Absolute Destiny Game.

Chapter 579 The Ghost Immortal's Wonderful Technique
Hearing Lin Xuance's analysis, Xiao Jie relaxed. Anyway, if the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. If these three senior immortals aren't nervous, what's there for a "newly promoted rogue immortal" like himself to panic about? In the end, he wasn't a native of this world. The so-called "saving the world" was more like a high-risk, high-reward "large-scale plot mission" for him, rather than a mission that required risking his life to complete.

He was immediately at ease, looking down at the brutal battlefield with the mindset of watching an epic war movie. He even casually used his magic to conjure a bucket of popcorn, leisurely grabbing a handful and stuffing it into his mouth.

At this moment, the battle for the city walls had entered its most bloody and brutal stage. The Underworld Emperor's army, like a tireless war machine, launched wave after wave of frenzied attacks. The Senluo defenders, on the other hand, displayed astonishing resilience, relying on the advantageous terrain of the city walls and their strict discipline to fight to the death, refusing to yield an inch.

The initial phase was a war of attrition. The low-level ghouls, like a black tide, repeatedly crashed against the solid "reef" of the Ghost City of Senluo. Each charge was repelled by the dense array of swords, spears, halberds, and ghostly incantations of the defenders on the city walls, leaving behind layers upon layers of piled-up bones and remains. The green soul fire and filthy flesh almost dyed the base of the city walls an eerie color.

Emperor Zhao You of the Underworld quickly realized that this tactic of relying solely on cannon fodder was of little use. The defenders on the city walls were all elite ghost troops under the command of King Yama, well-trained, well-equipped, and coordinated perfectly, far superior to the local ghost troops that had been mixed with a large number of ragtag cannon fodder in the past.

He immediately changed tactics, deploying truly elite troops to launch a more intense and organized attack.

First to appear were hundreds of floating corpse demons resembling moving mountains of corpses, and the Hundred-Bone Giant, pieced together from countless enormous skeletons. Like a row of terrifying, living siege towers radiating endless death energy, they moved with earth-shaking steps, slowly approaching the city walls, their massive bodies casting shadows of despair.

The defending forces seemed to have anticipated this, immediately concentrating all the heavy firepower of the Soul Rift Towers and unleashing a furious barrage on these relatively slow-moving behemoths! Even more awe-inspiring was the sight of a colossal Netherworld Soul Rift Tower, hundreds of feet tall, slowly rising from the central plaza of the city. The psionic crystal atop the tower was enormous! Each charge and launch was accompanied by a deafening roar, the colossal dark energy spheres it spewed forth seemingly capable of devouring all light, striking their targets with pinpoint accuracy. Each explosion instantly blasted a Floating Corpse Demon or Hundred-Armed Giant into a shower of flying bone fragments and rotting flesh—the power was terrifying!
Seeing that these giant siege weapons were suffering heavy losses under the defenders' focused attacks and were unable to get close to the city walls, the Underworld Emperor did not hesitate to use the air force.

In an instant, the sky was shrouded in even deeper shadows. Countless ghostly crows let out piercing shrieks, and a formless, howling cloud of vengeful spirits, nightmare knights riding skeletal winged horses and capable of hurling soul spears, and withered bat demons of enormous size with wings made of tattered shrouds that constantly rained down decay... all sorts of bizarre flying monsters swarmed towards the city walls, attempting to break through the defenses from the air.

Mixed among them were dozens of infamous Netherworld Soul-Eating Birds! Each of these creatures possessed an elite template of over level 50, their sharp beaks and claws capable of tearing apart souls and devouring them. Xiao Jie had encountered one when he first came to the Netherworld with Ye Luo, and it took him a great deal of effort to get rid of it. This time, however, over a hundred had arrived at once, forming a dark cloud of death!

However, the defenders on the city walls seemed to have a plan in place. Large numbers of wandering spirits and celestial demons immediately took to the air, entangled with these aerial intruders. Simultaneously, enormous, eerie devices resembling hot air balloons rapidly rose from the city walls—named 'Hundred Forms of Resentment'.

These enormous spheres are covered with constantly writhing and changing pained faces, emitting a ghastly green will-o'-the-wisp, and are surrounded by an invisible, pitch-black force field. Any flying unit that dares to approach, whether physical or spiritual, will suffer a strong mental shock and be corrupted by the curse, emitting terrifying howls and billowing black smoke from its body as if it were being scorched by invisible flames. Often, it struggles to disintegrate and burns to ashes in mid-air!
Seeing that the air force offensive had also been thwarted, a hint of impatience flashed in the Underworld Emperor's eyes, and he waved his hand again. From the rear of the army, thousands of 'Bone Wizards' clad in tattered black robes and wielding bone staffs quickly gathered. They surrounded the huge bone totem and chanted ancient and sinister incantations in unison.

