The Unconventional Use of the Soul Reaper Envoy

After the rabbit-faced man left, Fang Heng sat for a moment longer, confirming that no one else was selling chess pieces.

Only then did he stand up, stretch, and call it a day for his stall.

Wandering through the market, he noticed that the curvaceous Northern Barbarian matriarch he'd seen earlier was gone, clearly having been bought.

Who knows which scoundrel got lucky.

Suddenly, a commotion erupted in the crowd.

Everyone seemed to be pulled by an invisible hand, surging in one direction.

In front of a particular stall, people were packed in, three layers deep.

The sheer number was more than double the crowd that had gathered around the Northern Barbarian matriarch earlier.

From time to time, sounds of surprise, gasps of air, and disdainful snickers could be heard.

"There are so many fools today," a shrill voice piped up.

"First, someone wouldn't give up trying to buy Emperor Yuling's chess pieces."

"Now someone's trading exotic items for military treatises."

"Strange things happen every year, but today takes the cake."

Another snickering voice emerged from the crowd.

"Heh heh! These dog princes are truly generous."

"Dog princes? How can you tell he's one of the dog princes' men?"

"Didn't you see him asking for a unique copy of a military treatise?"

"Who else could it be if not one of the dog princes' men?"

"I heard that Shang Hongye came to the capital to choose a husband, and those dog princes send her gifts every day."

"But Shang Hongye, as Prince Zhenbei's daughter, what treasure hasn't she seen?"

"Except for military treatises she hasn't read, she returns all other treasures."

"The copy of Master Qian's Art of War that the Second Prince sent was accepted by Shang Hongye, giving him a head start. How could the other princes just give up?"

"So that's what's going on."

"What a pity!"

"Last time I explored a cave mansion, I thought military treatises were useless, so I gave them away."

The person slapped his thigh sharply, his face full of regret.

Fang Heng heard the snickering remarks of the crowd and pursed his lips.

He hadn't expected Shang Hongye's husband selection to have such an impact, even reaching the City of Life and Death.

Approaching the stall, he saw the exotic item the other party was using for trade.

It was a purple token.

Exotic Item: [Heavenly Thunder Token]

A very thoughtful description of the Heavenly Thunder Token was also provided.

An exotic item refined by a certain Divine Firmament Sect elder, capable of storing nine Thunder Arts.

Furthermore, this Divine Firmament Sect elder cultivated the Yimu Thunder Method.

The Heavenly Thunder Token retained the aura of the Yimu Thunder Method.

Those with great fortune could comprehend the Yimu Thunder Method from the Heavenly Thunder Token.

After reading the description of the [Heavenly Thunder Token], Fang Heng stroked his chin.

Storing nine Thunder Arts was a very practical function.

Thunder Arts were powerful, but also consumed a lot of energy.

Storing Thunder Arts in the [Heavenly Thunder Token] beforehand and then unleashing them during combat.

Undoubtedly, this could greatly enhance one's strength.

As for comprehending the Yimu Thunder Method from the [Heavenly Thunder Token], that was an exaggeration.

Anyone with a bit of sense wouldn't believe that they could comprehend the Divine Firmament Sect's Yimu Divine Thunder just from the residual aura of the Yimu Thunder Method in the [Heavenly Thunder Token].

If it were truly that easy to comprehend, the Divine Firmament Sect's Yimu Thunder Method would have spread throughout the world long ago.

Putting aside the part about comprehending the Yimu Thunder Method.

Fang Heng was still very covetous of the [Heavenly Thunder Token].

As for trading for a military treatise, and a unique copy at that, one Shang Hongye hadn't seen.

A faint smile played on Fang Heng's lips.

The Six Secret Teachings, the Three Strategies, Taibai Yinjing, Jixiao Xinshu...

There were countless famous ancient Chinese military treatises.

Even though Fang Heng didn't have a unique copy of a military treatise, he could just write one on the fly.

After a moment's thought, Fang Heng took out a jade slip, projected his spiritual sense into it, and began to write a military strategy.

