Chapter 108 Ghost General
Shinju didn't expect to be taken to the Soul Reaper's Office. At first glance, he saw many ghost soldiers missing arms and legs.
If he hadn't followed the rabbit-like Yin soldiers and seen them descend and greet several of them, he would have almost thought that these Yin soldiers always looked like this. Later, he learned that they had just gone through a fierce battle and returned defeated from the immortal cultivation world in the mortal realm. The Yin energy they had absorbed could not be fully replenished, so they could not piece together their bodies and were left with a body full of defects. They were waiting for medical and medicinal cultivators skilled in healing and recovery to come over.
"Gui, don't go! Don't listen to Horse-Face's nonsense. There's no point in adding more ghosts. This one... is probably more than just a ghost general."
"Pfft, there are more than just ghost generals, then it must be a ghost king! How is that possible? There hasn't been a ghost king on earth for nearly a hundred years!" The rabbit-eared soldier suddenly shook its rabbit ears, almost hitting the True Monk standing next to it.
Shinjuku stepped back half a step and continued to listen to their complaints.
"That's what we all thought before we went—" The ghost soldiers of their Soul-Hooking Division were always stubborn, and knowing they wouldn't listen to advice, they all gave up.
"If it weren't for Master Bai bravely blocking that attack, we probably wouldn't be back. Sigh, Master Bai's fate was truly tragic." They sighed deeply, and then finally noticed the True Monk next to the Rabbit Yin Soldier, "Where did this new recruit come from? He hasn't even shown a hint of demonic transformation yet."
Any spirit that stays in the underworld for a period of time will inevitably become demonic. However, elite spirits like the Black and White Impermanence or Ox-Head and Horse-Face can conceal their demonic characteristics. But there are only a handful of Shangguan Longs, and they would definitely recognize him. Therefore, the young man before them could only be a brand-new spirit.
Shinju was taken aback. He wondered how the other party could have seen him under the straw hat and raincoat when he hadn't even raised his face.
The rabbit-like ghost soldiers were too lazy to explain. They waved their thick claws, picked up the person, and hopped away.
By this time, Shinju already knew why he had been brought in to help. Circumstances create heroes, and the more chaotic the times, the easier it was for him to infiltrate the underworld. If he could capture that so-called ghost general, then becoming a member of the underworld would be a certainty.
He needed the waist tokens of the ghost soldiers, which was his primary goal along the way, because he thought that since the ghost soldiers were to help guard the ghosts, their waist tokens could probably help them see and mark the ghosts.
Besides this, he had no other options for the time being, so Shinjuku decided to give it a try.
Before long, Zhen Su was led to a place where ghostly soldiers gathered. The uneven rocky ground emitted an eerie red light, making the ground seem as if it were covered in blood. Hundreds of coffins were arranged around the perimeter, all facing the same direction. However, there was a black coffin in the center, which faced completely differently from the others. Combined with the yellow talismans covering the coffin, it was impossible not to notice it at a glance.
The rabbit-like ghost soldier Agui transformed back into her original petite and exquisite form. She stepped forward and spoke a few words to a ghost messenger with a horse face, horse hooves, and a human body. Then, she pointed at Zhensu and, after receiving the horse face's approval, circled back to Zhensu and said, "We'll be setting off in a quarter of an hour. What equipment do you need? Going to the ghost market now might be too late. Let me see if I can help you gather some."
"Are we going to capture that demon general?" Shinju asked.
Agui's large rabbit teeth wobbled up and down, then paused, and wobbled left and right. "We have Ox-Head and Horse-Face to capture, and we are mainly responsible for maintaining the Soul-Capturing Array."
Mayuki asked in confusion, "Why me?" Although he was the one who approached her, this kind of once-in-a-century job couldn't be done by just kidnapping someone off the street.
Agui made no attempt to hide his gaze as he looked Shinju up and down, simply saying, "Intuition."
Shinju's eyes flickered slightly. He didn't know if he could get the real reason if he continued to ask, but if it provoked the other party to investigate his background and name, then he would be in trouble.
