: Storming the Altar Battlefield

At this moment, Ning Zhuo recalled the advice of the Buddhist Physician, Meng Yaoyin.

She had told him that the reason she collected those spoils before leaving was due to a sudden spiritual insight, a calculation that these items might be of great help to Ning Zhuo.

"My mother is also skilled in divination."

"Perhaps her earlier premonition was meant for this very situation!"

This clue further boosted Ning Zhuo's confidence.

Ning Zhuo controlled the Light Goose, making it grasp the half-extinguished Silent Path Candle with its beak.

This part was easy, but the candle body couldn't be lit; it was no different from holding a stone.

"The Light Goose's power seems to be disassembling things, not lighting candles."

"I need a wick and a flame."

"Do I have a wick?"

Ning Zhuo scanned the pile of spoils given to him by the Buddhist Physician, Meng Yaoyin.

He found no wick.

"Was it not picked up? Or..."

The wick of the Silent Path Candle was made of yellowish-brown burial shroud, spirally wound together with strands of a woman's black hair.

After being affected by the power of the Primordial Dispersing Ruler, it separated into the burial shroud and the black hair.

Ning Zhuo saw many scattered materials, including these two.

But he wasn't a Mourning Music Ghost Maiden and didn't know which of the scattered materials were originally part of the candle wick.

"Even if I knew, it wouldn't help."

"These materials must have been refined through some kind of spell."

"I have no way of knowing this refinement method. Even if I did, would there be time to reforge it now?"

For a moment, Ning Zhuo was stumped.

"Do I need to plant a fire seed?"

Ning Zhuo possessed the fire seed [Fire in Wood], a major spoil he obtained while leading troops to attack Ten-Mile Burning Forest in the Thousand Peaks of Liangzhu Country.

With a fire seed, lighting the candle body would certainly be possible.

But any fire seed is exceptionally rare, let alone [Fire in Wood], which is a component of the Samadhi True Fire.

Ning Zhuo was a decisive person and wouldn't hesitate to make sacrifices at critical moments.

"The problem is, [Fire in Wood] is the fire of fuel, the fire of humans. In Ten-Mile Burning Forest, using human fire as a seed ostensibly refines various magical instruments, but it actually refines the Fire Crown Divine Fir through collective incense offerings."

"The candle body of the Silent Path Candle clearly leans towards the Yin and Ghost attributes, which are very different from human fire and might even conflict."

Ning Zhuo faced a critical decision.

Choosing wrong would mean the fire seed not only fails to activate the candle body's effect but also causes mutual consumption, wasting both the candle body and the fire seed.

Thus, causing Ning Zhuo to miss his last chance to disrupt the Forgotten River Lord's grand scheme.

Seeing Ning Zhuo hesitate, Qing Chi asked with concern, "Xiao Ma, do you want to light this candle?"

"I can help. You can use my fire."

Ning Zhuo looked at Qing Chi, his heart stirring: her green flame was indeed powerful and contained mysterious vitality. "Mysterious" because this flame could treat ghost cultivators.

This had been demonstrated multiple times in previous battles.

Ghost race bodies coexist with both life energy and death energy. Ordinary healing spells that purely stimulate life energy can harm ghosts because strong life energy can suppress and expel death energy, disrupting the fundamental composition of ghost bodies and causing worse results.

The green flame avoided this.

Ning Zhuo still didn't know the details of the green flame and had asked Qing Chi about it.

Qing Chi had no reason to hide it from Ning Zhuo, but she herself knew almost nothing about the green flame, only that it manifested from her innate talent.

As for what kind of talent, Qing Chi didn't know.

She told Ning Zhuo: After her talent manifested, her father, Qing Yan, had been secretly investigating but found no results. It was likely a completely new talent.

This was possible.

Long ago, the cultivation world had almost no innate talents.

At a certain stage, talents began appearing on a large scale.

While various talents became known to the world, new ones would also emerge.

Qing Chi might be such a case.

"Qing Chi is also of the ghost race. Her innate talent, from its origin, is compatible with ghosts and can coexist harmoniously."

"Ghost race bodies contain death energy, which can make up half of their composition. Because of this, ghosts are beings that can naturally survive in both the living world and the underworld."

"Unlike humans, who normally only have life energy. Only those who are severely ill, injured, or near death have significant death energy."

Ning Zhuo silently speculated that the green flame might be more suitable than [Fire in Wood].

"Which one is correct?"

"Or are there other options?"

Ning Zhuo subconsciously touched the mechanism ring on his index finger.

No matter which option he mentally considered, the mechanism ring showed no reaction.

"Are both acceptable? Or..." Ning Zhuo instinctively looked up at the sky, his frown deepening with worry.

"Young Master." Luo Si's soft reminder came from beside him.

Ning Zhuo started, realizing his indecision had dragged on too long.

Delay breeds trouble!

