Chapter 349: The Yin and Yang Realms

"Underworld?" Zhong Shan raised an eyebrow but didn't press further.

Glancing sideways at Zhong Shan, Tian Lao spoke casually, "Ancient Xuan says you have strong leadership abilities?"

"The lord overestimates me!" Zhong Shan hesitated slightly, then replied.

"In that case, you will lead the troops of the Great Luo Celestial Dynasty to battle against the corpse soldiers and ghost soldiers of the Wheel Hall," Tian Lao continued nonchalantly.

"Uh, Elder, I don't quite understand," Zhong Shan shook his head.

"This is the Shadow Palace's Wheel Hall. The Feng Shui Master over there is quite adept, able to communicate between the Yin and Yang realms, and thus derive this simulated Wheel Hall. To break such a Feng Shui formation, you must use formations to break formations!" Tian Lao explained.

"Use formations to break formations?" Jingling asked in confusion.

"Yes, you two girls pay attention. How much you can learn depends on your comprehension," Tian Lao said solemnly.

"Yes!" Both girls replied promptly.

Jingling glanced at Qianyou because from Tian Lao's tone, it was clear he would choose his disciple based on their comprehension. This observation would also be used to assess the two girls in the future.

Tian Lao then looked towards the Wheel Hall shrouded in ghostly aura in the distance, narrowing his eyes. With a light step forward...

"Bang~~~~~~"

Ripples spread across the ground. Evil spirits and zombies within a hundred meters dispersed as if turning into smoke, vanishing completely.

With a flip of his hand, Tian Lao produced a flat compass. On its surface, numerous concentric circles slowly rotated, emitting a strange aura.

As he relaxed his grip, the compass fell to the ground. The moment it touched the ground, it sank into the earth and disappeared without a trace.

Simultaneously, infinite golden light sprayed out from under everyone's feet, growing more intense by the moment. In just a short while, the ground beneath turned golden yellow.

Upon this golden ground, numerous evil spirits and zombies wailed in agony. They then dissolved into smoke and dissipated completely.

As the compass sank underground, Tian Lao put away his cane, his expression serious. Gradually straightening his body, he moved with an incredibly flexible and rhythmic step, his hands spinning according to a certain pattern.

"Rumble~~~~~~"

From behind the group suddenly came a dragon's roar, and a gigantic golden dragon shadow rushed forth, not just from behind but from all directions.

Unbeknownst to them, countless mountains and rivers suddenly appeared on this golden land. Among these landscapes, gigantic aura dragons soared through the skies, heading straight for where Tian Lao stood.

Aura dragons?

There were nine golden aura dragons, each with a domineering momentum rushing fiercely toward Tian Lao. At this moment, Tian Lao stood upright, his expression profoundly solemn. As he raised his hands, a brilliant golden Tian crown suddenly appeared!

Tian Lao held the Tian crown in his hands and slowly placed it upon his head. As the crown settled on his head, the nine aura dragons crazily surged into Tian Lao's body.

"Is that the Emperor's Tian crown?" Jingling exclaimed in surprise.

"In the Celestial Dynasty, only Tian Lao is qualified to wield the Emperor's belongings," Princess Qianyou sighed.

As the Tian crown was slowly placed on Tian Lao's head, all nine golden dragons plunged into his body.

Just then, from an unknown source, the Sun rose slowly into the sky.

Tian Lao's temperament seemed to undergo a tremendous change. His previous air of mystery and eeriness suddenly transformed into an aura of vastness and dominance! A presence that only absolute rulers possessed—a regal aura?

After Haoyue ascended into the sky, the surroundings underwent a sudden transformation. Countless mountains and rivers emerged, floating islands shot up into the sky. Tian Lao's figure had already vanished before the three.

"Is this... the Ancient Sacred Capital?" Jingling exclaimed in astonishment.

The Ancient Sacred Capital?

Zhong Shan looked closely and saw that the surroundings had drastically changed. To the north, under the light of a bright moon, corpses and ghosts roamed freely, and the numerous palaces of the Wheel Hall remained, eerie and filled with ghostly aura. In the south where Zhong Shan stood, under the radiant sun of Haoyue, the aura surged and shrouded a vast and magnificent sacred city. The Ancient Sacred Capital?

Everything around them resembled the Ancient Sacred Capital in every way—grand buildings, vast expanses, only lacking the diverse populace of the Ancient Sacred Capital.

"The Ancient Sacred Capital, I am the Ancient Divine Messenger!" From the direction of the imperial palace, Tian Lao's commanding voice suddenly echoed.

"The Wheel King of the Shadow Palace, I am the Wheel King!" Another Feng Shui Master's voice came from the northern palaces. It had a slightly hoarse quality.

The two Feng Shui Masters were finally conversing!

"Ancient Divine Messenger? The name of the Emperor of the Great Luo Celestial Dynasty. Tian Lao has created this Derivative Realm, simulating the environment of the Ancient Sacred Capital, and himself portraying the Emperor of the Ancient Sacred Capital," Jingling noted.

"The Wheel King of the Ten Yamas? The Wheel Hall, located outside the gloomy Stone, facing directly east towards the world's Five Polluted Places, with six bridges made of gold, silver, jade, stone, wood, and earth, specifically for managing the spirits of each hall. Are you claiming to be the Wheel King? Quite an ambitious claim!" Tian Lao's voice resonated from the imperial palace, spreading in all directions, its authority overwhelming.