The Thirty-Six Stratagems

The First Set: Victorious Battle Stratagems

Strategies for situations of absolute superiority. The art of a ruler governing his subjects, or a great nation governing a smaller one. A dragon at its peak will know remorse.

Victorious Battle Stratagems include: Stratagem 1: Deceive the Heavens and Cross the Sea; Stratagem 2: Besiege Wei to Rescue Zhao; Stratagem 3: Kill with a Borrowed Knife; Stratagem 4: Wait at Leisure for the Exhausted Enemy; Stratagem 5: Loot a Burning House; Stratagem 6: Make a Feint to the East and Attack in the West.

Stratagem 1: Deceive the Heavens and Cross the Sea

It only took Fang Heng the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to complete The Thirty-Six Stratagems.

Beneath Liu Qi's ox-head mask, his expression was uncontrollably anxious.

He was a guest official to the Crown Prince, having just joined his retinue, and his foundation was shallow. He yearned to achieve a great merit.

Upon learning that the Crown Prince wanted to acquire a unique copy of a military treatise, he had made a military pledge.

He had thought that with the mix of people in the City of Life and Death, he would surely be able to buy a unique copy of a military treatise.

However…

Things didn't seem to be as easy as he had anticipated.

Could he really have failed already?

Liu Qi was unwilling to accept it!

If he couldn't handle this task well, his position in the Eastern Palace would become even more difficult.

Just as he was frowning in distress, a man wearing a Black Impermanence mask walked over.

"Can the military treatise The Thirty-Six Stratagems be exchanged for a Heavenly Thunder Token?"

The Thirty-Six Stratagems?

Never heard of it!

Liu Qi's heart leaped with joy.

In order to help the Crown Prince acquire unique copies of military treatises, he had read quite a few in the past few days.

He wouldn't claim to be an expert, but he knew exactly what military treatises were available on the market.

"Let me see!"

Fang Heng took out the jade slip. There was a seal on the jade slip, only allowing Liu Qi to see the first three stratagems.

Liu Qi's spiritual sense swept over it, and his originally dim eyes suddenly burst forth with two brilliant beams.

They were like two bright lamps suddenly lit in the darkness.

"Deal!"

"I'll take this military treatise!"

Despite Liu Qi's calm demeanor, the excitement in his tone was evident.

Fang Heng's smile was harder to suppress than an AK's recoil.

The person from before was right.

Princes were indeed generous with their money.

Fang Heng even wondered if he should try to sell military treatises to the other princes.

He had quite a few military treatises in his mind.

After the transaction was complete, several unfriendly gazes fell upon Fang Heng.

However, the City of Life and Death's guard unit reacted quickly, rushing over immediately to maintain order.

The people who had just been itching for trouble, upon seeing the guard unit, instantly wilted like frost-bitten eggplants.

Fang Heng coldly watched this scene, thinking to himself.

The City Lord of the City of Life and Death truly governed well.

To be able to manage the chaotic City of Life and Death so orderly.

After completing the transaction, Fang Heng continued to wander the market, looking for any bargains.

With a rumbling sound!

A sound like a great bell suddenly came from afar.

The sound was deafening, as if the sky itself was collapsing.

In fact, the sky had split open.

Above the Yellow Springs Road, a massive, dark裂口 had torn open.

Immediately after, a group of people flew out of the rift.

"The ghost catchers from Evil Dog Ridge are here!"

Ghost catchers are a unique profession in the City of Life and Death.

They make their living by catching ghosts and possess formidable power.

Some are lone wolves, others work in teams of two or three.

Evil Dog Ridge, Golden Rooster Mountain, Wild Ghost Village—these are the three major secret realms on the Yellow Springs Road.

The yin spirits and ghosts in these three secret realms are of much higher quality than the recently deceased ghosts found elsewhere on the Yellow Springs Road.

Therefore, they became the target of ghost catchers.

The ghost catchers from Evil Dog Ridge, in groups of two or three, quickly made their way to the City of Life and Death.

Upon reaching an open market area, they began to hawk their wares.

"First-tier ghosts! Ten per Soul Pearl, minimum purchase of one hundred!"

