Volume 14, Chapter 876 – The Great Battle Begins

The two Immortal Emperors who arrived outside the city did not immediately deploy a large-scale sealing formation—doing so would only alert the enemy prematurely. They intended to wait until most of the ghost clans revealed themselves before taking action.

“It’s already late noon, so why hasn’t the Ziji Immortal Emperor made a move yet? Was he just bluffing?”

“Why would he deceive us? Could it be he lured us here just to kill us?”

“That’s possible. Since our clansmen hanging on the walls seem unharmed, I think we’d better run while we can. We’ll come back when we’re absolutely sure.”

“So we’re just going to watch our loved ones hang there and continue to suffer?”

“If you want to hang there with them, go right ahead. No one’s stopping you. Me? I’m getting out of here.”

Seeing that the ghostly relatives hanging on the city walls appeared unharmed, many of the fiendish specters in the crowd started thinking about saving their own skins. But just then, something unexpected happened.

“Everyone…”

At the city gates, Commander Wang suddenly spoke: “Apologies for the wait, everyone. I’m sure you’ve all seen the decree issued by the Immortal Palace. By His Majesty’s command, we are to deal with all the fiendish specters hanging on the walls today as a warning to others. The operation begins now.”

“It’s finally starting. The Ziji Immortal Emperor wasn’t lying to us.”

“Of course not. Who do you think the Ziji Immortal Emperor is? How could someone of his stature go back on his word?”

“The ones hiding among the crowd are bound to make a move now. Everyone, stay back. Don’t get caught in the crossfire.”

“What’s there to be afraid of? With Commander Wang and the imperial guards here, what can those fiendish specters really do?”

Hearing this, the onlookers grew solemn. But the nobles who had relatives hanging on the city wall felt as if they had been struck by thunder on a clear day, plummeting from heaven straight into hell.

As for the ghost clans who had simply come to scavenge “spoils of war,” they remained calm. No matter the outcome, it wouldn’t affect them much—they could choose whether or not to participate as they pleased.

“The show’s about to begin. You’d all better get into the spatial ring.”

Qi Huang gave the command to the group of girls. After all, she was about to face three Immortal Emperors, there could be no room for carelessness.

“Please be careful. Don’t push yourself too hard.”

Cheng Hongling gave repeated warnings.

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“Don’t worry. I never fight a battle I’m not confident in winning.”

Qi Huang reassured her, then tucked the girls away into her spatial ring.

“All imperial and city guards, hear me! By the divine order of the Immortal Emperor, we are to cleanse these unforgivable fiendish specters today. Anyone who dares to act rashly during this time will be executed on the spot. Do I make myself clear?”

Commander Wang barked his command to the tens of thousands of soldiers stationed at the gate.

“Yes!”

The imperial guards and city soldiers responded in unison. Their powerful voices shook the very air, making one’s spirit tremble.

“We should really leave. This is too terrifying.”

“But I’m not willing to give up! If we could just get our hands on one of those ghost clans hanging on the wall, absorbing their power would cause our strength to soar!”

“Forget it! Staying alive is more important!”

“Let’s wait a little longer. Maybe we can pick up some scraps. As long as we don’t make a move, no one will know we’re ghost clans ourselves.”

Faced with such an overwhelming force, many of the more timid fiendish specters began retreating in their hearts. Of course, those who had come to rescue loved ones remained unmoved. Their kin were hanging on the walls. Even if it meant death, they had to act.

Commander Wang then walked toward the wall. He stopped in front of a female wraith.

Qi Huang focused her gaze. It was a haggard female zombie, pinned to the city wall by a spear radiating fiery spiritual energy. She had been there who knows how long. Her hair was disheveled, her Yin energy thin. She could die at any moment.

“All right. Today’s sweep will start with you.”

Commander Wang gripped the spear with his coarse hand, and fiery True Qi began to surge from within his body.

“Stop! Let go of my mother!”

At that moment, a young man’s voice rang out.

Qi Huang turned to look and saw a young man lunging forward like a wild beast. His body surged with Yin energy, crimson resentment poured from his eyes, and his black fingernails grew rapidly, as if transforming into claws thirsty for flesh.

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“Little Zhi, don’t come!”

The female zombie’s entire body shuddered. She mustered what little strength she had and shouted.

But the young male zombie paid no heed. With a face twisted by fury and rage bursting from his eyes, he charged at Commander Wang without fear of death.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh…

A volley of piercing sounds ripped through the air. Several powerful arrows tore through the wind, shooting straight at the youth.

Despite his fury, the young zombie could not overcome the gap in strength. In a blink, more than ten arrows from the imperial guards pierced his body, turning him into a human pincushion.

