Every early morning, as the sky began to brighten, Chen Mu would rise to freshen up, then stealthily infiltrate the town to stake out Chao Tianwang.
He had already confirmed that Tianwang Chao Fang had no means to detect Ghosts.
Capturing Ghosts often employed methods of lure and trap.
This gave Chen Mu room to operate.
And so, every day he went to the city to keep an eye on Chao Fang.
…
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
Chen Mu, as usual, got up early, ready to sneak off, and just happened to bump into Sun Enqi who was getting up to use the toilet.
On seeing Chen Mu, Sun Enqi instantly became clear-headed and carefully exhorted, “Be careful, kid, don’t get caught.”
Chen Mu smiled and nodded.
Yet, as he turned around, he couldn’t help but squint his eyes.
“This so-called Uncle Seven seems to have aged a bit. An illusion?”
Chen Mu paused, “I’m afraid it’s not an illusion.”
The Netherworld Thread was mysterious, daily drawing Vital Energy, leading to the depletion of the laborer’s essential vigor.
“Has it started to deplete life span already…” Chen Mu’s heart sank, but he could only shake his head and leave.
In these troubled times, he couldn’t care about so much.
Ensuring his own survival according to his wishes was already quite difficult.
…
North of Qingshan County Town.
The twelve Heavenly Generals were dispersed in various places, sitting cross-legged on rooftops with dark-colored Soul-Calming Stakes resting across their legs.
Three large clusters of black smoke flickered in and out of existence mid-air, yet never managing to fly out of the circle formed by the twelve.
The shadow seemed like a balloon, getting bigger as time passed.
At a certain threshold, it burst with a pop into strands of black smoke.
“Is your method really effective?” Tu Shan sat on a rooftop, frowning at Chao Fang by his side.
“You need to have patience,” Chao Fang said calmly.
“I’ve heard that the Startling Swan Gang has found a Thousand Mechanism Token,” Tu Shan looked towards the south of the town.
Chao Fang glanced at Tu Shan, “Got any ideas?”
Tu Shan seriously said to Chao Fang, “There must be a problem with the fengshui in the north of the city.”
“You talk to them, let’s change the location,” Tu Shan sincerely suggested.
Chao Fang: “…”
“You just want to snatch their Thousand Mechanism Token,” Chao Fang snickered, retracting his gaze.
“Why would you think that?” Tu Shan frowned, his displeasure evident as he looked at Chao Fang: “When do we act?”
“Ha… It’s not the right time yet,” Chao Fang said, laughing while shaking his head.
“You’re not scared, are you?” Tu Shan was skeptical.
Chao Fang narrowed his eyes, “What’s the benefit of snatching one when you can snatch two?”
“Let them find some more, then we’ll make our move.”
“Your heart is truly dark!” Tu Shan looked at Chao Fang with heartfelt distress: “Just don’t let the Tangshan Army slip through.”
“Ha!” Chao Fang laughed and shook his head.
…
“We don’t necessarily have to snatch it,” Chao Fang looked at the Bright Yellow Scroll in his hand, “Maybe we will find one soon enough.”
Tu Shan looked at Chao Fang with suspicion.
“The Thousand Mechanism Token of the Startling Swan Gang didn’t come from searching, it revealed itself,” Chao Fang calmly stated.
“According to the records, once certain conditions are met, the Thousand Mechanism Token will radiate light. At that moment, the Ghosts must reveal their forms.”
“And in a den of Ghosts, the more deaths occur, the more likely this phenomenon will appear,” Chao Fang said meaningfully.
“Death?” Tu Shan’s eyes narrowed.
Chao Fang’s lips curled up, “Yes, death. Whether it’s the death of Ghosts or the death of humans.”
“Cities of slaughter, battlegrounds like meat grinders, are the places where Ghosts converge most easily. The Thousand Mechanism Token is also most likely to emit light there.”
“Just think about this chaos that’s sweeping across the world.”
“Isn’t it interesting?”
“So that’s why you brought so many ordinary people?” Tu Shan looked at Chao Fang with distaste.
“Just in case, we might not even need them,” Chao Fang said, shrugging.
Tu Shan snorted coldly, then suddenly asked, “Should we try it?”
“There’s no rush, the other two families haven’t made their move yet, have they?”
Unwillingly, Tu Shan nodded, “We can’t let others get the advantage.”
“I still think the fengshui in the south of the town is a bit better,” he added.
