken their fighting spirit, hoping to find an opportunity to escape.
But the perception of the Knife Labor Ghosts was different. After consuming Cui Tiq’s potion, their perception underwent even greater changes.
Their fighting spirit did not diminish. Instead, another urge rapidly swelled and dominated their consciousness.
In the ensuing carnage, disciple after disciple was overcome by the Knife Labor Ghosts. The living were violated until death, and even the dead were desecrated.
And the Knife Labor Ghosts showed an especially intense interest in the Saint, who had used the Lust Cultivation Technique.
At dusk, the Saint, dressed in tattered clothes, led a dozen disciples down from Knife Ghost Ridge.
With his cultivation level and the strength of his subordinates, if they had retreated down the mountain immediately upon encountering the Knife Labor Ghosts, the outcome would not have been nearly so dire.
But his aim was to control the Knife Labor Ghosts. Even after being surrounded, he still refused to retreat. Now, having suffered grievous losses, he himself had nearly perished.
Returning to his estate, the Saint was still in shock. Only today had he truly, personally experienced the horrors of Knife Ghost Ridge.
A recent plague had cost him most of his disciples. Now, the survivors had been all but annihilated on Knife Ghost Ridge. Sage Peak’s strength was critically diminished, and the Saint couldn’t suppress the waves of fury rising within him.
Disciple Song Deke advised, "Master, the way to command an army is through absolute discipline. To tame such Evil Monsters, we must lure them down the mountain. Only by trapping and slaughtering more than half of them can we force the rest into submission!"
The Saint nodded, "I’ll leave this matter to you to handle."
Song Deke hastily explained, "I am not skilled in warfare..."
The Saint looked at Song Deke, who lowered his head in silence.
Du Xiangwen interjected to mediate, "The Knife Labor Ghosts will not easily leave Knife Ghost Ridge. Luring and trapping them at the foot of the mountain might be ill-advised. This matter requires careful, long-term planning."
SQUEAK!
A roar came from outside the estate.
The Saint was shocked and asked Du Xiangwen, "Was that the sound of a Knife Labor Ghost?"
P.S. If the Knife Labor Ghosts were to invade the estate, the Saint might lose more than just his clothes.
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