Chapter 772: I want to see how long you can hold out

In the mass grave outside the city gate, a single hand stretched out from the edge of the pit.

Countless corpses slowly crawled out of the pit.

They saw Min Zhenshu standing under the city gate, all turning toward him, their stiff knees slowly bending as they knelt, as if paying him respect.

Min Zhenshu looked at them and opened his mouth.

At the same time, Anbei Taiqin glanced at the situation on the Black Jade Tablet and spoke softly.

The next moment, his voice spewed from Min Zhenshu's mouth: "Go, your enemies are inside the Main Camp of the Lie Kingdom people."

The corpses kneeling on the ground slowly lifted their heads.

Their eyes glowed with an eerie red light; they swayed as they stood up, step by step, walking toward the Lie Kingdom's Main Camp.

Midnight.

In the Main Camp, only a few clusters of weak firelight flickered beside the sentry post.

The night‑watch soldiers, swords slung over their shoulders, paced back and forth along the fence.

Suddenly, someone stopped in his tracks.

A faint wail drifted in from afar.

Did you hear that?

What's wrong?

I think I heard crying.

The soldiers halted, pricking up their ears.

No, it's just the wind—this place's wind is sinister.

No! Listen carefully.

Sure enough, the wailing came again.

Like a woman sobbing, like a child wailing, intermittent, now far, now near.

The soldiers gripped their sword hilts and peered out through the gaps in the fence.

Under the moonlight, a dark mass of figures slowly approached.

The soldiers drew their sidearms: "Eastern Ocean people?"

Sound the horn! Quickly sound the horn!

A soldier hastily pulled out a horn and blew hard.

But after just two blasts, he stared wide‑eyed and stopped.

As those figures drew nearer, each became clearer and clearer.

Their clothes were torn; there were men and women, old and young.

There were soldiers and civilians alike, all smeared with lime.

Some had missing limbs, some had crooked heads, their dark‑red‑glowing eyes fixed straight on the Main Camp, and from their ravaged throats issued one mournful howl after another.

The soldiers trembled all over and shouted loudly: "Ghosts!"

Turning, they ran toward the interior of the Main Camp.

The horn's blast had already roused everyone; countless soldiers seized their weapons and charged out of the tents.

Torches flared up one after another.

Are the Eastern Ocean people coming?

"No, no…" a few night‑watch soldiers, scared witless, turned and pointed outside the camp: "Ghosts, they're ghosts!"

Xiao Ningchen shouted: "Ghosts? I'd like to see what kind of ghost they are!"

The soldiers followed him toward the camp gate.

Then everyone personally witnessed the corpses that had crawled out of the mass grave.

They stood silently outside, not charging the gate, merely fixing their red‑glowing eyes on the living inside the camp and emitting one painful wail after another.

Xiao Ningxun and Xiao Ningchen exchanged a glance: "Aren't these the corpses from the deep pits outside the city gate?"

Could it really be that vengeful spirits refuse to disperse?

"Chen, Chen Hao, did you see that? Are those really ghosts?" Xiao Ran clung tightly to Chen Hao's arm, face ashen, "Am I still not awake?"

Chen Hao placed his hand on the back of his hand, his own hand also trembling slightly: "Don't be scared, it's just… just ghosts!"

Xiao Ran turned his head, looking at him in horror: "Just ghosts? Do you often see ghosts?"

Chen Hao: "……"

Wang Cheng'an supported Wang Jingzhao's arm; the two stared at the tattered corpses, trembling uncontrollably.

Xiao Yuanhang was cradling his daughter, asleep on the couch, when the horn's blast made him snap his eyes open; he gently slipped his arm from beneath her.

Tuan Tuan mumbled incoherently, rolled over, and reached his little hand to the side.

Xiao Yuanhang hastily stuffed his soft pillow into her embrace.

Xiao Tuanzi clung to the pillow, buried his face in it, and fell asleep again.

Xiao Yuanhang exhaled silently, slipped off the couch quietly, grabbed his outer robe, draped it on, walked to the tent curtain, and lifted it to go out.

Xiao Er and Lu Qi ran up to the entrance together: "Prince!"

Xiao Yuanhang lowered his voice: "What's happened?"

Xiao Er shook his head: "We also just got up after hearing the horn."

