Chapter 646: Please Ask the Gods for Help

A light flickered in Qing Chi's eyes as Ning Zhuo's reminder sparked an idea. From her storage belt, she retrieved a paper model.

It rested in Qing Chi's palm, smaller than a maiden's hand, exquisitely delicate like a child's toy. The entire barracks was folded, cut, and pasted from strange, pale white talisman paper. Windows, camp gates, watchtowers, and even the miniature altar in the central plaza were clearly visible, with astonishingly fine detail. It also exuded a scent of mixed incense ash and cold grave soil.

This was the Ceremonial Barracks. It was a significant and costly military artifact. Qing Chi and Ning Zhuo naturally couldn't create it, nor did they have the resources. This artifact had been lent to them by the current Lord of White Paper Immortal City.

During the army's formation, there was a phase known as "military artifacts." A large number of military artifacts were required to complete the most basic army formation. The Lord of White Paper Immortal City proactively lent a large number of military artifacts to the Azure Blaze Army, including not only the Ceremonial Barracks but also the Bone Blade Battle Banner, Crescent Moon Sabre, Sky-Rending Spear, and Black Blood Paper Horses.

There was only one Ceremonial Barracks.

Immediately, Qing Chi channeled magic and military power into the barracks model in her hand. Qing Chi's total magic power was insufficient to activate this artifact alone, but the Azure Blaze Army now possessed abundant military power. A massive amount of military power was instantly drawn upon and completely consumed by the Ceremonial Barracks.

The paper barracks floated into the air, hovering motionlessly. The next moment, countless intricate runes rapidly appeared, flowed, and intertwined across the surface of the paper barracks. The glow of the runes grew increasingly intense. The paper barracks also began to swell dramatically against the wind. The folded paper walls unfurled like blossoming flowers, layer by layer, hardening and rising. In an instant, towering, dark-azure stone walls, engraved with austere ghost talismans and beast-head totems, stood majestically, their battlements interlocked like canine teeth. Watchtowers, barracks, stables, and parade grounds – all structures materialized from the ethereal, transforming from paper cutouts into cold stone and shadowy ironwood as runes flowed over them.

In the center of the barracks, the most prominent miniature altar from the model had now transformed into a ten-foot-square, nine-tiered bone altar! Its flat top was inscribed with a large, complex magic array, emitting a mysterious aura that hinted at the summoning and communication of ghostly divine wills.

The appearance of the barracks elicited gasps of awe. The entire Azure Blaze Army was astonished, but their mounts remained motionless; after all, the Black Blood Paper Horses were exceptionally stable and reliable military artifacts. Ning Zhuo and Qing Chi, however, remained calm. They had already privately examined and understood all the military artifacts beforehand. This Ceremonial Barracks was no exception.

"Into the barracks! To the altar!" Qing Chi commanded. The Azure Blaze Army quickly and orderly surged into the suddenly appeared sanctuary, finally forming a solemn formation below the altar. Qing Chi led, with Ning Zhuo slightly behind and to her side. They both ascended the altar. Qing Chi channeled military power, activating the altar. Ning Zhuo, meanwhile, took out a large quantity of azure-purple talisman coins and tossed them into the center of the magic array. The magic array began to operate, emitting a gray light. This light formed a wave that suddenly expanded in all directions. It spread with incredible speed, almost instantaneously reaching the horizon before disappearing from sight.

Qing Chi began to pray aloud: "With bone as fuel, with soul as guide! To the esteemed deities above, who wield the underworld and possess boundless might! Today, we offer thirty thousand talisman coins as sacrifice, humbly imploring your divine mercy to bestow upon us divine power, enabling us to soar through the heavens! Should our plea be answered, the entire Azure Blaze Army shall forever remember your divine grace and offer triple the talisman coins after the battle!"

Qing Chi's prayer caused ripples in space. A will, heavy as a mountain and decayed like an ancient tomb of ten thousand years, suddenly descended! The void above the altar twisted, faintly manifesting the colossal skeletal phantom of a giant god, seated upon a throne of bones and crowned with thorns.

The Skeleton Mountain God! His cold gaze swept over the barracks, then over the thirty thousand azure-purple talisman coins on the altar, viewing them as useless refuse. The next moment, the divine phantom let out a dull, thunderous snort, filled with contempt, and instantly dissipated!

Three breaths later.

A rushing sound of water filled everyone's ears, like an underground current in a cavern. Immediately, another will arrived. Above the altar, countless flowing water phantoms appeared, within which a conch shell vaguely emerged. The natural patterns on the conch shell formed a gigantic eye. The eye rotated, indifferently scrutinizing the offerings. The ghost flames on the altar were almost distorted by an unseen force. The sound of water in everyone's ears grew much louder. Ning Zhuo narrowed his eyes: "It seems to be communicating?" But Qing Chi, as a general of the army, looked bewildered. After a few breaths, the giant eye on the conch shell showed clear disappointment and weariness, and its divine presence receded. The conch and the phantom of the current in mid-air dissipated as if scattered by the wind.