As the incantation continued, the mountain of bones piled up beneath the city walls during the previous war of attrition seemed to be suddenly infused with an evil life force, writhing and piecing themselves together wildly! The bones rubbed together, producing a teeth-grinding "crack" sound, and in the blink of an eye, dozens of wide and sturdy bone bridges leading straight to the top of the city walls were formed!

Xiao Jie found this move very familiar. Back when the Netherworld Ghost King Yan Shuque led his army to attack Zhenhun Pass, his ghost generals had used a similar spell. He hadn't expected the Underworld Emperor to still be using this old trick. But in terms of the scale and speed of the spell, as well as the sturdiness of the final bone bridge, it was undoubtedly ten or even a hundred times stronger than that ghost general's technique!
A series of massive bone bridges, tens of meters high and wide enough to accommodate four horses running side by side, like ferocious giant pythons, directly connect the towering city walls to the ground, forming dozens of unobstructed, deadly ramps leading straight to the city walls!

Immediately afterwards, the war drums grew heavy and rhythmic. Tens of thousands of elite ghost soldiers, already prepared, began their advance along the bone bridge! These Rakshasa knights and Asura warriors, clad in heavy armor forged from soul-forged black iron, were truly battle-hardened elites under the command of the Underworld Emperor!
Their aura was completely different from the previous rabble ghouls.

However, Yan Jun Qin Chuan had already prepared for this. Horns blared throughout the city, and the elite reserve force—the Netherworld Iron Guards, led by the various ghost generals—which had been resting in the rear for a long time, quickly set off for the front line, precisely filling the gap in the defense caused by the appearance of the bone bridge.

In an instant, at the junction of dozens of sections of city wall and bone bridge, the most elite forces of both sides clashed violently! The clanging of swords clashing, the piercing sound of armor tearing, the booming sound of spells exploding, the frantic shouts and dying wails of the warriors on both sides... all intertwined together, the battle was extremely intense, yet strangely maintained a fragile balance, with no indication of which side had the upper hand.

While watching the grand spectacle, Xiao Jie focused his main attention on Ye Luo and my desire to become an immortal. After all, their safety was what he truly cared about.

I, who aspire to become an immortal, obediently remained hidden in the safe zone behind the city wall behind King Yama, encountering virtually no danger. Occasionally, I would unleash a low-level supernatural power to gain some experience, enjoying a rather comfortable existence. Nightfall, on the other hand, seemed to have completely abandoned the idea of ​​hiding to protect herself. Like a ghost in the night, she moved swiftly through the most intense battlegrounds, fighting her way through mountains of corpses and seas of ghosts, her movements as agile as a phantom.

The knife in her hand was of unknown origin, incredibly sharp and with a special effect against the undead, slaying corpses and underworld soldiers with effortless ease. Even more peculiar was the faint yellow aura emanating from her with each strike, seemingly a characteristic of her profession. The more undead she killed, the more intense and concentrated the light became; her previously somewhat ethereal ghostly form, nourished by this light, almost solidified, and her aura steadily increased!

Xiao Jie nodded in approval. It seemed Ye Luo was truly thriving in this underworld. Not only was her Yellow Springs Commander class perfectly suited to the battlefield environment of this underworld war, but her cultivation of the *Nine Netherworld Profound Soul Control Scripture* allowed her to absorb the death energy of the souls on the battlefield, making this place a perfect training ground tailor-made for her. Furthermore, she didn't have a specific defensive role in this kind of war; if she could win, she would unleash a barrage of attacks, and if she couldn't, she could simply run away thanks to her class's characteristics, completely without psychological pressure. Wherever the defenders had an advantage, she would rush in and hack and slash at a bunch of ghosts, practically going berserk, her experience points undoubtedly skyrocketing.

Just as he was engrossed in watching, Lin Xuance, who hadn't spoken for a long time, suddenly said in a deep voice, "It seems that Yama's side is ultimately showing signs of weakness."

"Oh? How so? To me, they seem evenly matched." Su Zhiqing, the Mysterious Law Primordial Lord, asked, puzzled, as she focused more on observing the spells being cast by both sides.

“Yuanjun is not skilled in the art of war, so naturally he cannot see it.” Lin Xuance analyzed with sharp eyes, “Although the Yama King’s army defended the city flawlessly and seemed tenacious, it relied on the Senluo Ghost City, a fortified city built over ten thousand years, which gave it a huge geographical advantage, as well as the well-equipped and well-trained 100,000 directly subordinate ghost soldiers. Therefore, it was only through this that it was able to barely hold off the Underworld Emperor’s army.”

