As an official, what's wrong with raising a few monsters?

Chapter 198 General Beheaded
"Behead the King..."

At night, the bonfire crackled.

Mingchen sat beside the fire, quietly flipping through the books.

After death, a person will see the countless Dharma images of the Xuanming Miro Miaofa Supreme in front of the Death Gate, reflecting his life. If he feels ashamed after seeing it, he will be re-entered into the cycle of reincarnation. Before re-entering the cycle of reincarnation, he must undergo ten kinds of punishments to tear his soul apart and reassemble it.

The Beheading King is one of the ten ghost kings in the underworld. He is in charge of the beheading punishment in the underworld and is subordinate to the Supreme Blood Sea Emperor of Hatred, one of the Nine Emperors.

It is rumored that he was a general of the Xia Kingdom two thousand years ago, named Zhuo Yao. He was strong and had superb martial arts skills. He was used to using a long-handled axe, was bloodthirsty, and was good at beheading people.

After unifying the country, there was no one left to kill, so he became a criminal officer of the dynasty, specializing in handling the execution of death row prisoners.

Later, he was convicted of bribery and was also taken to the execution platform.

Before this, he met a Taoist priest who said that he had saved his life, so he gave him a piece of talisman paper, which could protect him from being beheaded if he stuck it on his body.

On the execution platform, he begged the emperor: "Your Majesty, considering my great military achievements, if I survive by beheading, can you pardon my crime?"

The emperor agreed.

On the day of execution, at noon, the executioner chopped off the man's head with his sword.

Zhuo Yao stood up as if nothing had happened.

The emperor then pardoned him.

However, when he left the execution ground and walked on the street, he suddenly heard a female voice behind him saying, "Brother, you left something behind!"

He was shocked all over, knowing that he couldn't look back, but he turned around unconsciously.

Just don't look back.

If I look back, everything will be ruined.

The talisman paper floated to the ground.

The next moment, the world was spinning before my eyes, and my head fell to the ground. I stared blankly at the headless corpse that turned around behind me.

Then the body fell to the ground, lifeless.

Only after his death did he realize that the voice was the voice of Xuanming Miro Miaofa Shangzun, who instructed him to return to the position of Ghost King.

There is no way to avoid death.

He had beheaded too many people and committed too many sins. When he was at the gate of death, he realized that he had no regrets in his life, so he became a demon and was punished. After going through ninety-nine hardships, his soul became strong and he became a ghost king in the underworld. He was surrendered to the Emperor of Hatred, one of the three kings of the underworld who was in charge of punishment, and he still did beheading people.

There are too many mythological stories, too many details, and too much complexity.

Mingchen only had a superficial understanding and didn't have that much time, so he was destined not to know everything like Chen Yutang, the humanoid AI.

Before leaving, I took a related book from home and read it on the way to relieve my boredom.

This is a legendary story produced in the early years of the Qianyuan period, titled "Records of Gods and Ghosts in the Netherworld", which records some stories and legends about the underworld.

In addition to the Beheading King, there are several other unique ghost kings, gods, and even great emperors in the underworld... all of whom have relevant information.

There is no moon tonight and the sky is particularly dark.

Mingchen was looking at the book, but his thoughts were flying far away.

Maomao had never spoken to him before, but this time she communicated with him for the first time, so there shouldn't be any problem.

The question is, how did this ghost king escape from the underworld.

Is it related to the Netherworld Cult and Tongyou Palace that Old Dong is running?
The boss probably doesn’t have this ability.

I left in a hurry and failed to kill the cultivator who controlled the wild ghosts with a slap. I should have let him survive and handle this matter with Old Dong.

Why does Old Dong insist on being emperor? If this cultivator can create something of faith, can other cultivators? Can Ji Wen on our side do the same? What is the price of seizing the power of gods and ghosts? How should we deal with the emergence of the Ghost King? The Immortal Jade Record can collect souls and spirits, but can it also collect this Ghost King?

