Chapter 852: Spirit Corpse Marshal

Chapter 852: Spirit Corpse Marshal

"This bunch of guys, even at this hour, still haven't gotten their act together..."

"This is a battle against the Five Clans, but they've turned it into a leisurely stroll through the market..."

"Their tactics are cunning, but tell me, in this battle, what are our chances of victory?"

After a group meeting, the atmosphere was surprisingly light-hearted, with laughter and conversation as they assigned tasks.

Miss Red Wine had already tried her best to prepare them mentally, but she didn't know how many of them truly took her words to heart.

After disconnecting from the others and remaining silent all night, Erguotou finally initiated a private conversation with her.

"A hundred percent."

Miss Red Wine seemed to sense the weight in Erguotou's words and smiled, "We have no reason and no interest in losing this battle. So, in this spell battle, we will definitely win."

"But the Reincarnators took too long to show up..."

Erguotou's concern lingered, "Moreover, due to the curse of Celestial Age, most people can only stay in the Subhuman Realm. Perhaps some with extraordinary talents or certain objects can reach the Subspirit Realm."

"But we are facing the Five Clans, and each of them likely has members in the Subdivine Realm. It's easy to talk big, but when it comes to risking our souls..."

"Judging by cultivation realms alone, only three of us are qualified to face the Ten Clans head-on."

Miss Red Wine listened and suddenly smiled, "Tieguanyin, you, and Mr. Monkey Wine."

"But don't underestimate the other Reincarnators. Those who have endured these forty years and dared to take on this task must have some extraordinary skills up their sleeves."

"Moreover..."

She paused, her voice slightly somber, "We have an advantage that the Ten Clans can't match!"

Erguotou heaved a low sigh, feeling the pressure intensify.

He wasn't used to standing out, and being tall made him easily noticeable. Despite being cautious his entire life, he still couldn't hide himself now...

Unwittingly, his abilities had grown too powerful...

Feeling frustrated, he decided not to shift the blame and spoke directly, "Since that's the case, why didn't you let me lead this task or deal with one of the clans directly?"

"Because we are not just up against the Five Clans, but the entire world..."

Miss Red Wine smiled and said, "Just as the Zhou, Zhao, Chen, Zhu, and Sun families are not the ones blocking this Slaughter Tribulation, but the noble clans of the world. If we focus all our efforts on the Five Clans, we are destined to lose to them."

"You'll see. Xiao Bai has taken over the Immortal King Family's business, and the Impermanence Li Family has joined the Bright King's camp, which are forces we can mobilize."

"It's just that..."

"The Immortal King Family used to be one of the Ten Clans, but in Xiao Bai's hands, they no longer qualify. The Impermanence Li Family is the same. After joining us, they became listless, unable to live up to the reputation of the Ten Clans."

"This isn't a matter of them being three parts weaker, but it's in the nature of the Ten Clans."

"Before losing the spell battle to us, the Impermanence Li Family thought they controlled the entire secret. But who's to say the secret isn't controlled by them?"

"When he stood on the side of the common folk, the entire Punishment Soul Sect obeyed his every command. But now that he's joined us, he finds that the sect members are not as obedient."

"It's better to be two-faced than to be seen as traitors, with some refusing to listen to them at all."

"So, in the end, it comes down to background."

"..."

As Erguotou listened, he felt an inexplicable increase in pressure.

The Reincarnators were no longer hiding; they had the courage to face the Ten Clans.

But upon deeper analysis, he realized that the Reincarnators' greatest enemy was not the Ten Clans but the current state of the world.

"The reason I didn't let you directly confront a specific clan is also because of this."

Miss Red Wine smiled and said, "Tieguanyin told me that we will definitely win against the Five Clans, but there are some issues she can't see clearly, and that's her concern. So, we need someone to watch over the entire world to prevent any unexpected changes."

"Only the Spirit Walkers can handle this task."

"Now that you are the rightful master of the Spirit Walkers, setting up an altar to observe the world should be within your capabilities, right?"

"..."

"What if it's too much for me?"

Erguotou sighed and said, "I can do this task, and I'm capable of it."

"It's just that person, Tieguanyin..."

After a pause, he sighed, "I always feel uneasy about her. Before, I only thought that Monkey Wine was terrifying, but now I think he's just too rational."

"Tieguanyin knows a lot, but she's unwilling to speak directly, always leaving me feeling uneasy..."

"Is she still asleep in the Twelfth Ghost Altar in the Capital City?"

"..."

Miss Red Wine paused briefly before answering, speaking softly, "She's busy dealing with some unpleasant and unsightly issues that someone must handle."

"We can't afford to neglect any aspect, so we can only do our best individually."

"I believe our chances of victory are a hundred percent because we've experienced an even more challenging victory."

