Starting from the folklore forum, making up town objects

Chapter 505 One Man, One Banner, One Mountain
The news of Huo Jingang sent a chill down the spines of the wealthy merchant families who were stationed at their residence.

Even though they already knew that the Bureau of Polls was stronger than them, these "newly rich," they didn't expect it to be this much stronger.

They never imagined that a single person could destroy an entire Netherworld region.

Of course, it could be accomplished by combining the power of a few top underworld officials, but who knows how many such people the Bureau of Investigation has?

Moreover, the power of the underworld officials is now concentrated on suppressing evil spirits.

Before the Bureau of Polls joined, the underworld had an advantage, but now, the Bureau of Polls has joined the underworld too!
If they fail to secure as many titles as possible in this competition, they may never have a chance to recover once the Bureau of Pollsters have matured.

For a moment, these wealthy families felt a sense of anxiety.

But being anxious was of no use; the assessment had already begun, and all they could do was wait!

While the people at the garrison were discussing the matter of Huo Jingang, Bao Lingqing and the others had already traveled through several more Yin and Yang regions in sedan chairs.

Compared to the dazzling brilliance of the Fire Vajra, although there were also people in these dark regions who could fight against the Blood Calamity, the effect was far inferior, until they arrived at another region.

This time, all the people in this underworld region are old underworld officials, and it should be a team led by a certain underworld official, but so far, no one has been seen.

This area is an old town and covers a large area.

If it were the Bureau of Investigation, they would never choose such a dark and shadowy area for the second type of assessment, but this team of veteran underworld officials chose it!
Compared to the Bureau of Investigation's aggressive and forceful approach, the actions of the veteran undercover agents were much quieter.

But this quietness actually roused the other bureau chiefs in their sedan chairs.

Afterwards, the sedan chair lingered in this dark and gloomy area for ten minutes, and no one saw any intense conflict, especially in the area circled by the old underworld officials.

Occasionally, they could see ghosts from the outside rushing toward that area, but as soon as they arrived, they would either be entangled by ropes and taken away, or be enveloped by smoke and disappear, or even flashes of five-colored light would sweep the ghosts away.

Only at this time can they see figures moving among the houses, seemingly changing shifts.

Thus, everyone in the sedan chair understood one thing.

The old underworld messenger team below has actually controlled one-tenth of this underworld area, and is currently on the defensive!
This greatly surprised the directors of the Bureau of Polling.

It's only been a little over three hours since the assessment started, yet those old underworld officials have already taken control of a whole area of ​​the underworld?
Could it be that the second type of assessment is the simpler option?

As the directors of the Bureau of Polls pondered the intricacies of the situation, someone spotted a red figure in the distance.

The red figure was originally several hundred meters away from the area guarded by the old underworld official, but for some unknown reason, the red figure seemed to sense something, and its route changed from random to heading straight towards this side.

If that were all, it wouldn't have attracted the attention of the directors of the Bureau of Polls. The main reason was the way that red figure moved.

Her walking style was elusive; one second she was ten meters away, and the next she appeared ten meters away. In between, the bureau chiefs couldn't see her movement trajectory, as if she had leaped into the air.

In addition, the red figures in the original positions do not disappear after the flash, so more than a dozen red figures have appeared on that street along the way.

The first figure disappeared from its spot only when the twenty-third red figure appeared.

Everyone originally thought that those red things were just the ghostly afterimage left behind.

But what happened next made them overturn this idea.

After the red figure circled the area where the old underworld official was, all twenty-two figures surrounding the area moved!

It was only at this point that everyone realized they had been deceived.

That wasn't just a ghostly afterimage left behind, but twenty-two ghosts!
Because the movements and expressions of each of the twenty-two ghosts remained unchanged, it gave people the illusion that the ghost in front was constantly moving forward, while the 'afterimages' behind it disappeared one by one.

So when all twenty-two red-clad female ghosts started to act, they suddenly realized what was going on.

Meanwhile, the old underworld messengers in the area below also entered battle mode, but their first wave of attacks was ineffective.

Every time a red female ghost is eliminated, another identical female ghost will appear in another location, as if they can never be completely eliminated.

The directors of the Bureau of Investigations inside the sedan chair were well-informed, and one of them quickly came up with a solution.

That is to kill twenty-two female ghosts at the same time.