"Jiao Ma, let my girl do it." Qing Yan suddenly said.

Ning Zhuo focused his gaze on him; the latter's eyes didn't waver and were full of confidence.

Ning Zhuo's heart stirred, and he looked at Qing Chi: "You do it."

Qing Chi giggled, leaped forward to Ning Zhuo, reached out directly, and released green flame onto the candle body.

The green flame burned brightly, initially emerald green, but as the candle body melted, it quickly turned into a white fire, like frost, exuding cold air.

"It worked!" Ning Zhuo was overjoyed.

The others cheered too. They were deeply impressed by this candle flame.

Sure enough, amidst the spreading cold air, white frost drifted, beginning to affect the surrounding space.

Ning Zhuo didn't dare delay, decisively controlling the Light Goose to plunge into the thick wall of turbid energy.

The Light Goose's power decomposed the turbid energy barrier, while the burning Silent Path Candle formed a temporary path on this foundation.

It was a dark, winding path. On both sides, countless ghostly shadows layered upon each other, like a hundred ghosts carrying a coffin.

The Lone Goose carrying the candle breaks through the heavenly veil—success!

For a moment, the Qing Jiao Army erupted in cheers, the sound shaking the sky.

"Indeed! He is the savior of White Paper Immortal City, my destined lord." Luo Si's heart shook violently, though his expression remained unchanged.

Jiao Ma's birth father was so excited his whole body went numb.

Qing Chi cheered excitedly: "Amazing, Xiao Ma, you're so amazing!"

Ning Zhuo turned to her with a bright smile: "Qing Qing, you helped me greatly."

Praised by her beloved, Qing Chi put her hands on her hips and let out a hearty laugh.

Qing Yan seemed to want to say something but stopped, his gaze complex.

The Earth Fiend Turbid Filth Deity was dumbfounded!

Wh-what is this?

It never expected that choosing the safest defensive strategy would result in shooting itself in the foot.

If it had known, it would have been better to use the formation's boundary for protection!

"Qing Qing, we need to incorporate Luo Si into our army." Ning Zhuo immediately issued the order.

Qing Chi nodded, emphatically agreeing.

"Luo Si, you will command us." Ning Zhuo trusted those he employed without suspicion.

Luo Si felt moved by this trust but remained calm on the surface, promptly ordering the entire army to set out.

The Qing Jiao Army rushed along the winding path, charging towards the altar core.

"That's... the altar!"

"This is the core area!"

"Hahaha, following Young Master Jiao Ma to ultimate victory!!"

The Qing Jiao Army caught sight of the massive altar, their morale soaring.

"Damn it." The Earth Fiend Turbid Filth Deity nearly ground its teeth to dust.

Forced by circumstances, it had to temporarily abandon wearing down the ice coffin and instead deal a heavy blow to the Qing Jiao Army.

Deity Transformation level!

The Earth Fiend Turbid Filth Deity's powerful aura was fully unleashed, making the entire Qing Jiao Army shudder.

They hadn't expected such a big opponent!

How to fight this?

Even with a cultivation army, the opponent is Deity Transformation level!

The cultivation gap is too large.

Relying solely on an army like the Qing Jiao Army could never bridge it.

"Stay in the channel, supply all military power to me!" Seeing this, Luo Si didn't dare be careless. Gritting his teeth, he advanced to meet the Earth Fiend Turbid Filth Deity.

The cultivation levels of Ning Zhuo, Qing Chi, and others were far from the Deity Transformation level.

Even with military power and other leverages, they couldn't bridge the gap. The Qing Jiao Army was, after all, a new army!

In fact, even with a top-tier army and enough military power to leverage up to the Deity Transformation level, Ning Zhuo and Qing Chi couldn't withstand such massive external force加持.

Their bodies, souls, dantians, and other foundations were still limited by their cultivation and couldn't bear such enormous external power.

Luo Si shot out, clashing head-on with the Earth Fiend Turbid Filth Deity mid-air!

Boom.

A thunderous explosion echoed. The Earth Fiend Turbid Filth Deity remained in place, only stepping back slightly, while Luo Si was sent flying back.

Luo Si's entire body was numb from the impact, and the fist he used to block was so numb he lost sensation.

The Earth Fiend Turbid Filth Deity stood nearly three zhang tall, its body pitch-black as if carved directly from the most ancient mysterious iron mountains.

Its massive muscle textures resembled cracked, dried-up riverbeds millennia old, each furrow astonishingly deep, exuding an immensely heavy质感.

Thick, dark red,炽热veins, like molten rivers trapped deep underground, were faintly visible.

Just its appearance alone exerted powerful intimidation!

"Deity Transformation!"

Ning Zhuo, Qing Chi, and the others widened their eyes.

Talented as they were, this was their first time witnessing a Deity Transformation level existence firsthand.

