: Assassination Attempt Again

"Hehehe..." Small-headed ghosts, each the size of a millstone, floated in mid-air, hopping up and down.

"Hai yai hai yai hai yai..." Large-headed ghosts as big as carriage compartments squinted and rolled their eyes, bobbing up and down in the surging Yin energy like rolling stones.

The initial wave of the ghost tide was basically composed of these two types of ghosts.

They surged like a tide, intermingled, and continuously assaulted the White Paper Immortal City.

The City Guard Commander stood atop the city wall, holding an iron fan eighteen feet long, looking down at the base of the wall.

Small ghost heads and large ghost heads rolled and crashed continuously, striking the city wall, causing it to shake and activating talismans.

The talismans emitted a faint glow, transforming light into water, forming a black tide that submerged the surrounding ghosts, causing them to sink into the black water.

Some large ghost heads spewed Yin energy, creating rising gusts of Yin wind.

Small ghost heads rode these Yin winds, charging towards the top of the city wall, attempting to scale it.

The City Guards stationed on the wall swiftly took action, slashing and hacking with paper-made long halberds and broadswords.

Each small ghost head that was struck down either fell into the black water, unable to resurface, or simply turned into a talisman paper with an ink-painted image of a small ghost head, vivid and lifelike.

The city wall absorbed these talisman papers, adding them to its surface, pasting on a new layer.

The City Guard Commander watched silently as the entire assault wave began and ended.

The first wave of the ghost tide thus concluded.

The White Paper Immortal City's defenses were strong, standing firm and unshaken. The City Guards were experienced and handled the situation with ease.

Yet, the City Guard Commander was deeply worried.

This was because he had received reports that a portion of the City Guards had searched the city multiple times but failed to discover where the water ghost Yin soldiers had emerged from.

Initial speculation pointed to a Ghost Gate, but the City Guards hadn't seen even a trace of one.

As long as this internal spy remained uncaught, there would be no peace!

"If this continues, our city will eventually face troubles from both inside and out, and the likelihood of being breached grows higher."

"Sigh, I should go discuss this with Mourning Music Youling first."

Seeing that the city defenses were temporarily secure, the City Guard Commander decisively shouldered his massive iron fan and headed into the city to see Mourning Music Youling.

Since the last attack, Mourning Music Youling had been confined to her sickbed.

"Commander Tie." Mourning Music Youling half-sat on the bed, but as soon as she spoke, a series of coughs wracked her.

City Guard Commander Tie Guzheng frowned slightly upon seeing her: "Right now, the City Lord has confined herself to her residence, and you are bedridden, yet the ghost tide has arrived ahead of schedule..."

Mourning Music Youling, her face pale, forced a faint smile: "But we still have you, Commander Tie. I know why you're here; you want to find the source of those Yin soldier water ghosts."

"Undoubtedly, there is a spy within our city, and they hold a high position, otherwise they wouldn't be unaffected by the city's grand formation."

Tie Guzheng hesitated before speaking: "Mourning Music, could you perform a divination for this matter?"

Mourning Music Youling shook her head: "I need to recuperate."

"If I force a divination, it will certainly delay my recovery, making it difficult for me to heal properly."

"This might very well be part of the enemy's plan, aiming to keep me running ragged."

"Currently, the overall situation is still manageable; we don't need to act so urgently."

"Although the internal spy is unaffected by the grand formation, the water ghost Yin soldiers they summon are not. So, as long as the scale isn't large, no matter how many come, it's like sending them to their deaths; the City Guards can easily exterminate them."

Mourning Music Youling saw the situation clearly: "The key to the ghost tide has always been our City Lord."

"And to restore the City Lord's condition, we must focus on Yang energy."

"Despite the risk of enemy agents, we've recruited so many male consorts; it's time for them to serve their purpose."

Tie Guzheng nodded: "I understand. I'll have someone distribute elixirs to the Hidden Yang Villa, and the Strengthening Yang, Balancing Yin, and Proud Yang compounds."

After discussing further, Tie Guzheng urged Mourning Music Youling to focus on recuperating and then took his leave.

A short while later, he returned: "There's one more thing I nearly forgot to mention."

Mourning Music Youling, resigned, sat up again: "What... Wait! You're not Commander Tie!"

In that instant, the assassin disguised as Tie Guzheng let out a sinister laugh and lunged at Mourning Music Youling.

Boom! Boom! Boom!...

The moment they clashed, tremendous commotion erupted.

Tie Guzheng, who had just left the courtyard, was shocked and hurried back to assist.

Being quite close, he burst into Mourning Music Youling's room, and the assailant promptly fled. Tie Guzheng, his eyes filled with hatred, caught only the last glimpse of the assailant's clothing as they teleported away.

Mourning Music Youling leaned against the corner. Seeing Tie Guzheng appear, she relaxed her guard and spat out a small mouthful of blood.

