Chapter 88
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Chapter 88: A Losing Business
The Yin Wind howled as thousands of soldiers charged forward.
The ghost army consumed dark energy at every moment, but fortunately, all the dark energy of the Yin Wind Gorge had gathered here, providing ample "rations."
The regular ghost army was much stronger than ordinary ghostly beings. Li Hui didn’t know how intense the battle ahead was or how many enemies were involved, but the golden lotus Dharma clouds beneath him continuously released golden light, indicating the fierce battle taking place.
The golden lotus Dharma clouds gradually lost their luster, transforming back into misty lotuses.
If it were authentic Buddhist cultivators, they would never be able to bear such losses. Instead, Li Hui found it exhilarating—purifying more ghostly beings would help keep this place peaceful and reduce the chance of them causing harm after death. What if a ghost king emerged in the future?
As the ghost army exhaustively consumed dark energy, the Inner Sect Disciples of the Flying Kite Sect put forth all their efforts. During this period of sect wars, they were equipped with various mechanical weapons, talismans, alchemy, and ritual artifacts—not using these against the Jade Symbol Sect but instead expending them at the exit of the Yin Wind Gorge.
“Boom, boom, boom…”
Hundreds of fireballs erupted, with the fierce ghost oil from the Dalong secret places displaying its devastating power, burning the ghost army’s warhorses until they neighed in sorrow.
Li Hui truly hadn’t expected that gathering such a powerful ghost army for a fierce attack would fail to budge these Inner Sect Disciples of the Flying Kite Sect.
Sect wars had always been brutal; if it weren’t for the higher-ups swiftly reestablishing control, how could the Three Sects and Four Sects easily take down the Jade Symbol Sect?
Undoubtedly, the Inner Sect Disciples of the Flying Kite Sect were at their peak combat power during this time, especially in large battles, where each one could stand alone.
As the timer dwindled to half a stick of incense, the golden lotus Dharma clouds beneath Li Hui no longer emitted a hint of golden light. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his left arm. Behind him, the outlines of a city and temple began to take shape, with thousands of incense plumes rising like threads of golden light, causing the five misty lotuses to surge with newfound vigor and release golden rays again.
The bougainvillea exclaimed in surprise, “Kid, you’re impressive! Collecting a city’s worth of followers as a fake monk! Moreover… you’re rescuing the suffering and eliminating the malignant presence along the dragon vein. For years to come, the animals and plants birthed from this land will owe you a favor. Yet you disregard this pure willpower and squander it to purify ghostly beings. How interesting! When those Inner Sect Disciples from the Flying Kite Sect shatter the ghostly beings, it’s equivalent to helping you gain merits.”
Li Hui was puzzled, “Merits?”
“Hahaha, you don’t even know what merits are? Reciting scriptures or chanting mantras tens of thousands of times doesn’t compare to purifying a single ghost soldier. Ghost soldiers often gather together to form a ghost army, making purification significantly challenging. Hence, the stronger the ghost army you purify, the greater the merits you earn. As for whether these merits can turn into virtues, that’s up to fate.”
The bougainvillea laughed mischievously, “This is the most thrilling part! Most Buddhist cultivators are unsure whether their efforts will yield rewards. How should they go about it? For example, this Yin Wind Gorge is truly troubling, but it also enjoys the support of imperial fortune. When sea bandits invade the inland, this place acts as a barrier, and the ghost army claims lives to the detriment of the populace.”
Li Hui nodded, “I see now, there are both advantages and disadvantages. Whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, or the opposite, won’t be revealed until the last moment.”
At that moment, he suddenly felt a calling from a distance: “Is that Master Yingjun? The wishes of the city dissipate; we await your orders at any time.”
“Eh? Lieutenant Liu?” Li Hui hadn’t expected to establish contact with Fusu City. His heart stirred as he said, “Can you intimidate the ghost army stationed at the Yin Wind Gorge? Is Fusu City doing well?”