However, if you look closely at their rear mobilization and troop composition, apart from the elite troops on the city walls, there are hardly any decent reserves left in the rear. The reinforcements are mostly new souls temporarily recruited from the Sea of ​​Reincarnation who have not received sufficient training and can only serve as cannon fodder.

On the other hand, the Underworld Emperor's army was vast and seemingly endless, layer upon layer, with its true core elite and the Ghost King's retinue likely not yet fully committed. Although currently locked in a stalemate, if this attrition continued, the King of Hell's elite forces would eventually be wiped out. At that point, a single breach in the defenses could trigger a chain reaction, leading to a complete collapse. Lin Xuance, after all, had experienced the ancient war and even directly commanded human armies against the demonic Ghost King's army; his understanding of warfare far surpassed that of the other immortals focused solely on personal cultivation.

The Mysterious Law Primordial Lord seemed to understand but not quite, and her expression didn't show much concern. In the end, for immortals of their level, what were the arts of war, or the strategies and tactics of military force compared to the overwhelming power of absolute strength? If they really couldn't win, they would simply step in and use their supreme immortal techniques to forcibly suppress the enemy.

However, Zhao You, the Underworld Emperor, was not as confident of victory as Lin Xuance had assumed. His ghost generals and advisors, surrounded by men, wore grave expressions and whispered amongst themselves.

They couldn't see what was happening in the city. Judging from the current battle situation, the Underworld Emperor's army was making absolutely no progress and was only increasing its casualties.

Although the Underworld Emperor brazenly declared himself emperor, the nominal rightful ruler of the Netherworld was still King Yama Qin Chuan, who held the reincarnation authority. Their act of subversion could be considered treason. If they continued their rapid advance with unstoppable momentum, all would be well; but once a stalemate ensued, morale would inevitably waver.

This was especially true of the various ghost kings under his command. The seventy-two ghost kings were nominally under the Underworld Emperor, but in reality, each had their own territory and private army, essentially acting as warlords controlling their own territories. They had only temporarily united because of the Underworld Emperor's power. Now, seeing the unfavorable situation and slow progress, each of them was pursuing their own selfish interests, unwilling to exert their full strength for fear of diminishing their own power.

"Your Majesty," a ghostly strategist with a shimmering figure and a high-pitched voice cautiously stepped forward, "the Ghost City of Senluo is impregnable. Our army has been attacking fiercely for a long time, suffering heavy casualties but has been unable to make any progress. What should we do?"

The Underworld Emperor glanced at him coldly and snorted, "What's the panic? My seventy-two Ghost Kings are all heroes of this era, yet they haven't even made a move. How can you say we can't conquer them?"

Upon hearing this, the demon kings around him all kept their eyes down, pretending to gaze at the battlefield or adjusting their non-existent armor, showing no intention of stepping forward to volunteer for battle.

A ghost king, who looked like a refined middle-aged scholar but had a pale face and sinister eyes, bowed humbly and said, "Your Majesty's magic power is boundless and your supernatural abilities are astonishing. You must already have a plan to break through the city. We, your humble subordinates, have weak magic power. How dare we steal Your Majesty's awe-inspiring power and limelight?" These words were respectful, but in reality, they were just passing the buck back to the king.

Another ghost king, nearly three meters tall, covered in heavy bone armor, and wielding a giant spiked club, immediately echoed in a gruff voice, "Exactly! Exactly! Why doesn't Your Majesty display some earth-shattering skills and break through the city in one fell swoop? It would broaden our horizons and reassure our troops!" The other ghost kings also joined in the clamor. Faced with this blatant provocation, Emperor Zhao You of the Underworld merely sneered but did not refuse. He knew that at this moment, he had to demonstrate absolute power to subdue these treacherous lords.

"Very well! Seventy-two Ghost Kings, heed my command!" His voice instantly resounded across the battlefield, carrying an unquestionable majesty. "Once I personally breach this city gate, you shall all lead your respective troops in a full-scale attack! Today, we shall raze this Netherworld Ghost City to the ground!"

These words were both an order and a blatant agreement—the meaning was clear: if I can break through the city gates by myself, you can no longer conserve your strength and must launch a full-scale attack!
The ghost kings naturally understood the implication, exchanged glances, and finally responded in unison: "We will obey Your Majesty's decree! Your Majesty's divine might is invincible, and you will surely succeed in one fell swoop!" The words sounded impressive, but the prerequisite was that the Underworld Emperor had to first gnaw on the toughest bone himself.

Then, the Underworld Emperor Zhao You slowly walked out of the army formation, came to the center of the battlefield, and slowly raised his hands.

