booktalesy Chapter 293 War Soul
Chapter 293 War Soul
The tiny body of the crevices was enveloped in black light and floated in mid-air.
Its face showed pain, and the will-o'-the-wisp flickered, but it gritted its teeth and persevered.
On the tattered flag, the half-black eagle pattern seemed to come alive, gradually merging with the ghostly form in the rift.
Chen Jinshu could sense that the aura in the rift was rapidly increasing!
The originally illusory ghost body solidified at a speed visible to the naked eye, and even a trace of color appeared on its pale face. The ghost fire in its eye sockets also changed from eerie green to deep black, adding to its majesty.
The spirits of the soldiers around them did not disappear after being thrown into the tattered flag; instead, they appeared faintly on the flag, standing in solemn ranks, exuding a chilling aura.
The whole process lasted about fifteen minutes.
The black light gradually faded, and the shadowy crevices slowly gave way to the ground.
The tattered flag in its hand had been completely renewed, with a intact flagpole, a dark red flag, and an embroidered black eagle with outstretched wings and fierce eyes.
Along the edge of the flag, countless tiny runes could be faintly seen flowing, emanating a chilling aura of military might.
Youxi looked down at the military spirit banner in her hand, then looked up at Chen Jinshu, her little face full of curiosity and excitement: "Master, I feel...so full! And, it seems like I can command them!"
It raised the small flag and waved it gently.
As the flag fluttered, hundreds of solidified phantom images of military spirits appeared around the high platform, standing silently with their fists clasped in unison.
Chen Jinshu's divine sense swept over it, and his heart trembled slightly.
These individual military spirits are roughly at the early to mid-Foundation Establishment stage, but once they form a battle formation, their combined baleful aura is enough to trap and kill even early-stage Golden Core cultivators!
As for the Netherworld itself, after absorbing the remnants of the military soul and the original essence of the banner, its ghost body has been stabilized at the early stage of the Golden Core realm, and it is in perfect harmony with the military soul banner, as if it were its own arm.
"Not bad." She nodded slightly, a hint of satisfaction flashing in her eyes.
Jiang Yi watched in stunned silence.
One moment it was a gloomy and terrifying ancient battlefield, and the next moment the ghost child subdued by their predecessors became a "little general" who commands hundreds of ghosts? This turn of events was a bit too fast.
"Master, what do we do now?" Youxi clutched the Military Soul Banner like a precious treasure, looking at Chen Jinshu with pleading eyes.
"That old man in red outside seems to still be wandering around the valley entrance."
Chen Jinshu quietly released his divine sense.
Sure enough, at the entrance to the rift valley, the crimson light still lingered, seemingly wary of the malevolent energy within and hesitant to venture deeper. However, the Nascent Soul cultivator possessed remarkable patience, clearly intending to wait and ambush the enemy.
“This place is not safe to stay for long.” Chen Jinshu looked around. “Now that the Military Soul Banner has recognized its master, the ancient battlefield’s malevolent energy has lost its core and will gradually dissipate. At that time, the Blood Fiend Sect’s Nascent Soul cultivators will definitely notice and force their way in.”
Her gaze fell into the depths of the valley.
The fog was thickest there, the air thickest with death, and some collapsed building ruins could be vaguely seen.
"Let's go take a look over there. The ancient battlefield ruins might offer another way out."
The three (ghosts) did not delay any longer and used the banner to clear the way through the gap in the darkness.
The military aura emanating from the military spirit banner naturally suppressed the remaining death energy and vengeful spirits in the valley. Wherever it passed, the yin winds retreated, making the journey much smoother than the way it came.
No sooner had the group left than Youxi excitedly exclaimed, "Master, Master!"
"I...I think I can sense them."
"They...listen to me."
Chen Jinshu nodded slightly, stepped forward, and carefully sensed the state of the rift and the aura of the military soul banner.
"The malevolent energy has begun to merge, but it is far from being refined. This banner is tattered and contains a deep-seated military spirit. You need to constantly nourish and harmonize it with your own ghostly energy. Do not rush it, or you will be eroded by the malevolent energy."
