Chapter 597: Jade Chime Resonance True Formation |
The Yin Soldiers advanced, utterly silent.
On one of the war chariots within the formation, Sun Lingtong’s mind was filled with questions. “When exactly was I being arrogant?”
The one who mocked him continued, “The moment you came up, you were already at odds with Lord Silent Ghost General. It’s only because Lord Silent Ghost General possesses tolerance and a broad outlook that he didn’t bother arguing with a mere Foundation Establishment–stage Ghost Cultivator like you!”
Sun Lingtong suddenly understood. “So that’s how it is. I deliberately boarded this war chariot because I wanted to scout out the enemy’s true strength for Ning Zhuo.”
“Relying on Luo Si’s token, I deliberately provoked them, which is why our relationship turned so bad.”
“But just now, because of my memory loss, I completely lost my composure and ruined everything. After provoking them for so long, I suddenly lost my memory and even asked the very people I provoked about it. That’s ridiculous—like some clown.”
Having clawed his way up from the lowest rungs of society, Sun Lingtong did not feel much humiliation.
Making a fool of himself was nothing—far better than losing his life.
And even losing his life was not a big matter to Sun Lingtong. What mattered was for whom he died.
“Ning Zhuo… Ning Zhuo…” Sun Lingtong called out inwardly, but the Divine Ability—Life Hanging by a Thread produced no response.
Sun Lingtong’s heart sank, and he silently analyzed his current situation.
“The waters of the River of Forgetfulness failed to erase my memory, yet Luo Si accomplished it with ease. His methods suppressed the Empty-Empty Mark. He’s even more powerful than I imagined!”
“And now I can’t contact Ning Zhuo. Most likely, the marching Yin Soldiers are using powerful concealment techniques. The marching method itself is suppressing the connection between Ning Zhuo and me.”
This was perfectly normal.
In the modern cultivation world, countless methods and schools flourished like blooming flowers. Military marching techniques were no different—many had reached extremely high levels. Concealed marching was mainstream, while overwhelming strategies like Iron Flow Across the Plains were rare exceptions.
The Underworld of the River of Forgetfulness could be compared to a cultivation nation in the living world. If the military movements of such a nation could be easily discerned by Sun Lingtong and Ning Zhuo, it would make no sense.
After all, both of them were only at the Foundation Establishment stage, far from being able to fully utilize Divine Abilities.
Sun Lingtong’s thoughts flashed like lightning. In only a few breaths, he had already understood everything.
He chuckled coldly and continued provoking them. “You laugh pretty nicely. I hope you can keep laughing like that in the future. This time you’re charging into the city—do you think you’ll come back alive?”
“You’re all about to perish anyway. I won’t bother arguing with you!”
Even if his earlier provocation had obtained some intelligence, Sun Lingtong had already forgotten it.
Most likely, he had gained nothing.
After sweeping his body with his spiritual sense, he found no jade slips or anything similar that could record information.
To gather intelligence, Sun Lingtong once again took a risk—provoking Golden Core–level beings with the identity of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and provoking six of them at once!
Of course, it was not pure recklessness.
Looking outside the war chariot, Sun Lingtong saw that the Yin Soldier army marched in perfectly orderly ranks with strict discipline. It was obvious that these were elite troops of the Underworld of the River of Forgetfulness.
Just as gentlemen can be deceived through propriety, Sun Lingtong deduced that with a major battle imminent, internal conflict among comrades in the army must be strictly forbidden. Anyone who violated this rule would surely face severe punishment.
Sure enough, as soon as he provoked them, three Golden Core Ghost Generals immediately lost their patience.
One of them, the Bone Staff Ghost General, growled, “What nerve! A mere little Foundation Establishment cultivator, yet so arrogant. Hmph!”
He took out a bone staff and pointed it at Sun Lingtong.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three dull thuds sounded in succession. Sun Lingtong instantly collapsed to his knees on the floor of the war chariot.
Sun Lingtong tried to struggle but could not move at all. Agonizing pain surged from every joint.
The Bone Staff Ghost General sneered. “My bone staff specializes in striking joints. Little Foundation Establishment cultivator, does it hurt?”
“If it hurts…”
As he spoke, he pointed the bone staff again.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three more dull impacts struck. Sun Lingtong was hit again, the pain burrowing into his bones. His breathing became difficult, and he nearly fainted.
Yet Sun Lingtong did not utter a single cry of pain. Instead, he glared and shouted provocatively, “Come on! Go ahead and beat me to death!”
The Bone Staff Ghost General’s eyes widened in fury as he raised the bone staff high—but the Red-Haired Ghost General beside him stopped him.
The Red-Haired Ghost General shouted, “Old Bone, I know you meant well for the youngster, just trying to loosen up his muscles. But your good intentions are wasted—he doesn’t appreciate it.”
“Look at my methods instead.”
With that, the Red-Haired Ghost General spat out a mouthful of fire, igniting Sun Lingtong’s entire body.
