Chapter 215: Battlefield Ghost Maze, Liu Tianning Preaches

In the dim light of night, Wang Debiao yawned in the shed beside the melon field. He was the agrarian official on night duty, though as a ninth-rank, he wasn't responsible for defending against enemies.

That duty fell to an eighth-rank priest in an adjacent shed.

The weather in the Southern Wilderness was unpredictable. Wang Debiao's job was to monitor the nighttime growth of the delicate Black Origin Melon seedlings, ensuring they weren't damaged.

"Whoosh!" The oil lamp on the table suddenly flickered, but Wang Debiao noticed nothing unusual.

In the other shed, the eighth-rank priest Lin Yuan suddenly opened his eyes, looking outside with a puzzled expression.

He stepped out of the shed and activated his Bright Eye technique to inspect the Black Origin Melon field, but saw nothing.

He was unaware that a squad of ghost warriors had already appeared on the field's ridges.

Morik and Qiyuanzi's spells were profound, beyond Lin Yuan's detection range.

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

"I wonder what Lord Zhao's straw man is for; it looks quite unsettling," Lin Yuan mused, thinking his unease stemmed from the straw man.

He decided to return to his shed.

Suddenly—

"Swish!"

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

"Wail... wail..." A mournful cry echoed, seemingly from thin air. Others couldn't hear it, and Wang Debiao remained oblivious, but Lin Yuan did.

It was the wail of a ghost!

"What?!"

Lin Yuan's heart pounded. He swiftly swiped his palm and then wiped his closed eyes.

"The universe sweeps the six directions; the Yin-Yang True Eye opens!"

It was the priest's True Eye technique!

By expending spiritual essence, one could cast the True Eye technique, enhancing perception of ghosts.

However, this method wasn't sustainable; the effect would fade once the essence dried.

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

"What? Phantom Spirits?!"

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 stealth. Lin Yuan called them 'Phantom Spirits.'

Their undetectability was almost on par with a 'Jian' (a being beyond a ghost or spirit).

What surprised Lin Yuan even more was that this squad of unique Phantom Spirits was now panicking, scattering in all directions.

One of them had its chest pierced by the straw man in the Black Origin Melon field. Its form rapidly shrank, and within three breaths, it wailed and vanished.

"No, it didn't vanish—it was absorbed!" Lin Yuan's scalp tingled. His knowledge was limited; he had never heard of a straw man that could absorb souls.

Furthermore, how could the straw man detect the elusive Phantom Spirits?

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

"Kill!"

After a brief shock, Lin Yuan immediately fulfilled his duty as a priest. He grabbed his soul lantern, drew the soul-severing scimitar from his waist, and chased after the Phantom Spirits.

"What's happening? What's happening?" Wang Debiao woke up. He heard Lin Yuan's voice and, stepping out, saw Lin Yuan chasing thin air.

"Holy cow!" Wang Debiao instantly understood. He quickly retreated, closed the shed door, and affixed a talisman to it.

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

Wang Debiao huddled inside his shed, trembling.

"It's over, it's over. The Holy Spirit Royal Court's ghosts have even reached Tonghuo City."

"W-will I die?"

"Oh, I, Wang Debiao, haven't even married or had children. I'm thirty and still a virgin. Dying like this is truly regrettable."

Wang Debiao was filled with trepidation. He had fought alongside the army for so long, and it had always been a smooth ride.

This was his first encounter with real danger.

"Thump, thump, thump!"

Urgent knocking came from the shed door. Wang Debiao retreated to the everlasting lamp, sweat beading on his forehead. A wisp of Malevolent Shadow Wind swirled around him.

His Malevolent Shadow Wind technique was only intermediate-level, third-tier, and might not be able to kill ghosts.

But it was the only technique he possessed that could affect ghosts.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

The shed door rattled violently. Wang Debiao was terrified.

He felt as though malevolent spirits could burst through the door at any moment.

But after about a minute, the knocking ceased, and silence returned.

Wang Debiao bravely approached the door, intending to peer through the crack to observe outside.

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

And around the eyes, grass was growing!

"Mommy!" The bizarre sight sent Wang Debiao stumbling backward, falling onto his rear.

"This Wang Debiao is too weak; why is he so easily scared?"

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

Since consuming the Life Soul Elixir, his control over the straw men had greatly increased, as had the maximum number of straw men he could command.

Currently, a thousand Soul-Binding Straw Men were active in the northern cultivation zone.

Most of them were distributed in the four cardinal directions of the cultivation area, while a smaller portion was sparsely rooted in various fields.

Knowing his opponent was the Holy Spirit Royal Court, Zhao Xing had naturally made preparations in advance.

