Chapter 214: Battlefield Ghost Maze, Liu Tianning Preaches

In the dim darkness of the night, Wang Debiao was yawning in the shanty next to the melon field. He was the agriculturist on night duty, but as only a ninth-grade official, he wasn't responsible for defending against enemies.

The actual defense against enemies was handled by an eighth-grade priest in the adjacent shanty.

The weather in the Southern Barrens was unpredictable. Wang Debiao's duty was to monitor the nighttime growth progress of the 'Dark Origin Melons,' ensuring these delicate melon seedlings weren't harmed.

"Whoosh"—the oil lamp on the table suddenly flickered. But Wang Debiao didn't notice anything unusual.

In the shanty on the other side, the eighth-grade priest Lin Yuan suddenly opened his eyes, looking outside with a puzzled expression.

He stepped out of the shanty and activated his 'Clairvoyant Eyes' to inspect the Dark Origin Melon field, but saw nothing.

He was unaware that a squad of ghostly strongmen was already standing on the ridges of the melon field.

However, Molik and Qiyuanzi's spells were profound, already beyond Lin Yuan's detection range.

Lin Yuan only saw a straw figure standing in the melon field, appearing lifeless.

"I wonder what purpose Lord Zhao's straw figure serves; it looks rather eerie," Lin Yuan thought. He assumed his unease stemmed from this straw figure.

So he prepared to return to his shanty.

Suddenly—

"Whoosh!"

The motionless Soul-Binding Straw Figure suddenly extended its right hand, with a swirling vortex in its palm, and thrust it forward.

"Wooo…wooo…" Despite only air being in front, a wailing sound echoed.

Others couldn't hear this sound, and Wang Debiao was completely oblivious, but Lin Yuan heard it.

Because it was the wail of a ghost!

"What?!"

Lin Yuan's heart pounded. He decisively slid something into his palm, then smeared it across his closed eyes.

"Heaven and Earth sweep the six directions, Yin and Yang True Eyes open!"

A priest's True Eye technique!

It consumed vital energy to cast, enhancing perception of ghosts!

However, this method wasn't long-lasting; once the blood dried, the temporary enhancement would fade.

Having cast the True Eye technique, Lin Yuan finally saw the source of the anomaly.

"What? Invisible Souls?!"

Lin Yuan saw a unique squad of ten ghosts. Their forms were incredibly ethereal; just as there were unique sword cultivators among martial artists, there were also ghosts skilled in concealment. Lin Yuan called them 'Invisible Souls'.

Their elusive nature was almost comparable to a 'Jian' (a legendary unobservable ghost).

What astonished Lin Yuan even more was that this unique squad of Invisible Souls was now in a panic, scattering and fleeing in all directions.

One of the Invisible Souls had its chest pierced by the straw figure in the Dark Origin Melon field, and its form rapidly shrank, vanishing with a wail in less than three breaths.

"No, not vanished—it was absorbed!" Lin Yuan's scalp tingled. His knowledge was limited, and he had never heard of any straw figure capable of absorbing souls.

Moreover, Invisible Souls were difficult to detect, so how did this straw figure sense them?

Could all of this be part of Lord Zhao's plan?

"Kill!"

After a moment of shock, Lin Yuan immediately fulfilled his duty as a priest, raising his Soul Lamp and drawing the Soul-Slaying Scimitar from his waist, he pursued the squad of Invisible Souls.

"What's going on, what's going on?" Wang Debiao woke with a start. He heard Lin Yuan's voice and, stepping out, saw Lin Yuan chasing thin air.

"Oh crap!" Wang Debiao instantly realized something. He immediately retreated, closed the shanty door, and affixed a talisman to it.

Lord Zhao had instructed that if ghosts attacked, agriculturists like them, who had few means to deal with ghosts, should simply hide in the talisman-protected shanties and not come out.

Wang Debiao trembled, hiding in the shanty.

"It's over, it's over," he muttered. "Ghosts from the Holy Spirit Royal Court have made it all the way to Tonghuo City."

"I—I won't die, will I?"

"Ah, I, Wang Debiao, haven't even married or had children. I'm still a virgin at thirty; it's really unfair to die like this."

Wang Debiao felt extremely uneasy. He had followed the army for so long, and all their battles had been smooth sailing.

This was his first encounter with danger.

"Thump, thump, thump!"

Urgent knocking came from outside the shanty door. Wang Debiao retreated to stand before the Ever-Burning Lamp, sweat beading on his forehead, a wisp of Yin Wind swirling around him.

His Yin Wind technique was only at mid-tier third-transformation, and might not be able to kill a ghost.

