Chapter 469: Shock and Surprise

Chapter 469: Shock and Surprise

Liu Xi glanced at Shi Pan with a hint of surprise, then recalled, "Before entering the Wind Cave, I saw a black-robed Daoist not far away and reminded him to enter the cave."

"Before I entered, he didn't make any moves. Perhaps... he went to another Wind Cave?"

Shi Pan's face turned pale upon hearing this, "There's only this one Wind Cave nearby... the others are far away."

Shi Pan's heart was filled with deep regret.

He should have reminded that senior before entering the Wind Cave.

In the Tiankun Mystic Land, many new cultivators underestimated the Wraith Night, thinking themselves superior. They even found interest in the Wraiths and chose to stay outside during the Wraith Night.

But now, that senior hadn't entered this Wind Cave.

According to the nearby cultivator, the senior hadn't moved before he entered.

It was too late to go to another Wind Cave.

Outside, the howls of the Wraith Army echoed eerily, and Shi Pan could already foresee what was about to happen.

Liu Xi's expression remained calm, "It seems this Daoist friend is new here, what a pity."

He had seen many cultivators like this.

Once, a Mythical Realm expert, a descendant of a Yang Deity, came to Tiankun Mystic Land in search of treasures.

Confident in the Yang Deity's artifact left by his mother, he didn't take the Wraith Night seriously.

In the end... he perished.

Such incidents were common; he had seen many, and it no longer affected him.

"There are still a few hours until dawn, no use getting anxious." Liu Xi, a kind person, consoled Shi Pan. "When the sun rises, you can go and collect his remains. If his bones are strong, there might be some remnants left."

Shi Pan: "..."

Inside the Wind Cave, the voices of the Wraiths continued to echo.

Shi Pan was worried, stretching his neck to look outside, but he didn't dare to leave. His heart was filled with concern for Qi Yuan.

Liu Xi, on the other hand, remained calm and found a spot to sit and rest.

...

At the same time, outside the mountains, one could see a pair of deep green eyes in the pitch-black landscape, like bats in the night.

Countless Wraiths formed an army, led by Chen Zhen, with their heads lowered as if attending a swearing-in ceremony.

Qi Yuan stood in the air, surrounded by the Wraith Army, and began a speech from the Great Forgetfulness Scripture, brainwashing them.

The previous night was an eventful one.

Led by the Wraith Army, Qi Yuan had traveled thousands of miles, slaughtering all the Wraith Messengers in the area.

The Wraith Army, under his influence, had also grown significantly.

Standing in the air, Qi Yuan faced an army of Wraiths filled with fanaticism and madness. Their cheers were deafening, even more so than a concert on Blue Star.

"To protect our land, we need a strong army with quality.

What is quality? Well, first of all, it's late at night, so no disturbing the people. Keep it quiet."

What is quality? Qi Yuan himself wasn't the most well-mannered.

He could be easily provoked by Niu Jiao Sister's retorts.

As for how to build a quality army, he wasn't quite sure.

At least... not disturbing the people should count, right?

Does... unifying thoughts count as well?

Indeed, as Qi Yuan spoke, the Wraith Army seemed to have their thoughts sealed, all holding their breath without making a sound.

"After achieving quality, we need strength. Let's start with the thirty-sixth set of broadcast calisthenics."

Qi Yuan felt increasingly clever.

He had often seen on TV how a Martial King dominated the world with a set of military boxing.

His broadcast calisthenics were no less impressive.

After teaching the Wraith Army the calisthenics, Qi Yuan continued, "Next, let's exercise, build barracks, and construct an Armory Tower!"

Qi Yuan instructed.

The Wraith Army still bore the restraints of the Holy Light Sect.

Qi Yuan could see that these Wraiths were originally harmless and didn't need to be killed during the Wraith Night.

The Holy Light Sect had polluted them with strange creations, seemingly pursuing an unspoken goal.

Qi Yuan taught the thirty-sixth set of broadcast calisthenics to the Wraith Army, slowly grinding the bell that controlled them, erasing the marks of control.

"Good, good. Once these Wraiths are completely normal, they can work in the Netherworld during the day, and when needed, enter my Emperor Soul Banner to fight for me!"

Qi Yuan was a kind person and couldn't bear to see these Wraiths without work, like unemployed refugees.

So, he generously provided them with jobs, reducing unemployment.

If this happened on Blue Star, he would be hailed as a "Living Bodhisattva" for providing jobs to so many.

Following Qi Yuan's instructions, the Wraith Army scattered in an orderly manner.

Some practiced the broadcast calisthenics, while others chopped down trees to build barracks and treasure towers.

