Undying Life

Chapter 542:Gambling Battle

Zhong Shan smiled enigmatically and said, "Ten cities—isn't that a bit too little?"

Guo Feng, who had been smirking condescendingly, froze at Zhong Shan's words.

"Uh?" Guo Feng was taken aback. Ten cities too few? One-third of the territory not enough?

Zhong Shan's boldness was shocking. Yan Chongzhi, not far away, first tensed up and then looked at Guo Feng with a playful smile.

Guo Feng's eyes widened, his face flushing slightly.

"Then how many cities do you think would be sufficient?" Guo Feng asked, staring at Zhong Shan.

"Seeing that you can't offer much, let's say fifteen cities," Zhong Shan said casually with a smile.

Guo Feng took a deep breath. Fifteen cities? In principle, the wager should not exceed half the territory, but Zhong Shan had proposed nearly half at once.

Zhong Shan's audacity stunned the three dynasties. Guo Feng's face turned red with anger, feeling that Zhong Shan was mocking him.

"What's wrong? Too few?" Zhong Shan asked with a teasing smile.

"Hmph!" Guo Feng snorted coldly.

"What do you think of my proposal, Yan Chongzhi?" Zhong Shan asked, looking at Yan Chongzhi.

Yan Chongzhi, initially an observer, was now pulled into the fray. His expression shifted slightly, but he nodded and smiled, "I agree."

"I agree?" Yan Chongzhi agreed to wager half of his dynasty's territory?

Zhong Shan looked at Yan Chongzhi with a bit of admiration. Regardless of Yan Chongzhi's actual capabilities, his courage was something Guo Feng lacked.

Hearing Yan Chongzhi's agreement, Guo Feng's expression changed.

"Guo Feng, what about you?" Zhong Shan asked with a slight smile.

Guo Feng hesitated, his expression darkening. Half the territory was a significant gamble, causing him to pause. After a moment of contemplation, Guo Feng's eyes showed a fierce resolve, and he coldly smiled, "Alright, as you wish!"

"Good!" Zhong Shan responded with a smile.

The three emperors reached a consensus, each wagering fifteen cities—half their respective territories.

Forty-five cities were placed as the wager, set for the three emperors to compete over.

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"Choose your cities," Guo Feng said to Zhong Shan.

"Please, after you," Zhong Shan replied, smiling as he let Guo Feng go first.

At this moment, an official flew from behind Guo Feng's dragon chair to the center of Yinmi Square. With a hand gesture, he projected a massive map above the square using a spell.

The map displayed the territories of the three dynasties outside the forbidden zone.

Guo Feng pointed at the map, selecting fifteen cities, which turned red. Yan Chongzhi then selected his fifteen cities.

Following their example, Zhong Shan used a spell to select fifteen border cities.

Once the cities were selected, there was no turning back—this was a matter of the dynasties' honor.

The official who had projected the map recited the names of the forty-five cities, ensuring everyone memorized them before retracting the map.

"The wager is divided into two parts; you know the rules, right?" Guo Feng asked, staring at Zhong Shan.

"Naturally!" Zhong Shan nodded.

The land wager involved a contest of overall strength and individual prowess. The overall strength was tested through the military capabilities of each dynasty, while individual prowess was tested through selected champions fighting to the death.

"Deploy the troops!" the official who had previously displayed the map called out.

Lin Xiao bowed to Zhong Shan, then leaped off the dragon platform, leading 200,000 soldiers to the center of Yinmi Square.

Yan Chongzhi's subordinate, a general, led 200,000 ghost soldiers forward.

Guo Feng's subordinate brought forward 100,000 infantry and 100,000 wolf cavalry.

"The Great Ying Dynasty's army will enter the Yinmi Mountains from the south, the Great Xun Dynasty's army from the west, and the Great Zheng Dynasty's army from the east!" the official announced.

The Yinmi Mountains were shrouded in a powerful formation, filled with dense black fog that severely limited visibility and hampered spiritual sense. Moreover, flight was impossible within the mountains, similar to the geomantic array once set by the mud Buddha. The fog of the sixty-four cities ensured that no one could fly within.

The armies would fight within this fog-covered battlefield. Victory was achieved by capturing the enemy's command flag or annihilating their forces.

"Your Majesty, I will lead the troops into the mountains and secure more cities for the Great Xun Dynasty!" the Great Xun general vowed to Guo Feng.

"Very well," Guo Feng nodded.

The general saluted and led his 100,000 infantry and 100,000 wolf cavalry towards the northwest, preparing to enter the mountains from the west.

"Your Majesty, I will lead the troops into the mountains and secure more cities for the Great Ying Dynasty!" the Great Ying general vowed to Yan Chongzhi.

"Do your best," Yan Chongzhi replied.

The ghost general nodded firmly and led his 200,000 ghost soldiers towards the north, preparing to enter the mountains from the south.

"Your Majesty, I will lead the troops into the mountains and capture both enemy flags!" Lin Xiao vowed to Zhong Shan.

The 200,000 Great Zheng soldiers were eager and ready for battle.

