Chapter 512: Chapter 512: The Army of the Undead
The six commanders of the army were all elites of the highest order. In ten years, they had accomplished many feats. At the very least, the surrounding dynasties had been subdued by their might.
When Lin Xiao's forces reached the first city in the northwest, the city gates were wide open, welcoming his army. As they marched forward, even the emperor bowed and became a subject.
Yi Yan, a master strategist, saw further than most could comprehend. His army advanced steadily, with cities that had already been subdued opening their gates willingly. Those that resisted were attacked using the forces from the conquered cities. The troops Yi Yan led rarely had to fight, moving as if they were merely inspecting the cities. Findd new stories at novelhall.com
Mr. Shuijing was similar. Like Yi Yan, he wielded a feather fan, and with a wave, enemy defenses crumbled to dust. They might not have been supreme warriors, but their cunning intellect was unparalleled.
Shui Wuhen's strategies were gradually developed by Zhong Shan and his men. Though not as monstrously brilliant as Yi Yan, Shuijing, or Lin Xiao, Shui Wuhen's plans were flawless and methodical. True generals built their foundations on solid tactics, and Shui Wuhen had this potential.
Zhong Shan was most concerned with Ying Lan, whose intelligence was formidable. After subduing the surrounding dynasties, she began to set up the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation.
A formation of two hundred thousand men, how powerful would that be? It covered the sky, and the sands howled as if a desert was devouring everything in its path. The city walls were high, but the sandstorm was higher, surging into the city and overwhelming its defenders.
The Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation, one of the top formations in the Divine Continent.
Then there was Mr. Shi, whose methods were even more eerie. Twenty skeletons carried large banners, and fifty zombies bore a pitch-black palace. Mr. Shi sat cross-legged inside the palace. Upon reaching the enemy's city, he captured a junior officer from the opposing forces.
He took out a small bottle and poured the black liquid inside it into the officer's mouth before releasing him back. The officer, confused, returned to his camp. That night, Mr. Shi took out a bell and gently shook it.
"Ding-ling-ling!"
A series of sounds echoed, and a horrifying event occurred in the enemy camp. The junior officer's eyes turned blood-red, and he lost his sanity, biting anyone he encountered in a frenzy. The general tried to stop him but found that the crazed officer's strength had been halved. His face turned a ghastly pale with dark circles under his eyes, resembling a decaying corpse.
The officer felt no pain, even when slashed. He only wanted to bite, bite, bite.
"Kill him!" the general ordered.
"Boom!" The officer's head was blown off, and he fell to the ground.
"What is happening?" the general demanded, frowning.
"Roar~~~~~~!" A terrifying roar echoed from beside the general.
He tried to stop it, but it was too late. Another person, bitten by the officer earlier, began to bite the general's neck. Anyone bitten by the officer turned into a frenzied attacker, biting and spreading the madness.
Bite after bite, the infection spread rapidly. That night, the entire camp was filled with screams of horror.
By midnight, many soldiers, gripped by terror, fled the camp. The entire camp had turned into a hellish nightmare. Anyone bitten turned into a zombie; it was horrifying. Even a single bite, a drop of saliva or poison, was enough to turn someone into one of the undead.
Zombies!
Mr. Shi was creating zombies!
The night was filled with screams, and by morning, nearly everyone in the camp was dead, transformed into zombies. Mr. Shi shook his bell, and the zombies emerged from the camp, surrounding the skeletons and zombies, protecting Mr. Shi.
The zombie army, with their drooping arms and lifeless eyes, moved forward under Mr. Shi's control, advancing menacingly.
"Your Majesty, the army advancing towards us is terrifying," a minister exclaimed after hearing the scout's report.
"Your Majesty, how could Zhong Shan's newly established Great Zheng Dynasty have such a powerful army? A sandstorm? What kind of army is this?" another minister doubted.
"The Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation, Your Majesty! It's the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation!" a strategist realized.
"The Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation?" The emperor was taken aback.
"Yes, it's the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation, the most powerful formation of the former Great Li Heavenly Dynasty, created by the Grand Preceptor. After the Grand Preceptor's death, it was passed to his disciple, Tai Xu Zi, who later disappeared, leaving the formation a legend in the Divine Continent. This is the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation, Your Majesty!" The strategist was in shock.
Mention of the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation brought to mind all the legends surrounding it. The emperor became extremely solemn.
In the south, another dynasty's court was eerily silent.
The emperor and ministers listened to the scout kneeling on the floor.
"Your Majesty, the army of the Great Zheng Dynasty has turned every place they passed into a hellish landscape. Zombies, more and more zombies. Anyone bitten turns into a zombie immediately. The zombie army is advancing towards our dynasty, and it's terrifying!" the scout reported with fear.
Imagine an endless sea of zombies coming towards you. It was a horrifying thought. Zombies had half the strength they had in life, but there were too many of them, with endless reinforcements. Anyone bitten would become a new zombie, and if an enemy soldier died and was bitten, they would rise as a zombie too. Unless the head was destroyed, the zombie wouldn't die!
Some of the more timid ministers shuddered.
"Zombies?" The emperor found it hard to believe such an army could exist.
"Your Majesty, I have brought one back with me! It's outside," the scout said.
"Bring it in!" the emperor ordered.
Several soldiers carried in a bound zombie. The creature, with its decaying body and lifeless eyes, struggled against the ropes, looking utterly horrifying.
"Ugh, ugh, ugh," the zombie groaned and struggled.
"Boom!"
As soon as the zombie was brought into the hall, it broke free and lunged, biting one of the soldiers carrying it on the shoulder.
"Sss!"
The scout swiftly decapitated the zombie, destroying its head.
The ministers were horrified. The zombie was dead, but its poison remained. The bitten soldier's eyes suddenly turned red.
"Roar!" With a terrifying roar, he charged towards the emperor.
"Boom!"
The emperor killed the newly turned zombie with a single palm strike. Yet, the court remained deathly silent, filled with an overwhelming sense of dread.