But they all maintained good manners, not making a sound.

Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.

The sky gradually brightened.

Inside the Wind Cave, Shi Pan had dark circles under his eyes from a sleepless night, looking weary.

Outside the cave, the howls of the Wraith Army had long faded, leaving a quiet atmosphere, but faintly, some strange sounds could still be heard.

He was anxious and wanted to see what was happening outside.

What had become of the senior who had always protected them?

"The sun has risen, and the Wraith Army has dispersed. Good," Liu Xi said cheerfully and headed out of the Wind Cave.

Seeing this, Shi Pan and the other refugees followed suit.

Especially Shi Pan, who was extremely worried, having been close to the Wind Cave. Hearing the sounds, he no longer hesitated and rushed out, heading towards Qi Yuan's location.

"Ah?"

About ten breaths later, Shi Pan suddenly let out a terrified cry.

His legs trembled, and he sat down, his face filled with fear.

"What's wrong?" Shi Pan's mother anxiously called out from inside the Wind Cave and rushed out.

"Don't... Wraiths, so many Wraiths!"

Shi Pan was shocked and puzzled.

In the distance, the mountains were teeming with terrifying creatures.

They looked ethereal, their eyes glowing green, like smoke.

Now, these terrifying creatures were chopping down trees, carrying logs, and some were gathered together, performing a set of extremely bizarre movements, appearing particularly comical and ridiculous.

Shi Pan had never seen wraiths before, but upon seeing these creatures, the first thought that came to mind was of wraiths.

"You silly child, it's broad daylight, how could there be wraiths? You must have scared yourself." Liu Xi smiled as he finished adjusting his clothes and slowly walked out of the wind cave.

It was obvious that he thought Shi Pan, an ordinary mortal, was overly terrified and had scared himself.

However, as soon as he took a step out of the wind cave and glanced outside, his expression froze.

The refugees inside the wind cave immediately saw a white shadow frantically shrinking into the cave.

Liu Xi exclaimed in shock, "Wraiths in broad daylight?"

He was extremely perplexed.

In the Heaven Earth Mystic Land, he had never encountered wraiths during the day.

Moreover, with just a casual glance, he saw over a thousand wraiths.

This was extremely frightening.

"Oh no, that kid Shi Pan is still outside..." Liu Xi felt a twinge of anxiety.

The night before, he had a lengthy conversation with Shi Pan and had developed a certain admiration for the boy.

Now, with Shi Pan outside and considering the terror of the wraiths, Shi Pan's fate seemed sealed.

Hmm... Why isn't he dead yet?

At this moment, the other refugees inside the wind cave were shocked, some stumbling, and others looking terrified.

"How can there be wraiths in broad daylight?"

"We're done for, the wraiths have seen me, I'm going to meet my end!"

These people were scared out of their wits.

The terror of the wraiths was like a dark cloud hanging over them.

But at this moment, Liu Xi looked outside, his face showing curiosity, "Why isn't Shi Pan dead yet? These wraiths are powerful, and they must have noticed us... Why haven't they attacked... And what are they doing?"

Liu Xi looked at the wraiths with a puzzled expression.

What's happening today is truly bizarre."

Just then, a sudden roar like thunder reverberated from beyond the sky.

"Who dares to be so bold as to abduct my wraiths!"

A Purple Mansion cultivator shouted, his voice shaking the heavens and earth.

The night before, he had led an army of wraiths, and upon encountering a desolate ridge, he suddenly felt the urge and entered a dilapidated wind cave to engage in a wild spar with his concubine.

But who would have thought that after the spar, his squad of wraiths had gone missing.

This was no small matter.

Following the markings on the bell, he quickly headed toward his squad of wraiths.

But just as he finished scolding, this Soul Wander Messenger froze.

He looked at the countless wraiths covering the mountains and plains, his eyes wide open.

"Ah... It's just a misunderstanding, I was just passing by!"

If it was just a single squad of wraiths that had been abducted, he would have dared to continue wearing the tiger skin of the Holy Light Sect.

But this was... countless, truly countless.

He quickly fled, leaving no trace.

But at that moment, a slightly lazy voice suddenly sounded.

"Disturbing someone's peaceful sleep early in the morning is truly lacking in manners."

As his voice echoed, the wraiths who were doing radio calisthenics and building houses stopped, and in unison, they roared at the Soul Wander Messenger.

"You need to have manners!"

From afar, Liu Xi watched this comical scene, feeling his brain couldn't keep up.

Was it that he hadn't woken up yet, or had the cultivation world gone mad?

