Chapter 1564: The Decisive Battle of Qingchou

Chapter 1564: The Decisive Battle of Qingchou

"Why does Esteemed Master Mo suddenly want to dispatch the troops at this hour?"

"Just what... happened?"

Great General Chang was perplexed.

The Green-Faced Multitude numbered over a million, a formidable force far stronger than the Changshan Army.

Those Green-Faced Generals were all Golden Core cultivators, every one of them ruthless, bloodthirsty, and possessed of profound cultivation. How could they have suddenly been wiped out?

A full-scale offensive was no trivial matter.

The disparity in strength between the two sides was vast at present. If they launched a rash, large-scale assault and were defeated, the Changshan Army would surely suffer catastrophic casualties...

This concerned the very foundation of the Changshan Army's survival, as well as the lives of countless brothers-in-arms.

How could Great General Chang not be conflicted in his heart?

"Esteemed Master..."

Great General Chang furrowed his brows, wanting to speak. But as he looked up and met Mo Hua's gaze, the words died in his throat.

Before him, Esteemed Master Mo was cloaked in a black robe, his true visage hidden. Yet that slender silhouette radiated a majestic aura capable of steadying mountains and calming seas, alongside the profound bearing of a strategist holding absolute dominion over the board.

Great General Chang's expression gradually hardened with resolve, and all the doubts in his heart ultimately coalesced into a single sentence:

"Everything shall be done according to Esteemed Master Mo's command."

"The Changshan Army, from top to bottom, will brave any danger for the Esteemed Master. Our lives and deaths rest solely on a single thought of the Esteemed Master."

Mo Hua nodded slightly and said, "Go, carry it out as planned."

"Yes."

Great General Chang cupped his hands, then turned and left to convey the Esteemed Master's orders.

As the command spread, the previously tranquil military stronghold instantly surged like rising winds and scudding clouds.

A chilling battle intent ripped through the stillness of the dark night.

The battle that would decide the fate of tens of millions of living souls in Qingchou Prefecture was suddenly set in motion in the quiet of this dark night by Mo Hua's single order.

...

After Great General Chang departed, Mo Hua remained inside the command tent. Drawing out a Jade Slip, he transcribed two texts based on the memories fresh in his Sea of Consciousness.

These two texts were shaped like specters, yet exuded a gloomy, icy-cold order unlike any mortal script.

These were Underworld Bureau Writs.

One was a Seizing Soul Writ.

The other was an Absolution Writ.

They were texts bearing a certain mysterious Unorthodox Path authority, which Mo Hua had plucked from Wang Liangzi.

Unfortunately, both texts had only their form, lacking true authority.

The Seizing Soul Writ was the one Wang Liangzi had penned directly inside Mo Hua's Sea of Consciousness, intending to seize Mo Hua's soul and refine it into his slave.

Because of this, the Seizing Soul Writ was the clearest, yet it was incomplete. Wang Liangzi had only written halfway before he dared write no more.

The Absolution Writ was the one Wang Liangzi had inscribed within his own soul to cleanse his sins and flee from the calamity that was Mo Hua.

This writ was relatively complete, but unfortunately, separated by Wang Liangzi's soul body, Mo Hua had not seen it clearly while recording it, so the characters he committed to memory were rather blurred.

The Seizing Soul Writ was clear, but incomplete.

The Absolution Writ was complete, but blurred.

To activate either writ seemed rather impossible at present; both lacked certain crucial rituals or steps.

Even if the rituals could be completed to activate the writs and successfully channel the Authority of the Underworld Bureau...

Whether the Underworld Bureau would actually lend its power to him was hard to say.

Did this require bribery, or perhaps engaging in some sort of corruption?

Otherwise, he was not someone from the Underworld Bureau. For no rhyme or reason, why would the Underworld Bureau lend him its authority?

Furthermore...

"Ultimately, just what is the Underworld Bureau?"

Mo Hua's brows twitched slightly as his curiosity deepened.

Did such an entity as the Underworld Bureau truly exist in this world?

Did it only exist in Kun Province, or across all Nine Provinces? Was there one in Tongxian City?

How had the Underworld Bureau even formed? What gods or demons did it possess?

What other authorities did the Underworld Bureau wield?

Back when he had stayed overnight in the Yunyi Villa of his Little Junior Brother Zhū Mùchén's family, could the Ox-Head Underworld Agent he encountered have been a product of the Kun Province's Underworld Bureau?

The more Mo Hua pondered, the more puzzled he became, and the more novel it felt to him.

What he loved most were Formations.

Aside from Formations, owing to certain impulses of his true nature, he was also immensely intrigued by matters concerning gods and spirits.

