: The Jade Chime's True Resonance Formation

The Yin soldiers advanced in utter silence.

Inside a chariot within the procession, Sun Lingtong's mind was filled with questions: "What exactly was I being arrogant about?"

The one who had mocked him continued, "You started off on the wrong foot with Lord Wusheng right from the beginning. It's only because Lord Wusheng is magnanimous and has vision that he didn't bother计较 with a mere Foundation Establishment ghost cultivator like you!"

Sun Lingtong suddenly understood: "So that's it. I deliberately boarded this chariot, probably to gather information about the enemy for Xiao Zhuo."

"Therefore, relying on Luo Si's token, I deliberately provoked them, which is why our relationship is so poor."

"But just now, due to my memory loss, I lost my composure and ruined the act. After provoking for so long, I suddenly lost my memory and went to ask the target of my provocation... that's just ridiculous, like a complete clown."

Having climbed up from the bottom of society, Sun Lingtong didn't feel much shame or anger.

Making a fool of himself was better than losing his life.

And as for losing his life, it wasn't a big deal to Sun Lingtong either; it mainly depended on who he was dying for.

For Ning Zhuo, he was absolutely willing!

"Xiao Zhuo, Xiao Zhuo..." Sun Lingtong called out silently, but the Life-Thread showed no reaction.

Sun Lingtong's heart sank as he pondered his current situation: "The River of Forgetfulness's waters swept over me but didn't erase my memories, yet Luo Si accomplished it effortlessly. His methods suppressed the Mark of Emptiness; he's even more powerful than I imagined!"

"Now that I can't contact Xiao Zhuo, it's probably because the Yin army is on the march, and powerful concealment methods have been deployed. The communication between Xiao Zhuo and me is also being suppressed by the army's movement technique."

This was quite normal.

The current cultivation world was flourishing, with various methods and schools blooming like a hundred flowers. The same was true for military movement techniques; their technical level could reach great heights. Concealed movement was mainstream, while forceful movement arts like Iron Torrent Flattening the Plain were instead special cases.

The Forgetfulness River Netherworld was analogous to a cultivation nation in the mortal realm. If the military movements of such a nation could be easily detected by Sun and Ning, that would be truly unreasonable.

After all, both Sun and Ning were only at the Foundation Establishment stage,难以 fully utilizing the standard of divine abilities.

Sun Lingtong's thoughts raced like lightning. In just a few breaths, he had figured everything out.

He sneered and continued his provocation: "You all laugh quite pleasantly. I hope you can still laugh this well in the future. This time you're突击 the city; will you even make it back?"

"You're all doomed anyway; I won't bother with you anymore!"

Even if he had gleaned some intelligence from his earlier provocation, Sun Lingtong had forgotten it.

Most likely, there was no gain.

Because when Sun Lingtong scanned his entire body with his spiritual sense, he found no jade slips or similar recording items.

To gather information, Sun Lingtong took a risk again,刺激 Golden Core level existences as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and挑衅 six of them at once!

Of course, he wasn't purely taking a risk.

Sun Lingtong looked outside the chariot and saw that the Yin soldiers marched in extremely neat ranks, with strict discipline. One could tell at a glance that these were elite troops and fine generals of the Forgetfulness River Netherworld.

Just as one can take advantage of a gentleman's principles, Sun Lingtong also reasoned that with a major battle imminent, internal conflict among comrades-in-arms must be strictly forbidden. Anyone who offended would surely be severely punished.

Sure enough, his挑衅 immediately made three Golden Core ghost generals unable to sit still.

One of them, a Ghost General with a Bone Club, growled in a low voice, "Such audacity! A mere little Foundation Establishment cultivator, still so arrogant. Hmph!"

He took out his bone club and pointed it at Sun Lingtong.

*Thump! Thump! Thump!*

Three consecutive dull sounds rang out, and Sun Lingtong immediately knelt on the floor of the chariot.

Sun Lingtong wanted to struggle but couldn't move; his joints were in excruciating pain!

The Bone Club Ghost General sneered, "My bone club specializes in striking joints. Little Foundation Establishment, does it hurt?"

"If it hurts..."

As he spoke, he pointed with his bone club again.

*Thump! Thump! Thump!*

Three more impacts. Sun Lingtong was struck again, finding it hard to breathe, the pain reaching his bones, nearly causing him to pass out.

Sun Lingtong stubbornly didn't utter a single groan. Instead, he glared and shouted defiantly, "Come on, come on! Go ahead and beat me to death!"

The Bone Club Ghost General was so angry his eyes bulged. He raised his bone club high, but was stopped by the Red-Haired Ghost General beside him.

The Red-Haired Ghost General loudly exclaimed, "Old Bone, I know you're thinking of the junior, wanting to loosen his joints for him, but you meant well and did badly. He doesn't appreciate it."

"See my methods."

Saying this, the Red-Haired Ghost General spat out a breath of fire, igniting Sun Lingtong's entire body.

The burning sensation reached Sun Lingtong's soul directly, causing his whole body to tremble. The pain was unbearable, but he gritted his teeth and endured it.