And against ghosts, the best techniques were none other than Malevolent Shadow Wind and Soul-Binding Straw Men.

Soul-Binding Straw Men had a unique characteristic against ghost armies: the more they fought, the stronger they became!

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

For instance, if they bound a ghost warrior, the Soul-Binding Straw Man would become incredibly strong; if they bound a Phantom Spirit, the straw man's agility would greatly increase.

Every part of a Soul-Binding Straw Man's body was filled with a Yin Five Elements vortex—hands, elbows, knees, head, shoulders...

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

Zhao Xing's Soul-Binding Straw Men had reached intermediate-level, ninth-tier cultivation, allowing them to bind up to nine ghosts within their bodies.

Though there were only a thousand straw men, they were more than sufficient to deal with over two thousand Phantom Spirits; it was a natural counter!

Combined with Malevolent Shadow Wind, it was like trapping dogs in a closed yard.

On a hillside thirty li from the northern cultivation zone, stood an altar.

This batch of ghosts was under Qiyuanzi's control.

At this moment, he was suddenly startled to find many talismans on the altar spontaneously combusting, and the paper effigies placed there suddenly toppled.

"This isn't good!"

Qiyuanzi immediately sensed trouble.

"Protector, what's happening?" Morik, too, noticed the anomaly, but he wasn't the spellcaster, so he didn't know the specifics.

Morik 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, he still had five thousand ghost soldiers and eight hundred ghost generals.

"We've been discovered!" Qiyuanzi exclaimed, surprised. "There's an expert in Tonghuo City! The phantom spirits I sent have been captured!"

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

He saw squads of straw men surrounding them from all directions, charging directly at his ghost warriors.

Wherever they went, the eighth-rank ghost warriors had no power to resist. Only the seventh-rank ghost generals—Ding, Bing, Jia, Yi, and Wu—could put up some resistance.

"This is... the Straw Man technique? Soul-Binding Straw Men?" Qiyuanzi was extremely astonished. "Someone actually cultivated the Straw Man technique to this extent."

"Boom!" Qiyuanzi controlled his Ding rank ghost to attack a straw man in front. In a single clash,

The Soul-Binding Straw Man was knocked back three meters, but his possessed Ding rank ghost also lost some soul power, while the straw man remained firm and unyielding.

"Hmph, it's also combined with the Giant Shield Straw Man technique. This isn't purely a Soul-Binding Straw Man."

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

"Retreat!"

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

"You've trampled quite a few of my seedlings; now you want to run?"

Zhao Xing, using his True Eye technique, looked down. He naturally spotted the five formidable ghost generals.

He immediately pointed a finger.

"Wooooo..."

Malevolent Shadow Wind, imbued with destructive power, swept over the Ding rank ghost.

"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!"

Smoke immediately rose from the Ding rank ghost, and it let out a mournful wail.

"Buzz!"

Qiyuanzi's heart trembled; he had lost control over the ghost in front.

"Morik, we must retreat," Qiyuanzi said, looking towards Tonghuo City. "There's an expert there."

"An expert?" Morik was instantly shocked. Qiyuanzi was a sixth-rank, and even he said there was an expert?

"Alright, let's withdraw." Morik put away his ghost head banner, intending to flee with Qiyuanzi.

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

Fifteen minutes later, a flying vessel descended into the northern cultivation zone. Han Bing arrived, leading a squad of priests.

The leaderless ghosts immediately became defenseless, encircled and annihilated.

"Han Bing, you stay here, count the damages."

"Yes, sir."

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

Zhao Xing, meanwhile, stepped on the clouds and pursued Qiyuanzi's direction.

Fifteen minutes later.

"Swish!"

Zhao Xing appeared on a hillside, sweeping his surroundings with his True Eye technique.

"Ooh-gah!"

Suddenly, a skull flew out of the ground, heading straight for Zhao Xing's face.

"Such petty tricks dare to be flaunted before an expert!"

With a wave of his hand, Malevolent Shadow Wind instantly destroyed the skull.

"Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!"

At this moment, a series of explosions erupted on the hillside. Many bones exploded, releasing a potent corpse poison that seeped towards Zhao Xing.

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

But Zhao Xing was an agrarian official, capable of summoning wind and rain at will. He recognized the formation at a glance. With a casual breath, Qiyuanzi's elaborate setup was rendered useless.

"This must be the work of the Profound Heaven Sect. The Holy Spirit Royal Court's soul wielders wouldn't know such a technique." Light flickered in Zhao Xing's eyes. He made quick calculations with his fingers, using the Five-Finger Destiny technique to pinpoint Qiyuanzi's location. However, the opponent seemed to have a significant background; after three seconds of calculation, Zhao Xing couldn't get an accurate position.