But this is too difficult.

Just as the female ghosts disappeared into the surrounding houses in a bizarre manner, everyone thought that the underworld officials below would be unable to protect this area.

But then, one by one, the ghost messengers emerged from the room that the female ghost had just entered and waited outside.

Everyone inside the sedan chair was very curious, and the person controlling the sedan chair also wanted to see what was happening.

So the sedan chairs were lowered. Since it was impossible for dozens of sedan chairs to all go into one room to check, the people operating the sedan chairs split into several groups and entered the room where the red-clothed female ghosts had gone.

Then they saw what was happening inside them.

Different rooms offer different views.

In some rooms, a huge mesh screen, two meters in diameter, cast a bluish light, freezing the red-clad female ghost in place.

In some rooms, three or four roosters, each over a meter tall, were pecking at the red-clad female ghost.

In some rooms, two large black dogs were tearing at the red-clad female ghost, fighting over who would belong to her.

In some rooms, muffled thunder rumbled continuously, causing the red-clad female ghost to emit plumes of blue smoke.

In some rooms, the female ghost in red was hung on a rope with barbs, looking just like a piece of clothing.

In some rooms, the female ghost who entered had already disappeared without a trace.

Within two minutes, when the underworld messengers re-entered the room, all the red-clad female ghosts in the room were either subdued or destroyed.

This caused everyone to fall silent.

Some discerning individuals spotted at least three Netherworld-grade items among those protective objects!
Even if the others were only at the Yin General level, the red-clad female ghosts were no match for them due to their sheer numbers.

This small example illustrates a larger point: no one knows exactly how many other powerful entities exist in this area.

Even if a bloodbath were to arrive, it would be defeated by the outermost layer of protective barriers.

Inside the sedan chair, the members of the five wealthy merchant families were very satisfied with the outcome.

The directors of those polling bureaus, after seeing this, gained a clearer understanding of the role that the town-building objects could play.

As expected, no matter how strong the Bureau of Investigation is, it still has a gap in foundation compared to these underworld agents who have long been involved.

At least in the underworld, this difference is obvious.

The sedan chairs reassembled, slowly accelerated, and left this dark and gloomy space.

Similarly, another sedan chair carrying new information headed towards the garrison.

In the time that followed, Bao Lingqing saw several more exceptionally talented individuals from the Yinming region.

……

In some dark and mysterious regions, a person can control hundreds of throwing knives simultaneously.

In front of this person was a burning stone basin. After each throwing knife annihilated a ghost, it would return to the basin, be scorched by the flames, and then go out again, carrying smoke and ash.

It was clearly just an ordinary throwing knife, not even enveloped in any qi or blood energy, yet it was able to slice those ghosts and spirits into gray mist and green smoke.

Does anyone know what that brazier is: a Yin-level Ascending Yang Spirit Brazier!

...In some of the underworld regions, someone controls twelve demonic corpses, each with iron rings made of multiple iron nails around its wrists.
The Fiend Corpse was fearless of the ghostly attacks, yet each strike it delivered a scream of agony to the ghosts.

Furthermore, when faced with the Blood Calamity, one of the demonic corpses burrowed directly into the abdomen of another corpse with seven nails stuck in its body, unleashing a power that could crush the Blood Calamity.

Some people have seen that iron ring: Yin-Yang Nail Bracelet of the Underworld Level.

……

In the dark realm, someone remained still, yet manipulated ghosts to enter the bodies of dozens of black dogs surrounding them.

The black dogs bite any ghosts they see, working together to eliminate evil spirits wherever they go.

The black dog's name is: Yin Shuai-level Cloth Dog!

……

In a dark and shadowy region, someone summoned a spear from within their body, with a sachet hanging from it.

Under the scourge of bloodshed, nothing could stop it.

Whenever ghosts gather, a roar can shatter even the most malevolent spirits within a ten-meter radius.

This spear is a soul weapon, the Eighteen-Foot Serpent Spear, with a sachet, a Yin-level talisman, hanging on it!

……

All of this demonstrates to Bao Lingqing and the others that the combined effect of exceptionally talented individuals in the mortal world, once they find suitable objects to suppress evil spirits in the underworld, is far greater than the sum of its parts.

The actions of these exceptionally talented individuals silenced the members of the five wealthy merchant families.