And it wasn’t over yet… the arrows were imbued with fire-based True Qi. Flames immediately erupted.

The young zombie let out a shriek of agony. He slapped at the fire frantically, but to no avail. In moments, he was reduced to a pile of blackened ash.

“My son… sob sob…”

The female zombie collapsed into despair, crying bitterly. Blood-red tears streamed from her eyes. It was enough to move even the coldest heart.

“Stop crying. I’ll send you to join your son right now.”

Fiery True Qi surged from Commander Wang’s hands, running along the spear in a flash, burning the female wraith to ashes in an instant.

Qi Huang, though no longer prejudiced against fiendish specters, didn’t intervene. After all, kinship doesn’t prove someone’s character. Who knew if that mother-son zombie pair had harmed people before? She wasn’t some saint—she wouldn’t expose herself just to save two strangers.

Seeing this, all the ghost clans hanging on the walls trembled violently, consumed with anxiety. They had no idea whether their own relatives were hidden among the crowd.

“Descendants of the Zhang Clan, if you’re out there, listen to me: go home! Don’t risk your lives for me!”

“My daughter, are you here? Hurry home. Please don’t come save me. If something happens to you, I won’t rest in peace!”

“Father, Mother! Your son is unfilial. I didn’t listen and came to Ziji City on my own. Ending up like this is what I deserve. Please don’t come for me. If you do, I’ll be burdened with even greater guilt!”

The fiendish specters hanging on the wall shouted with all their might, hoping their loved ones would leave quickly.

But among the crowd below, few of those who had come to rescue them were willing to retreat. After all, family ties are the hardest bonds to sever.

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“Hmph!”

Commander Wang sneered and walked to his next target, stopping before a male wraith.

The male wraith was pinned to the wall by an arrow. His spirit trembled, his Yin energy nearly gone. He was barely holding together.

“You’ll be the second.”

Commander Wang delivered the death sentence without emotion.

“It doesn’t matter. As long as one cannot ascend to the Celestial Realm, no one can avoid their death tribulation. I’ll be waiting ahead.”

The male wraith remained indifferent.

“How are you so sure I can’t ascend?”

Commander Wang didn’t grow angry.

“I don’t know. But before you make it up there, maybe you should worry about when your own death tribulation will come, perhaps it’s today!”

The male wraith taunted.

“Oh? And where is my death tribulation?”

Commander Wang casually turned and gestured toward the crowd of tens of millions of spectators. “You mean them? Just a bunch of ants. If they qualify as my death tribulation, then death tribulations must be dime a dozen.”

“Dime a dozen?”

Qi Huang gave a polite yet slightly awkward smile. ‘I haven’t even started anything and you’re already targeting me? With how unlikeable you are, you’ll be lucky not to become my death tribulation.’

“All right. Enough with your last words. It’s time to go.”

Commander Wang gripped the arrow, ready to finish the job.

“Charge! Save big brother!”

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A cry echoed, and a group of several hundred ghostly figures burst out of the crowd, rushing toward Commander Wang. They floated above the ground, clothes fluttering, revealing flickering translucent bodies drenched in eerie Yin energy, clearly fiendish specters.

“Fire!”

The city gate officer ordered. Several hundred city guards drew their bows and loosed a barrage of arrows.

The dense rain of arrows pierced through ghostly garments, passing through their bodies. Some missed entirely, hitting innocent onlookers and causing screams and wails to erupt.

Though the ghostly figures’ robes were shredded, they were immune to physical attacks. At worst, their ghostly bodies were weakened.

In a flash, the specters reached Commander Wang, their garments corroded by Yin energy, revealing hideous faces.

“Hmph. Courting death!”

Commander Wang let out a cold snort. A wave of powerful divine sense burst forth like a tidal flood, instantly scattering the hundreds of ghostly souls into drifting yin mist—like a doused bonfire.

“Now you can die.”

Commander Wang turned back and gripped the arrow, fire-based True Qi rushing in.

“Haha, Grandpa’s waiting for you!”

The male wraith laughed maniacally as he was reduced to ashes.

“Wait patiently. I’ll send your loyal descendants to keep you company.”

Commander Wang sneered, then moved on to his next target.

“Everyone, I know many among you are here to rescue loved ones, and others simply covet the ghostly bodies hanging on the wall. But regardless of your reason, we must unite! If we keep waiting and watching, they’ll pick us off one by one.”

“That’s right! Let’s charge together, there’s strength in numbers!”

“Charge! Fight them with everything we’ve got!”

Finally, the ghost clans couldn’t take it anymore. They exploded into motion, surging like a black tide toward the towering city wall.