Immortal Creation.

Chapter 638 Ghost Soldiers Attack the City
The altar for the Heavenly Demon's incarnation to perform the ritual of calamity is not located on the earth in the underworld.

It resembles a forgotten remnant tooth of a giant beast, hanging alone in the sky, deep within the dark clouds.

A chilling whirlwind enveloped the altar, wiping away the dark clouds and leaving only scattered specks of soul dust on it.

The altar itself was constructed from some kind of enormous, pale, cracked skeleton pieced together, with tiny bone fragments constantly peeling off its edges and then being completely worn away in the whirlwind.

"So, at the last moment, I'm the only one left?" Lord Wangchuan, dressed in a black robe, stood at the edge of the altar.

The fierce wind accentuated his gaunt figure, making him appear even more emaciated. The wide sleeves of his robe clung tightly to his arms, revealing an almost inhumanly sharp silhouette.

Immediately, the nonchalance in his eyes vanished, and a sharp glint appeared as he focused his attention.

The Underworld of Wangchuan, which he had painstakingly built up over many years, was finally forced to use its elite troops and numerous magical treasures to deal with the difficulties posed by various forces at the last moment.

Only five truly capable lieutenants remained, all of whom were placed outside the altar whirlwind, within the great formation deep in the dark clouds.

In addition to the five Nascent Soul level ghost cultivators, there were also more than 30,000 imperial guards from the Wangchuan Underworld.

But Lord Wangchuan knew very well that his strength had been reduced by at least 60%.

No way.

The enemy has targeted the entire Wangchuan Underworld; he has no choice but to intervene.

The underworld was both his wings and his constraint. As the ruler of the underworld, he was bound by the king's mandate and had to share the fate of the nation, with its fortunes and honors intertwined.

If left unchecked, the people's support will be greatly lost, and the Lord of Wangchuan will suffer a backlash, causing his fortune to plummet.

The only way forward is to do everything possible to preserve the power of the underworld.

"I have been tied up with so much of my strength, but in retrospect, I have used it to offset the attacks of many of my enemies."

"Hard work has paid off."

"After nearly a century of planning, success or failure hinges on this one move."

"Report—!" The subordinate's voice could be heard through the magic array even through the whirlwind.

Lord Wangchuan let out a cold laugh and replied, "What bad news this time?"

He had heard too much bad news during this time, which greatly strengthened his resolve.

But unexpectedly, this bad news was also good news.

An enemy breached the dike, causing a section of the Wangchuan River to burst. However, the gushing floodwaters unexpectedly took a turn and flowed over Huoliang's 30,000 mu of fertile land.

This not only extinguished the flood and the fire, but the waters of the River of Oblivion also irrigated the fertile fields, making them even more rich.

It's a blessing in disguise.

Lord Wangchuan's heart stirred slightly, and a look of realization flashed across his face: "This time, what is hindering my path is only man-made disaster, not natural calamity."

"In fact, I initiated the Heavenly Ghost Transformation Ceremony and offered sacrifices to the Heavenly Court of the Underworld, thus gaining divine favor. As the Lord of the River of Oblivion, I already had the advantage of the terrain."

"So, this is a blessing from heaven, allowing me to turn misfortune into fortune, and making the two man-made disasters cancel each other out."

Lord Wangchuan felt a slight sense of relief, but he did not relax at all. He secretly warned himself: "Even so, the destiny of heaven and earth is being greatly diminished, which is not conducive to my complete refining of the Heavenly Ghost Skull."

"We can't delay any longer."

Lord Wangchuan made a decisive move and officially began the final step.

He ascended the altar, his body ramrod straight as a spear. He gazed up at the skull of the celestial demon suspended in mid-air above the altar and chanted aloud:
"Revered Heaven! Unfathomable Earth! Lord of the River of Oblivion, I prostrate myself and report—"

"By the grace of Heaven, the River of Oblivion hangs upside down as my crown; by the virtue of the Earth, myriad bones intertwine to form my foundation! The heavens have granted me authority to command souls and govern the netherworld; the fertile earth has borne my mysterious remains, to build cities and towers, to establish my rule over the River of Oblivion! Heaven's favor is boundless, turning calamities into trials; Earth's virtue is profound, accepting disasters as fertile ground! Today I offer my sincerest gratitude!"

……

"Today, I gather the remnants of the soul into lamps, and ignite the flames of the spirit into torches! I condense the loneliness of ten thousand years into a sharp edge, and transform the regrets of billions into blades! Those who obstruct my path—even if the flames of calamity return and karmic obstacles reassemble, I will cleave their abyss and burn their very foundation! In the name of the River of Oblivion, with my unwavering will for eternity—I vow to hold this bone in my palm and melt it into my own body!"

"Heaven and earth bear witness! This heart and this will are known even in the deepest hell!"

……

As he continued chanting, the final and most spectacular stage of the Ritual of Atonement began.