Bowing to every mountain encountered, making offerings at every temple passed—this was a fine habit.

Mo Hua had always upheld this fine habit.

And... was that Wang Liangzi truly just a Fāngshì?

Could a mere Fāngshì write an Underworld Bureau Writ in blood, Seizing Souls and Commanding Generals in the mortal realm?

This Wang Liangzi... was not simple...

Mo Hua's eyes narrowed slightly. He pinched his fingers together, calculating the time, and murmured:

"I wonder... if I can still catch him by his pigtails..."

...

While Mo Hua was deep in thought within the tent, Great General Chang, commander of the Changshan Army, had already mobilized his troops with swift and decisive efficiency.

In the dark night, a sea of soldiers surged forward, spears and halberds bristling like a forest.

Since the rebellion erupted, the largest battle of insurgents in all of Qingchou City began in this manner—somewhat hurried, yet sweeping like a raging fire.

Traces of confusion, tension, dread, and unease still lingered on the faces of the soldiers.

Yet, amidst chants of "Tongxian Cult grants blessings," "Obey Esteemed Master Mo's decree," and "Annihilate the Green-Faced Multitude," they were immensely emboldened.

All their confusion and unease gradually transformed into fighting spirit and killing intent.

It was as if the supreme Tongxian Cult had bestowed upon them an immortal conviction.

And Esteemed Master Mo, who foresaw all things like a god, had shown them the path through the haze.

With the protection of the Tongxian Cult and the commands of Esteemed Master Mo, they would be victorious in every battle, completely fearless.

Their battle intent blazed like fire, consuming the dark night.

Following an order bellowed by the burly, hale, and vigorous Great General Chang...

Under the guidance of Esteemed Master Mo, eight hundred thousand Changshan Army soldiers surged forth like ferocious beasts unleashed from their cages, like a torrential tide sweeping into the sea.

Dividing into three prongs, they charged directly toward the million-strong encampment of the Green-Faced Multitude.

The earth thundered beneath them. A bloody change fell over Qingchou; the flames of war tore through the night, and a ferocious battle erupted in an instant.

Not only were the cultivators within Qingchou City terrified by a battle of such magnitude...

Even the refugees outside Qingchou City witnessed the earth-shattering warfare within the city and heard the deafening roars of battle cries.

Cultivators in neighboring Prefecture Realms thousands of miles away turned their heads in alarm as they saw flames soaring into the night sky far in the distance, their hearts filled with trepidation, uncertain how the situation in the Great Spirit Field Realm would unfold from here on.

...

At this very moment, within Qingchou City...

The battle plunged into white heat almost from the very beginning.

Qingchou City was vast, the largest Third Grade Immortal City within a thousand-mile radius, the lifelong dream of countless spirit farmers.

At this moment, nearly two million rioting troops had flooded Qingchou City to the brim.

Blood and fire intertwined; the tides of men clashed and ground against each other in slaughter.

It seemed gruesome, yet anyone with a discerning eye could tell at a glance that the situation was entirely one-sided—a total suppression and extermination of one force by the other.

The Changshan Army had fewer men, only numbering eight hundred thousand.

The Green-Faced Multitude had superior numbers, totaling over 1.3 million.

However, all of the Changshan Army's Golden Core combatants were fully intact.

Meanwhile, the Golden Core generals of the Green-Faced Multitude seemed to have vanished.

No one knew what had happened to those Green-Faced generals who had once been so notoriously fearsome and bloodthirsty.

Why had those formidable Green-Faced generals vanished into thin air without a trace just as the Changshan Army launched their full-scale assault?

Wang Liangzi's Unorthodox Path Ritual had been strictly confidential, not a single detail leaked to outsiders.

Even the soldiers within the Green-Faced Multitude knew nothing of it; from top to bottom, panic had gripped their ranks.

A war between cultivators relied first on the 'soldiers,' and second on the 'generals.'

The number of soldiers was of utmost importance. In large-scale group battles among cultivators, even powerful Golden Core experts could be worn down and killed by vast hordes of soldiers if they grew careless for even a moment.

Yet a General served as the crowning touch.

Especially when a general led a group of soldiers to charge forward with shared hatred for the enemy.

A general's strength directly determined the potency of a military unit.

If a powerful Golden Core Realm general possessed supreme might, leading a unit of battle-hardened cavalry—even if few in number—it would suffice to weave in and out through a sea of men with absolute freedom.

Therefore, on the battlefield, only when generals were strong, soldiers numerous, and all hearts united as one could an army be truly invincible.

With generals but no soldiers, the generals would be worn to death by sheer numbers.

With soldiers but no generals, the soldiers would be torn to shreds by charging enemy generals.

