Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 105 - 105 104 The Underworld Tombs 1 Requesting monthly ticket and subscription

105: Chapter 104: The Underworld Tombs 1 [Requesting monthly ticket and subscription] 105: Chapter 104: The Underworld Tombs 1 [Requesting monthly ticket and subscription] Three people had fallen into a standoff.

As Hou Niao and Xiang Zhiwen stood there, staring each other down with big eyes and small, lacking the grandeur typical of the senior, and without the discipline characteristic of the junior, Dou Gong felt he needed to say something.

“Hmm, Junior Brother Hou’s words do have some merit, but Brother Xiang also has his reasons.

In my view, it is indeed inappropriate for Brother Xiang to waste time on the Yinling tombs, as the entire Yinling needs your control.

You cannot focus too intensely on one aspect; this is the principle.

So, the only problem is who should investigate the reality of the Yinling tombs?

Is it me or Junior Brother Hou?

Or should we both stay behind?”

Xiang Zhiwen shook his head.

Defection among his subordinates was normal among these patrol groups.

Although officially there were ranks, in reality, everyone was more like brothers, focusing on the case and not the person, which was the guarantee of their combat strength.

He indeed wasn’t suitable to stay here since such an investigation could be prolonged.

He was a Patrol Envoy, in charge of overall affairs.

But he really didn’t want to leave this newcomer here either; it was too dangerous.

It made no sense to randomly send a promising seedling to his doom here—it was his responsibility as well.

He needed to think of a strategy, “We are indeed short on manpower.

Fang Family’s Castle has already been empty for a while and can’t be left vacant forever.

If the Town Government’s luck is good, they might have made some progress by now?

The next step is dealing with the matter of Fang Family’s Castle.

Not just our team, but also the ones led by Li Jingxi and Feng Yaochen, must be called back to ensure no changes occur at Fang Family’s Castle.

Therefore, we can only leave one person here.

In terms of the nature of the investigation, there’s not much difference between one person and two, as we are not here to exterminate the Soul Ghosts.”

First, he set the tone that one person would stay behind, then he’d set a trap for the newcomer; this was his strategy.

“Who stays and who goes will be decided by strength—this is the style of our patrol lineage!

Less talk, show your true ability through action!

We are tens of miles away from West Mang Mountain, and we can reach it by tomorrow night.

No more nonsense, let’s enter the periphery of the Yinling tombs.

Whoever kills more in one night stays; the one who kills less returns to Fang Family’s Castle.

Is this standard fair?”

Of course, it’s not fair!

A cultivator whose Dantian in the Essence Building Realm isn’t full yet, compared to a cultivator whose Dantian in the Grain Avoidance Realm is abundant, having to compete over the course of one night?

If it were within an hour, judging solely based on burst potential, it might be deemed fair, but…

Dou Gong smiled a smile that wasn’t quite a smile; of course, he knew what kind of trick Brother Xiang was playing.

Even if it was bullying the newcomer, but like Xiang Zhiwen, he didn’t want to leave a newcomer here either.

With Junior Brother Hou’s potential, after staying here for half a year, there would be nothing to discuss; naturally, he would qualify, but now you, a person who has been in Yinling for less than a month, wish to take on such responsibility alone; that’s too risky.

Hou Niao gave a wry smile.

He knew this was the biggest concession he could get.

If you cannot prove yourself, why should others trust you?

Grass Dragon Valley’s swordplay was about burst power; after entering the West Mang Mountain Yinling tombs, it would be about endurance, measuring deep cultivation.

From this perspective, Xiang Zhiwen wasn’t exactly bullying him.

“Then, I ask Senior Brother Dou to be a bit lenient so that I, your Junior Brother, don’t lose too disgracefully.”

Dou Gong was impervious to both water and fire.

“Don’t pull that on me, thinking to lull me into complacency for your comeback?

What are you thinking?

Once I, a Quanzhen Sword Cultivator, make my move, I will give it my all.”