Lu Qi frowned: "I seem to have heard someone shout that there are ghosts."

Xiao Yuanhang said: "You stay here, watch over Tuan Tuan, and don't let her out."

"Yes."

Xiao Yuanhang strode toward the camp gate.

The open space before the camp gate was already crowded with people, and torches lit the surroundings as bright as day.

Seeing the commander approach, the soldiers quickly cleared a path.

Xiao Yuanhang pushed through the crowd to the front.

He glanced at the corpse mass for a moment: "Quick! Go fetch the National Preceptor!"

Yes!

Just as his words fell, Chu Yuan had already donned his Daoist robe and hurried over from the crowd.

He stared at the black mass of corpses, his pupils constricting slightly: "Hundred Ghosts Night Walk!"

"Hundred Ghosts Night Walk?" Xiao Yuanhang asked, "What is that?"

"A kind of Yin-Yang technique from the East Sea," Chu Yuan's eyes turned cold, "This method requires a living person as a guide; only the caster can drive the yin souls."

He withdrew his gaze, turning to Xiao Yuanhang: "Your Highness, this art is extremely yin and vicious; the practitioner's Dao is profound, I must return to find a way to break his technique."

Having said that, he turned and ran toward his own tent.

In the main camp, flames shot into the sky, and countless soldiers began to whisper:

"Have you heard what the National Preceptor said? The East Sea people can actually command ghosts!"

"Good heavens, if they're not coming in now, are they just scouting the way?"

"Tomorrow they'll come charging in with knives? How can we fight this battle? They're already dead!"

Xiao Yuanhang's brows knotted tightly: "Xun Er, go stand guard outside the National Preceptor's tent."

Yes.

Xiao Ningxun turned and ran.

Chu Yuan ran into the tent, came to the table, and quickly took out a stack of yellow paper and a cinnabar inkstone.

He softly chanted the Soul-Settling Incantation while spreading the yellow paper on the table and pouring a little clear water into the cinnabar inkstone.

Outside the main camp, the corpses gradually grew calmer at his chanting, and their wailing faded.

Chu Yuan used his finger as a brush, dipped in cinnabar, and quickly drew talismans on the yellow paper.

The cinnabar flowed on the yellow paper, giving off a faint golden glow.

His chanting never ceased.

Soon, a layer of pale white light spread from within the main camp, gentle as morning mist, slowly drifting outward and gradually engulfing the corpse mass.

Where the white light passed, the red light in the corpses' eyes gradually dimmed.

They stiffly turned around and walked back step by step.

The soldiers all let out a sigh of relief:

"Thank goodness the National Preceptor is here!"

"No kidding, it scared me to death!"

"How can we living people fight against ghosts!"

Chu Yuan heard the wailing fade away, raised his hand, wiped the sweat beading on his forehead, and exhaled a long breath of foul air.

"National Preceptor," Xiao Ningxun whispered from outside the tent, "Are you all right?"

Chu Yuan replied: "It's fine."

At the same moment, deep in the royal city, Anbei Taiqin stared at the white light rising from the black jade tablet atop the various states' main camps, the corner of his mouth curling into a cold smile.

"This Fierce Kingdom Immortal Envoy knows quite a few tricks."

"However, you underestimated me; you actually thought a single Soul-Settling Incantation could break my Hundred Ghosts Night Walk?"

"Well, this makes it interesting."

He raised his right hand, placed his index finger in his mouth, and bit down hard.

His fingertip immediately welled out a streak of bright blood, vivid and striking.

He pressed his bloody finger against Min Zhenshu's forehead talisman, retracing the cinnabar lines.

The talisman's lines suddenly blazed with intense red light.

Min Zhenshu's body convulsed violently, as if something were smashing wildly inside his frame.

His mouth gaped open, a hoarse roar ripped from his throat, his ten fingers twisted into claws, and black blood seeped from his nails.

On the black jade tablet, a dark red light was pushing back the white light inch by inch.

The corpse mass abruptly halted.

They all turned in unison and howled loudly as they marched back toward the main camp.

Each one's eyes blazed red, their bodies twisted, a hundred times more terrifying than before.

Anbei Taiqin withdrew his finger, licked the remaining blood from his fingertip, watched the dark red light recoalesce on the black jade tablet, and nodded in satisfaction.

"I'd like to see how long you can hold out."