Various information connected in his mind, and various questions were also pondered in his mind.

While I was thinking, I suddenly heard another voice in my ears.

"Disciple, don't read these superstitious things."

"Come, tell me, how do you plan to fight this battle against the Xiongnu?"

The broken military flag was stuck aside, and the sword tassel tied to it swayed in the wind.

The soldiers around could only feel the cold wind blowing through the room, but could not see anything.

Only Mingchen could see the old general with white hair and beard quietly watching him.

It's spooky and a bit scary.

Mingchen was used to it and didn't care about it.

This time I didn’t mind the trouble and brought this cheap master with me.

The air on the battlefield made Guo Chongyun feel as comfortable as if he were glued to his body.

Ling Yu had brought him to the battlefield before. Watching the army formations and fighting on the battlefield finally made the old ghost happy after being suppressed for a long time.

This time, I originally planned to continue going to the Luzhou battlefield in the north with Ling Yu.

Now hearing that Mingchen was also going to the border to fight the Huns, the old man immediately gave up his plan and followed Mingchen happily.

If given a choice, a master would certainly want to see his apprentice show off his prowess on the battlefield.

Weapons are the necessary force to pacify the world.

What did you say about not commanding troops?

Look, look, look, we’re still on the battlefield!

His good disciple finally got it.

When Mingchen picked up the sword, he wanted to hug him and kiss him.

He couldn't wait to see Mingchen command the army and fight on the battlefield.

Mingchen raised his eyebrows, without even looking at him, and said perfunctorily: "I just want to fight casually."

Guo Chongyun: ...

Good boy, you are worthy of being my disciple, you really know how to make people angry!

It’s been a long time since I’ve been angry with Mingchen, and it still feels this familiar feeling.

"Teacher, tell me, how did you become a ghost?"

"Have you ever seen the underworld, the gates of death?"

"What does it feel like after death?"

Mingchen put down the book and asked Guo Chongyun with interest.

He remembered that when he was in Kyoto before, the ghost-controlling cultivator seemed to be very interested in his cheap teacher.

He is called the "Ghost King". How is his teacher, the Ghost King, compared to the Beheading King who came out of the underworld?

In terms of reputation alone, Guo Chongyun's reputation is actually better than Zhuo Yao's.

But if we talk about actual combat effectiveness, we may not be able to compare with the other party.

The legend is very strange. It is not necessarily the person who is famous and renowned in history who becomes a god.

"Forehead……"

The old man paused and just shook his head: "I don't know either. After I regained consciousness, I became like this."

"What is the underworld? I don't know either!"

He himself was also confused and only knew that he was possessed by this military flag.

He didn't even know whether he was dead or not, let alone whether he was a ghost.

Mingchen asked again: "Then where does your power come from?"

"Think about it, mobilize the power I have, and you'll find it."

I had nothing to do for hundreds of years, so I thought about it on my own and figured it out.

Mingchen: ...

Well, I'm thinking.

There's nothing more to talk about.

Damn, is this cheap teacher also a genius?
"I'm getting off topic. Why are you talking about these trivial things? Disciple, first tell me, how are you going to fight?"

Neither human nor ghost, just living like this.

Anyway, that life is enough.

Lao Gui didn't care about this, but was particularly concerned about how Mingchen planned to fight.

The two were talking, at this moment.

"Master, the training is complete."

A cold voice sounded in his ears, and a petite figure appeared in front of Mingchen.

The child had a blank expression on his face, and his eyes were filled with indifference.

Mingchen was going to fight in the war, and he was not willing to take care of the children. For example, he left his own daughter Xiudie at home and asked her to open a restaurant for fun.

But... not all children are as obedient as Xiudie.

Yun Yao, Mingchen's nominal disciple, is actually just treated as a younger sister like Xiu Die.

It was his brother who originally gave it to Mingchen as a token of interest to show his friendly attitude.

Now her brother has become successful, but the connection has not been severed.