But it was the only spell he had that was effective against ghosts.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

The shanty door was pounded violently. Wang Debiao was terrified.

He felt as if evil spirits could break through the door at any moment.

But after about a minute, the sounds ceased, and calm returned.

Wang Debiao, emboldened, approached the door, wanting to peer through the crack to observe the situation outside.

As he leaned in, he saw a pair of eerie green eyes, with pupils swirling like vortices.

And around the eyes, grass was growing!

"Mother!" The bizarre sight made Wang Debiao recoil repeatedly, landing hard on his bottom.

"This Wang Debiao is really too weak; how could he get so scared?"

Zhao Xing floated high in the sky, directing the movements of the Soul-Binding Straw Figures.

Since taking the Life Soul Pill, his control over the straw figures had greatly increased, and the maximum number of straw figures he could command had also significantly risen.

Currently, a thousand Soul-Binding Straw Figures were active in the northern planting area.

Most of them were deployed in the four cardinal directions of the planting area, with a smaller portion sporadically rooted in various fields.

Knowing his opponents were from the Holy Spirit Royal Court, Zhao Xing had naturally made preparations long ago.

And for dealing with ghosts, the best spells were none other than the Yin Wind of Malevolence and the Soul-Binding Straw Figures.

The Soul-Binding Straw Figures had a unique characteristic when facing a ghost army: the more they fought, the stronger they became!

They could bind one or more ghosts within their bodies, and gain some of the ghosts' powers.

For instance, if they bound a ghostly strongman, the Soul-Binding Straw Figure would become incredibly powerful. If they bound an Invisible Soul, the straw figure's mobility would greatly increase.

Every part of a Soul-Binding Straw Figure was filled with Yin Five-Element vortices: hands, elbows, knees, head, shoulders...

Any part that touched a ghost could absorb and bind the soul body.

Zhao Xing's Soul-Binding Straw Figures had been cultivated to the mid-tier ninth-transformation, allowing them to bind nine ghost souls within their bodies.

Although there were only a thousand straw figures, they were more than sufficient to deal with over two thousand Invisible Souls; it was a natural counter!

Combined with the Yin Wind of Malevolence, it was akin to trapping dogs behind closed doors.

Thirty li from the northern planting area, on a hillside, stood an altar.

This batch of ghosts was under Qiyuanzi's control.

At this moment, he was suddenly startled, finding that many talismans on the altar had spontaneously ignited, and the paper figures placed on the altar had suddenly fallen.

"This isn't good!"

Qiyuanzi immediately sensed trouble.

"Guardian, what's happening?" Molik also detected an anomaly, but he wasn't the caster, so he didn't know the specifics.

Molik held a ghost-head banner. He had intended to wait for Qiyuanzi to gauge the situation, and if conditions were favorable, he planned to turn the sneak attack into a full-scale assault.

Inside his ghost-head banner were five thousand ghost soldiers and eight hundred ghost generals.

"We've been discovered!" Qiyuanzi exclaimed, surprised. "There's a master in Tonghuo City; the Yin souls I sent were captured!"

Qiyuanzi had possessed one of the 'Ding' ghosts, allowing him to see the situation ahead.

He saw squads of straw figures surrounding them from all directions, charging directly at his ghostly strongmen.

Wherever they went, the eighth-grade ghostly strongmen were utterly powerless to resist. Only the seventh-grade 'Ding,' 'Bing,' 'Jia,' 'Yi,' and 'Wu' ghosts could withstand them for a moment.

"This is... the Straw Figure technique? Soul-Binding Straw Figures?" Qiyuanzi was utterly astonished. "Someone actually cultivated the Straw Figure technique to this extent."

"Bang!" Qiyuanzi controlled the 'Ding' ghost to attack a straw figure ahead. In a single clash,

The Soul-Binding Straw Figure was pushed back three meters, but the 'Ding' ghost he possessed also lost a portion of its soul power, yet the straw figure stood firm.

"Hiss, it's also combined with a Giant Shield Straw Figure; this isn't a pure Soul-Binding Straw Figure."

Qiyuanzi was quite knowledgeable and immediately recognized the extraordinary nature of the Straw Figure technique.

"Retreat!"

Qiyuanzi immediately ordered a retreat. He knew this sneak attack plan had failed.

"You crushed a lot of my seedlings; now you want to run?"

Zhao Xing, with his 'Heavenly Eye' activated, looked down, and naturally spotted the five powerful ghost generals.

He immediately extended a finger.

"Wooooo…"

A malevolent Yin Wind swept past the 'Ding' ghost.

"Hiss, hiss, hiss!"

