While reminiscing about the past, Wu Tao suddenly sensed a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy around him. His eyes flickered slightly, and a cold sneer crept onto his lips.
As expected, several late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators from the Liu imperial clan strode towards him.
As the lord of one of the larger subordinate forces, the higher-ups of the Liu imperial clan naturally did not trust Wu Tao.
Surveillance and monitoring were, of course, indispensable.
However, due to the looming great enemy, these individuals dared not go too far.
After a brief exchange, Wu Tao sent away these bothersome flies.
Led by Qin Ruhuo, thousands of Qin family disciples summoned a million Yin soul ghost soldiers. They advanced relentlessly, breaking through five cities including Lei City, Shang City, Qiu City, Huai City, and Qing City, and pushing towards Hedong City!
One day later.
Gales of Yin wind surged, ghostly clouds pressed down on the city, banners of ghost gathering and ghost suppression fluttered, and as the ghost soldiers passed, an overwhelming killing intent rose into the sky!
The massive amount of ghost energy condensed into an ocean, a boundless Netherworld Hell.
The ghost soldiers, clad in spectral armor, stood in neat formation in the air like a majestic dragon!
Under the control of the Qin family disciples, the million ghost soldier army, with an unparalleled imposing manner, advanced towards Hedong City!
They intended to annihilate Hedong City within a day, establish the Qin family's hegemony, and found their immortal dynasty under the Qin surname!
"Hahahaha, you cowards hiding in your shells, come out and fight if you dare! Don't be a scaredy-cat if you're a man!"
Qin Ruhuo, empowered by the Law of Souls, looked down from the heavens, conjuring numerous Nascent Soul ghost generals from thin air!
Liu Shan, his body entwined with the Law of Aurora, sneered, "Stinky soldiers, hurry up and enter the city! My esteemed feet are in need of some licking..."
Upon hearing this, Qin Ruhuo's eyes blazed with fury, and he waved his hand, signaling the commencement of the assault.
Under the command of the Qin family disciples, ancient and mysterious prohibition runes flashed on the massive bull horns!
A series of sonorous bellows echoed from the bull horns!
A soul-force, akin to rippling water, rapidly enveloped the ghost soldiers in all directions!
The ghost soldiers, already clad in battle armor and possessing ferocious visages, became even more formidable.
Carrying boundless ghost energy, they madly assaulted the Myriad Spirits Spring Rebirth Grand Formation of Hedong City!
Composed primarily of fifty thousand elites from the Heavenly Wood Legion, supported by over a hundred thousand miscellaneous cultivators, the formation pulsed with the innate forces of Wood generating Water and Water generating Wood, entwined into a single, unyielding immortal city, radiating dazzling light!
...
The million ghost soldier army descended from all directions, their ghost blades and swords striking out!
Gathering the might of a million ghost soldiers, they unleashed a forbidden power that annihilated everything, its destructive force unimaginable!
Blades of ghost energy materialized, appearing in every direction, accompanied by myriad phenomena, descending upon Hedong City like an overwhelming tide!
The Myriad Spirits Ancient Tree, an immortal wood from the primordial era, possessed immense power. When combined with the Myriad Spirits Spring Rebirth Grand Formation, the power it could unleash was immeasurable!
Behold, a million zhang of emerald light erupted from the Myriad Spirits Ancient Tree, its countless branches dancing wildly and growing incessantly.
In a flash, innumerable green vine-like arms unfurled, launching a counterattack against the million ghost soldiers!
"Rumble!!!"
Under the manipulation of the Hedong City cultivators, the Myriad Spirits Ancient Tree, with its boundless vitality, suppressed the million ghost soldier army, meticulously refined by the Qin family for years, causing them to shatter inch by inch and dissipate into streams of ghost energy!
In a short period, tens of thousands of ghost soldiers vanished, and their once heaven-defying regenerative abilities were rendered null and void.
"Ah, this is impossible..."
Qin Ruhuo's eyes turned bloodshot, unable to believe the scene before him!
The ghost soldiers refined by their Qin family were far superior to the mere ghost souls cultivated by ordinary demonic cultivators.
...
These ghost soldiers of their Qin family were not only different from ordinary ghosts, possessing considerable resistance to fire and Buddhist spells, but their combat power and regenerative capabilities also far surpassed those of ordinary ghosts.
Empowered by the might of the entire city, the Myriad Spirits Ancient Tree exhibited a ferocity that crushed all who stood in its way!
Its countless leaves writhed furiously, transforming into numerous jade-green willow branches that shattered ghost soldier after ghost soldier with resounding blows!
Concurrently, Liu Shan, wielding the mid-grade spirit treasure Aurora Immortal Sword and the mid-grade spirit treasure Immortal Light Spirit Shield, his body enshrouded in the Law of Aurora, charged towards Qin Ruhuo!
Seeing this, Qin Ruhuo's brow furrowed. While pondering the situation, he manipulated the high-grade spirit treasure Wheel of Life and Death to defend against the dual assault from the Myriad Spirits Ancient Tree and Liu Shan!
...