"Never mind, I'll spare your life for now." Unfortunately, he didn't have his tortoise shell, nor the Purple Gold Ancient Coins or Fortune Coins with him.

If he had those two items to aid his Five-Finger Destiny calculations, he would surely have found the enemy's escape direction and even their origin.

Zhao Xing flew towards Tonghuo City.

"My setup didn't work," Qiyuanzi said to Morik on their way back to Luo Ya City. "The other party seems very knowledgeable; he saw through my arrangement at a glance. Interesting, that person is actually a military agrarian official?"

"A military agrarian official? Grand Zhou's military agrarian officials also know such techniques?" Morik was astonished.

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

Two thousand ghosts were originally meant to disrupt Tonghuo City's supplies; now it was a loss.

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

Tonghuo City.

"What were the losses?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Three dead, sixteen severely injured," Han Bing replied. "In the northern cultivation zone, about six thousand seedlings were lost, and three thousand one hundred mature plants suffered a reduction of over thirty thousand catties in yield. The damage isn't very severe and can be remedied."

Zhao Xing nodded. This loss wasn't heavy because it was discovered early, and replanting would incur minimal combat merit deductions.

The main issue was the deaths, which Zhao Xing estimated would result in some combat merit deductions.

However, he had also repelled this sneak attack, which would earn him combat merit. All in all, it was a considerable gain.

"Transport the bodies of the three fallen brothers back. Ensure their pensions are handled properly."

"Yes, 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 the Earth Mirror.

"Buzz!"

A phantom image appeared before Zhao Xing.

"Lord Liu, at the third quarter of the Hour of Zi (midnight), the enemy commanded ghosts to ambush our city's cultivation zone. To repel the enemy, I used a thousand Soul-Binding Straw Men. The location is Tonghuo City, five hundred forty li from the frontline of the Sacrifice Soul Pass in the Fire Demon tribal territory. I hereby report this."

Each use of the Soul-Binding Straw Man technique had to be reported afterward, and Liu Tianning was Zhao Xing's reporting contact.

"A thousand Soul-Binding Straw Men? What were the enemy and friendly casualties in this battle?" Liu Tianning asked.

"Three dead, sixteen injured. Damaged plants are negligible. Twelve Soul-Binding Straw Men were destroyed."

"The enemy commanded two thousand ghost warriors, the lowest being eighth-rank Phantom Spirits capable of concealing their traces, and the highest being seventh-rank, comprising five ghost generals: Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, and Wu."

"They have all been annihilated."

Zhao Xing reported truthfully.

After listening to the report, Liu Tianning's eyes subtly shifted.

He could infer a lot from this battle report.

The Five Ghosts Transferring Technique, with five great ghost generals all at seventh-rank, leading two thousand eighth-rank phantom spirits, was not easy to completely annihilate.

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

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

"Intermediate-level, ninth-tier," Zhao Xing replied.

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

"Fewer than fifty people, all eighth-rank priests," Zhao Xing said. Only the patrolling night-duty priests participated.

Because Zhao Xing detected the attack early and his Soul-Binding Straw Men performed excellently under his command, by the time the rapid response force arrived, the battle was already over.

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 Men!

Qiyuanzi commanded five ghosts, and ghosts also possessed thinking ability. Especially the five ghost generals, who also bore command responsibilities, did not require the intense control that straw men did.

Liu Tianning had long recognized Zhao Xing's amazing talent in the Straw Man technique, but he hadn't expected it to be so extraordinary.

The conversation could have ended there, but Liu Tianning didn't cut the communication, so Zhao Xing could only wait.

"How many techniques can your Straw Man technique combine now?" Liu Tianning asked. He was naturally asking about perfect integration, not just simple tier progression.

"Three techniques can be perfectly integrated. For four techniques, it only reaches seventh-tier," Zhao Xing said, mainly because he hadn't had much time to practice.

"Would you like to learn the Self-Straw Man technique?" Liu Tianning asked. "If you wish to learn, I can send a straw man clone here."

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

"Of course, this humble official would be willing, but is this in accordance with regulations?"

Liu Tianning was a fifth-rank, and the kind with explosive combat power. If he came to the battlefield, it seemed it would violate rules, as it could easily be deduced by the Southern Wilderness that a 'fifth-rank combat power entered the field.'

That would trigger a chain reaction.

Therefore, during the training period, both sides were forbidden from sending experts above sixth-rank into the battlefield.

"It's fine. My straw man clone only has sixth-rank combat power, and I won't be joining battles here," Liu Tianning said.

"As a member of the Military Supervision Department, it's perfectly reasonable for me to be in your Divine Might Army."