As the wraiths roared in unison, the Soul Wander Messenger's body shattered, turning into a cloud of blood mist.

A faint voice echoed.

"This is the consequence of lacking manners."

The voice was calm, with a hint of indifference.

Hearing this voice, Shi Pan's face lit up with joy, "This is... the voice of the Great Ancestor!"

"What, is this the black-robed cultivator from last night?" Liu Xi's body trembled at the thought.

These wraiths were so terrifying that a few dozen of them could easily suppress and slaughter mythic beings.

There were countless wraiths here, far more than ten thousand!

That Daoist companion... to be able to subdue so many terrifying wraiths, he must be at least a Supreme Principle cultivator! Even a Heaven Rank Yang Deity wouldn't be enough! Liu Xi's face showed excitement.

He hesitated for a moment, then gathered his courage, "Shi Pan, can you take me to meet that senior?"

Shi Pan's face showed both shock and joy, and finally, he nodded, "Okay."

After about a hundred breaths, Liu Xi, with a pounding heart, finally made his way through the army of wraiths and met the black-robed cultivator.

He quickly bowed, "A wandering cultivator Liu Xi pays his respects to the Heavenly Lord!"

Shi Pan's eyes lit up, "Great Ancestor, how did you subdue these wraiths?"

Liu Xi's eyes also showed curiosity.

Wraiths were mysterious, and it seemed even Yang Deity Venerables couldn't handle them.

Liu Xi had heard that once, a Supreme Principle Yang Deity had a great interest in these wraiths, but he didn't dare to approach them. Instead, he spent a hefty price to buy a single wraith for research, and his conclusion was that wraiths were unfathomable and concealed great terror.

"I'm a kind-hearted person, and I can't bear to see them homeless and wandering like lost souls in the night, so I took them in." Qi Yuan said.

There were still many good people in this world.

Some wealthy individuals would chase away vagrants, while others would give them new names. Qi Yuan chose to take them in and put them to work.

This favor was something they could never repay in their lifetime.

Hearing this, Liu Xi wanted to scoff.

These weren't like lost souls, they were real ghosts! And what did giving a ghost a job mean? He couldn't follow Qi Yuan's train of thought.

"These wraiths were originally kind-hearted, but some evil people polluted them, controlling them with bells to patrol and slaughter the innocent." Qi Yuan took out a bell as he spoke.

Shi Pan's eyes lit up, "Grandpa Niu was right, the wraiths used to protect us, but now they've been controlled by bad people."

Qi Yuan looked at Shi Pan, his thoughts drifting far away.

These wraiths had once guarded the border pass in their past lives.

Later, they were defeated, the world shattered, and their clan was almost completely annihilated, with only a few surviving and escaping to the Heaven Earth Mystic Land.

Even after becoming wraiths, they continued to guard their clan, clearing obstacles for the continuation of their race.

Unfortunately, the Holy Light Sect appeared, and these wraiths were controlled.

Liu Xi squinted, pondering something, and whispered, "In the Heaven Earth Mystic Land, the one with the power to control the Soul Wander Army is undoubtedly the Holy Light Sect. Senior, you've offended the Holy Light Sect, so be careful!"

Liu Xi had vaguely heard some rumors about the wraiths.

Behind the Holy Light Sect, there was a Holy Light Clan.

It was particularly terrifying.

"It's fine, I'm quite familiar with the Holy Light Clan," Qi Yuan smiled.

He had once hunted down Dong Jun.

Upon hearing this, Liu Xi's heart clenched, and he felt that this senior was shrouded in mystery.

At this moment, Qi Yuan thought of something and suddenly said, "Fellow Daoist, would you help me with something?"

Liu Xi felt honored by the request.

This Heavenly Lord even addressed him as 'Fellow Daoist,' how could he not be surprised?

"I want to collect some Odd Treasures, not considering quality but only quantity.

Initially, I thought these wraiths could help me collect them, but alas... people always have their biases, and I can't blame them. I'm afraid others would be scared if they saw the wraiths.

Since you're alone, you can take some wraiths to help me collect them.

I have no shortage of Immortal Jade or other treasures."

As Qi Yuan spoke, he casually tossed a storage pouch to Liu Xi.

He had no lack of wealth.

Especially after killing so many Yang Deities and even emptying the Mara Clan.

Liu Xi's expression was somewhat apprehensive.

Serving a Heavenly Lord would naturally bring many benefits, but... there were also risks.

After all, this Heavenly Lord had humiliated the Holy Light Sect.

If they sought revenge, he wouldn't dare.

