: Fame Spreads Far and Wide!

2025-06-10 Author: Gu Zhenren

: Fame Spreads Far and Wide!

White Paper Immortal City.

Wave after wave of ghost tides crashed against the city walls.

The defensive forces, composed of the city guard as the backbone and numerous cultivators from around the immortal city as the flesh and blood, held their ground from within the city.

Every moment, countless ghosts were shattered into nothingness, and many cultivators fell as well.

Tie Guzheng, the city guard commander, wore a stern expression as he closely watched the battlefield, issuing commands and adjusting defenses from time to time.

"Only three reserve units left," Tie Guzheng thought with a heavy heart.

Previously, the Lord of White Paper City had heavily rewarded the brave, gathering almost all available forces from around the immortal city to fill the city's defenses, barely managing to hold out for so many days.

After being worn down by multiple ghost tides, the defensive strength of White Paper Immortal City had suffered significant losses, and troops were once again stretched thin.

"Report—! The west gate is in critical condition! A large number of Soul-Snatching Geckos have scaled the walls and taken over a section!" an urgent military report came in.

Tie Guzheng's frown deepened. He quickly calculated in his mind and realized that none of the three reserve units were up to the task.

"Aside from me taking action personally, we can only pin our hopes on the Qingjiao Army."

The so-called Qingjiao Army referred to the forces led by Qing Chi and Jiao Ma (Ning Zhuo), organized with personnel and funds from the Ghost Clan's Qing Family and the Human Clan's Jiao Family.

Strictly speaking, Qing Chi had not yet fully formed the army; it was still in its infancy.

"Orders received! To the west gate!" Inside the city, Qing Chi opened her eyes and stood up abruptly.

She had grown impatient waiting for the order to attack.

The other cultivators, long prepared for battle, moved immediately upon hearing her, following closely behind Qing Chi.

Qing Chi rushed out of the temporary barracks first, charging towards the west gate.

A large group of cultivators followed behind her.

"Finally making a move..." Ning Zhuo, however, was elsewhere, watching from a distance in secret.

"They don't march as orderly as the Three Generals Camp or Red Flower Camp because there was no time for dedicated military training. But within the city, with alleys and streets, there isn't much space for large-scale military maneuvers anyway."

"But this weakness needs to be addressed."

"After all, when we attack the Netherworld, the battlefield won't be this complex."

A section of the wall near the west gate was already devoid of cultivators; dozens of Soul-Snatching Geckos clustered together, occupying the area.

Simultaneously, more Soul-Snatching Geckos were climbing the walls, swarming onto the battlements.

The walls of White Paper Immortal City weren't easy to scale; layer upon layer of wall paper acted as talismans, continuously burning. Many ghosts screamed in agony upon contact, with the weaker ones turning to ash.

The stronger Soul-Snatching Geckos endured the talisman burns, climbing the walls with residual sparks.

The geckos licked each other's bodies with their tongues, gradually extinguishing the sparks on one another.

They were recovering rapidly!

Seeing this, the squad leader's eyes turned red with urgency, knowing they couldn't afford to let this continue.

"If this goes on, this section of the wall will fall. If we can't reclaim it, the west gate will be in danger. Then, we'll be responsible for the city's fall!"

"Once more, everyone, charge with me!"

The squad leader's shout was already hoarse. Despite his injuries, he led the charge.

Inspired by his courage and sense of duty, the cultivators followed him in a desperate counter-charge to retake the wall.

The Soul-Snatching Geckos turned their heads almost in unison, opening their mouths to shoot out their coiled tongues.

The tongues shot out like lightning, astonishingly fast and incredibly long when fully extended.

In the blink of an eye, these tongues struck many cultivators.

The cultivators had no time to react before being hit one after another.

Among them, some relied on their own protective measures to withstand the attack, but most were hit, their souls hooked out of their bodies as the tongues retracted.

The geckos' tongues retracted even faster than they shot out!

The cultivators' souls were dragged back by the tongues into the geckos' mouths.

The geckos closed their mouths and swallowed them whole.

The soulless bodies collapsed to the ground. In just this one attack, at least half of the cultivators were lost.

The cultivators' morale took a massive hit, and many began to waver.

The squad leader shouted, "Keep charging!"

But only a handful followed him.

The rest scattered, fleeing backwards.

Ning Zhuo, watching secretly from afar, wasn't surprised.

The squad leader and the few cultivators who followed him in the charge were all city guards. Even if not a formal cultivator army, they were usually well-trained and loyal, willing to fight.

But the others mostly came from villages and towns around the immortal city.

These country folk didn't have strong feelings for the immortal city, hadn't experienced such fierce battles, and lacked rigorous training, so their morale was unstable.

If not for White Paper Immortal City's strong defenses, these cultivators would have disintegrated under the ghost tide, completely routed and slaughtered.

