In the southeastern corner of the Hai Character Camp, within the Yi Three Banner of the Flame Moving Division.
A row of barracks, made from dirt and shaped through casting spells, blended seamlessly with the surroundings.
Inside, the furnishings were simple and uniform, with a seven or eight-meter long communal bed opposite the door against the wall, a walkway over two meters wide in front of the bed, and a large window on each side of the door; beyond that, there was nothing else.
Within one of these barracks.
The dim daylight filtered through the gray fog shone through the vast paper-covered windows.
Inside the room, some yin spirits were sleeping with their eyes closed, while others were whispering together quietly.
Brother Chen and De Chun sat against the wall on the edge of the bed.
"Something’s not right," De Chun frowned deeply.
"Apart from the dozen or so newcomers like us, the rest are all veterans from Antiquity City."
"They’ve been living here for at least eight or nine years!"Chen Mu’s eyebrows suddenly lifted, "So?"
"I’m afraid someone has tampered with the household register and replaced us to gather Jade Dew!" De Chun’s expression was grave.
A thought struck Chen Mu.
Indeed, with so many yin spirits in Antiquity City, some are chasing fame and eagerly seeking military merit.
And, of course, there are also those like me who want to keep out of the strife and live peacefully.
But if you want to be peaceful, be peaceful, why the hell did you mess with my registry!
Chen Mu could not help but grit his teeth.
"I heard that the fiends from Beyond Heaven are dangerous even in death."
"Many people perish before even encountering their bodies."
"And these are the deeply powerful old ghosts who’ve been around for years."
"Us..."
"We’ve become scapegoats!" De Chun said with a gloomy face.
"A few of us who took the same route went to see the stern-faced flag leader who said this matter is managed by the City Defense Camp of Antiquity City." ℞άΝo͍₿È𐌔
"But now that we’re here, our previous identities don’t matter."
"We must obey orders uniformly, or else we face military punishment," De Chun sighed.
Chen Mu frowned deeply, "Is there a way to transfer to another division?"
Just staying outside the camp was dangerous enough, let alone being tasked with moving the bodies of demonic beasts.
"Difficult!" De Chun shook his head.
"If you want to stay within the camp, you need a special ability."
"Either you know a secret technique like Netherworld Guide that can refine River of Oblivion Water."
"Or you know the Three Turns Essence Gathering Curse that can handle the bodies of demonic beasts."
"If you can make Soldier Figurine Ghost Implements or brew Precious Medicine Decoction, that’s even better; you might even have ghost soldiers to protect you."
"Unfortunately, we don’t know any of this, nor do we have military merit to exchange and learn."
Chen Mu’s face was grim, thinking about the person who had tampered with his records, his teeth itching with rage.
Don’t let me find out who you are!
It took him a while before he could reluctantly gather his thoughts and consider the current situation.
"To transfer divisions, we need to learn secret techniques."
"To learn secret techniques, we need military merit."
"It seems we’ll have to blend in with the Yi Three Banner for a while."
...
The camp management was strict. Chen Mu and the others, being new arrivals, were not allowed to go anywhere except around their barracks.
De Chun sneaked out of the room to gather information, while Chen Mu sat on the meditation cushion, peering through the half-open window at the blood-red sky above the gray fog.
"This is definitely not the Thirteen States of the Yang Realm."
"And there’s also no Earth Spirit Vital Energy."
In the short term, his True Flesh Body could only be used as a trump card and not be employed lightly.
"I still need to practice Divine Ghost Pattern," he glanced at the others in the room from the corner of his eye.
"Too many prying eyes," he instinctively began to miss his own Underground Secret Chamber.
"I’ll wait a bit, wait until I have a better understanding of the camp’s situation." He had already planned on digging his own Secret Chamber.
Sunset soon darkened the sky.
Above the camp, in the gray fog, several sorrowful green flames roamed as if patrolling and observing, or perhaps acting as vigilant sentinels.
The curfew bell rang, and those who had been out returned to their rooms. Everyone either sat or lay on the cold, hard beds, silent.
A quiet night passed, and dawn came in an instant.
Before the daylight even fully emerged, a dull drum sound awakened everyone.
Chen Mu and the others walked out of their rooms, puzzled, just in time to see the Soul Summoning Banner fiercely shaking in the sky.
