Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 408 Where do you live? I'll only send one ship!
Inside the inverted Yin-Yang formation.

Zheng He, the first-rank ghost god, had been watching Wang Cheng's actions from the very beginning.

In order to coordinate with the attack from both inside and outside to break the great formation, before he misled the traitor Tan Song, sent out false information, and called for a long-range strike, he first activated his own demonic form.

Stepping out of the [Big Dipper Seven-Element Ship], he shouted loudly into the sky:
"Nine-Headed Immortal, come out and face your death!"

The first-grade ghostly divine form grew rapidly upon contact with the wind, instantly transforming into azure and crimson light that filled the heavens and earth, while a vast chanting echoed throughout the universe:

"The Five Elders of the Five Directions, the Sun and Moon bring peace and prosperity. Their radiant light shines forth, dividing heaven and earth. Pure Qi rises, turbid Qi condenses downward. Wondrous functions fill the eight seas, the Water Emperor and the True Stream. Hasten, hasten, as the law commands!"

Suddenly, the world went dark. In the chaos, blue light rose and red light descended, and extreme cold and heat rapidly intertwined. This first-rank ghost god seemed to be re-evolving the world with his own power.

Of course, he didn't actually possess such great power, but rather he opened up his own Yin-Yang Dharma Realm [where all things grow and heaven and man are born]!
Even during his lifetime, Zheng He was not only a local official (eunuch), but also held a high-ranking official position (General Fubo).

The key issue is that although the eunuchs trusted by the emperor may seem to wield immense power, they are ultimately just appendages of imperial authority.

In most dynasties, even if one reached the highest rank, one was merely a fourth-rank servant, unable to control one's own life, and could be easily captured and killed with a single imperial edict.

As a man of outstanding talent and ambition, how could Zheng He be content to stop here?

Taking advantage of the opportunity to sail to the West, he also served as the "General Fubo" and began to explore his path of integrating different legal positions.

Among the eunuch profession, which is also one of the Eight Outer Gates, there are far more accomplished pioneers than water collectors in the water department, providing him with richer experience in trial and error.

For example, the eunuch Zhao Gao called a deer a horse, and Emperor Ling of Han said, "Zhang Changshi is my father, and Zhao Changshi is my mother."

Cao Teng was posthumously honored as "Emperor Gao" by Emperor Xian of Han, becoming the only eunuch in history to be officially posthumously honored as an emperor. After the establishment of the Cao Wei regime, he was further posthumously honored as "Emperor Tai".
Of course, we can't forget the famous "Nine Thousand Years Old" who hasn't been born yet!
Zheng He's ambitions did not reach that level.

After painstakingly searching for the royal seal of Li Fuguo, the most powerful eunuch in the Tang Dynasty, the Prince of Bolu, he used this talisman as a symbol to merge the eunuch and General Fubo into the celestial rank of "Grand General Fuguo".

Relying on his extraordinary potential as a celestial being and his groundbreaking achievements in the 15th century, he rose to the rank of a first-grade ghost god!
After his death, he not only stabilized his original realm, but also condensed the corresponding first-grade divine decree and authority. Without him, the treasure ship's crew would not have been able to hold on until now.

Even today, 130 years later, the legend of this imperial envoy and general is still widely circulated in the Eastern countries.

Conversely, Gongshu Chun and Wang Bangyan, both of whom held the second rank, were the best in their respective fields.

However, not only were their own official positions or potential limited or their lineage incomplete, but they were also trapped in the Immortal Realm and had no conditions to integrate with other positions, ultimately stopping at the second rank.

After the spirits and deities of this world die but do not perish, they can only continue to improve by relying on the incense offerings and prayers of sentient beings. Their advancement speed is reduced by ten or a hundred times compared to when they were alive. They might have a sliver of hope if they slowly endure for another few hundred years.

Rumble.
High in the heavens, the [Measuring Ruler] and the [Inverted Yin-Yang Array] stirred up wind, water, and fire throughout the world. If anyone with slightly less skill were to accidentally enter it, they would be turned to ashes on the spot, with not even a remnant soul escaping.

At this moment, a dark golden array flag waved, and a burly immortal with a face as broad as a lion appeared where the wind and fire were raging.

With a full head of golden hair and dressed in a purple Bagua immortal robe, he exuded an awe-inspiring presence. He was none other than the Nine-Headed Immortal, the first-rank immortal master of the Nine Netherworld Sect.

