Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 200 The Dharma Image (Part 1)

The yin-yang fish of water and fire in mid-air above the Zhen River meshed like gears, causing the illusory image of the Dharma image, formed from the military might of fifty-nine nations, to tremble violently. The lightning patterns on the mountain crown burst open, and the lightning seeping from the gaps in the armor was directly pulverized by the strange phenomenon of water and fire merging.

"not good!"

Ji Shi's pupils shrank abruptly, and the thunder spear in the illusory image of the Dharma Image crumbled inch by inch, while all thirty-six Chi You battle flags turned into flowing fire and fell down.

The collision of the Water Element Avenue and the Fire Element Avenue caused the yin and yang to become unbalanced and the five elements to become misplaced within a radius of a thousand miles.

This caused a chain reaction, disrupting the entire system and throwing the principles of Yin and Yang, the Four Symbols, the Five Elements, and all other laws and regulations of this land into chaos.

"Buzz!"

As a result, the compass chariot emitted a piercing hum, and cracks gradually appeared on the taotie pattern on the chariot's frame, with dark blood lines seeping from the bronze material.

The magnetic needle, which should have stabilized the heavens and earth, reversed direction, scattering dark green sparks, and the Bagua pattern on the copper plate slowly broke.

"impossible,"

Ji Shi gritted his teeth and placed his hands on the compass, only to see the magnetic needle twist and reverse the divine power he had injected.

The impact of the divine power made him feel a sweet taste in his throat, and the blood mist he spat out hit the compass, turning into countless blood-red streams of light that were etched onto the bronze plate.

“Nan Yanbo,”

Ebo Ji'an's heart skipped a beat, and then she saw the allied forces on the east bank of the Zhen River struck as if by a heavy hammer, with more than half of the 30,000 armored soldiers vomiting blood.

The once unified military force collapsed with a roar, the crimson clouds receded like the tide, and the illusory images of the Dharma vanished as streams of light.

He looked up at the sky filled with flowing light, and said in a daze, "The Dharma Image has been broken?"

Who could have imagined that the military formation, which the Ji clan lords considered their greatest trump card, would be so thoroughly broken?

"As expected, I was right. By focusing on a single point, and by opposing forces like water and fire, one can reverse yin and yang."

Lu Shang stood on the chariot, his body surrounded by the fusion of water and fire energies. The red light of the Zhurong Banner surged, and the crimson flames burning on the banner transformed into thousands of fire spirits, stirring up a raging inferno.

At the same time, the purest and most refined bloodline of Gonggong, using Gonggong's divine powers, caused the Zhen River to flow backward, and the divine fire of Zhurong's banner ignited the reversed water, forming a whirlpool that burned across the river.

"Break the formation!"

With the Dharma image broken, Lü Shang pointed his sword at the east bank. Twenty thousand armored soldiers from the western states were already lined up and ready to go. Banners surged like a forest, and chariots roared, crushing the shallows of the Zhen River.

"Hold the line, hold the line!"

Ji Shi, supporting the rickety compass chariot, watched as the enemy forces from the west bank pressed in like a raging torrent.

The moment the illusory image of the Dharma image shattered, the military forces of the fifty-nine nations completely collapsed. The warriors' divine will was devoured by the chaotic Qi of the meridians, and the formations of the various nations were thrown into disarray.

"Hold the line!"

Ji Shi wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, slammed her palms against the bronze compass, and forcefully channeled her true energy to gather the remaining military force, attempting to reconstruct the Dharma image. However, in this region, Yin and Yang were out of balance, and the Five Elements were disordered. No matter what Ji Shi did, she could no longer condense the illusory image of the Dharma image.

Just as the turbid waves of the Zhen River were trampled by the iron hooves of the chariots, and thousands of fire spirits, carrying raging flames, swept towards the camp on the east bank, Jiao Bo Jiang Xia, who was stationed in the rear army formation, suddenly stood up and murmured, "The Zhurong Banner?"

"How can this be?"

Jiang Xia's expression shifted between light and shadow as she muttered to herself, "It shouldn't be wrong."

"How did the treasures of my Zhurong clan end up in the hands of Gonggong?"

"The Jiang family of Xu, the Gonggong clan, and Lü Shang—you've really kept your secrets well hidden!"

As his thoughts raced, he narrowed his eyes when he looked again at the figure ahead wielding a large banner, conjuring a clash of water and fire that eclipsed the world. "Break the formation!"