At this point, they also had to admit one thing: in this battle for titles, most of the titles would likely fall into the hands of the Bureau of Polling.

Nevertheless, the five still believed that their family members still had the strength to fight.

Until they saw that person.

As the field trip was drawing to a close, dozens of sedan chairs entered a dark and shadowy area.

The area is small, and the architectural style resembles a village or town from a hundred years ago. Next to the village or town is a small hill less than 100 meters high.

In the underworld, every region has at least one bloodbath.

But as the sedan chair proceeded, everyone became somewhat puzzled.

There seems to be no trace of the underworld officials in this town.

The person controlling the Yin-Yang sedan chair opened the location of the Yin-Yang area that someone had previously given him, looking puzzled, and confirmed that it was correct.

But where are they?

Could it be that it has already been eliminated by ghosts?

Even if the underworld officials are eliminated, surely ghosts and spirits can't be eliminated?
After searching for two minutes without seeing anyone or any ghosts, the palanquin driver shook his head and could only lead the palanquin procession away from this yin and ghostly area.

Just as the sedan chair was passing by the hill, the driver suddenly saw something through the sedan chair window.

Puzzled, he stopped the entire procession of sedan chairs, then turned around and went back to the area he had just been in.

After they passed through the barrier of that dark and gloomy area, the sedan chairs all stopped in place without prior agreement.

A scene that deeply shocked everyone.

Behind the hill next to the town we just visited, a man was sitting on a large rock on the hilltop, gazing down at the town below.

On his shoulder, he carried a white banner that moved without wind.

But that's not the point.

The key point is that behind the person carrying the banner, on the shady side of the hill, hundreds or even thousands of ghosts stand quietly in the shady area.

At first glance, there are actually fewer trees than ghosts on the north side of the hill!

Looking at the ghosts and then at the man carrying the banner, everyone finally understood why there wasn't a single ghost or a single person in the town at the foot of the mountain!

There are no ghosts, because all the ghosts are behind the man.

There was no one there; they probably didn't find the ghost and left on their own.

Or perhaps, like them, those people, after seeing the north side of the mountain, lacked the courage to go up and say hello.

Among the dozens of sedan chairs, everyone was looking at the fluttering white banner and the man's back.

Without exception, they were all thinking about the same question.

Who is that man?
Meanwhile, inside a sedan chair, a person watched all of this with a flushed face.

"Xingping, Xingping! You really didn't disappoint me. Lingyuan City is so lucky to have you in its life!"

If it weren't forbidden, Bao Lingqing would have even considered getting off the sedan chair and running up the mountain to kiss Wang Xingping.

Wang Xingping really made him look good, and he really made the Lingyuan City Branch Bureau look good!

As expected, his and Xingping's previous guesses were correct!

Xingping's soul weapon is the soul banner in the underworld that can command all ghosts!

Even if they aren't, they are still of the same kind.

Previously, the relationship between the Bureau of Investigation and the Underworld was ambiguous, and neither he nor Wang Xingping wanted to associate this soul banner with the Underworld.

Even when the General Administration asked Wang Xingping to demonstrate the abilities of the Soul Banner, Wang Xingping only demonstrated its ability to eliminate evil spirits, without demonstrating its ability to command hundreds of ghosts.

Until the Bureau of Public Opinion Survey suddenly started sending its agents into the underworld to participate in underworld assessments.

Bao Lingqing and Wang Xingping then realized that the time had come.

Looking at the menacing figures covering the mountains and fields, like soldiers obeying orders, Wang Xingping smiled, a very happy smile.

The sedan chair remained here for ten minutes.

In the final five minutes, the person controlling the sedan chair finally managed to drive it up the hillside.

When the sedan chair passed through the hundred ghosts and arrived at the mountaintop, everyone inside pressed their heads against the window, staring at that slightly handsome face.

At one point, both Dong Ruibin and He Lang felt a jolt.

Subconsciously, they searched for Bao Lingqing in the sedan chair, hoping to confirm their suspicions with her.

But there were too many sedan chairs, and they couldn't see the smiling, chubby face hidden behind them.

After a full five minutes of viewing, the sedan chair departed.

Before leaving, everyone subconsciously glanced at the mountain peak.

Looking at that one person, one banner, and one mountain!

……

(End of this chapter)