Chapter 632: Forgotten River Lord vs Sorrowful Bone Empress

Earth Element – Sandfall.Earth Element Spleen Temple!

Ning Zhuo's mind split in two; one part focused on the battlefield, the other on his internal organ temple. Controlled by the Earth Element idol, it significantly reduced Ning Zhuo's spell practice time, allowing him to cast with precise control, immense skill, and as if by instinct.

Ning Zhuo gazed upwards, and immediately, countless yellow sands surged forth from thin air. A magnificent waterfall of yellow sand plunged downwards, spreading broadly along the city walls and directly engulfing a large number of withered bone soldiers. The yellow sand formed swirling quicksand at the base of the walls, swallowing two skeletal human bridges before abruptly halting, dispelled by the enemy general's ghost technique.

At least three ghost generals simultaneously cast their continuous ghost techniques, which coalesced into a gigantic hand that tore through the air and grabbed at Ning Zhuo. Ning Zhuo stood his ground, neither dodging nor evading. He suddenly extended his right hand, his fingers held together like a sword.

Metal Element – Geng Metal Storm.Augmented by the Metal Element Lung Temple!

A large stream of Geng Metal Qi erupted from the tip of his sword-like fingers. The Qi was incredibly sharp, colliding with the ghost hand and immediately halting its momentum. The three Core Formation-level ghost generals roared in unison, increasing their magical power infusion. Though the ghost hand was continuously eroded by the metal Qi, it was also constantly nourished by magical power, maintaining its colossal size and still reaching for Ning Zhuo, albeit with a drastically reduced speed.

Ning Zhuo sneered. The idol within his Lung Temple became incredibly vibrant, orchestrating a subtle transformation in the spell. The next moment, the Geng Metal Qi transformed into a rapidly swirling whirlwind, encircling the ghost hand. The ghost hand was completely trapped and immobilized. After a few breaths, it was obliterated by the Geng Metal whirlwind. The three Core Formation ghost generals each grunted in discomfort. The backlash from their shattered spell was shared, resulting only in minor injuries. Even so, three Core Formation cultivators working together failing to overcome a single Foundation Establishment cultivator was already a tremendous defeat.

Ning Zhuo, seizing the advantage, redirected the Geng Metal whirlwind downwards, ensnaring a human bridge that was close to reaching the top of the city wall. Scalp-prickling slicing sounds echoed densely. The hard skeletal bones were like rotten wood before the storm of metal blades, instantly being cut, disintegrated, and shredded into a pervasive white mist of bone dust! The storm swept past, completely eradicating that bone bridge along with the hundreds of skeletal soldiers on it, leaving only scattered bone fragments on the ground!

Seeing Ning Zhuo's overwhelming power, the Flying Spear Ghost General immediately grabbed a Dharma-artifact level long spear, aimed at Ning Zhuo, and directly hurled it. Ning Zhuo's mechanical ring suddenly contracted, but he had already noticed the attack even without its warning.

Water Element – Vortex Shield Return!Augmented by the Water Element Kidney Temple.

Azure currents materialized from thin air, instantly encircling Ning Zhuo and forming a colossal water shield. When the flying spear struck the water shield, it immediately triggered the shield to form a fierce vortex. The swirling current absorbed the flying spear, constantly deflecting its direction. The spear looped in a small circle within the water shield before shooting out diagonally in another direction. The flying spear directly struck the base of another skeletal human bridge, demonstrating immense power and completely demolishing it.

The Flying Spear Ghost General's eyes bulged in fury. He hadn't expected Ning Zhuo to turn his own trick against him, using his attack to destroy the Underworld Army's bridge. Fortunately, these skeletal soldiers possessed little intellect, otherwise, their morale would have plummeted.

Ning Zhuo successfully counterattacked, and while maintaining the water shield, he immediately activated another technique.

Wood Element – Root Vine Entanglement.Wood Element Liver Temple!

Ning Zhuo multitasked. While maintaining his other spells, he began to use auxiliary movements to cast another. He performed hand seals with his left hand, completing all the movements in just two breaths. Then, he flipped his palm downwards and pressed it virtually towards the base of the city wall.

