I subdue demons and monsters, and cultivate immortality in hell to become a saint.

"Prepare for battle!"

Zhong Yingmei's eyes narrowed, and she raised her hand to pull out the peach wood knife.

"No! Put it away quickly!"

Master Changdeng was frantic, grabbing her wrist and roaring, his forehead covered in cold sweat, "Get out of the way! Clear the path! No one is allowed to use weapons!"

"Master, this is a ghost!"

One of the team members was getting anxious, "If we don't attack soon, they'll charge in!"

"This isn't an ordinary ghost! It's more like a spirit soldier! The legendary spirit soldier's passage!"

The Taoist priest's voice trembled with excitement, "I've lived for fifty years, and I've actually witnessed such a wondrous sight!"

Although Zhong Yingmei was puzzled, seeing the Taoist priest's serious expression, she immediately ordered, "Everyone, retreat thirty meters and sheath your weapons!"

The special operations team quickly retreated to the side of the road, watching helplessly as the black fog drew closer and closer, the biting cold making their teeth chatter.

"Master, what exactly is a Soul Weapon?"

Zhong Yingmei stared at the iron chain in the fog and asked in a deep voice.

"There are two types!"

The Taoist priest explained, counting on his fingers, his face almost completely obscured by the increasingly thick black mist, "One type is the lingering resentment of fallen armies, trapped in place and marching; the other, and the most powerful type, is the regular army of the underworld!"

He pointed at the iron chains in the fog, his voice rising: "Look at those chains! Those are soul-binding chains! Weapons specifically designed to subdue evil spirits! Moreover, their yin energy contains no malevolence, only an aura of upright majesty; they are definitely soul soldiers of the underworld!"

"After all this lingering yin energy, things have finally changed!"

The Taoist priest's hands trembled with excitement. "The legendary underworld and its officials actually exist! This is incredible news!"

"The underworld?"

Zhong Yingmei's pupils constricted sharply. "The kind with the Ten Kings of Hell and the Black and White Impermanence?"

"Exactly!"

The Taoist priest nodded, "However, judging from the small number of people in this group, it shouldn't be a big shot leading the team; perhaps it's just a group of low-ranking soul soldiers on duty."

"What were they doing all this time? The world is in such a mess!"

Some team members couldn't help but complain.

The Taoist priest shrugged: "If I knew, I'd be a judge in the underworld! Our understanding of the underworld comes entirely from legends passed down from our ancestors. We're already incredibly lucky to have seen the real thing today!"

As the black fog drew closer, the special operations team held their breath, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Zhong Jiu glanced through the fog and frowned instantly. Who else could that ponytail-wearing figure in the crowd be but his sister who was never home?

This girl actually led a group of mortals and even dared to break into the lair of three level-two evil spirits?

Isn't this just handing over kills for free?!

Zhong Jiu was both angry and anxious. His eyes darkened, and a sense of intimidation emanated from him through the black mist.

The members of the special operations team shivered as they were swept by that gaze and quickly lowered their heads.

Only Zhong Yingmei tried to look up to see the figure in the mist, but the moment she met that gaze, it was as if she had been pricked by an ice pick. She quickly shrank her neck and lowered her head, her heart filled with shock: "This aura... is stronger than any evil spirit I've ever seen!"

Seeing his younger sister's obedient demeanor, Zhong Jiu's anger subsided somewhat. A barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips as he gave a deep order: "Move out! Enter the school!"

The black mist enveloped the Soul Soldiers, who marched into the gates of No. 3 Middle School in a grand procession. Only after their figures disappeared did the special operations team dare to breathe heavily.

"My God, I almost suffocated!" one team member said, rubbing his chest and turning pale.

"Are they really here to kill the evil spirits inside?" someone asked curiously.

"Otherwise what?"

The Taoist priest stroked his beard, his face full of certainty. "There are laws in the human world, and rules in the underworld. If evil spirits kill people in the human world, the underworld will definitely intervene! This squad of soul soldiers must be here to exterminate them!"

"But why did the underworld have to appear now of all times, of all times?"

Chung Ying-mei frowned, her mind filled with doubt. "It's hard to say whether it's a blessing or a curse."

Everyone fell silent. The unknown forces always made people cautious, and the sudden appearance of the underworld added even more uncertainty to the already chaotic situation.

"Team leader, should we report this to the provincial capital?" a team member asked.

"Wait a minute."

Zhong Yingmei's gaze was fixed on the gate of No. 3 Middle School, a stubborn glint in her eyes. "I want to see if these legendary soul soldiers can handle the three level-two evil spirits inside. If they can't, then we'll go for it!"

Upon hearing this, the Taoist priest smiled and shook his head. He was currently filled with excitement at seeing the Soul Weapon and had no worries about the outcome at all.