Therefore, Shinju did not press the matter further, and immediately changed the subject, "Is there any repurposed artifact? Besides that, we also need a storage bag."
Agui pondered for a moment, then asked in surprise, "Is this all?"
"Can you get it?"
“No problem. I’m the most well-informed person in the Tenth Division. If I couldn’t handle this little thing, I wouldn’t be working here anymore. Okay, you wait here.”
Shinjuku is just waiting.
However, just before handing over the items after A-Gui brought them back, he suddenly remembered something and looked up to ask Masatsu: "How much did you spend?"
Zhensu: "..."
Agui: "..."
The two stared at each other for a moment, their eyes wide. Suddenly, A-Gui jumped ten feet high, so angry she stammered, "You you you you..."
"If I had money, I wouldn't need to look for work. Lend it to me first, Sister Gui."
Agui clenched the rabbit's ears in frustration, making them droop and look particularly aggrieved. But the bell for teleportation had already rung, and she had no choice but to agree to Masukuni's request for credit. "You'd better come back alive, and don't run around, understand?!"
Shinju readily agreed, then accepted the Qiankun bag and attached the disguise veil that could conceal his true appearance to his face. In no time, the veil blended seamlessly with his skin. Shinju didn't know what he looked like, but when he looked at Agui, the other person rolled his eyes, presumably revealing an unappealing appearance.
That's good. Even if we encounter Black Impermanence, we shouldn't be recognized.
Soon, only a dozen or so people remained around the dark coffin, mostly fierce-looking ghost soldiers. Led by Ox-Head and Horse-Face, they all leaped into the coffin, which was shrouded in black mist.
Agui glanced at Masakuni, signaling him to go in first.
Shinju pretended to casually stroke the edge of the coffin, feeling its icy chill. The black mist was pure and yin energy, but Shinju dared not inhale it into his body. This was an important key to the teleportation array, and if it was missing, it might affect their return.
Without lingering, Shinju lifted his eyelids and strode into the coffin.
In an instant, the black mist suddenly surged, like a raging flood, instantly blasting away the remaining Yin soldiers. Agui immediately transformed into a giant rabbit to protect the others, but before they could regroup and rush towards the coffin, the coffin lid had already been tightly closed, sealing it perfectly.
"?!" The rest of the people were stunned.
.
In the mortal realm, in the world of cultivation, in Zhoufu Village.
Following Ox-Head, Horse-Face, and eight ghost soldiers, Zhen Su walked along a village path shrouded in mountain mist. It was late at night, close to dawn, and wisps of smoke rose from many earthen houses, the faint aroma of firewood dispelling the frosty wind carrying the scent of grass.
A drunkard, staggering and swaying, had just wandered back from outside the village at this hour. He spotted a neat, straight tree branch by the roadside and bent down to pick it up. Suddenly, he felt a bone-chilling wind blow past his back, which startled him sobered him up. He quickly covered his backside and turned around, but there was no one in sight.
"That's strange... why does it feel like there's a huge group of people?" The drunkard scratched his head, abandoning his tree branch, and hurriedly headed home.
After walking for a while, the group of ghost soldiers realized that Agui and the others hadn't followed. They were very puzzled, but time was of the essence, so they had to continue on their way.
Beneath the secluded corner of this simple village lies a menacing, ominous place—the underground palace of a former imperial tomb that had been usurped. The owner of such a prestigious tomb could not tolerate the fact that his remains and ashes had been switched during the secondary burial, that the inscriptions praising his achievements had been altered beyond recognition, and that all the burial goods, his family, and servants had fallen into the hands of unknown villains. Such a place naturally harbors deep resentment. Thus, this place has always been a place of unresolved issues; the Black and White Impermanence (the spirits of death) mistakenly took the wrong soul, and the original emperor, reduced to ashes, has been bound to this tomb ever since, becoming a vengeful ghost.