Zhao Xing wasn't sure if Liu Tianning's latter remark was an insinuation about his previous killing of Qian Shougeng, so he could only nod and agree: "Yes, thank you, Lord Liu."

Liu Tianning cut the communication.

Zhao Xing looked at the Earth Mirror, unsure what to say.

Liu Tianning seemed to regard him highly, almost as if looking for a disciple to pass on his legacy.

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

Becoming anyone's disciple was acceptable, but not Liu Tianning's!

How many people had this old man killed during the Martial Emperor's reign? His enmity meter was maxed out!

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

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

Zhao Xing intended to learn the Self-Straw Man technique from Liu Tianning, but he hadn't expected such a grand public display.

Now that Liu Tianning was coming specifically for him to the war zone, it would surely become public knowledge, and this relationship, whether he liked it or not, would be recognized.

"Forget it, I'll take it one step at a time," Zhao Xing shook his head. He couldn't refuse Liu Tianning's kindness now.

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

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

Han Bing received him.

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

Liu Tianning frowned upon hearing this: "Don't call me 'teacher.' In the army, you address by rank."

Even with Han Bing's poker face, being reprimanded directly by Liu Tianning almost made him lose composure: "Yes, Lord Liu."

"Where is Zhao Xing?" Liu Tianning asked directly, ignoring Han Bing's thoughts.

"Lord Zhao is escorting supplies to the front line. He departed two days ago and should be returning soon," Han Bing said.

"Should be?" Liu Tianning said faintly, "As a vice-general, how can you not even know when your commander will return?"

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

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

He sent a Self-Straw Man clone, identical to a real person, possessing sixth-rank combat power—that was absolutely terrifying!

Even the usually loud Wang Ji pretended not to hear or see.

The atmosphere became tense, and at this moment, Zhao Xing's voice came from outside the hall: "Han Bing, has old Liu arrived yet? I calculated the time, he should be here soon. Come with me to welcome him..."

"Cough! Cough!" Che Shihai and Han Bing coughed frantically.

"Uh..." Zhao Xing walked into the main hall and froze in shock when he saw Liu Tianning.

'Holy moly, how is this big shot already here!' A thousand horses galloped through Zhao Xing's mind.

Although he had the True Eye technique, he didn't keep it open all the time.

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

How was he supposed to know Liu Tianning had arrived?

At this moment, Wang Ji's mind worked quickly: "Lord Zhao, Old Liu from the Zhaoyuan Army arrived yesterday and took the repaired warship. You must have misremembered."

"Oh, hahaha, look at my memory."

Seeing no signs of anger from Liu Tianning, Zhao Xing quickly came forward and bowed: "Your student Zhao Xing, greets Teacher Liu."

"Mm, get up and sit down," Liu Tianning, sitting in the main seat, waved his hand at Zhao Xing.

Han Bing and Che Shihai were practically seething.

'Seriously, you said to address by rank during work?!'

'So, we don't have the right to call you 'Teacher,' is that it?!'

'Should we just leave?'

"Che Shihai, Han Bing, you two may leave first," Liu Tianning actually started dismissing them.

The hall was immediately left with only Zhao Xing and Liu Tianning.

"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 tasks Zhao Xing had taken on and what he had done. With his authority, a quick check in the Earth Mirror would reveal everything.

Zhao Xing replied: "Teacher, two of the three supply routes from Tonghuo City to the frontline of Sacrifice Soul Pass had bewitching formations placed on them."

"When the supply escort teams flew over those two areas, they kept going in circles, unable to pass, always returning to the starting point."

"I noticed the abnormal supply transport to the front and specifically went to investigate. The round trip caused the delay."

One had to admit, the Holy Spirit Royal Court indeed had some tricks, and their methods were far more bizarre than the other three royal courts.

Unbeknownst to anyone, they had set up a bewitching formation on the supply lines, preventing Zhao Xing's transport teams from passing.

This type of bewitching formation was commonly known as a 'ghost wall' or supernatural barrier.

However, the Holy Spirit Royal Court's spellcaster was clearly an expert; the formation they set up had reached a high level.

A high-level 'ghost wall' had the same effect regardless of whether you traveled by air, land, or underground, making it very troublesome.

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

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

"This student only went to escort supplies to the frontline and fill the previous days' gaps. I dared not enter the bewitching formation," Zhao Xing said.

A high-level bewitching formation was not easily broken.

Zhao Xing could only observe from a distance and sent a few straw men in to test the waters, but he couldn't find a solution immediately, so he returned to welcome Liu Tianning first.

Liu Tianning pondered: "To break a high-level bewitching formation, it's actually not that difficult."