Chapter 208: Battlefield Ghost Maze, Liu Tianning Spreads the Dao (6K)

In the dim darkness of night, Wang Debiao was yawning inside a shed beside the melon field; he was the Farming Official on night watch, but as a Ninth-Rank official, he was not responsible for defending against enemies.

The one responsible for guarding against enemies was an Eighth-Rank Priest in the shed nearby.

The weather in the Southern Wasteland was unpredictable; Wang Debiao's duty was to monitor the nighttime growth progress of the 'Wuyuan Melons' and prevent these delicate Wuyuan melon seedlings from being destroyed.

"Hoo~" The oil lamp on the table suddenly flickered, but Wang Debiao noticed nothing unusual.

In the shed on the other side, the Eighth-Rank Priest Lin Yuan suddenly opened his eyes and looked out of the shed in confusion.

He walked out of the shed and activated Bright Eyes to inspect the Wuyuan melon field, yet he saw nothing.

He did not know that on the ridges of the Wuyuan melon field, a squad of Ghost Soldiers was already present.

It was just that the spells of Molik and Qiyuanzi were too profound, exceeding Lin Yuan's detection range.

Lin Yuan only saw a straw man standing in the melon field, appearing as dead matter.

"I wonder what function this straw man of Lord Zhao serves; it looks quite eerie." Lin Yuan thought his unease stemmed from this straw man.

He then intended to return to the shed.

Suddenly—

"Swish~"

The motionless Soul-Restraining Straw Man suddenly extended its right hand, a vortex in its palm, and thrust forward.

"Woo woo~" Although there was only air ahead, a wailing sound rang out.

Others could not hear this sound; Wang Debiao noticed nothing, but Lin Yuan heard it.

Because this was the sound of ghostly weeping!

"What?!"

Lin Yuan's heart pounded wildly; he decisively slid his hand over his palm, then wiped his closed eyes.

"Heaven and Earth Sweep the Six Directions, the True Eyes of Yin and Yang Open!"

The Priest's True Eye Technique!

Consuming vital blood to cast the True Eye Technique could enhance insight into ghosts!

However, this method could not last; once the blood dried, the temporary enhancement would vanish.

Having cast the True Eye Technique, Lin Yuan finally saw where the anomaly originated.

"What? It's a Hidden Soul?!"

Lin Yuan saw a squad of unique ghosts, ten in number; their forms were incredibly illusory. Just as martial artists had unique Sword Cultivators, ghosts also had those skilled in concealment, whom Lin Yuan called 'Hidden Souls'.

Their difficulty in detection almost reached '??'.

But what surprised Lin Yuan even more was that this squad of unique Hidden Souls was now panicking and scattering in all directions.

One Hidden Soul had its chest pierced by the straw man in the Wuyuan field, and its form shrank drastically; in less than three breaths, it wailed and vanished.

"No, no, it didn't vanish; it was sucked in!" Lin Yuan's scalp went numb; his knowledge was limited, and he had never heard of a straw man capable of sucking in souls.

Moreover, Hidden Souls were hard to detect; how did this straw man notice them?

Could all of this be within Lord Zhao's calculations?

"Kill!"

After a brief shock, Lin Yuan immediately fulfilled his duty as a Priest, holding a Soul Lamp, drawing the Soul-Cutting Curved Blade from his waist, and chasing after that squad of Hidden Souls.

"What's wrong, what's wrong?" Wang Debiao woke up; hearing Lin Yuan's voice, he stepped out only to see Lin Yuan chasing thin air.

"Damn it!" Wang Debiao immediately understood what was happening, quickly retreated, closed the shed door, and pasted a talisman on it.

Lord Zhao had ordered that if ghosts attacked, officials like them, the Farming Officials, who possessed few means to deal with ghosts, should simply hide inside the talisman-protected sheds and not come out.

Wang Debiao hid inside the shed, trembling.

"It's over, it's over; the ghosts of the Holy Spirit Wang Ting have reached Tonghuocheng."

"I, I won't die, will I?"

"Sigh, I, Wang Debiao, have not yet married or borne children; after thirty years, I am still a virgin; dying like this is truly unacceptable."

Wang Debiao felt uneasy; having followed the army into battle for so long, it had always been a smooth campaign.

This was the first time he had encountered danger.

"Thump thump thump!"

Urgent knocking came from the shed door; Wang Debiao retreated to stand before the Ever-Lighting Lamp, sweat beading on his forehead, a wisp of Yin Wind swirling around him.