The geckos opened their mouths again, shooting out a second round of tongues.

The squad leader and the few cultivators fell instantly, their eyes wide with unwillingness.

Their souls were all hooked away, disappearing into the geckos' bellies.

The Qingjiao Army, arriving at this moment, saw it all clearly.

"Something's wrong. The strength of these Soul-Snatching Geckos far exceeds normal levels. What's going on?" Qing Yan frowned tightly.

He was about to halt and observe cautiously when he heard Qing Chi in front of him roar in fury, "Damned beasts! Charge with me! Avenge our comrades!"

Everyone had received military cultivation, and their first military discipline was [Obey Orders Absolutely], which made this nascent army more inclined to follow their commander's orders.

So, upon hearing Qing Chi's shout, they surged onto the wall in a swarm.

"I..." Qing Yan was dumbfounded.

Ning Zhuo, who had been watching the battle from afar, thought, "Qing Chi made the right choice!"

Having experienced major battles himself, he seized this fleeting opportunity.

Sure enough, as the large group charged forward, only a few scattered geckos reopened their mouths to shoot their tongues.

These tongues were incredibly fast; even with psychological preparation, the cultivators couldn't intercept them in time and had to rely on their own defenses to withstand the hits.

The tongues struck their targets, but the soldiers only paused momentarily before continuing their charge.

The previously routed cultivators, witnessing this, stared wide-eyed in shock. "What's going on? Their defensive methods are similar to ours!"

If not for knowing that these Soul-Snatching Geckos were pure ghosts, naturally filled with hatred and murderous intent towards yang-world life, the observing cultivators might have thought the geckos were going easy on them.

A glint flashed in Ning Zhuo's eyes as he suddenly understood. "It's their physique!"

"The soldiers have all undergone military cultivation; their bodies and souls have been enhanced towards the Paper Money Nether Soldier direction, with their foundation greatly improved over several rounds."

The military requirements were high, but you get what you pay for!

The enhancement to the soldiers' foundation from the military cultivation was substantial.

Their own defensive methods were at a normal level, but their inherent foundation was exceptionally robust, far surpassing the norm, resulting in the Soul-Snatching Geckos' attacks having almost no effect.

"Hmm?!" Seeing this, the enemy general, hidden in a corner, could no longer sit still and revealed himself.

Wandering Domain!

He exerted his full power, activating his domain, immediately deepening its influence over this section of the wall battlefield.

A hazy gray moon appeared vaguely above everyone.

In the air around the wall, silvery-gray threads floated like jellyfish tentacles, swaying.

The cultivators within the domain felt their souls becoming light, as if about to leave their bodies.

Their feelings weren't mistaken; some of the previously routed cultivators, unable to restrain themselves, had their souls fly out of their bodies, causing momentary panic.

Qing Yan's eyes blazed with intensity. "Wandering Ghost God!"

This was a Netherworld Ghost God, ancient and renowned. Its form was that of a gray moon, surrounded by countless mica-like tentacles.

These silvery wandering threads, resembling mica tentacles, could easily extract others' souls. Ordinary methods struggled to harm the threads, making them notoriously difficult to deal with.

However, on the city wall, the power of the Wandering Domain was greatly resisted by White Paper Immortal City itself, with less than forty percent of its strength able to be exerted.

"So that's it!" Ning Zhuo suddenly understood. "The Wandering Ghost General was hiding here, acting in secret."

Ning Zhuo immediately recognized the enemy general's identity.

After Sun Lingtong obtained Luo Si's approval, she had returned to the yang world. A few days ago, he had been hiding in the Netherworld Army camp, accompanied by a squad of Ox Cavalry.

Using him to gather military intelligence was both convenient and reliable.

The Wandering Ghost General, a follower of the Wandering Ghost God, used his Wandering Domain to make the connection between soul and body less tight for lives within the domain, easier to separate. Moreover, souls moving outside the body were much faster than usual.

It was because of his secret intervention, influencing this battlefield, that the previous defenders were caught off guard, helpless against the Soul-Snatching Geckos' attacks.

The enhanced domain immediately affected Qing Chi and the others; many found their souls extending beyond their legs and arms as they ran.

Qing Chi shouted, "Paper Armor Technique!"

The cultivators obeyed the command, each activating the Paper Armor Technique.

Within moments, their entire bodies were covered in layers of talisman paper.

The protective effect of the paper armor was immediate, restraining their souls and simultaneously defending against the geckos' subsequent tongue attacks.

The Wandering Ghost General frowned immediately.

The Paper Armor Technique wasn't rare, and their execution of it showed obvious lack of mastery. A truly skilled Paper Armor Technique could form armor-like shapes with far more impressive defensive capabilities.

The version they used was the most basic—simple talisman paper pasted onto their bodies, looking very thin.

