Chapter 584

Thus, Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong secretly reached an agreement, altered their previous plan, and followed this group of cultivators to White Paper City.

The Yin Soul Black Swamp is rich in water systems, with numerous waterways.

The three red-wood warships were crowded with people and possessed great influence; furthermore, they were all locals familiar with the environment, so they traveled with ease and spent a peaceful day without incident.

Ning Zhuo did not manage to find out the name of the Ghost tribe leader, hearing only the surname "Qing" from others. Combined with his pale green skin, it was quite fitting.

Since the Ghost tribe leader surnamed Qing had spoken, he truly arranged for Ning Zhuo to be by his side.

He let Ning Zhuo use the Bone-Piercing Crocodile stomach pouch while he personally stood guard for Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo did not want to do that.

His appearance and physique were disguised due to his theft arts, but his soul could not be. Yet, using the Bone-Piercing Crocodile stomach pouch required extracting one's soul and drilling into the pouch.

Once he did that, he would undoubtedly be exposed. Moreover, leaving his physical body outside while his soul was separated was very dangerous.

This small difficulty could not stump Ning Zhuo.

He merely kept a straight face, addressed the Ghost tribe Jin Dan leader by his surname, and displayed an appearance of having no choice but to submit to the strong, yet being truly unwilling in his heart.

"Leader Qing, once I reach White Paper City, I will naturally use this stomach pouch for cultivation. You need not concern yourself too much with me."

As a result, the Ghost tribe Jin Dan felt relieved instead: "Jiao Ma, do I not know the thoughts of a kid like you? You are still thinking of my daughter, afraid to accept my favor, and worried it will be hard to go back on your word later."

"Hmph."

"You are of the Human race, while my daughter is of the Ghost tribe. You will not find happiness if you join together."

"Besides, what is wrong with becoming a male consort? If you become the City Lord's man, glory and wealth will be yours for the taking."

The Ghost tribe Jin Dan did not forget to persuade Ning Zhuo.

Sun Lingtong, who was to the side, secretly held back his laughter and also chimed in from the side: "That's right, Young Master Jiao Ma. Becoming a male consort is such a great opportunity; others want it but cannot get it."

Ning Zhuo let out a cold snort and pointed his hand at Sun Lingtong: "Who are you? Although you saved me, I am conversing with Leader Qing; did I permit you to interrupt? You deserve a slap in the face!"

Sun Lingtong was instantly stunned on the spot.

Although the scale of the Ghost tribe in the Yin Soul Black Swamp is larger than that of the Human race, their status is low.

Looking at the entire Cultivation World, the Human race is the undisputed hegemon. The Ghost tribe is small in number and only relatively numerous in this swamp.

Therefore, as a Human, Ning Zhuo ordering a Foundation Establishment Ghost tribe cultivator to slap his own face conformed to local customs and was not abrupt.

Leader Qing's gaze flickered slightly, and he did not say anything.

For a moment, a dozen gazes rested on Sun Lingtong.

Sun Lingtong gritted his teeth, stared at Ning Zhuo, and was just about to slap his own face when he heard Ning Zhuo wave his hand and say: "But who am I?"

"I am Jiao Ma, magnanimous and broad-minded, unlike some people who always hold prejudices dividing the Human and Ghost races."

Leader Qing gave a dry laugh, knowing Ning Zhuo was being sarcastic, and considering the latter's pursuit of his daughter, he did not flare up.

Ning Zhuo pointed his hand at Sun Lingtong: "Since you saved me, I will try to forgive you once."

"How about this, I see you are short and dark-skinned, like an iron block; why not change your name to Tie Tuo?"

"I will take you as a slave; from now on, follow me and do things!"

Sun Lingtong suppressed the strong urge to roll his eyes and thought to himself: "Fine, fine, so that's how we're playing, is it?"

He obediently knelt halfway on the ground, cupped his fists, and addressed Ning Zhuo as Master.

Ning Zhuo laughed heartily and beckoned to him: "Come, stand by my side and listen to my orders at all times."

"Yes, Master." Sun Lingtong was so angry his teeth itched.