"Whether it's ambitious or not, you'll find out soon enough!" The opposing Feng Shui Master's voice was equally hoarse.

Zhong Shan took careful note of the dialogue between the two Feng Shui Masters. Tian Lao seemed to be explaining the Wheel Hall specifically for himself and the two girls to hear.

"Wheel Hall, how much can you derive?" Tian Lao chuckled lightly.

"Hanjue, I command you to lead all the corpse soldiers within the Wheel Hall. Guihuang, I command you to lead all the ghost soldiers within the Wheel Hall. Erode the Ancient Sacred Capital, contend for the vast aura!" Suddenly, the opposing Feng Shui Master gave his command.

"Yes!" Two voices responded promptly from the other side—one was Prince Hanjue, and the other was the former Ghost King.

The previously chaotic area of corpses and ghosts retreated towards the direction of the Wheel Hall, towards the area illuminated by moonlight.

"Zhong Shan, I appoint you as the Supreme Commander of the Ancient Sacred Capital, leading all the armies of the Ancient Sacred Capital. Erode the Shadow Palace's Wheel Hall, contend for the vast aura!" Tian Lao's hoarse voice echoed.

"Yes!" Zhong Shan responded immediately.

In that instant of Zhong Shan's response, he was suddenly clad in a golden suit of armor. Fully armed, behind him stood an orderly array of approximately ten million golden-armored soldiers. Their ranks stretched endlessly, beyond sight.

As for why Zhong Shan knew there were exactly ten million golden-armored soldiers, even Zhong Shan himself wasn't sure. It was as if he suddenly knew upon donning the golden armor. Moreover, he could swiftly command these ten million soldiers with his thoughts.

Zhong Shan's position shifted to the plains, the center of the two Derivative Realms, standing on the side of the Derivative Realm "Ancient Sacred Capital," facing off against the two opposing armies.

To the east were all zombies, neatly arranged, with Prince Hanjue glaring hatefully at Zhong Shan's side from the front lines.

To the west stood all the former evil spirits, standing in order behind the former Ghost King.

Zhong Shan felt a slight cold sweat on his forehead. Was Tian Lao not planning to fight strategically? By placing himself on a plain and directly confronting the enemy, what role would Zhong Shan, as a commander, play? Warfare involved deception; at the very least, he should have manipulated the terrain, such as using mountains and other features, to divide and conquer the enemy, then annihilate them. But what was happening now? Was it just about outnumbering the opponent?

Fortunately, the Feng Shui Master on the opposite side was also inexperienced in the field of war. Otherwise, they could have used advantageous terrain features, putting Zhong Shan at a disadvantage.

Princess Qianyou and Yingning had been transferred elsewhere. Princess Qianyou looked worriedly at Zhong Shan.

"Qianyou sister, Zhong Shan might be in trouble this time. We have only half the numbers of the enemy zombies, and dealing with zombies won't work against evil spirits, and vice versa. Do you think if he dies in battle, he will really die?" Yingning looked mischievously at Princess Qianyou.

In the past, Princess Qianyou would have been very calm and would have ignored such disturbing remarks. However, now that Zhong Shan was involved, she felt a slight panic and clenched her hands tightly. Her eyes stared fixedly at Zhong Shan, silently praying that he would be safe.

Seeing Princess Qianyou's expression, Yingning smiled satisfactorily. Her attention shifted back to Zhong Shan. She was confident that in Tian Lao's assessment, she would ultimately prevail. Moreover, if Zhong Shan really died, Princess Qianyou would return to her brother's embrace.

"Hanjue, your success or failure will determine the fate of the Great Emperor's Dynasty!" The voice of the Feng Shui Master from the Wheel Hall echoed from afar.

"Yes, Senior, I will do my best!" Prince Hanjue responded promptly.

"Zhong Shan, if you fail, you will truly die!" Tian Lao's voice came faintly.

Upon hearing Tian Lao's words, Zhong Shan cursed inwardly. It seemed Tian Lao wasn't a pleasant character either!

But the battle was beginning, and there was no room for distraction.

"Kill~~~" Prince Hanjue shouted loudly.

"Kill~~~" Guihuang also roared.

Across from them, ten million zombies and ten million evil spirits rushed swiftly toward Zhong Shan's army.

In the center of the battlefield, the dividing line between moonlight and sunlight shifted toward Zhong Shan's direction. On either side, corresponded the gloomy environment of the Shadow Palace's Wheel Hall and the radiant environment of the Ancient Sacred Capital. It was as if this line separated the realms of Yin and Yang.

As the zombie and evil spirit armies approached, that dividing line also shifted toward Zhong Shan's direction. Along the edges, eerie mountains and palaces emerged from the ground, while the countless buildings, mountains, and rivers of the Ancient Sacred Capital quickly crumbled and vanished. Subsequently, that area was rapidly replaced by the gloomy environment, as if two different worlds were competing for dominion over this space.

Two armies faced off, each led by their respective commanders!

Zhong Shan remained calm. Though it wasn't a forest where he could hide, he was still exceptionally steady. The biggest advantage of this ten million-strong army over his previous forces was that he could control them as he wished! Everything was born from his heart!

Taking a deep breath, Zhong Shan watched the approaching double-sized enemy army in the distance and gently waved his hand, saying, "Deploy the formation, Eight Gates Golden Lock~~~!"

(To be continued)