However, the situation has changed recently. Mere vengeful ghosts are no match for the entire Tenth Division; what truly alarms them is the appearance of a ghost general-level figure in this tomb. Upon his arrival, he devoured the local tyrant ghost that had long reigned supreme, along with wandering spirits and other ghosts from within a hundred miles, regardless of size, acting like a mindless, instinct-driven demon. As the ghost general's power increased, his malevolent aura directly affected nearby villages, causing many villagers to be possessed and lose their souls. Even calling for exorcists or spirit mediums was to no avail.
When the Black and White Impermanence arrive, they can't even collect all the souls, which tells you something strange is going on.
Then they discovered the existence of the Ghost General.
When Zhen Su stepped out of the coffin and into the long-lost mortal world, he felt something was wrong. He then realized that his immortal body had not been in contact with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth for far too long. When he came into contact with this "massive amount" of spiritual energy all at once, he seemed to be somewhat intoxicated by the spiritual energy.
However, Zhen Su's presence was so weak that none of the ghost soldiers and messengers paid him any attention. As a result, he slept on the ground without being noticed by any ghosts, who all went into the underground palace.
When they finally met the ghost general's murderous aura and were blasted to pieces, barely escaping with their lives, they realized their great formation was missing someone. Since A-Gui and the others had inexplicably failed to follow, the formation's power was already weakened; with one less person, victory was virtually impossible.
They dragged their injured bodies out to look for Mayu, only to find Mayu lying on the ground, fast asleep.
"..." In an instant, Ox-Head and Horse-Face even had the urge to strangle him.
He pulled the person awake, intending to escape together, but Shinjuku asked confusedly, "Aren't we going to fight the demon general?"
"It's over!! No one can withstand his murderous aura! Not even half an incense stick's worth!!" Ox-Head and Horse-Face huffed and puffed, their eyes gleaming with ferocity.
"I'll be right back." Zhen Su's immortal body quickly adapted to the abundance and flow of spiritual energy. His lower dantian became clear, and as soon as his divine sense opened, he rushed towards the core of the underground palace, a mass of crimson purple.
Their speed was so fast that even the Ox-Head and Horse-Face, whose strength far surpassed that of the Black and White Impermanence, could not catch up with them.
As soon as he stepped into the underground palace, Zhen Su's aura became rapid. He could feel an immense pressure, like a dragon or a snake, coiling around him, making him unable to move. Although his divine sense could clearly see the main tomb chamber where he was, and a foot away from him, there was a ball of crimson aura burning like a raging fire, he could not see a single person or even a ghost with his naked eye.
The oppressive aura seemed unsatisfied with merely entangling him; it began to intensify, penetrating his clothing and tracing every inch of his delicate skin. Simultaneously, a sensual and explicit scene unfolded freely within his secondary dantian.
"Let...me go..." When Shinju realized that his mansion had been invaded, he was already completely naked.
What kind of ghost general is he? He's just a lecherous bastard!
He was so angry his head ached, but the oppressive aura was clearly formed from malevolent energy, capable of corroding bones and tearing hearts apart with a single touch. Moreover, he discovered that he couldn't even draw away or redirect the malevolent energy. In desperation, he could only release the demonic energy from the four-petaled lotus tattoo on his back to counteract it.
Unexpectedly, whether it was a hallucination or not, he heard the crimson mass seem to let out an angry low growl, and then the oppressive aura vanished into thin air.
Shinju judged that if his opponent was mentally prepared, he would most likely not be able to defeat him with his limited demonic energy in the next attack.
The pressure was so overwhelming that he couldn't resist it!
"Let's retreat first." So, Shinju didn't linger. He grabbed his trousers and raincoat and quickly slipped away. Fortunately, the purplish-red aura didn't chase after him. When he reached the ground and saw that dawn was breaking in the east, Shinju thought, "Oh no! Did they abandon me and go back first?!" So he ran towards the coffin at an even faster pace.
Meanwhile, the crimson aura struck by the demonic energy gradually condensed into the outline of a giant dragon scorpion. Amidst the convergence of the dark, malevolent energy and the surging demonic energy, a pair of dark phoenix eyes regained a moment of clarity.
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