He never expected that this kid Ning Zhuo would be so bold as to make him acknowledge him as master. This was simply turning the world upside down!

"The little Zhuo of the past would absolutely never be like this. Sigh, he has traveled, and his heart has grown wild. After participating in a great battle, he has become lawless! Hmph, don't let me find an opportunity. Once I find an opportunity, I will definitely discipline him well!!" Sun Lingtong mocked Ning Zhuo, but ended up implicating himself and suffering a setback, yet he could not resist for the time being.

This was all because he knew Ning Zhuo was also looking for an opportunity to place him by his side to facilitate their unified action later.

Seeing Ning Zhuo subdue a Ghost tribe member, Leader Qing extended his spiritual sense and scanned Sun Lingtong up and down.

"A mid-stage Foundation Establishment Ghost tribe member serving as your servant is considered qualified." Leader Qing nodded slightly, "It's just that he is a bit poor."

Speaking of this, he took out two magic tools and tossed them to Sun Lingtong.

"These are what I used when I was young; I'll give them to you to use. One is a Flying Bone Shield, and the other is a Soul-Slaying Blade. One for offense and one for defense, just right for you."

"You should refine them first, and then I will teach you the tricks of using them."

Seeing that Ning Zhuo would not accept his favors, Leader Qing took a roundabout way to enhance the strength of Ning Zhuo's "servant," Tie Tuo.

Sun Lingtong was stunned for a moment and sighed to himself: "This guy Little Zhuo's level of fathoming people's hearts is much higher than mine."

He hurriedly caught the two magic tools and thanked him loudly.

Ning Zhuo let out a cold snort, showing hesitation on his face, but ultimately did not object.

While others sailed the ships, Leader Qing cooperated with Sun Lingtong to quickly refine the two magic tools and taught him how to use them.

Sun Lingtong was clever and intelligent, with a broad vision, and had dabbled in all kinds of magic tools. After all, theft was his greatest hobby, which led to him having numerous magic tools on his person.

These two magic tools were clearly of the Ghost path, and Sun Lingtong quickly got the hang of them and used them quite decently.

Such a performance made Leader Qing re-evaluate Sun Lingtong: "You unremarkable little thing actually has inner talent. Follow your young master well from now on, do you hear me?"

"Understood." Sun Lingtong responded in a muffled voice.

"Lord Qing Yan, I, Yang, come from out of town, but I also took a quota for your village and was selected as a male consort." A man suddenly spoke up, "Lord Qing Yan should also reward me with something, right?"

Everyone cast their gazes over and saw a middle-aged man with a tall stature, a wide mouth and broad nose, a full beard, and a bare chest covered in black chest hair, exuding a very intense masculine aura.

Only then did Ning Zhuo know that Leader Qing's full name was Qing Yan.

Qing Yan looked at the man who spoke, did not take offense, and laughed heartily: "You are an outsider; although you volunteered to become a male consort, you did indeed contribute to my village. I will consider what you want."

The middle-aged man's full name was Yang Weida, a body cultivator from the Flying Cloud Kingdom, and he was a traveling merchant.

Hearing about the recruitment of male consorts, he considered his own cultivation technique excellent and his talent extraordinary, so he wanted to climb the social ladder. He had survived an attack by relying on his own means, and seeing Qing Yan taking care of Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong, his merchant habits flared up, and he mustered the courage to ask for a reward.

Yang Weida appeared honest and rugged on the outside, but was actually quite shrewd, and immediately proposed that he wanted a Bone-Piercing Crocodile stomach pouch identical to Ning Zhuo's.

Leader Qing let out a cold snort: "Your appetite is too big; how could a Jin Dan-level stomach pouch be given to you at will? Say something practical."

Yang Weida: "Since that is the case, then please reward me with a few Soul-Crossing Lamp Wicks, my lord."

Leader Qing took six magic tool-level Soul-Crossing Lamp Wicks from his storage bag and tossed them to Yang Weida.

"Hehe." A cold laugh suddenly came, "A few Soul-Crossing Lamp Wicks like these are enough to make an outsider risk his life. Qing Yan, you should be a merchant; you've made a good deal!"

