The sky had grown completely dark. The Rebel Legion was still busy constructing fortifications; exhausted soldiers rested while those who had just rested quickly took over. Clearly, they were in a rush. Capturing General Crimson Plume was a major victory for them, and the nearest stronghold here was Crimson Plume Fortress.
Yuna Ji’s Ninefold Abyss, except for the eastern side which only had a few simple towns, was encircled on the west by nine fortresses arranged in a fan shape. This formation was originally to defend against attacks from the Netherhell army, and Yuna Ji herself had set up these defenses.
The outermost of the nine fortresses was Crimson Plume Fortress. The three of us, having gained the trust of Bing Mang, were immediately given the rank of general, granting us command over a thousand soldiers.
“This is really uncomfortable. This thing was actually made using my silhouette.”
I chuckled, looking at the piece of red cloth tied to my shoulder, fastened over a set of light armor. On it was the silhouette of a sword striking down a kneeling woman—black against a red background.
“What do we do now? Are we really going to join the Rebel Legion in attacking your fellow generals?”
I asked, and Yuna Ji nodded, her gaze drifting toward a cage not far from us. Dozens of skeletons stood guard around it, and inside, General Crimson Plume was still struggling.
“Such formidable strength, yet she was captured.”
As I spoke, I recalled today’s battle. At first, I fought General Crimson Plume—she killed at least five or six thousand skeletons today. Later, Yuna Ji battled her fiercely for a long time before she was finally captured.
“If I had given them power, they wouldn’t have fallen so easily. I’d have slaughtered everyone here.”
Yuna Ji spoke, looking worriedly into the distance before continuing.
“After Yin Choujian came last time and I learned the truth about War’s End, I stopped empowering my troops. To maintain balance, they now have to rest to recover, just like the Rebel Legion. The Netherstone is in that girl’s hands now—it can only control the armies, but can’t provide endless power anymore.”
I sighed and shook my head.
“She won’t be killed, will she?”
Yuna Ji shook her head. Uncle Zhuang smiled and stood up.
“Qingyuan, you must have noticed—was there anything different about today’s battle?”
I nodded.
“Somewhat like those guys from the Shadow World—the state of the skeletons here.”
Uncle Zhuang nodded, pointing at my chest.
“Maybe you still have misconceptions about what a ghost truly is.”
I glanced at Uncle Zhuang, then at Yuna Ji. Indeed, neither of them had released a trace of ghost energy during today’s battle, while mine had leaked out. That’s why General Crimson Plume was able to pinpoint my ghost core and immediately launched her attack.
“The souls here are, at their core, still ghosts—they possess a ghost core, but also have physical bones. The ghost core is the essence of a ghost, and the rest of their body is formed by condensed yin energy and other components.”
I swallowed, looking at my own body. Though I now wore a skeleton frame built from baleful energy, I could clearly sense the location of my ghost core. The rest of me felt just as natural as when I was human—hands, feet, head, torso. The aura that made up this form felt just as it should.
“Everything outside the ghost core is properly called the yin body. It’s the physical form of a ghost, but unless you attack the ghost core itself, you can’t really harm them. You can chop a ghost into pieces, blow it up, melt it—if you don’t touch the ghost core, it’ll just re-form. High-level Specter Ghosts are even more human-like.”
I swallowed again and quickly said,
“So they have physical bodies like humans, right? The density of yin energy in their bodies is completely different, just like people in the Shadow World.”
“Not exactly, Qingyuan. The ones you saw in the Shadow World are built by piecing together human consciousness and then using yin energy to form their bodies. But ghosts are born with their bodies.”
Yuna Ji added, and I looked at Uncle Zhuang. During today’s battle, I felt that General Crimson Plume’s power erupted from within, then instantly burst forth with external attacks.
Suddenly, a weapon came to mind—sharp as a gun. The moment you pull the trigger, the bullet fires from the cramped chamber, unleashing immense power in an instant. Ever since guns appeared, the age of cold weapons ended.
“You’ve gotten smarter, Qingyuan. All these parts of a ghost are connected by ghost veins. Ghost energy is produced in the ghost core and transported through the ghost veins, allowing ghosts to use all kinds of powers.”
I looked at Uncle Zhuang and Yuna Ji, wondering why they were suddenly telling me all this.
