I wield power with my innate talents, and forge the Heavenly Court.

Chapter 148 The Caravan, the Blood Tiger, and the Strange Events at the Burial Pit
Outside Yumen Pass, two miles away from the burial pits, on the road leading to Yumen Pass, a group of merchants slowly made their way towards the setting sun.

"Phew! We're almost there. After passing the next section and walking another ten miles or so, we'll reach Yumen Pass."
"Everyone, speed up! Let's reach Yumen Pass before 7 PM!"

"Father, aren't we getting a little too late to head to Yumen Pass now?"

A boy of seventeen or eighteen glanced at the setting sun in the west.

"Hehe, it's not too late, not too late."

His father, a middle-aged man in his thirties, looked at him and said with a smile.

"But Father, by the time of Xu (7-9 PM), won't the city be closed and a curfew imposed?"

The boy looked puzzled.

"Haha, young master, you may not know this, but Yumen Pass is different from Guazhou and Shazhou. Because it is adjacent to Turpan, a normal curfew is still in effect there."

Seeing the puzzled look on the boy's face, an old man from the caravan next to him couldn't help but laugh and explain:
"The cities under the control of the People's Salvation Army, apart from the border cities, such as the inner cities like Yumen Pass and Jiayu Pass, basically do not close their city gates."

The curfew is also short, lasting about three hours, from 9 PM to 3 AM.

Further inland beyond Jiayuguan, there is no curfew at all.

"This"

After hearing the old man's explanation, the boy was dumbfounded.

"If that's the case, wouldn't it be chaotic at night? Wouldn't that be very dangerous?"

"Ha! Within the territory of the People's Salvation Army, there are patrol officers from the Inspection Bureau."
I've heard they possess supernatural powers, enabling them to locate criminals at lightning speed.
Trying to commit a crime in front of them is incredibly difficult.
Those who didn't believe in the evil spirits were either beheaded or sent to labor camps.
So now, very few people commit crimes at night.”

"Huh? Is that so? Do they really possess supernatural powers?"

"Perhaps, but that's not something we outsiders could possibly know."

"Oh, if they really possess supernatural powers, I really wish I could join them."

Without realizing it, the boy revealed a longing in his hand.

Who hasn't dreamed of cultivating immortality and becoming a god?

"Haha, many merchants who have entered the territory of the Salvation Army have had this idea."
However, joining is not an easy thing.

Are there any conditions?

"Well, unless you're a citizen of the Ming Dynasty, you'll need to make significant contributions to join the People's Salvation Army."

"Oh, what kind of contributions are required?"

"Yes, just like those prisoners of war who were sent to do forced labor, if they completed three years without committing any illegal or disorderly acts, they also had the opportunity to join the People's Salvation Army."
If those prisoners can do it, then we certainly can too.
Moreover, the time required is relatively short, but it's still not simple.

"What methods are available?"

"For example, bringing or developing technologies that the militia doesn't have, or providing scarce resources that they need, can all provide opportunities to join the militia."

"Will we be able to master supernatural powers then?"

"Uh, I don't know."

Anyway, those ordinary people don't have any.

And we, who joined in, are just ordinary people.

As for mastering supernatural powers, perhaps one needs to become an official.

"Oh, that's a real shame."

Upon hearing this, the boy couldn't help but sigh slightly.

Just then, the boy twitched his nose slightly and frowned as he said:
“What’s that smell?”

"Oh, the smell of blood."

His father, who was also the leader of the caravan, frowned almost imperceptibly and spoke in as calm a tone as possible.

"Blood, the smell of blood? How could there be a smell of blood here?"

"Hehe, this is the battlefield where 50,000 troops from Turpan attacked Yumen Pass and were slaughtered by that Blood Tiger General."

Moreover, about two miles to the right is where the bodies of those Turpan soldiers were buried.

At this point, the caravan leader showed a complicated expression.

After all, although they were not from the Turpan Khanate, they were from the Yarkand Khanate, which bordered Turpan.

In some respects, they were originally one country, belonging to the Eastern Chagatai Khanate, and before that, they were Yilibali.

Later, Turpan broke away and established the Yarkand Khanate, leaving only a small piece of territory in Ili.

That's why his eyes looked so complicated when he talked about Wang Dahu's massacre of the army in Turpan.

"Blood Tiger" was the name given to Wang Dahu by the people of Turpan and Yarkand Khanates, meaning that he was bloodthirsty and bloodthirsty, and that any army that fought against him would be slaughtered by him.

"Battlefield? A burial ground?"

After muttering a few words, the boy's face turned slightly pale, and he suddenly felt a chill in the air.

In fact, after these things were mentioned, everyone around fell silent and felt a chill in the air.

The Blood Tiger's reputation for slaughter was too great, and the surrounding area was the battlefield of his captured troops, with a mass grave next door. It was difficult for everyone to remain calm.

