The most secure job in Dajin

Chapter 381, Besieged on All Sides

Hua Changxi learned from the boy with the Dark Eyes that there was indeed a deep, dark well beneath the mass grave, and thus guessed that the Ghost Fire Well was most likely located in this area.

When she explored the mass grave before, she did not find any trace of spatial fluctuations, so she did not think of it as a blessed land.

Now, after leaving the mortuary, Hua Changxi returned to the mass grave, and this time, she investigated even more thoroughly.

Finally, when scanning the center of the mass grave with his divine sense, he discovered traces of an array.

Someone has set up a concealment array to cover up the fluctuations in space!

Hua Changxi's expression was somewhat solemn; she was worried that someone had already taken over the Ghost Fire Well.

She didn't necessarily want to possess all the blessed lands.

However, based on her previous experiences with the Karmic Fire Platform, the Nine Heavens Fire Spring, and the Departure Fire Cliff, the masters of the blessed lands and grotto-heavens would receive clear instructions that the twelve blessed lands and grotto-heavens were to serve the Vermilion Bird Army.

But now, the people who occupied the Ghost Fire Well have attacked the Vermilion Bird Army!
This completely contradicts the very foundation of the existence of blessed lands and grotto heavens.

It is unknown whether the previously missing Suzaku Army was also related to the Ghost Fire Well.
Fearing that he might alert the enemy, Hua Changxi did not venture deeper into the mass grave and withdrew from it.

"Changxi".

Hua Changxi had just come out when she saw Tong Yao, who was also exploring the mass grave. Besides him, there were several other groups of cultivators from other forces in the distance.

Tong Yao walked up to Hua Changxi and exclaimed, "Your flying technique is amazing! You left me far behind, and I couldn't even find you anymore."

Hua Changxi smiled modestly and then asked, "What brings you here?"

Tong Yao countered, "Then why are you here too?"

Hua Changxi: "I just wanted to come and see which side dared to attack the Vermilion Bird Army?"

Tong Yao's expression turned serious: "I heard that a giant hand formed from black mist attacked the Vermilion Bird Army." As he spoke, he looked around the mass grave. "This place is eerily gloomy, and that black mist is most likely ghostly energy."

Hua Changxi frowned: "This mass grave looks like it has been abandoned for a long time. I can't figure out why it has accumulated so much ghostly energy?"

Tong Yao seemed to have thought of something; his lips tightened and his brows furrowed.

Seeing his reaction, Hua Changxi took the initiative to share some of her findings: "In this area, apart from a dilapidated mortuary a few miles away, there is almost no human habitation within a radius of dozens of miles. This is very abnormal."

Tong Yao then said, "A very tragic village annihilation incident once occurred here." He paused, "It wasn't just one village, but seven or eight villages in a row. All the villagers disappeared overnight."

"The imperial court dispatched the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate the incident. The final conclusion was that it was caused by a ferocious beast."

"But what kind of ferocious beast could silently sweep away so many villagers?"

"The reasons given by the imperial court were simply not convincing enough. The first person to stand up and express disbelief was Song Weimin, the county magistrate at the time. It was his continuous petitions that prompted the relocation of the surrounding villages."

"After that, the mass grave was abandoned."

Hua Changxi's eyes flickered upon hearing this.

People from several villages mysteriously disappeared, and the imperial court claimed it was caused by ferocious beasts, implying either that they were incompetent enough to investigate and hadn't found anything, or that they were deliberately covering something up.

Hua Changxi looked at the mass grave, her expression suddenly changed, and she remembered something.

When she first met Prince Shou, she smelled a disgusting odor on him, which now seemed remarkably similar to the smell at the mass grave.

Did the royal family take over the Ghost Fire Well?
A sharp glint flashed in Hua Changxi's eyes as she looked at Tong Yao: "When did the villagers go missing?"

Tong Yao: "That happened more than ten or twenty years ago."

Hua Changxi narrowed his eyes.

Villagers disappeared, the Zhuque Army disappeared, a foul stench, a well with ghostly fire, and a ghostly hand.
Connecting these events, it's reasonable to speculate that someone is performing some kind of evil magic at the Ghost Fire Well, and the royal family is the prime suspect.