"Some may be afraid, but I also believe that more people will make the right choice. There's a reason why we were the last to be devoured by Celestial Age. Despite our different backgrounds and origins, something within us is the same."

"..."

"..."

After leaving the Soul Temple, Erguotou woke up from his sleep and found himself still at Tiger Pass.

Ever since that Slaughter Tribulation was triggered, Hu Ma went to do another important task, and he realized that fighting for heaven's mandate was not as simple as it seemed. Staying behind, he remained at the starting point of it all.)



Gazing at the dark night sky, he slowly closed his eyes, then opened them wide:

"Altar rise!"

From his sleeves, a series of altar flags flew out, circling around him before settling nine zhang and nine chi high.

Then, with the power of the altar, Erguotou slowly raised his hand, and five stone weights of various sizes flew out from the nearby valley.

One after another, they landed in different directions within his altar. With each stone weight, the entire world seemed to tremble slightly, as if the whole realm was subtly incorporated into the altar.

Seeing the five stone weights in place, Erguotou's expression turned solemn, and he muttered under his breath, "Let's give it our all this time..."

With a flip of his hand, three pillars of incense fell to the ground, releasing a pale green smoke.

"The heavens are clear, the earth is bright, inviting the gods to descend upon the altar, illuminating the heavens."

"The body transforms into a spirit, the spirit transforms into the body, and the sun and moon shine upon the world."

"The heavens have their destiny, the earth divides into yin and yang, and the world is filled with spirit walkers, evil spirits, and malevolent souls. Listen to the orders from my altar, and witness the world."

"Those who disobey shall be beheaded."

"..."

As the incantation ended, a yellow talisman was thrown out, and amidst the rustling sound, the night sky revealed five large stars amidst the dispersing dark clouds. Their radiance outshone the other stars, with two in the north and three in the south, resembling five eyes.

One of these eyes was gazing towards the east, beyond Mingzhou, at the front lines of Prince Changping.

"Rotten again?"

Here, a surplus army bearing the flag of the Bright King was stationed. They were non-veggie disciples who had awakened the poor and gathered tens of thousands of people after traversing several states.

Most of them were elderly or young, but there were also over a hundred thousand young and strong adults.

This was once the bravest surplus army in the world, originally intending to pass through Mingzhou and join forces with the Bright King's main army. However, within a few days, they encountered one disaster after another, and their situation took a drastic turn for the worse.

The leader had proclaimed himself the Begging General.

He had managed to gather so many poor and starving people under the flag of the Bright King, enduring several fierce battles without dispersing his troops and even protecting the lives of women and children. This demonstrated his capabilities and courage.

But now, this sturdy general was crouching in front of the granary, crying in anguish: "Are we doomed to starve? Is there no hope of getting food?"

"So many lives were lost to seize these few granaries. We fear we won't make it to the autumn harvest, so we ration every grain of rice. But just one night passed, and the grain has rotted in the granary. Where in the world is there such a heinous act?"

"Wasting food, whether you're human or ghost, will bring down heavenly retribution..."

"..."

"Don't cry just yet. Crying won't bring food, and it won't make the landlords take pity on us."

Speaking were several strange men from the rivers and lakes who had just arrived that morning, recommended by the immortal masters of the Non-Veggie Sect. They were said to have come with the intention of accomplishing great deeds alongside the army, but they had encountered this bizarre situation upon their arrival.

However, facing this strange occurrence, they remained calm, lightly pinching a few grains of rice. The grains turned black and moldy, and with a gentle squeeze, black water oozed out, emitting a foul odor when sniffed.

"How did this grain rot? Did you see anything unusual?"

The people around them were either heartbroken or bewildered, but one brave man who had been guarding the granary spoke up, as he would also be beheaded now that the grain had spoiled.

He mustered his courage and said, "There... there was a flying corpse that paid respects to the granary."

"It happened last night. As we guarded the grain, we felt a chill throughout our bodies. Despite holding torches, we couldn't see clearly around us. In a daze, we saw something descending from the sky... a person."

"Its body reeked of the stench of death, its face was decayed, and it didn't resemble a living person. It... it didn't eat people, but it bowed three times towards the granary and then flew away."

"We waited until dawn to regain our mobility, and quickly reported it. When we opened the granary, the grain had already rotted."

"..."

Hearing his explanation, the Begging General and the others beside him were both frustrated and speechless. They had never heard of a case where a dead body paying respects to a granary could spoil the grain.

Even if it were true, even if they could believe it, how could the people outside waiting for food possibly believe it?

"Hehe, it's indeed the flying corpse of the Chen family."

The strange man from the rivers and lakes, who had been listening attentively, coldly laughed upon hearing this. He threw the grain back and said, "The five corpse summoners of the Chen family have their unique abilities. The first bow spoils the grain and meat, the second confuses the soul, the third darkens the sun and moon, and the fourth shrouds the world in darkness."