As everyone fell silent, spiritual energy rose up on a spiritual level that they could not sense.

Most of it was transformed by spiritual power, but much of the spiritual power containing profound impressions and consciousness was not immediately transformed. Some remained where everyone was, this battlefield that had witnessed so much slaughter, and would be eroded and assimilated by spiritual power over time.

Another portion of it drifted towards the location of the burial pit.

Some floated above, while others, as if drawn by something, wisps of them descended to the earth below.

In fact, not only this caravan, but also the people of Yumen Pass, and even the people of Guazhou and Shazhou to the west, all kept these burial pits a secret and were extremely afraid of them.

Negative spiritual forces related to these burial pits are generated from time to time, and these forces also merge into them.

However, due to the distance, places like Guazhou and Shazhou did not leave a deep impression, and the power they generated could not reach them at all.

They truly felt a deep aversion to the burial pits near Guazhou and Shazhou, and most of the spiritual forces associated with them were also incorporated into them.

Even if merchants return from the local area, and are deeply impressed, the spiritual power they generate cannot travel hundreds of miles; it will be completely eroded and assimilated by spiritual energy halfway there.

However, much of the spiritual power generated by the people of Yumen Pass was not eroded and assimilated in time, and instead gathered and fell into the burial pit.

If the people here can see the spiritual realm, they can see the location of the burial pit, with spiritual radiance like rain constantly falling onto the earth below and then disappearing into it.

Deep within the earth, clusters of spiritual energy aggregated and pulsated slightly, instantly absorbing the spiritual energy descending from above.

Finally, some of the aggregates of spiritual power seemed to have absorbed enough spiritual power, and suddenly contracted violently, instantly solidifying into several parts.

Immediately afterwards, those aggregates of spiritual power actually struggled slightly, suddenly breaking free from the constraints of their bodies, transforming into hazy human figures, and staying blankly in the soil above them.

Some of the bodies that were buried relatively shallowly had hazy human figures struggling to break free from their bodies, with half of their bodies protruding above the ground.

From a distance, it looks as if there are rows of human figures standing there.

At the same time, as these hazy figures broke free from their physical constraints, the surrounding天地能量 (heaven and earth energy) began to be attracted and spontaneously converged towards them due to the spiritual aggregate.

Then, these energies of heaven and earth began to merge with their spiritual power, gradually evolving into a special power that lies between spiritual power and the energy of heaven and earth.

This force possesses the characteristics of both, and has a certain ability to interfere with reality.

And as time went on, their originally illusory spiritual bodies began to gradually transform into something tangible, possessing illusory forms that could be observed with the naked eye.

By this point, they seemed to have developed some instincts and become stronger.

They began to wander around, instinctively devouring more spiritual power and absorbing more energy from heaven and earth.

Even the innate energy fluctuated slightly.

Ultimately, however, those innate energies did not converge towards them.

However, if the mountain won't come to me, then I'll go to the mountain.

Following their instincts, those illusory, hazy figures began to move towards places rich in innate energy.

Even if they reach places with abundant innate energy, they still cannot directly absorb it.

However, even just occasionally getting a bit of innate energy will make their bodies a little more solid.

However, the innate energy in the wild is ultimately not as abundant as that of the city where spiritual energy and national fortune are most concentrated.

Once their bodies have been staring at a certain point, they can no longer progress.

Instinctively, becoming somewhat restless, they began to devour more spiritual power, hoping to strengthen their own foundation in order to absorb more innate energy.

When they occasionally encounter each other, they will devour each other; if you bite me, I will bite you back.

However, usually only for a short while, driven by instinct, they will separate again and go far away to find places with abundant innate energy.

After they are separated, their bodies will gradually recover as they continue to absorb spiritual power, eventually returning to the state they were in when they died.

Thus, figures began to wander around the burial pit, biting each other briefly when they met, before continuing to wander separately.

In an instant, the entire burial pit became haunted by ghostly figures.

As the caravan was about to leave the burial pit, the boy, despite his fear, couldn't help but look back with curiosity.

Upon seeing that one glance, he was immediately stunned.

"Father, Father, look over there, is there someone there?"

The boy pointed shakily to the location of the burial pit.

Upon hearing this, everyone felt a chill run down their spines.

Seeing the boy's actions, his father's heart tightened, and he couldn't help but frown, scolding him:
"Hatake, you mustn't speak nonsense; you must have a sense of awe."

"It's true, it's true, there really are people there."

"Gudong!"

Seeing Hatake's pale face and trembling body, everyone swallowed hard, feeling a chill run down their spines. Some of them stiffly turned their heads to look at the burial pit.

This left everyone stunned.

"There really is someone there."

"Boss, there really are people there."

"Wow!"

In an instant, the crowd erupted in an uproar, all turning to look at the spot with expressions of shock and disbelief.

That place is a burial ground, and even at noon, almost no one goes there, let alone now that the sun is about to set.

(End of this chapter)