Chapter 446: Yin and Yang Have Virtue

After drawing his sword, Ji Yuan looked curiously at the ghosts holding flags and weapons. Among them were men and women, young adults and elderly, none of whom resembled true military spirits, yet their recent performance was remarkable.

The Earth God below was momentarily stunned. He quickly came to his senses and bowed to Ji Yuan.

"Thank you, Immortal Master, for your help. Otherwise, Maotan Village would surely have been overrun by plague spirits. There must be plague spirits causing trouble in the county as well at this moment. If you have time, please lend a hand there too!"

Ji Yuan looked back in the direction he came from and said to the Earth God, "There are no more plague spirits in the surrounding counties here. You should remain vigilant for now; everything should be fine before dawn."

With these words, Ji Yuan's spiritual light flashed, and he flew high into the distance again. It was not yet time for casual talk; he would return to the village once he could truly confirm that all plague spirits were gone.

Once Ji Yuan had left, the Earth God murmured with a look of relief, "Thank goodness..."

However, turning to look at the battlefield in front of the village, the spirits from the common grave had suffered heavy losses. From the initial hundred-plus, fewer than half remained. Many of them wandered the battlefield somewhat aimlessly, but most were gathering in one spot.

Following the direction where the spirits converged, a dozen or so ghosts were already gathered there. The Earth God felt a premonition and hurried over. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the leading armored ghost was lying down within the circle.

At this moment, the armored ghost's soul was weak and translucent, being supported by another armored ghost in front of him.

"The Earth God is here! The Earth God is here!"

The surrounding ghosts made way, allowing the Earth God to approach.

"Earth God, can you save him?" "Yes, please save the general!"

"That's right, Earth God, save the general!"

These ghosts knew well that the armored ghost had not held a high rank in the army during his lifetime, but at this moment, they all called him "General" and pleaded with the Earth God to save him.

"Gather around him! Ghost bodies are yin, and your collective presence will benefit him. I'll see if I can save him!"

At the Earth God's command, all the ghosts gathered around, forming several layers.

In the center, the short Earth God waved his staff, condensing spiritual energy with his magic power. He then slowly approached the armored ghost's body and lightly touched its forehead.

Streams of spiritual energy flowed into the ghost's body, making the armored figure slightly clearer, yet it still flickered, seemingly on the verge of dissipating at any moment.

"No, it's not enough. He's too severely wounded. His ghost body's foundation is unstable. While the yin energy is strong now, when the sun's power rises at dawn, it's hard to say if he'll endure, even if he hides in a grave. And even if he survives one day, it won't last long, alas..."

The Earth God's words caused the ghosts to fall silent.

"If only that Immortal Master could have helped, but he's already left!"

As for the "Immortal Master" the Earth God spoke of, Ji Yuan dared not let his guard down. He flew high into the sky and activated his Dharma Eye to search. For these special evil entities, his eyes were exceptionally effective.

After about another half hour, Ji Yuan could finally no longer detect any plague spirits. Chang Yi had also rejoined him high above a certain spot in Dahe County.

"Mr. Ji, these entities born from the earth's malevolence cannot strictly be called ghosts; 'evil spirits' is a more fitting term. Although the plague spirits have been eliminated, the plague itself has already spread. For mortals, this is a great catastrophe!"

Ji Yuan surveyed the land. This plague had spread rapidly due to the plague spirits, and the affected area was comparable in size to the entire Jizhou Prefecture. Due to population density, the number of victims wouldn't be as high as Jizhou's total population, but it was certainly substantial.

"So many people are afflicted!"

Although cultivators were called immortals by some mortals, ghosts, deities, and even demons, even the most powerful cultivators had limited abilities. At the very least, they could not truly bring people back from the dead; those who could certainly did so for special reasons.

From what he had briefly understood tonight, this plague had been ongoing for at least half a month. Furthermore, due to the plague spirits, the disease was exceptionally virulent. While daytime was manageable, at night, plague spirits rampaged, siphoning off vital energy. Consequently, countless people had already died from the plague.

Ji Yuan and Chang Yi could eliminate plague spirits and even gather a spiritual breeze to dispel the lingering malevolent energy left by them. However, they could not instantly cure countless sick people, much less resurrect the dead. At best, they could make the currently ill feel better when touched by the spiritual breeze, increasing their chances of recovery.

However, people's physical constitutions vary, and the affected area was too vast, with too many people. Ji Yuan and Chang Yi, despite expending a great deal of magic power, could only do so much. In the time to come, people would undoubtedly continue to die from the illness, and not in small numbers. Moreover, if any infected individuals had fled early and the disease "blossomed" elsewhere, even immortals would find it hard to help.

Seeing Ji Yuan frown, Chang Yi thought for a moment before voicing his thoughts.

"This Yuanzhao Kingdom is in utter chaos, with its people suffering immensely, skeletal remains everywhere, and famines plaguing various regions. This calamity was long predestined; only its form has changed. Now with the plague sweeping through, disaster relief efforts are surely dire. Its mandate is ending; the nation will cease to be a nation!"

