Mountain Patrol Military Officer-Chapter 1078 - 702: The Vanished Old Ghost (2)

"I want a city! A blood sacrifice of its people." The Old Ghost’s voice seemed to come from the depths of hell, filled with intense hatred.

"A city? Heh." Nine Candles spread his sleeves, placing them on his knees while giving a sinister smile. As the mist churned, the Old Ghost’s face grew even more fierce and irritable. He spoke slowly and with an eerie gleam in his eyes, like the flickering flame above, "Old Ghost, surely you don’t think things are like in the past. Back then, we did such things but it was a gradual process, choosing distant places. But now, with two armies at war, scouts and spies fill the nearby prefectures and counties, heavily guarded. Why do you think I can help you?"

The Old Ghost bared his teeth, "There’s still King Liang and the Beiliang troops. You’re under his banner. Anyway, he’s waging war. As long as he captures a prefecture, speak to him, it shouldn’t be difficult."

"Then why don’t you see King Liang yourself? We both came together. You got so severely injured for his troops, it’s only right to ask him. Why take the detour through me? Perhaps this Prince Xian would be willing to lend a hand."

"I don’t trust him. Since ancient times, emperors are heartless. To them, everyone is a pawn, to be held when useful and discarded when not. No empathy. What’s this Prince Xian but a trick for fools? If I go, he might even blame me for his troops losing." The Old Ghost was blunt.

At this moment, the Red Ghost mask on Nine Candles’ face twitched, followed by a sinister chuckle from his throat,

"Old Ghost, you don’t trust King Liang but you come to me? Heh, you’ll be disappointed."

"You old fool, clearly most afraid of death, yet today you made such a stupid mistake, ending up like this and coming to me."

His laughter reverberated through the room, growing louder until the open door slammed shut with a "bang".

"Nine Candles, what do you mean by this? What do you want to do to me?" The Old Ghost was shocked and angry, his black mist surging violently, transforming into black strands that bombarded the surrounding doors and windows.

"Bang"

"Bang"

"Bang"

The black strands smashed into the doors and windows, producing a dull echo. The seemingly fragile doors and windows stood firm like Vajra, unwavering, with blue ripples dancing over them.

"What do I want?" Nine Candles rose slowly, with a playful tone, "In the Chengsheng Land, there’s no talking about favors. Since you’re no longer useful, hand over what you have."

With that, the flame above suddenly swelled, tongues of fire spewing out, sweeping towards the black mist in front.

"Sizzle..."

When the flame touched the black mist, it ignited like fire meeting oil.

The ghostly face of the Old Ghost let out a sharp wail, growing huge, threatening to burst the room, "Nine Candles, you dare to turn against me. Do you think I’m made of mud?"

"Soul-shocking Yin Wind, rise, rise, rise."

Instantly, the entire room howled with a chilling wind, erupting into a gale, giving rise to a cold aura. Gray-blue frost spread within the black mist, freezing the void, resisting Nine Candles’ flames.

After half a cup of tea’s time, a massive explosion erupted from the mountain. The suspended building suddenly burst open, bricks and wood turned to debris, scattering, with a powerful shockwave of fire and cold mist sweeping in all directions, its destructive force astounding.

The next second,

"Xue"

A sharp whistle pierced the night sky, followed by the clashing of armor and shouts arising one after another, streams of light raced toward the explosion.

Simultaneously, the earthy-yellow formation above hummed, descending pillars of light that sealed the explosion’s center. The wanton shockwave crashed against the earthy-yellow barrier, producing continuous booms, making the barrier tremble, seemingly about to break, but it held firm in the end.

As the explosion’s aftermath dissipated, the scene came into view.

A large section of the mountainside was sheared off, revealing various prohibition lights hidden within, nearby structures disintegrated into dust, but a figure emerged!

Wearing a Red Ghost mask!

At this time, around the barrier descended by the formation, soldiers in full armor stood ready, auras descending around them.

A figure in black appeared on the barrier out of thin air, wearing a Five-clawed Python Dragon Robe, his gaze deep and commanding.

"Greetings to the Prince!"

"Greetings to the Prince..." A vast array of soldiers knelt on one knee, saluting in unison.

