: Soul of Ten Thousand

The sounds of wailing ghosts and howling specters filled the battlefield.

An endless tide of ghosts surged relentlessly, crashing against the Paper Immortal City!

Silent Ghost General and the other five Golden Core level entities had secretly departed midway. Sun Lingtong, mixed in with the main force, arrived beneath the Paper Immortal City and witnessed this vast battlefield scene.

He saw thousands of Big-Head Ghosts blowing gusts of gloomy wind, while countless Small-Head Ghosts densely swarmed, continuously charging towards the city walls.

On the walls, the city guard soldiers held talisman weapons, maintaining the defensive line. Amidst the flashes of blades and swords, not a single Small-Head Ghost managed to scale the walls.

Suddenly, hundreds of Lantern Ghosts swarmed together, attacking the city gate.

They spewed massive amounts of ghost fire, attempting to burn the gate. However, the gate erupted with layers of dark light. Within the radiance, black water gushed forth, not only extinguishing the ghost fire but also sweeping up and slaughtering the Lantern Ghosts.

Fewer than twenty surviving Lantern Ghosts fled in panic.

Yet, the ghost tide remained massive. Vast numbers of Small-Head Ghosts and Big-Head Ghosts continued to be produced.

The ones responsible for this contribution were the Ghost Mothers.

These Ghost Mothers were enormous in stature, lying on their backs in the open ground outside the city, constantly inhaling and exhaling vast amounts of Yin energy, continuously producing large numbers of new ghosts.

On the city wall, the city guard commander, Iron Bones Zheng, stared intently at these Ghost Mothers. He knew that to repel this ghost tide, these Ghost Mothers must be eliminated.

He considered leading a team out of the city to charge and kill these Ghost Mothers but then gazed at the Yin soldier army further away.

In previous ghost tides, the Netherworld River Underworld hadn't dispatched troops, but this time, they had sent an elite force!

Undoubtedly, this presented Iron Bones Zheng with even greater defensive difficulties.

Sun Lingtong, positioned within the large army, observed for a while and then thought to himself, astonished: "The Paper Immortal City's defenses are incredibly strong!"

The ghost tide was massive and endless, like towering waves. Yet, the Paper Immortal City stood firm as Mount Tai, unshakable. Iron Bones Zheng's defensive experience was immensely rich!

Under his command, the city guards were busy but not chaotic, defending steadily and securely. Even when occasional emergencies arose, Iron Bones Zheng quickly issued correct orders, and with effective execution, they easily resolved the crises on the defensive line.

"Truly worthy of an Immortal City."

"Under these circumstances, even if my Yin army were ten times larger, it probably still couldn't breach this city."

"But the Netherworld River Lord wouldn't dispatch troops arbitrarily; he must have a backup plan."

Just as Sun Lingtong thought this, turmoil erupted within the Paper Immortal City!

Large numbers of Water Ghosts emerged from the city's rivers, killing in all directions. The citizens initially fell into panic, losing hundreds of lives. Once they regained their senses, they actively resisted.

However, the Water Ghosts were Yin soldiers, benefiting from the support of military tactics and battle formations. Even when temporarily held back, they continued to kill relentlessly, leaving heads rolling.

Hearing this commotion, the banners of the Yin soldier army began to wave.

The Yin soldiers swiftly advanced, charging towards the Paper Immortal City.

Led by a Hanged Ghost General, a Yin army composed of Hanged Ghosts rushed to the base of the city wall, throwing up nooses in an attempt to scale it.

The city guards immediately split off a group, armed with blades and axes, to chop at the ropes.

The Hanged Ghost General scaled the wall while lashing out with his long tongue, attacking the city guards. He was powerful and fought fiercely. Several guard cultivators were struck by his tongue; some retreated seriously injured, while others were directly swept off the wall and instantly torn to shreds by countless ghosts.

Iron Bones Zheng watched as this Hanged Ghost General was about to be the first to reach the top. He snorted coldly and activated a seal in his embrace.

Immediately, on that section of the wall, countless overlapping patterns surfaced on the bricks, and numerous talismans flew into the air, transforming into myriad spells.

The spells were varied: some greatly increased the guards' defense, while others killed large numbers of Hanged Ghosts. The Hanged Ghost General tried to force his way through but was still blasted down by the spells.

Seeing this, the Yin army commander immediately issued a military order.

The army banners swayed several times, and a Lantern Ghost General led his subordinate Lantern Ghosts swarming towards another section of the wall.

They didn't attempt to scale it but instead directly crashed into the base of the wall.

Boom! Boom! Boom!...

A series of explosions shook the wall continuously.

Subsequently, fierce flames erupted, encircling the wall and burning persistently. Crimson tongues of fire licked the layers of wall paper.

Iron Bones Zheng's expression finally changed.

The Netherworld River Underworld army had come prepared. This fiery siege tactic subtly countered the Paper Immortal City's construction method!

But the next moment, Iron Bones Zheng snorted coldly and activated another measure.

Large amounts of black water reappeared, flooding into the flames.