Ching-a-ling...

The third deity noticed the summoning. On the altar, a series of fragmented sounds, like colliding ice crystals, resonated. Then, countless shattered mirror fragments appeared in mid-air, and a voice filled with endless echoes resounded in the hearts of everyone in the army: "Ants—..."

"These meager offerings—"

"More is needed."

"Sacrifice yourselves—"

Ning Zhuo's expression changed. He sent a telepathic message: "Qing Chi." Qing Chi nodded and quickly manipulated the magic array to block the divine thought.

There were many deities in this world. Some were benevolent gods, like the Heavenly God Covenant, while others were malevolent, like the Wandering Deities. Whether benevolent or malevolent, righteous or evil, all kinds of gods could be dealt with. But the Broken Mirror Guimother, who had just appeared, was different. She was a deity of the Bizarre Path! One moment a contract might be signed, the next she would turn hostile and disavow it. The terrifying part was that her turning hostile wasn't based on interest or purpose, but merely the incomprehensible nature of the Bizarre Path itself.

After three consecutive failures, Qing Chi subtly turned, shot Ning Zhuo a cautionary glance, and telepathically communicated: "Should we add more offerings?" Ning Zhuo immediately shook his head: "I've researched many of the deities in the Netherworld. Summoning deities isn't just about the quantity of offerings; it also depends on the one presiding over the ritual. Since I'm participating in this ritual, my fate alone is enough to attract many ghostly deities. We cannot add too many offerings! Otherwise, we'll attract overly powerful ghostly deities. The divine power they project through the altar is more than we can bear. If they have ill intentions, we'll become living sacrifices. Our target is the Night Roaming God. There are many such minor deities; if we wait a little longer, we should get a response. No need to rush." Qing Chi nodded: "Xiao Ma, I'll follow your lead."

No sooner had she spoken than the altar reacted.

Whoosh!

The sound of wind swept through. A long, flickering figure appeared. He was draped in a massive cloak. The shadows beneath his hood were bottomless, with only two erratically dancing, pale phosphorescent flames, like pinpricks, serving as his eyes. His limbs were unusually slender, shrouded in wide sleeves and pant legs, and he moved silently, resembling a colossal, living paper kite silhouette.

It was indeed a Night Roaming God! He hovered above the altar, his two pale phosphorescent 'eyes' sweeping over the barracks, finally settling on the thirty thousand azure-purple talisman coins.

"You seek to tread the void?"

Qing Chi nodded and prayed again, expressing her reverence. "'This wish is quite minor, quite minor,' the Night Roaming God stated, indicating it was a trivial matter." Qing Chi turned to Ning Zhuo, who gave her a slight nod. Soon, a divine pact was implicitly reached. Qing Chi fully opened the magic array, creating a stable channel. The Night Roaming God's cloak stirred, and a hand, shrouded in a wide sleeve, extended. His hand was withered and pale, with long, narrow fingernails like bird claws, and faint shadowy winds swirled around his fingertips. He pointed towards the entire army. The next moment, the entire Azure Blaze Army involuntarily floated three feet off the ground. After completing this, the Night Roaming God retracted his hand and gracefully waved his sleeve. The thirty thousand azure-purple talisman coins on the altar instantly vanished.

"Success!" Qing Chi exhaled, fine beads of sweat visible on her forehead. Ning Zhuo, deep in thought, mused: "Mother said my fate was special, and now it seems she was right! A mere thirty thousand talisman coins shouldn't have attracted such widespread attention. The first three Netherworld deities were extremely formidable. The Skeleton Mountain God is one of the Netherworld's powerful deities, his name widely known. That conch-shaped god is very mysterious; I don't know its name, but just from its phantom, I could tell it was incredibly difficult to deal with. Not to mention the third one, the Broken Mirror Guimother, a deity of the Bizarre Path. Even the first two would likely choose to keep their distance from her. Even the last one, the Night Roaming God, isn't ordinary. Judging by his power, he clearly possesses formidable combat strength, and is likely not far from achieving a unique divine name."

Ning Zhuo gathered his thoughts and descended the altar with Qing Chi. With the ritual successful, the divine spell unleashed by the Night Roaming God covered the entire Azure Blaze Army. After examining it, Qing Chi, Ning Zhuo, and others found that this divine spell indeed allowed them to float in the air, temporarily granting them the ability to fly. The spell wasn't permanent, but its duration was sufficient for a fierce battle.

