Chapter 239: The Fierce Ghost Attacks

Yue Qianshan immediately picked a few men from the crowd, including Yang Xiao and Shi Yong, and ordered them to select one thousand soldiers from the Huben Army to accompany Lu Bai.

Though Zheng Lun was willing, his arms were fractured, so he could only remain at the barracks.

“Lu Bai, when it comes to exterminating ghosts and evil spirits, don’t push yourself too hard.”

Yue Qianshan said in a low voice, “If the Fierce Ghost is too vicious and the task proves impossible, I hope you will do everything you can to bring these men back alive.”

In truth, Lu Bai would have preferred to handle this kind of matter alone.

But with Yue Qianshan’s military order already given, he had no way to refuse and could only cup his hands in acceptance.

The Huben Army reacted with extreme speed. In no time, Lu Bai and his retinue were assembled and ready. They departed from Fuhu Camp, heading toward the Longling Mountain Range.

The Longling Mountain Range stretched from east to west for over ten thousand li, and all manner of Demon Beasts made their home within it.

Many areas were exceedingly perilous, some even presided over by Great Demons, making them places that not even Martial Arts Experts or top-tier Cultivators dared to tread.

Some Innate Martial Artists, or Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators, often required the Inner Core of a Tier Three Demon Beast to break through to the Golden Core Realm.

Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators used the Inner Cores of Tier Three Demon Beasts to refine Elixirs that would aid their progress on the Alchemy Dao.

A True Master of the Martial Dao, however, could simply expel the Demon Qi from a Demon Beast Inner Core and swallow it directly to help them condense a Blood Qi Golden Core.

The quality of a Blood Qi Golden Core depended not only on one’s Cultivation Technique but was also intimately linked to the Demon Beast Inner Cores one consumed.

The Blood Qi of some True Masters of the Martial Dao would manifest different properties—scorching hot, freezing cold, or even containing potent toxins—which was also related to the Demon Beast Inner Cores they consumed.

For most Martial Artists and Cultivators, the Longling Canyon between Wu Country and the Great Li Country was considered the safest area.

Within a hundred-li radius of the canyon, the restrictions of the Peace Alliance prohibited any expert at or above the Innate Realm from taking action.

Moreover, the Demon Beasts in this region also seemed wary and rarely ventured into it.

Therefore, as long as Lu Bai and his men stayed within the bounds of Longling Canyon, they could avoid many dangers.

After entering Longling Canyon, the Huben Army troop moved swiftly under the command of Yang Xiao and Shi Yong.

Some went on ahead to scout the path.

Others acted as lookouts in the surrounding area.

And others were in charge of supplies and provisions.

Lu Bai was clueless about such matters. He simply watched as Yang Xiao and Shi Yong continuously issued commands, mobilizing the entire Huben Army in a systematic and orderly fashion.

Along the way, they passed several mining areas and herb gardens, all of which were occupied by Wu Country.

According to Yang Xiao and Shi Yong, there were over thirty such mining areas and herb gardens in the vicinity of Longling Canyon alone.

Wu Country and the Great Li Country each occupied roughly half of them.

That Middle Grade Spiritual Ore mine produced Middle Grade Spirit Stones, and even extremely small quantities of Top Grade Spirit Stones, making it one of the most valuable mining areas in Longling Canyon!

Although Martial Artists couldn’t use Spirit Stones for cultivation, they were hard currency in both the Martial Arts World and the Cultivation Realm.

Each country’s Talismans had to be backed by large reserves of Spirit Stones; they couldn’t be inscribed limitlessly out of thin air.

Lu Bai and his men rested once along the way.

As they were about to reach Middle Grade Spiritual Ore Mine Number Seven, the sun began to set, and the sky gradually darkened.

“Captain Lu, why don’t we rest outside for the night?”

