The two fell silent for a moment. Mingfeng peeked out from beside Fengfei, her little head bobbing around.
"Hey, what's wrong with you two?" Jin Mingyi, who had just dressed up, walked over and found that Feng Fei and Yuan Jue were just silent, so he couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.
Feng Fei looked up at Jin Ming, then shook her head and lowered it again.
This left Jin Ming even more confused. Ignoring the dirt on the ground, he sat down next to Feng Fei. Pulling at Feng Fei's sleeve, he asked, "Little Fei Fei, tell me, what's wrong?"
Feng Fei sighed dramatically, his expression filled with regret and despair: "Sigh, I'm afraid you won't be able to accept it if I tell you."
Jin Ming immediately patted his chest and loudly assured, "How could that be! I, Jin Ming, have always been known for my strong heart. Even if something happens, I can't be defeated! Don't worry, Feng Fei, I can definitely accept it."
Feng Fei seemed unwilling to speak further, and simply turned her head away sadly.
Yuan Jue's expression remained unchanged, and his emotions showed no shift. However, based on his familiarity with Yuan Jue, Jin Ming sensed a hint of seriousness. His heart tightened, and he abandoned his usual nonchalant demeanor, a strange golden light flashing in his eyes: "Yuan Jue, tell me, what exactly is wrong?"
Jin Ming, who had prepared himself to accept the terrible truth, saw Yuan Jue, who had been expressionless, suddenly smile gently. Looking towards Feng Fei, he saw her shoulders trembling, looking like she was crying but also like she was trying to hold back laughter. Jin Ming immediately understood.
"You're kidding me!" Jin Ming jumped up, pointed at Yuan Jue, and patted his own butt: "I finally got a clean set of clothes, and you guys messed them up and made them dirty again."
Feng Fei finally couldn't help but burst into laughter, while Ming Feng had already started laughing earlier.
It took Feng Fei a while to stop laughing.
Jin Ming delicately scooped out a handkerchief and threw it on the ground, looking at Feng Fei with a leisurely air, and said, "I will remember this, little Fei Fei, from now on, hmph. But we still need to think about what to do next."
Feng Fei didn't take Jin Ming's threat to heart at all, and just smiled when he heard it. But when he heard Jin Ming's next topic, he frowned and said, "We do need to think about it. I didn't expect to enter Fengye City so easily, so I haven't thought about what to do next. But now I need to think about it carefully."
Yuan Jue nodded in agreement and then said, "Hei Tuan Tuan can maintain this space for a while, so we can make a more thorough plan before taking action."
"A black lump?" Jin Ming asked in confusion, but when he saw Yuan Jue lift the black lump in front of him, he shuddered and shut up. He remembered that Yuan Jue had used this "black lump" to shut him up.
"Alright then, since I'm quite familiar with the current situation in Fengye City, I'll first explain the situation to you, and then I'll tell you my plan. If there's anything inappropriate or incomplete, you can add to it."
After saying this, Feng Fei recounted all the information he had gleaned from the black feathers.
Fengye City was originally a border fortress, and the Vermilion Bird Kingdom had stationed a large number of troops there. Apart from a few leading generals and one female military officer, the soldiers guarding Fengye City were all men. This was extremely rare in the Vermilion Bird Kingdom, but it was a long-standing custom in Fengye City. The training for each branch of the military in Fengye City was extremely rigorous. Every soldier was a valiant and courageous man. Even the female officers in the barracks were equally spirited and fierce.
Under the falling sky, these vigorous soldiers offered some resistance, though they still escaped death. However, the resentment lingering from their deaths gave them the potential to evolve into military spirits. Ordinary people enter reincarnation after death, but those with resentment become vengeful ghosts, harming people, like the ghosts in Yangzi Town. Another possibility is the death of soldiers. Soldiers possess unwavering courage and an indomitable spirit; their will to die on the battlefield, even in death, remains undiminished.
However, the formation of a military spirit is extremely difficult, because not every soldier becomes a military spirit after death. Those who become military spirits are those who, in life, had an object of unwavering loyalty and a determination to protect it to the very end, and even in death, they do not want to give up their convictions. It is precisely because of this that military spirits can emerge.
The combat power of a military spirit is incomparable to that of ordinary ghosts. Even ordinary ghosts at the first level of the Innate Realm would find it difficult to match a military spirit at the ninth level of the Acquired Realm. This is one of the differences between military spirits and ordinary ghosts. Moreover, military spirits are more likely to regain their senses than other ghosts. Ordinary ghosts, unless they are nourished by a ghost pearl like Yuanqing, or are not born from resentment like Xuanlang, can only possess consciousness. This is the greatest advantage of military spirits. Once a military spirit regains its senses, it can resume military training and drills. When many military spirits fight together, even an equal number of Innate Realm experts would find it a pipe dream to escape unscathed.
