Chapter 123: Turning Stone to Gold

Qinghe New City.

A spacious, solemn mansion stood in solemn opposition to the General's Mansion.

This newly built mansion was the residence of Assistant Regional Commander Jiang Lin in Anning Guard.

To limit the power of generals, the Yu Kingdom always appointed a supervising officer; for guard battalions, this was typically the Assistant Regional Commander, and above them, a Provincial Governor oversaw an entire town.

Sometimes, even a Viceroy, a second-rank pillar of the empire, would be sent to oversee multiple towns.

At this moment.

Inside the Assistant Regional Commander's mansion.

"My Lord Jiang, we've confirmed it—Cao Wei is capturing demons of the Ghost Ming Cult, but he often takes prisoners alive."

Ning Zhongtian spoke respectfully.

As Jiang Lin's man, besides handling daily military duties, his role also included gathering intelligence and monitoring all officers of Anning Guard.

That's how subordinates are used—have you ever seen a high official pick up a brush himself?

"Prisoners alive?"

Jiang Lin's eyes narrowed slightly, a wry smile touching his lips.

"Prince Five, do you know that only one person in this world may possess that Immortal Art?"

That person, of course, is the ruler of the Dragon Throne, His Majesty.

Ning Zhongtian blinked.

Jiang Lin had not avoided speaking in front of him.

Immortal Art

His heart jolted.

Though deeply curious, he dared not ask Jiang Lin directly—not even one in a hundred times.

Jiang Lin gazed at Ning Zhongtian, who kept his eyes lowered, and chuckled softly: "It's not some great secret—eight or a thousand in the capital know of it; only Cao Wei treats it as one."

Ning Zhongtian's eyes lit up.

I can hear this too?

Jiang Lin said coolly: "You've heard of the Immortal Treasures, haven't you?"

Ning Zhongtian nodded.

He had heard of the Immortal Treasures—rumored to be a stolen tribute item taken by the Ghost Ming Cult's Old Mother of Ten Thousand Ghosts, widely called an Immortal Treasure.

But what exactly it was,

No one knew.

He had wanted to join the search, but Lei Yong had strictly forbidden it.

"If you're tired of living, go ahead and try."

Even Lei Yong, fearless of heaven or earth, feared it—Ning Zhongtian abandoned the idea.

Many in the world coveted the Immortal Treasure.

Yet in Qinghe, only Jiang Lin remained—why?

Naturally, it was the Dragon Throne's doing.

Simply put,

Qinghe had been cleared out—Jiang Lin was sent to retrieve what the emperor wanted.

"Do you know where the Immortal Treasure stolen by the Old Mother of Ten Thousand Ghosts originally came from?"

This time,

Ning Zhongtian truly did not know: "Your servant… does not know."

Jiang Lin: "It came from the Ghost Ming Cult."

Ning Zhongtian fell silent.

All this time, it wasn't the Old Mother who stole from the court—it was the court that stole the Ghost Ming Cult's treasure.

"Let me tell you—the Immortal Treasure isn't rare. It's just a Spirit Guide."

Spirit Guide

Ning Zhongtian clicked his tongue in amazement.

That's a Spirit Guide!

A rare treasure he couldn't afford even if he sold everything he owned—yet Jiang Lin spoke of it like a head of cabbage.

Jiang Lin smiled faintly: "What's interesting isn't the Spirit Guide itself, but how it came to be."

"??"

Seeing Ning Zhongtian's curiosity, Jiang Lin didn't hold back—he laid it all out.

"It's said that three years ago, this Spirit Guide was just an ordinary Tai Sui—someone turned it into a Spirit Guide."

Ning Zhongtian's eyes widened.

Turned into a Spirit Guide?!

He had never imagined such a thing.

A Spirit Guide is a divine object born of heaven and earth, nurtured by the essence of sun and moon—how could a human create one? It shattered his understanding.

Jiang Lin: "Someone in the Ghost Ming Cult has mastered this ability. The Emperor is interested."

Ning Zhongtian drew a sharp breath.

Not just the Emperor—

Surely no one in the world wouldn't be interested.

Why does the world teem with struggle and rivalry?

Isn't it all for resources?

But if someone mastered that ability, they'd possess infinite resources—building an eternal imperial dynasty would be effortless.

Ning Zhongtian finally voiced his question:

"My Lord Jiang, aren't you interested?"

Jiang Lin had been involved from the start, yet acted like an outsider.

Jiang Lin scoffed:

"Do you really believe such a technique exists?"

Ning Zhongtian fell silent.

He had actually believed what Jiang Lin just said.

Jiang Lin tilted his head slightly: "I don't believe in such things. I believe only in the sword in my hand."

Ning Zhongtian grew solemn.

