: The Time Comes, All Forces Unite

2025-06-10 Author: Gu Zhenren

Seeing Qing Chi agree without hesitation to Jiao Ma (Ning Zhuo), Qing Yan felt a flicker of doubt for the first time—was it really reliable to hand over the army's loyalty so directly to Qing Chi?

Ning Zhuo felt his scalp go numb and was momentarily speechless.

Qing Chi, however, stared at him, the corners of her mouth curling into a bright, radiant smile.

A wave of guilt welled up in Ning Zhuo's heart.

This was the first time he had encountered such a situation.

Back in Liangzhu Kingdom, even though Mu Lan had her own designs on Ning Zhuo, it was primarily for the greater good and personal gain. The young girl before him now was genuinely emotionally invested.

"Ah! Relying on Jiao Ma's identity to deceive her like this is wrong."

"But this matter involves the Hundred-Year Conspiracy of the Forgotten River Mansion Lord, my mother's dying wish, and the safety of the entire White Paper Immortal City. I can't reveal my identity at this critical juncture. Qing Chi's role is becoming increasingly important!"

Ning Zhuo sighed inwardly: "I can only let Qing Chi down for now. Once this ghost tide recedes, I'll explain the truth to her and make amends."

Qing Chi was far less reliable and steady than Mu Lan; she was still too young.

After some thought, Ning Zhuo decided to keep his secret for the time being.

He looked at Li Xiangshang and Qing Yan, carefully weighing his words as he prepared to explain his choice to them.

Even though Qing Chi was obedient to Jiao Ma (Ning Zhuo), winning over Li Xiangshang and Qing Yan was still absolutely necessary.

Before the events in Liangzhu Kingdom, Ning Zhuo might have thought that controlling Qing Chi was equivalent to indirectly controlling the army.

But after the great battle in Liangzhu Kingdom, Ning Zhuo's perspective and experience had grown immensely. He now understood firsthand that a commander is just one part of an army, albeit a prominent one.

The main composition of military strength is the vast number of common soldiers.

Only by winning over Qing Yan could he gain the recognition of this army-in-formation.

Winning over Li Xiangshang would ensure his continued assistance to Qing Chi in forming this new army.

Ning Zhuo spoke: "Of the three military branches, the Spirit Money Netherpassing Soldiers are the most expensive. You get what you pay for; the high cost must have its reasons."

"In my opinion, the greatest advantage of the Spirit Money Netherpassing Soldiers is their ability to travel between the Yin and Yang realms. Moreover, this method should be quite practical."

"The Yin and Yang realms are separated from each other. If the new army is besieged in the Yang realm and finds itself in a desperate situation, it can escape into the Yin realm to seek survival."

"Similarly, when pursuing ghosts in the Yin realm and urgently needing rest, they can cross back to the Yang realm to regroup at leisure."

"Once we choose this direction, the new army will have freedom of movement, holding the absolute initiative!"

"Especially in the Yin Tide Black Marshlands, where the barrier between Yin and Yang is not so distant, this would be the new army's home turf."

"Don't you think that's good enough?"

The others hesitated.

Ning Zhuo's reasoning wasn't enough to convince them.

Qing Yan spoke bluntly: "These are all just your speculations, not certain facts. If the new army can't move quickly between the two realms, then this main advantage becomes useless."

"Look, those Yin soldiers outside the city, they came from the Yin realm, didn't they?"

"They aren't Netherpassing Soldiers at all, yet they managed to cross via the Nether Dragon River."

His words made sense, but Ning Zhuo silenced him with a single sentence: "Even if moving between the two realms is very slow, by choosing this, the main force of the Qing family at least won't be trapped to death within White Paper Immortal City."

"The ghost tide is growing fiercer. Who's to say this immortal city won't eventually fall?"

"So, having a military branch like this ensures the Qing family's bloodline survives."

Qing Chi's eyes shone: "Xiao Ma, you're so clever to think of that."

Qing Yan: "You forget, the Forgotten River Mansion Lord's forces are vast, comparable to a cultivation nation. In the Yang realm, we only face a part of his army. If we go to the Yin realm, we might directly confront this Deity Transformation level existence."

Ning Zhuo shook his head: "The Forgotten River Mansion Lord is a ruler of a nation. How easy would it be to actually encounter him?"

"It's just a possibility."

"But if we choose the Spirit Money Netherpassing Soldiers, we at least have an escape card, don't we?"

Qing Yan fell silent.

Li Xiangshang was already convinced: "That makes a lot of sense. I now also think choosing this direction is the most correct."

Qing Yan looked at Ning Zhuo: "So, young man of the Jiao family, you want your Jiao family to join this new army too, to secure a way out for them, is that it?"

Ning Zhuo's expression stiffened slightly.