Suddenly, a fierce wind blew, and dark clouds churned, as if thousands of dragons and pythons were endlessly moving through them.

The power of the heavens gradually manifested on the altar, and the skull of the Heavenly Demon began its final refining.

As the Lord of the River of Oblivion gradually felt resistance, the speed at which he recited the sacrificial text slowed down, each word feeling as heavy as a thousand pounds.

He knew the reason: "It's because my sacrifices were insufficient, and I didn't gather enough power from the heavens."

"It all comes down to the battle at White Paper Immortal City."

He had planned this for a long time.

Yangjian.

White Paper Immortal City.

Dark clouds pressed down like an iron curtain, and in the dim light, the terrifying army of ghost soldiers had already set up their formation, completely surrounding the White Paper Immortal City!
As far as the eye could see, a vast number of ghostly soldiers and demons filled the entire field of vision.

In front of each city gate, there was a group of soldiers in formation.

At the forefront was an army of skeletons. A dense, uncountable forest of skeletal soldiers. Their empty eye sockets burned with eerie green flames, and their decaying bone hands gripped massive, rusty, and resentful bone swords or tattered bone shields.

On either side of the skeletal army, a viscous tide of "water ghosts" writhed and flowed. Countless swollen, rotting drowned ghosts, covered in algae and filth, gathered together, their own moisture merging to form a river on the ground.

They bobbed and sank in the river, poised to pounce.

Above the army formation, countless skinned demons hovered in the eerie wind. They draped their shed skins behind their backs. The skins caught the wind like kites or parachutes, propelling them through the air.

Don't be fooled by their slow pace now; once they start fighting, they are incredibly fast, producing a piercing sonic boom. They can repeatedly swoop down and ascend at low altitudes. In the previous ghost tides, it was these kinds of ghosts that caused the most casualties to the cultivators on the city walls.

Behind the skeletal army were squads of tall, headless ghost riders clad in charred, tattered armor.

They, along with the skeletal warhorses beneath them, were engulfed in a ghastly green flame. The flames, in particular, on their necks outlined the blurry shape of human skulls.

Will-o'-the-wisps licked at the charred bones and armor, crackling and popping as they burned, billowing up thick, distorting black smoke. Their sheer presence alone revealed their terrifying power; no one in the White Paper Immortal City wanted to witness their rampage through the city.

Each military formation is guarded by a Nascent Soul level ghost cultivator, and under their command are many Golden Core level ghost generals.

Ross has already arrived in the mortal realm and is in charge of the overall situation.

Vanguard General, Flying Gun Ghost General, White Bone Crocodile Demon, Xie Sichao... even Sun Lingtong is among them.

Beyond the four major military formations corresponding to each city gate, there are countless ghosts filling the spaces between them.

These ghostly creatures are of many kinds, all of which are the result of the Yin army intentionally collecting and accumulating previous ghost tides.

Small-headed ghost, big-headed ghost, ghost mother, hanged ghost, drowned ghost, lantern ghost, soul-snatching gecko, ghost yaksha...

The most eye-catching of them all is the Bone Giant.

This is a colossal monster composed of countless black and dark gray skeletons, interwoven and pieced together. Each bone is remarkably thick, robust, and weathered, bearing the marks of yin energy and the passage of time. The towering city walls are no match for their necks.

Within the ghost tide, their combat power can reach the Nascent Soul level.

The current siege by the army is not considered a ghost tide. The combat power of these giant bone spirits is still not to be underestimated, and they are approaching the Nascent Soul stage!
On the walls of the White Paper Immortal City, countless city guards, Black Swamp cultivators recruited at great expense, and squads of cultivators from several super powers all wore solemn expressions. The city guard commander, Iron Bone Zheng, was undoubtedly the key figure in the defensive battle.

Yang Sanyan of the Myriad Manifestations Sect, Zhou Wenyan of the Complete Book Pavilion, and the Bone Tomb Daoist of the Soul Devouring Sect each led a small team of cultivators, stationed on the other three sections of the city wall.

Inside the city, the city lord's paper doll clone and Wen Ruanyu mainly controlled the front lines.

Deep within the city lord's mansion lies the true form of the White Paper Immortal City.

Without a doubt, judging solely from military strength, whether in terms of the number of cultivators or high-level combat, the White Paper Immortal City's side is far inferior to the Underworld army. The gap between the two sides is quite obvious.

When the City Lord of Baizhi City sought help, he did not break with convention; the cultivators he brought in were all at the Golden Core level, not at the Nascent Soul level.

Even Yang Sanyan, despite possessing Nascent Soul level combat power, was only at the Golden Core cultivation level.

What the Lord of White Paper City relies on is, of course, the White Paper Immortal City!
Having a celestial city as its seat provides a tremendous geographical advantage, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Can the disparity in military strength negate the advantage of terrain? The answer to this question may very well be the outcome of this major offensive and defensive battle.

Head coach Ross remained silent, only waving his command flag once.

The command flag pointed directly at the city gate ahead.