But what surprised the Wandering Ghost General was how effective this simple paper armor was in practice, directly isolating the domain's influence and even having enough leftover strength to block the geckos' tongue attacks.

This defied common sense!

Unless the Paper Armor Technique was particularly suited to these cultivators.

Different cultivator physiques could have vastly different compatibility with certain spells. The same spell, cast by different people, could have wildly varying power.

"But it doesn't make sense that all these cultivators are so suited to the Paper Armor Technique! Unless..."

The Wandering Ghost General's heart sank, and he quickly pulled out a ghost fan.

He fanned it continuously, summoning a yin wind.

The yin wind surged with formidable force, immediately sweeping across the entire battlefield.

"Such a strong yin wind!"

"Retreat quickly! This wind can kill."

The many routed cultivators, already in poor condition, paled and hastily retreated.

Qing Chi and the others, caught in the yin wind, found their charge halted. As they were about to be thrown into disarray, their formation动摇, Qing Chi shouted, "Crossing Yin Technique!"

As the master of the military cultivation and the first commander, she had naturally learned both techniques.

Even those who hadn't acquired the Crossing Yin Technique through military cultivation had learned it from each other.

The Crossing Yin Technique empowered the cultivators, instantly turning the previously overwhelming yin wind into a gentle breeze.

Of course, this was only the Qingjiao Army's perception. To outsiders, it looked like these people simply adapted to the yin wind, charging forward against the gale.

The Soul-Snatching Geckos, having eaten their fill, were bloated and their combat power greatly reduced.

Qing Chi led the new army, arriving at this critical moment, and successfully engaged.

First, they smashed through like a wrecking ball, killing most of the geckos on the spot. Then, the cultivators fought fiercely. The Soul-Snatching Geckos were slaughtered.

Just as this section of the wall was about to be retaken by White Paper Immortal City, the Wandering Ghost General could no longer hold back and charged down from mid-air.

"Coming right at us!" Qing Chi's eyes gleamed sharply. Cyan flames surged over her body as she stomped hard and charged towards the Wandering Ghost General.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

The two exchanged blows mid-air, the sound like thunder, shaking the entire battlefield.

The Wandering Ghost General retreated slightly, activating his ghost fan. Qing Chi unleashed cyan flames, shooting out fistfuls of fiery blossoms.

They clashed for three rounds, neither gaining the upper hand.

Seeing that the cultivators had already retaken the wall and were easily killing the geckos still climbing up, the Wandering Ghost General knew the situation was lost and thought of retreating.

Qing Chi敏锐察觉, immediately giving chase.

The Wandering Ghost General sneered, "You can't stop me."

He was naturally incredibly fast, confident he could withdraw from the front lines. But before leaving, he needed to deactivate his domain.

After all, this domain was centered on him.

However, just as he was about to do so, the plaque above White Paper Immortal City's west gate suddenly shone with a strange light, capturing the domain.

Simultaneously, countless sheets of wall paper flew from the walls, each one a talisman.

The talismans swarmed like bees, surrounding the Wandering Ghost General completely.

The Wandering Ghost General could only exert all his strength, using various ghost techniques, attacking to defend, intercepting the talisman onslaught, putting on a formidable display.

"Die!" Qing Chi, having seized the opportunity to prepare, her body burning with cyan flames, shot towards the Wandering Ghost General like a meteor.

The Wandering Ghost General chose to block head-on. The moment they made contact, his expression changed dramatically, filled with infinite regret.

Boom!

The cyan flame meteor directly shattered his chest, bursting out from his back.

Before dying, the Wandering Ghost General turned his head sharply, glaring fiercely at Qing Chi. "You! This is military power augmentation!"

Though still a nascent army, it could already provide military power.

With the military power augmentation, Qing Chi's combat strength soared, surpassing the Wandering Ghost General by a significant margin.

"I refuse to accept this!" the Wandering Ghost General screamed, instantly turning to ash.

Caught off guard and succumbing to Qing Chi's surprise attack, he didn't even get to utilize his speed advantage, dying in frustration.

Only a Ghost Path Golden Core remained, floating mid-air.

But Qing Chi lacked the strength to retrieve it, falling straight from the sky. The cyan flames on her body quickly dissipated as she fell unconscious from exhaustion.

Qing Yan hurriedly caught his daughter, taking over command of the Qingjiao Army.

The cultivators panicked briefly but quickly regained composure. They held the city, repelling the surrounding ghosts one after another.

"It really is a cultivator army!"

"White Paper Immortal City has profound reserves, decisively revealing a trump card."

"But why is a ghost clan girl leading it?"

The Qingjiao Army not only swiftly retook the wall but also killed a Golden Core level ghost general in battle, achieving the best result since the defense of White Paper Immortal City began.

In just one battle, the Qingjiao Army, already the talk of White Paper Immortal City, made a name for itself throughout the Yin Tide Black Marsh Wetlands!

(End of )