Undying Life

Chapter 967: The Zhongshan Effect

In the realm of the living, before the Hall of Longevity in the Lingxiao Heavenly Court!

At the most critical moment, a roar echoed, followed by a gust of wind, and Zhongshan appeared in the grand plaza. With his own body, he shielded the ministers of Great Zheng, standing as a barrier against all the crises threatening the Lingxiao Heavenly Court.

At that moment, cheers of "Long live the Holy King!" erupted from all directions of the Lingxiao Heavenly Court. The entire capital was in a frenzy, with voices resounding to the heavens.

In the plaza of the Hall of Longevity, officials wept tears of joy, continuously bowing in reverence to the Holy King. Their hearts surged with emotion and relief. After five long years, everything had been worth it. They had been right all along—the Holy King had returned!

After paying their respects to Zhongshan, the ministers fell silent, casting hateful glances at the group of great immortals and the ancient immortal King Qiming. Zhongshan was like the backbone of everyone present. With his arrival, all fear dissipated.

In the distance, Lang Zhen, the injured Minister of War, lay in a large pit, staring in disbelief at Zhongshan. His mind was in turmoil, a sense of the sky falling weighing heavily on him.

Zhongshan wasn't dead? He really wasn't dead? Lang Zhen's chest heaved as his mind spiraled into chaos. Seeing Zhongshan, he glimpsed the future of Great Zheng. Had the fate of Great Zheng come to an end? No, Great Zheng was truly beginning to boil with life.

Reflecting on his actions over the years—rebellion, treason, defecting to the enemy, only to fail—Lang Zhen began to laugh maniacally, a crazed expression on his face.

"Haha, hahaha, the Holy King has returned, the Holy King has returned!" Lang Zhen laughed hysterically, his emotions unstable. Under the constant assault of reality, the former Minister of War had become a madman, laughing and crying intermittently, his mind completely shattered.

At this point, no one paid attention to Lang Zhen. Whether in the eyes of King Qiming or the ministers of Great Zheng, he was already a dead man with no chance of survival. Madness wouldn't absolve him of his sins.

Zhongshan stood proudly at the forefront, his eyes like lightning, glaring directly at King Qiming in the sky.

King Qiming's expression fluctuated, his face twitching. Alive—Zhongshan was still alive? How was this possible?

After glaring at the enemies in the sky, Zhongshan looked back at his ministers.

"My beloved subjects, you've endured much. I've returned late!" Zhongshan said.

"It's our duty!"

"It's what we should do!"

"This old servant knew the Holy King would return!"

The ministers were so overwhelmed with emotion that they spoke incoherently, but Zhongshan didn't blame them. These were the most precious ministers of Great Zheng.

Lin Xiao, Shuijing, and Shui Wuhen all had glints of excitement in their eyes. Zhongshan cast a glance of trust and gratitude toward them. For these three, nothing more needed to be said. Just seeing Zhongshan's gaze made them feel that all the grievances of the past five years were worth it.

After calming the ministers, Zhongshan looked up at the sky, where a massive blue barrier loomed.

His eyes narrowed, and he let out a faint command, "Come out!"

"Roar～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～!"

"Roar～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～!"

Suddenly, two earth-shattering dragon roars erupted from Zhongshan's body. The sound overwhelmed the voices of everyone in the Lingxiao Heavenly Court, sending powerful sound waves soaring into the sky.

A massive burst of golden light erupted from Zhongshan's body, turning the entire Lingxiao Heavenly Court into a dazzling golden spectacle. The blinding light pierced through the blue barrier, dyeing the sky for a million miles in golden hues.

Two colossal golden dragons suddenly emerged from Zhongshan's body—both were nineteen-clawed fortune dragons, a manifestation of Great Zheng's destiny!

The fortune dragons soared into the sky, piercing through the blue barrier. Instantly, a fierce wind swept through the surroundings of the Lingxiao Heavenly Court, as an infinite amount of golden energy began converging from all directions.

Fortune—endless fortune—along with immeasurable virtue, began to gather once more over the lands of Great Zheng. The destiny and virtue of Great Zheng's territories reassembled, rebuilding the sky's fortune with an overwhelming momentum that reached the heavens!

"Long live Great Zheng! Long live the Holy King!"

Cheers erupted from all directions.

Below the Lingxiao Heavenly Court, in the Imperial Guard Camp:

Three days had passed without a single message from the Lingxiao Heavenly Court. Meanwhile, the court had suddenly been enveloped by a blue barrier, causing confusion and unrest among many of the Imperial Guards. Discussions grew rampant, and morale began to waver. However, without the military seal or orders, no one dared to leave the camp, though a few had deserted.

The commanders were helpless, sighing in despair—was Great Zheng truly doomed?

Just as their spirits wavered and the generals despaired, two earth-shaking dragon roars echoed through the air, reaching everyone's ears.

All heads turned skyward. The sky had once again been painted in golden hues.

"Fortune! That's Great Zheng's fortune!" a commander suddenly shouted.

"Great Zheng's fortune, Great Zheng's virtue—they've returned, everything has returned!" another soldier cried out.

"Great Zheng, long live Great Zheng!"

"Long live Great Zheng!"

The reappearance of fortune felt like an injection of adrenaline to all the soldiers. Their previously restless hearts calmed down completely! Great Zheng still stood—Great Zheng would live forever!

All the soldiers regained their former pride, erupting into joyous celebrations.

As the infinite fortune gathered, the iconic dual dragon roar of Great Zheng once again resounded through the heavens and echoed in the hearts of all its citizens.

"People of Great Zheng, I, Zhongshan, have returned～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～!"

