Changbai Mountain, Tianchi Lake.
After winter set in, this place was already covered in a blanket of pristine white snow, the mountains and forests a uniform color.
In a deep valley amidst the mountains, a pitch-black Ghost Gate, with a beast-head biting a ring, materialized out of thin air. It then swung open, and a small figure with red lips and white teeth slowly emerged from within.
It was none other than Yao Yao, who had rushed over after receiving the news.
Standing before the Ghost Gate was the messenger, Hu Shisiniang.
She had transformed into her human form, her crimson robes making her face as radiant as peach and plum blossoms. Seeing the Ghost Gate slowly closing, her heart fluttered slightly.
One must know that traversing the Underworld in a physical body was no simple feat. She had lived for so many years, and only the person before her could achieve it.
Hu Shisiniang's demeanor became respectfully deferential. "Venerable Envoy, you've finally arrived."
Yao Yao gave a soft, childish hum in response, then asked, "Mmm-hmm, Sister Hu, are you sure they're going to make a move?"
The latter was a hidden layer of protection she had set up outside her monitoring array last time.
Unexpectedly, they had made a discovery first. Could something be wrong with the grand array?
Hu Shisiniang, seeing Yao Yao's furrowed little face, immediately understood that the latter had misunderstood and quickly explained.
"It's not that the Venerable Envoy's array has a problem. It's that those Ghost Generals haven't shown themselves actively. They found helpers..."
Speaking of this, Hu Shisiniang also felt a little wistful.
Because she had received ingots and ghost money from Yao Yao, she naturally handled matters with extra diligence, almost commanding the 'Five Immortals' of the entire Changbai Mountain.
The reason she noticed a clue this time was primarily from the information reported to her, which allowed her to piece together the situation.
Recently, the entire Changbai Mountain had suddenly seen an influx of many people.
Among them, many tourists were not ordinary people. Although they tried their best to hide, their prolonged stay ultimately exposed them.
"According to the reports from the Five Families, at least dozens of cultivators are currently in Changbai Mountain."
"In addition, there are many people from R Nation. They carry the aura of Yin souls, so they should be from the Onmyōdō."
Hu Shisiniang speculated that half of those Ghost Generals were hidden within their bodies.
The greatest power of R Nation's Shikigami術法 (spirit arts) lay in controlling ghosts. Perhaps they truly had a method to temporarily place ghosts, other than Shikigami, into physical bodies, thereby evading array detection.
And these people, strangely, all moved tonight. Hu Shisiniang instantly realized that it was time to show their true colors.
Thus, the phone notification came just now.
"Wow, thank you, Sister Hu! This time, it's all thanks to you!"
Yao Yao's big eyes instantly narrowed when she heard "Onmyōdō," clearly agreeing with the other party's conjecture.
Thinking about it carefully, it made sense. Those Ghost Generals who had defected from the Underworld, after going to such lengths to plot a breakthrough, would naturally be extra cautious in their actions.
"Sister, do you want to go together and see what they're up to?" Yao Yao turned and asked crisply.
Hu Shisiniang's brows lifted into a smile upon hearing this. "Why not!"
These evil cultivators were acting wildly right at their doorstep. If things went wrong, their homeland might be destroyed. How could she not go and see for herself?
The fox and human made up their minds and swiftly rushed towards Tianchi Mountain.
Because no matter how much those evil cultivators tried to hide, their ultimate target could only be that one place.
...
In the center of Tianchi Lake, many figures stood at this moment.
Most of these people were cloaked, appearing secretive, though a few had uncovered faces.
However, their attire was rather peculiar; it wasn't the traditional Hua Nation clothing, but rather the narrow-top, wide-bottom hunting robes of Onmyōdō.
Furthermore, they seemed unfazed by the cold, wearing only a black hat on their heads and holding a bat-shaped fan. If members of the action team were here, they would immediately recognize them as R Nation's Shinto cultivators.
In other words, Onmyōji!
"Since everyone is here, let's begin!" The leading Shinto cultivator spoke indifferently.
His status and position were clearly different from the others, discernible from the multicolored embroidered hunting robe he wore.
"Heh heh, you all are indeed as impatient as ever. Since that's the case, we shall naturally cooperate."
The cloaked figure then spoke in a hoarse, low voice.
As his words fell, two withered old hands emerged from beneath his robes, and he quickly formed hand seals.
Streaks of talismans flew from beneath his cloak, converging and igniting in the air. They then transformed into a mass of dark green flames, which fiercely plunged towards the ice surface.
This flame was quite peculiar. Upon contact with the ice, the long-frozen surface actually began to melt, with the momentum of a wildfire spreading across the land.
Seeing the water about to spread, the expressions of those present were very calm, clearly indicating they all had ways to deal with it.
The Onmyoji in the multicolored hunting robe formed a hand seal to conjure a spell. A white crane flew out from a contract array, its massive body lifting him off the ice surface.
"Brother Abe's Onmyōdō is becoming increasingly masterful..." The black-robed man said with a chuckle.
Unlike Xuanmen cultivators who relied on step-by-step self-cultivation, an Onmyoji's entire body of techniques was related to Shikigami.
If one could tame powerful Shikigami, one could ascend to heaven in a single step.
However, because they were still ordinary humans, the lifespan of Onmyoji did not increase with their strength.
In this aspect, they were far inferior to Xuanmen, which was also the drawback of taking shortcuts to power.
Therefore, Onmyoji disliked being praised for their "mastery," especially when the compliment came from a Xuanmen cultivator.
"Stop talking nonsense. Be on guard. I'll settle the matter of the leaked information with you all later."
The latter snorted coldly, his gaze fixed intently on the lake surface.
If it weren't for what he wanted beneath the Tianchi Lake, he wouldn't have risked coming here after the Ghost Generals were captured.
Seemingly sensing his anger, the black-robed man stopped talking.
At this moment, the green flames had burned a hole in the lake surface, about half the size of a basketball court. Then, with a whoosh, they extinguished completely.
Such an area did not surprise anyone; it was already sufficient. The black-robed man then took out a pitch-black bone.
He chanted an incantation, then tossed the bone into the air. The bone did not sink but floated in mid-air.
"Blood Offering!" He softly shouted. The other black-robed figures behind him all took out bottles, releasing streams of blood beads.
The blood merged into the bone, instantly disappearing as if swallowed by a whale. And on the surface of the bone, patterns of light shimmered repeatedly.
This was a sign of activation. Whether it was the black-robed cultivators or the strangely dressed people from R Nation, each of them grew excited.
Because once it successfully operated, this matter would be 70% successful, and it would be considered that they had overcome the greatest difficulty.
By then, even if someone came to stop them, the opponent would be powerless, because once the power of the Ghost Realm was unleashed, even the Human Emperor would be useless.
Watching the "bone" suddenly glow intensely, signifying success, everyone cheered excitedly.
Suddenly, the next moment, an anomaly occurred. A pitch-black Ghost Gate materialized out of thin air, and a plump little hand reached out.
It moved as fast as lightning, grabbed the bone, and then retracted into the gate. With a "whoosh," it vanished back into the gate.
Then, the Ghost Gate, along with the "bone," disappeared from where they stood.
"Ah ah ah ah ah!"
Those on the back of the white crane, seeing this, were first stunned, then each let out a roar of furious indignation.
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