Smoke immediately rose from the 'Ding' ghost's body, and it let out a wail.

"Buzz!"

Qiyuanzi's heart trembled. He had lost control over the ghosts ahead.

"Molik, we need to retreat," Qiyuanzi said, looking towards Tonghuo City. "There's a master over there."

"A master?" Molik was startled. Qiyuanzi was a sixth-grade cultivator; for him to say there was a master meant something significant.

"Alright, let's retreat." Molik put away his ghost-head banner, planning to escape with Qiyuanzi.

"Wait!" Qiyuanzi suddenly stopped him again. "I suspect this person will pursue us here. Allow me to set up a formation to cover our tracks."

Fifteen minutes later, a flying boat descended into the northern planting area, and Han Bing, leading a squad of priests, hurried over.

The uncontrolled ghosts were instantly powerless to resist and were encircled and annihilated.

"Han Bing, stay here and assess the damage."

"Yes, sir."

Han Bing had seen the Soul-Binding Straw Figures before and knew Zhao Xing's Straw Figure technique was extraordinary. He quickly led everyone to clean up the aftermath.

Zhao Xing, meanwhile, soared on clouds, pursuing Qiyuanzi's direction.

Fifteen minutes later.

"Whoosh!"

Zhao Xing appeared on a hillside, scanning the surroundings with his Heavenly Eye technique.

"Ugh-ga!"

Suddenly, a skull flew up from the ground, hurtling directly towards Zhao Xing's face.

"Petty tricks, daring to show off before an expert!"

With a wave of his hand, the Yin Wind of Malevolence instantly destroyed the skull.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!"

On the hillside, a series of explosions suddenly erupted, as numerous skeletal remains burst open, releasing a potent corpse poison that eroded towards Zhao Xing.

If it were a priest, they might not have been able to defend against the trap of the Corpse Explosion Poison Annihilation Array.

But Zhao Xing was an agriculturist, able to command wind and rain at will. He recognized the formation at a glance, and with a casual puff, Qiyuanzi's arrangement came to nothing.

"This must be a technique of the Profound Heaven Sect; the Spirit Mages of the Holy Spirit Royal Court wouldn't know such a spell." Light flickered in Zhao Xing's eyes as he twirled his fingers, using his 'Five Fingers of Heavenly Fate' to calculate Qiyuanzi's position. However, the opponent seemed to be of significant origin; after three seconds of calculation, Zhao Xing didn't get an accurate location.

"Forget it, I'll spare your life for now." Unfortunately, he didn't have his tortoise shell, nor any purple-gold ancient coins or lucky coins with him.

Had he possessed these two items to aid his 'Five Fingers of Heavenly Fate' calculations, he would surely have pinpointed the enemy's escape route, and even their background.

Zhao Xing flew towards Tonghuo City.

"My arrangements didn't work," Qiyuanzi said to Molik on the way back to Luoya City. "The opponent seems quite knowledgeable, seeing through my arrangements at a glance. Interesting, that person is actually a military agriculturist?"

"A military agriculturist? A military agriculturist from the Great Zhou knows such a spell?" Molik was utterly surprised.

"This person is different. He knows the Soul-Binding Straw Figure technique, and also an extremely powerful tracking spell. His knowledge is extraordinary," Qiyuanzi said. "This time was a miscalculation."

Two thousand ghosts, originally intended to disrupt Tonghuo City's supplies, were now a complete loss.

"If there's a chance in the future, I must meet this person again!"

Tonghuo City.

"What's the damage?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Three dead, sixteen seriously wounded," Han Bing reported. "In the northern planting area, about six thousand seedlings were lost, and three thousand one hundred mature plants suffered a yield reduction of over thirty thousand jin. The damage isn't very severe and can be remedied."

Zhao Xing nodded. This loss wasn't heavy, as it was discovered early, and replanting wouldn't significantly deduct from their military merits.

The main issue was the casualties. Zhao Xing estimated that some military merits would be deducted for this.

But he had also repelled this sneak attack, which would earn him military merits. All in all, there was still a considerable gain.

"Transport the bodies of the three fallen comrades back, and ensure their families are properly compensated."

"Yes, sir, I'll see to it immediately." Han Bing withdrew.

After tying up loose ends, Zhao Xing went to the temple, and contacted Liu Tianning of the Supervision Department via a ground mirror.

"Buzz!"

A phantom image appeared before Zhao Xing.

"Lord Liu, at the third quarter of the Zi hour (around 11:45 PM), the enemy dispatched ghosts to attack our city's planting area. To repel them, I deployed a thousand Soul-Binding Straw Figures. The location is Tonghuo City, five hundred and forty li from the frontline of the Soul Sacrifice Pass in the Fire Demon territory. I hereby report this."