Now, let's talk about Fengye City. Because of the numerous soldiers guarding the border, and because of their unwavering loyalty to the city lord, many of them transformed into military spirits after their failed rebellion against the collapsing heavens. Fengye City has approximately 500,000 soldiers, but only about 10,000 military spirits have emerged—a ratio of 50 to 1 that is truly terrifying. The preciousness of military spirits lies not only in their advantages but also in their rarity. Even among 5 million soldiers, the emergence of 10,000 military spirits would be extremely astonishing, yet Fengye City has achieved a ratio of 50 to 1. It seems the city lord of Fengye City must be an extraordinary figure.
At this point, Feng Fei couldn't help but sigh, "I wonder what kind of person could make these soldiers so devoted to him. The production rate of military spirit is truly astonishing."
Yuan Jue nodded, so Feng Fei continued.
"The greatest advantage of Fengye City lies in these military spirits, but so does the greatest difficulty and terror. These military spirits wander aimlessly throughout Fengye City, slaughtering any other ghosts they encounter. Even among military spirits, there are conflicts and life-or-death struggles. Because of this, the military spirits in Fengye City are all formidable warriors. However, the old crow also told me something: there is a powerful being in the City Lord's Mansion. Because it had no interest in Fengye City, it hadn't investigated it thoroughly, but it had seen some military spirits involuntarily drifting towards the City Lord's Mansion, and they hadn't appeared since."
"According to the old crow's original idea, there should be a huge ghost in the city lord's mansion, which becomes powerful by devouring military souls. However, a discovery once shattered this idea. Because he saw military souls floating out of the city lord's mansion guiding mindless military souls to float towards the city lord's mansion, and these military souls that came out of the city lord's mansion all had extremely clear eyes."
"In other words, there is something in the city lord's mansion that can awaken the spirit and consciousness of the soldiers."
"And that is precisely the purpose of our trip." (To be continued. If you like this work,
Chapter 52 Attack
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——————————I am a gorgeous dividing line————————————
After saying these words, Feng Fei fell silent, seemingly savoring the subtle, poignant feeling in his words.
That exhilarating feeling of conquering the strong appeared in Feng Fei's heart without warning. After being surprised that she actually had this kind of temperament, Feng Fei let this feeling run rampant and unrestrained in her heart. So she was this kind of person too—this kind of warmonger, but this feeling was just wonderful.
Feng Fei's words stirred a sense of excitement in everyone present. Yuan Jue, however, was the first to calmly say, "The existence of the City Lord's Mansion may be the reason for the appearance of these military spirits. If these ordinary soldiers can become military spirits, then the main generals in Fengye City must have also become military spirits. Perhaps we will face a very good challenge next."
Jin Ming was aware of the existence of military spirits and had also experienced their power. He felt a slight headache at Yuan Jue's words, but there was no other way now. They had already entered Fengye City, and if they didn't capture those military spirits, even if they weren't corrupted by the Yin attribute power of this ghostly realm, it would be extremely difficult for them to get out.
"So, do you have the measurement?" Jin Ming frowned as he looked at Yuan Jue, speaking with unusual seriousness.
Yuan Jue pursed his red lips slightly, revealing a faint smile, and looked at Feng Fei, who was sitting quietly to the side: "Let Feng Fei speak."
Feng Fei nodded slightly to Yuan Jue and then explained his plan in detail: "Originally, we needed to consider how to safely enter Fengye City, but now that's been saved from that trouble. Next, we need to figure out how to get close to the City Lord's Mansion and avoid encountering those military spirits whose minds haven't recovered along the way. These aren't too difficult. The difficult part is what comes next: how to subdue all the military spirits without conflict, or how to ensure that we can obtain a portion of the military spirits and escape unscathed after a conflict occurs."
"If we were only after a few military spirits, perhaps we wouldn't need to go to such lengths. But since we've started, we should do our best. Otherwise, what's the difference between us and those fools who miss out on a tremendous opportunity right in front of them? Here's my plan..."
Even knowing that there couldn't possibly be anyone else around, Feng Fei still managed to transmit his voice in a low, focused tone to the ears of Yuan Jue, Jin Ming, and the other three.
"These plans are all based on the information that old crow gave me. However, I firmly believe that there is no such thing as ingratiating someone without a purpose in this world, especially between two complete strangers. Therefore, I have also considered some escape routes. Originally, before Blackie appeared, our escape route arrangements might have been more complicated. But now it seems not so difficult." As she spoke, Feng Fei smiled gently at Yuan Jue, her eyes crinkling with a captivating beauty.