Zhongshan declared loudly. This wasn't just a message for the citizens of the Lingxiao Heavenly Court but for every citizen of Great Zheng. At that moment, every single person of Great Zheng heard Zhongshan's voice, brimming with vigor.

All who heard Zhongshan's voice felt a surge of powerful confidence in their hearts—

In the southern region of Great Zheng's Holy Court, Wushuang City:

Wushuang City, a small world, was Zhongshan's first stop upon entering Shenzhou, where he helped Shui Wuhen's father secure the position of City Lord, marking Zhongshan's first display of his formidable presence.

Because of Zhongshan, Wushuang City became incredibly famous. In the center of the city stood a massive statue of Zhongshan, the pride of all its citizens! Wushuang City's population skyrocketed, reaching over 40 million, making it one of the largest cities in Great Zheng.

However, three days ago, the southern gate of Wushuang City was suddenly breached!

The commander of the city's defenses was Lin Ao, the eldest son of Lin Xiao.

Though Lin Ao had yet to reach the level of military brilliance his father possessed, he was still far superior in strategy compared to many other commanders. For three days and nights, Lin Ao hadn't slept, tirelessly directing the city's defenses.

"First Battalion, Sixteenth Battalion, and Twenty-Fourth Battalion, all head to the southern gate! Hold the enemy at bay!"

"General, bad news! The northern gate has fallen!"

"What? How could the northern gate fall? That gate is the sturdiest—how is it possible?"

"The wall collapsed—we couldn't hold it. The walls of Wushuang City have fallen, and once the great formation was broken, we couldn't stop them!"

"Great Zheng is doomed! Surrender and you shall be spared!"

"Great Zheng is doomed! Surrender and you shall be spared!"

Cries from the enemy forces echoed from all directions.

Battle had always been the duty of soldiers. Common folk typically didn't concern themselves with warfare; they only needed to protect their own livelihoods. Generally, the invading forces wouldn't harm civilians, so the people had little reason to resist—changing dynasties just meant becoming citizens under new rulers.

But as they watched the enemy troops pour into the city, the people of Wushuang City clenched their fists in frustration. Their anger was futile, for soldiers, trained in unified combat formations, held immense power—on the battlefield, five hundred soldiers could easily slaughter ten thousand civilians of the same rank.

"The rise and fall of a nation is the responsibility of every man. I, the emperor, may temporarily leave Great Zheng, but the world shall strive together!"

Strive together with the world? The people's hearts were heavy, for they had deeply embraced Great Zheng and were now filled with intense rejection of the enemy forces.

As the enemy army charged towards the capital, a man clenched his fists, ready to rush forward.

"What are you doing, Quan'er?" Another man grabbed him, shaking his head gravely. Rushing out would be suicide!

Lin Ao's army, after three days of fierce fighting, slowly gathered at the central plaza, surrounding the massive statue of Zhongshan.

The bodies of Great Zheng's soldiers were strewn everywhere, with the survivors all wounded.

Wushuang City had been destroyed, and three hundred thousand elite enemy troops surrounded them. Victory or defeat had been decided. Lin Ao and his blood-soaked subordinates stared at the red-robed general who stepped forward.

"Lin Ao, hahaha, it's been two years, but I've finally conquered Wushuang City! You really didn't believe it until you saw the coffin, making me lose so many soldiers. Today, I'll kill you all to honor my fallen comrades! As for you, the son of Lin Xiao, capturing you will earn me a promotion!" the red-robed general exclaimed with excitement.

"The fall of the city today will be repaid a hundredfold by Great Zheng in the future. If others don't provoke us, we won't provoke them. But when the Holy King returns, your dynasty will be annihilated!" Lin Ao said, clutching his injured shoulder.

"The Holy King? Zhongshan? That dead man? Fine, I'll wait for him to be reborn!"

"General, Zhongshan might be reborn as a woman!"

"Hahaha..."

The enemy soldiers burst into arrogant laughter.

Great Zheng's soldiers clenched their fists, their eyes bloodshot, while the surrounding civilians watched with tears of humiliation.

"Wushuang City held out until today because of this Zhongshan statue? It's your spiritual pillar? Men, destroy it!" the red-robed general ordered.

"Boom!"

Zhongshan's statue collapsed under the attacks of the enemy, and the people of the city gritted their teeth. Anger simmered in their hearts.

"Holy King!" The people silently cried out in their hearts.

"The statue of Zhongshan has fallen, and so has Wushuang City!" the red-robed general laughed triumphantly.

Great Zheng's remaining soldiers closed their tear-filled eyes, having lost all strength to fight. They could only wait for death in sorrow.

"Holy King, where are you?"

"Roar～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～!"

"Roar～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～!"

Suddenly, all of Great Zheng's soldiers opened their eyes in disbelief. That sound—so familiar! The dual dragon roars—Great Zheng's fortune dragons, both roaring at once?

The soldiers exchanged astonished glances, each seeing the same realization in the others' eyes. The citizens of the city, too, heard the sound and instinctively looked up.

"People of Great Zheng, I, Zhongshan, have returned～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～!"

It was the voice of the Holy King.

"Father, it's the Holy King—the Holy King's voice!"

"The Holy King has returned! Great Zheng has returned!"

"The Holy King has returned!"

The citizens of the city cried out in astonishment.

At the central plaza:

The red-robed general stood atop the ruins of Zhongshan's statue, his face full of arrogance. "What's this? You've all opened your eyes—do you still intend to resist?"

But at that moment, Lin Ao, who was being protected by the remaining soldiers, suddenly laughed—tears mingling with his laughter.

"The Holy King has returned! Kill the invaders!"

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

The forty million citizens of Wushuang City roared in unison.

To read the manga version, please click the YouTube link https://youtu.be/GnU613H6xm8