“Indeed, it is the master.” Lieutenant Liu replied happily, like a subordinate reporting, “Fusu City is in great shape. With the Jade Symbol Sect’s destruction, several sects are dividing the territory. Fusu City is so desolate that it hasn’t drawn much attention. In my opinion, the Buddhist sect won’t send anyone to manage Guangxiao Temple until the chaos concludes, so we still have the final say. Lord Xiao Luo has even helped you by crafting a statue; there are many followers in the city. Mu Qianyun has activated her first Spirit Motion mark, a rare phoenix tail seal. As for intimidating the ghost army, a bit of incense should do. We can send someone later to build a temple, and it will become part of our territory.”
“Great, you communicate with the ghost army leader. I’ll send the corpse bear to wrap things up.” Li Hui smiled, thinking, “I never expected Mu Qianyun to embark on her cultivation journey so quickly, and she activated the phoenix tail seal—what an achievement! I hope she continues to strive for more and finds a bright future in a top-tier sect. Sigh! I just wonder how Chuxia Mountain is doing right now. I have the ability to make things better for everyone but can’t reach back!”
“Roar, roar, roar…” The corpse bear charged forward, and the dark energy retreated like a tide.
Lieutenant Liu conveyed a thought to the ghost army leader, engaging in a telepathic exchange. The conversation was about their former lives; they discovered that they were all tragically slain Dalong soldiers who wished to pay their respects.
After a fierce battle, the remaining ghost army was powerful, but Li Hui counted and found fewer than five thousand left.
Feeling compassionate, Li Hui scattered thousands of golden rays to help purify the ghost army’s aggression. While he couldn’t transform them into heroic spirits like Lieutenant Liu, he restored their appearance to when they were most glorious in life, erasing all arrows and wounds they had suffered, drawing an exclamation from the bougainvillea: “What are you doing?”
“I’m subduing the ghost army to protect this place. Isn’t that what you said? This area is a barrier, and the ghost army claims lives to hurt the populace.”
“It’s over. How did I end up following a fool like you? Who does this? You let them exist freely without marking them with the Buddhist seal? What do you gain from that?”
“Buddhist seal?” Although Li Hui didn’t have much knowledge of Buddhist scriptures, he recalled dealing with other texts containing the Buddhist seal and suddenly realized, “I have nine heads serving as my protection, no need to trouble them! They suffered without freedom in life; why should they face restraints in death?”
“Unbelievable, a losing business—such a foolish move.” The bougainvillea lost the desire to respond, thinking that the Jade Symbol Sect deserved to be eliminated for having such prodigal disciples.
Li Hui had spent time in the military and understood the soldiers’ struggles well.
Many couldn’t let go of their elders at home when facing death; they wanted to catch one last glimpse of their children or were anxious about this year’s harvest, hoping the village could pull through together.
If he could send the souls of the ghost soldiers back home for a visit, he would be willing to give more. If he could let the ghost soldiers die with smiles in the afterlife, he would spare no merit for it as well. However, guarding the territory was a soldier’s duty, so he insisted on keeping the ghost army here—a genuine wish and passion of a lowly soldier.
Before long, Li Hui had depleted all the willpower he could summon. The ghost army leader bowed to him from afar, and the ghost soldiers knelt down sincerely to express their gratitude.
Unfortunately, the corpse bear wasn’t as fortunate. It rampaged through and killed two disciples of the Flying Kite Sect, drawing a thunderous roar, as two mechanical beasts of similar size charged at it, engaging in a heavyweight brawl that scattered parts everywhere.
As the time for three incense sticks elapsed, the corpse bear stood dazed, unsure of why it was in that spot.
“Shoot!” Hundreds of huge crossbow bolts launched toward it. This was only the first wave, with the second and third waves eagerly following, fiercely unleashing murderous intent at the corpse bear.
At this moment, the Flying Kite Sect had only eight disciples left, already bloodied with battle rage, especially Feng Chaoyun, who was furious and sworn to kill the corpse bear.
As the sunlight shone down on Yin Wind Valley, Li Hui took the opportunity to slip away. Soon after, a little beggar emerged, looking into the distance angrily and shouting, “Li Hui, could it be you are a spy for the Buddhist sect? Did you think I wouldn’t recognize you after you shaved your head? Hmph, I noticed you aging last time; just wait! I’ll settle the score with you!”