The Red-Haired Ghost General squinted his eyes and smiled, "Feeling good? My Netherworld Ghostfire can directly burn your soul, bringing you warmth."

Another Ghost General, the Blue-Faced Ghost General, then made his move, causing patches of Corpse Moss to appear on Sun Lingtong's body.

The third type of pain applied to Sun Lingtong broke his endurance limit.

Unable to resist, he could only activate the Mark of Emptiness at the foundation of his soul. He poured all his unbearable suffering into the mark, causing much of these sensations to dissipate.

Although the pain was intense and vast, having an outlet for dispersion made it much more bearable than before.

Sun Lingtong could hold on again.

Seeing that he still didn't cry out in pain, the ghost generals who had acted looked at each other, somewhat embarrassed.

Just as the fourth ghost general was about to make a move, they saw Ghost General Wusheng slowly raise his hand.

Ghost General Wusheng was the leader of this operation. Although all were Golden Core,毫无疑问, his combat power and prestige were the highest.

Therefore, as soon as he raised his hand, the other ghost generals immediately restrained their methods.

No longer suffering torture, Sun Lingtong caught his breath. He almost passed out on the spot due to the sudden release of pressure and relaxation.

Sun Lingtong felt as if his whole body had fallen apart. He lay motionless on the ground.

Ghost General Wusheng looked down at him quietly.

Beside him, the Peanut Ghost General, wearing a white paper flower on his head, spoke for Wusheng: "Little Foundation Establishment, my lord asks, how do you feel now?"

"You should know that just now, when we acted against you, not the slightest sound was transmitted outside the chariot."

"This is precisely my ability."

"With such a method, even if we attack White Paper City for half an hour, it's unlikely anyone would notice."

"Do you still think we are going to our deaths?"

Sun Lingtong wanted to retort but had no strength to open his mouth. He couldn't even manage to roll his eyes.

In the short span of a dozen breaths, each second felt like a year. He had suffered immensely, paying the due price for his action of offending his superiors.

But at the same time, his gamble had been correct.

These Golden Core ghost generals clearly had the power to crush Sun Lingtong, but they all actively restrained themselves, unwilling to violate military regulations over a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator.

The Yin army crossed the boundary between Yin and Yang, finally arriving at the Dark Tide Black Marsh Wetlands.

The six Golden Core ghost cultivators left silently.

Sun Lingtong, his limbs weak and sore, disembarked from the chariot and stayed with the main force, quietly waiting for the assault on the city walls to begin.

Seizing this time, he tried to contact Ning Zhuo again but still failed, which made him anxious.

Fortunately, before long, an order came from the commander to mobilize the entire army and attack the North Gate of White Paper Immortal City.

At this point, the movement technique of the army could no longer conceal them.

Sun Lingtong immediately contacted Ning Zhuo and informed him of the intelligence he had gathered.

Ning Zhuo had also been extremely anxious due to the long period of failed communication. Upon receiving Sun Lingtong's reply, he was both surprised and relieved, comforting the latter: "Boss, don't worry. I already called for reinforcements earlier, and everything is prepared now."

Sun Lingtong grinned: "Fight well. Best not to let these six ghost generals escape. Make them suffer properly!"

Ning Zhuo knew his boss's anger was not without reason. His gaze immediately turned sharp, and he gritted his teeth: "Understood."

White Paper City, in the alleyways near the South Gate.

The Peanut Ghost General's two ears had transformed into blooming flowers. He listened intently: "The battle at the North Gate is intense. As soon as our army engaged, they used chariots to assault the city."

Ghost General Wusheng immediately nodded and raised his hand, taking the lead.

The other five followed closely behind.

Ghost General Wusheng pushed his innate talent's power to the limit, enhancing everyone around him, so that even when running at full speed or crashing through walls, they produced not the slightest sound.

They broke through in a straight line and quickly reached the paper statue at the South Gate.

Just as they were about to strike and destroy the giant paper statue, they heard a young voice: "Activate the formation!"

The next moment, the twenty-eight musical score restriction patterns suddenly appeared on the ground. Deep underground, the twelve Green Illusion Jade Marrow Nails, already buried, shone brightly.

Four thick Cyan Luan Bird Bell Pillars rose from the ground. These bronze pillars were carved with statues of Luan birds spreading their wings. The protruding beaks of the birds each held a golden thread from which Seven Treasures Golden Bells hung. The bells were covered with countless dense talismanic scripts; amazingly, the entire "Dongxuan Lingyin Demon-Destroying Curse" was inscribed on the small surface of each bell!

The six Golden Core ghost generals charging towards the giant paper statue seemed to actively plunge into the formation. In the blink of an eye, they fell into the formation's space.

The six Golden Core experts looked around and saw a sky of jade-blue and a jade-like ground, the sky utterly clear. Four giant bronze pillars occupied the four cardinal directions, with countless Luan birds flying around them.

On the horizon stood a towering human-shaped mountain, standing upright. At its peak, a large mass of white clouds replaced where a head would be.