"Even if worse comes to worst, we can still use the Ceremonial Barracks, set up a forward base, and continue to invite divine assistance," Qing Chi said optimistically. The Ceremonial Barracks could be deployed and retrieved quickly, taking very little time. This was a significant advantage. Qing Chi and Ning Zhuo had already considered such usage scenarios: on the battlefield, if things turned unfavorable, they could directly deploy this barracks to gain defensive capabilities and buy time to rest and heal.

Ning Zhuo pondered: "Although everyone can fly, combat capability is another matter entirely. It's never too late to sharpen one's skills. Let everyone practice first, otherwise flying into the sky would simply be suicide!" This suggestion immediately gained Qing Yan's approval. Although Qing Chi was the commander, she almost always followed Ning Zhuo's advice, and immediately began training the troops on the spot. Ning Zhuo, Jiao Ma's father, and Qing Yan acted as instructors. The latter two were both Golden Core cultivators. At this level, aerial combat was a mandatory part of fighting and a regular combat skill. Both had extensive experience and veteran tactics in this regard.

Ning Zhuo's performance, however, astonished everyone. He also displayed considerable insight and mastery in aerial combat. Qing Chi asked: "Xiao Ma, how did you get so good at this? Why didn't I know before?" Ning Zhuo's solid foundation in aerial combat had been laid in the Fire Persimmon Immortal City. The Dark Iron Knight Armor possessed a cultivator's Golden Core, granting Ning Zhuo the combat abilities of a Golden Core cultivator. After the war between the two nations, Ning Zhuo drew insights from the conflict and actively modified the Dark Iron Knight Armor, further enhancing its aerial combat capabilities. Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong each had a suit, and they had even sparred in the depths of the sky.

"Qing Chi, let's use the Military Seed," Ning Zhuo decisively suggested. Qing Yan hesitated: "Use the Military Seed now? If we want the whole army to quickly gain experience, I'm afraid the Military Seed won't be usable for a while after this." The Azure Blaze Army was a genuine, successfully formed cultivation army, possessing a Military Seed. The Military Seed was a crucial trump card. If they used it now, they wouldn't be able to rely on it during the fierce life-or-death battles to come.

Ning Zhuo insisted. Jiao Ma's biological father, and the Jiao family, naturally obeyed Ning Zhuo. Qing Chi also sided with Ning Zhuo. Qing Yan sighed deeply, having no choice but to go along with it. Without a word, Qing Chi poured a large amount of military power into the Military Seed within her dantian. Ning Zhuo, Qing Yan, and Jiao Ma's father personally guided the training. After a short practice session, the entire Azure Blaze Army made rapid progress. This was all thanks to the Military Seed. Once cultivated to a certain stage, the Military Seed could impart some military strategies to the Azure Blaze Army. At the same time, it also allowed soldiers to share combat experience. With this power, the Azure Blaze Army achieved rapid basic proficiency in aerial combat.

Packing away the Ceremonial Barracks, the entire Azure Blaze Army soared upwards. Each of them was wreathed in shadowy winds, rushing straight into the sky, swiftly plunging into the black clouds.

"An army is approaching!"

"What banner are they flying?"

"They're not displaying a banner, defying our warnings. They're enemies, not allies!"

The Azure Blaze Army's approach immediately put the defenders deep within the black clouds on high alert. The defenders had already suffered heavy losses from successive battles against the Tragic Bone Matron, Silent Ghost Monk, Yin Jiuzhu, and others, and were actively regrouping. The Azure Blaze Army's attack interrupted their recovery.

"Although the army isn't strong, it might be a diversion, hiding some powerful individuals—"

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

"Maintain constant vigilance and strict guard!"

The defenders quickly investigated the Azure Blaze Army. Discovering their lack of strength, they instead became highly vigilant and conservative. They had successively experienced surprise attacks from three powerful individuals, each time charging directly to the center to engage in life-or-death battles with the Lord of Oblivion's Mansion on the altar. Even those defenders positioned outside, who were managing the magic formation, suffered heavy losses just from the residual effects of the battles. They had just learned many bloody lessons. Now, seeing a weak force actively attacking, their immediate thoughts were: "This is too strange! Something's fishy! It must be a diversion, a feint to the east to strike west!"

"Charge, charge, charge!" Qing Chi soared into the sky. The strong wind on her face invigorated her fighting spirit. Ning Zhuo, however, wore a solemn expression: "Slow down, slow down. The enemy will definitely seize this opportunity to attack. Our army has only just mastered aerial combat; this is a dangerous path!" His heart filled with utmost caution. Putting himself in the defenders' shoes, he knew he wouldn't miss such an excellent opportunity to attack. Striking an enemy halfway across a river is a core principle of military strategy!

However, even as the Azure Blaze Army entered the black clouds, no attacks came. The defenders fully activated their magic formation, stirring up rolling black clouds to form a massive barrier. They adopted an extremely conservative tactic, fearing being ambushed by hidden powerful enemies. This weak force was too strange! The safest way was to keep them outside the formation.