"Yes! I've got it!" Youxi nodded vigorously, clutching the Military Soul Banner like a precious treasure.
It could sense that the banner and those military spirits were greatly beneficial to its ghostly growth, like rain after a long drought.
"How do you feel? Can you sense a path to leave this place?" Chen Jinshu asked the most crucial question.
Upon hearing this, Youxi closed his eyes, and the military spirit banner in his hand moved automatically without wind.
The banner's surface shimmered with a faint light, and its subtle connection to the military spirit within it allowed it to vaguely perceive the remaining "veins" of this ancient battlefield.
After a moment, it pointed in a direction deeper into the rift: "Over there... the flow of malevolent energy is strange, it seems... there's a gap leading out. But..."
It hesitated for a moment, "There are also many 'big guys' over there, and they taste... different. They're very fierce and don't listen to the flag."
"The remnants of enemy soldiers?" Chen Jinshu understood.
In ancient battlefields, soldiers who died in battle on both sides could become military spirits, but the banner of the military spirits guarding the border could only govern one side.
"Let's go." She made a quick decision, recalling the Azure Phoenix Chasing the Moon Shuttle, but did not board it immediately.
"The malevolent energy here is too strong. Flying shuttles would be too conspicuous and easily attract unknown entities. Walk through the narrow gap. You lead the way and try to clear the path with the aura of the military spirits within the banner, avoiding the area where our military spirits are gathered."
"Yes!" Youxi puffed out her small chest, holding a slightly shrunken military spirit banner that fluttered in front of her.
The banner swayed slightly, emitting a faint aura that carried the unique menacing presence of the border guards.
The scattered gray shadows (dissipated military spirits) wandering around sensed this fluctuation and mostly hesitated before retreating, making way. Chen Jinshu and Jiang Yi followed closely behind.
Jiang Yi took the healing pills and his complexion improved, but he still needed to circulate his spiritual energy to resist the omnipresent erosion of death energy.
He looked with a mixture of curiosity and fear at the small, swaying figure in front of him, and the tattered banner in its hand that sent chills down his spine.
The group walked among the corpses and remnants of the army.
Beneath my feet lies soft, dark reddish-brown soil, accumulated over countless years, making no sound when I step on it.
After walking for about half an hour, the fog ahead thickened, and the baleful aura became increasingly heavy. Faintly, a clanging sound like metal clashing could be heard, but it was not a real sound; rather, it was a perceptual illusion caused by the powerful vibration of soul power.
"Master, we're almost there." Youxi stopped and pointed to a narrow valley entrance shrouded in thick gray-white mist.
"The gap is right behind there, but... they're blocking it."
Without needing to explain further, Chen Jinshu's divine sense was already able to "see" clearly.
At the mouth of the valley, another military unit could be vaguely seen lined up.
Their forms are similar to our military spirits, but their armor is more rugged, bearing obvious characteristics of alien races or ancient demon races. Their soul fire is dark red, filled with an aura of violence and destruction.
Although their numbers were not as large as the border guard spirits they had encountered before, there were still several hundred of them. Moreover, their spirits were solid, their malevolent energy intertwined, forming a tight formation that firmly blocked their path.
“They are the remnants of the demon or alien army that attacked back then,” Chen Jinshu judged.
"The military spirit banners are ineffective against them. Prepare to force our way in."
Before she finished speaking, the enemy's spirits at the valley entrance seemed to sense the presence of a living person and the special fluctuations of the border guard's spirit banner, and they all turned to look over.
Dark red soul flames burned fiercely, and a silent killing intent surged forth like a tide!
"Roar—!" The leading enemy military spirit general, twice the size of the other military spirits, wielding a broken giant axe phantom, was the first to let out a soul-level roar and pointed the axe at the edge!
The spirits of hundreds of enemy soldiers instantly stirred, like a dark red torrent, charging towards Chen Jinshu and his men!