After a few exchanges, Qin Ruhuo unleashed a palm strike, temporarily repelling Liu Shan. Seizing this opportunity, his eyes flickered as if he had discovered something!
It turned out that by concentrating the Law of Souls in his eyes, Qin Ruhuo gazed at Hedong City and finally perceived a clue.
From Qin Ruhuo's perspective, the entire Myriad Spirits Ancient Tree radiated an extremely potent life force, with wood-attribute spiritual energy erupting and suppressing the surrounding ghost energy.
This was also the true reason why the ghost soldiers could not regenerate after being scattered.
...
The fundamental reason why the Myriad Spirits Ancient Tree could unleash such abundant life force was that its entire structure, from root to treetop, was rapidly consuming itself at a visible rate!
...
The Myriad Spirits Ancient Tree was the king of all trees, containing the most fundamental Law of Wood, and was inherently one of the most powerful innate spiritual roots in existence!
Especially under artificial intervention, once the self-destruction mode was activated, the life force released by the Myriad Spirits Ancient Tree was sufficient to easily suppress the surrounding ghost energy.
The ghost energy used to refine ghost soldiers was essentially the power of death, and the life force released by the Myriad Spirits Ancient Tree was precisely the nemesis of the power of death.
Mysterious patterns began to circulate on the body of the Myriad Spirits Ancient Tree, releasing the life force accumulated over eons, transforming into a vast sea of vitality.
However, simultaneously, the roots of the Myriad Spirits Ancient Tree began to wither rapidly, and the jade-green leaves that fell to the ground turned to dust with a gentle breeze.
It was understandable that the tree's vitality was depleted, leading to such a phenomenon.
...
"What ruthless hearts, what vicious means!"
"At the cost of destroying an innate spiritual root, you intend to hold back my million ghost soldier army. Liu Shan, you've truly calculated well..."
"It's a pity, though, how long can your Myriad Spirits Ancient Tree last with this level of consumption?"
"When that time comes, what will you do?"
Qin Ruhuo's face was extremely grim as he gritted his teeth and spoke.
On the other side!
Liu Shan smiled mockingly and replied, "You don't need to concern yourself with my affairs."
"Although the Myriad Spirits Ancient Tree cannot hold on for too long, as long as it can destroy your million ghost soldier army, with just your remaining forces, you won't be able to breach my Hedong City."
"Therefore, this sacrifice is still worthwhile."
...
"Very good, seeing your arrogant demeanor, you truly believe you have us Qin family in your grasp. Today, I will show you the true foundation of our Qin family!"
Upon hearing this, Qin Ruhuo burst into furious laughter and declared loudly!
As soon as his voice faded, the surrounding space distorted, and the silhouette of a city suddenly appeared in the void!
Thick, dark ghost energy emanated and swept in all directions as a mysterious and ancient ghost city descended above Hedong City.
This mysterious ghost city, rumored to be the Netherworld of the Yin Soul Official, had, for unknown reasons, ended up in the Zi Zhou Cultivation World!
Later, this mysterious ghost city fell into the hands of a top expert of that era, who then founded the Qin family, one of the four great families of today!
Even some of the Qin family's current cultivation techniques and methods for refining ghost soldiers were found within this ghost city.
...
"Soul annihilation, soul rebirth, oblivion returns to origin, Guixu Ancient City, Blood Curse Lineage..."
"Ancient ghost city, display your invincible power to the world! Destroy all that can be destroyed!"
Qin Ruhuo chanted an ancient incantation, activating the colossal ghost city that had suddenly appeared above him!
The mysterious and ancient ghost city unleashed endless power of death and ghost energy, piercing through the heavens and earth.
Carrying the might of myriad souls, the ghost city continuously rammed against Hedong City, which was protected by the Myriad Spirits Ancient Tree.
"Boom boom boom!!!"
After the first strike failed, it struck again. After seven consecutive collisions, the thousand-li-wide Myriad Spirits Ancient Tree was quickly covered in terrifying cracks.
The Myriad Spirits Ancient Tree, already at its limit, could no longer withstand the impact of this terrifying ghost city.
After only seven collisions, with a resounding crash, the Myriad Spirits Ancient Tree could no longer hold on and was shattered into pieces.
Fierce!
This mysterious and ancient ghost city exuded an aura of ferocity.
It struck only when it moved, and its every move was a killing blow.
In just seven exchanges, it had shattered the Myriad Spirits Ancient Tree, which was connected to Hedong City's defensive grand formation.
With the destruction of the Myriad Spirits Ancient Tree, the Myriad Spirits Spring Rebirth Grand Formation of Hedong City also collapsed, signifying that Hedong City could no longer be defended.
...
Meanwhile, the dense ranks of ghost soldiers, seeing the cultivators stripped of their formation's protection, surged forward like wolves upon sheep.
Even though the cultivators, led by the Liu family cultivators of the Heavenly Wood Legion, mounted a desperate counterattack, they could not withstand the ghost soldiers who outnumbered them several times over!
The ghost soldiers quickly broke through the cultivators' defense line, slaughtering most of those who fought to the death.