They were… cavalrymen, clad in armor, riding steeds of heavenly blood, wielding great sabers, their faces obscured, only pairs of glowing red eyes visible as they charged forward.
The black horses beneath the many "cavalrymen" also possessed pairs of reddened eyes.
Each "cavalryman" was enveloped in a dark, malevolent aura.
With every step forward, numerous common folk were trampled to death on the spot.
Blood flowed like rivers!
"Not good! They are ghost soldiers!"
Gao Tian Shou exclaimed, immediately drawing his weapon.
His vigilance was exceptionally high.
"What? Ghost soldiers?"
Lu Zhu was utterly bewildered.
Gu Qian Ying also frowned, glancing at Gao Tian Shou: "What are ghost soldiers?"
She had never heard the term "ghost soldier" before.
"Legend has it that years ago, an army heading to the front lines perished in a canyon. When those who later searched for the army arrived at the canyon, they found only piles of white bones and nothing else. The time between their demise and discovery was less than two days."
The fact that several soldiers turned into white bones overnight, a mystery no one could unravel, led to sightings by some around the canyon much later. They saw soldiers in armor indiscriminately killing, their attire bearing a striking resemblance to the army that had suddenly perished.
"When this situation was reported to the imperial court by local officials, they dispatched people to investigate the canyon. None who went ever returned."
"Later, more and more of these armored soldiers were seen, typically appearing at night. They rode horses, carried great sabers, their faces indistinguishable, their eyes glowing red as they killed many around the canyon. They even flattened a small country, slaughtering everyone without mercy, sparing neither innocent infants nor women."
"Because this army always appeared in the dark, they became known as ghost troops. A saying circulated in the world: 'When ghost troops appear, vengeful spirits arrive; the king reigns supreme, who dares to defy!'"
"It can be said that whoever possesses these ghost troops becomes the sole ruler of the world!"
"How do you know all this?"
After hearing Gao Tian Shou's account, Gu Qian Ying felt a sense of doubt.
Gao Tian Shou, a divine beast from the Heavenly Realm, knew so much about these "ghost armies."
This was indeed quite peculiar.
"Replying to my master, I was not originally a divine beast, but a mere boy. I encountered the Heavenly Venerate, who took me in. With a mortal body, I defied heaven, and he imparted spiritual energy to me, transforming me into a divine beast. After following the Heavenly Venerate for a hundred years, my spiritual power greatly increased, and I gained immortal bones. I was then sent by the Heavenly Realm and the Heavenly Emperor to guard Mount Tian Ling for thousands of years."
"The divine beasts guarding Mount Tian Ling all seal their inner demons."
"Upon returning to the mortal realm, it was Bai Sheng Jun who unsealed me, allowing my inner demon to remain within me permanently. By controlling my inner demon, he also controlled me."
This was the truth from Gao Tian Shou, but he knew his master, Gu Qian Ying, would not believe him.
It was also at the moment he saw Gu Qian Ying defeated by this person that he recognized him as his master.
His submission was voluntary.
In his thousand years of existence, he had only admired two people.
One was the Heavenly Venerate who raised him, and the other was the woman before him, named "Gu Qian Ying."
Someone who was not controlled by demonic power or inner demons, someone capable, and moreover, a woman.
How could he not admire such a person?
It was also through such a person that he witnessed what true strength looked like.
It also made him re-understand that in the Six Realms, it mattered not if you were a woman; as long as you possessed ability and courage, it was enough!
"Are these ghost troops all immortal? Are they all caused by inner demons?"
As a large host of ghost troops drew nearer, Gu Qian Ying quickly noticed a detail.
"Yes, master, they are not easy to deal with."
As he spoke.
Gao Tian Shou, wielding his long sword, leaped forward and engaged in the fight.
His imposing figure, his feet, kicked up the wind.
With a swing of his sword, he kicked a ghost soldier off his horse, and then, with a single sword stroke, severed the head of a ghost soldier who was about to fall.
However… before the head of a ghost soldier could roll away, it was caught by another ghost soldier and reattached to its neck.
In the blink of an eye, this ghost soldier was resurrected once more.
And so…
A vast host of ghost troops attacked.
Lu Zhu and Gu Qian Ying both leaped up simultaneously.
Lu Zhu's weapon was a pair of sharp You swords.
Gu Qian Ying wielded her Scarlet Blood Saber.
As the two fought against the surging ghost troops, lightning flashed and thunder roared, continuing without pause.
Meanwhile, Han Cheng Lin, playing his flute, instructed General Ma and the remaining Han Yu troops to escort Han Yue and the other two back first.
He would remain to control these ghost troops, flatten the Song Manor, kill the people before them, and everyone within the Song Manor.
General Ma received the order and complied, dispatching men to quickly support Han Yue, Han Ting, and Han Yi as they departed.
The flute melody continued.
Han Cheng Lin looked at the ghost troops under his control and let out several triumphant laughs.
Seeing the common folk trampled to death by his ghost troops made him even more elated.
This was the effect he desired: with him as king, those who defied him would die!
At this moment, he recalled his plans from years ago.
The army led by his trusted subordinate, which had passed through the canyon, had appeared to perish from the outside. But only he knew that those soldiers had been poisoned with a wicked toxin he had spread.
By having some of the poisoned soldiers ingest special pills, he had turned them all into his ghost troops.
Without flesh and blood, yet able to preserve their souls, becoming obedient ghost troops with immortal bodies.
The wicked toxin could turn living people into mere skeletons.
Those sent by the imperial court years ago to investigate the true situation of that army had all been killed by him.
He desired to dominate the world; his ambition was not limited to the city he was in, or this small country.
"Master, this cannot go on. You must leave quickly, we will handle this."
After repeated attacks, only to see the surrounding ghost troops resurrect again and again.
Lu Zhu and Gao Tian Shou sensed the danger and immediately leaped towards Gu Qian Ying.
They intended to cover their master's retreat.
Meanwhile, within the ghost troops, a small contingent rode their horses directly into the Song Manor.
The servants working within the manor, before they could even react, were either killed with a single saber stroke or trampled to death.
"Ah… ah…"
Screams followed one after another.
The Song Manor instantly became a river of blood.
Seeing a large number of ghost troops on horseback force their way into the Song Manor.
At this point, Gu Qian Ying could no longer afford to listen to Lu Zhu's advice, nor could she command her subordinates.
She quickly turned and flew towards the manor.
On the other side, Lu Zhu and Gao Tian Shou cooperated with considerable skill. Even though the ghost troops they attacked could not be killed, after a few swings of their swords, they managed to hold back a portion of the ghost troops.
"Ah, someone's dead?"
Madam Song, carrying a meal, had just stepped out of the courtyard when she saw so many corpses lying on the ground.
With a startled cry, two ghost soldiers lunged at her.
Two heavenly blood steeds also charged directly at Madam Song…