Earlier, when Hu Ma and Old Suanpan saw so many wronged souls around the demon corpse, they were wondering where the demon corpse got so many wronged souls to command, since the surrounding villages and towns had not been subjected to massacres.

But after eavesdropping on the Meng family's conversation, Hu Ma already had some guesses, and now, looking at it, it was indeed the case.

The terrifying thing about Yin Jiangjun (General Yin) is not actually the demon corpse itself, but the Dian Bing (army call-up). The more soldiers it calls up, the more dangerous it becomes. The reason Old Suanpan was afraid of it running around and eating people when he saw it coming out the previous night was precisely because of this: once it started calling up soldiers, it would be difficult to control.

But what was strange was that when this Xing Zi (a type of demon corpse) attacked the previous night, it had already brought many wronged souls, and now, after one night, there were even more. The reason was simple.

It was just an Yin Ling Fu (soul-attracting talisman).

The young master of the Meng family sewed this Yin Ling Fu into the demon corpse's body, helping it to attract the surrounding wronged souls. Naturally, more and more Yin spirits gathered around it, which was equivalent to helping it call up soldiers in a man-made way.

"From the small to the big, this Meng family's talisman is equivalent to having the skills of an An Shang Ke (Spirit on the Table), in the future, we really can't underestimate them..."

After catching the talisman, Hu Ma immediately tore it up and threw it on the ground. Sure enough, he saw signs of struggle and resistance from the wronged souls following the demon corpse.

He sighed inwardly, and couldn't help but admit the Meng family's ability.

Tang Shang Ke (Spirits in the Hall) have levels of An (Table), Tai (Platform), Fu (Mansion), and Dian (Palace).

Among them, An Shang Ke are those who have just gained the qualifications to build ancestral halls and temples, can only be in a remote area, and are only occasionally worshiped without sincere offerings.

The Red Lantern Niangniang (Red Lantern Goddess) in Mingzhou's Red Lantern Society, and the four Ye Shen (wild gods) worshiped in the Yiqian Sect, all belong to this level. Of course, this is just a broad category, and there are many differences between the higher and lower levels.

But overall, when these An Shang Ke take action, they mostly rely on their own magic power, or at worst, drive a few solitary wild ghosts. Although there is momentum, to be honest, it is just ordinary and does not carry much weight.

Compared to ordinary people and Yin spirits, they are naturally high above, but at most, they only have this bit of status and ability.

And those on the Tai (Platform) level have formal temples, have received incense for many years, and have many believers. These believers, when alive, are pilgrims, and after death, they are little ghosts, all following them, and whenever they show their Dharma body, they are accompanied by all kinds of little ghosts, numbering in the hundreds, and are extremely loyal.

And these hundreds of little ghosts are just part of the ceremonial guard. If they really want to fight, they might be able to summon thousands of them, easily turning the prefecture into a Yin Fu (netherworld) ghost kingdom.

And those on the Fu (Mansion) level have even more to say.

They have cultivated golden bodies, and also have official positions, having been given titles by the dynasty's climate. They have generations of incense lands and can sit in a domain, managing Yin and Yang. All the dead in a state or prefecture are subject to their dispatch, and they even have true ghost generals and Yin soldiers under their command.

If they do evil, they are a ghost king, forming their own climate.

If they do good, they are righteous gods in the human world, with the ability to reward good and punish evil. Even the Yang world's government offices must set up incense tables and offer three animals when they hear of their arrival.

And those on the Dian (Palace) level belong to another level. They have transcended dynasties, are passed down to later generations, and are worshiped by people for generations. Even the emperor sitting in the Jinluan Hall (golden palace) cannot show them any disrespect, otherwise they will be infamous.

Of course, it is not that there were no emperors who insisted on fighting a Dian Shang Shen Ming (Palace Level God), risking damage to most of the dynasty's fortune to destroy its golden body and tarnish its divine name, but that was often a suicide mission, and for the emperor, it was a loss-making business.

However, then again, these Dian Shang Shen Ming have existed for too long, and rarely show their Dharma body, especially after the Yi dynasty took control, the destruction of mountains and temples has almost been forgotten.

The Meng family's young master used an Yin Ling Fu (soul-attracting talisman) to help Yin Jiangjun (General Yin) attract so many wronged souls, and even suppress them, which is equivalent to the ability of an An Shang Ke (Spirit on the Table).

"I suppressed this Yin Jiangjun with the Jiangjun Ling (General's Token), which is equivalent to having an official position. Taking the opportunity to eat Qi (spiritual energy), I have the hope of speeding up the cultivation of the Dharma body, but there are not many opportunities to take this shortcut, mainly because there are not so many fools to cooperate..."

After tearing up the talisman and stomping on it a few times, the demon corpse in front of him pounced. Hu Ma turned around and slapped it, while silently looking forward to it in his heart: "So I can only rely on this Meng family's young master to help..."

"Originally, in my plan, this demon corpse equivalent to an An Shang Ke, with thirty to fifty wronged souls, would be enough for me to greatly increase my ability, but..."

"...still have to listen to the genius student!"

"..."

"..."

"Hehe, looks like it's still a bit tricky!"

While Hu Ma was fighting fiercely with the demon corpse, Tie Jun (Iron Steed), the Datangguan (chief officer) wearing iron armor in the distant village, was also watching the smiling Meng family disciple intently: "The talisman that the young master hid on the demon corpse has been discovered by him, and those wronged souls are dissipating."

"You say this is Yin Jiangjun (General Yin)? Forgive me for speaking frankly, it is very different from what I understand Yin Jiangjun to be. Without those wronged souls entangled, it is just something that can be solved with a slap."

"..."