Hesitating for a moment, he struggled, "Sorry, Senior, I'm a reclusive person and rarely interact with others. I'm afraid I might mess up your task."

Liu Xi refused, gritting his teeth.

Compared to the opportunity, his life was more important.

Shi Pan on the side couldn't help but speak up, "Senior, how about me?"

He was quite nervous.

Firstly, he was very young.

Secondly, he had no cultivation.

Hearing Shi Pan's words, Liu Xi couldn't help but want to laugh.

This Shi Pan, he's really daring, but he's also asking for trouble.

Qi Yuan seemed to be considering it, "Of course... it's fine."

Even in Pei County, where Liu Bang was from, there were many talented people.

So for Qi Yuan, in this world, apart from top-tier talents, the most abundant were 'capable' people.

For an individual, the most lacking was opportunity.

As long as it wasn't too abstract, and he could gain some experience in that position, it wouldn't be a bad idea.

Moreover, he didn't care much about others' abilities in the first place.

Otherwise, why would he have let Niu Jiao Sister join his team?

Hearing this, Shi Pan's face lit up with joy, "Th...thank you, Senior!"

"Here's a talisman for you, which can protect you," Qi Yuan said casually, tossing a talisman to Shi Pan, "Take this Soul Wander Army and go trade.

Everything is up to you, just don't disturb me unnecessarily."

Qi Yuan acted like a carefree shopkeeper.

His primary goal was the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner.

Everything else was secondary.

"Yes, Senior!" Shi Pan took the storage pouch and talisman, feeling ecstatic.

"If you can't open the storage pouch, let the wraiths open it for you," Qi Yuan said, throwing a jade slip to him, "Practice this cultivation technique on your own."

This cultivation technique was collected from the Mara Clan.

For Qi Yuan, it was almost like trash.

But for outside cultivators, this cultivation technique was enough to make them fight over it until their heads were smashed.

Liu Xi, standing nearby, felt a bit envious of Shi Pan, but then he shook his head.

No matter how many benefits there were, it was useless without life.

...

Holy Light Sect.

Heaven Defect Sovereign squinted, his body hunched over like an old servant.

In front of him, a Mythic cultivator lowered his head, cold sweat dripping from his forehead.

During the Soul Wander Night, a major blunder occurred, resulting in the loss of hundreds of thousands of Soul Wander Army.

How could he not be afraid?

Heaven Defect Sovereign's eyes clouded, "Being able to control the Soul Wander Army is no longer within our capabilities."

This matter also surprised Heaven Defect Sovereign.

Initially, for his son, he had no choice but to enter the Heaven Earth Mystic Land, only to be trapped by the Holy Light Clan and become their servant.

Most Yang Deities in the Sixth Heaven knew there was a Holy Light Clan in the Heaven Earth Mystic Land.

Logically, they wouldn't enter the Heaven Earth Mystic Land.

Even if they did, they would avoid the Holy Light Clan.

But this person not only didn't avoid them, he also imprisoned the wraiths.

How could he not be shocked? That Yang Deity was courting death!

"Heavenly Lord, what should we do?" the Mythic cultivator asked anxiously.

Heaven Defect Sovereign squinted, "For the next Soul Wander Night, stay away from that person, and wait for the master to come out of seclusion."

Hearing this, the Mythic cultivator finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But the worry between his brows never dissipated.

If the master came out and blamed him, he feared he wouldn't escape death.

Seasons passed.

The sun and moon revolved.

Six years flashed by.

In the military camp, Qi Yuan slept without a care.

"Alas, these Soul Wander Messengers have become clever, and during the Soul Wander Night, they even patrol the underground!"

Indeed, over the years, Qi Yuan had not only been secretly observing the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner but had also been gathering wraiths.

He provided a proper job for those homeless wraiths.

The Holy Light Sect wasn't as arrogant as imagined, and during the Soul Wander Night, they always avoided Qi Yuan.

At first, they kept their distance from Qi Yuan.

It took a lot of effort from Qi Yuan to bring back those homeless wraiths.

Their patrols became more remote and hidden, and they didn't dare to be too overt.

This time, they didn't patrol but directly went underground to patrol the land!

Fortunately, Qi Yuan's spies were smart, and they quickly discovered the Soul Wander Messengers' tracks, rescuing his wraith brothers from underground.

"Senior, Shi Pan requests an audience!"

At this moment, a voice rang out, and not far away, a tall and spirited young man appeared.

This man was Shi Pan.

Compared to his youthful appearance six years ago, he had matured and become a cultivator.

"Enter," Qi Yuan said lazily.

It seemed there was another harvest.

PS: I'll make up for the missing word count later!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end