Water and fire clashed, hissing loudly as they consumed each other fiercely. The black water surged incessantly, quickly dousing the crimson flames.

Just as the flames were about to be extinguished, they suddenly transformed into a giant flaming ghost, let out one final agonized wail, and then vanished completely in an instant.

"Black Water Mountain, Paper City..." Sun Lingtong murmured, gaining a deeper understanding of this widely known name.

After two consecutive failed siege attempts, the main commander looked grave.

Frowning in thought, he made a difficult decision, ordering the entire army to slow its offensive. Then he cast a hopeful gaze towards the direction of the southern gate.

He hoped for greater internal turmoil within the city to indirectly help him gain an advantage.

Silent Ghost General and the other five were unaware of this expectation placed upon them. Their main concern now was—how to escape from this damned Jade Chime Resonance Array!

They were wounded and battered. In contrast, Wen Ruanyu and Ning Zhuo both appeared calm and composed, not even breaking a sweat.

This was mainly due to their prepared trap; the array they set up specifically countered this group.

Wen Ruanyu controlled the array, while Ning Zhuo stood by his side, occasionally glancing at him.

"Wen Ruanyu truly lives up to being a Golden Core true disciple of the Myriad Forms Sect!"

"He's a Confucian cultivator, likely versed in the Four Arts: qin (music), qi (strategy), shu (calligraphy), and hua (painting). He previously displayed a self-portrait, a Golden Core-level substitute. Now, setting up and controlling this Jade Chime Resonance Array demonstrates his profound mastery in array formation and music."

Ning Zhuo inwardly praised, gaining more insight into Wen Ruanyu's combat prowess.

In a one-on-one fight, Wen Ruanyu could hold his own against the previous three Golden Core ghost generals like Gabby Ghost General, albeit at a disadvantage.

But once allowed to prepare, such as setting up and controlling an array, he could exhibit even greater combat strength.

From the start of the battle until now, Ning Zhuo had hardly acted, relying almost entirely on Wen Ruanyu to fight alone.

Using the array, Wen Ruanyu fought one against six, firmly maintaining the initiative.

At this rate, Wen Ruanyu might even capture all six Golden Core ghost generals alive!

The Red-Haired Ghost General, besieged by the bronze luan birds, suddenly roared to the sky, burning himself up to unleash the strongest attack of his life.

Boom!

An explosion and blazing flames directly destroyed one of the bronze pillars.

Seizing this opportunity, the Peanut Ghost General unleashed a ghost technique—Ghostly Fate Soul Blossom!

"Not good." Wen Ruanyu's expression shifted slightly. He needed to focus fully on maintaining the array to prevent its collapse.

But doing so meant he could only watch as the Peanut Ghost General's technique took effect.

The sound of jade chimes rang out continuously, blocking most of the ghost technique's power.

Even so, Ning Zhuo still suffered minor injuries.

His physical body remained intact, but numerous flower buds sprouted on his soul. These buds quickly bloomed, massively absorbing Ning Zhuo's soul power, making him dizzy and causing his condition to continuously decline.

Ning Zhuo hurriedly took up his soul weapon axe and swung it at his own soul. In his urgency, he didn't hesitate to cut away healthy parts of his soul, striving to chop off all the soul blossoms as quickly as possible!

Through sheer determination, Ning Zhuo endured the excruciating pain of severing his soul and managed to clear all the soul blossoms in time.

"This ghost technique bypasses normal defenses, specifically attacking the soul."

"My soul cultivation is still too low."

Ning Zhuo firmly remembered this lesson.

At the same time, he paid even closer attention to the Silent Ghost General.

"This ghost technique was unleashed suddenly. It's not that there was no preparatory phase, but it was silently enhanced by his innate talent, so I didn't detect it."

"This innate talent is quite good, very practical!"

The counterattack with the Ghostly Fate Soul Blossom could be considered the six ghost generals' last hope.

Both Wen Ruanyu and Ning Zhuo withstood this "last-ditch effort."

Soon after, five of the Golden Core ghost generals were captured alive by Wen Ruanyu, while the Red-Haired Ghost General died on the battlefield.

"After interrogation, could you grant me the Silent Ghost General?" Ning Zhuo made a request.

Wen Ruanyu immediately explained that he wasn't the one who could make that decision. These ghost generals would be personally interrogated by the City Lord's avatar to extract as much valuable military intelligence as possible.

After saying this, Wen Ruanyu also reassured Ning Zhuo, stating that his contributions—not only discovering the Field Lamp but also providing critical intelligence leading to this military success—would surely be rewarded further. However, due to the war situation, Wen Ruanyu asked Ning Zhuo to return first and await follow-up news, while he himself immediately took the prisoners to the City Lord's mansion.

Ning Zhuo thought for a moment and shook his head slightly.

"I'll stay here and take over control of the Jade Chime Resonance Array from Senior Wen."

"Although unlikely, if the enemy has a second wave of attackers, the paper giant statue in the southern city might be destroyed."

Wen Ruanyu pondered for a moment, then generously lent all the array-suppressing treasures to Ning Zhuo and also gave him a jade slip for reference.