Each use of the Soul-Binding Straw Figures required post-event reporting. Zhao Xing's contact for these reports was Liu Tianning.

"A thousand Soul-Binding Straw Figures? What were the casualties on both sides in this battle?" Liu Tianning asked.

"Three dead, sixteen wounded. Damaged plants were negligible, and twelve Soul-Binding Straw Figures were destroyed."

"The enemy deployed two thousand ghostly strongmen, the lowest being eighth-grade Invisible Souls capable of concealment, and the highest being seventh-grade: the five ghost generals of Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, and Wu."

"They have been completely annihilated."

Zhao Xing reported truthfully.

After hearing the report, Liu Tianning's eyes flickered slightly.

He could discern much from this battle report.

The Five Ghost Transportation technique, with five great ghost generals all at seventh grade, leading two thousand eighth-grade Yin souls, was not easy to completely annihilate.

More importantly, Zhao Xing could control a thousand Soul-Binding Straw Figures!

"What stage has your Soul-Binding Straw Figure technique reached now?" Liu Tianning asked.

"Mid-tier ninth-transformation," Zhao Xing replied.

"How many priests participated in this battle?" Liu Tianning asked again.

"Fewer than fifty, all eighth-grade priests," Zhao Xing said. The only priests who participated were those on patrol duty.

Because Zhao Xing had discovered the threat early, and the Soul-Binding Straw Figures performed exceptionally under his control, the battle was already over by the time the rapid response force arrived.

Liu Tianning was quite surprised. If Zhao Xing wasn't lying, this achievement was simply astonishing.

Controlling ghosts was much simpler than controlling Soul-Binding Straw Figures!

Qiyuanzi commanded the five ghosts, and ghosts possessed reasoning abilities. Especially the five ghost generals, who also bore command responsibilities, not requiring the same intense control as straw figures.

Liu Tianning had long recognized Zhao Xing's astonishing talent in the Straw Figure technique, but he hadn't expected it to be *this* astonishing.

The conversation could have ended there, but since Liu Tianning didn't disconnect, Zhao Xing could only wait.

"How many techniques can your Straw Figure technique integrate now?" Liu Tianning asked. He was, of course, asking about perfect integration, not just combining a single or double transformation of spells.

"Three techniques can be perfectly integrated. For four techniques, it only reaches the seventh-transformation," Zhao Xing replied, adding that he mainly hadn't had much time to practice.

"Would you like to learn the True Self Straw Figure technique?" Liu Tianning asked. "If so, I can send a straw figure clone here."

Zhao Xing was stunned. Liu Tianning was coming to the war zone? And to teach him?

"Of course, I'd be willing, but is that permissible?"

Liu Tianning was a fifth-grade cultivator, and the kind whose combat power was off the charts. His presence on the battlefield seemed to violate regulations, and it would be easy for the Southern Barrens to deduce that 'fifth-grade combat power had entered the field.'

That would trigger a chain reaction.

Thus, during the training period, neither side was permitted to have cultivators above sixth-grade enter the battlefield.

"It's fine. My straw figure clone only possesses sixth-grade combat power, and I won't be engaging in combat when I arrive," Liu Tianning said.

"As a member of the Military Department's Supervision Division, it's justifiable for me to visit your Divine Might Army."

Zhao Xing wasn't sure if Liu Tianning's last remark was a subtle dig about him killing Qian Shougang last time. He could only nod in agreement: "Yes, thank you, Lord Liu."

Liu Tianning disconnected the communication.

Zhao Xing looked at the ground mirror, unsure what to say.

Liu Tianning seemed to hold him in high regard, almost as if he were seeking a disciple to pass on his legacy.

This was completely contrary to his previous plan of keeping a distance from Liu Tianning.

He could be anyone's disciple, but not Liu Tianning's!

How many people did this old guy kill during the Martial Emperor's era? His hatred level was maxed out!

If Zhao Xing inherited his mantle, he would face endless assassinations!

If they couldn't kill Liu Tianning, couldn't they kill his disciple?

Zhao Xing did intend to learn the True Self Straw Figure technique from Liu Tianning, but he hadn't expected it to be so high-profile.

Now that Liu Tianning had specifically come to the war zone for him, it would undoubtedly become public knowledge. This relationship, whether he liked it or not, would have to be acknowledged.

"Forget it, I'll take it one step at a time," Zhao Xing shook his head. He currently had no way to refuse Liu Tianning's goodwill.

Liu Tianning arrived quickly; on the third day, he reached Tonghuo City.

