Volume 1, Chapter 18: The Saint's Third Disciple Arrives in Person, Zhu Youjian Raises the Stakes!

The Yaoqing Shaman, upon seeing this, curled his lips into a cold sneer and spoke with utmost calmness: “Beneath the sages, all are but ants. You celebrate too soon, don’t you?”

In the next moment, the scene shifted dramatically. The bodies of the Yaoqing Eight Banners cavalrymen, which had been lying in pools of blood, began to writhe slowly. Gradually, they took shape again and astonishingly rose to their feet, charging once more toward the Snow Dragon Riders.

This sight left everyone present utterly stunned.

Could it be possible?

Dead men coming back to life?

After the initial shock came an overwhelming disbelief and dread.

These revived Yaoqing cavalrymen resembled malevolent spirits clawing their way out of hell, exuding eerie black energy from their bodies, their eyes glowing crimson, their expressions grotesque.

They wielded their blades recklessly, cutting fiercely toward the Snow Dragon Riders.

Another fierce battle ensued.

But this time, everyone realized a terrifying truth—the Yaoqing cavalrymen were effectively immortal.

No matter how precisely the Snow Dragon Riders struck them down, they would revive within moments and plunge back into the fray.

Zhu Youjian’s face grew colder, a plan forming in his mind.

So that was it.

These creatures were ensnared by some formidable curse, making it impossible to truly kill them.

No wonder they remained so composed from the start—there was no urgency on their part.

In this round, even an elite force like the Snow Dragon Riders was powerless.

Unless one’s strength vastly exceeded theirs, it was impossible to slay them completely.

The battle raged on; the Yaoqing cavalry was felled time and again, yet each time they revived as if immortal, charging relentlessly at the Snow Dragon Riders.

Though the Snow Dragon Riders fought with unmatched valor, they gradually faltered under this exhausting war of attrition.

At last, with a sorrowful, heroic howl, the final Snow Dragon Rider succumbed to the blades of the Yaoqing cavalry.

The Yaoqing Shaman proclaimed loudly, “The second round goes to us, the Yaoqing.”

The ministers of the Sagely Empire, hearing this, ardently condemned the Yaoqing for dishonorable tactics and cheating their way to victory.

“You Yaoqing have gone too far! Using such despicable means!”

“Exactly! This isn’t a fair contest at all!”

“This is against the natural order! Against the rules!”

“Our Sagely Empire will never accept such a loss!”

“Yaoqing envoys, you must give us an explanation!”

The Yaoqing envoys merely sneered, unfazed by the accusations from the Sagely ministers.

“Hmph! Martial ethics? Who ever mentioned any rules from the start?”

“Right! The victor is king; the vanquished are bandits!”

“Making excuses after losing? You really can’t accept defeat!”

“Listen well! This is the battlefield! There are only winners, no fairness!”

“If you can’t accept losing, then surrender obediently! Save us the trouble!”

The Yaoqing Shaman turned to Zhu Youjian, eyes gleaming with pride and provocation, and slowly said, “Emperor Chongzhen, does the Sagely Empire refuse to acknowledge the outcome?”

Zhu Youjian’s voice was grave. “For the third round, what do you wish to wager?”

This round, no matter what, he must win.

For the dignity of the Sagely Empire, for the peace of the people, he absolutely could not lose.

So the Yaoqing play dirty, huh?

We shall see about that!

Suddenly, the Yaoqing Shaman’s gaze shifted toward the horizon, a cold, sharp smile curling her lips.

“The third round, we wager the Gu!”

With that, she waved her hands; withered wooden stakes plunged into the earth, and black mist surged around her feet like a tide, accompanied by chilling, eerie screams of malevolent spirits.

Her once-beautiful and enchanting face now appeared especially sinister as she sneered, “For this third round, my Third Senior Sister shall personally step forth to wager with you!”

As her words fell, a rift suddenly tore open the sky, and a towering, blood-robed phantom appeared on the horizon.

The figure was blurred, but an overwhelming aura of coldness, dread, and terror swept over the assembled crowd, causing them all to shiver uncontrollably.

The blood-red hue rapidly spread, engulfing the entire imperial capital of the Sagely Empire, as if staining the world into an Asura’s hell.

Then countless pairs of bloodied hands clawed up from beneath the ground.

They twisted and snarled, fingertips dripping with viscous blood, resembling demons crawling out of the abyss of hell, attempting to seize the soul of every living being.

Those bloodied hands waved through the air, emitting piercing howls that plunged the entire training ground’s atmosphere into freezing silence.

The blood-robed figure finally spoke, her voice sharp and grating: “Zhu Youjian, I am the third disciple under the Shaman Sect’s Saint. For the third round, I shall wager witchcraft with you.”

Zhu Youjian’s gaze was like a burning torch, feeling the immense pressure emanating from her, rivaling even that of Sun Wukong. Calmly, he asked, “You wish to wager with me? Your cultivation must be transcendent, a divine presence beyond the heavens. Were it not for the Heart Learning inscriptions carved by Wang Yangming at Shanhaiguan restricting you, your divine essence might possess the power to annihilate all. Yet even so, your strength is still otherworldly. Meanwhile, your junior sister’s cultivation is barely halfway into the ‘Unbreakable’ realm. Given such disparity between you two, why should I agree to your wager? What benefit do I gain?”

The blood-robed figure replied, “At this moment, I am beyond Shanhaiguan. If you can break through my witchcraft, I shall immediately command the return of all cities plundered from your Sagely Empire, and the Yaoqing army will retreat a million li. If you lose, besides the original wager, you must personally come to our Shaman Sect’s Wugou Sacred Mountain and plant a Life Gu!”

Upon hearing the words “Life Gu,” the ministers were struck with terror, whispering urgently among themselves.

“Life Gu? That is the Shaman Sect’s forbidden technique. Once planted, it means handing over one’s fate completely into their hands!”

“Your Majesty, this must never be allowed! Once infected by the Life Gu, you become their puppet; your life and death entirely controlled by them!”

“Indeed, Your Majesty, you must not agree. This concerns the very survival of the nation; it is far too risky!”

Zhu Youjian had already made up his mind; he would not easily accept this challenge.

To wager witchcraft with a Yaoqing shaman of otherworldly cultivation?

He was no fool!

Just then, the system notification sounded.

[Ding!]

[System reminder: Sun Wukong’s summoning time has expired; system will be recalled shortly!]

Sun Wukong’s summoning time was up. Without hesitation, Zhu Youjian opened the system interface to check his remaining National Fortune points.

Since his last tenfold draw, he still had 210,000 points.

During this period, he had appointed loyal ministers, enacted beneficial policies, built military factories, secured the allegiance of Yuan Chonghuan, gained Sun Chengzong’s approval, and shocked the Yaoqing envoys. These actions had earned him over 50,000 additional points.

Currently, his National Fortune stood at 273,000.

Zhu Youjian pondered and decided to spend 200,000 National Fortune points on a draw, hoping to summon a mythical figure proficient in Wugou arts.

He said to the system, “System, begin the draw for a mythical figure. Preferably one skilled in Wugou witchcraft; if that is not possible, any other deity adept in mystical arts will suffice.”