His Yin Wind Technique was only Mid-Stage Third Turn; it might not even be able to kill a ghost.

But it was the only spell he possessed that could affect ghosts.

"Bang bang bang!"

The shed door was pounded until it rang loudly; Wang Debiao was terrified.

He felt a vicious ghost might break through the door at any moment.

But after lasting for a minute, the noise vanished again, returning to silence.

Summoning courage, Wang Debiao approached the door, wanting to observe the outside situation through the crack.

As soon as he leaned close, he saw a pair of green, eerie eyes with pupils swirling like vortices.

Around the eyes, grass had actually grown!

"Oh my god!" The bizarre scene made Wang Debiao retreat repeatedly in fear, collapsing onto the ground with a thud.

"This Wang Debiao is too weak; why is he scared like this?"

Zhao Xing floated high in the sky, directing the actions of the Soul-Restraining Straw Men.

Since taking the Life-Soul Pill, his control over the straw men had greatly increased, and the upper limit of straw men he could command had risen significantly.

Now, in the northern planting area, one thousand Soul-Restraining Straw Men were in action.

Most of them were distributed across the four directions of the planting area, while a small portion were scattered and rooted in different fields.

Knowing his opponent was the Holy Spirit Wang Ting, Zhao Xing had long prepared himself.

To combat ghosts, the best spells are 【Yin Wind of Calamity】 and 【Spirit-Binding Straw Doll】.

The Spirit-Binding Straw Doll has one trait when facing ghost armies: the more it fights, the stronger it becomes!

They can bind one or multiple ghosts inside their straw bodies and gain partial power from those ghosts.

For example, if it binds a Ghost Warrior, the doll gains immense strength; if it binds a Hidden Soul, its mobility greatly increases.

Every part of the Spirit-Binding Straw Doll is filled with Yin Five-Element vortices—hands, elbows, knees, head, shoulders…

Each part, upon touching a ghost, can suck in and bind its soul.

Zhao Xing's Spirit-Binding Straw Dolls have been cultivated to Mid-Level Ninth Turn, capable of binding nine ghosts within their bodies.

Though only a thousand dolls exist, they are more than sufficient to handle these two thousand Hidden Souls—perfectly innate suppression!

Combined with 【Yin Wind of Calamity】, it's like locking a dog inside a room and beating it.

Thirty li north of the planting zone, atop a hill, stood an altar.

These ghosts were under Qiyuanzi's control.

Suddenly, he was startled—the talismans on the altar ignited spontaneously, and the paper dolls placed upon it toppled over.

"Bad!"

Qiyuanzi felt something was wrong.

"Guardian, what's happening?" Morik also sensed the anomaly, but since he was not the spellcaster, he did not know the details.

Morik held a Ghost-Head Flag; he had intended to wait for Qiyuanzi to scout first, and if conditions were favorable, he planned to turn the ambush into a full-scale assault.

For within his Ghost-Head Flag lay five thousand Ghost Soldiers and eight hundred Ghost Generals.

"We've been discovered!" Qiyuanzi exclaimed in shock. "Tonghuocheng has experts—my Yin Souls have been captured!"

Qiyuanzi possessed one of the Ding Ghosts and could see the scene ahead.

He saw row after row of Straw Dolls surging from all directions, charging straight at his Ghost Warriors.

Wherever they went, Eighth-Rank Ghost Warriors offered no resistance; only Seventh-Rank Ding, Bing, Jia, Yi, and Wu Ghosts could hold them back for a moment.

"This… is Straw Doll Art? Spirit-Binding Straw Dolls?" Qiyuanzi was utterly astonished. "Someone has cultivated Straw Doll Art to this level?"

"Bang!" Qiyuanzi directed the Ding Ghost to strike a nearby Straw Doll—first contact.

The Spirit-Binding Straw Doll was blasted back three meters, but the Ding Ghost he possessed lost part of its soul power, while the doll stood firm, unbroken.

"Hss, it's fused with a Giant Shield Straw Doll—this isn't pure Spirit-Binding Straw Doll Art."

Qiyuanzi was well-versed—he immediately recognized the extraordinary nature of the Straw Doll Art.

"Retreat!"

Qiyuanzi immediately ordered withdrawal—he knew this ambush had failed.

"You crushed my seedlings, and now you think you can run?"

Zhao Xing, with his Heavenly Eye open, looked down from above—he had also spotted the five powerful Ghost Generals.

He immediately pointed a finger.