However, Zhao Xing was not in Tonghuo City at that time.

Han Bing greeted him.

"Teacher Liu," Han Bing bowed respectfully. He had also attended Liu Tianning's elective course on the Straw Figure technique and had even reached the final stage.

Liu Tianning frowned upon hearing this: "Don't call me 'teacher'; in the military, you address people by their official titles."

Even Han Bing, with his poker face, almost broke composure after being reprimanded directly by Liu Tianning. "Yes, Lord Liu."

"Where is Zhao Xing?" Liu Tianning asked directly, without caring what Han Bing was thinking.

"Lord Zhao departed two days ago to escort supplies to the front lines and should be returning soon," Han Bing said.

"'Should be'?" Liu Tianning said flatly. "As a deputy general, how can you not know when your commanding officer will return?"

Han Bing didn't know what to say. Che Shihai, standing nearby, dared not utter a sound; he, too, had entered the Myriad Law Palace.

The stronger one became, the more one could feel the abnormal power of an expert like Liu Tianning.

He sent a True Self Straw Figure that was like a real person and possessed sixth-grade combat power. This was utterly terrifying!

Even Wang Ji, usually boisterous, pretended not to hear or see anything at this moment.

The atmosphere became somewhat heavy for a moment. Just then, Zhao Xing's voice came from outside the hall: "Han Bing, has old Liu arrived? I calculated the time, and it seems he should be here soon. Come with me to greet him..."

"Cough, cough! Cough, cough!" Che Shihai and Han Bing began coughing frantically.

"Uh..." Zhao Xing walked into the main hall. Upon seeing Liu Tianning, he was instantly dumbfounded.

"Holy crap, how is this bigshot already here?!" A thousand thoughts raced through Zhao Xing's mind.

Although he possessed the Heavenly Eye technique, he didn't keep it activated all the time.

If Liu Tianning's True Self Straw Figure didn't want to be detected, it would be difficult for others to sense it.

How was he supposed to know Liu Tianning had already arrived!

At this moment, Wang Ji, quick-witted, interjected: "Lord Zhao, Old Liu from the Zhaoyuan Army already came yesterday and left with the repaired warships. You must be mistaken."

"Oh, haha, look at my memory."

Seeing no sign of anger from Liu Tianning, Zhao Xing quickly rushed over to pay his respects: "Your student Zhao Xing pays his respects to Teacher Liu."

"Mm, rise and sit," Liu Tianning said, waving his hand to Zhao Xing from his seat of honor.

Han Bing and Che Shihai were practically fuming with indignation.

"Didn't he just say to use official titles during work?!"

"So, we're not qualified to call you 'teacher,' are we?!"

"Should I just leave then?"

"Che Shihai, Han Bing, you may both withdraw for now." Liu Tianning genuinely began dismissing them.

Instantly, only Zhao Xing and Liu Tianning remained in the main hall.

"I calculated the time, and you should be in the city by now," Liu Tianning said. "Why the delay?"

Liu Tianning, of course, knew what mission Zhao Xing had taken and what he had done. With his authority, a quick check in the ground mirror would reveal it all.

Zhao Xing replied: "Teacher, two out of the three supply routes from Tonghuo City to the Soul Sacrifice Pass frontline have had illusion formations cast upon them."

"When the supply convoy flew past those two areas, it kept circling, unable to pass through. No matter how it maneuvered, it would always return to its starting point."

"I noticed an anomaly in the frontline supply transport and specifically went to investigate. The round trip caused a delay."

It must be said that the Holy Spirit Royal Court certainly had some tricks; their methods were far more bizarre than those of the other three royal courts.

They had, unnoticed, placed illusion formations along the supply lines, preventing Zhao Xing's convoy from passing.

This type of illusion formation was commonly known as a 'ghost wall.'

However, the caster from the Holy Spirit Royal Court was clearly a master; the formation they set up had reached a high level.

This advanced version of the 'ghost wall' had the same effect whether one traveled by air, land, or underground, making it extremely troublesome.

Zhao Xing had to take a long detour to deliver the supplies that had been missing for the past few days.

"Do you have a solution?" Liu Tianning asked.

"This time, I only went to escort supplies to the front lines to fill the shortages of the past few days. I did not dare to enter the illusion formation," Zhao Xing replied.

High-level illusion formations were not easily broken.

Zhao Xing could only observe from a distance and sent a few straw figures to probe its intricacies. However, he couldn't immediately find a solution, so he returned first to greet Liu Tianning.

Liu Tianning pondered, then said: "Breaking a high-level illusion formation isn't actually that difficult."