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"Truly an eye-opening experience..."

Inside the Weichi Residence, Patriarch Weichi and others quickly received firsthand news, which came from a surprising source—none other than Wei Gongyu and his companions, who had caused the most commotion in the Weichi Residence just the day before.

At this moment, they were trembling with fear, as if they had completely lost their ability to judge the situation, and even the Martial Spirits within their bodies seemed at a loss, instinctively driving them to seek counsel from their former master at the first sign of trouble.

Upon learning of the news, Patriarch Weichi immediately passed the information to Liu Yu through Mu Hongqing.

Looking at Liu Yu’s admiration, neither Patriarch Weichi nor Mu Hongqing could grasp the full picture.

"Sir, according to the ghost spirit inside Wei Gongyu’s body, the guy who appeared in the Southeast Ghost Temple is the famous King Chu Jiang—a Ghost King even older than the renowned King Gui Xiang.

How could such a formidable being come out of the Ghost Temple?

And with such a figure emerging, why do it so secretly?

With the legendary powers at his disposal, couldn’t he have easily taken everything here? "

"Of course, it’s not that simple..." Liu Yu said with a smile, "If ancient forces could arrive at will, would Your Majesty dare to harbor even the slightest rebellious thought?"

He said, half-smiling, "Speaking of which, this secret is actually known because of me."

"Through you?" Elder Weichi held great respect for the Lord Duke of Song and had not a hint of doubt, his curiosity piqued, "Then, how did you come to know it?"

"Of course, I saw it with my own eyes." A trace of reminiscence flickered in Liu Yu’s eyes.

"Back then, in my family’s ancestral land, I obtained the Twilight Sorcery left by my ancestors, and I met some daring friends who took me to learn of many ancient secrets.

It was then that I realized how many terrifying beings were hidden in this world, which left me quite despairing about the future. "

"But at the same time, I also learned another secret: those terrifying beings, no matter how frightening, could only be trapped because this world simply cannot accommodate someone too powerful. Those fellows... in our world, they’re like fish out of water, not even able to breathe.

It’s also after knowing this secret that I dared to visit so many ancient sites with boldness. "

"Not even able to breathe?" Patriarch Weichi was stunned, feeling as though he had grasped some underlying truth.

"Yes, not even able to breathe!" Liu Yu laughed, "The Yin Land where the Mother and Child Ghost Temples are located is rich in Spiritual Energy, just enough to allow Ghost King Level beings to breathe. Outside the Ghost Temples, though, it’s not possible. Naturally, I don’t know how he managed to come out of the Southeast Ghost Temple, but it’s likely that he laid his plans a long, long time ago, planting his pieces within King Xiang’s power to secretly take control of a gateway in the Path of Yin and Yang. "

"But even so, originally speaking, he couldn’t control the Capital City, because no matter how strong the Ghost King is, it’s meaningless if he can’t come out.

As long as the Duke of Ying and the others defend the other two temples, and the Imperial Army surrounds and contains the Southeast Ghost Temple, King Chu Jiang, for all his tremendous ability, can only watch helplessly.

But it’s a different matter if the Duke of Ying and the others take their troops there instead! "

"What’s different about personally leading troops there?" Weichi Peng asked, puzzled.

Elder Patriarch Weichi reacted, "Fish cannot live without water, but they don’t die immediately upon leaving it.

Just as some ferocious fish can jump out of the sea to catch flying birds, for birds or insects close to the sea, certain fish can leap and catch their prey. Am I right, Lord Duke of Song...?"

Liu Yu immediately laughed, "Generations of Weichi family heads have been brutes, but it’s rare to have a tactician like you in this generation..."

Weichi Peng also realized then half-breath’s worth of air. The range of Duke Chu’s actions was limited. Fish can hold their breath and jump out of the water for a short time, and in the same way, if the prey comes close enough, with one held breath, they can swiftly crush the targeted prey.

Military forces, being organized collectively, depend greatly on their leaders, especially the Imperial Army.

The sudden military orders to enter the city were already suspicious, and if the Duke of Ying and others were killed, the enemy can use the allegation of the Duke of Ying’s rebellion to persuade the Imperial Army to withdraw, with high chances of success.