With the regular army of the underworld taking action, those three evil spirits would be nothing more than a dish to eat with alcohol!

As soon as the Soul Soldier stepped into the gate of the Third Middle School, his figure instantly merged into the dense, impenetrable Yin energy, disappearing without a trace as if he had sunk into the sea.

The special operations team members outside the school gate gripped their weapons tightly, even holding their breath.

This silence is more unsettling than any wailing or howling.

"Something's wrong! This yin energy is eerily strong!"

As soon as Zhou Sheng entered the teaching building, he stopped abruptly, his very soul tensing. "Sir, there's a hidden cave beneath Guiling No. 3 Middle School!"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the ten soul soldiers all changed.

Yin caves, ever since the rampant spread of yin energy, have sprung up like poisonous mushrooms. First, they spew out yin energy to pollute the land, giving birth to a group of evil spirits. When the yin energy is enough, high-level vengeful ghosts will jump out from them, and wherever they go, towns and villages can be slaughtered into ruins.

"I heard from the elders that the land where No. 3 Middle School is located used to be a mass burial ground. It was leveled and a school was built after the newly established Yanhuang Kingdom was founded."

Zhou Sheng added, "Yin caves love to cluster in places like graveyards and ancient battlefields, no wonder the three evil spirits refused to leave."

"It's not that I'm stubbornly refusing to cooperate; I just want to cultivate by guarding my Yin Cave!"

Zhong Jiu chuckled, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "Once they've absorbed enough of the evil energy from the Yin Cave, they might just advance to the third-level vengeful ghosts. Then the entire Guiling City will suffer!"

He knew the tricks of evil spirits all too well. Most ghosts were too lazy to cause trouble and would instead find a place with heavy yin energy to cultivate in seclusion. These three evil spirits were obviously trying to "level up in seclusion," but unfortunately, they ran into him, the "demolition director" of the underworld.

"Set up the formation! Force these three bastards out!"

Zhong Jiu raised his hand and waved it, his tone resolute.

Zhou Sheng and the others immediately obeyed the order, and the ten soul bodies spread out in a fan shape, their movements even more nimble than when they were in the army.

Soul soldiers are the regular army of the underworld, and their battle formations are engraved in their soul imprints. The "Soul Locking Formation" they have set up is specifically designed to counter evil ghosts that are hiding and showing their true colors.

With a few "whoosh" sounds, ten soul-binding chains flew out simultaneously, their chains intertwining and twisting into a chilling iron dragon.

The iron dragon hovered and vibrated in the air, emitting a muffled "buzzing" sound. Ordinary people would not feel anything when they heard this sound, but evil spirits would feel as if they were being pricked by needles.

"Who's behind this!"

A sharp female voice pierced the air, and amidst the surging of yin energy, three ghostly figures resembling young boys floated out.

Two men and one woman, their faces pale, but their eyes gleamed with a fierce, scarlet light.

All three were students at No. 3 Middle School. One of them, a boy and a girl, was beaten to death by the school bullies. Another boy stood up for them but also suffered serious injuries and died.

Logically speaking, they died unjustly, but instead of seeking revenge, they slaughtered half the teachers and students in the school building and occupied the Yin Cave as their lair.

"What kind of wandering ghost dares to trespass on my territory!"

The female ghost licked her long, blood-red fingernails, still stained with lingering human blood. "You've come to steal my yin burial site, haven't you? I think you're tired of living!"

"Are you all blind?"

Zhou Sheng roared, causing the surrounding yin energy to disperse somewhat. "We are soul soldiers of the underworld! If you know what's good for you, surrender now, or we'll make sure your souls are scattered!"

"The underworld?"

The female ghost let out a sinister laugh, her voice shrill and high-pitched, "I think they're just charlatans pretending to be spirits! Brothers, tear them to pieces!"

The three evil spirits didn't believe it at all and rushed at it.

The female ghost's fingernails scratched at Zhong Jiu's face, carrying a strong stench of blood; the male ghost on the left lunged at Zhou Sheng and the others, trying to break the formation; while the one on the right circled around to the back, intending to launch a sneak attack.

"Is that all you've got?"

Zhong Jiu chuckled, not even moving an inch, and swung the ghost-beating stick with a "whoosh," smashing it right into the female ghost's face. With a muffled "bang," the female ghost screamed and flew backward, her soul even steaming, writhing on the ground in pain.

This ghost-beating stick, also known as the "ghost-crying stick," is specifically designed to ward off evil spirits. One strike is even more effective than the King of Hell's killing stick.

Just as the male ghost on the left rushed over, Zhong Jiu swung his staff again, nearly scattering his soul. He retreated with a wail.