The assault on the demon lair
"Not bad." Lin Xu nodded in satisfaction. With the paper figures he had personally crafted to carry their souls, the ghosts now had a physical form to rely on. Not only could they walk normally in the sunlight, but their own strength would also increase by a level.
Especially the lowest-ranking red-clothed wedding ghosts, these are the lowest-level wandering ghosts. Even if they receive a trace of the Ghost Bride's magical power, they are not much stronger than weak wandering spirits.
However, after Glazed Fire and then solidified into paper figures using Yin Soul Paper, their strength generally increased to level 2.
Most importantly, because these ghosts have a poor foundation, after the soul is refined by the Glazed Fire and the paper doll is solidified, they can use a trace of the ghost bride's magic power as a guide to slowly absorb the free spiritual energy in the air and gradually temper their souls.
By proceeding step by step, as long as one stays in a place with abundant Spiritual Qi, it only takes one or two months to open the soul aperture and advance to the next level.
At this point, these paper ghosts can truly embark on the path of cultivation, and although they belong to the ghost category, they also have the possibility of achieving enlightenment.
They refined the ghosts and crafted another batch of magical artifacts, which took most of the day.
As the moonlight faded and the east began to lighten, Lin Xu stood with his hands behind his back in the courtyard, the morning breeze gently rustling the copper bells on the eaves.
"Master, the supply train is ready." Xu Mingyuan, holding a shimmering banner, bowed respectfully. "As per your orders, the 24 secondary protectors are in position, awaiting your command."
Lin Xu nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the fully equipped and ready-to-go team outside the courtyard.
The second-generation Dharma Protector is one whom he personally enlightened, using his own magical power to condense the Dharma Seed and enlighten the second-generation Dharma Protector.
For Lin Xu, no matter how many generations the Dharma Protectors have passed down, as long as the "Lamp Kindling Spirit Transformation Chapter" condensed in the Dharma Seed remains unchanged, the only difference between the Dharma Protectors is their authority and position, and they are all extensions of his will.
For this transport of supplies, he specially brought his newly formed protection team, and even pulled out two dark mages who were hiding in their rooms and buried in their cultivation, all in order to gain merit and quickly advance to the position of true disciple of the Daoist temple.
"Let's go!" With a thought, Lin Xu took to the clouds and slowly followed the supply train.
Under the protection of hundreds of militiamen and 20 Daoist soldiers, 29 Dharma protectors, carrying Dharma flags, led the way, their spiritual light forming a continuous expanse, escorting 36 supply wagons loaded with talismans, spiritual sand, and ritual implements.
Four Dharma Protector Evil Eye roamed around, their dark pupils scanning the depths of the mist, wary of potential threats.
Just ahead of the procession, the Ghost Bride sat in a bright red sedan chair. The curtain swayed gently, and her lowered eyes could be vaguely seen. In her hand, a blood-flame spirit lamp was wrapped with a red thread.
Two eerie purple flames suddenly lit up in the depths of the thick fog, and the Evil Eye instantly locked onto them—the Nightmare of the Fog, a gregarious evil spirit that bewitches the mind with its voice and devours souls with its resentment.
A fierce shriek pierced through the fog, its sound waves like cones stabbing straight into the soul.
The red-clad paper figures turned around in unison and pounced towards the approaching evil spirit, their movements revealing a subtle formation.
The two ghostly tides collided with a deafening roar, and amidst the churning purple mist, paper ash flew everywhere.
The red-clad paper figures, with their numerical advantage, managed to completely surround the Nightmare Demons.
The red-clad paper figure shot out streaks of red thread from its hand, weaving together like a spider web. One by one, the fierce demons were entangled by the red threads and dragged toward the ghostly crowd who were waiting in battle.
The Blood Flame Spirit Lamp suddenly blazed brightly. The Ghost Bride raised her hand and gently flicked the wick, causing the red threads to gather like a spider web. The bound Nightmare let out a mournful wail as its soul was stretched and fell into the spirit lamp.
