: Invoking Divine Assistance

"Ceremonial Barracks?" Qing Chi's eyes lit up at Ning Zhuo's reminder. She immediately retrieved a paper model from her storage belt.

It lay in her palm, smaller than a maiden's hand, exquisitely crafted like a child's toy.

The entire barracks was folded, cut, and assembled from a strange, pale white talisman paper. The window lattices, barracks gates, watchtowers, and even the miniature altar in the central square were clearly visible. The intricate details were astonishing, and it emitted a scent mixed with incense ash and cold grave soil.

This was indeed the Ceremonial Barracks.

It was a significant military artifact, extremely costly to produce.

Naturally, Qing Chi and Ning Zhuo couldn't create it themselves, nor did they have the means to. It was lent to them by the current lord of White Paper Immortal City.

In army formation, there was a component called military artifacts.

A large number of military artifacts were required to complete even the most basic army formation.

The lord of White Paper Immortal City had proactively lent the Qing Jiao Army many military artifacts, not just the Ceremonial Barracks, but also the Bone-Blade War Banner, Crescent Moon Great Blade, Sky-Splitting Long Spear, and the Black Blood Paper Horses.

There was only one Ceremonial Barracks.

Immediately, Qing Chi channeled magic power and military strength into the barracks in her hand.

Her total magic power was far from sufficient to activate this military artifact, but the Qing Jiao Army currently possessed ample military strength.

A vast amount of military strength was instantly drawn and devoured by the Ceremonial Barracks.

The paper barracks flew into the air, hovering motionless.

In the next moment, countless intricate runes rapidly appeared, swirled, and intertwined across the surface of the paper barracks.

The glow of the runes grew increasingly brighter.

The paper barracks also began to swell violently in the wind.

The folded paper walls unfurled like blooming flowers, layer by layer, hardening and rising! In an instant, towering, dark blue stone walls, carved with stern ghost symbols and beast-head totems, stood imposingly! The battlements on the walls were jagged like fangs.

Watchtowers, barracks, stables, training grounds... all structures transformed from illusory to solid amidst the flowing runes, shifting from paper into cold stone and Netherworld Ironwood!

At the center of the barracks, the most prominent miniature altar in the model had now become a white bone altar, ten feet square with nine tiers of steps! The top of the altar was flat, engraved with a huge, complex magic array that emitted a mysterious aura capable of attracting and communicating with the will of ghosts and deities.

The appearance of the barracks caused a wave of exclamations.

Everyone in the Qing Jiao Army was astonished, but their mounts remained perfectly still, a testament to the stability and reliability of the Black Blood Paper Horses.

Ning Zhuo and Qing Chi, however, remained calm.

The two had previously familiarized themselves with all the military artifacts in private. This Ceremonial Barracks was no exception.

"Enter the barracks! Ascend the altar!" Following Qing Chi's order, the Qing Jiao Army quickly and orderly flooded into the suddenly appeared sanctuary, finally forming up solemnly below the altar.

Qing Chi led the way, with Ning Zhuo slightly behind and to her side, as they ascended the altar together.

Qing Chi channeled military strength to activate the altar.

Ning Zhuo, meanwhile, took out a large quantity of green-purple talisman coins and tossed them into the center of the array.

The array began to operate, glowing with a gray light. The gray light formed a wave that suddenly expanded in all directions. The expansion was incredibly fast, almost instantly reaching the horizon and disappearing from view.

Qing Chi began to pray:

"With bone as tinder, soul as guide!"

"O mighty deities who rule the Netherworld, possessing boundless power!"

"Today, we offer thirty thousand talisman coins, humbly beseeching your pity. Grant us divine power to soar through the skies!"

"Should our plea be answered, the entire Qing Jiao Army will remember your divine grace and offer triple the talisman coins after the battle!"

Qing Chi's prayer caused ripples in space.

*Buzz!*

A will as heavy as a mountain range, as腐朽 as a ten-thousand-year-old ancient tomb, suddenly descended!

The space above the altar twisted, vaguely revealing the phantom of a gigantic skeletal deity seated on a throne of bones, wearing a crown of thorns.

The Mountain of Bones Deity!

Its icy gaze swept over the barracks, passing over the thirty thousand green-purple talisman coins on the altar as if they were worthless garbage.

In the next moment, the deity's phantom let out a low, thunderous snort filled with thick disdain, then instantly vanished!

Three breaths later.

*Whoosh, whoosh...*

The sound of flowing water echoed in everyone's ears, like an underground river in a cavern.

Then, another will arrived.

Above the altar, countless illusory streams of water appeared, within which a conch shell flickered in and out of view.

The natural patterns on the conch shell formed a gigantic eye.

The eye rotated, indifferently inspecting the offering. The ghostly flames on the altar were distorted almost out of shape by an invisible force.

The sound of water in everyone's ears grew louder.

Ning Zhuo narrowed his eyes. "Is it... communicating?"