"There are many people in the world who have heard of Yin Jiangjun's reputation, but few people actually understand what Yin Jiangjun is."

The Meng family's young master also knew that the Yin Ling Fu (soul-attracting talisman) on Yin Jiangjun's body had been destroyed, but there was no surprise on his face. Instead, he smiled slightly and said: "This thing is not a demon or evil, but something left by the imperial court to stabilize the Ding (national power)."

"It seems filthy and fierce, but it is actually upright and righteous. In the Yang world, it can charge and break formations, punish thieves and eliminate rebellion. In the Yin Fu (netherworld), it can sweep away Fujun (Lord of the Underworld) and Guihou (Ghost Marquis), and quell evil and suppress darkness."

"In fact, I also heard the adults in my family say that in the early years, if it wasn't for some things in the Shiting Alliance, I was afraid that the Ten Great Yin Jiangjun would have been used to replace the Zhen Sui Fu (Demon Suppression Bureau) that was just a figurehead, where would the Hu family be allowed to be arrogant?"

"If I get the Jiangjun Ling (General's Token) and refine it properly, I will at least be confident that I can cultivate seven-tenths of its proper ability. At that time, I am afraid that I can level the entire Mingzhou Prefecture overnight."

"But now, the Jiangjun Ling (General's Token) is still in the hands of that unknown thief, and I can only barely let it use two to three tenths of its ability. However, General Tie Jun, would you like to see a magic trick?"

"Within one incense stick's time, I will make the little thief who stole the Jiangjun Ling (General's Token) come over and kowtow to me, do you believe it?"

"..."

"Oh?"

Tie Jun Datangguan (Iron Steed Chief Officer) narrowed his eyes and smiled: "It seems that even though the Yin Ling Fu (soul-attracting talisman) was destroyed, the Meng family's young master still has other methods?"

The Meng family's young master smiled and said: "The Yin Ling Fu can only attract some wilderness spirits to it. Even if it is Dian Bing (army call-up), it is only the old and weak remnants. It can only slightly cultivate its characteristics as Yin Jiangjun (General Yin), which is just sharpening the knife."

"But if we can find some newly dead souls, whose Karma (cause and effect) has not yet been weighed, and if the number can be three to five hundred, this Yin Jiangjun (General Yin) will not be what it is now..."

"Three to five hundred living souls?"

Tie Jun Datangguan (Iron Steed Chief Officer) frowned and said: "Could it be that the young master still intends to use the lives of the people in the surrounding villages to refine corpses?"

"I can't stop the young master from doing this, but the world knows that it is I, Tie Jun, who came to eliminate bandits. I am afraid that this reputation..."

"..."

"Attacking the people in the village? A live sacrifice?"

The young man from the Meng family smiled and shook his head: "My Meng family doesn't bother to use such cruel and inferior methods."

As he spoke, he had already gotten up, walked out of the ancestral hall, and came to the courtyard. Attendant girls had long been by the side of the house holding several trays, and when they saw him come out, they sent the trays to him.

The young man from the Meng family then took out a pair of white candles from the tray and inserted them to the left and right of the ancestral hall's courtyard gate. Then, he stretched out his hand and grabbed a handful of ash that looked like grass and wood from the basin on another attendant girl's tray and sprinkled it on the edge of the door.

At first glance, it looked like a door spread on the ground. Then he stood in the position of the door frame, put his two fingers together, attached them to his lips, and chanted a few spells in a low voice.

Suddenly, a strong wind rose around, and the surrounding torches crackled, and everyone subconsciously closed their eyes, but only the candles he inserted on both sides of the gate, and the grass and wood ash he sprinkled on the ground, did not have the slightest fluctuation or scattering.

It was just faintly, a cold wind blew out of this portal.

It made people feel that the door on the ground seemed to become real, but they didn't know where it led to. Just as they were feeling strange, they suddenly heard the rattling sound of chains. Immediately, a strange figure wearing a tall hat and wrapped in chains slowly crawled out of this door.

It emerged from the ground, as if climbing steps, came out of another world, and the iron chains on its body extended to the rear, actually locking a row of wronged souls that could not see the end of the queue, and did not know how many people there were.

"Yi Gui (corpse herder)?"

Tie Jun Dajiangjun (Iron Steed Great General) couldn't help but frowned when he saw it, but his heart clearly trembled: "The Meng family not only has the ability to seal the road to the Yin Fu (netherworld), but also can summon things from the Yin Fu (netherworld)?"

While watching intently, he saw this Yi Gui (corpse herder) drill out, seeming to be a little strange why he had come here, and suddenly looked up to the left and right, muttering in his mouth, saying words that no one could understand, seemingly asking something in a loud voice.

And the Meng family member grabbed a handful of copper coins from the tray in the hands of the third attendant girl, and walked up with a smile, also saying this kind of gibberish, and while speaking, he stuffed all the copper coins in his hand into the Yi Gui's (corpse herder's) waist pocket with a clatter.

The Yi Gui (corpse herder) looked at it, seeming to be a little surprised, and hurriedly waved his hand, as if declining.

The Meng family member was full of politeness, pressing his hand. After the two pushed back and forth, the Yi Gui (corpse herder) pulled the end of the iron chain on his body and handed it into the hands of the Meng family's young master, and stretched out his hand to gesture a three.

"Why need three incense sticks?"

The Meng family's young master smiled and said, "One incense stick's time is enough."

As he spoke, he had already grabbed the iron chain, and suddenly reached out and yanked, and suddenly that series of wronged souls, of which the number could not be distinguished, were all pulled out by him. Then he swung his arm, and all he saw was flying and fluttering, and like dumplings falling into a pot, they flew towards the direction of Shima Town.

(End of this chapter)