“It’s another order from Yin Choujian, isn’t it?”
I muttered, and Uncle Zhuang burst out laughing.
“Remember this, Qingyuan—high-level Specter Ghosts fight just like you described: every attack is like a bullet fired from a trigger.”
“Power has its surface and its core. Right now, you’re not even proficient with surface power. If you want to get stronger, you’ll need to master the core.”
As Uncle Zhuang spoke, I thought of those people from the Immortality Society.
“Those guys from the Immortality Society are the same, aren’t they?”
Yuna Ji nodded.
“Those people, as humans, have already reached the limits of human potential and developed even greater power. They’ve mastered both surface and core power. If they went all out, you’d be killed instantly—even with your vast, nearly limitless baleful energy.”
I nodded. All my battles so far have involved releasing baleful energy, condensing its mass, then letting it disperse. Even modern weapons were developed to increase the density of baleful energy.
[This chapter is not yet finished~.~ Please click the next page to continue reading the exciting content!]
“Alright, Qingyuan, let’s leave it at that for today. If there’s a battle tomorrow, real combat will teach you more than overthinking ever could.”
Yuna Ji spoke, and we all looked over as Bing Mang walked toward us.
“Thank you all so much for today. By the way, what are your names?”
“My name is Zhang Qingyuan.”
“Just call me Zhuang Xian.”
Both Uncle Zhuang and I gave our names, but at this moment, Yuna Ji seemed to struggle, her jaw moving as if unsure what to say.
“Just call me Xiao Jiu!”
I glanced at Yuna Ji, and Bing Mang broke into a delighted smile.
“I don’t know who you three were before, but please lend us your strength. You must have heard about what’s happening here—endless war, that brutal emperor Yuna Ji. Only by killing her will we find peace. We’ve been here for thousands of years, most of us have forgotten who we are. Behind these faces, there’s only fighting, countless deaths, and pain so deep we can’t even cry out. So..."
“Wait a moment.”
Yuna Ji suddenly called out. Bing Mang looked at her, puzzled, tilting his head.
“We understand. We’ve already heard about it from others. Don’t worry, we’ll do our best. Go ahead, General Bing Mang.”
Yuna Ji said, and Bing Mang nodded before turning and walking away. He seemed like a straightforward person. I sighed.
“It’s not my fault—it was War’s End who caused all this, yet I have to take the blame. I’ve been in the living world all these years.”
Yuna Ji said, and Uncle Zhuang nodded in understanding.
“Yuna Ji, you may face a fierce battle tomorrow. Your subordinates won’t just let this go.”
Yuna Ji nodded.
“The closest to Pink Plume Fortress is General White Plume, stationed to the rear right. He won’t just let this go.”
As we talked, the sky shifted from black to gray, beginning to brighten.
Overnight, to defend against aerial attacks, numerous tall towers made from thick, unknown bones were erected. Large ballistae were hauled over by giant skeletons, ready to be placed atop the towers. Enormous bolts, each as tall as a person, were already prepared.
New troops, under the generals’ orders, began advancing along thin lines. The central, left, and right armies—currently, the central front was doing best, having reached the gates of Violet Plume Fortress. The north and south fronts hadn’t made much progress, but thanks to our trip to Netherhell and retrieving Ruo Fei Huangfu’s soul, the southern army was able to regroup at the new reinforcement point, and could now support the other two armies.
Now, with General Crimson Plume captured, things were looking even better—the stronghold was becoming more secure.
At this point, we called over the messengers. A crowd of skeletal generals gathered, forming a circle around a large map spread on the ground, marked with crimson tea stains and various routes.
“I’ve already discussed with the other two generals. We’ve decided to press the attack on Crimson Plume Fortress right now. If we can take it, our southern forces will have the initiative and can pin down White Plume Fortress and the northern Red Plume Fortress.”
Just as Uncle Zhuang said, they were ready to make their move. It was indeed a favorable opportunity.
Next, Bing Mang began assigning tasks—troop deployments and tactical commands were distributed among the generals, and the three of us were given assignments as well.
“Looks like this guy isn’t just strong—he’s got brains, too.”
After we returned to where we’d been earlier, Uncle Zhuang said, and Yuna Ji angrily kicked a stone aside.
“If it weren’t for the bigger picture, I’d wipe them out right now.”