Looking down at Zheng He, he let out a cold snort.
"Eunuch Sanbao, I admire your rare heroism, which is why I have given you chances time and time again to abandon the darkness and embrace the light. Don't be so shameless."

Zheng He responded with only two words:
"Come and fight!"

His body shimmered with azure and crimson divine light, then he unleashed two magnificent and awe-inspiring flying swords—the [Sun and Moon Twin Swords]—which transformed into giant scissors that cut through the clouds, and charged fiercely toward the Nine-Headed Immortal.

Based on his experience of being trapped here for 130 years, there was no point in reasoning with these immortals who relied on cannibalism for cultivation.

They are never reasonable. Once they start to reason with you, it means you have really been forced into a corner. If you don't kill them now, when will you?

"Roar--!"

Immortals cultivate both body and spirit, possessing skills that combine the wondrous aspects of ghostly and divine forms with the divine body of human immortals. When unleashed, this becomes the true art of "following the laws of heaven and earth."

The Nine-Headed Immortal transformed himself in mid-air, leaving only nine enormous golden lion heads before the ship's crew and generals, radiating brilliant golden light, like nine suns that blot out the sky.

As his name suggests, the Nine-Headed Immortal's true form is a nine-headed lion spirit.

Facing the sword that shone with the sun and moon, it neither dodged nor avoided, but opened its mouth wide and bit down.

Stab it--!
In an instant, a mysterious light filled the sky, the principles collided, the sound reverberated for miles, and the sea surface was violently rocked.

This battle between a first-grade ghost god relying on the army's aura and a first-grade immortal relying on an array has already exceeded the level of mortal understanding. Even many ghost gods cannot understand it and dare not even look up at it, let alone Wang Cheng.
He simply believed that with Zheng He's abilities as a first-rank official, he would be able to cooperate well with him, and thus began to act on his own.

Using the "Rare Goods for Sale" method, it was confirmed that the formation had quietly changed its mode, adjusting to an externally deceptive but internally solid arrangement. This was specifically designed to counter internal attacks by skilled individuals, allowing for rapid responses to both deceptive and solid formations, while simultaneously reducing the strength of external defenses.

He decisively issued the order to bombard the three main immortals facing the large fleet, each holding a black gold array flag: [Peach Blossom Immortal], [Burzzy Beard Immortal], and [Iron Armor Immortal].

boom! boom! boom! boom! boom!
In an instant, the sky was shattered.

Those second-generation immortals who were still standing on the cloud bed, led by the Nine-Headed Immortal's female master Jiu'er, were first stunned with their mouths agape as they watched as countless thick, black, and hard steel cannons cast shadows that gradually obscured their faces.

Then the gunpowder exploded, and the scorching muzzle storm whipped up a howling shockwave that tore off their hairbands and set their clothes ablaze.

The immense kinetic energy, beyond description, propelled the heavy projectile, filled with purple gunpowder and engraved with the spell-breaking runes of the "General's Order," out of the cannon barrel.

Absolute violence, like a primordial behemoth, carrying the power to tear the heavens apart, shot straight into the sky.

The deafening roar echoed continuously within the skulls of the second generation, causing their souls, cultivated through years of life and death, to tremble deeply.

At this moment, the second-generation immortals no longer had time to ponder where this massive fleet had come from or how it had broken through the Myriad Miles of Maze. Only utter horror remained in their eyes:
"These are all ordinary firearms that were made without using any precious materials!"

"Just one attack, and its power is comparable to a full-force strike from a fifth- or fourth-rank sorcerer? That last attack was equivalent to how many people attacking simultaneously!"

"It takes decades to train a mid-level third-grade alchemist. How long would it take to manufacture this kind of ordinary firearm and train two gunners? A month? Half a month? Two days? Or two hours?"

"We can easily crush them one-on-one, but how do we deal with these iron lumps once the immortal realm and the mortal realm go to war?"

A group of arrogant second-generation immortals stood dumbfounded beneath the cannons firing from the fleet, experiencing for the first time the unevenness brought about by the changing times.

Although those Heavenly Treasure Ships were also equipped with combat modules [Five Thunder Divine Cannons], and their power was not small, they were still a novelty to a group of Ascended Immortals.

However, neither they nor the veterans of the treasure ship fleet could have imagined that, in just over a hundred years, giant ships and cannons would have developed to this extent.

