Chapter 1 Tense Standoff

Dark clouds gathered overhead, and everyone gripped their weapons tightly. The air crackled with tension, and a great battle was imminent.

"Kill!"

Accompanied by a heart-wrenching roar, dozens of people from both sides charged forward simultaneously, colliding like two raging torrents.

Wu, the old General Yan Chan wielding a stone staff, Water Lord, and the Great River Goddess took the lead. The Night Watchmen's forces also arrayed themselves, and the scene instantly descended into utter chaos. Roars, screams, the clang of blades and axes, and the sound of flesh being cleaved mingled together. The scene was not only bloody but also bizarre. Everyone present was either a ghoul or a high-level disciple, and their strange methods were beyond the limits of ordinary imagination.

Because of Fatty, Jiang Cheng had noticed the old beggar a long time ago. He saw him squatting unhurriedly near the edge of the battlefield, taking out a chopstick from his bosom and energetically chanting while tapping his broken bowl. However, the scene was too chaotic, and Jiang Cheng couldn't hear what he was chanting at all.

A woman in Dark Army clothes noticed the old beggar and charged towards him. But the next second, the old beggar raised his chopstick and pointed it sharply at the woman. Without any other visible action, the Dark Army woman paused, then collapsed headfirst to the ground, her lower body soaked in blood.

Immediately afterward, a bloody object suddenly appeared in the old beggar's broken bowl. Tang Qisheng's blood eye clearly saw that it was a still-beating heart.

"This man's methods are strange; I fear I will lose several more of my generals," said Jingde, dressed as a storyteller with a stern expression, suddenly began in a theatrical tone.

However, as soon as he finished speaking, the situation reversed. The soil beneath the old beggar's feet began to writhe, and countless vines burst out of the ground, intertwining to form a cage to strangle the old beggar. But the old beggar reacted extremely quickly, discarding his patchwork robe and slipping away like a mud loach, barely escaping the cage. Before he could catch his breath, a dark figure appeared behind him and cut him in half at the waist with a single blow. After killing this man, the Dark Army expert turned back and charged towards another opponent, engaging in a fierce battle with a dwarf wielding crutches.

Unlike his previous cowardly behavior, the Defrocked Monk's strength was surprisingly great. He and another expert, a towering figure wearing a Nuo opera mask, coordinated with each other and actually fought Wu to a standstill for a time.

Similarly, Water Lord, after killing one person and seriously injuring another, was noticed by the enemy, who sent corresponding experts to deal with him. Under the siege, he showed signs of falling into a disadvantage, with dangers arising one after another.

"This Wu, although his methods are powerful, is fighting two opponents alone; I fear he will be cut down,"

"Water Lord is experienced in fighting, but his strength lies more in escape techniques. In terms of head-on combat, he is even inferior to Wu. I'm afraid that after a long time, his situation will be dire, and it is not impossible for him to be ambushed and seriously injured."

Fatty was furious when he heard Jingde's words. His friends were risking their lives at the front, and this old thing was shrinking back here, shaking his head and making sarcastic remarks, all of which were boosting the morale of the enemy and undermining his own side. "What are you saying? If you think they're not good enough, why don't you go up there! You're shaking your head like you're somebody, you storyteller, can you talk those people to death?"

Even with Number 13 holding him back, Fatty didn't tolerate Jingde's nonsense, even though the other man's number was, and he was definitely the core figure in the team.

"Hmm?" Jiang Cheng, who was focused on the battle, sensed something was wrong. After Jingde said those words, the situation seemed to have changed. The Defrocked Monk and the Nuo opera expert, who had been cooperating well, were suddenly disrupted, and Wu seized the opportunity to cut off the Nuo opera expert's right arm with a single blow. Water Lord also broke through the encirclement and even accidentally avoided an ambush from behind.

The enemy experts also seemed to have noticed Jingde and cast sinister glances at him. The Defrocked Monk was cursing, his mouth full of foul words.

Jiang Cheng looked at the now-silent Jingde in surprise. Sweat was seeping from his forehead, but his back was still straight. "What kind of supernatural power is this? His words become law?" However, this Jingde seemed to be saying the opposite of what he meant. The most obvious example was the old beggar. As soon as he praised him, he was killed. This was somewhat of a death kiss. Jiang Cheng suddenly realized that Jingde's nickname was Storyteller.

He retracted his gaze and turned to look at the Full-Beard Old Man, but the old man had no intention of explaining. He just shook his head slightly. Jiang Cheng could sense that it wasn't that he didn't want to explain, but that it was unspeakable. There seemed to be something very mysterious involved.

"Here they come again..." Lin Wan'er's sharp brows furrowed. People were walking out of the black mist in the distance again. This scene made Jiang Cheng's heart hang in his throat again. He had originally thought that his side had the advantage in numbers, but now it seemed that the other side still had cards up their sleeves.

"What is that black mist?"

"The specifics are unclear, but the Full-Beard Old Man calculated that the old chairman is hidden within it. Now that the old chairman has been severely injured one after another, he needs time to recuperate. That black mist is connected to different worlds in that Ghost Bus. Most of the people you see are strong individuals who once died on this bus," Lin Wan'er explained succinctly.

This time, nearly 20 people walked out of the black mist. The situation, which had just stabilized, began to change again, and the pressure on everyone increased sharply.

"We can't keep fighting like this. They have a constant stream of reinforcements, but we only have these people. If we're all killed, it's over," Jiang Cheng said. Although he didn't understand any tactics, he still understood the most basic principles and the situation.

"Don't worry, summoning these people also consumes the old chairman's power, and...our winning move is not here," the Full-Beard Old Man said calmly.

Jiang Cheng looked thoughtfully behind him. When he first arrived, he had noticed that at the back of the team stood five men in camouflage uniforms. The one protected in the middle was tall and burly, with a huge backpack covered in waterproof cloth on his back. The backpack was square and looked unusual. "Is it related to that thing?"

"Yes."

"Then what exactly is that thing?" At this moment, Jiang Cheng was no longer just curious. He urgently needed to understand the truth. He understood that these people would never rush in rashly, and this team must have a trump card that they hadn't revealed.

"It's a secret weapon, specially developed to target the old chairman, but it must be pushed close enough, so we are also looking for an opportunity."

Recalling the old chairman's terrifying strength, Jiang Cheng couldn't help but worry. "A secret weapon? Will it work?"

"It will work. Someone already verified it for us 20 years ago," Lin Wan'er took a deep breath and slowly looked at Wu, who was still fighting fiercely.