Group after group of ghost soldiers wrapped in black clouds rose into the air. After converging into three massive streams of black smoke, they burst through the fog, with the sound of ghostly wails and wolf howls accompanying them as they flew towards the southern sky of the camp.
"Ghost soldiers heading out to battle?"
Chen Mu’s pupils involuntarily narrowed.
The aura of the gathering ghost soldiers was too fierce. He knew that if hit by that torrent, he would lose his life in an instant. Even if he were to unleash his True Form and Mana, he estimated he would only last a few more breaths.
And a camp with such formidable strength—Antiquity City has twelve in total. If the entire city were mobilized against an enemy, how ferocious must that foe be?
Chen Mu shivered.
"I need to learn secret techniques quickly and take shelter in the main camp!"
...
More than ten days later.
To the northeast of the Hai Character Camp, a battered battlefield was scattered with flames that hadn’t been fully extinguished, with thick black smoke rising into the sky.
The stench of blood and the charred smell spread everywhere, and the bodies of giant apes, some as tall as eight or nine stories, lay strewn across the middle of the battlefield.
These apes had red fur all over their bodies, four arms, and deep white bone spurs covering their elbows, knees, and backs.
Even in death, their blood-red fur eerily twisted and curled.
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A faint oppressive force permeated the air, making one’s heart tremble at a glance.
Chen Mu took a deep breath and averted his gaze.
De Chun also felt frightened and dared not look anymore, "Thank goodness we don’t have to move them."
"I feel like I’d perish before I even got close to those big monkeys!"
"These smaller ones are safer." De Chun turned to the side, where a headless ape’s body lay.
This ape was three meters tall and also had four arms with red fur. It was called the Red-Eyed Water Ape.
Compared to those of their distant ancestors, these are definitely considered compact and safe.
Chen Mu nodded slightly, no longer speaking.
He reached into his bosom, pulling out a palm-sized Flame Wheel Vehicle.
The little vehicle was pitch-black, seemingly forged from iron. On top was a rectangular carriage, with four wheels closely attached to both sides.
Chen Mu skillfully injected Yin Spirit Divine Power, and the black iron vehicle touched the ground, instantly transforming into a cloud of black smoke as large as half a basketball court.
As the smoke cloud tumbled, bright yellow flames could be faintly seen within.
"Let’s get to work," Chen Mu called out.
One by one, three-meter-tall red-eyed water apes were thrown onto the cloud, quickly piling up into a mountain.
With a thought, the bright yellow flames churned like wheels, and the Flame Wheel Vehicle’s smoke cloud gradually picked up speed and moved forward.
Chen Mu leaped up and sat at the very top of the Corpse Mountain, following the group back to the northern camp.
Transporting corpses back to the camp had been Chen Mu’s job for over ten days now, and it was also the only way for him to earn Military Merit at present.
...
In the southwest corner of Hai Character Camp, in front of a pond as large as a soccer field.
"Military Merit twelve, next..." a lazy shout came from a burly man over two meters tall with small eyes.
Behind him, clusters of Flame Wheel Vehicles as black clouds lined up, each in turn dumping the dead red-eyed water apes into the pond.
While waiting, Shi Dechun approached Chen Mu with a worried expression, "I’ve heard that some, in pursuit of Military Merit, are robbing others of their water apes on the way back."
Chen Mu frowned slightly, "The headquarter doesn’t care?"
"Our Military Merit isn’t tied to theirs; they won’t intervene unless someone loses a life," Shi Dechun said, frowning and shaking his head.
Chen Mu’s face grew stern, "Do you know who they are?"
"There are several groups, including Fei Yong from Jia Second Banner, Niu Chengzong from Jia Third Banner, and Hong Xiu from Bing Fifth Banner, and these are just those known by name," Shi Dechun reported in a low voice while counting on his fingers.
"They are said to roam not far from the camp."
"If you encounter them and don’t want to get beaten up, you have to hand over half of the water apes you’ve brought back."
"They dare to rob near the camp?" Chen Mu’s face soured, "So brazen, and no one deals with it?"
"We’re just a bunch of auxiliary soldiers; as long as we complete the tasks assigned, who cares who did what?" Shi Dechun sighed.
Then his eyes shifted, cautiously looking at Chen Mu.