At this moment, the Green-Faced Multitude had fallen into the awkward predicament of having soldiers, but no generals.

No one knew where their Golden Core generals had died.

Without Golden Core generals to spearhead the vanguard, ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators were fundamentally incapable of holding back the charge of enemy Golden Cores.

At this moment, the Changshan Army's Golden Core generals led their personal guards straight through the enemy lines like flood dragons diving into the sea, exploiting the void.

In particular, their strongest leader, Great General Chang, who possessed Late Golden Core Stage cultivation, wielded a Mountain-Suppressing Spear with mountain-like majesty. Sweeping with a vast, surging spear momentum, he leveled thousands of soldiers, charging back and forth as if stepping into an uninhabited land.

The more he fought, the faster the Green-Faced Multitude collapsed.

Seemingly massive in number, the leaderless pack of wolves was carved to pieces like soft tofu, routed to such an extent over the course of a single night.

Everything had played out just as the Esteemed Master foresaw—this truly was a once-in-a-millennium opportunity.

"Esteemed Master Mo's divine foresight has actually reached such a realm..."

Even Great General Chang felt dread stirring within his heart. Then, he lamented with deep emotion:

"Fortunately... the Esteemed Master chose to help my Changshan Army..."

Had Esteemed Master Mo chosen to aid Lord Qingchou back then, in less than half a month, every last officer and soldier of the Changshan Army would have been slaughtered clean. How could they have reached this day?

Reverence and awe grew ever deeper in Great General Chang's heart. A moment later, he cast away his stray thoughts and focused entirely on slaying the enemy according to Esteemed Master Mo's instructions.

If everything truly unfolded as Esteemed Master Mo had said, pouring all their forces into tonight's slaughter to settle everything in a single stroke would completely quell the rebellion.

Perhaps the people of the Changshan Army could then enjoy a few years of peace in these chaotic times...

The aged Great General Chang let out a slow sigh of relief and tightened his grip on his bloodstained spear...

...

Meanwhile, the booming of the earth and the sky-piercing shouts of battle drew closer from afar, reaching the central encampment of the Green-Faced Multitude.

Below the elevated Ritual Altar...

Wang Liangzi's sanity slowly returned. He opened his eyes to a scene of carnage, severed limbs littering the ground.

The Green-Faced Multitude's Golden Core generals were dead or dying in droves. Some had their necks twisted into hemp ropes, their heads torn off, eyes bulging as they died with unclosed grievances.

Wang Liangzi stood stunned for a long while, a chill gripping the depths of his heart:

What is going on?

These Golden Core generals... how did they all die?

Who killed them?!

In the night wind, Wang Liangzi felt as though he were trapped in a nightmare. His expression shifted erratically as he racked his brain for a long time, finally remembering in fragments:

"Oh... I killed them..."

"Wait, that's not right... Why did I kill them?"

"They were of great use... How could they die at a time like this?"

Wang Liangzi used his hands to gouge at his head, racking his brain to recall why he had slaughtered these Green-Faced generals.

Yet the moment he thought about it, a piercing pain flared in his head, his entire body stinging as if subjected to thousands of cuts. Something seemed to be festering within his bone marrow, and his heart burned with searing agony.

"Poison?"

Wang Liangzi's heart seized in shock. He hurriedly turned his Divine-Sense inward to inspect himself.

Strangely, aside from some superficial wounds, his physical body showed no signs of poisoning.

Yet his Divine-Sense transmitted an unmistakable, excruciating sensation of being poisoned.

"What sort of... Fāng Art is this?"

"Quick... remember... quick..."

At such a critical juncture, forgetting crucial details was terrifying.

Wang Liangzi endured the agony, pondering bitterly for a long time before he finally recalled an extraordinarily crucial figure:

Esteemed Master Mo.

"Esteemed Master Mo..."

"I set up the altar, divided my soul, commanded the demon, induced the wraith transformation, entered his consciousness... all to kill this Esteemed Master Mo. One was to avenge the Jiazi Wraith Soldiers, and the other was to remove the mortal threat to the Green-Faced Multitude..."

"And then? What happened?"

"I didn't manage to kill this Esteemed Master Mo; instead, I was 'corrupted' by him?"

"Neither Rootless Water nor the Sin-Cleansing Writ could wash it clean?"

"And after that... my 'corruption' flared up, and unable to control myself, I used Fāng Arts... to kill these Green-Faced generals?"

"But... how was I corrupted? Corrupted by what? What have I become now? Am I still myself?"

The more Wang Liangzi thought, the more terrified he became.

Just as he was lost in bewilderment and shock, deafening battle cries and spreading flames suddenly roared outside, startling him.