"Wuuu~"

The Yin Wind of Calamity swept over the Ding Ghost.

"Chichichi~"

Smoke erupted from the Ding Ghost's body as it let out a mournful cry.

"Wum~"

Qiyuanzi's heart jolted—he lost control of the ghost ahead.

"Morik, we must retreat," Qiyuanzi gazed toward Tonghuocheng. "There's an expert over there."

"An expert?" Morik was stunned—Qiyuanzi was Sixth-Rank himself, and he called someone an expert?

"Fine, we retreat," Morik retracted his Ghost-Head Flag, preparing to flee with Qiyuanzi.

"Wait!" Qiyuanzi suddenly stopped him. "I suspect this person will come here—I'll set a spell array to conceal our traces."

Fifteen minutes later, a flying vessel descended upon the northern planting zone; Han Bing arrived with a squad of priests, hurrying over.

The ghosts, now uncontrolled, offered no resistance and were surrounded and annihilated.

"Han Bing, stay here and tally the damage."

"Yes."

Han Bing had seen Spirit-Binding Straw Dolls before and knew Zhao Xing's Straw Doll Art was extraordinary—he quickly led the others to clean up the aftermath.

Zhao Xing, meanwhile, rode the clouds away, chasing toward Qiyuanzi's direction.

Fifteen minutes later.

"Shhh~"

Zhao Xing appeared atop a hill, scanning the surroundings with his Heavenly Eye.

"Wu ga~"

Suddenly, a skull burst from the ground, hurtling straight for Zhao Xing's face.

"A trivial trick—dare you show it before me?"

With a wave of his hand, the Yin Wind of Calamity shattered the skull.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Suddenly, explosions erupted across the hill—numerous corpses burst open, releasing thick corpse-poison that surged toward Zhao Xing.

A priest might not survive the Corpse Explosion Poison Array trap.

But Zhao Xing was a Minister of Agriculture—he commanded wind and summoned rain; he recognized the array at a glance and simply blew once, rendering Qiyuanzi's setup useless.

"This must be Xuantian Sect's doing—Wang Ting's Soul-Controlling Artisans could never wield such a technique." Zhao Xing's eyes gleamed; he formed hand seals, using the Five-Finger Heavenly Fate to calculate Qiyuanzi's location—but the man's origins were evidently great; after three seconds of calculation, Zhao Xing still received no precise location.

"Forget it, I'll spare your life for now." Too bad he didn't have turtle shells, purple-gold ancient coins, or Hongyun coins on him.

If he had those two items and used the Five-Finger Destiny technique to calculate, he could have determined the enemy's escape direction—and even uncovered their origins.

Swish~

Zhao Xing flew toward Tonghuocheng.

"My setup didn't work," Qiyuanzi and Morik said as they fled back to Luoya City. "The opponent seems well-traveled—he saw through my setup at a glance. Interesting—he's actually a Military Agricultural Officer?"

"A Military Agricultural Officer? Can a Zhou Dynasty Military Agricultural Officer even use this kind of spell?" Morik was astonished.

"This man is different. He knows the Soul-Binding Straw Man Art and an extremely potent tracking technique, and his knowledge is far from ordinary," Qiyuanzi said. "This time, we made a mistake."

Two thousand ghosts were meant to disrupt Tonghuocheng's supply lines—now it was a total loss.

"Next time I get the chance, I'll face him again!"

Tonghuocheng.

"What's the damage?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Three dead, sixteen seriously wounded," Han Bing replied. "In the northern planting zone, about six thousand seedlings were destroyed, and over three thousand mature plants suffered a yield loss of more than thirty thousand jin. The destruction isn't too severe—it can be recovered."

Zhao Xing nodded. The loss wasn't heavy, since it was detected early; replanting wouldn't deduct much battle merit.

The main issue was the deaths—he estimated this would cost him some battle merit.

But he had repelled the raid, so he'd earn battle merit too. Net gain: still substantial.

"Bring back the bodies of the three fallen brothers. Handle their compensation properly."

"Yes, I'll take care of it right away." Han Bing withdrew.

After finishing the aftermath, Zhao Xing went to the shrine and used the Earth Mirror to contact Liu Tianning of the Surveillance Department.

Hum~

A phantom figure appeared before Zhao Xing.

"My lord, at the third watch, the enemy summoned ghostly spirits to attack our city's planting zone. To repel them, I deployed one thousand Soul-Binding Straw Men. Location: Tonghuocheng, five hundred and forty li ahead of the Sacrificial Soul Pass in the Fire Demon territory. This is my official report."