The ground vibrated violently. Countless thick, dark green vines burst through the hard soil, erupting like monstrous, living pythons! These vines ignored the skeletal soldiers' slashes, instantly coiling around their leg bones, torsos, and arms, then fiercely strangling them! Wherever the vines passed, the ranks of skeletal soldiers collapsed in swaths. Before their shattered bones could scatter across the ground, their soul flames were exposed and then extinguished by the vines. This attack nearly obliterated all the skeletal soldiers near the city wall. Not a single skeletal human bridge remained.

This section of the city wall was brought to safety by Ning Zhuo's power alone. The young man's astonishing performance drew countless gazes. Then, in the next moment, the astonishment in those gazes turned to shock.

Fire Element – Nine Heavens Fire Dragon Technique!Augmented by the Fire Element Heart Temple!

Ning Zhuo then switched to the Fire Element, unleashing his preferred area-of-effect attack. Three fire dragons roared, their heads held high, flying forth from the city wall. With formidable might, they soared nearly a thousand paces, incinerating vast numbers of skeletal soldiers who had yet to approach that section of the wall! Five or six Core Formation ghost generals successively made their moves; some cast ghost techniques targeting the fire dragons, while others used military strategies to augment the withered bone soldiers. Ning Zhuo controlled the fire dragons with extreme precision, avoiding many ghost techniques and maximizing their destructive power. It took the ghost generals a long time to finally obliterate the three fire dragons, their faces grim, gasping for breath, and looking thoroughly dishevelled.

Inside the barracks within the city walls, Qing Chi turned her head to look in Ning Zhuo's direction. She and the Qingjiao Army served as reserves, their time to deploy not yet arrived, so they could only wait for orders. She saw the fire dragons soaring and swirling in mid-air, heard continuous dragon roars, and the thunderous boom from the fire dragons' final self-detonation. "Which powerful expert is fighting the enemy?" She could feel the fire dragons' might, and her spirits were lifted. Clearly, such an offensive was not characteristic of the Underworld Army; it must have been an allied cultivator's move.

Ning Zhuo performed another round of his Five Element spells, completely clearing the area in front of his section of the city wall, leaving a large open space free of any withered bone soldiers. Many cultivators around him stood with slightly agape mouths, having had no chance to intervene themselves. Ning Zhuo was about to unleash a third round when he heard drumbeats. This was Tie Guzheng's military order to initiate a rotation! Ning Zhuo was decisive and immediately turned to leave. After two nation-level battles, his combat proficiency had greatly improved.

Just as he stepped down from the rampart, within White Paper Immortal City, the Ink River suddenly surged, erupting in hundreds of geysers. At least six streams of the Ink River rose into the air, transforming into six massive Ink River Water Pythons.

Rumble—

The colossal water pythons wreaked havoc all around, instantly washing away, collapsing, and destroying countless buildings. Ning Zhuo's pupils suddenly contracted. "Is this Zheng Shoumo's contingency plan? Or are there other traitors secretly stirring up trouble?" He still did not take action, but instead, following his previous training, entered the barracks for an urgent rest.

The turmoil within the city was, in fact, anticipated by the higher echelons of White Paper Immortal City. After all, Zheng Shoumo had not been captured alive; he had escaped, severing the next lead. In fact, it would have been strange if he were the only internal traitor. The esteemed Netherworld Sovereign of Oblivion would not act in such a manner.

The Underworld.

On the sacrificial altar, the Netherworld Sovereign of Oblivion suddenly felt a wave of relief. The pressure from chanting the sacrificial text sharply decreased, and the altar, in turn, erupted with a bloody light. A realization dawned on the Netherworld Sovereign of Oblivion: "A large number of blood sacrifices have been registered! It seems the assault on White Paper Immortal City in the mortal realm has begun to yield results."

Just then, a mournful melody suddenly resonated. It began as a soft hum, then enveloped the surroundings, and within a few breaths, it became the main theme on the altar, even causing the sweeping Yin winds to slow down. The five Nascent Soul cultivators guarding outside the Yin winds roared in unison, and tens of thousands of Imperial Guards activated a grand formation in coordination. But the grand formation spun ineffectively, unable to harm the assailant in the slightest.