Yang Xiao suggested thoughtfully, “We can wait until morning, then take a look around the mining area. A Fierce Ghost shouldn’t dare to show itself in broad daylight, and we can get a feel for the environment beforehand.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

Lu Bai shook his head slightly. “My very purpose for coming here is to exterminate the evil creature. Night is perfect. My only fear is that the Fierce Ghost *won’t* show up.”

Yang Xiao and Shi Yong exchanged a glance.

Since he’d put it that way, the two of them couldn’t try to persuade him further.

They had already arrived; hesitating now would only make them a laughingstock.

Without another thought, Lu Bai rode ahead alone toward the mining area, his expression calm and composed.

When they had first arrived in the vicinity, Lu Bai had already used his Eye of Illusion to observe the area. He hadn’t detected any trace of Ghost Qi near the mine.

Everything seemed normal.

There was no sign of any Ghost Souls or other evil creatures.

The Huben Army soldiers, on the other hand, were extremely tense, clutching their weapons as they scanned their surroundings.

Those from the Huben Army who had experienced the haunting that night were especially cautious.

Before night fell completely, Lu Bai rode his horse on a circuit around the mining area to familiarize himself with the environment and terrain.

Meanwhile,

Yang Xiao, Shi Yong, and the others had also made a discovery.

The buildings they had used before were mostly still standing in the mining area.

But some of the rooms were surprisingly free of dust.

Furthermore, there were clear signs that other people had been living there.

Yang Xiao said in a low voice, “Someone has been living here since we left. Most likely people from the Great Li Country.”

Shi Yong said, “If that’s the case, the Fierce Ghost that appeared that night was probably a trick orchestrated by the Great Li Country. After driving us out, they took over the nest and started mining the Spiritual Ore.”

Yang Xiao nodded. “If that’s true, then the people from the Great Li Country should be somewhere nearby.”

“Should we go search the vicinity?”

Shi Yong looked to Lu Bai for his opinion.

“Don’t bother.”

Lu Bai said, “It’s already dark. Searching now would only leave us vulnerable. Since we’re holding the mine now, we’ll just stand guard here. We can deal with it tomorrow.”

Yang Xiao and Shi Yong nodded and gave orders to start the cooking fires for a simple dinner.

After dinner, Lu Bai found a room to rest.

With the door left wide open, Lu Bai lay casually on the bed and closed his eyes to rest, not showing the slightest sign of concern.

‘This guy’s got nerves of steel!’

Yang Xiao and Shi Yong privately shook their heads.

The two of them, however, dared not be so careless. After a brief discussion, they arranged several teams to patrol and stand guard in shifts.

They were to sound the alarm at the first sign of trouble.

Only when all the arrangements were in place did the two return to their room.

That night, the two of them stayed in the same room.

That way, they could react immediately to any disturbance.

Even with patrols on duty, by the third watch of the night, neither Yang Xiao nor Shi Yong felt the slightest bit sleepy.

To be more precise, they didn’t dare to sleep.

The night was as black as ink.

Several bonfires were lit near some of the rooms, casting a bright glow over the mining area.

The men were in teams of ten.

Some patrolled the perimeter of the mine, while others sat around the bonfires, speaking in low voices.

Lu Bai, of course, wasn’t sleeping.

He lay on the bed, sensing the bonfire outside his door as he continued to cultivate the Piercing Fire Chapter.

A quarter past the third watch, Lu Bai, who was deep in his cultivation, suddenly felt a chill.

“Hm?”

Lu Bai’s expression flickered. He opened his eyes and murmured, “So it really decided to show up!”

This time, the Black Dog was not by his side, so he was without his greatest ally.

But Lu Bai remained calm and unhurried. He floated down from the bed, adjusted the two swords on his back, and walked out the door.

He was no longer the same person he had been a few months ago in Bluestone City.

‘Even without the Black Dog’s help, with my current abilities, suppressing one or two Fierce Ghosts is no problem at all!’

‘The key is to find out the reason for this Fierce Ghost’s formation.’

‘Judging by the situation, this is no coincidence.’