Upon mention of Chen Hao, the woman immediately perked up, causing Zhao Chong's expression to turn bitter.

He silently observed her face, which, despite tens of thousands of years, remained as beautiful as ever.

By the riverside, Lin Huashan curiously gazed toward the woods, eager to see what the woman looked like.

Noticing her looking around, Niu Tou cleared his throat and said, "Girl, it's better not to look at things you shouldn't, lest you bring trouble upon yourself."

"Uncle Niu Tou," Lin Huashan earnestly called to Niu Tou, "do you know who that woman wearing the mask is?"

"It's best not to ask questions you shouldn't ask!" Niu Tou's tone grew cold.

Lin Huashan immediately looked disappointed and forlorn, then shifted her gaze to Zhou Ke, and cautiously whispered, "Clan Leader Zhou, what about you?"

"Girl, there are things you're better off not knowing," Zhou Ke immediately interjected, "When it's time for you to know, Family Leader Zhao will naturally let you know."

Seeing that both Niu Tou and Zhou Ke were resolute, Lin Huashan had no choice but to give up on further inquiry.

Before long, Zhao Chong and the woman came out from the woods; she had put her mask back on. Noticing Lin Huashan's gaze fixed on herself, the woman also turned her frost-tinged eyes toward Lin Huashan and glared angrily at her.

Lin Huashan was startled and quickly lowered her head. In her heart, she felt that the look in this woman's eyes resembled that of Chen Hao's girlfriend, Ye Yuqiao.

"Everyone, rest up. We will start moving again at first light tomorrow," Zhao Chong said to all. His voice was soft, but due to the utter silence around them, everyone could hear him clearly.

The night was still and quiet.

Everyone had already fallen asleep, and the crackling sound of the burning woodfire persisted uninterrupted.

At that moment, Lin Huashan suddenly opened her eyes and immediately tried to control her breathing.

She turned her head to the left, where the woman was leaning against a tree with her eyes closed, with only Zhao Chong between them.

Among the hundreds of people present, only the woman from the Purgatory Fire Pool dared to sleep against a tree. The trees in the river wetland were all attached to a soul, which would not only steal the Yin Qi Spiritual Power from people but also devour their Yin Souls, hence most were afraid to get close.

Lin Huashan was very puzzled as to why this woman dared to lean against a tree and yet remained unaffected.

A moment later, Lin Huashan was still looking at the woman, hesitating whether to go up and secretly remove the woman's mask to see her face.

"Moo!" Suddenly, a snort came from the opposite Niu Tou. Lin Huashan was startled and looked toward Niu Tou, only to see him staring at her with a scrutinizing gaze.

She immediately panicked, then closed her eyes, giving up the idea of uncovering the woman's mask.

Just then, her eyes snapped open again, and a sharp gleam shot forth. She heard hurried footsteps approaching in a panic.

As she was about to wake up Zhao Chong, Zhao Chong had already opened his eyes, and so had everyone around, including the woman. Lin Huashan silently rejoiced, grateful that she had not attempted to lift the woman's mask earlier, which would have certainly alerted others sooner.

"It's the scouts I sent out," Zhao Chong explained to those around him. A frown creased his forehead as he thought that the scouts rushing back at this hour certainly meant there was something urgent.

Soon, a scout appeared and reported to Zhao Chong, "Clan Leader, trouble! One of the Ghost King's military troops is encamped on our route to the Huiyin Mountains, another is rushing toward the Dayang Mountains, and the last one is coming in this direction."

"The Ghost King's military troop!" Zhao Chong exclaimed. Everyone knew that the military troop was one of the most brave and well-trained armies under the Ghost King.

The so-called King's troops referred to dozens of battle-hardened generals handpicked by the Ghost King, each of whom personally selected a thousand outstanding soldiers to form a unit. Now, there were sixty-nine King's troops remaining, scattered across every corner of the Netherworld. At the Ghost King's command, or with the presentation of military tokens, these King's troops would swiftly gather in a certain local area, becoming an elite force capable of fighting in small detachments as well as joining forces for large-scale unit battles.

After being stunned for a long moment, Zhao Chong asked, "How many are headed our way?"

"Roughly six thousand, two or three King's troops."

"And how many are heading towards the Dayang Mountains?" Zhao Chong continued to ask.

"Nearly forty thousand, a total of over a dozen King's troops."

"Nearly forty thousand!" Zhao Chong was shocked by the number, "It seems the Ghost King intends to eliminate us along with the allied forces of the Zhao Family, Wu Zheng, and King Wumeng."

At that moment, another scout came before Zhao Chong and said urgently, "Reporting to Clan Leader, there is a King's troop of the Ghost King stationed on the way to Huiyin Mountain, about ten thousand strong. The leading generals are King Wanfa and the Dark Law King."

"King Wanfa and the Dark Law King!" Zhao Chong's eyes narrowed into slits, and a few wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes, "The Ghost King moves quickly, we have been somewhat careless."

Having said that, Zhao Chong turned to the woman from the Purgatory Fire Pool and asked, "What do you think?"

Seeing this, Lin Huashan beside him grew more curious and more eager to know the woman's identity. Why would Zhao Chong treat her with such utmost respect and even seek her counsel at such a critical moment?

"Since both King Wanfa and the Dark Law King are here, why don't we take this opportunity to eliminate both of them?" the woman suggested.

Her words shocked everyone present, except for Zhao Chong.

Everyone looked at her, waiting for her explanation.

"Don't forget that we have Niu Tou and Ma Mian," the woman said, "and on top of Huiyin Mountain, there are many soldiers from the Zhao Family. What's to fear from a mere tens of thousands of King's troops?"

"We also have ten thousand soldiers from our Wu Family," Wu Ke interjected.

Niu Tou and Ma Mian nodded slightly, with Niu Tou saying, "Both Ma Mian and I have recovered quite a bit!"

"My concern isn't the King's troops," Zhao Chong looked at the woman and said, "I'm worried about King Wanfa and the Dark Law King. I estimate that by tomorrow morning, King Wumeng will also arrive leading tens of thousands of warriors from the Crow Tribe. We may not be able to withstand the three Dharma Kings, and you are injured."

Suddenly, the woman leaned over to whisper in Zhao Chong's ear, "Don't forget, we also have Chen Hao."

"Are you saying we should bring them to the Netherworld now?" Zhao Chong's eyes lit up.

The woman nodded resolutely.

It was only after a long while that Zhao Chong nodded and said, "Then we'll do as you say."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Chong departed to the mortal world.

"Brother Zhao Chong!" Lin Huashan looked up at the sky and shouted, then turned to the woman and asked, "Where did Brother Zhao Chong go?"

"Haven't you always wanted to know who I am?" the woman said as she approached Lin Huashan.

However, in the end, she didn't remove her mask and instead knocked Lin Huashan unconscious…

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