The malevolent energy condensed, vaguely forming the phantom of a ferocious beast in mid-air, which opened its mouth to bite!
"Form ranks! Defend against the enemy!" Ghost Fire trembled in fright, but instinctively raised the military spirit banner in its hand and shouted shrilly.
It doesn't really understand command; it just instinctively transmits its thoughts to the border-guarding soldiers within the banner.
"Shh!"
Black light surged from the banner, and nearly a hundred illusory images of border guards quickly condensed and formed an array in front of Youxi.
Though silent, they moved swiftly, wielding spears and shields, instantly forming a small defensive circle that protected Chen Jinshu and his companions in the center.
The circular array of malevolent energy connected, forming a gray-black light curtain.
"boom!"
The dark red torrent crashed violently against the gray-black light screen!
The surge of soul power erupted with a silent yet violent roar, and a tangible shockwave spread outwards, causing bones to fly from the ground and rocks to fall from the cliffs.
The garrison's spirit array shook violently, and the light barrier flickered, but it ultimately blocked the first wave of impact.
The phantoms of the military spirits in the formation trembled in unison, their soul flames flickering, clearly indicating that they were under immense pressure.
“They…are stronger than my soldiers…” The little crevice’s face turned pale; it could feel the power of the military spirit within the banner being rapidly depleted.
Chen Jinshu's eyes narrowed. The enemy's individual military spirits were stronger and their fighting spirit was ferocious.
Although the border guards have battle formations to coordinate with, the damaged banners and the limited cultivation of the Netherworld limit the power they can mobilize, and they will inevitably lose their position if they hold out for too long.
"We cannot remain passively defensive. Youxi, manipulate the military spirit and launch a counterattack with a cone formation! Target: the weak point on the left flank of the enemy formation!" Chen Jinshu coldly ordered, his hands already resting on the Star Moon Ancient Qin.
She noticed that the enemy's right flank was more solid, while the left flank was relatively loose.
The Gap knew nothing about formations, but it unconditionally trusted Chen Jinshu and immediately transmitted the instructions through the Military Soul Banner.
The border guards' spirits instantly transformed, with the front guards sheathing their shields and raising their spears, becoming a sharp arrowhead. The rear guards followed closely, and the entire formation resembled a sharp cone, fiercely stabbing towards the enemy's left flank!
"Zheng—!"
Almost at the same time that the military spirit changed its formation, Chen Jinshu plucked the strings of his zither.
It is not the extensive "Zhou Tian Xing Yue Yin" but the concise and refined "Po Zhen Qu" sound of killing!
Several sharp sonic blades, barely visible to the naked eye, struck first, precisely at the connection points of the soul bodies of several enemy soldiers on the left flank.
"Hey!"
The dark red souls were torn apart by the sonic blade. Although it failed to kill them in one blow, it successfully disrupted the connection of their baleful aura, causing a slight disorder in the left side of the formation!
Taking advantage of this gap, the gray cone formed from the spirit of the border guards pierced fiercely into the enemy's left flank!
"Kill—!" The silent shout seemed to resound through the soul.
The gray and dark red souls collided, entangled, and tore at each other violently.
The border guards are known for their rigorous battle formations and excellent teamwork, often employing a three-to-five ratio to deal with one enemy, exchanging injuries for "injuries" and continuously eroding the enemy's soul power.
The enemy's military spirits, on the other hand, are individually fierce and have a wild offensive, often able to shatter a relatively weak border guard military spirit with a single axe blow.
Youxi nervously waved his small flag (the military soul banner), trying his best to mobilize soul power to support the front.
It felt its ghostly power pouring out like a floodgate being opened.
Jiang Yi wasn't idle either. Knowing his cultivation was low and that directly attacking the enemy's spirit would be ineffective, he summoned several third-tier "Exorcism Talismans" and "Evil-Breaking Talismans," activating them at the opportune moment. The talismans transformed into golden light or thunder and fire. Although they couldn't severely damage the enemy's spirit, they could disrupt its movements, creating opportunities for the border-guarding spirit. (End of Chapter)