"Bring out the hero's wine. I want to toast Lin Xiao!" Zhong Shan suddenly declared.

A toast to Lin Xiao? Guo Feng raised an eyebrow, and Yan Chongzhi looked slightly surprised. Was Zhong Shan trying to win Lin Xiao's loyalty or motivate his army?

Zhong Shan stepped down from the dragon platform, and Lin Xiao stepped forward.

Two attendants approached, one holding a tray with two goblets and a jug of fine wine. The other attendant uncorked the jug and poured the golden wine into the goblets.

As the wine was poured, the scruffy old drunkard behind Yan Chongzhi, who had been lying on a lounge chair with a wine gourd, suddenly twitched his nose. His eyes brightened, and he jumped up, staring intently at the wine near Zhong Shan.

"Good wine~~~!" the old man exclaimed joyfully. In a flash, he left a mere afterimage as he rushed towards the jug of wine near Zhong Shan.

He moved incredibly fast, almost reaching the jug in an instant.

"Whoosh~~~!"

A gust of wind blew, and the old man stopped in front of the attendant holding the wine. He hadn't grabbed the wine; he had been stopped.

A black shadow stood in his way.

It was Sha Po. The moment the old man moved, Sha Po intervened, blocking him with incredible speed. Both moved so quickly that the emperors of the other two dynasties tensed up, especially the blood-faced man behind Guo Feng, who stared intently at Sha Po.

Sha Po was no ordinary being; he was at the peak of the Emperor Extreme Realm, one of the strongest in the world. As soon as the old man moved, Sha Po anticipated his direction and, in his duty to protect Zhong Shan, intercepted him with full force.

The old man, blocked by Sha Po, squinted his eyes but then started acting foolishly, laughing and joking.

"What do you want?" Zhong Shan asked coldly.

"I have a lifelong love for good wine. This wine of yours smells unusual. I can't discern what it's made from. Could I have some to taste?" the old man asked, still laughing and joking.

What was it made from? It was wine brought from the Yang Realm, made from fruits rarely found in the Underworld. Naturally, it was unfamiliar to most here.

Zhong Shan glanced at Yan Chongzhi in the distance, who wore a faint, helpless smile.

Zhong Shan looked back at the old man. The old man, blocked by Sha Po, looked pitifully at the wine, his eyes refusing to stray from it.

"This is hero's wine. We'll talk after I've offered my toast," Zhong Shan said, ignoring the old man.

He picked up a goblet, and Lin Xiao also picked up a goblet.

"May you return victorious!" Zhong Shan declared loudly.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Lin Xiao responded in kind.

This gesture was for the benefit of the entire army. The 200,000 soldiers behind Lin Xiao watched eagerly, their fighting spirit soaring.

"Be careful in the mountains. If necessary, retreat. I don't want anything to happen to you," Zhong Shan whispered. While Lin Xiao was highly capable, he was still relatively new to the Underworld, unaware of its many peculiarities. Zhong Shan would rather lose fifteen cities than lose Lin Xiao.

"Understood," Lin Xiao said, touched.

They drank together. Not far away, the old man's eyes brightened.

After finishing the drink, Lin Xiao led the 200,000 troops towards the northeast, preparing to enter the Yinmi Mountains from the east.

Watching Lin Xiao depart, Zhong Shan turned to return to the dragon platform.

"And the wine?" the old man called out immediately.

Zhong Shan gave the old man a peculiar look and waved his hand. Sha Po stepped aside, allowing the old man to rush over to the remaining wine.

Hugging the wine jug, the old man returned to Yan Chongzhi's dragon platform.

Zhong Shan ascended the dragon platform and sat down, watching the old man happily drinking from the wine jug in the distance.

"The armies will fight in the Yinmi Mountains, deciding the fate of twenty-five cities. The remaining twenty cities will be contested by champions," the official called out again.

Each dynasty would field ten champions for the individual contests—a long-standing rule. The victors would determine who claimed the twenty cities.

In the distance, Guo Feng looked back and spoke to the blood-faced man, who nodded in response.

Then, from Guo Feng's dragon platform, ten people descended, including the blood-faced man. Guo Feng was determined to claim these twenty cities.

"I'll go, I'll go. I want to fight him!" Xianxian said excitedly.

Zhong Shan glanced at Xianxian and nodded, "Sha Po, accompany Xianxian."

"Yes!" Sha Po responded respectfully.

With Sha Po by her side, Zhong Shan wasn't worried about Xianxian's safety. These individual contests were to the death—there was no yielding.

In the distance, the old man behind Yan Chongzhi, drinking and watching, noticed Sha Po's respectful demeanor towards Zhong Shan. His expression changed repeatedly. He turned to Yan Chongzhi and whispered something.

Yan Chongzhi, initially surprised, then nodded.

From Yan Chongzhi's dragon platform, ten people also descended, including the old man and nine ghost generals.

The Great Xun Dynasty fielded ten champions, the Great Ying Dynasty ten, while the Great Zheng Dynasty had only two—Xianxian and Sha Po.

"Haha, Zhong Shan, just two people?" Guo Feng laughed.