Immortality: Starting with a grave, I'm invincible when burying corpses.

"There seems to be something over at Black Wolf Stronghold? It's quite high up, can you see it clearly?"

"Who knows what Black Wolf Stronghold is up to? They haven't had a moment's peace all night."

"Something's not right, something's not right! That...that's bone, all bone...a tower of bones!"

"Still dreaming? It's already dawn, wake up! The guys who are handing over duties will be here soon. If you're still sleepy, go back and play with two girls for a while, and really wake yourself up."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm still sleepy, I must be still sleepy..."

"Wait a minute, there's someone outside the village... he looks like he's carrying something!"

"There really is someone. What's with the thing he's carrying that looks so strange?"

"A head! That's a head!"

"A ghost!!!"

"Bang!"

The bloodied head fell between the two bandits. Their eyes met, and a piercing scream echoed through the sky.

At the same time, a powerful voice rang out in front of the gate of Tiger Stronghold.

"On behalf of the Kaiyang Envoy of the Dark Feather Guard, I present this gift!"

……

Ten miles away from the destroyed Black Wolf Stronghold, a cluster of strongholds is nestled on the mountainside.

The mountain stronghold is very large, stretching for miles, and is home to nearly 20,000 people. It is the second largest stronghold in Qishan.

Ten miles is very close, close enough that the bandits of Fierce Tiger Stronghold can clearly see the outline of Black Wolf Stronghold.

Even ten miles is a long way, so far that it requires crossing three mountain peaks and taking two full days on foot.

That's how it is in the deep mountains; just a few miles away is enough to make one feel true despair.

Those who frequently hike know that distances on mountains are the least reliable; the higher the mountain, the less reliable the distance becomes.

If it's a straight-line distance, it's enough to drive anyone crazy.

Within the territory of Lingzhou, there are eight major forces in Qishan. The most powerful of them calls themselves Qishan Village, and is also known as the Qishan Bandits in the eyes of the world.

In fact, Qishan Village's forces had already retreated to the deep mountains ten years ago, and apart from trade with the outside world, they rarely interacted with it anymore.

Even the two mountain roads that were initially opened up for robbery were abandoned by them and later occupied by other bandit groups.

Over the years, the Qishan bandits, who were once considered ferocious by the world, are no longer the same people they once were.

Qishan is vast enough to support hundreds of thousands of people. There is actually not much conflict among these mountain bandits. They only occasionally fight for territory, recruit one or two strategists, and follow the strategies of alliances and counter-alliances written in ancient books.

Sometimes, when things get really heated, it's not uncommon for people to get their brains knocked out.

There's a reason why bandits fight; they don't need many justifications.

That's true, but Qishan Village's power has been steadily increasing in recent years.

The initial alliances and counter-alliances have evolved into a blood oath among seven families to jointly resist a powerful enemy.

It wasn't that they had any grand plans; it was simply because even if the remaining seven families combined, they might not be able to defeat Qishan Village, which had many skilled fighters.

In this cold world, only by forming an alliance and sticking together can the seven clans bring some comfort to their respective mountain leaders.

The seven leaders walked on thin ice, indulging in sensual pleasures while carefully instructing their bandits to avoid conflict with Qishan Village, thus barely maintaining the current balance.

But today, as dawn broke, the bandits who hadn't slept all night on the watchtower finally saw their ally's stronghold and let out their first terrified scream.

As the Golden Order Walker strode in carrying the head, throwing the bloodied severed head onto the gate, everything changed.

At the same time, the rising sun rose from the horizon, and the morning light from the east crossed the surrounding mountains, illuminating the mountain village deep in Qishan.

The fifty-meter-high spire is placed at the highest point of Black Wolf Village, shining brightly in the morning sun.

The faint light of dawn dispelled the darkness and also chased away the chill in the spire.

Three thousand mountain bandits, twelve hundred old people, women and children, and the entire Black Wolf Stronghold—all those who swore to resist to the death—were transformed into part of this spire.

Of the nearly 6,000 people in the entire village, only a little over 1,000 elderly, women, and children remained who did not resist.

A total of 4,200 corpses were used, all usable bones were employed, and the internal mechanisms of the Dark Feather Guard were utilized to complete this spectacle overnight.

From afar, it is magnificent and grand, enough to make anyone who sees it feel a chill down their spine, and they dare not even turn around, only daring to stay under the sun, for fear that something might appear behind them.

Standing at the foot of the bone tower, bathed in the rising sun, Mu An opened his arms and squinted his eyes.

But after a while, he felt unlucky again, found a corner, spat twice, and then condensed a splash of water to wash his hands.

When I return to Qing'an County this time, I must have a good chat with the Taoist and Buddhist ancestors to wash away all this bad luck.

The abbot of Ling'an Temple must understand the difficulties Mu Dashanren faced, after all, the abbot spoke the most pleasant words.

As for the old Taoist priest at Chaoyun Temple, that old geezer has a foul mouth and shouts about eliminating demons and protecting the righteous path all day long, but it's not a big problem. A beating will make him understand human speech.

Thinking of the Taoist priest and the Buddhist monk, Mu An suddenly clapped his hands.

No! No!

He's still lacking. If he leaves now, the Taoist Ancestor and the Buddha will definitely be dissatisfied with him.

That's not good; it will make him embarrassed to speak loudly in front of the two big shots.

Yes, I really shouldn't have done so little myself this time.

If you cut it too little, you have to cut it even more to give yourself the confidence to speak loudly!

Lost in thought, Mu An took out a map and muttered to himself about the remaining four villages.

"One village, two villages, three villages, four villages, I'll choose whoever's pointed to."

Seeing that his finger finally stopped on a village called Black Bear Village, Mu An nodded repeatedly, feeling that this was the will of Heaven.

It is a choice recognized by both the Taoist patriarch and the Buddha.

The name "Black Bear Village" sounds like it has a strong connection to him, so it's only right that I go and see him off.

It's no wonder Mu An caused trouble; the Jingguan (a mound of corpses) was too short and not impressive enough, which certainly didn't suit Princess Yongning's taste.

What should have been a magnificent mound of Jingguan (a traditional Chinese mound of human remains) has been transformed into a tower-like structure, thin and small, clearly indicating malnutrition.

Bad review, absolutely bad review.

He could imagine the look of disgust on Princess Yongning's face when she saw it.

The princess treated him with sincerity, giving him spiritual fruits, a divine sword, and such a precious token. He could not be ungrateful.

We have to build this tower at least a hundred meters high!

The bandits of Black Bear Stronghold would surely be overjoyed to hear of this grand plan and would willingly offer their lives for Princess Yongning's ambitious cause!

It not only aligns with the will of Heaven, but also gains the approval of both the Taoist and Buddhist leaders, and allows one to repay the princess's kindness—a triple win.

As expected, the bandits of Black Bear Stronghold all deserve to die!

Having made up his mind, Mu An took a step forward, looked at the Dark Feather Guards who had already tidied up the battlefield, and gave the order.

"Rest for a day, then wipe out Black Bear Stronghold tonight! You are allowed to keep 70% of the spoils!"

……