Every use of Soul-Binding Straw Men required post-action reporting; Zhao Xing reported to Liu Tianning.

"One thousand Soul-Binding Straw Men? What were the casualty figures on both sides?" Liu Tianning asked.

"Three dead, sixteen wounded. Damaged plants negligible. Twelve Soul-Binding Straw Men destroyed."

"The enemy deployed two thousand ghostly warriors, minimum rank eight-pinion Hidden Soul, capable of concealing their traces; maximum rank seven-pinion—five ghost generals: Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu."

"All annihilated."

Zhao Xing reported truthfully.

After hearing the report, Liu Tianning's eyes flickered slightly.

He could discern much from this battle report.

The Five Ghost Transport Art—five seven-pinion ghost generals commanding two thousand eight-pinion yin spirits—being completely annihilated was no small feat.

More importantly, Zhao Xing controlled one thousand Soul-Binding Straw Men!

"What realm has your Soul-Binding Straw Man Art reached?" Liu Tianning asked.

"Mid-level Ninth Turn," Zhao Xing replied.

"How many priests engaged in this battle?" Liu Tianning asked again.

"Fewer than fifty—all eight-pinion priests," Zhao Xing said. Only the patrol and night-watch priests had participated.

Because Zhao Xing detected the attack early and his controlled Soul-Binding Straw Men performed exceptionally, the rapid-response unit arrived only after the battle was over.

Liu Tianning was astonished. If Zhao Xing wasn't lying, this record was astonishing.

Controlling ghosts was far simpler than controlling Soul-Binding Straw Men!

Qiyuanzi commanded the Five Ghosts—ghosts had independent thought, especially the five ghost generals, who handled command duties without needing the same level of direct control as straw men.

Liu Tianning had long recognized Zhao Xing's extraordinary talent with straw man arts—but not to this degree.

The conversation could have ended here, but Liu Tianning didn't end the communication, so Zhao Xing had to wait.

"How many techniques can your straw man art now unify?" Liu Tianning asked. He meant perfect unification—not mere first- or second-turn combinations.

"Three techniques fully unified; four techniques combined, but only up to Seventh Turn," Zhao Xing replied. Mainly because he had little time to practice.

"Would you like to learn the True Self Straw Man Art?" Liu Tianning said. "If so, I can send a straw man avatar to you."

What?

Zhao Xing froze. Was Liu Tianning coming to the war zone? To teach him personally?

"Your subordinate is willing—but is this in accordance with regulations?"

Liu Tianning was fifth-pinion—and one of the most combat-capable fifth-pinion officers. If he came to the battlefield, it would violate regulations and likely trigger a "fifth-pinion combatant entry" alert from the Southern Wilds.

That would spark a chain reaction.

During training periods, both sides strictly forbade any expert above the sixth-pinion level from entering the battlefield.

"No issue. My straw man avatar has only sixth-pinion combat power, and I won't engage in combat myself," Liu Tianning said.

"As a member of the Military Surveillance Department, my presence in your Divine Might Army is justifiable."

Zhao Xing didn't know if Liu Tianning's last remark was a veiled jab at his killing of Qian Shougang—he could only nod and reply: "Yes, thank you, my lord."

Hum~

Liu Tianning terminated the communication.

Zhao Xing stared at the Earth Mirror, unsure what to say.

Liu Tianning seemed to have high regard for him—almost like choosing a disciple to inherit his legacy.

This was the exact opposite of his original plan to distance himself from Liu Tianning.

He couldn't afford to be anyone's disciple—but especially not Liu Tianning's.

That old bastard killed how many people during the Wu Di era? His hatred tally is maxed out!

If Zhao Xing inherits his master's mantle, then he must be prepared to face endless assassinations!

If you cannot kill Liu Tianning, can you not kill your disciple?

Zhao Xing intended to learn the Self-Straw Man technique from Liu Tianning, but never expected such a grand display.

Now that Liu Tianning has come specifically to the war zone for him, it will be known to all; this relationship cannot be denied.

"Never mind, let us take it one step at a time," Zhao Xing said, shaking his head; he had no way to refuse Liu Tianning's kindness now.

Liu Tianning arrived quickly; on the third day, he reached Tonghuocheng.

But at this time, Zhao Xing was not in Tonghuocheng.

Han Bing was the one who received him.