She even didn't live with Yun Zheng, but lived with Mingchen and others in Jinghou Mansion.

The girl is naturally indifferent and doesn't care about anything. She just practices martial arts every day and acts as Xiudie's little follower.

But this time Mingchen led the army out of the city, and she followed him secretly.

Said he wanted to fight.

Speaking of martial arts alone, her brother was not talking nonsense. This kid is really a martial arts genius.

It is even more exaggerated than the shy butterfly. Whether it is comprehension, physical condition, or mentality, it is all at its best.

If you fight against Xiudie, you can win within thirty rounds.

Even when fighting with Ling Yu, he could last twenty rounds. He is simply a little monster.

The elite cavalry led by Mingchen were no match for her in a one-on-one fight.

If she wants to come, it wouldn't be a problem to take her along.

"Rest after training. It's getting late."

After all, I have inherited the teacher's reputation, and I can't waste the unpolished jade.

Yun Yao's training was a training plan tailored for her by Mingchen based on the experience and suggestions of two military training masters, Guo Chongyun and Ling Yu.

The indifferent child nodded slightly: "Oh."

Then, Mingchen seemed to think of something.

"It's too late today, Yunyao. Wait until tomorrow and the teacher will teach you a set of boxing techniques."

When he went south, he completed the drunkard's instructions and received a martial arts reward. Since he had nothing to do, he decided to teach the child.

"it is good."

The child obediently left.

The old ghost no longer had the heart to urge his unfortunate apprentice to learn the art of war, and his figure disappeared.

"Late at night……"

The wood in the campfire burned brightly, making crackling sounds.

Mingchen looked up at the dark night sky and couldn't help but sigh.

It has been more than a year since he took the imperial examination and started his official career. Unknowingly, all kinds of people and all kinds of demons have gathered around him.

There is no one around now, but I feel a little lonely for no reason.

The little bird traveled with him of course, she would never leave him, but she had been acting mysterious these past two days, no one knew what she was up to.

Mingchen always felt that this guy wanted to give him a big one.

……

The night of tomorrow is quiet and peaceful.

The other side is completely different.

The wind howled, dark and strange,
"what……"

"What's wrong? What is this?"

"General, General! Where are we going?"

……

Shrouded in black fog, the soldiers who wanted to leave the north and head southwest fell into chaos.

The cavalry charged out, but what about the infantry without horses?

People's fear is constantly magnified in the darkness.

When united forces come together, they can indeed break through all obstacles.

But the prerequisite is unity.

Otherwise, it would be a mess.

"Don't mess up!"

"Don't mess up!"

"Everyone, follow my orders and charge forward in the direction of my voice!"

Zhao Rujie grabbed a flag, waved it vigorously, and shouted loudly.

At this moment, an invisible wind blew, and a cool feeling spread across the neck.

For no reason, he had a bad feeling in his heart.

"Ah!!! Lao Li, what's wrong with you?!"

"What's going on! Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

One person just turned around, his eyes widened and his face was full of fear.

"Click."

The head was cut off cleanly and fell to the ground, blood gushing out. Seeing this, the companions behind him couldn't help but open their eyes wide and shout loudly.

There is no one else around here!
There are no enemies at all?
How is this going?

How come the head fell off out of nowhere?

Losing your head means death!
How did he die?

Soldiers who have experienced the hardships of the battlefield are brave.

But bravery is limited to facing known enemies. Anyone would feel panic if their head was lost in such a strange way.

Heads fell to the ground one by one, and fear spread.

The morale of the army, which Zhao Rujie had just restored, fell into chaos again in an instant.

"Everyone, don't look back!!!"

"Come out with me!"

I saw the guard in front turn around and his head fall to the ground.

Zhao Rujie's pupils suddenly shrank and he kept shouting loudly.

After rushing out of this valley, they can see Shenjiang River and their destination, the brand new Qianyuan.

He was clearly on horseback and could quickly retreat like the charging cavalry.

