The northern nether realm:
The rise of the Han Imperial Dynasty had set the world abuzz. Its swift conquest showed strong momentum, capturing one city after another.
While a hundred cities might not be much, it amassed five hundred in just three short months.
Its momentum was unstoppable, its armies capturing every city they approached. This did not go unnoticed; all the major factions started to pay attention.
Deep in the northern forests of the nether realm, a place shrouded in sinister energy, countless ghosts knelt before a massive tomb.
“Ancestor, please come out! My sect is facing extinction!”
“Ancestor, it is about to happen to my sect, too!”
“Ancestor Mang Shan, my Eighteen Ghost Sect Alliance is about to be swallowed up by this Han Imperial Dynasty from the land of the living! Ancestor, I beg you. Please come out!”
…
Various ghost kings of the nether realm continuously kowtowed towards that massive tomb.
Suddenly, a wisp of azure smoke appeared atop the tomb and materialized into an elder in green robes. He gazed indifferently at the eighteen kneeling ghost king sect masters leading the multitude.
“Ancestor, you finally appeared!” exclaimed the ghost king sect masters, their faces full of joy.
“Come inside,” Ancestor Mang Shan said calmly.
“Yes!” The eighteen ghost king sect masters eagerly followed him into the tomb.
The tomb’s interior seemed to be an independent world full of countless palaces. The ghost king sect masters dared not look around too much as they followed Ancestor Mang Shan into a grand hall.
Sitting in the host’s seat of the hall, Mang Shan held a bowl of blood tea, sipping it gently.
“A hundred years ago, I told you not to disturb me without my permission while I meditated on the Great Dao. Fortunately, I’ve broken through to the Upper Heavenly Palace Realm’s ninth layer. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be seeing me,” he said calmly.
“Ancestor has broken through? This is wonderful! Ancestor is mighty! You’ll unify the northern nether realm!”
“This is great! The Upper Heavenly Palace Realm’s ninth layer?! Ancestor is boundlessly mighty! You definitely can turn the tide for us!”
…
The ghost king sect masters welcomed the news with pleasant surprise.
“Speak, what happened?” Ancestor Mang Shan asked indifferently.
The gathered ghost king sect masters promptly relayed the situation concerning the Han Imperial Dynasty.
“An imperial dynasty?” Ancestor Mang Shan’s eyes narrowed.
“Yes, they seem to have come from the land of the living into the nether realm. This insignificant one suspects they couldn’t make it in the land of the living, so they had to hide here. Or maybe their emperor—yes, their emperor seems to be the Bone Ancestor, who now goes by the name Gu Hai!” a ghost king sect master quickly responded.
“So, it’s the Myriad Bone Sinister Mountain’s Bone Ancestor! I remember the Bone Ancestor. He was always unstable—sometimes clear-headed, sometimes confused. I lost to him back in the day, but I’ve now advanced to the Upper Heavenly Palace Realm’s ninth layer. He might not be my match anymore!” Ancestor Mang Shan sneered.
“Of course, Ancestor, when you make your move, we’ll definitely turn the tide!” the ghost king sect masters assured him.
“Your eighteen ghost sects are ultimately under my domain. When beating up a dog, one should check who its master is first. It seems the Bone Ancestor is targeting me? Humph!” Ancestor Mang Shan snorted coldly.
“No, it doesn’t seem that way,” a ghost king sect master said, looking rather stiff.
“Huh?” Ancestor Mang Shan turned his gaze to that ghost king sect master.
“The Han Imperial Dynasty is attacking indiscriminately, not just our Eighteen Ghost Sect Alliance. It’s expanding in all directions from its capital, Everlasting Nether Capital. It has eighteen armies led mainly by four commanders: Gao Xianzhi, Kong Xuan, the Mosquito Daoist, and Long Shenying,” that ghost king sect master explained.
“Four commanders? Eighteen armies? How strong are these four commanders?” Ancestor Mang Shan inquired gravely.
“We don’t know; they haven’t shown their hand. Gao Xianzhi has someone named Prime Shangguan beside him who seems to be from the land of the living—some Black Tortoise Prime—but doesn’t look too impressive. Kong Xuan, the Mosquito Daoist, Long Shenying—they haven’t acted, either. Probably nowhere near your level, Ancestor!” a ghost king sect master recalled.
“They haven’t shown their hand, and you still got defeated?” Ancestor Mang Shan countered coldly.
“We-we-we didn’t expect them to have so many Upper Heavenly Palace Realm cultivators. They have something called the Divine Demon Army and also support from the skeleton race, as well as the land of the living’s dragons, black tortoises, and a horde of experts. We just didn’t have time to act. They have too many people! We…,” a ghost king sect master stammered in response with a bitter smile.
“To capture the bandits, capture their leader first. Don’t you know to eliminate the four commanders first?” Ancestor Mang Shan chided flatly.
“We…” The ghost king sect masters were bitter.
“You said earlier that the Han Imperial Dynasty is expanding indiscriminately, risking offending all factions just to expand its territory quickly?” Ancestor Mang Shan asked gravely.
“Yes!”
“Then there’s no need for me to go all out. The Bone Ancestor? He used to dominate the northern nether realm but made countless enemies. I’ve broken through, and other ancestors probably have, too. Send a notice to all the ancestors,” Ancestor Mang Shan said nonchalantly.
“Yes!” the ghost king sect masters cheered.
At the same time, other factions in the northern nether realm, besides those in Ancestor Mang Shan’s territory, were also desperately seeking help from their ancestors. This made the many ancestors curious about the Han Imperial Dynasty.