The Netherworld Sovereign of Oblivion sighed faintly, "This is a song of hollow sorrow, beyond your ability to stop. Brother Gu, you wish to kill me; why trouble others? Come, fight me!" As he spoke, the Netherworld Sovereign of Oblivion actively manipulated the grand formation, tearing open a rift in the swirling Yin winds. The mournful melody converged into a beam, pierced through the rift, and appeared before the Netherworld Sovereign of Oblivion, transforming into a bone cultivator.

It was none other than the Lamenting Bone Maiden. Her body was enveloped in a misty, mournful gray-white fog. Her skeletal form was carved like white jade, slender and ethereal. The translucent white bone emitted a soft luster, like glazed glass or jade marrow. Twelve pairs of ribs resembled budding bone lotuses, protecting the eerie blue soul fire within her chest cavity. Her spine extended into a long, slender bone tail, with seven jade-like cones lightly tapping the void. Her entire body was covered by a layer of 'Thousand Sorrows, Ten Thousand Laments Bone Veil'—myriad bone threads as fine as hair, intricately interwoven into a translucent, cicada-wing-thin garment that clung to her form, outlining a striking silhouette. Her head was exquisitely beautiful, with eerie blue tear-like bone patterns etched from her cheekbones to her jaw. The soul fire in her eye sockets was an icy blue, radiating profound sorrow.

She gazed at the Netherworld Sovereign of Oblivion: "A-Chuan, I transformed into a female cultivator for you, solely to be with you forever. Even now, will you not change your mind?"

The Netherworld Sovereign of Oblivion sighed deeply with helplessness: "Brother Gu, we were sworn brothers. Why has it come to this?"

The Lamenting Bone Maiden: "You knew my feelings all along. Your closeness to me was merely to exploit my courage and talent. When it was time for you to fulfill your promise, you dismissed me by claiming we were sworn brothers. I am not your brother; I should be your wife!"

The Netherworld Sovereign of Oblivion looked up at the sky: "There is only one wife in my heart."

The Lamenting Bone Maiden gave a cold laugh: "Of course, I know. That's why I plotted before, tricking your wife into leaving White Tail Swamp so she could truly see your true heart, your character."

"It was you!" The Netherworld Sovereign of Oblivion's face instantly changed, and he erupted in fury, pointing angrily at the Lamenting Bone Maiden.

The Lamenting Bone Maiden laughed heartily up at the sky: "Hahahaha. If I cannot have my beloved, neither shall you! A-Chuan, I want you to experience my profound sorrow."

With an angry gesture, the Netherworld Sovereign of Oblivion instantly condensed a water spear from the mist. It pierced through the void and shot directly towards the Lamenting Bone Maiden. The water spear was murky and opaque, emitting thick water vapor and carrying immense Yin winds. The Lamenting Bone Maiden neither dodged nor evaded, merely raising her slender right hand.

Clang!

The water spear collided with the palm of her right hand, producing a metallic, jade-like ringing sound. The space in front of her bone palm folded, and millions of spectral bone threads, as fine as silk, wove into a dense net that constantly annihilated and regenerated itself, completely negating the soul-corroding power, immense weight, and decaying Dao韵 contained within the water spear. The water spear dispersed as its power was exhausted, but the spectral bone threads remained layered, emitting waves of mournful sound.

The Sovereign's abyss-like eyes narrowed slightly, and he thought to himself, "Thousand Sorrows, Ten Thousand Laments Bone Veil." He and the Lamenting Bone Maiden had once shared a close relationship, naturally knowing many of each other's secrets.

He changed his hand seals and softly uttered a spell: "Heartless Crossing." As soon as the icy words fell, Xuanming water surged forth, merging with Yin-attribute magical power to form a vast, silently spreading black tide. The Lamenting Bone Maiden was unable to retreat and was surrounded by the black tide. Her various emotions quickly vanished under the black tide's influence. While other emotions were negligible, her sorrow was crucially important to her, being a vital component of her combat power.

"A-Chuan, you truly understand me," the Lamenting Bone Maiden said with a sorrowful smile.