With a decision made and the rain not yet stopped, the three continued on their way, walking onward.

Eventually, the rain began to ease, and sunlight appeared in the sky above Yinling.

Although it was still very overcast, it began to look a bit more like the mortal world, didn’t it?

West Mang Mountain, located in the northwest of Shan Country, is a chain of hills and mountains that isn’t particularly tall or dangerous.

The entire range resembles a series of unevenly sized hill mounds.

Of course, you could also see them as a series of giant burial mounds.

Passing West Mang Mountain and going deeper into Wei Country is where the real tall and steep mountains lie—also the natural barrier preventing the Soul Ghosts from moving toward Wei Country.

This area is also one of the more infamous ancient battlefields in the southwest region.

It was exactly because West Mang Mountain isn’t very tall or dangerous, with gentle slopes, that it was chosen by military strategists as a location for large-scale battles, where they could take advantage of the terrain without the difficulty of climbing.

Countless bones are buried underneath this land, and time has been so long that no one can accurately say just how many there are.

It’s only known that at nightfall, this place truly becomes filled with endless processions of ghostly soldiers and wailing ghost generals; merely being among them can frighten the faint-hearted to death.

Even before reaching West Mang Mountain, the three felt the chilling gusts and saw heavy ghostly shadows, but in daylight, those Soul Ghosts wouldn’t fully materialize.

Having left their horses behind, the three made their way on foot until they reached the first earthen mound of West Mang Mountain and entered it for real.

Xiang Zhiwen announced the rules: “As dusk falls, the Soul Ghosts will launch a massive attack.

Each of you will take a side and fend for yourselves, felling spirits.

The Soul Banner will serve as proof; more or fewer kills will be obvious at a glance.

When the sun rises high tomorrow and the Soul Ghosts retreat, we’ll count the banners to determine the outcome.”

Setting up a Soul Banner was not the method of the Quanzhen Sect, but in Yinling, cultivators inevitably dealt with lost spirits and stray ghosts, so they would also have such items on hand.

They were not used to slaughter spirits and collect their souls; rather, they were for several auxiliary purposes, one of which was that each time a spirit was vanquished, the banner would automatically collect energy—a method of banner refinement.

Their position was on the edge of West Mang Mountain; the ranks of Soul Ghosts they would face were limited, which was why they dared to come here.

To venture further in would be to embrace uncontrollable risks.

Dou Gong and he each faced a direction, taunting each other, “Junior Brother Hou, Senior Brother won’t bully you, you can swallow elixirs, you know.”

Hou Niao extended his hand, “No elixirs!

Could Senior Brother lend me a few Replenishing Essence Pills?

I’ll repay you once I get my monthly stipend.”

Dou Gong laughed heartily, “I trust you for nothing!

Half a year’s stipend already docked, and you’re still trying to scam your brother here?”

Both men sat in meditation to adjust their energy.

Jokes aside, a battle was a battle, which brooked no negligence.

Keeping the Dantian full was essential for enduring through the night and could not be taken lightly.

Because the clouds hadn’t dispersed, dusk arrived unusually early that day.

At the end of Yin time and the beginning of Mao time, the light faded, and Soul Ghosts began to appear faintly.

They had a keen sense for the living and quickly discovered the three, and then began to congregate.

Soul Ghosts floated carelessly up the slope, their pace not swift, their elevation not high, characteristic of lower-level Soul Ghosts.

Their flight was really just hovering three feet above the ground, limited in speed.

Once detached from the ground, they couldn’t strike as quickly.

At their level, the ground’s support was of immense importance.

Hou Niao observed carefully and noticed that these Soul Ghosts could lunge quickly over short distances, but after one lunge, they would quickly become exhausted, struggling and drifting to prepare for the next strike.

This movement style made it challenging for them to scale the mountain—it consumed a lot of energy, probably explaining why they did not cross the tall mountains of Wei Country.

When over a dozen Soul Ghosts had gathered, emboldened by their numbers, they began to surround the three.