The flames burned directly into Sun Lingtong’s soul, making his whole body tremble. The pain was unbearable, yet he clenched his teeth and endured.
The Red-Haired Ghost General squinted and laughed. “Comfortable? My Netherworld Fire burns the soul directly—very warming.”
Another Ghost General with a green face followed up with his own technique, causing patches of corpse moss to grow across Sun Lingtong’s body.
A third wave of pain descended upon him, finally exceeding his limit.
Unable to resist, Sun Lingtong activated the Empty-Empty Mark at the deepest level of his soul. He poured all the unbearable pain into the mark, allowing the sensations to dissipate.
Although the pain remained vast and intense, now that it had an outlet, it became far more bearable.
Sun Lingtong managed to endure once more.
Seeing that he still did not make a single cry, the Ghost Generals who were tormenting him exchanged glances, suddenly feeling somewhat embarrassed.
A fourth Ghost General was about to act when Silent Ghost General slowly raised his hand.
Silent Ghost General was the leader of this operation. Though all of them were Golden Core cultivators, it was obvious that his combat strength and authority were the highest.
So when he raised his hand, the others immediately withdrew their methods.
Freed from the torment, Sun Lingtong took a breath. The sudden release of pressure almost caused him to faint on the spot.
His body felt completely shattered as he lay motionless on the floor.
Silent Ghost General looked down at him silently.
Beside him stood Peanut Ghost General, who wore a white paper flower on his head. He spoke on Silent Ghost General’s behalf.
“My lord asks: how do you feel now?”
“You should understand—when we acted against you just now, not the slightest sound escaped the chariot.”
“That is precisely my lord’s ability.”
“With such methods, if we attack White Paper Immortal City, we could fight for half an hour without anyone noticing.”
“Do you still think we are going to our deaths?”
Sun Lingtong wanted to retort, but he had no strength left to open his mouth—he could not even roll his eyes.
In only a dozen breaths, he had experienced what felt like an eternity of torture. His act of defying those above him had brought its rightful price.
Yet at the same time, his gamble had paid off.
Those Golden Core Ghost Generals clearly had the power to crush him instantly, yet all restrained themselves rather than risk violating military discipline over a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator.
The Yin Soldier army crossed the boundary between yin and yang and finally arrived at the Yin Tide Black Marsh Wetlands.
The six Golden Core Ghost Cultivators quietly departed.
Sun Lingtong, his limbs weak, climbed down from the war chariot and rejoined the main force, waiting for the assault on the city wall to begin.
Taking advantage of the moment, he attempted once more to contact Ning Zhuo—but again failed, which filled him with anxiety.
Fortunately, it was not long before the commanding general issued an order. The entire army surged forward, attacking the northern gate of White Paper Immortal City.
At this moment, the marching concealment technique could no longer hide the army.
Sun Lingtong immediately reestablished contact with Ning Zhuo and relayed the intelligence he had gathered.
Because he had been unable to contact Sun Lingtong for so long, Ning Zhuo had also been extremely anxious. When he finally received the reply, he was both delighted and relieved.
“Boss, don’t worry. I already asked for reinforcements earlier. Everything is prepared.”
Sun Lingtong chuckled. “Fight well. It would be best if none of those six Ghost Generals escape. Give them a proper ‘treatment’ for me!”
Ning Zhuo knew his boss’s anger did not come without reason. His gaze immediately sharpened as he clenched his teeth. “Understood.”
Inside White Paper Immortal City, in an alley near the southern gate.
Peanut Ghost General’s ears had transformed into blooming flowers. He listened carefully.
“The battle at the northern gate is fierce. The moment our army started fighting, they used war chariots to charge the city.”
Silent Ghost General immediately nodded and strode forward at the front.
The other five followed closely behind.
Silent Ghost General pushed his innate ability to the limit, empowering everyone around him. Even as they sprinted at full speed or smashed through walls, they produced not the slightest sound.
They advanced in a straight line and soon reached the giant Paper Puppet statue near the southern gate.
Just as they were about to destroy the statue, they heard a young voice shout:
“Activate the formation!”
In the next moment, twenty-eight musical law prohibitions appeared across the ground. Deep underground, twelve Azure Nether Jade Marrow Nails that had long been planted began to glow.
Four massive Qingluan Bell Pillars rose from the ground.
These bronze pillars were carved with images of luan birds spreading their wings. Each protruding beak held a golden thread, from which hung a Seven-Treasure Golden Bell.
The bell bodies were covered with countless tiny talisman inscriptions—so densely packed that the entire “Dongxuan Spiritual Sound Demon-Slaying Incantation” had been engraved onto each small bell!
The six Golden Core Ghost Generals rushed toward the Paper Puppet statue, only to plunge directly into the formation.
In the blink of an eye, they fell into the formation’s inner space.