He had always felt that this little bald-headed guy was not simple. Hadn’t he been gravitating towards Chen Mu all this time exactly for this kind of crisis?
His eyes filled with anticipation, "Brother Chen, what do you think we should do if we run into those people?"
Chen Mu furrowed his brow in thought, "How about, we reason with them, offer good words and persuade?"
Shi Dechun: "..."
Divinely good words and persuasion.
Shi Dechun rolled his eyes.
They were already robbing; why would they listen to persuasion!
...
Two days later.
On the vast plains.
A group of men in black controlled clusters of black smoke clouds as large as basketball courts, each laden with a hill-like pile of red-eyed water apes.
Dozens of people talked and laughed merrily on their way back to the camp.
"Big brother, only you dare to dream and act."
"Hard labor all day can’t compare to what we earn from one heist."
"Work a little more for ten days or half a month, and the Secret Technique Precious Medicine will be within our grasp!"
Everyone chatted loudly, each contributing their thoughts.
The lead man, with thick eyebrows and a square face, had the corner of his mouth slightly lifted, about to modestly interject.
Suddenly, five plumes of black smoke burst from the ground, plunging straight into the caravan, instantly causing mayhem with people and horses alike overturned.
The thick-browed strong man’s face changed, he leaped down from the Flame Wheel Vehicle, and with a wave of his hand, five armored paper soldier figurines wielding swords appeared, swiftly forming a circle to protect him.
He then chanted Curse Words, and a large swirl of Black Wind materialized above his head.
The thick-browed strong man sneered coldly, "Daring to use the Black Wind Curse before me, you overestimate yourself!"
His Innate Divine Ability was related to the Black Wind, making his Black Wind Curse exponentially more powerful.
Ever since he had mastered it, all Black Winds dissipated at his mere presence!
With a single thought, the enormous Black Wind surged toward the five plumes of smoke, colliding with them in the blink of an eye.
The corner of his mouth had just curled up when it suddenly froze in place.
The five plumes of smoke violently merged and began to spin explosively. His Black Wind obediently burrowed into the vortex of smoke and vanished in the blink of an eye.
Before he could react, the five plumes of smoke, as if enraged, thunderously rushed toward him and spun wildly around him.
The paper soldier figurines guarding him could only flail their swords a couple of times before half of their bodies shattered instantly, as if they were being torn apart by an invisible maw.
The paper figurines that had just taken human form were reduced to broken bamboo and paper scraps fluttering in the air in the blink of an eye.
Next, the black smoke slammed into the strong man with massive force, sending the thick-browed strong man flying without a chance to resist.
Before he could get up, an invisible force of restraint slammed down on him, pinning him firmly to the ground, making it hard to even lift his head.
Then, the black smoke darted about erratically, quickly putting down anyone who was still standing!
The ground shimmered, and Chen Mu, again disguised as a tall, thin middle-aged man, slowly emerged. Looking at the red-eyed water apes scattered on the ground, he couldn’t help but crack a smile.
He was a good person, and robbing others troubled his conscience. But black on black crime? He had no qualms about that.
Ever since he had heard that no one in the camp cared about auxiliary soldiers fighting, he had started plotting.
Earning military merit by honestly transporting corpses was too slow. He heard that the red-eyed water apes were just ordinary demons, and he expected the coming battles to be even fiercer, making corpse transport increasingly dangerous. If he wanted to hide out in the barracks sooner, he had to trouble these powerful big brothers.
"I take fifty percent of the loot, any problem?" Chen Mu said, expressionless.
"I concede," the pale, thick-browed strong man pinned to the ground by Qi Forbidden Hundred Miles surrendered promptly, "Would you dare to reveal your name, brother, so I may know who bested me?"
"What, planning on taking revenge?" Chen Mu smiled coldly.
"Remember this, I’m Fei Yong of the Armor Two Banner. Make sure you don’t seek revenge on the wrong person!"
The others, who had been wailing in pain, suddenly fell silent.
With a tone full of resignation, the thick-browed strong man said, "I am Fei Yong of the Armor Two Banner!"
Chen Mu: "..."
Did I just rob the very man I’m pretending to be?
This is really awkward!
"Oh, my mistake, I’m Hong Xiu of Banner Five!"
Fei Yong: "..."
Could you possibly fake it any more than that?!
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