Chapter 668: Ghost Army Expedition

If exorcists could sense the surge of Yin energy and ghostly aura, then ordinary demons and monsters could certainly feel it too. However, they couldn't grasp the reason behind such a large army of Yin soldiers passing through, and they realized it relatively late.

In a vast, uninhabited mountain range, shrouded in mystery and avoided by many, a banquet was underway. Besides the singing, dancing, and dishes made from large livestock, several people—men and women, mostly young—were brought into the hall, alive and consumed by extreme fear. Their eyes held nothing but terror and despair.

The eerie cave hall echoed with the excited laughter of monsters, large and small, who sat in a circle around a large stone table.

"Hahahaha... Let's enjoy ourselves these next few days! Do all the things we dared not do, eat all the food we held back from. Let's feast every day and sing every night, releasing all the frustrations we've bottled up. Soon, we'll go straight to Emperor Zuyue and demand titles. Once we become Celestial Masters, our fate will be intertwined with Zuyue's destiny, and we can continue to feast on the battlefield! Hahahaha..."

"Splendid, absolutely splendid! Come, come, eat and drink!"

"Bottoms up!"

"I'll have a taste of this plump fellow with the tender skin first."

"No, no, mercy! Please have mercy, great monster, ah!"

*Splurt...*

After the splatter of blood, came horrifying chewing sounds, and even the crunching of bones being ground to pieces.

*Whimpering...*

The Yin energy in the mountains grew increasingly dense. Gusts of chilling wind began to sway the forest, and suddenly, all sounds ceased, leaving an eerie silence.

The joyful sounds from the demon cave deep within the mountain abruptly stopped. Several of the most powerful monsters suddenly stood up.

"What's going on with this ghostly aura and Yin energy? There shouldn't be any powerful spirits or deities nearby!"

"No, something's wrong. Let's go out and see!"

Within the mountains, as the terrifying ghostly aura rapidly approached, a surge of demonic energy also rose into the sky. Many demonic lights ascended with it; some rode the demonic wind into the air, while others landed directly on the mountain peaks to observe.

In the distance, countless ghost soldiers charged forward. Some of them had already branched off to the left and right, circling behind the mountain in a very short time, encircling it from all directions. The leading ghost general rode at the forefront, and an endless ghostly fire permeated the air above the army formation.

From an outer peak, a man with an extremely thick beard and hair observed a war chariot rapidly moving within the ghost army. It was pulled by four powerful ghostly beasts engulfed in spectral fire. Standing on the chariot were a man in a green robe and a towering ghostly being clad in a dark python robe, wearing a crown and wreathed in black mist.

The heavily bearded man stepped directly into the sky and let out a roar towards the distant ghost army.

"Hmph—Old Ghost Wuya, why have you led your ghost army to my mountain? I have no quarrel with you. If you've come as a guest, you are welcome, but if you're here to cause trouble, I won't be courteous!"

Xin Wuya, within the ghost army, sneered. He pointed towards the man on the demonic cloud in the sky and addressed Ji Yuan.

"Mr. Ji, this demon is an old wolf from Yadang Mountain. Its cultivation is significant, and many nearby monsters follow its lead. It's an important target."

"Indeed, it possesses some power. Fortunately, it was still preoccupied with enjoying its newfound authority."

Ji Yuan nodded slightly. After his brief comment, he said no more. He extended his left hand to the side, and the Azure Vine Sword flew directly into his grasp. With a fluid motion, Ji Yuan drew the sword with his left hand.

*Zheng—*

The area around Yadang Mountain briefly lit up. A terrifying sword intent and a flash of sword light appeared and vanished instantly.

"Ah... ah..." "My eyes!"

"Ugh, the pain is unbearable!"

Many monsters on Yadang Mountain who had been watching the ghost army were injured by the sword's intent from looking directly at the sword light. Their eyes burned, they couldn't see, and their heads throbbed with pain. Many of them screamed and fell to the ground, rolling uncontrollably.

Meanwhile, the old wolf demon who had ascended into the sky became rigid. It pointed towards Ji Yuan, who was sheathing his sword in the direction of the ghost army.

"Uh, hngh... hngh..."

The wolf demon tried to speak but couldn't utter a single word. Its demonic energy became increasingly chaotic, and a crack appeared on its body, from which terrifying sword energy emanated. After a few breaths, its body split apart, its demonic cloud and wind dispersed, and it plummeted from the sky. Several other demons who had ascended with the wolf demon had already been dismembered and fallen to the ground.

Seeing this, a ghost general near the war chariot immediately roared out orders.

"Attack the mountain, attack the mountain! Leave no monster alive on Yadang Mountain! Kill—"

"Kill!" "Charge!"

*Roar...*

Tens of thousands of ghostly beings accelerated their charge towards Yadang Mountain, engaging in fierce combat with the demonic beasts and monsters. Those monsters who had fallen to the ground, clutching their eyes in pain, transformed into their true forms in panic, flailing wildly. Some attempted to escape by riding the demonic wind, but numerous large nets from the ghost formation transformed into streaks of light, striking the sky and ensnaring the demons. Countless arrows tipped with spectral fire soared through the air, and even ghost soldiers and common ghosts flew up, wielding weapons to slaughter them.

Within dozens of miles around Yadang Mountain, terrifying wails and howls echoed. It was fortunate that no one dared to live near the mountain, otherwise, the roars and screams would have been enough to drive people mad.