"Who is it?!" Qing Yan immediately stood up and shouted.

The others all changed color and were on full alert.

The river water bulged and suddenly exploded, and a Jin Dan-level Bone-Piercing Crocodile appeared in the waves.

"Sitting" on the back of the Bone-Piercing Crocodile was a Human cultivator with a body as huge as an elephant.

This male cultivator was wrapped in a layer of bone armor, his gaze cold and piercing.

He stared at the cultivators on the three warships: "The White Paper City Lord needs a massive amount of Yang Qi, and selecting male consorts is to borrow the method of dual cultivation to provide her with massive amounts of Yang Qi to aid her cultivation."

"Therefore, those who become her male consorts will soon lose their lives due to excessive extraction of Yang Qi."

"You people who are to be selected as male consorts are still pleased with yourselves? Hmph, how ridiculous! You are seeking your own deaths."

Many cultivators' expressions changed again.

Ning Zhuo's gaze was deep, Yang Weida's expression changed slightly, and his eyeballs rolled: "I don't believe it! If that were really the case, the White Paper City Lord would have long since incurred the wrath of heaven and man and been overthrown. Even if she couldn't be overthrown, others would have long since run away. But the fact is that she has held the selection of male consorts many times."

These words were reasonable and well-founded, causing the Sun and Ning duo to re-evaluate him.

Qing Yan let out a cold snort: "Bone Crocodile Demon, the attack on my village by the crocodile herd before was your doing, right?"

The Bone Crocodile Demon admitted it directly: "Of course, I just can't stand you greedy fools."

"The White Paper City Lord acts tyrannically over us; what right does she have?"

"It is you idiots who actively provide her with massive amounts of Yang Qi to support her cultivation that have made White Paper City as stable as Mount Tai, standing firm!"

"We, the City-Overturning Alliance, are here to intercept and kill you scum to make the Black Swamp Wetland more free and pure!"

After saying this, a large number of Bone-Piercing Crocodiles floated up from the depths of the river and launched an attack on the three red-wood warships.

The red-wood warships immediately bloomed with radiance and activated their defensive arrays.

The cultivators on the ships attacked one after another, unleashing layers of spells to launch a fierce attack on the Bone-Piercing Crocodile herd and the Bone Crocodile Demon.

Under the spell attacks, the Bone-Piercing Crocodile herd immediately suffered heavy casualties.

Some of them crashed directly into the warships, while others opened their mouths to spray corrosive venom.

The Bone Crocodile Demon laughed heartily. He bathed in layers of spells, his bone armor thick and heavy, protecting him firmly and leaving him safe and sound.

"Is this all the offensive power you have? How is it any different from scratching an itch?" the Crocodile Demon mocked.

"Is that so?" Qing Yan sneered and suddenly attacked.

He summoned a huge soul blade, the blade aura surging and expanding to the size of a warship, slashing fiercely at the Bone Crocodile Demon from mid-air.

Boom!

The Bone Crocodile Demon parried, but could not withstand such a powerful attack, and was knocked into the river, stirring up water columns several feet high.

The Bone Crocodile Demon launched an attack from underwater to retaliate.

Qing Yan was quite aggressive, his offensive style open and closing, firmly suppressing the Bone Crocodile Demon.

A large number of Bone-Piercing Crocodiles also became drifting corpses in the water under the siege of the other cultivators.

Although the Bone Crocodile Demon was a Jin Dan cultivator, he clearly followed the beast-taming path. Although he was large in scale, he was personally grabbed by Qing Yan and could only defend himself exhaustively.

The Bone-Piercing Crocodile herd besieged the other cultivators and should have had the upper hand, but these three red-wood warships were among the best in the village, with outstanding defense, like mobile water fortresses, making the Bone-Piercing Crocodiles' offensive almost unable to achieve any results.

In the latter half of the battle, Qing Yan let out a low whistle and dived directly into the water to engage the Bone Crocodile Demon.

The people on the ships saw explosions on the water surface one after another, stirring up columns of water.

The Bone Crocodile Demon's exasperated voice came out: "Qing Yan, you foolish loyal dog! What good things did the White Paper City Lord give you to make you so loyal to her?!"