Yuan Jue nodded. In their brief interactions, he had gained some understanding of Hei Tuan Tuan's abilities; some of these abilities supplemented his own shortcomings, while others even amplified his own abilities.
Knowing that they had a guaranteed way out, I felt a sense of relief despite being full of confidence.
"Shall we set off now?"
“No rush,” Yuan Jue said thoughtfully, “I think we can have more safeguards?”
Upon hearing this, everyone focused their attention on Yuan Jue. Yuan Jue's expression remained unchanged; he lowered his head and closed his eyes, seemingly meditating, but everyone knew he was communicating with Hei Tuan Tuan.
After a while, Yuan Jue sat up straight and let out a long breath, looking at Feng Fei and the other five. A relaxed smile appeared on his face.
“Hei Tuan Tuan said it has some branches from an old locust tree there. These old locust trees are old enough to not only have great power over spirits but also a strong suppressive effect. We can each take a piece with us as weapons.” As he spoke, Yuan Jue flipped his right hand and brought it to Hei Tuan Tuan. Hei Tuan Tuan’s little body trembled for a while, as if it was in pain, and after hesitating for a long time, it finally threw out six branches that were only the size of a thumb.
These six branches, just like the one Jin Ming had picked up earlier, were jet black and shiny, with faint, obscure fluctuations radiating outwards from them. However, without careful observation, it would be extremely difficult to detect these fluctuations.
Feng Fei and the other four were examining the branches when Yuan Jue glanced at the black mass, which then abruptly vanished into thin air.
"Alright, we've scooped everything up, let's get ready to go."
Yuan Jue greeted everyone, and seeing that they were all ready, he silently recited a spell. The space, initially constructed of black, began to slowly expand outwards. The oppressive blackness gradually turned into a deep gray, and as the color lightened, houses began to appear indistinctly in everyone's view.
Feng Fei looked around and found that the six of them were in a private room by the window on the top floor of a restaurant. The room was still filled with an unsettling Yin energy. Except for Yuan Jue, who had a slightly comfortable expression, the others were all frowning slightly. Suddenly, the old locust tree branches they were holding emitted a faint, eerie light, and extremely weak suction emanated from them. With the appearance of this suction, Feng Fei suddenly found that his body was no longer so heavy, and the Yin energy could not get within half an inch of him.
Feng Fei glanced at the others and saw that they all looked relieved, so he knew that it was all thanks to the branch.
This restaurant must be located at the southern end of Fengye City. Before the collapse of the heavens, it must have been an extremely magnificent restaurant with a powerful backing. Otherwise, it would have been extremely difficult to build such a large restaurant in a major military city like Fengye City, with a bird's-eye view of the entire city.
Feng Fei carefully examined the building, estimating it to be about five stories high. Looking out the window, the entire Fengye City was shrouded in a pale black hue, the yin energy descending from the heavens, constantly corroding the walls of the houses in Fengye City.
The city lord's mansion in Fengye City followed the architectural style of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom, standing upright in the very center of the city. Slightly lower buildings surrounded and embraced the mansion, making it appear even more majestic. However, due to the influence of the celestial tilt, the entire mansion exuded a tragic and solemn atmosphere, which arose from afar and directly entered the bodies of Feng Fei and his companions.
"Why--"
Someone sighed first, breaking the atmosphere of sorrow and resentment. Feng Fei immediately felt relieved and no longer felt so bad.
What just happened? Feng Fei looked at Yuan Jue, hoping to get some information from him.
Yuan Jue shook his head, but he felt that in that brief moment, his soul had been slightly enhanced.
The six of them fell silent again.
After a moment of silence, Feng Fei spoke first: "Let's plan a route to the City Lord's Mansion."
“Okay.” Yuan Jue responded and then walked to the window to observe the terrain and layout of Fengye City.
The old crow didn't leave Feng Fei any information about the interior of Fengye City within its black feathers. It only briefly mentioned that there were a large number of military spirits in Fengye City and the situation of those spirits, but didn't introduce anything else.
Before long, Feng Fei and Yuan Jue quietly discussed their route forward.
"Let's set off. If all goes well, it should take about two hours to get to the City Lord's Mansion from here. However, we don't know if there are any other things in this city besides the military spirit that Old Crow mentioned, so we need to be careful in the following operations. I don't want you to get involved." After saying these words in a calm voice, Feng Fei took a deep breath and went downstairs first.
Under other circumstances, Feng Fei might have chosen to jump off the building, but in this place where even the basic situation is not fully known, it is more appropriate to proceed cautiously, step by step.
Yuanjue and Mingfeng followed closely behind, with Jinming in the middle and the Great and Small Treasure Halls at the back.
...