The next moment, battle flags were waved and war drums pounded, driving the massive number of ghosts into a frenzy as they rushed toward the walls of the White Paper Immortal City.

The big-headed ghost blew a cold wind, and the small-headed ghosts, demon yakshas, ​​bats, and other creatures rushed towards the top of the wall.

The demon mother lay on the ground, constantly giving birth to demons.

The hanged ghost and the soul-snatching gecko then climbed the city wall.

……

Tie Guzheng immediately activated the city's defenses, causing the white paper city walls to emit a radiant glow, scorching any ghosts that came into contact with them, instantly burning countless to death.

The monks on the city wall also began to act in batches according to military orders.

Various magical artifacts and spells were unleashed, causing the ghosts to perish halfway through their attacks.

Generals such as Luo Si remained seated on their skeletal ghost horses, while Xie Sichao stroked his beard, his gaze constantly sweeping over the city's defenses.

Military intelligence continued to arrive at the hands of generals such as Ross.

After a frenzied attack lasting about half a cup of tea's time, Ross grunted and issued the second military order.

Then the war drums stopped and the bugles sounded. Hearing the sound, most of the ghosts began to retreat, leaving only a small number still immersed in the battle, who were eventually annihilated by the city's defenses.

Tie Guzheng exhaled a breath of stale air, no longer so tense.

The enemy's first probing attack was over. Under his command, the White Paper Immortal City's defense was excellent, without revealing any weaknesses, and its performance was perfect.

The information about Iron Will flashed through Ross's mind, and he also acknowledged in his heart: "He is indeed a defensive general."

The Yin army had been planning for a long time, and the White Paper Immortal City had also been preparing for a long time.

The first wave of attacks was perfectly countered by the White Paper Immortal City. Both the four city walls and the command system functioned well, preventing Luo Si from finding an opportunity.

If there are no opportunities, then create them!
Since the ghost tide failed to probe our strength, we should deploy our main force.

Ross decisively issued a new military order.

The ghastly, ashen-gray skeleton army advanced with heavy, orderly steps. Each skeletal foot stomped on the ground, producing a grating, grating cracking sound from the countless joints grinding together, a sound that was utterly unsettling.

The monks on the city wall launched an attack immediately.

However, these attacks were ineffective against the skeletal army. Although these grayish-white bones looked fragile and broken, they were more resilient than most ghosts.

"This is a regular army!"

“There is a lot of training and development on a regular basis.”

"This army must have been guided by countless military strategies before it marched here."

The cultivators in the mortal realm felt a chill run down their spines and attacked even more fiercely.

But they were quickly stopped by Tie Guzheng.

"Do not linger in battle! Go back quickly to rest and recuperate, and do your best to restore your mana!" Tie Guzheng's voice echoed on the city wall.

The cultivators suddenly realized what had happened and remembered the instructions given before the battle. They turned around and went down the city wall, allowing other cultivators to come up in their place.

However, many people still launched an attack on the skeletal army formation below the city wall before leaving.

Seeing this scene, Tie Guzheng felt helpless and couldn't help but think of the Qingjiao Army and the strict discipline in their three major military systems.

"We're not a cultivation army after all."

"This is a sign of insufficient training."

The city guards might have been able to do this, but now too many people have mixed in with the city's defense forces.

To be able to achieve this level is already the limit of Tie Guzheng's ability.

"After all, I'm better at defensive warfare than training troops."

"Sigh, if I had a branch of the military, everything would be so much easier!"

Tie Guzheng secretly envied Qing Chi.

After the first group of cultivators descended the city wall, they arrived at the temporary barracks and immediately received the aid of potions and magic arrays, which allowed them to quickly heal their wounds and restore their mana.

The second group of cultivators reached the city wall and immediately launched their respective attacks, but still without much success.

The skeletal army seemed to have been skinned alive. The main body walked to the foot of the city wall and began to climb on their comrades, forming a human ladder!

This is not a simple climb.

Click, click...

The skeleton is constantly being disassembled and pieced together, tightly assembled, with the bottom skeleton base expanding larger and larger, making the chassis very stable.

Meanwhile, the bone bridge above is being rapidly constructed.

As the human ladder rapidly approached, the cultivators' expressions changed drastically. They launched a frantic attack, but to no avail.

Boom boom boom!
Suddenly, a huge fireball exploded at the base of the wall.

In the violent explosion, one of the bone bridge ladders collapsed.

The cultivators were invigorated by this sight; it was the greatest victory since the start of the battle.

Many people turned their attention to the cultivator who had made the move, and discovered that he was a yellow-faced young man.

It was indeed scorching hot!

Tie Guzheng also knew Ning Zhuo's identity, so he was not surprised.

Ning Zhuo then made his move, unleashing the Five Elements spells in turn, combined with the enhancement of his five internal organs, and without depleting the Qingjiao Army's strength, he still managed to wipe out the nearby enemy forces.

(End of this chapter)