Qing Yan said: "You City-Overturning Alliance members are all short-sighted!"

"Without the White Paper City Lord sitting in the Immortal City, acting as the main force to resist the annual Ghost Tide, how could we live here in peace?"

"Protecting the White Paper City Lord is protecting our present, and it is also guarding the order of the entire Yin Soul Black Swamp!"

The Bone Crocodile Demon laughed coldly: "You speak nicely, but you are just thinking for yourself."

"Have you thought about those who were selected to become male consorts? They have all become cultivation sacrifices for the White Paper City Lord!"

Qing Yan shouted angrily: "Stop trying to sow discord!"

"Becoming a male consort brings glory and wealth. How could the White Paper City Lord harm the innocent?"

"It is indeed hard to be a male consort, but if one cannot provide Yang Qi, one can just leave. The White Paper City Lord has never restrained them!"

"Your City-Overturning Alliance is ambitious, wanting to subvert the order here and become kings and hegemons. But do you have the strength to resist the Ghost Tide?"

"Your means are mediocre; it seems the entire City-Overturning Alliance is nothing more than this!"

The Bone Crocodile Demon was furious: "I am so angry! Qing Yan, today I will smash you into ten thousand pieces so that you know the power of your Crocodile Demon grandfather!"

The explosions underwater became more and more dense and powerful.

But after a round of fierce fighting, the explosions clearly decreased a lot.

Qing Yan's voice came out again: "Crocodile Demon, whatever tricks you have left, bring them all out."

Crocodile Demon: "Damn it!"

It was clear that Qing Yan still had the upper hand.

The Crocodile Demon sneered: "Qing Yan, you don't know the state of the White Paper City Lord. I'll tell you the truth; she is finished."

"This time, even if she recruits new male consorts, the Yang Qi will not be enough for her to harmonize."

"She has been in charge of White Paper City for too long, really too long. The Yin Qi has accumulated too heavily; how could it be possible to succeed by relying solely on this Yang Qi to harmonize?"

"You will definitely be defeated this time! Definitely defeated!!"

Black Water Mountain, White Paper City.

Inside the Listening to the Nether Pavilion, bamboo shadows swayed, and only the Funeral Music Youling was there.

She sat cross-legged with a solemn expression. On the green jade table in front of her, several magic treasures were placed in a scattered manner.

A bronze lamp, seven yellow jade bells, and a charred-tail ghost-patterned zither lying horizontally.

Funeral Music Youling extended her hand and, using the bronze lamp flame, lit a long incense stick.

Green smoke rose and lingered in the air without stopping.

Youling used her spiritual sense to control objects and plucked the charred-tail zither.

The zither music lingered, triggering the layers of evolution of the green smoke. When the seven bells hung in the air and vibrated continuously, the triggered bell sounds also participated, and this divination reached its most difficult period.

After a long time, the sorrowful and mournful music gradually disappeared, and the green smoke fell onto the table, turning into a layer of light gray.

The faint ash outlined a prophecy poem.

Funeral Music Youling gasped slightly, focused her gaze on the table, and murmured the words aloud.

"Ghost Tide surges, White Paper in danger; Lone Swan carries candle, breaking the sky's curtain. Guest star should shine north of the Literary Pivot; Ten Thousand Phenomena lamp shines, the tribulation destroys itself."

She pinched finger seals to gain a more detailed understanding of it.

A moment later, her aura became even weaker, but her eyes were much brighter: "So the turning point is in the north. Both the Lone Swan and the Guest Star represent outsiders."

"There is an outsider carrying a candle, lighting the Lamp of Ten Thousand Phenomena, who will become the key for us to overcome this crisis!"

"Ten Thousand Phenomena... does it refer to the lamp, or the Wanxiang Sect?"

Funeral Music Youling pondered for a moment, and suddenly her inspiration was triggered, and she sent out a flying letter: "Wen Ruanyu, you are a member of the Wanxiang Sect, and you should also be a crucial figure in the prophecy. Go to the north and welcome an outside guest. Remember, he is carrying some kind of candle, or candle fire, or candle light."