"The fifth descending corpse is even more powerful, said to possess the ability to reverse the heavens and earth. However, the specific effects have yet to be discovered."

"..."

"Is there a way to save it?"

Upon hearing the origin of the problem, the Begging General's heart filled with hope, and he anxiously asked.

The strange man from the rivers and lakes didn't respond but suddenly turned to the Begging General and said, "Isn't Prince Changping already pressing his army forward? Why hasn't he attacked yet?"

"Forget about Changping... we can't even think about that now..."

The Begging General's expression turned gloomy. "If we're truly destined to starve, it's better to stretch our necks and await this execution."

"At least we'll suffer less."

"..."

The strange man nodded, indicating that he understood.

Earlier, when Prince Changping led his troops here, they were strong and vigorous, but they only had 30,000 elite soldiers. Seeing the hundreds of thousands of surplus troops, they dared not advance recklessly.

However, after the incident of the rotting grain, the surplus troops faced the dilemma of starvation or madness. The people's hearts were filled with panic, yet Prince Changping remained unmoved. It seemed like he was waiting for the surplus troops to crumble without a fight, sparing the need for a bloody battle.

"Stop crying like that!"

He patted the Begging General's shoulder with a smile and said, "Smiling brings good luck. Facing problems with an open mind naturally leads to solutions. With such a mindset, how will you lead your brothers to conquer the world in the future?"

"Unravel all worries and let the lotus bloom in your heart!"

The Begging General cried even harder, "How can we open a lotus on an empty stomach?"

The strange man from the rivers and lakes coldly laughed and said, "It's just a little spoiled grain. It's contaminated with corpse poison. Steam it, and it's still edible."

"I'll use my skills to remove the corpse poison, and the grain will be clean. Not only will it fill your stomach, but it will also taste sweet, and it's a bit intoxicating if you eat too much..."

As he spoke, he even showed a hint of pride, "Tell me, is it the grain or the wine that's intoxicating?"

Who cared if it was grain or wine, as long as it could fill their stomachs. The Begging General, upon hearing this, stood up excitedly and grabbed his arm, "Please save the lives of the people from the four states and seven prefectures..."

They were all starving, and whether the grain was spoiled or not didn't matter.

All they needed was to eat without going mad, to survive.

"Of course, we came here to help with this."

The strange man from the rivers and lakes smiled and instructed the others to open the granary. He then stepped back, and the grain, covered in black water, was exposed to the sun.

The thick black liquid clung to every grain, filling the air with a strong stench. He circled the grain, chanting an incantation, and after a while, he suddenly raised a gourd, from which purple qi emerged.

The purple qi covered the grain, instantly suppressing the foul odor, and even the black water in the grain gradually lightened.

In a moment, he retracted the gourd, and when the others looked again, the grain was still soft and sticky, but it had improved significantly. It looked sticky, but it no longer appeared poisonous as before.

"Alright, let's eat!"

The eccentric man from the Jianghu smiled as he put away his gourd and said to the Begging General, "This time, we can make a thicker porridge."

"Let everyone have their fill."

"Otherwise, this grain will spoil even if we try to store it."

"..."

The Begging General was already thinking that he would manage to feed them for one meal, and he hurriedly agreed, arranging for people to prepare the food.

Even the cattle and sheep that hadn't yet died of the plague were slaughtered to reward the three armies.

"Laozao Brother, did you really remove the corpse energy from this rice?"

Amidst the joy and excitement throughout the army, the young man who had come with the eccentric man from the Jianghu approached him and asked in a low voice, his eyes filled with doubt.

The eccentric man from the Jianghu, or rather, Laozao Wine, had his face turn serious, "Remove it? Chen Family's domineering spellcraft has corrupted the grain. Once it's corrupted, it's like a dead person who cannot be revived. How can this grain be saved?"

The young man was startled, "Then you..."

"I used Purple Qi to wash the grain!"

Laozao Wine's expression turned slightly cold, revealing a pained look, "Do you know how much my gourd of Purple Qi is worth?"

"It was when I went to the capital city. I stole it with my own skills, and this is all I have. Using it to wash the grain is like using an imperial seal to crack a walnut."

"..."

The young man became a little flustered, "Do you have more? Is this enough for a few meals?"

"This is enough for one meal."

Laozao Wine's face darkened, and he said sternly, "I have no other pursuits in life. I just love to argue for what's right. This Necromancer Chen Family, this move of theirs is truly ruthless..."

"The common people of the world are starving, and the greatest shortage is food. Yet, they choose to destroy food and commit this heartless act of killing."

"Good, if they want to break hearts, I'll break their hearts."

"In this world, destroying food is a grave crime against heaven and earth. These surplus people, even if they were destined to starve, have managed to seize the grain and can survive by eating it. This world acknowledges this."