Seeing that the groups of people who had been investigating the mass grave had left one after another, Tong Yao said to Hua Changxi, "Let's go too." He paused and lowered his voice.

"I heard that the reason why the Lord of Lingguang Palace took such a strong action was because the Vermilion Bird Army had also gone missing."

“This place is somewhat eerie. The Demon Suppression Army has also come to investigate, but they were all driven back by the dense ghostly aura.”

Hua Changxi looked over: "How do you know that some members of the Vermilion Bird Army have gone missing?"

Tong Yao chuckled: "The Vermilion Bird Army is not without members of powerful and influential families."

Hua Changxi remained silent and left the mass grave with Tong Yao.

Tong Yao: "What are you going to do next?"

Hua Changxi: "I want to go see the second place where the Vermilion Bird Army was attacked."

Tong Yao looked at Hua Changxi meaningfully: "You seem to care a lot about the Vermilion Bird Army."

Hua Changxi didn't even turn his head, leaving behind a single word, "Yes," before heading straight for the territory where the tiger demon had attacked the Vermilion Bird Army.

Tong Yao watched Hua Changxi's retreating figure, moved his lips as if he wanted to ask something, but after a moment of silence, he swallowed his words.

Soon, Hua Changxi and Tong Yao arrived at the place where the tiger demon had appeared, one after the other.

Hua Changxi observed the terrain and said, "The Vermilion Bird Army was first attacked by the Ghost Hand, and then encountered the Tiger Demon. They were attacked from both sides, which is meant to kill the Vermilion Bird Army!"

As she spoke, she looked at Tong Yao.

"I don't believe in coincidences. The fact that Ghost Hand and Tiger Demon attacked the Vermilion Bird Army at the same time means that Ghost Hand and the demon race have joined forces."

Tong Yao's expression was also very serious. He thought so too, after all, that tiger demon was a Spirit Platform Realm demon beast, which was a big shot among the demon race.

Hua Changxi's mood was quite heavy at this moment. If the Ghost Fire Well was really occupied by the royal family, then she would have to face the royal family head-on.

That's not all; the demon race also got involved.

Although the Vermilion Bird Army has a considerable number of members, its overall combat strength is still insufficient.

Those with Nascent Soul Realm cultivation account for less than 10% of the total number of Vermilion Bird Army members; those with Core Formation Realm cultivation account for only about 20%; the vast majority of the remaining members are still at the Qi Sea Realm; and cultivators at the Qi Refining Realm account for about 10%.

The royal family captured the Vermilion Bird Army, presumably to perform some kind of evil magic, but what about the demon race? Was it just to eat the Vermilion Bird Army?
Hua Changxi looked at Tong Yao: "Why do you think the demon race got involved?"

Tong Yao said, "The demon race is probably after Nanxiang City." Seeing Hua Changxi's confusion, he added, "You don't necessarily think that Nanxiang City will be taken over by the human race, do you?"

Hua Changxi: "Isn't that right? Isn't Nanxiang City, like Xuanyuan City, a settlement of the human race?"

Tong Yao: "Nanxiang City was indeed a settlement of the human race in ancient times. However, Nanxiang City was also the training ground of the Vermilion Bird Emperor in the Central Continent."

"For an existence like the Vermilion Bird Emperor, both humans and demons are beings of the Four Spirit Realms. Therefore, demons can also take over Nanxiang City."

Hua Changxi was devastated after hearing this.

She certainly wouldn't abandon the Lingguang Palace, so one day in the future, she'll have to face the entire demon race.

Tong Yao looked at Hua Changxi: "Fortunately, the Lingguang Palace appeared a few years ago and recruited so many Vermilion Bird soldiers so quickly. I think the demon race must be anxious, which is why they sent a Spirit Platform Realm demon to test us."

Hua Changxi nodded haphazardly in agreement, then said, "Tong Yao, I have something to do, so I won't talk to you anymore."

If the demon race is secretly eyeing Nanxiang City, and the people who have joined forces with the demon race to occupy the Ghostfire Well, then she must get rid of them quickly, otherwise she will be attacked from both sides.

No, we're already besieged on all sides.

(End of this chapter)