"Second-tier ghosts! Three Soul Pearls per ghost!"

"Third-tier ghosts! Twenty Soul Pearls per ghost!"

Fang Heng compared the ghost catchers' prices with those he had seen in the market earlier.

Previously, second-tier ghosts in the market cost ten Soul Pearls each.

As soon as the ghost catchers appeared, the price of ghosts plummeted.

It was even more exciting than playing the stock market.

Soon, people gathered around to purchase ghosts.

These buyers emitted a faint herbal scent.

Fang Heng was very familiar with this herbal scent.

It was the distinctive smell of alchemists.

Ghost catching by ghost catchers and Soul Pearl refining by alchemists had become an entire industry.

After the ordinary ghosts were mostly sold off, the content of their cries changed.

"Third-tier spirit ghosts, extremely beautiful, those who know, know."

"Third-tier spirit ghost, skilled in fire control arts."

"Fourth-tier spirit ghost, skilled in遁术."

"Fourth-tier spirit ghost, has alchemy talent."

The spirit ghosts being sold at this point all had extra talents.

Either they were beautiful and suitable for dual cultivation.

Or they possessed specialized skills that set them apart from ordinary ghosts.

At this point, the buyers were no longer the alchemists from before.

They exuded a chilling aura, giving off an uncomfortable feeling.

"Damn, I really envy these people who are skilled in Ghost Control Technique," a voice muttered softly, filled with envy.

"Envy? You could go cultivate the Ghost Control Technique too, no one's stopping you!" another person's tone was laced with mockery and disdain.

"Heh! I'm not that stupid! If I cultivate the Ghost Control Technique, I'd have to walk on eggshells in the mortal world."

"Besides, do any of these evil cultivators who practice Ghost Control Technique ever come to a good end?"

"Controlling ghosts feels good for a while, but don't they all end up being backlashed by the very ghosts they raised?"

As he spoke, the middle-aged man kept shaking his head.

The onlookers were no strangers to these cultivators with chilling auras.

They were all, without exception, skilled in the Ghost Control Technique.

The Ghost Control Technique is one of the demonic arts.

The demonic path once flourished in ancient times.

However, in its competition with the Daoist School, it fell behind and gradually declined.

After that, the Ancient Eerie Temple emerged.

From then on, demonic cultivators split into two factions.

One faction directly worshipped the Outer Realm Evil God and converted to the Path of God Worship.

The other faction clung to the demonic path, attempting to reform its heritage, but ultimately, it fell into complete decline.

Now, there are only a handful of cultivators left who still practice the demonic path.

Were it not for a place as diverse as the City of Life and Death, one might not find even a single evil cultivator in an entire county.

Fang Heng watched the evil cultivator acquire the ghost, lost in thought.

Demonic evil cultivators must feed ghosts their own essence blood.

Although this gains them powerful helpers, there's always the risk of backlash.

It's a high-reward, high-risk endeavor.

But...

Fang Heng glanced at his [Soul Reaper Envoy] Fate Attribute.

[Soul Reaper Envoy (Red)]: An underworld emissary, apprehending spirits, commanding specters. Doubles damage against specters and ghosts.

Perhaps...

My conjecture might just be true! Fang Heng thought to himself.

He then stepped forward and spent one hundred Soul Pearls to purchase the third-tier ghost skilled in fire control.

The price was five times that of an ordinary third-tier ghost.

However, Fang Heng felt it was worth a try.

After completing the transaction, Fang Heng took the Ghost Control Bag to an inn and rented a private room.

With a sweep of his spiritual sense, Fang Heng saw the ghost inside the Ghost Control Bag.

Then, he began to test his hypothesis.

The [Soul Reaper Envoy] Fate Attribute radiated a dazzling red light.

An underworld emissary, apprehending spirits, commanding specters.

Previously, Fang Heng had thought that [Soul Reaper Envoy] merely granted special attack power against specters and ghosts.

Now, he felt he had underestimated the [Soul Reaper Envoy] Fate Attribute.

[Soul Reaper Envoy] had other uses.

Commanding ghosts!

"Absolve!"