I am grinding experience in another world

Hai Character Camp.

The air was thick with the smell of charred wood, clothes, and flesh. Mud-sculpted barracks had collapsed in patches, and the ground was pocked with blasted pits, its edges seared black by the flames.

The entire camp was eerily silent, and every so often, tufts of ash-grey dust on the ground made Chen Mu’s expression shift noticeably.

That was the ash of Yin Spirits after their death. Just by looking at the thin layer of white ash, one knew that a vast number of Yin Spirits had perished the night before.

"The attack must have come from the Red-eyed Water Apes that struck by night," Shen Yan said, his face solemn as he looked around at the signs of destruction.

At the edge of the camp, staring at the jumbled footsteps leading in all directions, Chen Mu was filled with disbelief: "A camp this large, just collapsed and dissipated?"

That was hundreds of thousands of Yin Spirits!

"A bunch of waste, unable to mount any effective counterattack!" Shen Yan’s face turned ashen as he looked at the chaotic footprints on the ground.

Though the strength of the auxiliary soldiers was not high, they were not without the power to resist. As long as they had resisted stubbornly, they could have escaped in an orderly manner, unlike now...

...

Thousand Lanterns City.

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Hong Xiu approached Chen Mu’s courtyard, and even before entering, he saw Chen Mu sitting with a frown at the round table.

The face of the Supervising Army Officer Shen Yan was equally grim.

Hong Xiu’s heart skipped a beat, and just as he thought to turn away, he was spotted by Chen Mu. Find more to read on novelbuddy

"Something the matter?"

Hong Xiu, against his will, stepped forward: "There’s a guy from Geng Liu Banner who used to be a clay bricklayer in his past life. He wants to bring in some wood to build barracks for everyone."

Chen Mu glanced into the distance.

Well-fed and far from the influence of Xue Yang, the Yin Spirits were no longer lost and despairing. They were now gathering in small groups, chatting and laughing; somebody said something that triggered bursts of laughter.

Despite the joyous atmosphere in the distance, Chen Mu found no reason to be happy.

"When I have the chance, I’ll bring in some wood and stone," Chen Mu said, shaking his head, yet he didn’t refuse. He needed to find something for these people to do.

"You’re busy," Hong Xiu responded, then immediately cupped his fist in the other hand and turned to leave. With Supervising Army Officer Shen Yan troubled, Hong Xiu thought it best to avoid getting involved in what must be a serious situation.

"That method of returning to the Netherworld, with these three hundred-plus Yin Spirits, can it be done?" Chen Mu looked at Shen Yan, his face full of hope.

"Now you remember my plan? Too late!" Shen Yan replied irritably.

It seemed it wasn’t enough.

Chen Mu sighed.

He hadn’t expected such a vast camp, with hundreds of thousands of auxiliary troops, to vanish overnight.

"Relying on that group of auxiliary troops, is there any chance of returning to the Netherworld?" Chen Mu asked again.

Shen Yan also sighed; the current situation had rendered all his previous plans moot.

"People from the Medicine Stone Sect are in constant contact with the Netherworld Department and have a way to summon the power of the River of Oblivion," he said.

"The Military Provision Department has a good stock of Soul-Departing Soup from the Netherworld Ferry Secret Technique. If the Crafting Department can learn it and combine their efforts in casting spells, with the Medicine Stone Sect coordinating to draw power from the River of Oblivion, there is a chance we can return to the Netherworld on our own," Shen Yan added.

"What a pity..."

What a pity that they were all too busy fighting among themselves.

Chen Mu ground his teeth in frustration.

"Brother Chen, what should we do now..." Shi Dechun asked tentatively.

"We pursue..." Chen Mu shook his head.

"To return to the Netherworld, we can’t do without the collective effort of the auxiliary troops. Let’s catch up with the main force before anything else."

...

With a decision made, Chen Mu acted immediately, leading Shen Yan out of Thousand Lanterns City and scouting around the ruins of Hai Character Camp to determine the direction of the escapees.

Looking at the chaotic footprints, Shen Yan’s expression darkened: "Hu Cheng from the Yinfeng Sect should be thrown into the Nine Serenities Abyss to endure the torment of fire!"

The Yinfeng Sect?

Torment of fire?

What was that all about?

Anger etched across Shen Yan’s face, he explained, "The Yinfeng Sect has the Yin Wind Banner, similar to the Flame Wheel Vehicle, capable of invoking the Yin Wind to climb clouds and fly. They were supposed to be used for transporting Yin Spirits when moving camp."

"So many footprints on the ground prove that the Yinfeng Sect didn’t come to transport the auxiliary troops."

"A bunch of deserters!"

It took a while for Shen Yan to suppress the rage in his heart and speak calmly: "The Netherworld, Military Provision, and Cai Yuan Departments were on the west side of the camp. The Medicine Stone, Flame Wheel, Crafting, and Yinfeng Sects were on the east side."

"To find the Medicine Stone and Crafting Departments, we need to head east," Shen Yan suggested.

Chen Mu immediately activated the Five Elements Escape Technique, blending into the Gentle Breeze, following the chaotic footprints on the east side of Hai Character Camp, drifting eastward with the wind.

After chasing for about ten miles, the tracks on the ground forked. A large number of footprints headed northeast, while a few turned southeast.

"They really fled in panic. Not far at all and already scattering in all directions," Chen Mu said, shaking his head as he looked at the sparse tracks heading eastward.

Without hesitation, he set off toward the northeast.

After another thirty miles, the messy footprints on the ground branched again. Chen Mu ignored the smaller offshoots and followed the largest group’s trail.

A chase of seventy or eighty miles revealed small groups constantly breaking away from the main force.

Before long, in a wooded slope, a vast number of footprints coming from the southwest converged.

"Is this a scheduled rendezvous in this direction, or just a coincidence?" Chen Mu wondered.

"Most likely a coincidence," Shen Yan concluded after a careful analysis of the tracks. "With such a large number, it should be the Cai Yuan Department’s auxiliary troops. Departments like the Crafting and Flame Wheel wouldn’t bother with those new Yin Spirits and wouldn’t likely converge with them intentionally."

"As long as we haven’t followed the wrong direction, that’s fine," Chen Mu’s confidence surged as he followed the tracks down the hillside and through the forest.

However, as he followed the tracks, something felt off.

More and more small groups began to scatter in different directions as the troop moved forward.

As the sun began to set, Chen Mu, moving with the wind, appeared out of the low mountains and into a spacious, dark green grassland.

Amidst a large area marked by the ambush of Water Apes, the massive troop abruptly dispersed. In all directions, there were chaotic footprints of their flight.