Chapter 183: Netherworld Ambush
"Skilled at playing tricks with ghosts and spirits? Able to summon ghosts and gods to fight?"
Qin Mu was slightly stunned, suddenly recalling the Soul-Pulling Incantation and the Ghost-Summoning and Deity-Dispatching Talisman Command. These two techniques were spells concerning souls and spirits, which he had found on the first floor of the Heavenly Record Tower.
The Ghost-Summoning and Deity-Dispatching Talisman Command belonged to the Hongshan Sect, while the Soul-Pulling Incantation came from the Netherworld Gate.
Both spells were placed on the first floor of the Heavenly Record Tower because they were relatively niche categories of magic, rarely practiced by anyone. They were soul-type spells, yet they lacked much offensive power.
Especially the Ghost-Summoning and Deity-Dispatching Talisman Command. This spell claimed it could summon and command ghosts and gods, but Qin Mu had tested it a few times, and at most it was similar to the Five Ghosts Carrying Technique from the Great Nurturing Demon Scripture, though much more complex.
After finding these two spells, Qin Mu had wanted to ask Banshan Libationer for guidance, but Banshan Libationer also found them too obscure and hadn't studied them, so he tossed them to Qin Mu to figure out on his own.
Although the Ghost-Summoning and Deity-Dispatching Talisman Command was similar to the Five Ghosts Carrying Technique, its runes were significantly more complex and required the refinement of a talisman treasure.
This talisman treasure was even more complex than the one Qin Mu had seen in the Loulan Golden Palace. It was an incomplete sphere with one thousand and twenty-four irregular facets, each bearing a complex rune.
In contrast, the talisman treasure from the Loulan Golden Palace had only fourteen facets.
It was precisely because Qin Mu saw how complex the Ghost-Summoning and Deity-Dispatching Talisman Command was that he thought this divine ability was very powerful, only to find its effect was equivalent to the Five Ghosts Carrying Technique.
He believed the Hongshan Sect might have concealed something, but this sect had already vanished from the world and no longer existed.
As for the Soul-Pulling Incantation of the Netherworld Gate, Qin Mu had practiced it, but whether he could successfully pull the souls of the dead back from the underworld, he had yet to test.
Some runes in the two spells were similar, suggesting that soul-type spells all share certain similarities.
Qin Mu bought some yellow paper and cinnabar from the city, spent two days refining the talisman treasure for the Ghost-Summoning and Deity-Dispatching Talisman Command, and then spent another day transcribing the runes of the Soul-Pulling Incantation, comparing them side by side.
After comparison, Qin Mu could finally confirm that both the Ghost-Summoning and Deity-Dispatching Talisman Command and the Soul-Pulling Incantation in the Heavenly Record Tower contained errors, with some runes deliberately written incorrectly.
These sects were unwilling to hand over their techniques to the court, so they intentionally messed up a few runes in the submitted spells, either greatly reducing their power or rendering them completely ineffective.
The Ghost-Summoning and Deity-Dispatching Talisman Command required an enormous number of runes, with over a dozen errors among them. However, precisely because of the large number of runes, there were also over a thousand correct ones.
This was a vast treasure trove of knowledge.
With this foundation, Qin Mu could correct the erroneous runes in the Soul-Pulling Incantation.
The Soul-Pulling Incantation required over six hundred rune arrangements. Qin Mu corrected the errors he identified and felt there should be no mistakes left. He then summoned a soldier and said, "Are there still corpses in the city? I want to test a spell."
The soldier replied, "Sir, do you need corpses from the Netherworld Gate to test your spell? The corpses of the Netherworld Gate have all been buried. If needed, they would have to be dug up again."
Qin Mu's expression changed, and he urgently asked, "Where were they buried?"
The soldier said, "A batch was buried in the mass grave next to Dijiang County, and another batch was buried on Lushan Mountain next to Lu County. A few days ago, when we fished out the bodies, we buried them wherever was convenient."
Qin Mu's heart trembled, and he quickly said, "Where is the Deputy Magistrate? Go notify her immediately, tell her to order the entire army on alert, and send soldiers to the mass grave and Lushan Mountain to burn those corpses!"
The soldier didn't understand the reason but still hurried out, saying, "The Deputy Magistrate went to Dijiang County across the river to comfort the people. I'll go notify her right away!"
"Elder Sister Chuyu is in Dijiang County? Damn it!"
Qin Mu called another soldier, ordered him to alert the city guards, and quickly summoned Shen Wanyun, Yue Qinghong, and others, saying rapidly, "The Netherworld Gate might be making a comeback. Prepare for battle immediately!"
Shen Wanyun, Yue Qinghong, and the others were all puzzled. Yun Que the monk said, "The people of the Netherworld Gate have been almost completely wiped out, with only a few stragglers fleeing everywhere. Do we really need to prepare for such a small force?"
"They faked their deaths!"
Just as Qin Mu said this, suddenly a faint, ethereal song drifted from the river. The song was ancient and obscure, as if a deity from the underworld was calling the dead back to life, giving the impression that a hazy, majestic god had opened a portal to another realm, sending the souls of the dead back from the netherworld!
Qin Mu's face changed dramatically. He moved like the wind, his footsteps thundering through the air as he landed on the city tower of the North Gate. The North Gate was empty, with only a few soldiers on patrol. Most of the Lizhou Prefecture army was resting after the great battle.
Qin Mu looked toward the river and saw a straw-hatted Taoist standing on a mast in the middle of the Yong River, performing a ritual and singing. Huge runes emitted green light, twisting and turning in the air like countless glowing green snakes.