"Indeed. A nation like a crumbling house, already rife with constant warfare and banditry, now faces the disaster of plague spirits, which has severely damaged both the common people and the underworld authorities in vast areas. This house is likely to collapse..."

Chang Yi nodded and said to Ji Yuan, "Sir, the direction of the earth's malevolent energy has been found. Shall we search for those demons and monsters again?"

Ji Yuan shook his head. Those demons and monsters had likely fled far away. Putting himself in their shoes, if he had witnessed the Heaven-Tipping Sword, he would certainly run as far as possible too.

"Not for now. Hmm, follow me to a place."

With that, Ji Yuan rode his cloud towards Maotan Village.

In this widespread event, many ghosts and deities surely wished to curry favor with Ji Yuan and Chang Yi. But precisely because there were so many, Ji Yuan chose to avoid them if possible. In comparison, he was more curious about the group of armed, fighting ghosts outside that small village.

Outside Maotan Village, the ghosts from the common grave had not yet dispersed. After all, they weren't sure if the plague spirits would return and intended to guard until dawn. But instead of plague spirits, a white cloud drifted over.

The Earth God and the ghosts saw from afar two Immortal Masters standing on the cloud, one of whom was the very one who had previously wielded his sword to slay the plague spirits.

"Maotan Village's Earth God, along with the spirits of the common grave, greets the two Immortal Masters!"

Having been somewhat remiss in etiquette before, this time the Earth God, without waiting for the white cloud to fully descend, led all the ghosts in a grand bow. When they looked up, Ji Yuan and Chang Yi had already landed.

Hearing the Earth God's words, Ji Yuan repeated them with slight surprise, asking for clarification. "A common grave?"

He had previously thought these ghosts were either military spirits or deceased ancestors of the villagers, but wondered why there were so many young ones among them. Now he understood: they were spirits from a common grave.

The Earth God quickly replied, "Precisely. The spirits fighting tonight are the roadside remains that Maotan villagers have buried in the common grave over the years. To repay this kindness, the spirits of the common grave fought desperately to shield Maotan villagers from the plague spirits!"

As he spoke, the Earth God subtly pointed towards the area where the ghosts were gathered. "The leading armored ghost general is now severely wounded and is about to dissipate!"

"Is that so?"

Ji Yuan frowned and quickly strode towards the group of ghosts, who instinctively moved aside.

When Ji Yuan reached the area where the ghosts had been clustered, he saw an armored spirit lying there, its body appearing insubstantial and its yin energy steadily dissipating.

"Mr. Ji, I possess Yin Prime Water Essence, which should stabilize this ghost and prevent its dissipation!"

Speaking, Chang Yi did not hesitate. With a flick of his sleeve, he held a slender, pristine white bottle. He then approached the armored spirit and slightly tilted the bottle's mouth, causing a drop of water, faintly shimmering with light, to appear at the opening.

"Drip..."

The water drop fell onto the armored ghost, as if landing in water, and caused a ripple through its ethereal form.

As this single drop of water merged with its body, the armored ghost's form solidified at a visible rate.

"It's all right now! It's all right!" "The general is saved..."

Some ghosts whispered, barely containing their excitement. Though their time together was short, this armored spirit had awakened them from their stupor, giving their existence more meaning and humanity than when they were alive.

In fact, many spirits in the common grave had been in a state of dull numbness, barely reacting to the outside world. However, with the armored spirit's encouragement, a spiritual resonance arose and grew stronger. Many ghosts were able to awaken from their stupor, regaining their senses and re-experiencing emotions.

This sense of resonance was the foundation of the camaraderie among the common grave spirits, and it was also the transformative grace the armored spirit had bestowed upon many of them. Therefore, all the ghosts here held him in great reverence.

"The Yin Prime Water Essence has a miraculous effect in stabilizing souls. However, his own soul body is too weak; he won't wake up just yet. Send him back to his grave for good rest, and he will surely awaken within three days."

"Yes, yes! Quickly send him to his grave. There's nothing more to worry about here for now!"

After Chang Yi finished speaking, the Earth God added his instructions. The ghosts quickly bowed in gratitude, then carried the armored spirit to the common grave.

Once the ghosts departed, only Ji Yuan, Chang Yi, and the Earth God remained. Ji Yuan looked at the still-peaceful Maotan Village, finally finding leisure to inquire about the common grave.

The Earth God, of course, spoke without reservation, recounting the history of the common grave's establishment with a slightly wistful tone.

"In less than ten years, no fewer than two hundred bodies have been buried in this common grave. The local underworld authorities have limited capabilities, with restless spirits and wandering ghosts everywhere, so they simply cannot manage everything. I have been guarding it all this time..."

The Earth God rambled on for a long time, while Ji Yuan and Chang Yi listened quietly beside him. After hearing everything, Ji Yuan also sighed with emotion.

"Such virtue is truly rare in chaotic times!"

He glanced at Maotan Village, then at the common grave, and added, "This applies to both the living in the mortal world and the spirits in the underworld!"

At this moment, the eastern sky began to lighten, and dawn had already broken.