Her old wounds were compounded by new ones; all her previous recovery efforts were wasted.

Room A-1.

Sun Lingtong drank some water and calmed down.

He told Ning Zhuo what had happened, lamenting how a Golden Core cultivator like Jin Yangzi had fallen just like that.

Ning Zhuo, however, didn't feel much about it: "War is perilous. In the war where the Two Pillars Kingdom attacked the Thousand Peaks Forest, many Golden Core cultivators met similar ends. The White Paper Immortal City is beset by internal and external troubles, the situation is treacherous and unpredictable. We need to be more cautious, avoid drawing too much attention, so we won't be targeted by the internal spy."

Sun Lingtong shook his head, emphasizing: "Jin Yangzi wasn't an ordinary Golden Core; he was a true disciple from a superpower! His own strength was formidable; I suspect he could hold his own against a Nascent Soul cultivator to some extent."

"Unfortunately, the ambusher was even stronger. The combination of the Hidden Scales of the Dragon Pool domain plus the Water Covering technique was overwhelmingly powerful, utterly defeating Jin Yangzi."

"My identity at that layer has been exposed; the internal spy will definitely trace it. Xiao Zhuo, you need to be careful from now on! How about you revert to your original identity and leave this place?"

Ning Zhuo nodded, thinking this was a good suggestion.

Sun Lingtong then钻 into the Thousand-Mile Wandering Dragon, returning to their original partner state.

Just as Ning Zhuo was about to set off, a paper servant found him, announcing the order from the Silver-robed Steward – the ghost tide had arrived, the entire White Paper Immortal City was under lockdown, an internal spy had appeared, and the City Guards were strictly investigating anyone with suspicious identities. Furthermore, the Hidden Yang Villa would activate its formation, and no male consort was allowed to leave!

Both Sun and Ning were somewhat surprised.

Sun Lingtong had only brought back intelligence about the ambush and Jin Yangzi's dire situation; he wasn't aware of the ghost tide.

"If I operate under my true appearance, I'll probably have to avoid the City Guards."

After all, Ning Zhuo had sneaked into the city, using Jiao Ma's identity.

"What if I do this?" Ning Zhuo insisted on leaving, and the mechanism ring on his finger noticeably shrank slightly!

Ning Zhuo glanced at the ring on his finger, his expression turning grave.

He told Sun Lingtong his guess: "It seems the internal spy might have traced your appearance back to Jiao Ma here. If I go out, I'll be silenced. On the other hand, staying put..."

Ning Zhuo formed the intention, and the ring showed no reaction.

Ning Zhuo continued: "On the other hand, staying put seems the better choice."

Sun Lingtong shrugged: "Then so be it."

Both Sun and Ning were flexible in their actions and decisively stayed, refraining from going out casually.

Sun Lingtong pondered: "The Hidden Yang Villa houses many male consorts. This matter concerns the White Paper City Lord's condition, so the defenses are tight; it's not easy for the internal spy to strike here. For the short term, it should be an ideal hiding place for us."

The two began extensively setting up the room, adding many warning measures.

After working for two hours, they finally stopped.

Ning Zhuo took out his newly acquired life-bound magical treasure, the Spirit Mirror.

"Boss, let's study and discuss the uses of this precious mirror further. I still feel there's a lot of potential to uncover."

Ning Zhuo was quite enthusiastic.

Sun Lingtong nodded: "I managed to escape this time thanks to this mirror. Using it to deploy sentient construct creations is very convenient."

Sun Lingtong's ability to escape from the Hidden Scales of the Dragon Pool domain was due to Ning Zhuo spirit-calling him back along the connection of the Life Thread.

Sun Lingtong was naturally full of spirit and actively cooperated; from a certain perspective, he could be seen as an extremely agile flesh-and-blood construct puppet.

Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong began practicing.

Mainly, they used the mirror to rapidly spirit-call and deploy Sun Lingtong.

"No, no!" After being deployed via the mirror light a few times, Sun Lingtong felt extremely dizzy and nauseous.

"My physical foundation is sufficient, and I've absorbed the Void Evil God Bone, so I can withstand this kind of spirit-calling and deployment. But the dizziness and blurred vision make it impossible to fight immediately." Sun Lingtong shook his head; if this issue couldn't be resolved, the tactic was a failure.

Ning Zhuo frowned in thought: "Then let me try with a construct."

He took out the Shadow Blade · Night Tiger.

The Life Thread descended, connecting Ning Zhuo and Meng Yehu.

Ning Zhuo raised the mirror, first storing Meng Yehu inside it, then shone it again, deploying it to a distant location.

Meng Yehu, following Ning Zhuo's will, immediately attacked without hesitation, cleanly slicing the target object into four or five pieces!

"Excellent!" Sun Lingtong exclaimed in praise.

He could see that Meng Yehu's state was completely unaffected.