Although Feng Fei had considered various scenarios and contingency plans before going downstairs, she wasn't a native of this area. Despite possessing the memories left by her predecessor, what could a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl possibly remember? Even the things her predecessor remembered were enough to impress Feng Fei. If it were her, at twelve or thirteen, remembering even a tenth of what her predecessor knew would have been considered genius. Therefore, their current situation wasn't good.
However, this is not Feng Fei's fault. Even Yuan Jue did not expect to encounter such a situation, so how could Feng Fei have foreseen it?
Feng Fei, Yuan Jue, and Ming Feng stood back to back. Ming Feng had a blackened wound on the back of her hand, which she continuously burned with her flames, causing it to slowly emit a foul-smelling black gas, but the wound refused to close. Jin Ming and Da Bao stood not far from the three of them in the same manner. Da Bao had no other wounds except for some tears in his clothes that emitted faint black gas.
Around them, many spider-like creatures crawled out of the darkness.
These creatures had black shells and eight claws covered in black, fuzzy hair, which were coated with a sticky, grayish-black liquid. Most terrifying of all, they had heads that took up half the size of their bodies, with two compound eyes growing menacingly on either side of their heads, and a pair of sharp, gleaming pincers at the front of their heads.
The jaws of the creatures clicked and closed with a "click-click" sound, and grayish-black saliva dripped from their mouths, sizzling as it hit the floor. This grayish-black saliva possessed a corrosive power comparable to the pale black gas emanating from Fengye City.
These creatures were not large, about the size of an adult man's fist. They appeared to move slowly, but in reality, they moved extremely quickly, surrounding Feng Fei and his group of six. As the encirclement closed in, these creatures seemed to be under command, each slowing their advance and pressing closer to Feng Fei and his group.
Although the pace of these things has slowed down, it has made the pressure and sense of urgency in the hearts of Feng Fei and his six friends even more pronounced.
Chapter 53 Soul-Devouring Spider
"What are these things?!"
Feng Fei seemed to be the first to be unable to bear it and asked in a low voice.
Yuan Jue looked at the creatures slowly surrounding them, his eyes flashing with disgust, loathing, and doubt: "If we're not mistaken, these are Soul-Devouring Spiders, which should have disappeared from the world long ago. These spiders have an extremely terrifying reproductive capacity. No matter how harsh the environment, as long as there is even a trace of soul energy, they can reproduce extremely quickly. What's even more terrifying is that these spiders feed on all kinds of souls, whether it's plants or animals. Wherever they go, nothing grows and life is lost. And the souls that these Soul-Devouring Spiders love most are human souls. Mortals are completely vulnerable in front of these Soul-Devouring Spiders. Seven thousand years ago, many villages and even large cities were slaughtered by Soul-Devouring Spiders."
"What I find strange is that as early as seven thousand years ago, many powerful individuals on the continent formed a team to exterminate the Soul-Devouring Spiders, vowing to wipe them out completely, and they actually succeeded in cleaning them up. But I didn't expect that so many Soul-Devouring Spiders would appear in Fengye City. It seems that someone deliberately hid the spider eggs back then and preserved them until now, and then released these Soul-Devouring Spider eggs after the cataclysmic event in Fengye City."
Yuan Jue explained the origins of the Soul-Devouring Spiders in detail, and the more he talked, the worse Feng Fei's expression became: "Yuan Jue, do you think that old crow did it on purpose? Did he deliberately set up that trap that left a chance for survival so that we would lower our guard and enter Fengye City, only to become food for these Soul-Devouring Spiders in the end?"
"It's not impossible." The situation Feng Fei mentioned was something he had thought of the moment he saw these Soul-Devouring Spiders, but he didn't want to say it directly, for fear of hurting Feng Fei.
If Feng Fei knew what Yuan Jue was thinking at this moment, he would probably disregard the current critical situation and point at Yuan Jue with his hands on his hips, laughing, "When did I, Feng Fei, become such a weak-willed person!" However, Feng Fei was unaware of Yuan Jue's current thoughts.
As the Soul-Devouring Spider drew ever closer, Feng Fei asked anxiously, "What should we do?"
"These Soul-Devouring Spiders have virtually no weaknesses, and because of their love for devouring living souls, they have no natural enemies on the entire continent. In other words, the only way to survive is to suppress and kill them by force. Also, beware of the tongues hidden in their pincers. Their tongues are elusive and love to attack suddenly when their enemies are off guard, directly targeting the head. If their tongues get close to the head, even a Great Luo Golden Immortal cannot save the life. It is precisely because of these unpredictable tongues that these Soul-Devouring Spiders have gained a great reputation on the continent. However, not many people probably know this now. If these Soul-Devouring Spiders are allowed to leave Fengye City, the consequences will be unimaginable."