But stay here and move forward with these soldiers.

As he had promised before, he would live and die with his soldiers.

"boom!"

A huge roar came from the back, as if something huge was falling from the ceiling, raising dust.

"what!"

"This... monster!"

"help me……"

"Help……"

There were constant screams, and countless people turned around and died.

Zhao Rujie just gritted his teeth and urged the entire army: "Faster, faster!"

"Run!"

The soldiers ran forward desperately.

There are always people screaming and people dying.

The valley shrouded in darkness devours people's souls.

I don’t know how far I ran or how long I ran.

Just after passing through the black fog and the mountains and forests, I could hear the sound of the rushing river ahead.

The dawn sun rose from behind him, stretching Zhao Rujie's shadow very long.

A huge stone bridge spans the river.
The thousands of riders who had escaped earlier were waiting for them on the other side of the river.

Zhao Rujie stopped his horse at the riverside: "Hurry up! Cross the river!"

After running all night, the soldiers, tormented by fear, squeezed out all their strength and, under the protection of the general, ran towards the other side of the river one by one.

As time passed, sweat began to form on Zhao Rujie's head.

The shadows on the ground became shorter.

Zhao Rujie let out a sigh and felt a little more relaxed.

After being tense all night, my spirits relaxed a little at this moment.

However, at this moment, a cold wind blew from behind.

His pupils suddenly shrank, and he didn't know when a huge shadow covered the rising sun behind him.

However, the shadow on the ground did not change and was still his own.

The air seemed to become heavier, and he dared not breathe. A strong sense of oppression pressed on his shoulders.

He knew that he might not be able to leave.

"General! General, save me!"

"General, didn't you say you would live and die with us?!"

"General!"

"General!"

……

Suddenly, the shouts of countless soldiers came from behind my ears.

Either asking for help, complaining, or being angry...

The sound of "General" reached his ears, and his mood was also aroused.

Too many innocent people died tonight!
If these people had not defected with him, would their fate have been better?
After accumulating merits in battles in the North, can you return home to reunite with your family and enjoy your old age?

Reason told him that he should ride forward, cross the river, and go to the ideal country.

However, behind him was his homeland and the souls of countless dead soldiers, and the voices impacted his mind.

Mixed in among them, a childish voice was particularly clear.

"Daddy~"

In an instant, his whole body trembled.

He gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on the hilt of the sword.

"what!!!!"

"You're playing tricks on me, and I'm going to die!"

The veins on his forehead bulged and he roared ferociously.

The sword light was sharp, and the long sword in his hand suddenly slashed over as he turned around.

"when!"

The long sword seemed to have hit something and stopped, but Zhao Rujie still gritted his teeth and slashed down fiercely.

"Whoosh!"

The broken sword tip was blown away.

It's really strange. He clearly hit something, but there was nothing behind him.

Zhao Rujie looked at the vast jungle behind him and the sun rising at dawn, his eyes seemed a little dazed.

As he ran, the dead soldiers behind him formed a bloody road, and heads fell to the ground, still staring at him stubbornly with fear and resentment.

The road below, where the sunlight was shining, led to the underworld of death. Blood was flowing, and it seemed as if a dry hand had reached out from the ground, shaking, as if trying to grab something.

He sat on his horse, standing there in a daze.

His eyes seemed to travel through space and see into a more distant direction.

At the end of his sight, there was an unknown small mountain village in Rinzhou.

The peasant woman got up early to work and unconsciously looked up to the north. Her husband had been on an expedition for many years.

The child opened his eyes from his sleep, and his bright eyes traversed the space.

Having just woken up, with his vision blurry, he seemed to see an armored general sitting on a horse, smiling gently at him.

For no reason, my nose felt sore and tears welled up.

The flying axe came from nowhere and became bigger and bigger in Zhao Rujie's eyes.

Until the end, let it cut through the neck.

"Puch!"