The Netherworld Sovereign of Oblivion's expression remained unchanged as he silently mobilized more black tides to encircle the Lamenting Bone Maiden. Upon approaching, these black tides were completely blocked by the Lamenting Bone Maiden's Thousand Sorrows, Ten Thousand Laments Bone Veil, proving ineffective. But the Netherworld Sovereign of Oblivion did not stop. He knew that exhausting the Thousand Sorrows, Ten Thousand Laments Bone Veil with this spell was not a losing strategy.

Gut-Wrenching Lamenting Flute!

The Lamenting Bone Maiden naturally understood the current battle situation. She took out a bone flute and held it horizontally before her skeletal lips.

Wooooooo—

The flute sound suddenly rose. It was not mellow and melodious, but like a lost chick crying for its mother, a grieving woman weeping blood, or a nation mourning its fall!

Spell – Reverse Lamenting Song!

Instantly, the Lamenting Bone Maiden's sorrow swelled, and her combat power surged wildly, even surpassing her initial level before the battle began. Under the flute's melody, the black tide reversed its flow, used by the Lamenting Bone Maiden to surge towards the Netherworld Sovereign of Oblivion. The Netherworld Sovereign of Oblivion's expression subtly changed. His long robe billowed, and the magical power within him rapidly depleted as he tried to regain control of the black tide that was rolling back towards him. Just as he made his move, the Lamenting Bone Maiden's curled little finger suddenly detached and shot towards the Netherworld Sovereign of Oblivion.

Ghost Technique – Piercing Bone of Sorrow!

The speed of the finger bone was so astonishing that it seemed to ignore space, directly imprinting itself on the Netherworld Sovereign of Oblivion's chest.

Pfft!

With a soft sound, the bone finger pierced through the Netherworld Sovereign of Oblivion's robe, flesh, and soul, shooting out from his back. The Netherworld Sovereign of Oblivion stood frozen on the spot, his life force collapsing like a snow mountain.

"A-Chuan!" The Lamenting Bone Maiden, having successfully attacked, had a drastic change in expression. Fearing she had accidentally killed the Netherworld Sovereign of Oblivion, she became frantic.

The Netherworld Sovereign of Oblivion suddenly pressed his palm forward and let out a cold, furious roar. In an instant, he unleashed countless sharp needles.

Ten Thousand Ghosts Soul-Devouring Needles!

Each needle carried bone-chilling coldness and a malevolent, soul-corroding aura. Like a swarm of bees, they enveloped the Lamenting Bone Maiden and attacked her fiercely. The Lamenting Bone Maiden's face showed terror, for she discovered that her most prized defensive technique—the Thousand Sorrows, Ten Thousand Laments Bone Veil—was severely suppressed by these hair-thin needles. Its regenerative ability was also almost completely nullified.

Myriad Bones Lamenting Escape!

Seeing the unfavorable situation, the Lamenting Bone Maiden retreated explosively, tearing directly through the altar's whirlwind and fleeing in disarray. Before leaving, she left behind a harsh parting remark: "A-Chuan, you are truly something. You actually exploited my concern for you to create a tactical opportunity through my panic."

"Hah."

"The injury you inflicted upon me, I will keep it and carefully cultivate my sorrow."

"Next time, I will make you truly understand!"

The Netherworld Sovereign of Oblivion stood at the edge of the altar, coughing violently, each cough bringing up blood. Yet, his posture remained upright. He wiped away the residual blood from the corner of his lips and cast his cold, imposing gaze in another direction. There, a mute monk in yellow robes was striding through the air.

It was none other than the Mute Ghost Monk!

No sooner had the Lamenting Bone Maiden retreated than the Mute Ghost Monk appeared—it was clear they had secretly formed some kind of alliance for battle. "There are probably others hidden behind them," the Netherworld Sovereign of Oblivion felt immense pressure.

However, at this very moment, the altar's radiance suddenly brightened and intensified. "Oh?" "It seems there's been a breakthrough on the mortal realm battlefield!"

The Mortal Realm.White Paper Immortal City.

Amidst a colossal roar, the South City Gate was directly pushed open, leaving a wide-open entrance! The one who pushed the gate open was none other than the Funeral Music Ghost Performer.