One of the contents in the jade slip was the Jade Chime Resonance Array method.

Of course, Wen Ruanyu still left his Golden Core-level portrait by Ning Zhuo's side for surveillance.

Leaving aside Wen Ruanyu's departure with the prisoners, Ning Zhuo sat cross-legged in mid-air. While operating the array and testing its functions, he pondered his current situation.

"This is the Netherworld River Underworld's second attack here."

"The first time was with three Golden Cores; this time it doubled to six!"

"Will they attack here again? And how large would the force be?"

"Is this place very important?"

"Or is it because Mother's arrangements are hidden here, making the Netherworld River Underworld deeply wary and eager to eliminate it?"

"Mother placed the Field Lamp here. Although the paper army isn't her handiwork, it created many passages to the Yin world. What was her purpose in doing this?"

Ning Zhuo couldn't figure it out but didn't feel anxious.

He knew he lacked more critical intelligence and had a faint premonition that he should be able to obtain this key information!

At this time, Sun Lingtong secretly contacted him via the Life Thread.

Ning Zhuo thus learned the actual battle situation.

"The Paper Immortal City is indeed an Immortal City; the front lines are temporarily secure."

"The key issue is the internal threat. Even now, ghosts are frequently emerging from the city's rivers, attacking everywhere."

"Ah, who exactly is the mole hidden among the higher-ups?"

The City Lord had tasked Ning Zhuo with investigating the mole in the city, but Ning Zhuo was self-aware, knowing he had no talent for investigation. Discovering the Field Lamp this time was due to other plans coupled with some coincidence.

Ning Zhuo quickly familiarized himself with the Jade Chime Resonance Array, ensuring he could control it well enough to withstand attacks from Golden Core ghost generals. Then, he took out several treasures and began his soul cultivation.

Having been hit by the Ghostly Fate Soul Blossom technique earlier, he was now more motivated to improve his soul foundation.

Ning Zhuo took a large gulp of Cold Bone Moondew Wine. A warm sensation, like a hot spring, spread from his stomach, climbed along his spine, and exploded at the nape of his neck into thousands of strands of cool minty fragrance.

Heat and cold swirled within his cranial cavity. His soul felt as if soaking in a pine forest shrouded in morning mist, every strand of soul light adorned with sparkling frost dew.

The parts of his soul severed earlier to remove the blossoms rapidly recovered during this process.

Seizing the moment, Ning Zhuo also lit the Nine Springs Rest Incense while drinking.

The fragrance permeated his entire being, filling him with an ancient sense of tranquility.

The various杂乱 emotions in Ning Zhuo's heart and the countless纷繁 thoughts in his mind vanished with the incense smoke. Ning Zhuo thus entered an extremely peaceful state of mind.

Soon, Ning Zhuo's soul was completely healed and showed slight improvement.

He then took out a bronze tripod with three legs and two handles—the Starving Ghost Retribution Cauldron—and tossed a few ghosts into it.

These ghosts came from the storage pouch of the Celestial Ghost.

After placing them inside, Ning Zhuo channeled法力 into the cauldron.

The cauldron began to glow. The blurred images of hundreds of ghosts devouring each other on its surface became clearer in the light.

Trapped within the cauldron and unable to escape, the ghosts fought and killed each other under the cauldron's power until only one remained.

This last ghost soon starved to death, turning into a clump of soul essence.

Ning Zhuo extracted the soul essence and applied it to himself, immediately causing his soul power to surge dramatically.

He had previously broken through to the level of a Thousand-Person Soul; now it instantly rose to sixteen hundred.

Ning Zhuo pressed on, using several more clumps of soul essence, quickly pushing his soul cultivation past five thousand.

Due to the rapid progress, Ning Zhuo's soul became less distinct, his features especially blurred, and his entire soul body grew bloated.

Ning Zhuo paused and took out the "Underworld Punishment Book."

He opened this iron-covered, iron-paged book. On the first page, he saw an engraving of the Oil Cauldron punishment.

Ning Zhuo channeled法力 into the book, which emitted a mysterious light enveloping his soul.

Ning Zhuo couldn't help but grunt, feeling excruciating pain! His soul felt as if it had fallen into an oil cauldron, being fiercely fried.

Oil cauldron, mountain of knives, forest of swords, sea of fire, mountain of ice, iron bed, heart extraction, tongue tearing, ox pit, millstone, sawing, stone pressing, iron tree, gut twisting, blood pool... The Underworld Punishment Book recorded too many punishments.

Ning Zhuo only managed to reach the third page before he couldn't endure any longer.

His soul was severely damaged: not only bloated like a胖子, but also covered in various wounds, almost遍体鳞伤.

Fighting off dizziness, Ning Zhuo used the Cold Bone Moondew Wine and Nine Springs Rest Incense again to treat his soul.

Soon, he was fully healed.

The healed soul was not only no longer bloated, with sharply defined features, but also shimmered with a faint soul light, gaining some resistance to attacks like scorching, chopping, and cutting.

After two such cycles, Ning Zhuo's soul power officially broke through ten thousand!

(End of )