The flame flickered slightly, and drops of lamp oil, resembling blood beads, appeared within the flame.
Within a dozen or so breaths, all seventeen Nightmares were refined into lamp oil.
Lin Xu atop the clouds and withdrew his gaze.
With the Ghost Bride's army assembled, he no longer needed to personally engage in ordinary battles.
After a series of close calls, the supply train successfully arrived at the front-line military camp.
Having completed his mission, Lin Xu led his team out of the military camp, but instead of returning to Peach Tree Village, they headed towards the hills.
Ever since he discovered the Spirit Cave Demon Stronghold, he has kept it in his heart and never forgotten it.
The Xuanwei Monastery Temple, with its vast resources and influence, wouldn't deign to use a minor Spirit Vein, but Lin Xu, still in the early stages of his rise to power, found this Spirit Vein to be just what he needed.
--More importantly, this place is located between the two forces of Xuanwei Monastery and the Underground City, but unlike Peach Tree Village, it does not face the front lines of either force directly.
By establishing himself in this location, he could avoid the enemy's advance from the underground city while being able to enter the battlefield at crucial moments, perfectly aligning with his strategic plan.
As dawn broke, the morning mist veiled the hills like a gauze.
The group pulled an oxcart through the mist and stopped at the foot of the mountain.
Because of the concentration of Spiritual Qi, hordes of evil spirits swarm around the foot of this low mountain, creating a perilous situation.
Upon arriving here, Lin Xu became cautious and ordered the Dharma Protector Evil Eye to expand its field of vision to observe the group of evil creatures wandering nearby.
A group of rotting corpses moved slowly through the mountain valley, their stench carried on the wind.
The Ghost Bride's red sedan chair moved slowly forward, Red-Robed Ghosts quietly dispersed, approaching the horde of corpses like wisps of smoke.
The red-clad paper figures silently surrounded the group, their red threads suddenly taut, slicing into the rotting flesh of the wandering corpses. The horde of corpses froze, and purple blood gushed out along the thread marks.
With a flick of Ghost Bride fingertips, the Blood Flame Lamp suddenly drew out the remnants of seventeen wandering corpses, which condensed into drops of lamp oil within the flame.
The wandering spirits of the night transformed into thin sheets of paper, instantly traversing dozens of meters and drifting towards the foot of the mountain.
An unnamed hill lies ahead.
"Where am I?" Li Yingqiu cautiously hid in the treetops, her gaze sweeping over a group of patrolling demon soldiers dressed in cheap iron armor a few dozen meters away.
The dog demon's attribute panel shocked Li Yingqiu. In actual combat, this little demon could put her in a tough fight, and among this group of patrolling demon soldiers, the dog demon was the weakest.
She held her breath, her fingertips quietly gripping the tree bark—the dog demon's nose trembled slightly, and it slowly turned toward the direction where she was hiding.
A chill ran through Li Yingqiu as she slowly raised her crudely made hunting bow, a resolute glint in her eyes. "Sixian is still waiting for me to go back and save her. I cannot die here!"
Yet, a chilling despair filled her heart. When she saw the verdant mountains and forests before her, she was already prepared to face death— the Spirit Realm was a world of despair, where the impenetrable fog was the dominant theme.
The earth beneath my feet was a gray-black wasteland, barren of vegetation. Occasionally, jagged rocks, like withered bones, would pierce the leaden-gray sky; these were usually the lairs of filthy monsters.
Here, seeing the lush green mountains and clear waters, so lifelike, is all the more unsettling—it usually means she has entered a special region.
In the Spirit Realm, this is usually a synonym for death.
She held her breath and pressed the arrow tip down slightly by half an inch—the low growl rolling in the dog demon's throat suddenly stopped, its nostrils flared, and it abruptly turned its head toward a clump of swaying ferns three zhang away to her left.
A gray squirrel suddenly darted out, its bushy tail sweeping away the dead leaves, and in the blink of an eye, it darted deep into the treetops.
"Hurry up, hurry up!" the boar demon in front grumbled, urging the dog demon to hurry up and jogged after it.