"Teacher Liu," Han Bing bowed respectfully; he had also attended Liu Tianning's Straw Man Method elective course and reached the final stage.

Upon hearing this, Liu Tianning frowned: "Do not call me teacher; in the army, address by rank."

Even with Han Bing's poker face, being scolded by Liu Tianning to his face nearly broke his composure: "Yes, my lord Liu."

"Where is Zhao Xing?" Liu Tianning did not care what Han Bing thought and asked directly.

"My lord Zhao escorted supplies to the front lines; he departed the day before yesterday and should be returning soon," Han Bing said.

"Should?" Liu Tianning said coolly: "As your Assistant Regional Commander, how can you not know when the main general returns?"

Han Bing did not know what to say; Che Shihai, standing nearby, dared not make a sound either, as he too had entered the Palace of Ten Thousand Methods.

The stronger one becomes, the more one can feel the monstrous power of a powerhouse like Liu Tianning.

He sent a single Self-Straw Man that was identical to a True Person and possessed sixth-rank combat power; this was simply terrifying!

Even Wang Ji, who was usually loud, pretended to hear and see nothing at this moment.

The atmosphere grew solemn and heavy for a moment, and just then, Zhao Xing's voice came from outside the hall: "Han Bing, is Old Liu here? I calculated the time and he seems to be arriving soon; come out with me to welcome him..."

"Ahem! Ahem!" Che Shihai and Han Bing began coughing frantically.

"Uh..." Zhao Xing walked into the main hall and, upon seeing Liu Tianning, was instantly stunned.

Damn, how did this big shot already arrive! A thousand horses galloped through Zhao Xing's mind.

Although he possessed the Heaven Eye Method, the Heaven Eye was not always active.

If Liu Tianning's Self-Straw Man did not wish to be sensed, it would be difficult for others to detect it.

How was he supposed to know Liu Tianning had already arrived!

At this moment, only Wang Ji's mind turned a circle: "My lord Zhao, Old Liu from the Zhaoyuan Army came yesterday, collected the repaired warships, and left; you must have misremembered."

"Oh, hahaha, look at my memory."

Seeing no sign of anger from Liu Tianning, Zhao Xing hurried over to pay his respects: "Student Zhao Xing, greets Teacher Liu."

"Hmm, rise and sit," Liu Tianning said, sitting in the main seat and waving his hand toward Zhao Xing.

Han Bing and Che Shihai were simply furious and trembling with cold.

Damn, didn't we agree to address by rank during work?!

So we two are not qualified to call you teacher, is that it?!

Then I shall leave?

"Che Shihai, Han Bing, you may withdraw first," Liu Tianning truly began to dismiss them.

The main hall was left with only Zhao Xing and Liu Tianning.

"I calculated the time; you should be in the city at this moment," Liu Tianning said. "Why the delay?"

Liu Tianning, of course, knew what mission Zhao Xing had accepted and what he had done; with his authority, a check in the Earth Mirror would reveal it.

Zhao Xing said: "Teacher, on the three routes from Tonghuocheng to the Jihuan Pass front line for transporting supplies, two locations have been cursed with a Soul-Confusing Array."

"The convoy escorting supplies, when flying over those two locations, always circled around and could never pass; circling and turning, they would always return to the starting point."

"I noticed the abnormality in the front-line supply transport, went specifically to investigate, and the round trip caused the delay."

It must be said that the Holy Spirit Wang Ting indeed had something to offer, and their methods were far more bizarre than those of the other three Wang Tings.

They had unknowingly set up a Soul-Confusing Array on the supply transport line, preventing Zhao Xing's convoy from passing.

This kind of Soul-Confusing Array is commonly known as a ghost wall.

But the caster of the Holy Spirit Wang Ting was obviously a master; the array they set up had already reached a high level.

The high-level version of the ghost wall produced the same effect whether one flew in the sky, walked on the ground, or tunneled underground; it was extremely tricky.

Zhao Xing had to take a very long detour before delivering the supplies missing from the previous days.

"Do you have a solution?" Liu Tianning asked.

"This time, student merely escorted supplies to the front line to fill the shortage from the previous few days; I did not dare enter the Soul-Confusing Array," Zhao Xing said.

A high-level Soul-Confusing Array is not so easily broken.

Zhao Xing could only observe from a distance and sent several straw men inside to probe the situation, but he had not yet found a solution, so he returned first to welcome Liu Tianning.

Liu Tianning pondered: "To break a high-level Soul-Confusing Array is actually not difficult."