Luo Si's expression was unprecedentedly grave. Just one clash made him feel the vast gap between them.

"Young Master, I can't hold out for long." He sent a mental message to Ning Zhuo while summoning a bronze war chariot.

Luo Si stood on the chariot and charged at the Earth Fiend Turbid Filth Deity.

Boom! Boom! Boom!...

The two engaged in fierce combat. Each collision was like a meteor striking the earth, creating terrifying sound waves that shook the surroundings.

With the treasure-level chariot's assistance, Luo Si compensated for the difference in physical strength.

But the entire Qing Jiao Army looked grim, their auras weakening.

This was because the chariot consumed military power. It was a weapon; using ordinary法力for consumption would be inefficient. Military power was the opposite.

Fighting a Deity Transformation level opponent consumed a terrifying amount of military power.

The Qing Jiao Army had rested and was in good condition, but after just a few exchanges, they were struggling.

This forced Qing Chi to reveal her trump card early, using the military supplies stored within the army seed.

Supplies were already scarce, and now they were being consumed rapidly to compensate for the huge drain of抽调military power, preventing the army from collapsing immediately.

Luo Si maneuvered the bronze war chariot, constantly circling the Earth Fiend Turbid Filth Deity.

After another collision, the bronze chariot was forced back over a dozen steps, its surface covered in cracks.

On the chariot, Luo Si staggered, almost falling off.

The Earth Fiend Turbid Filth Deity seized the opportunity, suddenly raising its massive mysterious iron arm.

Martial Art—Mountain Crushing Fist!

No fancy spell光芒, just the simplest, most direct punch.

The foul air in front was compressed into a wall of air.

Space groaned under the pressure.

On the fist's surface, the dark red molten veins became visible, flowing rapidly, imbuing the punch with terrifying heat!

Luo Si's heart turned cold. With his rich combat experience, he knew at a glance he must not be hit.

Military Tactic—Secretly Crossing at Chencang!

He ostensibly turned the chariot towards his allies but suddenly retreated instead.

Bam.

The Earth Fiend Turbid Filth Deity's punch was fearsome, but it ultimately hit empty air.

Luo Si avoided disaster, his brows furrowed, expression grave.

The accumulated damage to the bronze chariot reduced its speed and defense, making it harder for him to tangle with the Earth Fiend Turbid Filth Deity.

Amidst the busy fight, Luo Si glanced at the channel and saw the Qing Jiao Army was in poor condition.

"This new army is still too weak; the military power it provides is barely enough to operate this chariot."

If he commanded a full imperial guard army, he was confident he could leverage his combat power with military power and fight the Earth Fiend Turbid Filth Deity for many rounds.

But now, he understood he could only rely on himself.

Luo Si shouted sharply, channeling a large amount of his Nascent Soul法力into the chariot beneath him.

Hum!

The chariot emitted a bronze glow, numerous符文on its surface swirling with light. Carrying Luo Si, it suddenly drifted极限to the side, narrowly avoiding another punch from the Earth Fiend Turbid Filth Deity.

Boom!

The Mountain Crushing Fist grazed the chariot's tail and smashed down.

Crack.

Just the fist pressure grazing it caused the chariot's tail to emit a heart-stopping cracking sound!

The bronze glow instantly dimmed significantly.

Luo Si felt as if struck by a heavy hammer, his chest tightening.

"With the battle like this, I can only attack to defend, striving desperately to buy time." Enduring the shock, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes. He knew passive evasion meant certain death!

He cast out a fishing rod. Attached to the rod was a Forgotten River Ferry Line, and on the line hung a Three Lives Hanging World Hook.

He employed a fishing technique. The hook moved with extraordinary agility, carrying the line as it darted around the Earth Fiend Turbid Filth Deity's body.

In moments, the Deity was trussed up by the fishing line.

Luo Si poured all his strength into channeling法力. The line tightened sharply, digging deep into the Earth Fiend Turbid Filth Deity's body.

The hook flew into the air and descended vertically towards the Deity's forehead.

The Earth Fiend Turbid Filth Deity struggled in place, thick black smoke spewing from the holes on its head.

The smoke piled up into clouds, blocking the hook.

Crack, crack.

Luo Si's expression changed slightly.

The hook and line were fine, but the fishing rod was developing fine cracks...

"Luo Si is no match for this Deity Transformation avatar!"

"I must race against time, ascend the altar, and completely ruin the Forgotten River Lord's century-long scheme."

Ning Zhuo had already started moving.

But even though the altar was right before his eyes, he had to stop.

A river rushed torrentially.

He was blocked by a tributary of the Forgotten River.

This tributary encircled the altar like a jade belt. Wherever Ning Zhuo tried to break through, it flowed to that spot, creating an obstacle.

"This is the water of the Forgotten River. How can I cross it?" Ning Zhuo had to stop, pondering a way to break the deadlock.

(End of )