Ning Zhuo, being more cautious, tested it several more times, fully confirming that Meng Yehu remained in peak condition throughout.

Sun Lingtong looked at the mirror: "The Three Sects Master designed the 'Mirror Platform Spirit-Calling Art' probably to be used with construct creations. This is the true purpose of this life-bound magical treasure!"

Ning Zhuo nodded, agreeing with this assessment.

He gazed at Meng Yehu, a thought stirring in his heart: "In that case, it's even more reason to upgrade Meng Yehu with higher-grade materials."

Undoubtedly, this deployment capability of the Spirit Mirror held significant tactical value.

Having participated in the Two Pillars Kingdom war, Ning Zhuo immediately recognized this.

Buddhist Healer · Meng Yaoyin was a trump card; until the time was right, Ning Zhuo wouldn't use her lightly.

Heavy Armor Blood Ape · Da Sheng's role was to guard by his side, so the mirror's deployment wasn't very meaningful for it.

Meng Yehu itself was geared towards ambush and strong assault; the spirit-calling function of the mirror was like adding wings to a tiger!

"This technique will likely become my most commonly used move." Ning Zhuo had a clear realization.

It wasn't that his Five Elements spells were inferior; paired with the Five Viscera Temple Spirit God Technique, he could cast Five Elements spells swiftly and powerfully. But no matter how fast, it still took a few breaths and consumed his own magic power.

The combination of the Spirit Mirror and Meng Yehu only required Ning Zhuo to wave the mirror.

Meng Yehu would immediately engage in close combat, more stable and持久 than Golden Core level spells, with more varied attack methods and greater threat!

Ning Zhuo shifted his cultivation focus, temporarily concentrating on improving Meng Yehu's materials.

He was currently at the stage of manifesting phenomenon seed talismans, which primarily tested his understanding of the cultivation method. Deeper understanding would yield complete spell talismans.

After obtaining three complete spell talismans, Ning Zhuo could advance to the next stage.

Comprehending the cultivation method was a gradual process, with unstable gains. In comparison, whether it was physical body, soul, or improving Meng Yehu's materials, the results were more tangible; each cultivation session yielded solid progress.

Sun Lingtong used the Yin-Yang Unity Pot to convert Yin energy, while Ning Zhuo immersed himself in cultivation.

When mealtime came, paper servants brought many elixirs and related orders.

The orders required male consorts to take the medicine, exert their utmost to provide more Yang energy, convert more Yin energy, and contribute to the overall situation of the White Paper Immortal City.

Male consorts who made it onto the public notice would receive more cultivation resources.

Ning Zhuo looked into these resources in detail and felt somewhat tempted.

Other things aside, the key was the spiritual food, which could significantly enhance his soul foundation. This was a benefit hard to come by elsewhere. Even if available, the cost would be much higher than now!

Ning Zhuo accepted the elixirs, consumed the spiritual food, and was about to continue cultivating when someone came to visit unexpectedly.

Ning Zhuo touched his ring, opened the door, and saw the visitor.

The visitor had a thick beard and a very masculine aura; it was Yang Weida.

"Jiao Ma, how was my Yang-Strengthening Divine Medicine? Want another batch? I'll give you a 30% discount!" Yang Weida stated his purpose immediately.

Ning Zhuo understood.

Clearly, it wasn't just him; other male consorts had also received large quantities of Yang-strengthening elixirs. This situation was bound to severely impact Yang Weida's elixir business.

This made Yang Weida unable to hold back, deciding to take the initiative and sell as much as he could.

Ning Zhuo thought for a moment and accepted two large boxes of the Yang-Strengthening Divine Medicine, then tried to send Yang Weida on his way.

But Yang Weida wasn't in a hurry to leave. Instead, he told Ning Zhuo: "Jiao Ma, thank you for your patronage. You're truly one of us."

"I've been in contact with many other male consorts and gathered quite a bit of intelligence."

"Let me tell you, the situation in the city is very dangerous. Mourning Music Youling was attacked again; the assassin was very decisive and bold. He struck right after Commander Tie Guzheng left."

"Mourning Music Youling is the City Lord's right-hand man. This time, she was severely injured, hurt quite badly."

Ning Zhuo was startled. After inquiring in detail, he felt quite helpless.

He had originally wanted to find a way to privately contact Mourning Music Youling to request a divination.

But it turned out Mourning Music Youling had been assassinated again and was seriously injured.

In such circumstances, the area around Mourning Music Youling would definitely be heavily guarded. How could Ning Zhuo approach her?

"Moreover, the ghost tide will grow larger, and the city lockdown will become stricter."

"If I can't reach Mourning Music Youling soon, there probably won't be another chance."

Mourning Music Youling was the right-hand man of the White Paper City Lord, holding a high position of authority. She would undoubtedly devote herself fully to the city's defense and wouldn't have the mind to perform a divination for Ning Zhuo's "minor matter".

(End of )