He bowed deeply to Jiang Lin: "Your servant has learned."

Saying this,

Ning Zhongtian turned to leave.

But Jiang Lin called out: "Keep watching Cao Wei's movements—if anything relates to the Immortal Art, tell me immediately."

Ning Zhongtian froze:

"My Lord Jiang, didn't you just say you weren't interested?"

Jiang Lin chuckled: "What if it's real?"

"."

Ning Zhongtian wondered if he'd been fooled.

No wonder Jiang Lord's mind is so hard to fathom.

Still—orders are orders.

Ning Zhongtian replied: "Yes, My Lord Jiang."

The Ding-shaped arms depot.

Li Rui, unusually, did not open a book—he closed his eyes and carefully sensed the changes brought by his newly altered Wu Gong.

"Self-created Wu Gong truly fits the self better."

He hadn't noticed it while practicing White Ape's Cloak Blade, but now, compared to Changchun Gong, the subtle differences became clear.

After switching to Changchun Gong, he could distinctly feel his true qi flowing more smoothly.

Recalling his morning practice, his body felt noticeably lighter and more agile.

As Li Rui pondered,

A young soldier knocked on the door.

"Lord Li, Platoon Leader Wei Ming requests your presence."

Li Rui, hearing it was Wei Ming's man, put down the book: "Alright, I'm coming."

He was in charge of grain, eighth rank; Wei Ming was a Platoon Leader, seventh rank.

And both were Ning Zhongtian's men—Li Rui had no reason not to go.

Moments later,

He arrived at Wei Ming's residence within the camp.

Entering the main hall,

He saw several figures already seated inside—Li Rui immediately spotted Ge Hong.

He walked straight to the seat beside Ge Hong and sat down.

He whispered softly: "Brother Ge, what's happened?"

Ge Hong lowered his voice: "Rumors say there's a demon disturbance in the eastern suburbs, and the number of demonic beasts is considerable. The matter has reached Lord Jiang's attention, and Lord Ning has ordered us to suppress it."

Li Rui's heart lurched at these words.

There were over a dozen officers present.

What scale of demon disturbance could require so many men—even pulling in someone like me, in charge of grain supplies?

Soon after,

Wei Ming stormed into the hall.

He swept his gaze over the group.

He said grimly: "Gentlemen, a demon disturbance has erupted in the eastern suburbs. The exact number is unknown, but it's undoubtedly large."

"Lord Ning has ordered us to suppress it."

"You're all paid by the Annan Army—if any of you dare shirk or desert, I'll be the first to cut you down!"

Wei Ming, usually so amiable, rarely revealed the intimidating aura unique to soldiers.

As Wei Ming said, this was the army—obedience was innate.

The men in the hall stiffened:

"Yes!"

With demons involved, no one dared take it lightly.

They immediately prepared for deployment.

In the darkness, deep within a forest where sight failed beyond five paces, several figures darted through the trees.

They glanced back now and then.

Their eyes brimmed with terror. Suddenly!

A young man's cry rang out in the night: "Uncle Er, save me!"

Zhang Hao, sprinting at the front, didn't even look back—he kept running forward.

Soon after, a scream pierced the air.

The sound of claws sinking into flesh—puff, puff.

It made listeners tremble.

"Damn it, damn it!"

Zhang Hao cursed inwardly—he'd witnessed this scene several times tonight already.

He'd been leading the Zhang family, following Cao Wei's orders, searching the mountains near Qinghe for Ghost Ming Cult demons.

They'd happened upon a cave.

But as soon as they entered, they realized it was no ordinary den—it housed over a dozen demonic beasts, including one as powerful as a seventh-rank beast.

Not just the other Zhang family members—even Zhang Hao himself broke out in cold sweat.

=9+ Shu _ Ba

Since fleeing here, every single Zhang family disciple who'd followed him was gone; both his own sons had been devoured by demonic beasts.

If not for those disciples drawing attention, he'd have been torn apart long ago.

Tonight's mission had been a catastrophic loss.

Zhang Hao dared not delay—he buried his head and ran.

Too many demonic beasts—he had no strength to resist, only the option to flee.

Suddenly!

Two figures emerged from the shadows ahead. Zhang Hao roared: "Get out of my way!"

He hadn't even clearly seen who they were.

Eyes blazing, Zhang Hao raised his blade and slashed toward the two.

But when he reached them,

His pupils shrank sharply.

One of them was an elderly man draped in a black robe; the other—damn it, wasn't even human!

Eight feet tall, humanoid.

It was called humanoid only because its body was covered in black-green scales, and its neck bore three heads—terrible beyond words.

"Ghost Demon!"

He'd truly stumbled into a ditch—what he feared most had come. Zhang Hao's pupils shrank to pinpricks.