Ning Zhuo's true intention in choosing the Spirit Money Netherpassing Soldiers was his hope that this force could, at a critical moment, enter the Yin realm, assault the altar, help him fulfill his mother's dying wish, and disrupt the Forgotten River Mansion Lord's century-long scheme.

But he couldn't say this outright.

He hadn't even told the White Paper City Lord about this secret.

Qing Yan's assumption was perfectly reasonable.

Ning Zhuo immediately nodded,顺势承认ing: "That's right. This ghost tide is truly different from before; the Yin soldier army keeps growing. We have to think of our family and friends, don't we?"

Qing Yan nodded: "If the Jiao family joins the army and认可s Qing Chi continuing as general, then I agree!"

"But if we keep an escape card for survival, it means we definitely won't stand with White Paper Immortal City to the death at the final moment. In that case, it's even less possible to seek support from the White Paper City Lord."

"The biggest difficulty now is right here—where will we get that much funding?"

Ning Zhuo smiled slightly, took out a storage pouch, and handed it to Qing Yan: "Lord Qing, please take a careful look."

Qing Yan took the pouch, opened it, sent his spiritual sense inside, and his face immediately showed shock.

There was far too much wealth inside!

How could it not be?

This was nearly the entire fortune of the famous powerful ghost, Tian Gui.

Li Xiangshang and Qing Chi also saw the contents and were both pleasantly surprised.

Qing Yan frowned: "There's a lot of wealth, but much of it isn't suitable."

To refine the Spirit Money Netherpassing military branch, they needed 100,000 jin of hundred-year blue sandalwood pulp mixed with Chenzhou cinnabar to make talismanic coins, creating Blue-Purple Money. While burning the Blue-Purple Money, they also needed to burn 900 jin of South Sea aloeswood to temper the spirit sea, and finally, use endless Yin energy for saturation infusion over twenty-seven days.

Ning Zhuo had already anticipated this and replied directly: "Even if the White Paper City Lord supported us, she wouldn't provide suitable materials right away."

"We can absolutely trade with other factions."

"The immortal city isn't just the City Lord's mansion; there are also super sects like the Myriad Forms Sect and the Soul Devourer Sect."

Qing Chi nodded: "Yes, yes, we can approach them."

"Lately, the ghost tide has been getting stronger, and many cultivators in the city have died. With no end to the ghost tide in sight, the City Lord's mansion has already requested external aid."

"Soon, sects like the Myriad Forms Sect and the Soul Devourer Sect will send reinforcements."

"White Paper Immortal City is the sole hegemon of the Yin Tide Black Marshlands, controlling the local cultivation resource output. These super sects have been eagerly waiting for the city to request help."

"But..."

"Xiao Ma, how are you so rich? Did you use your family's reserves? Did you get your father's support?"

Ning Zhuo coughed twice: "Partly, I have my father's认可. On the other hand, I also received support from another faction. As for the latter, it's not convenient to say."

Qing Yan looked at the storage pouch in his hand and chuckled softly: "The Soul Devourer Sect?"

Ning Zhuo's expression shifted slightly. He smiled wryly and nodded: "I knew I couldn't hide it from Commander Qing!"

Tian Gui's wealth undoubtedly bore marks of the Soul Devourer Sect; Ning Zhuo couldn't avoid this.

He had already prepared this explanation to address potential doubts.

He was intentionally vague, letting Qing Yan actively "guess," which made the latter more certain that Ning Zhuo had indeed received support from the Soul Devourer Sect.

Li Xiangshang also showed a look of understanding.

In that moment, he connected many dots.

"On the surface, it's White Paper Immortal City resisting the Forgotten River Netherworld借助ing the ghost tide. But actually, the situation is complex."

"The Soul Devourer Sect is a super sect, very eager for the cultivation resources here!"

"But in White Paper Immortal City's structure, aside from the City Lord's mansion being the largest, it's the Myriad Forms Sect. The Soul Devourer Sect couldn't compete despite many attempts. This time, they seem to want to bet on the new army."

"They truly live up to being a super sect. Not only have they already investigated this intelligence, but they also know about Jiao Ma's immense influence over Qing Chi. So they are using Jiao Ma to achieve their aims—their methods are really clever!"

Before coming to the Yin Tide Black Marshlands, Ning Zhuo had always been quite wary of the Soul Devourer Sect. He never expected that now he would have to use their name to act.

"Since my Jiao family is also participating, then the position of second-in-command of this army should be mine." Seeing the opportune moment, Ning Zhuo immediately made a new demand.

Just as Qing Yan frowned in thought, Qing Chi immediately nodded, overjoyed: "Xiao Ma, you want to strive together with me? That's wonderful! I welcome you!"

Qing Yan sighed bitterly and agreed.