But Qing Chi, as the army's general, looked completely bewildered.

After a few moments, the giant eye on the conch shell showed clear disappointment and boredom, then withdrew its divine intent.

The illusory conch and underground streams in the air dissipated like smoke in the wind.

*Tinkle, tinkle...*

A third deity took notice of this place.

A series of faint, crystalline sounds, like ice shards colliding, rang out above the altar.

Then, countless shards of broken mirrors floated in the air, and a voice with endless echoes sounded in the hearts of everyone in the army: "Ants..."

"Such a paltry offering..."

"Increase it..."

"Offer yourselves..."

Ning Zhuo's expression changed. He sent a mental message: "Qing Chi."

Qing Chi nodded and quickly manipulated the array to block this divine thought.

There were many deities in this world. Some were righteous gods, like the Heavenly God Qi; others were evil gods, like the Rogue Gods.

Whether righteous or evil, benevolent or malevolent, one could deal with them.

But the Shattered Mirror Bizarre Mother was different.

She was a deity of the Bizarre Path!

She might sign a contract one moment and renounce it the next.

The terrifying part was that her renunciation wasn't based on利益 or any purpose, but simply the incomprehensible nature of the Bizarre Path itself.

After three consecutive failures, Qing Chi glanced slightly at Ning Zhuo and sent a mental message for a private exchange: "Should we increase the offering?"

Ning Zhuo immediately shook his head. "I've studied the various deities of the Netherworld."

"Invoking deities through sacrifice isn't just about the amount of the offering; it also depends on the person presiding over the sacrifice."

"My participation in this sacrifice alone, given my unique fate, is enough to attract many ghost deities."

"We can't increase the offering too much!"

"Otherwise, we might attract excessively powerful ghost deities. The divine power they project through the altar is something we cannot withstand. If they harbor any ill intentions, we become living sacrifices."

"Our target is the Night Travel Deity."

"There are many minor deities like that. Let's wait a bit longer; we should get a response soon. No need to rush."

Qing Chi nodded. "Xiao Ma, I'll listen to you."

No sooner had she spoken than the altar reacted.

*Whoosh—!*

The sound of wind arrived.

A tall, flickering figure appeared. It wore a large cloak. The shadows under its hood were bottomless, with only two leaping, needle-point-sized pale will-o'-the-wisps serving as eyes. Its limbs were exceptionally slender, concealed within sleeves and trouser legs, moving without a sound, like a giant, living paper kite silhouette.

It was a Night Travel Deity!

It hovered above the altar, its two pale will-o'-the-wisp "eyes" scanning the barracks before finally settling on the thirty thousand green-purple talisman coins.

"Your request... to tread the void?"

Qing Chi nodded, praying again to express reverence.

"This wish... is small... very small..." The Night Travel Deity indicated it was a trivial matter.

Qing Chi turned to look at Ning Zhuo, who gave a slight nod.

Soon, a divine contract was formed in the unseen realm.

Qing Chi fully opened the array, creating a stable channel.

The Night Travel Deity's cloak shifted slightly as it extended a hand from within its wide sleeve.

Its hand was withered and pale, with long, narrow nails like bird claws, surrounded by faint Yin wind at the fingertips.

It pointed towards the entire army.

In the next moment, the entire Qing Jiao Army involuntarily floated up, three feet off the ground.

After completing this, the Night Travel Deity withdrew its hand and casually waved its sleeve.

The thirty thousand green-purple talisman coins on the altar instantly vanished.

"Success!" Qing Chi let out a sigh of relief, fine beads of sweat already dotting her forehead.

Ning Zhuo, however, pondered thoughtfully. "Mother said my fate is special. It seems true!"

"With just thirty thousand talisman coins, we shouldn't have attracted such widespread attention."

"The first three Netherworld deities were extremely powerful. The Mountain of Bones Deity is one of the mighty deities of the Netherworld, widely known. That conch-shaped deity was very mysterious; I don't know its name, but just seeing its phantom, I could tell it was extremely troublesome."

"Not to mention the third, the Shattered Mirror Bizarre Mother, a deity of the Bizarre Path. I suspect even the first two would keep their distance from her."

"Even the last Night Travel Deity isn't ordinary."

"Judging by its aura, it clearly possesses significant combat power, probably not far from having its own unique divine name."

Ning Zhuo collected his thoughts and descended the altar with Qing Chi.

The sacrifice was successful. The divine art released by the Night Travel Deity covered the entire Qing Jiao Army.

After studying it, Qing Chi, Ning Zhuo, and the others found that this divine art indeed allowed them to hover in the air, temporarily granting them the ability to fly.

The divine art wasn't long-lasting, but the duration was sufficient for a fierce battle.

"At worst, we can use the Ceremonial Barracks, set up camp at the front lines, and continue invoking divine assistance," Qing Chi said optimistically.

The Ceremonial Barracks could be deployed and retrieved quickly, with very little time required for either action. This was a significant advantage.