He turned to flee—

Only to see the massive Ghost Demon raise its right arm, summoning a gale as it swung a palm toward Zhang Hao.

Trees flipped, then flipped again.

Zhang Hao rolled countless times before finally crashing into a dozen trees and stopping.

His bones shattered beyond count—he struggled to open his eyelids.

Faintly, he heard: "Merge with me. This is your honor."

The Ghost Demon opened its bloodied maw.

Zhang Hao vanished from the forest.

Eastern Suburbs.

A rapid clatter of hooves sounded—at least a hundred and eighty horses.

"Commandant Liu?"

Wei Ming pulled his reins, frowning slightly.

He thought he'd moved swiftly enough—yet Liu Chuan had arrived even faster.

As if he'd received word ahead of time.

Wei Ming dismounted.

Liu Chuan stepped forward: "Commandant Wei, I've sent men to temporarily contain the demons descending the mountain—but to exterminate them, I need your help."

"It's my duty."

As Wei Ming's group spoke, they walked toward the nearby woods.

This Commandant Liu was Feng Yu's man.

Though their factions opposed each other, Wei Ming wasn't foolish enough to ignore the demons because of it.

Internal strife was internal strife.

For external threats, the Anning Guard had to stand as one solid wall.

That was the shared understanding between Cao Wei and Jiang Lin.

Soon,

They saw Liu Chuan's soldiers formed a tight formation, surrounding a dozen demonic beasts.

The reason armies surpassed martial sects

Was largely their ability to form battle arrays—with elite warriors as the core, continuously replenishing troops.

Once trapped in a military array,

Even a Grandmaster of Martial Arts could be worn down to death.

Wei Ming's gaze sharpened: "Form array! Kill the demons!"

With Wei Ming's men joining forces, within half an hour,

Only eight or nine demonic beasts remained—reduced to unrecognizable carcasses.

Before the army, demonic beasts were just as helpless.

A few others had slipped away into the mountains during the chaos.

Wei Ming ordered men to clean the battlefield, then turned to Liu Chuan: "Commandant Liu, what exactly happened? Why did these demons descend without cause?"

Liu Chuan shook his head: "I don't know the reason."

This morning, while training troops,

Feng Yu suddenly ordered him to lead troops to the eastern suburbs, claiming demons were present.

He obeyed.

But upon arriving, he found far more demons than expected—and just as he prepared to request reinforcements, Wei Ming arrived.

Wei Ming took a deep breath: "Demonic beasts are vicious. We must eradicate them completely. We'll search the mountain."

"Agreed."

Liu Chuan nodded.

If we let them escape today, they'll remain a threat.

Better to strike now, while we have numbers—capture one if we can, one at a time.

The Annan Army has two duties: to monitor the martial world, and to suppress demonic beasts.

It's our responsibility.

Leaving a few soldiers to clean up, the two led the rest up the mountain in force.

In squads of five, each led by a Squad Leader, they spread out in a Baowei formation, searching different directions.

With the New Year approaching,

Some dead trees had sprouted new buds; the ground was slick.

The soldiers searching the mountain had martial skills—they moved steadily, no accidents occurred.

Nearby, the rustling of leaves and branches could be heard, faintly accompanied by voices speaking.

Ge Hong and Li Rui led a squad of six soldiers, carefully searching for traces of the escaped beast.

Wei Ming had specifically ordered that each team be stationed twenty zhang apart, so that if trouble arose, nearby teams could reach them in time.

"Old Brother Li, what do you think's going on with this beast? I keep feeling something's off."

Ge Hong whispered.

"There's definitely something wrong."

Li Rui cautiously scanned his surroundings.

He had lived in Qinghe for many years and had heard of several beast disturbances before.

But they always had a reason.

Either a treasure had emerged, or the beast held a grudge against humans and came down to retaliate.

Yet today's beast disturbance showed no clear cause whatsoever.

It was very strange.

As the two spoke, a cry rang out: "There's a corpse!"

Li Rui and Ge Hong exchanged glances.

They rushed toward the right with their men.

Moments later,

they found a squad of soldiers gathered in a circle, staring at the corpse—more accurately, the scattered body parts.

Clearly torn apart by a beast.

Li Rui stared closely.

Some of the body parts bore traces of spiritual matter.

Clearly, these people were of high status; they wore spiritual armor, which the beast had torn apart along with their bodies.

Ge Hong gazed at the corpse.

He frowned: "Where did these people come from? Judging by the fabric fragments, they're not from our Anning Guard."

Soon,

Wei Ming and Liu Chuan arrived as well.

They stared at the body parts, sharing Ge Hong's confusion.

"Send someone to fetch the coroner."

"I want to find out who this is!"

(End of Chapter)