At this moment, Lü Shang, who was leading the troops at the front, was unaware of Jiang Xia's thoughts. He pointed his sword forward, and 20,000 armored soldiers surged like a black tide, the turbid waves rising on the water sizzling as they were burned by the fire essence.

Since he dared to display the Zhurong Banner in front of the feudal lords of various states, he was not afraid of anyone's covetousness.

At this point, he was no longer the same as before. With his almost godlike cultivation, the only way for him to wield the Zhurong Banner was for the contemporary Zhurong, who was already ranked among the Four Sacred Mountains, to personally intervene.

Otherwise, among all the nations of the world, across the four seas and nine provinces, and among all the gods and men, no one could take the Zhurong Banner from him.

Moreover, Lü Shang had a premonition that the Battle of Zhenshui might be the opportunity for him to cultivate his divine body and attain the path of a god.

With the pure blood of Gonggong, he was like Gonggong's direct descendant in the Great Wilderness and Seas, and was also favored by the Great Dao of Water Element. He was born with great supernatural powers and was a true born pure-blooded Gonggong, a god from birth. Although Lü Shang was a pure-blooded Gonggong created later in life, he was still equivalent to half a god.

"Kill the enemy, slay their generals!"

Lü Shang's voice was like thunder, shaking the sand and gravel in the Qin Riverbed, and tens of thousands of armored soldiers roared and followed closely.

"We've lost, we've lost!"

After Lü Shang led his army across the Qin River from the west bank, the allied forces of fifty-nine nations collapsed without a fight.

"Retreat! Retreat!"

The roars of the Ji clan lords behind them were swallowed up by the rumble of the chariots. The Xu state's chariots surged across the east bank, their battle cries shaking the heavens and the earth.

"We actually lost."

Looking at the routed army, Bo Jishi of Nan Yan felt a deep emptiness in his heart.

This crushing defeat, while not enough to bring about the downfall of the kingdom, caused the collapse of the authority that had been built up by generations of Southern Yan people. In Ji Shi's view, this was far more terrifying than the loss of the kingdom.

With repeated defeats, Zhu Ji would inevitably become extremely dissatisfied with him, and the various noble clans within the country would also become disloyal to him. Without their support, his throne would be teetering on the brink of collapse. Thinking of all this, Ji Shi felt a wave of dizziness wash over him.

"kill!!"

The battle cries echoed along the banks of the Zhen River. The Ji clan's 30,000 armored soldiers were defeated by the combined forces of the Xu and Western states. One side suffered a crushing defeat, while the other relentlessly pursued them. The battle raged for a whole day, only ceasing when it began to darken.

The gravelly ground on the east bank of the Zhen River was soaked with blood. In the murky mud, broken spears and halberds floated, along with half of a blood-stained flag bearing the character "姞".

As the setting sun slanted westward, Lü Shang stood on his chariot, the Zhu Rong Banner planted diagonally in the ground, its crimson flames receding into faint sparks, yet still wisps of heat rising from it.

"Xu Bo Shenwei,"

The lords of the western states drove their chariots to the scene. Dongliang Boying Kai, supporting himself on the carriage, laughed and said, "The military forces of fifty-nine states have collapsed in a single day. It is truly a miracle!"

"Lord Dongliang flatters me," Lü Shang turned around, his gaze sweeping over the assembled lords, and said, "Although we have won this battle, it is not solely due to my efforts."

He raised his hand in a gesture of invitation, saying, "It was only through your great assistance that we were able to break through his military formations and tactics."

"Now that the Ji clan's allied forces have suffered a great defeat, I wonder if any of you would be interested in joining me in advancing east of Henan and trampling the Ji clan's states?"

Upon hearing this, Dongliang Bo Yingkai was overjoyed and said, "Bo Xu's words are exactly what I was thinking."

The various feudal lords responded enthusiastically, sharpening their swords and preparing to press their advantage.

Of the two hundred states in Henan, the Ji clan rulers were the most powerful. Although they won a great victory in the Battle of Zhenshui, apart from Ji Shi, the leader of this alliance, the other fifty-eight states suffered losses, but their foundations were not damaged.

Lü Shang wanted to take advantage of the great victory and, with the combined military might of the western states, weaken the power of the Ji clan lords as much as possible.

(End of this chapter)