Wang Liangzi realized that Esteemed Master Mo must have seized this opening to dispatch his troops, seeking to deliver a fatal blow in one battle.

Calculating the time, not even an incense stick's worth of time had passed from beginning to end. (about 30 minutes)

"What a decisive, ruthless person! Truly without a shred of hesitation..."

"This Esteemed Master Mo must be a great demon-priest, a formidable adversary..."

Wang Liangzi's thoughts spun rapidly. Seeing that the situation could no longer be salvaged and that his grand plan of sustaining war with war to raise Wraith Soldiers on a massive scale had gone up in smoke...

Since matters had come to this, he had to make early preparations and pull back in time.

As long as the green hills remained, one would never lack firewood to burn.

However, before leaving, he had to recoup some of his losses...

Wang Liangzi turned to look at the Golden Cores of the Green-Faced Multitude who had died gruesome deaths across the ground. His gaze turned icy, revealing a cruel glint.

He released his Divine-Sense, seeking out several Green-Faced generals who had died only moments ago, their Divine Souls not yet dispersed. One by one, he strangled their necks with incantation cords, clutched their heads with his right claw, and permeated their brains with essence blood, inscribing Seizing Soul Writs and branding them with Underworld Bureau Slave Seals.

He would seize their Divine Souls to make them his slaves, doomed to never attain reincarnation for all eternity.

This undertaking had cost him dearly, almost causing him to lose his entire cultivation. The mere thought made Wang Liangzi's heart bleed.

Therefore, the Divine Souls of these Green-Faced generals would serve as his interest.

Wang Liangzi was in the midst of seizing souls, having just restrained two or three Golden Cores, when his Divine-Sense Thought suddenly stirred.

He sensed an aura violently churning in the distance, and an old general at the Late Golden Core Stage brandished a spear, charging directly into the encampment.

Great General Chang looked somewhat taken aback upon seeing the blood-soaked Wang Liangzi. Recognizing his identity an instant later, killing intent flashed in his eyes. Leveling his spear, he roared:

"You fiend, return the lives of my Changshan brethren!"

Wang Liangzi furrowed his brows. He hated being interrupted most when seizing souls.

A mere Late Golden Core Stage, decrepit old fool—did he truly think he could not be killed?

Wang Liangzi sneered chillingly. "Delivering yourself to my door... seeking your own death. I shall seize your soul, leaving you without a place of burial..."

Wang Liangzi was just about to kill Great General Chang when his expression abruptly shifted drastically before he could make a move. His heart pounded wildly, and the Underworld Bureau Writs on his body turned burning hot, glowing red.

"Not good! A great enemy is approaching?!"

"Is it... that demon-priest?!"

"Such overwhelming oppression... Just what... is he?"

Wang Liangzi's eyes widened. Succumbing to his instinctual dread, he abandoned Great General Chang without the slightest hesitation. Transforming into a gust of sinister wind, he skimmed the ground and fled into the distance.

Great General Chang hurled his Mountain-Suppressing Spear, piercing through Wang Liangzi's body. Yet it only scattered some black wind, failing to harm Wang Liangzi in the slightest.

He wanted to pursue, but recalling Esteemed Master Mo's instructions—never pursue a desperate enemy—he chose to stay behind and preserve the scene.

Outside the camp, the battle continued, weapons clashing and blood flowing, yet it was already beginning to subside.

About an incense stick's worth of time later, Esteemed Master Mo, clad in a black robe and flanked by two protectors, strode through the chaotic battlefield, personally descending upon the central encampment of the Green-Faced Multitude.

Seeing Mo Hua arrive, Great General Chang hurried forward, cupping his hands and sighing.

"This general is ashamed. I have failed the Esteemed Master's trust and failed to detain that fiend..."

Mo Hua shook his head and said softly, "It does not matter. The Old General is a veteran of many battles; preserving your well-being is paramount. You should not take unnecessary risks."

Grateful in his heart, Great General Chang replied, "Many thanks, Esteemed Master."

Mo Hua then asked, "Has the scene been preserved?"

Great General Chang nodded. "Yes, everything was done strictly according to the Esteemed Master's orders. After that fiend fled, everything inside this tent, even the corpses on the ground, has not been disturbed in the slightest..."

Mo Hua nodded in satisfaction. "You have worked hard, General Chang."

Afterward, Mo Hua stepped into the Green-Faced encampment, glancing around at the gore-splattered ground and the Green-Faced generals whose souls had been seized in death.

He then lifted his head, looking toward the high platform and, atop it, the Soul-Splitting Altar that Wang Liangzi had lacked the time to pack away in his hurried escape.

"He was... conducting a ritual on an altar?"

Mo Hua's eyes instantly lit up.

(End of Chapter)