"Damn!"

"There's a trap here!!"

The Golden Core ghost generals were somewhat panicked.

Ghost General Wusheng raised a hand. The Peanut Ghost General beside him immediately spoke for him: "Lord Wusheng says, don't panic. Our army failed in the previous attack. Isn't it expected that the enemy would set up a formation here? We anticipated this before."

The Golden Core ghost generals were immediately reassured.

"Lord Wusheng is right."

"If there's a formation, break it. What's there to panic about?"

"Let's probe first and see what kind of formation this is!"

The ghost generals attempted to break the formation.

They didn't immediately assault the most obvious bronze pillars but rushed towards the giant human-shaped mountain ahead.

However, no matter how far they ran, the distance to the giant mountain didn't shorten.

One ghost general tried moving away from the giant mountain, pulling back. After running for a long time, he turned around to find the giant mountain had appeared behind him!

The ghost generals immediately gained a new understanding: "This formation has the power to distort space. We can't create an opening simply by moving around."

They used several rounds of magical treasures and spells, bombarding randomly. The sky remained high, the jade ground resilient, with no effect.

They finally abandoned all hope and reluctantly attacked the four giant bronze pillars.

Around the bronze pillars, Luan birds soared, engaging them in fierce combat. For a time, the battle was intense.

The ghost generals were under great psychological pressure, knowing they had to race against time. Thus, their attacks were all heavy blows.

Soon, most of the bronze Luan birds were destroyed.

The ghost generals' attacks made the bronze pillars tremble.

The Peanut Ghost General cried out excitedly: "We've measured it! These four bronze pillars are the formation's eyes. Destroy them, and the formation's core and foundation will be exposed."

Ning Zhuo, located at the formation's core, sat cross-legged, controlling the formation.

Suddenly, two Golden Core ghost generals appeared behind him.

The leader was none other than Ghost General Wusheng!

The two Golden Cores attacked with full force as soon as they appeared, shattering Ning Zhuo into countless pieces of paper and scraps.

"It's a fake!" The two ghost generals' hearts sank.

"It's a fake!" Ning Zhuo and Wen RuanYu, hidden in the shadows, also felt their hearts sink, realizing that the Wusheng and the other ghost general in the formation were illusions.

These Golden Core ghost generals had high tactical awareness. They had long seen that the formation's core was the giant human-shaped mountain and the formation's eyes were the four giant bronze pillars, but they had been employing tactical deception all along.

Their tactical execution was spot-on, but Ning Zhuo's side was also well-prepared. The "Ning Zhuo" at the formation's core was merely a painted substitute created by Wen RuanYu.

"What a formidable innate talent, 'Soundless and Motionless'!" Ning Zhuo inwardly praised.

He saw clearly that while another ghost general carried out the sneak attack, the one who truly enabled the success of the operation was Ghost General Wusheng's innate talent.

"Senior Wen, it's time to act," Ning Zhuo reminded.

The one truly presiding over this formation was Wen RuanYu.

Wen RuanYu immediately channeled magical power, activating the Jade Chime, the magical treasure guarding the formation's core.

The Jade Chime, stimulated by the spiritual power, rang by itself in mid-air, immediately erupting with waves of sound.

The sound waves transformed into light cyan ripples that spread out layer by layer, quickly covering the formation's space.

The magical power of all the Golden Core ghost generals churned like boiling water. Their bodies emitted a faint green light, forced to reveal semi-transparent outlines.

This green light didn't干扰 their magical power, but Ghost General Wusheng's heart sank heavily!

He inwardly cried out in alarm, shocked to find his innate talent severely countered. It might still be effective outside the formation, but inside, he could no longer remain soundless and motionless.

Thus, they could only assault the formation head-on.

Wen RuanYu sneered and activated another layer of the formation's variation.

The golden bells hanging from the Cyan Luan birds' mouths suddenly rang out. The ringing was clear, crisp, and incredibly dense, like heavy rain pounding on tiles.

The four giant bronze pillars emitted intense bronze light. Within the light, they rapidly repaired themselves.

The Golden Core ghost generals wanted to act, but amidst the bell sounds, their five senses were thrown into disarray: their ears heard the neighing of ten thousand horses, their eyes saw countless overlapping phantom images of Luan birds, and the magical power throughout their bodies felt as if stuck in mud, becoming extremely difficult to mobilize.

"This is the Jade Chime's True Resonance Formation!" With the formation displaying its second layer of power, the ghost generals finally discerned its nature.

"Watch your feet!!" a ghost general shouted a warning.

But it was too late.

Wen RuanYu activated the formation's third variation. The twelve Jade Marrow Nails suppressing the formation's foundation triggered the Jade Deficiency Thunder Method, piercing upward from the assassins' Yongquan acupoints on the soles of their feet.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

Several ghost generals immediately had their legs blown off.

"Retreat, retreat quickly!" a ghost general cried out in panic.

But the formation space isolated the inside from the outside. How easy was it to retreat now?

(End of )