Qing Chi and Ning Zhuo had long considered this usage scenario: if the battle turned against them on the battlefield, they could directly deploy this barracks to gain defensive capabilities and buy time to catch their breath and heal.

Ning Zhuo, however, contemplated, "Although everyone can fly, combat capability is another matter."

"Sharpening your spear just before battle might not make it sharp, but it's better than nothing."

"Let everyone practice first. Otherwise, flying into the sky would be pure suicide!"

This suggestion immediately gained Qing Yan's approval.

Although Qing Chi was the commander, she almost always followed Ning Zhuo's advice and began training the troops on the spot.

Ning Zhuo, along with Jiao Ma's father and Qing Yan, served as instructors.

The latter two were at the Golden Core stage. At this level, aerial combat was a mandatory and常规 part of battle. Both had profound experience and skill in this area.

Ning Zhuo's performance, however, surprised everyone.

He also had considerable insight and mastery in aerial combat.

Qing Chi asked, "Xiao Ma, how are you so skilled at this? I never knew before."

Ning Zhuo's solid foundation in aerial combat was laid in the Fire Persimmon Immortal City.

The Cang Iron Han Armor possessed a cultivator's Golden Core, granting Ning Zhuo the combat capabilities of a Golden Core cultivator.

After the great war in the Two Injections Kingdom, Ning Zhuo absorbed lessons from the major battles and actively modified the Cang Iron Han Armor, further enhancing the aerial combat capabilities of this mechanical battle armor.

Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong each had one suit, and the two had even sparred deep in the clouds.

"Qing Chi, use the Army Seed," Ning Zhuo proposed decisively.

Qing Yan hesitated. "Use the Army Seed now? To quickly impart experience to the entire army, I'm afraid the Army Seed won't be usable for some time afterwards."

The Qing Jiao Army was a successfully formed cultivator army possessing an Army Seed.

The Army Seed was a significant trump card.

Using it now would mean they couldn't rely on it in the upcoming life-and-death battle.

Ning Zhuo insisted.

Jiao Ma's father, and the Jiao family naturally followed Ning Zhuo's lead.

Qing Chi also sided with Ning Zhuo.

Qing Yan sighed deeply and could only go with the majority.

Without a word, Qing Chi channeled a large amount of military strength into the Army Seed within her dantian.

Ning Zhuo, Qing Yan, and Jiao Ma's father personally provided guidance. After practicing for a while, the entire Qing Jiao Army made rapid progress.

This was all thanks to the Army Seed.

Once the Army Seed was cultivated to a certain stage, it could bestow the Qing Jiao Army with certain military tactics. Simultaneously, it allowed the soldiers to share combat experience.

Leveraging this power, the Qing Jiao Army achieved a basic crash course in aerial combat capability.

Retrieving the Ceremonial Barracks, the entire Qing Jiao Army soared upwards.

Each of them was enveloped in Yin wind, shooting straight into the clouds, quickly penetrating deep into the black clouds.

"An army is approaching!"

"What banner are they flying?"

"They aren't displaying any banner, ignoring warnings. They are hostile!"

The Qing Jiao Army's approach immediately alerted the defenders deep within the black clouds.

The defenders, having been轮番 assaulted by Lady Sorrowbone, the Silent Ghost Monk, Yin Jiuzhu, and others, had already lost more than half their forces and were actively recuperating.

The Qing Jiao Army's attack interrupted their recovery.

"The army isn't strong, but it might be a feint, hiding some powerful individuals..."

"Activate the great formation, focus on defense, block these enemies."

"Stay vigilant at all times, maintain strict戒备!"

The defenders quickly assessed the Qing Jiao Army. Finding them weak only made them more cautious and conservative.

They had already experienced assaults from three powerful individuals, each time breaching the center directly to engage in life-and-death combat with the River of Forgetfulness Prefect on the altar.

Even though the defenders were outside, manning the formation, they suffered heavy casualties just from the aftermath of the battles.

These bloody lessons were fresh in their minds. Seeing a weak force actively attacking now, their thoughts were: This is too strange! There must be a trick! It must be a diversion, a strategy to feint east and strike west!

"Charge, charge, charge!" Qing Chi soared skyward. The strong wind against her face stirred her fighting spirit.

Ning Zhuo, however, wore a grave expression. "Slow down, slow down. The enemy will surely seize this opportunity to attack. Our army has only just mastered aerial combat; this journey is dangerous!"

He was extremely wary. Putting himself in the defenders' shoes, he certainly wouldn't let such a good attacking opportunity pass.

Striking while the enemy is halfway across is a key military principle!

However, no attack came even as the Qing Jiao Army entered the black clouds.

The defenders fully activated the formation, churning the black clouds into a massive barrier. They adopted an extremely conservative tactic, fearing calculation by hidden powerful enemies.

This weak force was too bizarre!

The safest approach was to keep them outside the formation.

(End of )