Of course, that is exactly what the enemy did!

"What can we do now?" Elder Patriarch Weichi, having realized the critical points, was covered in cold sweat.

"It’s troublesome..." the Duke of Song sighed, "The chess game has been set up for a long enough time and with enough intricacy. That Ghost General named Mu Ye was King Xiang’s number one ghost general but became the enemy’s inside man.

Even the most trusted confidants turned out to be someone else’s pawns.

King Xiang lost fairly, but the key point is the enemy’s ability to form an instantaneous strategy. "

"Judging from what that youngster Wei Gongyu recounted, the ones who rebelled and seized the Ghost Temple were all newcomers who had recently gained their Martial Spirits. This aligns well with the layout; Emperor Siao is a suspicious person, so arranging in advance for people to come in would likely have been discovered. Therefore, secrecy was guaranteed by bringing people in at the last moment. However, according to the growth pattern of the Ghost Persons in Capital City, this doesn’t make sense. "

"Indeed.... it’s quite illogical...." Patriarch Weichi stroked his beard and nodded. Though he disliked Ghost Persons, he was sufficiently knowledgeable about them. These people, so-called possessed by Martial Spirits, must exercise their bodies with Secret Techniques in the Yin Lands to gain the necessary strength. Without this, their bodies, mere descendants of ordinary families, wouldn’t be able to withstand even a fraction of the Martial Spirit’s power.

Yet Wei Gongyu tells that Mu Ye defeated Marquis An Qing in just one move!

The guards who were defending the Ghost Temple were utterly routed by a few dozen newcomers....

This indeed is illogical. It seems the other party used some method to bypass the step of physical training altogether.

"This method shouldn’t exist in this world!" Mu Hongqing’s eyes shone brightly.

"Of course it shouldn’t..." Liu Yu sneered coldly: "If they had a way to let an ordinary body bypass training to become a strong fighter directly, why would they need to set any traps? This world would already be theirs!"

"So.... is there a catch?" Patriarch Weichi caught on, his breathing frantic.

"Everything in this world has its advantages and disadvantages.

Such a great irregularity must also come with significant side effects, but we must find out what they are.

..." Lord Duke of Song said somberly, looking outside. "If I’m not mistaken, they will use the power they have now acquired to take control of the three major Ghost Temples in a very short period. Once they control the Ghost Temples, they could coerce hundreds of thousands of Ghost Soldiers on the northern front, and truly, without a single battle, they would pluck the Emperor’s peach. "

"What should we do to stop this?" Weichi Peng asked anxiously upon hearing this.

He didn’t quite like Emperor Siao, but he had a feeling that if this so-called King Chu Jiang actually took control of hundreds of thousands of Ghost Soldiers, something terrible would happen—likely making the world a hundred times more miserable than it is now!

"That will depend on what information that Wei Gong person can provide," Mu Hongqing spoke implicitly.

"Wei Gongyu?" Weichi Peng was stunned. "That guy who’s scared out of his wits, what kind of information could he possibly provide?"

The others rolled their eyes, especially Patriarch Weichi, feeling that his son, although highly talented as a Military General, really wasn’t that sharp when it came to brains.

How could they possibly expect anything from Wei Gongyu?

"Wei Gongxing is indeed smart enough.... but..." Patriarch Weichi sighed. "But... after all, he’s been possessed by an old monster. No matter how clever he is, how could he possibly extract information for us?"

"It depends on how smart he is," Liu Yu said indifferently. "You said earlier that he’s as talented as Siao Mingyue and Chen Qing, right? If he really is as smart as Chen Qing, he will definitely leave us some clues!"

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The news of the treason of the Duke of Ying and the Duke of Yan quickly spread throughout the army, and ten thousand Imperial Army soldiers, under the pressure of Mu Ye, left the Capital City without hesitation.

After the departure of the ten thousand Imperial Army soldiers, Mu Ye, with those red-eyed descendants, hurried to the next Ghost Temple.

Now, without the two Dukes’ level of combat power and without obstruction from the Imperial Army, it seems... there is no longer any force that can stop them.

The Siao Family... has lost its momentum!