Chapter 1247: Screaming Forest

The Yao Kingdom's reaction was a bit slow; seeing the Pi Xia people being beaten until their noses were bruised and faces swollen, it finally started to act. It also transported grain and weapons to Pi Xia, hoping the latter could stand up again, while simultaneously meeting with several forces preparing to join the war, giving them a little sweetness, hoping they would give up the attack.

If one side gave up the attack, the Pi Xia people would have a little less pressure.

Under its sugar-coated offensive, one force finally gave up joining and retreated to its own territory.

On the other side, Boss Situ He actively ran around, lobbying for alliances and explaining the pros and cons. Under his extreme persuasion, one force joined the alliance and officially declared war on Pi Xia.

Two other forces were wavering.

Boss Situ Yu was also capable; at the critical moment, he captured another pass fortress.

With this, half of the lost territory of the Gaopu Kingdom was recovered.

It seemed that even without others' help, the Allied Army could soon recover the remaining lost territory.

Thus, the last two forces finally announced their entry into the battlefield.

This war, full of chaos, games, and hatred, finally developed in the direction He Lingchuan expected.

And at this time, the force behind the Boss Situ family—the Yangshan Archipelago—also began to enter the vision of all parties.

Boss Situ Yu had originally been beaten by the Pi Xia people into his territory, and even his son had been captured and almost beheaded, but in just one month, he had fought a turnaround battle, advancing all the way and recovering the old rivers and mountains of the country.

There must be a reason for this, right?

The spies of the Yao Kingdom and all parties were not vegetarians, and the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce hadn't hidden itself, entering the game so grandly.

But as He Lingchuan said, the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce only did business with the Boss Situ family, paying money and delivering goods, and on the surface, it didn't involve others. Therefore, all parties initially learned that a new island force had risen on the sea, very far from the Flash Gold Plain, and also very wealthy. They didn't know how the Boss Situ family had established a relationship with them, but they had borrowed a large loan of money and food, which was why they were so fierce when fighting.

Of course, this was the news released by the Yangshan Archipelago and the Boss Situ family themselves.

There were also some unreliable rumors circulating among the people, such as the Yangshan Archipelago seemingly taking away the famous evil armor on the plain, and the Pi Xia people and the Xuan Lu Ghost King wanting to seize it, but returning in defeat under its hands.

But the authenticity of this matter could not be verified, so it could only be "said to be."

Not only Boss Situ Yu, but the Yangshan Archipelago also did business with the Peng Kingdom, the Xiaoyao Sect, and local places, buying the most valuable mountain and sea rights.

Such an incoming force entering the game, although it hadn't shown aggression besides business—defeating the Pi Xia people in Rolling Stone Valley could only be counted as self-defense—all parties would inevitably list it as a key object of attention.

Some were wary of it, and some wanted to contact it.

In the eyes of the locals, the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce had accidentally made a name for itself through a war, proving its strength. But don't forget, it had no roots on the Flash Gold Plain and couldn't possibly cause destruction to the ecology and pattern here.

What kind of place was the Flash Gold Plain? Even the powerful Mu Kingdom couldn't get a foothold; could a nameless chamber of commerce from the distant sea turn the world upside down?

Therefore, all parties were wary of it but not repulsive, instead sending envoys to prepare for contact.

After all, it looked like it was truly wealthy.

Who would refuse a wealthy person?

The Yangshan Archipelago's business in the Peng Kingdom and the Boss Situ family's territory soon became prosperous.

The outside world was turbulent and filled with smoke, and He Lingchuan, Dong Rui, and Fu Liushan had just arrived at the Screaming Forest.

Boss Situ Yu specifically interrogated the county magistrate after taking Ju City, learning that the death-defying soldiers sent by the Xuan Lu Ghost King in the city had also lost control, the time basically coinciding with He Lingchuan killing the Ghost King in Cotton Village.

In addition, the Boss Situ family's army didn't encounter the vanguard force composed of the Xuan Lu Ghost King's death-defying soldiers when they fought Pi Xia later.

The role of such a force was to pierce into the enemy line like a blade, tear open the opponent's defense, and cause maximum destruction, after which the friendly ordinary soldiers would swarm up.

Without such an opponent, the difficulty of the battle dropped in a straight line.

The Boss Situ family's recovery of the lost territory of Gaopu was so smooth, which had a lot to do with the Xuan Lu Ghost King's retraction.

It would be fine if he were truly beheaded, but He Lingchuan and the others already knew that he was just faking death to deceive people.

"Xuan Lu has abandoned its allies once again," He Lingchuan remarked, passing judgment. "A person is the same in death as they were in life; it hasn't changed one bit."

The Ghost King Xuan Lu faked its death and left the Pijia people to face the blades and spears of the Boss Situ army alone—if that isn't selling out one's teammates, what is? Not to mention that there was an agreement between Xuan Lu and the Pijia people: the Pijia people offered it living souls, and it provided them with combat power.

It didn't even honor the agreement; its character—no, its ghost-character—is truly beneath contempt.

No wonder the Boss Situ family refused to seek an alliance with it.

"Isn't this quite good?" Dong Rui laughed. "It abandoned its allies, and now no allies will come to save it; we can act with complete composure."

Although it was all part of the Ten Thousand Mountains, the famous Howling Forest ahead was clearly different from the wild mountains they had passed through.

The mountain formations here were like folding screens; unlike the broad and sturdy nature of other great mountains, they were long and narrow, looking like the back of a crucian carp when viewed from above, or like rows of sails moored in a harbor.

These mountain ridges blocked the sunlight without the slightest hesitation, and the valleys beneath the ridges were very deep, with dense vegetation blocking the sunlight completely.

Even at high noon, not many rays of sunlight could pierce through the branches and leaves to reach the ground.

Yet even with insufficient sunlight, the plants here were unusually tall.

As the wind passed through the forest, it rustled and whispered, as if speaking a thousand words.

He Lingchuan had been listening intently the whole time: "Only the sound of the forest; no insects chirping or birds calling."

It wasn't the dead of winter when the world is silent; the chirping of insects and the singing of birds are standard features of every forest, occasionally accompanied by the roar of beasts in chorus.

Yet the Howling Forest ahead had a terrifyingly monotonous sound—only the wind blowing through the leaves!

He Lingchuan had seen this situation before, and was even quite familiar with it—

Before he arrived, wasn't the County Magistrate Archipelago just like this? There are several types of lands of Earthly Yin Qi: either they are barren, or the vegetation is exceptionally lush, manifesting as a miasma forest. The Howling Forest is the latter.

"It's almost noon, the timing is perfect." Fu Liushan looked up at the sky. "At this time, the Earthly Yin Qi is at its weakest; we will walk under the trees where the sunlight is most abundant."

It is worth mentioning that while all living people know the Ghost King lives in the Howling Forest, they do not know its exact location—

Those who unfortunately knew are likely long dead.

This forest contains Earthly Yin Qi, as well as corpse puppets and evil ghosts; even cultivators are unwilling to approach it.

Even the human allies of Ghost King Xuan Lu would only deliver captives and offerings to the edge of the forest, never taking another step inside.

Living people keep away; that is the rule of the Howling Forest.

"How much further is it from the place where you were chased by corpse puppets last time?" The Howling Forest is so large that corpse puppets wouldn't chase people around for no reason. Therefore, when Fu Liushan entered this forest last time, he was likely not far from the Ghost King's dwelling, which is why he encountered the pursuit.

Thanks to the classmate "Drinking Ice for Ten Years" for the reward; we have one more new ally~

Thanks to "Excitation Current" and "Big River Dad" for their appreciation~

(End of chapter)