The newcomer was none other than Xiao Zhongtian, King of Beiliang.

Xiao Zhongtian waved his sleeve downward, the barrier melting away like snow. He glanced down sideways and spoke in a domineering tone, "Clear out."

The soldiers obeyed and dispersed.

Xiao Zhongtian then descended through the air, arriving in front of Nine Candles.

"Mr. Jiu, explain!"

Xiao Zhongtian’s gaze was penetrating, he raised a hand and shot toward the cliff wall to the side, capturing several frost flowers the size of fingernails from the air.

With a pinch of his fingers, the frost flowers turned to black mist, a chilling force emanating, "Such dense yin energy?"

Nine Candles, with the Red Ghost mask, gazed eerily, "No need for suspicion, Prince. It’s the Old Ghost who once traveled with me, he’s returned."

"He didn’t die at Ghost Cry Mountain?" Xiao Zhongtian questioned with a frown.

"No, he escaped death, severely wounded, and came seeking. Truly large fate, surviving from General Chen’s hands."

"Where is he?" Xiao Zhongtian’s voice deepened, recalling the ten thousand troops dispatched to the north for containment were defeated and scattered, a deeply embedded thorn in his mind.

The changes in Shu caught him off guard. Helian Mountain relinquished power, Chen Yuan took control of Shu, and targeted him first, breaking his ten thousand strong formation at Ghost Cry Mountain. Hearing this, he was both furious and slightly anxious, fearing Chen Yuan would attack his rear.

Though in recent days, he heard that the other party had withdrawn, his nerves remained tight, worried about bad news. This Martial Saint General has left a shadow in his psyche, unpredictable in his actions. Thus, his offensives against Guanzhong have been fiercer, hoping for quick victories.

"I killed him!" The grim smile on Nine Candles’ mask was chilling.

Xiao Zhongtian’s brow twitched, his gaze sharp as he stared at Nine Candles.

Buth this person remained calm, "This was between us, no need for the Prince’s concern. Besides, this Old Ghost was crippled by that Chen person, gravely injured. He sought me out, wanting me to ask the Prince for a city for a blood sacrifice."

"Let’s not mention the Prince’s reputation as Prince Xian, esteemed across the realm, would never agree to such a thing. Even if he did, the Old Ghost would find it hard to recover, a waste of resources. Especially since there was something on him I wanted, I simply killed him."

Under the Red Ghost mask, Nine Candles’ voice was airy, as if discussing an insignificant matter.

Listening to this, Xiao Zhongtian reassessed this person, subtly asking:

"So, do you get what you wanted, Mr. Jiu?"

"No." Nine Candles’ eyes turned cold beneath the mask,

"I suspect the Old Ghost hid it or perhaps it was taken by that Martial Saint General."

He was looking for something related to the Heavenly People, which was why they sought out Heavenly Blood and Flesh.

It was connected to the Old Ghost’s Cultivation Method.

He knew some parts but thought the old coot would surely hold back.

Xiao Zhongtian listened, subtly moved, feeling somewhat suspicious about the information this person intentionally divulged, but said nothing further, as everyone harbors ulterior motives.

.......

Meanwhile, while Nine Candles and Xiao Zhongtian conversed, inside Dasan Pass, from a secluded empty house near the city wall, a mass of black mist suddenly surged from the ground, and a voice filled with suppressed rage echoed abruptly.

"Damn!"

"That Heaven-damned Nine Candles wants me dead for that thing. Fortunately, I too didn’t trust him and had a backup plan."

"Damn, if I stay like this, I won’t last long. I need to replenish a lot of Primordial Qi. So many die daily on the battlefield. It’s perfect. But if I stay here, Nine Candles might realize I’m not dead. Knowing me for so many years, he surely knows my details, it’s a big risk."

"I have no choice, I must do the opposite, and flee to Shu!"

"They’re at war there too. That Chen probably thinks I’m dead and won’t look for me. I’ll recuperate quietly, and avoid provoking him!"

"Yes, that’s the way to handle it."

Thus, two ghostly green eyes appeared from the black mist, looking towards the previous direction, uttering a hoarse, harsh voice,

"Just wait!"

With that, the black mist slipped back into the ground, disappearing without a trace.