Yun Que and the others quickly ran over and stood beside Qin Mu, gazing at the river. Shen Wanyun said, "What happened..."
Before he could finish, his expression froze as a mass of black mist surged from the river. The mist spread wider and wider, and in the darkness, a faint portal seemed to stand in the middle of the river, floating on the water!
In an instant, the sky turned dark. Qin Mu looked toward the opposite bank and vaguely saw several scholar boats sailing over. Then the darkness swallowed them.
One scholar boat had already sailed above the Yong River and was also engulfed by the darkness. Angry shouts and screams came from the boat, indicating they had encountered something unexpected.
He turned his head to look at Lushan Mountain to the left of the county. Suddenly, the mountain split open, and countless tiny figures shot into the air, charging toward them.
Several soldiers guarding the West Gate of Lu County hadn't even reacted before they were pinned down by yellow talismans from the flying figures and killed on the spot!
Boom!
The West Gate burst open, and a swarm of "corpses" rushed into the county, slaughtering the unprepared defenders!
These were indeed corpses, but they still contained the souls of the dead. The Taoist in the river was performing a ritual, using the Soul-Pulling Incantation to summon back the souls of all the fallen Netherworld Gate members, letting their souls return to their bodies and launch a surprise attack on the Lu County defenders!
Some of these corpses were tattered, some had heads barely attached to their necks by a strip of skin, some had gaping holes in their chests, and some were missing limbs, their faces terrifying and ferocious.
They were indeed dead, but the spell had pulled their souls back from the underworld and returned them to their bodies, restoring their strength to what it was in life.
Shen Wanyun was stunned, standing on the city tower at a loss.
Qin Mu looked again at Dijiang County on the opposite bank, now shrouded in black mist, with only faint sounds of divine ability explosions coming through.
"Abandon the city, head for the East Gate!" Qin Mu said decisively.
Shen Wanyun and the others were startled. Qin Mu ran along the city wall, shouting loudly, summoning Dragon Qilin and Fox Ling'er. Lu County was already in chaos, caught off guard by the resurrected "corpses" of the Netherworld Gate.
The Yan Kingdom army typically trained in coordinated combat techniques, practicing the same spells or sword arts. Groups of three to five soldiers could even kill opponents of higher levels through close cooperation.
This tactic was extremely effective in large-scale battles, allowing them to crush enemies like a whirlwind and rout any sects that dared to resist.
But this battle in Lu County also exposed the weakness of this tactic.
The resurrected "corpses" of the Netherworld Gate charged into the city before the soldiers could organize, scattering them and forcing them to fight individually. The strength of individual soldiers was far inferior to that of sect disciples, resulting in a one-sided massacre!
The sky grew darker. The resurrected Netherworld Gate disciples could see clearly in the darkness as if it were daylight, and they feared nothing.
They were already dead, feeling no pain and needing no defense against enemy attacks—they simply charged forward to kill.
Moreover, as a sect, the Netherworld Gate included many experts, even strong practitioners at the Heavenly Realm and Life-and-Death Realm who had been "resurrected."
This resurrection was not true revival; it was merely a spell summoning the souls of the dead back. These souls would eventually return to the underworld, but in the meantime, it was enough to sweep through the Lu County defenders!
"The Lu County defenders are finished."
Qin Mu's heart sank. Seeing Fox Ling'er and Dragon Qilin arrive, he breathed a sigh of relief. The group immediately jumped down from the East Gate and fled into the darkness outside the city.
Behind them, the East Gate collapsed with a roar, shattered by a Heavenly Realm expert.
Qin Mu looked back and saw a Heavenly Realm general being torn apart by several resurrected Netherworld Gate experts.
Several Taoists were also walking through the air, urging yellow paper talismans, which made Qin Mu's heart sink further. Those Taoists were remnants of the Corpse Immortal Sect. The Corpse Immortal Sect and the Netherworld Gate had joined forces—one controlling corpses, the other controlling souls. Few of the soldiers in the city would likely escape.
"Doctor Qin, we should cross the river and return to Dijiang County!" Shen Wanyun said solemnly.
Qin Mu shook his head. "There are also many corpses sunk in the river. We can't go back."
Just as he said this, the sound of water came from the riverbank. In the black mist, resurrected "corpses," dripping wet, climbed out of the river. Seeing them, they suddenly charged over.
"We can only head to the Southern Frontier and look for an opportunity to return north."
Qin Mu's expression remained unchanged. He slapped his waist, and a sword light flew out from his Taotie Pouch, transforming into the Cloud Sword Form. The sword light spun, decapitating several charging Netherworld Gate disciples.
Those Netherworld Gate disciples became headless bodies but immediately bent down to pick up their heads, tucking them under their arms as they continued to attack!
One corpse's head, tucked under its arm, opened its mouth wide and screeched, "Come quickly, there are a few fish that slipped through the net! Come quickly!"
Even Yun Que, Yue Qinghong, and Shen Wanyun, who had seen much of the world, had never witnessed such a sinister spell. Only the usually shy and timid Si Yunxiang remained calm, showing no panic.
Qin Mu spread his five fingers and suddenly clenched them. The sword light of the Young Protector Sword transformed into the Winding Sword Form, spinning and slicing, cutting those Netherworld Gate disciples into pieces. He said in a low voice, "Hurry, before the Netherworld Gate experts catch up."
The group quickly fled into the darkness. Yun Que looked back at Lu County, wreathed in flames, feeling a mix of fear and sorrow in his heart. "Head to the Southern Frontier? That's the enemy's lair..."
—Today still has two chapters, one at noon and one in the evening. Tomorrow, three updates!