Looking around, they saw a blue sky above and a jade ground below. The heavens were clear and pure.
Four giant bronze pillars stood in the four directions, with countless luan birds circling them in flight.
On the distant horizon stood a towering humanoid mountain. At its peak, a mass of white clouds replaced the head.
“Damn!”
“This is a trap!!”
The Golden Core Ghost Generals were momentarily flustered.
Silent Ghost General raised his hand. Peanut Ghost General immediately spoke for him.
“Boss says: don’t panic. Our army’s previous attack failed, so it was expected that the enemy would set up formations here.”
The Ghost Generals immediately calmed down.
“Boss Silent is right.”
“If there’s a formation, we break it. What’s there to panic about?”
“Let’s probe it first and see what kind of formation this is!”
They began testing the formation.
Instead of attacking the obvious bronze pillars, they rushed toward the giant humanoid mountain ahead.
But no matter how far they ran, the distance between them and the mountain never decreased.
One Ghost General tried running in the opposite direction—yet after running for a long time, when he turned around, the giant mountain had somehow appeared behind him!
The Ghost Generals immediately realized something new.
“This formation has spatial distortion. You can’t simply pull distance to create a flaw.”
They launched several rounds of magical treasures and spells, attacking randomly.
But the sky towered endlessly, and the jade ground was incredibly tough. None of their attacks had any effect.
Finally abandoning all hope of shortcuts, they braced themselves and began attacking the four bronze pillars.
Around the pillars, luan birds flew and fought them fiercely. The battle quickly became intense.
The Ghost Generals felt enormous pressure. Knowing that every second mattered, they struck with full force.
Soon, most of the bronze luan birds were destroyed.
Their attacks made the bronze pillars tremble violently.
Peanut Ghost General shouted excitedly, “We’ve tested it! These four bronze pillars are the formation eyes. Destroy them, and the formation core and base will appear!”
Ning Zhuo sat cross-legged at the formation core, controlling the formation.
Suddenly, two Golden Core Ghost Generals appeared behind him.
The leader was Silent Ghost General!
The two immediately attacked with full power, shattering Ning Zhuo into countless scraps of paper.
“It’s fake!” the two Ghost Generals realized grimly.
“It’s fake!” Ning Zhuo and Wen Ruanyu, hidden in the shadows, also realized with a sinking feeling that the Silent Ghost General and his companion inside the formation were illusions.
These Golden Core Ghost Generals possessed extremely high tactical awareness.
They had long realized that the humanoid mountain was the formation core and the bronze pillars were the formation eyes—but had deliberately engaged in tactical deception.
Their tactics were executed perfectly, but Ning Zhuo’s side had also prepared thoroughly. The “Ning Zhuo” at the formation core had merely been a portrait substitute created by Wen Ruanyu.
“What an incredible innate ability—Silent and Soundless!” Ning Zhuo inwardly admired.
He could clearly see that although another Ghost General had carried out the assassination attempt, the one who truly enabled the operation’s success was Silent Ghost General’s innate talent.
“Senior Wen, it’s time to act,” Ning Zhuo reminded.
The true controller of the formation was Wen Ruanyu.
Wen Ruanyu immediately poured mana into the jade chime magical treasure guarding the formation core.
The jade chime resonated by itself in midair under the surge of spiritual power, releasing wave after wave of sound.
The sound waves turned into pale green ripples that rapidly spread across the formation space.
All the Golden Core Ghost Generals felt their mana boil like scalding water. Pale green light radiated from their bodies, forcibly outlining their semi-transparent forms.
The green light did not interfere with their mana—but Silent Ghost General’s heart sank heavily.
He instantly realized something was wrong.
The formation had specifically countered his innate ability. Outside the formation it might still work—but inside, he could no longer remain silent and undetectable.
That meant they could only attack the formation head-on.
Wen Ruanyu sneered and activated another transformation of the formation.
The golden bells hanging from the luan birds’ beaks suddenly rang wildly.
The ringing was sharp and dense, like torrential rain striking roof tiles.
The four bronze pillars emitted blazing bronze light and rapidly regenerated.
The Ghost Generals attempted to attack, but the bell sounds inverted their senses.
Their ears heard the neighing of thousands of warhorses. Their eyes saw countless phantasmal luan birds. Their mana felt like it was stuck in mud, extremely difficult to control.
“This is the Jade Chime Resonance True Formation!” Only after the formation revealed two of its abilities did the Ghost Generals finally identify it.
“Watch your feet!!” one Ghost General shouted.
But it was too late.
Wen Ruanyu activated the third transformation of the formation.
The twelve jade marrow nails anchoring the formation base triggered Jade-Void Thunder, which surged upward through the Yongquan acupoints in the attackers’ feet.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Several Ghost Generals immediately had their legs blasted apart.
“Retreat! Retreat!” one Ghost General shouted in panic.
But the formation space had sealed the inside from the outside.
At this point, escaping was easier said than done.