They thought that the Han Imperial Dynasty would know when to stop, but another month passed, during which the Han Imperial Dynasty had expanded to eight hundred cities, thoroughly infuriating the ghost Dao ancestors.
At Mang Shan’s tomb, Ancestor Mang Shan hosted a banquet for a large group of ghost Dao experts.
“Congratulations, Ancestor Mang Shan, for succeeding in your cultivation, reaching the Upper Heavenly Palace Realm’s ninth layer!”
The gathered ancestors were initially full of themselves. However, when they sensed Ancestor Mang Shan’s “unintentionally” revealed aura, their expressions turned to shock. Only three ancestors were simply surprised and not fearful like the others.
These three became Ancestor Mang Shan’s most honored guests and shared the table with him.
Despite their high-and-mighty attitudes upon arrival, they started treating Ancestor Mang Shan as an equal after realizing he had reached the Upper Heavenly Palace Realm’s ninth layer.
“Everyone has seen it—the Han Imperial Dynasty’s arrogance is unbearable. It has already seized eight hundred cities, yet its greed knows no bounds. Any thoughts?” Ancestor Mang Shan opened the discussion midway through the banquet.
“It’s just the Bone Ancestor, who even lost his throne to someone called the Bone Deity a while back. Somehow, he managed to regain his throne. He is probably just as strong as he was previously.”
“We’ve never heard of that Kong Xuan, the Mosquito Daoist, Long Shenying, Shangguan Hen, Gao Xianzhi. They’re definitely nobodies. Which ancestor here is not the overlord of their region? Any ancestor here can easily crush them!”
“Exactly, even if it’s the Bone Ancestor, he’s made a grave mistake in challenging us all. If we take action, we can wipe out his Everlasting Nether Capital and never let it rise again!”
…
These ancestors continuously derided the Bone Ancestor.
Messages did not travel fast in the nether realm, unlike in the land of the living. When something big happens, it would take a long time for the news to reach everyone.
Except for the Mosquito Daoist, who was previously in the western nether realm, none of the others from the Han Imperial Dynasty had appeared in the northern nether realm before. Naturally, no one knew about them.
As for the chaotic battles in the land of the living, while some people’s ghosts entered the nether realm after dying, those ghosts only knew of the Han Nation as an imperial dynasty in the land of the living. After all, how many people had a thorough knowledge of Gu Hai? Furthermore, these ghosts were weak and often overlooked.
Gu Hai’s rapid growth was attributed solely to the Bone Ancestor in the eyes of the many ancestors.
These ancestors thought the Bone Ancestor was simply a ruthless killer who had gathered a crew of Lower Heavenly Palace Realm cultivators and thought he was invincible.
As they feasted on human brains and sipped the blood of the young, they relished in evil and casually dismissed the Han Imperial Dynasty.
At this gathering were some of the most powerful ghost ancestors of the northern nether realm. While they were aware of the strength of the Han Imperial Dynasty, none of them took it seriously. They had never personally taken action against it, maintaining an air of self-importance. Now, they formed an alliance in this jovial setting.
“If we’re all in agreement, let’s show the Bone Ancestor—no, he is Gu Hai now—what happens when rules are broken!” Ancestor Mang Shan declared solemnly.
“Agreed!” the other ancestors responded.
“Prepare yourselves. We’ll wipe out the Han Imperial Dynasty in one fell swoop,” Ancestor Mang Shan announced.
“Agreed!”
“Catching the leader is usually the first step in defeating a foe. However, it’s an honor for the Bone Ancestor’s puny imperial dynasty that we’re even forming an alliance against it. We’ll strike when they least expect it, and they’ll crumble instantly,” Ancestor Mang Shan asserted.
“Ancestor Mang Shan is right!”
“Before we head to Everlasting Nether Capital, how about we gift Gu Hai something special?” Ancestor Mang Shan proposed confidently.
“What kind of gift?”
“The heads of his four commanders. What do you think? I believe Gu Hai will be truly terrified when he sees their heads—and their ghost heads as well. If we bring both and he sees them, he will…”
The room erupted in laughter. “He’ll be scared out of his wits!”
“As for these four commanders—the Mosquito Daoist, Kong Xuan, Long Shenying, and Gao Xianzhi, who’s with Shangguan Hen—which of the ancestors will take them out?” Ancestor Mang Shan inquired.
“I will!”
“I will!”
…
The ancestors clamored in excitement. This was not simply destroying the enemy but also a chance to display their might. All the ancestors felt they could trample Kong Xuan, the Mosquito Daoist, Long Shenying, and Shangguan Hen to death. What is there to fear from the Bone Ancestor’s subordinates? We are in the Upper Heavenly Palace Realm’s seventh, eighth, or ninth layer, all unparalleled experts!
“The Bone Ancestor was once a formidable figure in the northern nether realm. Now that we’ve formed an alliance, let’s witness the destruction of his nation! First, we’ll eliminate the four great commanders, then decapitate Gu Hai. Let all beings, living or dead, know the consequences of breaking the rules,” Ancestor Mang Shan stated, raising a cup of blood wine.
“Eliminate the four commanders and kill Gu Hai!” all the other ancestors cheered, raising their cups in toast.
After drinking down this blood wine toast to their alliance, Ancestor Mang Shan smashed the cup on the floor, showing an unyielding spirit. Shards flew in all directions.
“There’s no time to waste, everyone. While we’re all in high spirits, let’s set off and annihilate them!” Ancestor Mang Shan roared with laughter.
“Annihilate them!” all the ancestors shouted in chorus as they smashed the cups in their hands.
Filled with valor and determination, they took up their enchanted treasures and weapons to march grandly towards the Han Imperial Dynasty to carry out their devastating plan.
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