Yadang Mountain's resistance to the ghost army lasted only a brief moment, barely managing to create a ripple. Despite the monsters' counterattacks killing and wounding many veteran ghost soldiers, the ghost army's formation remained largely unaffected by their fearless charge.

After the ghost army passed through, Yadang Mountain fell into a deathly silence. Many monsters met horrific ends, often overwhelmed by hundreds or thousands of old ghosts who swarmed them, disregarding their own casualties. Not only were they cut down by weapons, but their vital energy was also mercilessly and endlessly devoured by the ghostly beings. The agony was akin to the 'Devoured by Ten Thousand Ghosts' punishment in the underworld's prisons; even demon cultivators found it unbearable, screaming until their last breath.

Even Xin Wuya and the ghost generals would reveal their ghostly forms to directly absorb the vital energy of captured demons. However, unlike the common ghost soldiers who were not picky, they would select the more suitable and palatable ones.

Ji Yuan neither explicitly approved nor stopped this scene, effectively giving his tacit consent. The Ghost City of Wuya's army would undoubtedly suffer losses in this expedition, so it was not unacceptable for the ghostly beings to use the opportunity of eliminating evil to enhance their cultivation.

Besides Yadang Mountain, multiple other ghost army divisions were rapidly spreading across various regions of Zuyue. The most formidable opponents were mostly located along the routes of the main ghost armies.

After Yadang Mountain, Ji Yuan did not draw his sword again. He merely used a stasis spell twice, and then threw out several humanoid paper talismans, which transformed into several extraordinarily muscular golden-armored divine generals. These generals charged at the forefront with the ghost army, while Ji Yuan himself remained unmoving on Xin Wuya's ghostly beast chariot.

For the other main ghost army divisions, Ji Yuan had lent several 'strength talismans' to the leading ghost generals before their departure, and these had already been activated.

At the edge of a forest in a basin, several monsters stood atop the surrounding mountain peaks, watching in shock as countless ghost soldiers rapidly moved along one side of the basin. Among them, two golden-armored divine generals, towering like golden giants, could be seen striding forward with the ghost army.

"What in the world is Old Ghost Wuya doing?"

"I don't know, but it's certainly nothing good. Luckily, they're not coming for us!"

"Before this, we all thought Dazhen's destiny was stronger. But if Old Ghost Wuya were to lead ghost soldiers to assist the Song clan of Zuyue, launching a night raid... Should we also seek out Emperor Song and ask to be appointed Celestial Masters?"

Just then, a cavalryman on a ghostly horse left the distant ghost army formation. Leaping between treetops and rocks, enveloped in an eerie ghostly aura, it swiftly approached.

This was a ghostly being that had cultivated for at least two hundred years. Having absorbed much vital energy from monsters that night, its ghostly aura was astonishingly strong. The demon cultivators on the surrounding mountains did not hide, knowing the rider was coming for them, and waited there.

The ghost rider galloped closer, leaping through the mountains with incredible speed. It soon arrived nearby and, still mounted, saluted the demon cultivators.

"Greetings, esteemed ones of Ring Valley Forest. My Lord City Master has commanded me to inform you, to avoid any misunderstanding, that our Netherworld Main Hall is under orders to suppress evil. The ghost army's advance is solely to eliminate malevolent demons and evil spirits within Zuyue. We bear no ill will towards the residents of Ring Valley Forest. Furthermore, the City Master wishes me to convey that he holds you in high regard, which is why he spared you. If any of you receive that golden parchment, you must not seek refuge with the Song clan of Zuyue, or you will surely invite disaster. We apologize for any disturbance tonight; our Netherworld Main Hall will offer a formal apology another day!"

"Oh, no trouble at all. Please inform City Master Xin that we had no intention of joining the Song clan of Zuyue."

"Indeed, please tell City Master Xin not to worry."

The ghost rider nodded, the ghostly fires in its helmet-covered eyes flickering. It clasped its fists and bowed again.

"I apologize for the disturbance. I'll take my leave now!"

With that, the ghost rider tugged its reins, and with a long whinny from the ghostly horse, it galloped off to catch up with the front of the ghost army formation.

Even with the massive ghost army from Wuya City, it was impossible to clear all evil spirits and demons from the entire Zuyue kingdom in a single night. Even with more time, some would inevitably escape. However, the ghost army's achievements were astonishing, even horrifying.

In just one night, over a hundred named demons and even wicked human cultivators perished under the ghosts' onslaught. Ji Yuan also acquired several dozen more golden parchments.

During the latter half of the journey, Ji Yuan primarily spent his time examining these golden parchments. From their material to their inscribed talismans, everything indicated the profound cultivation of their creators.

"Mr. Ji, here are two more."

Ji Yuan was sitting on the war chariot, examining one of the golden parchments, when Xin Wuya, fresh from another battle, returned holding two new golden parchments.

"Hmm, well done. Let's call it a night."

"Understood!"

After receiving the order, Xin Wuya commanded the ghost army to return to camp.

That night, Wuya City's forces split into multiple divisions, with several ghost armies invading evil spirits and demons along their predetermined routes. They turned the night in Zuyue upside down. Not only were demon cultivators like those in Ring Valley Forest shaken, but even the evil spirits who had already been appointed Celestial Masters of Zuyue watched with trembling hearts.

Previously, everyone knew that Wuya Ghost City was formidable, and Old Ghost Wuya himself was a powerful, ancient ghost. But they were still just ghosts, and not many truly regarded them with respect. Yet, that night, no demon or monster could withstand the ghost army's assault.