Chao Fang looked towards the distant twelve Heavenly Generals, “Who knows, maybe the fengshui is about to take its turn.”
No sooner had he spoken than a four or five-meter diameter cluster of black smoke suddenly emerged within the ambush circle.
It roiled with dark qi, as if struggling to break free from the main body, bursting left and right.
Amidst the black smoke, a flash of emerald light appeared and disappeared periodically.
Startled, Tu Shan burst into laughter, “The fengshui has started to turn!”
Chao Fang could no longer contain his joy, “Quick, accelerate the infusion of vital energy!”
The twelve Heavenly Generals dared not be negligent, desperately reciting the Curse Command.
The cloud of black smoke kept struggling but was never able to escape.
Its form continuously expanded until it finally burst into light with a ‘bang’.
An emerald jade gourd the size of a fist appeared in mid-air.
“Haha! Excellent!” Tu Shan laughed heartily.
Chao Fang also couldn’t maintain his composure and burst into laughter, “After planning for so long, we finally…”
But before he could finish his sentence, a cloud of black smoke appeared out of nowhere.
The emerald jade-like gourd suddenly disappeared without a trace.
Tu Shan and Chao Fang were immediately stunned in place.
…
“Who is it!” Tu Shan suddenly bellowed, his eyes blood-red as he fiercely glared around like a wild beast.
The twelve Heavenly Generals and Chao Fang also turned their heads frantically, incensed and looking everywhere.
After several months, they finally saw results.
But now, someone had snatched the fruit of their labor, nearly causing their heads to explode with rage!
It’s me!
Chen Mu, wrapped in the black smoke of Ghosts, looked gleefully at the frustrated Chao Fang and Tu Shan.
“It really is true that ‘effortless success comes after a long search’. Haha…”
He was hiding under an eave, behind him stood a two-story wooden tower, and on the roof was an unknown Heavenly General.
He also deliberately adjusted his breathing and heartbeat, striving to match them with the Heavenly General on the roof.
With the invisibility of the Ghosts, nobody could discover him.
It wasn’t easy.
After such a long time planning, he finally got his hands on a Thousand Mechanism Token.
Who would have thought that the Thousand Mechanism Token wasn’t a token, but an emerald jade gourd?
“Magical.”
Chen Mu stood still, breathing as lightly as he could.
He watched with glee as Tu Shan rampaged, tearing down demolitions.
The other party seemed convinced that someone was hiding nearby and wanted to completely destroy all the houses.
“Haha, keep demolishing; I’m not playing anymore!” said Chen Mu, as he lightly lifted his foot to leave.
But after thinking about it, he still didn’t set his foot down.
The Shape Cultivation Technique could greatly remodel and strengthen a person, including all senses.
Even the slightest footstep could possibly be detected.
After pondering, an idea struck Chen Mu.
If he could use the Five Ghosts to wrap himself in invisibility, could he also use them to achieve flight?
“Five Ghosts Moving People? Ha!”
The swirling black smoke quickly became denser, wrapping Chen Mu up into an airtight cocoon.
“Rise!”
He let out a soft shout in his mind, and then he began to float.
Chen Mu was instantly overjoyed.
Flight, the dream etched deep into his bones, was now realized by him!
“Fly! Show me your limit! Haha…”
Chen Mu controlled the Ghosts to exert force fiercely, and suddenly he was lifted off the ground… by five centimeters?!
Chen Mu: “…”
This isn’t right!
He really thought he could fly, but is this what I get to see?
Worthless paper effigies, ruining my youth!
“Forget it, running away is what’s important. I’ll deal with you later!” Chen Mu thought begrudgingly.
Without meaning to, he looked up and saw the dejected demolition duo.
With this comparison, his frustration immediately evaporated!
“These two poor fools! Haha…”
As he spoke, he controlled the Yin-filled Ghosts to slowly drift away into the distance.
“Play by yourselves, my lords; I’m no longer at your service!” Chen Mu smirked silently, laughing without sound as he even turned back to wave at the two men.
Then he suddenly hit an invisible wall with a ‘bang’.
Chen Mu looked ahead, his face full of confusion.
What’s going on?
A flash of inspiration struck his mind, and Chen Mu abruptly looked up at the twelve Heavenly Generals.
They still held the Soul-Calming Stakes, standing like poles on the rooftops.
Was the Yin Cultivating Strategic Formation still active?
“Can’t you guys be any less professional?!” Chen Mu was instantly resigned.