Chapter 565 — The Netherworld's Soul-Seizing Envoy

And close at hand, on tower ship after tower ship, young generals led their formations in battle; cannon fire plowed the ground from the air, the divine-ability users aboard drove their sword pellets and powers down in bombardment, while behind them strongmen cleared the way and the army of strange beasts and the foot soldiers slaughtered the demons.

"The generals on the other ships are all disciples of Jingping the Imperial Preceptor too!"

Ling Yuxiu looked around and said to Shen Mu: "Jingping the Imperial Preceptor's disciples usually hold nominal posts in the Directorate of Education at Jiangling Academy and often go there to lecture; most of them are masters of the battlefield. There are acquaintances over there too — fellow disciples from the Grand Academy!"

Shen Mu gazed into the distance and spotted Wei Yong, Shen Wanyun, and others, and hastily waved. But those few were wholly absorbed in driving their essence weapons down in bombardment and did not see him.

After a while, the tower ships scattered the enemy formation, blasting the demon army below into fragments, and the beast battle formations behind rolled over them; the slaughter was savage.

Shen Feiyue ordered the tower ships to halt their advance and cease fire, using essence weapons to strike the enemies fleeing in all directions below and steadying their position. He explained to Shen Mu: "The reason our Jingping army serves as the vanguard this time is mainly that Taihuang Heaven's divine-ability users are too poor in the arts of calculation, and their battle formations are rather mediocre as well. Jingping the Imperial Preceptor felt their formations lacked striking power, so he had our Jingping army break the enemy formation at the front."

Shen Mu praised him: "Jingping the Imperial Preceptor is a man of great talent. Taihuang Heaven's arts of calculation are indeed somewhat lacking."

Sang Hua flushed red and bowed her head in silence.

"Taihuang Heaven's arts of calculation may be very poor, but their divine abilities are very strong, and in the way of cultivation they surpass us of Jingping. We can only rely on battle formations to charge; for the close-quarters killing that follows, we must still rely on Taihuang Heaven's divine-ability users."

Shen Feiyue drove his sword pellets, striking down at the demons from his commanding height, and said with feeling: "I had thought myself no ordinary figure at the Heaven-Human realm, but meeting these divine-ability users of Taihuang Heaven has truly opened my eyes. With my cultivation and strength, I would not even rank in Taihuang Heaven! In this charge against the enemy formation, Jingping the Imperial Preceptor gave the order that no one was to leave the ships to fight, precisely because our officers and soldiers, at equal realms, are simply no match for the demons."

The battle lasted a long time; they fought until the sun in the sky was extinguished, and only then did both sides sound the gongs and withdraw.

Sang Hua asked doubtfully: "We clearly won the battle, so why must we withdraw too? Why can't we press our advantage in one sustained effort and, while the enemy flees in defeat, drive into Lin City?"

Ling Yuxiu said: "Our forces are insufficient; driving into Lin City would only divide our strength and give the demons the chance to destroy us piecemeal. Jingping the Imperial Preceptor withdraws as soon as he wins; his method is that of the silkworm nibbling the leaf — right here on this battlefield, endlessly nibbling away at the demons' living strength, until their living strength is entirely strangled here. Then the demons will surely never amount to anything!"

Shen Mu recalled that the Woodcutter Sage had said Taihuang Heaven could not hold out at all, and a hidden worry rose in his heart.

The Woodcutter Sage's words were not shot at random; if he said it could not be held, then it certainly could not be held. The demons would surely not fight the way Jingping the Imperial Preceptor hoped; Fu Riluo must have designs of his own.

In the darkened battlefield, ghost fires suddenly glimmered, and one after another entrances to other-dimensional spaces appeared; a great many ghost fires drifted over from another world — little boats sailing out of the Netherworld Capital, from which stepped old men whose features could not be made out, carrying horse lanterns to welcome the heroic spirits of the war dead.

Human or demon, once one became a ghost, they would all be guided by them into the Netherworld Capital.

And the army withdrawing below marched on in silence, turning a blind eye to these Netherworld couriers, as though long accustomed to it.

Shen Mu stood at the prow of the tower ship in the air, watching this scene, and a thousand feelings welled up in his heart; he said nothing.

Just then, a little boat appeared before the tower ship, gliding over in eerie silence; the old man seated at its prow rose to his feet, lifted his horse lantern, and shone it on Shen Mu.

"Shen Fengqing, you have disturbed the Netherworld Capital. Lord Tu requests your presence, to give an account of cause and effect," said the old man holding the horse lantern.

Shen Mu was startled, then smiled. "Who is Shen Fengqing? Elder, you have mistaken me for someone else."

The lantern's light fell on his face; behind the lantern, the old man said not a word.

Suddenly a flash of black light, and the Black Tiger God appeared at the prow, putting his body between them and shielding Shen Mu behind him, and shouted: "Netherworld couriers mind only the affairs that come after death — since when do you meddle in the affairs of the living?"

The face behind the lantern was dim and indistinct. "The Netherworld Capital has the Netherworld Capital's rules. The Netherworld Capital does not concern itself with the affairs of the world of the living, but when the living interfere with the workings of the Netherworld Capital, then the Netherworld Capital must intervene. Fifteen days ago, Shen Fengqing released forty-eight thousand ghosts from the Netherworld Capital, violating its laws. As early as fifteen days ago, Shen Fengqing was notified and requested to come to the Netherworld Capital to give an account of cause and effect; only, he carries a treasure on his person that blocked the couriers sent to deliver the summons."

Jingping the Imperial Preceptor strode over and said in a low voice: "And if I do not permit you to take him?"

The old man behind the lantern said, unhurried: "Many worlds have been destroyed for that very reason."

Shen Mu could not help recalling the scene he had witnessed in the Netherworld Capital — the Demon King Dutian howling long in the darkness, a tragic grandeur that moved one to tears — and said: "Jingping the Imperial Preceptor, Senior Brother Tiger, there is no need to say more. I will go with him."