Battleships became the defenders of supreme naval power, and mass-produced "Iron Rod Flying Thunder Cannons" became ubiquitous on warships.

After using "activated blooming bombs" and "purple gunpowder", its power is not much less than the former.

The key is that the quantity of equipment has increased exponentially. Any merchant ship can now carry dozens of heavy cannons weighing over 24 pounds. Quantitative change has led to qualitative change.

This entire fleet had more than two thousand cannons firing at the same time.

If the secret realm hadn't allowed inanimate objects to enter and exit, and all those cannonballs had been released, this attack would probably have been enough to pierce through the Penglai Secret Realm.

However, this is not over yet!
A dazzling galaxy appeared in front of hundreds of main warships, triggering the triple effect bonus of the Heavenly Official's Dharma Realm's "The Milky Way is also a river".

"Young captain, did you fire those 2880 silver shells or those 2880 gold shells?"

"You're very honest, so I'll give all 8640 shells to your enemy."

In an instant, the fleet's salvo turned into a barrage of cannon fire, countless crimson streaks tearing through the entire night sky of the vast ocean.

The explosive shockwave pushed the seawater far away from the large fleet, and the vast ocean was pushed back and turned into a huge tide.

The second generation witnessed a brief, deathly silence after the shell trails dimmed slightly, followed by a piercing shriek in the sky, like fabric being torn apart.

Just a few breaths later, enormous fire tornadoes exploded on the [Inverted Yin-Yang Array] in the world outside the wall.

Amidst the raging flames that had scorched the sky and sea, countless shattered fragments could be seen being violently hurled into the sky by mushroom-shaped fireballs.

"Ahhhhh."

Those were all Six Paths disciples responsible for guarding and supporting the perimeter, and they were swept away like insignificant dust.

Even though the sorcerers possessed extremely tenacious vitality, their screams vanished in an instant.

"What is that? Could it be that a living ghost or deity has attacked?!"

The expressions of the three immortals, namely 【碧桃仙】, 【陯髯仙】, and 【铁衣仙】, who happened to be stationed on the west side of the great formation, changed drastically.

At first, they tried to rely on the large formation to resist, waving the formation flags to readjust the defenses.

Unexpectedly, firstly, the insider reported a strategic error, resulting in a situation where the exterior was weak but the interior was strong. Then, most of the forces were diverted by the Nine-Headed Immortal to fight against Zheng He, who possessed an army.

A huge loophole appeared due to the haste.

The three people's protective aura was torn apart by shrapnel on the spot. Despite the damage to their own natal magic treasures, they managed to escape the core explosion area covered in charred black and bloody grime. The blood they coughed up was already cooked.

But he dared not take another step forward.

As for the old men on the Beidou-7 Yuan ship, when they first heard Wang Cheng say, "Fine wine in a luminous cup, you and the bunker fly together," they thought he was exaggerating.

After all, no matter how confident Wang Cheng was, the power of the Inverted Yin-Yang Formation that had trapped them for over a hundred years was something others might not know, but surely they themselves knew it.

The claim that Wang Cheng was asked to help launch a pincer attack from both inside and outside was mainly to create opportunities for them and prevent their main attack from being shifted or reversed by the formation.

They exchanged a glance and subconsciously labeled this Xuanwei envoy the same as Old Wang.

But just a second later, they retracted their assessment.

He couldn't help but open his mouth wide:
"So humid, so humid, no, it's so hot, so hot!"

【The Milky Way is also a river】 tripled the firepower density of the entire fleet, concentrating it completely on a single point. Combined with the demon-slaying power coordinated by 【General's Order】, it tore apart the great formation layer by layer, like a steel knife slicing an onion.

In the midst of the battle, a red dot first appeared in the pitch-black night sky, which was originally filled with torrential rain, and then turned into a shattered lava crust.

Finally, scorching shockwaves and shrapnel burst forth from the gaps, transforming into hundreds of ferocious, hundred-foot-long fiery dragons that raged wildly within the inverted Yin-Yang formation.

It swept away most of that apocalyptic scene of the sky and sea hanging upside down, and replaced it.

Clearly, the Trinidad's first combat mission after its refit had yielded brilliant results.

With its global delivery capabilities, Wang Cheng now dared to say something to any major power:
"Where do you live? I'm only sending one ship!"

(End of this chapter)