Ning Zhuo added: "We also need to inform the White Paper Immortal City side about this. Even though we don't need their funding, the successful establishment of our army will be very helpful for the city in holding back this ghost tide."

"This is room for cooperation."

"Even if the new army's establishment arouses the City Lord's suspicion, given her current state, she likely has no choice but to tolerate it."

Qing Chi heard this and was ecstatic, her face lighting up: "Xiao Ma, I knew you wouldn't like an older woman!"

Li Xiangshang and Qing Yan, however, both looked worried.

Qing Yan: "This needs to be reported carefully. I'm very concerned about the City Lord's reaction."

Li Xiangshang also nodded: "Indeed, there's a possibility of refusal. In fact, White Paper Immortal City has always been ruled by the City Lord. Even the Myriad Forms Sect can't influence the City Lord's control over the city."

"Before I came, I received advice from Lord Dragon Monarch. He told me that the White Paper City Lord herself is a cultivator full of desire for control and great ambition, and warned me to be careful."

Ning Zhuo nodded slightly: "The City Lord already knows we're building an army. With a great enemy当前, the possibility of her restraining herself and认可ing is higher. Regardless, since we've made the decision, we must report it immediately. This is for the sake of the overall situation."

Everyone nodded.

Through this negotiation, Ning Zhuo gave up the vast majority of his wealth in exchange for deep involvement in the new army, achieving his initial goal.

Returning to the paper giant puppet, Ning Zhuo used the Field Lamp to inform Sun Lingtong of the progress.

Sun Lingtong exclaimed: "Xiao Zhuo, you've made a huge move this time. The war profits we made are almost all invested into building the army. And it's still not enough."

Ning Zhuo: "So, Boss, see if you can get some funds from Luo Si."

Ning Zhuo hadn't actually received support from the Soul Devourer Sect. The funding required for building the army was immense; even after investing almost everything, there was still a shortfall.

Sun Lingtong: "Sigh, I'll try."

After a long journey, he had already found Luo Si's location. As a leading general, Luo Si's position was easy to inquire about.

Ning Zhuo nodded: "I'll also take the opportunity to send a letter to the City Lord's avatar, to see if we can get some support from her."

"Haha." Sun Lingtong laughed, "That depends on how important your 'savior' status is in the City Lord's heart."

Over the next two days, good news arrived one after another.

Sun Lingtong successfully met Luo Si. Using the pretext that they had met the Ashen Bone Elder and received his guidance to seek help from Luo Si.

The Ashen Bone Elder was effectively under house arrest; contacting him was much more difficult for Luo Si than before. There wouldn't be a reply immediately.

Sun Lingtong also indicated he needed to leave quickly.

Luo Si's first impression of Sun Lingtong by the Forgotten River had been high enough. After some thought, he decided not to wait for a reply and directly took out a considerable amount of wealth, giving it to Sun Lingtong.

He also gave Sun Lingtong a new pass slip as requested.

With this slip, Sun Lingtong could openly lead the Ox Cavalry soldiers along the Nether Dragon River, using the Forgotten River Netherworld's military roads to return to the Yang realm.

Another piece of good news was that the White Paper City Lord not only agreed to the establishment of the new army but was also quite generous,主动 increasing the funding threefold beyond what Ning Zhuo had requested.

Thus, even with Li Xiangshang's natural talent reducing the cost by thirty percent, Ning Zhuo managed to gather the full funding for the military branch surprisingly smoothly.

Furthermore, the White Paper City Lord even opened a cultivation chamber. This chamber was equipped with a formation that could accelerate the flow of time.

"Is this the blessing of fate?" Both Sun and Ning had "met" the Ashen Bone Elder and knew the inside story; they were both amazed by the mystery of this luck.

Ning Zhuo: "I'm beginning to understand the Ashen Bone Elder's Dao now. If you顺应 heaven and earth, things almost go smoothly. Normally big problems are solved effortlessly."

Sun Lingtong, however, was pondering and fantasizing: "How can we steal this fortune? How great would it be if we could steal it?"

With the military branch hurdle cleared, Ning Zhuo also contacted the Jiao family again.

"What? Establish a new army?"

"What? It's already at the military branch stage?"

"What? Spirit Money Netherpassing Soldiers?"

Jiao Ma's father was shocked three times in a row. Finally, persuaded by Ning Zhuo, he decisively agreed: "We should leave a way out for the family. I'll go back and select a group of elites to serve as your subordinates."

"Ma'er, you've done very well, you've made your father proud!"

Before leaving, Jiao Ma's father patted Ning Zhuo on the shoulder.

This action made Ning Zhuo's mind wander slightly, thinking: "If my own father were still alive, would he also pat my shoulder like this to encourage me?"

The lacks of childhood often haunt a person for life.

(End of )