Blood gushed out, and the tall figure, holding the broken sword, was still sitting on the horse.

The head flew into the sky and slowly fell to the ground.

The frown that had been on his face for a long time finally seemed to relax.

He didn't know why he turned back.

Is it the soldiers' cry of resentment?

Maybe...

General Ling, Qian Yuan, Your Majesty... Rujie has lived up to your trust.

From the valley to the banks of the Shenjiang River, blood soaked the soil and headless corpses were scattered everywhere, forming a road of corpses.

Tens of thousands of people died here tonight, and the smell of blood alone is enough to chill one to the bone.

In the shadows, two figures appeared and disappeared.

I watched helplessly as the defecting soldiers escaped one by one.

Tong Wuchang frowned.

The Northern Army rebelled, which was completely beyond their expectations, and they were actually heading towards the enemy.

The Headless Beheaded King beside him trembled slightly, and the chain axe appeared in his hand out of thin air.

He covered his waist, and a scratch flashed with purple light, and death spread from it.

He had no head or eyes, and just stared at the headless general sitting on his horse by the river. No one knew what he was thinking.

Courage is the hymn of mankind.

This mortal actually overcame his fear of ghosts and gods and injured him.

The underworld knows the most about life and death, and the souls of the dead, but this general seems a little strange.

After death, it seems that we are beyond the control of the underworld.

Doesn't he believe in ghosts and gods?
"Sir...this..."

Tong Wuchang looked at the soldiers crossing the river.

If these soldiers run away, they will become their enemies in the future.

"The Ghost King will not leave the underworld."

The Beheading King simply stood up, walked behind him, and disappeared into the darkness.

Only one sentence was left to spread in the darkness.

If he goes to another country, it will be beyond his sphere of influence.

After the Beheaded King disappeared,

An invisible and strange force spread out and fell on the beheaded soldiers one by one.

Their bodies trembled slightly, and they actually climbed up from the ground one by one, following each other and disappearing into the darkness.

Only the general who was riding a horse and standing proudly by the river was still standing there.

The sunlight shone down, and the bright light sprinkled on the mottled black armor, making it sparkle.

……

The sun rose and the bonfire burned to ashes.

"It's a bit cold today."

Mingchen stood up and stretched his body.

I raised my head and quietly watched the sun slowly rising in the distance.

The bright sunshine is a bit dazzling.

It's dawn, and after a rest, it's time to set off again on the westward expedition.

"Sir, I'm back~"

The bird flew back from somewhere and landed precisely on his shoulder.

Mingchen asked her, "What did you do last night?"

The bird said matter-of-factly, "I found a quiet place to practice."

Mingchen was a little suspicious: "Really?"

"Of course!"

"it is good!"

While talking to the bird, Mingchen suddenly seemed to notice something. He frowned slightly, lowered his head, and the Immortal Jade Record appeared in his hand as he thought.

The book, which no one else could see, turned several pages back, and a general wearing black armor, holding a broken sword and riding a galloping horse suddenly appeared on it.

Kill the ghost general, Zhao Rujie.

"General Zhao?"

Mingchen lowered his eyes slightly.

He remembered that this man was the garrison commander left behind when Ling Yu left the northern border, and he was one of the cavalrymen who had fought their way out of the brutal battlefield with Ling Yu.

He was actually very capable, brave and courageous. After Ling Yu left, he managed the entire Northern Army in an orderly manner and there was no trouble.

Ling Yu had previously sent him a letter of surrender.

How did it happen? You appeared here?
died?

Behead the King?
Various information intertwined in his mind.

"Sir, the time has come, we should leave."

While he was thinking, a stern guard came up to Mingchen and bowed to report.

Not far away, a cavalry corps of several hundred people and fully equipped was ready to go.

The child also followed the army, carrying Guo Chongyun's large flag and riding on the back of a small pony.

Mingchen came back to his senses, suppressed all his emotions, and simply said, "Let's go!"

(End of this chapter)