The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace

"Captain Chang, deploy your troops to search the area. Proceed with extreme caution. If you find anything, signal us immediately. My sister and I will respond without delay," Yun Yantian instructed. Find your next adventure on My Virtual Library Empire

"Understood," Chang Yuan replied, bowing respectfully before turning to his men.

He ordered the thousand soldiers under his command to divide into groups of one hundred and begin searching the massive battlefield for signs of the Gu God Cultists.

On the other side, Xiao Shan issued similar commands, splitting his forces into groups to conduct a coordinated search.

"Shuang'er, you truly have a remarkable gift, finding the source of the corpse puppets so quickly," Sun Fenglin said as he approached Yun Yanshuang, unable to hide his admiration. He marveled at the young girl, who appeared to be no more than eight years old, and her uncanny ability to track the cultists using the talisman.

At the same time, he couldn't help but envy the talisman that had enabled her to trace the cultists' movements.

"Hehe, it's nothing special," Yun Yanshuang said, her sweet smile lighting up her youthful face.

"Finding the source of the corpse puppets is one thing. We haven't located the Gu God Cultists yet—what's there to celebrate? The real test will be capturing them. That's what takes real skill," Sun Fengli interjected, his tone dripping with disdain.

Yun Yanshuang huffed lightly, unwilling to dignify his remark with a response.

In her eyes, Sun Fengli was not only annoying but petty. He always seemed eager to belittle others to elevate himself. People like him, narrow-minded and self-serving, were hardly worth befriending.

"Fengli, enough!" Sun Fenglin snapped, his voice cold.

"Yes, Brother Fenglin. I understand," Sun Fengli replied, his tone laced with irritation as he moved to sit off to the side.

Inwardly, he resolved that once the soldiers found the cultists, he would personally capture them to prove his worth and show the Yun siblings his capabilities.

"Apologies, Sister Shuang'er, for my younger cousin's behavior…" Sun Fenglin began, but Yun Yanshuang waved him off with a smile.

"It's fine. My brother and I are used to it."

With that, she sat cross-legged and began meditating, silently reciting the Three Pure Observations Sutra to adjust her state of mind and prepare for any sudden developments.

Yun Yantian followed suit, closing his eyes to rest and conserve energy.

Seeing this, Sun Fenglin refrained from further conversation. He led his brother Sun Fengxuan to a quieter corner, where they meditated using a fragmented cultivation technique passed down by their elders to maintain peak condition.

Meanwhile, Sun Fengli had no such patience. His focus remained solely on the soldiers combing the battlefield. He was eager to seize any opportunity to act, determined to secure the glory of capturing the cultists himself.

The ancient battlefield was a place of pervasive death and malice. Bones littered the ground, and an eerie aura cut through the air like a blade, sending shivers through the soldiers conducting the search.

The combined forces of Yunzhang County and Lanlin County moved cautiously, their nerves taut. Every shadow, every sound seemed a potential threat.

No one dared let their guard down, fearful that some hidden corner of the battlefield might harbor a lurking corpse puppet, waiting to tear into their flesh and claim their lives.

"This place is cursed—it's freezing, like the dead of winter," muttered a young soldier from Yunzhang County. Clad in armor and clutching a halberd tightly, he glanced uneasily at his companions as they advanced deeper into the battlefield.

Unknowingly, they had reached the mouth of an endless canyon. The cold wind howling from its depths carried a chilling malice, making the soldier shudder.

His face turned pale, his eyes wide with fear.

"Stay quiet," the squad leader ordered in a hushed voice. "Remain vigilant and watch for anything unusual.

"If we alert the cultists lurking in the shadows, none of us will leave here alive."

The squad leader lowered his voice, his expression grave as he issued a stern warning.

His words immediately heightened the tension among the soldiers. They moved cautiously, muffling their steps and suppressing their breathing to avoid alerting any lurking Gu God Cultists.

"Captain, that canyon looks incredibly eerie. Do we really need to go deeper?"

"Yeah, maybe we should search somewhere else first? Let the Lanlin County soldiers handle the canyon," another soldier suggested hesitantly.

The soldiers' unease was palpable. The mere thought of venturing into the canyon filled them with dread, as though stepping into its depths would seal their fate.

It felt as though something terrifying lay hidden there, waiting to pounce.

"A team from Lanlin County is already heading this way," the captain murmured, glancing around uncertainly.

Just as he wavered on whether to proceed, his gaze landed on a group of Lanlin County soldiers advancing in their direction.

"Captain Li," the Yunzhang County leader called out, raising his hand in greeting.

"Captain Qi, what's holding you back here?" Qi Yuanwu of Lanlin County asked with a grin.

"Well… my men are a bit scared, so…" Li Feizhang replied sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

"Perfect timing. I was just about to lead my team into the canyon for a search. Since we've crossed paths, why not join forces?" Qi Yuanwu suggested.

"Exactly what I was thinking," Li Feizhang agreed without hesitation.

With their forces combined, the two teams—now numbering two hundred soldiers—prepared to enter the canyon.

Even with the Gu God Cultists' notorious cunning, it seemed impossible that they could eliminate such a large force in one fell swoop.

The teams moved in unison, their shields leading the way.

Archers brought up the rear, ready to provide cover and keep watch for any threats, while soldiers armed with halberds flanked the formation to guard against ambushes.

Qi Yuanwu and Li Feizhang remained at the center, surrounded by their most experienced soldiers for protection.

Inside the Canyon.

Deep within the gorge, hidden in a damp, cold cave, the girl in the blue dress crouched over several corpses scavenged from the battlefield.

She was using the sinister, lingering energy from the bodies to nourish her remaining thirty corpse gu.

Suddenly, her heightened spiritual senses detected the faint presence of living humans approaching the canyon entrance.

The group was sizable.

"Perfect," she murmured, her crimson eyes gleaming with a chilling bloodlust.

"The corpses here are running low. Let Little Yellow and the others kill a few more. Fresh blood will make them stronger."

Smiling faintly, she reached into her storage pouch and retrieved thirty golden corpse gu, carefully placing one into the mouth of each of the thirty rotting corpses before her.

As the gu worms burrowed into their new hosts, the lifeless bodies suddenly twitched. Moments later, their eyes snapped open, their pupils clouded over in a pale, eerie blue.

Their mouths gaped, revealing sharp, beast-like fangs.

Their fingernails elongated into razor-like claws, gleaming in the dim light.

Roar!

Low, guttural growls emanated from the thirty reanimated corpses, sending a chill through the air.

"Go on now. The feast has come to you—don't waste it. Eat your fill," the girl said, patting the head of one corpse like a doting parent.

With her command, the thirty corpse puppets vanished into the darkness, moving with an uncanny, ghostly swiftness as they left the cold, damp cave.