"If it were anyone else, destroying so many people's life-saving food would be a great loss of virtue, deserving of being struck by lightning. Why is the Chen Family unaffected?"

"..."

The young man beside him listened, and his eyes flashed slightly. He spoke in a low voice, "Before I came here, I did find out about this."

"It is said that the necromancy spells of the Black Magic Sect are all extremely evil, harming heaven and damaging virtue. That's why they usually dare not use them, but because they dare not, they've gained a good reputation in the Jianghu. It's quite rare."

"But now, they've made their move, and it's a ruthless one at that. Logically, they shouldn't escape this cause and effect, but the Chen Family is different from ordinary necromancers."

"They have the ability to evade cause and effect."

"They dare to use all kinds of unorthodox spells that others wouldn't dare to. Just this alone makes them far superior to others, living up to the reputation of the Ten Clans."

"..."

"Stealing the heart of heaven?"

Laozao Wine gave a cold laugh, "No wonder they want to change the heavens. The Ten Clans have pierced through it like a sieve."

"But if they dare to play, I'll play a bigger game with them."

As he spoke, he looked towards the battlefield. Not only were the soldiers under the Begging General eating, but outside, countless elderly, weak, women, and children were also holding broken bowls, their faces pale and eyes hollow.

Laozao Wine's face turned cold, "The biggest problem with the common people, in my opinion, is that they don't know how to be angry."

"Today, I used Purple Qi to wash the grain. After they have their fill, they will fall into a deep slumber, influenced by the Purple Qi, their divine souls will be vigorous. As for me, I will use the Soul Punishment Sect's method to send ghosts into their dreams, letting them witness how the Chen Family uses flying corpses to destroy their life-saving food."

"Tell me, won't they be furious?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, the young man gasped, "This is more than just anger. The common people hate nothing more than the destruction of food. Won't they pick up their hoes and fight to the death?"

"Let them hate, let them be angry, let them generate resentment. When this resentment accumulates, it becomes a curse. I will use the resentment of the hundreds of thousands of people from the four states to teach the Necromancer Chen Family a lesson!"

"Ask them, is the life of a poor person not a life?"

"Can you escape heavenly retribution and the wrath of the people?"

"..."

"Ah..."

The young man, Pineapple Beer, beside him, trembled slightly. They had just arrived here, but many other reincarnated helpers were still on their way.

Logically, they should have understood the situation first, but who would've thought that Brother Laozao would make such a bold move right off the bat.

People casting curses is not uncommon, but borrowing the resentment of hundreds of thousands of people from the four states to cast a curse, and on top of that, it's a curse empowered by Purple Qi, combined with the people's deepest hatred for the destruction of food, and the grudge of life and death... He couldn't even imagine the extent of it."

Amidst his shock, he also felt a surge of excitement, "Brother, you're tough!"

"May I ask what this spell is called?"

...

...

"The descendant of a criminal clerk, fearless and audacious!"

At this moment, in the Tranquil Ghost Palace, in front of the Sixth Palace, Hu Ma held his knife and advanced towards the Sixth Palace Emperor Ghost.

The Sixth Palace Emperor Ghost saw that Hu Ma was extraordinary, but unlike his son and grandson, he didn't run to the Fifth Palace for help. This was because when he ascended the throne, he had poisoned his own father to death.

So, in the Nether Palace, he had always been at odds with the Fifth Palace.

However, he had killed countless rebels, and his body exuded a chilling killing intent. Now, seeing Hu Ma bringing the Slaughter Tribulation from the mortal realm, he was not afraid. Instead, he coldly smiled, "The mandate of heaven is bestowed by the sovereign, an ancient tradition. The imperial command is like a knife, cutting down all the wild grasses in the world."

"You dare to rebel, and I will show you how much you weigh!"

"..."

He lifted his royal robe, stirring up a black wind, and with the entire court following him, the Seventh and Eighth Palace Emperor Ghosts also joined in, harassing him.

This Slaughter Tribulation destroyed the Tenth and Ninth Palaces, and scared the Seventh and Eighth Palace Emperor Ghosts. But for him, who had once brutally suppressed a million righteous army, it was merely a repeat of history.

Facing his arrogance, Hu Ma didn't even bother to respond, only the savage blade in his hand trembled.

...

...

In the mortal realm.

Seeing the young man's expression of awe and admiration, Laozao Wine smiled, but then he restrained himself, waved his hand, and said, "I've learned various skills. I've studied Soul Punishment, and I'm somewhat familiar with Harmful Spells, but this spell is not from any sect."

"This is a spell I created after witnessing the Chen Family's methods. I've decided to name it..."

He took a deep breath and spoke in a deep voice, shaking the heavens and the earth, "Righteousness fears not the heavens, for the people's wrath, the heavens fear, let you know who is the father of curses!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end