In an instant, the wind and clouds changed color! The endless, ghostly energy surrounding him seemed to be summoned by an emperor, frantically converging towards his palms at such speed that it formed an energy storm sweeping across the battlefield! A howling, eerie wind whipped his pale hair wildly. Above his palms, two extremely deep, pitch-black lights shone, like two miniature black holes, greedily devouring the surging, immense ghostly energy.

Suddenly, the wind stopped, the howling sound of energy being drawn away disappeared, and an eerie silence fell over the surroundings.

All eyes were focused on the Underworld Emperor's hands. Only those two clusters of Netherworld power, compressed to their extreme and containing destructive energy, were silently boiling and roaring!
The wondrous magic of the ghost immortal—the Netherworld Calamity Hand: Rifting the Universe and Dividing the Territory!
Suddenly, the Underworld Emperor raised his hand! The two terrifying energies instantly flew out of his hand, transforming and expanding in mid-air, turning into two enormous, hundreds-of-meters-long, skeletal arms that blotted out the sky! These arms were entirely composed of the purest Netherworld death energy and laws, with finger bones as sharp as peerless divine weapons, and palms seemingly containing a terrifying power capable of crushing everything. With a terrifying aura that tore everything apart, they slammed into the towering, heavy Netherworld Iron City Gate of the Netherworld Ghost City!
The city gate was forged from hundreds of thousands of kilograms of Netherworld Iron mixed with various rare metals, and its surface was engraved with countless reinforcing runes, making it indestructible! The previous frenzied bombardment by countless siege weapons and undead giants had not even left a dent in it, and its durability had hardly decreased.

However, at this moment, before those terrifying bone claws that seemed to come from the deepest part of the Netherworld, the indestructible Nether Iron City Gate was easily pierced through like butter under a hot knife! As the Netherworld Emperor suddenly pulled his hands apart with all his might, those huge Netherworld bone claws also simultaneously unleashed a terrifying power that shook the heavens and the earth, tearing at the left and right sides with all their might!

With a deafening roar like thousands of giant wheels crashing down or the sky shattering, the heavy Nether Iron City Gate groaned under its own weight, its runes instantly dimming and shattering! Then, under the astonished gazes of countless onlookers, the colossal gate, symbolizing the absolute defense of the Netherworld Ghost City, was forcibly torn apart and ripped in two! The thick city walls on either side of the gate collapsed and were destroyed in large sections under the force of that brutal power, revealing huge gaps!
First, there was a deathly silence; both sides seemed stunned by this earth-shattering attack.

Immediately afterwards, the Underworld Emperor's army erupted in a frenzied cheer, like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing down! The invincible divine might of their commander greatly boosted their morale, and the tidal wave of the undead army surged forward once more, rushing madly toward the huge breach!

Seeing this, the seventy-two demon kings no longer hesitated and shouted to their subordinates, launching a full-scale attack!

Xiao Jie subconsciously looked at the three immortals beside him, only to find that Lin Xuance's expression was unusually solemn, staring intently at the spot where the Underworld Emperor had just cast his spell, as if he was savoring something.

He thought to himself, "So he's finally getting nervous, huh? Looks like this Underworld Emperor really is something else."

"Friend Lin..."

Lin Xuance seemed not to have heard his address and suddenly said in a deep voice, "Fellow Daoists, did the spell that the Underworld Emperor just used look familiar?"

Xiao Jie thought to himself, "Where does this look familiar? I've never seen such terrifying magic before."

Martial Arts Immortal Wu Qingyue also shook his head: "Never seen it before, but the posture is quite intimidating."

However, Su Zhiqing, the Mystic Sovereign, spoke in a serious tone, tinged with disbelief: "It does... seem somewhat familiar. The way this energy circulates, the form in which the laws are condensed... this is the unique secret technique of the ancient ghost immortal 'Tongxuan Sanren'—the [Netherworld Calamity Hand]! How could the Underworld Emperor Zhao You... know it?"

The Mystic Hermit? Xiao Jie was startled. Wasn't this the author of the "Nine Netherworld Mystic Soul Control Scripture" that Ye Luo cultivated, that ancient ghost immortal? Could it be that the Underworld Emperor and the Mystic Hermit have some unknown connection?

At this very moment, panic reigned on the walls of Senluo Ghost City.

"Your Majesty! The city gate...the city gate has been breached! What should we do?"

"Where are those immortals? Could they be planning to skip out? Are they really going to just watch us perish?"

"The city walls are no longer safe! Your Majesty, please move your carriage immediately and retreat to the Senluo Palace for temporary refuge, so that we can discuss this further!"

Looking at the massive breach torn open below and the surging enemy army, King Yan Qin Chuan showed little panic. He merely sighed and rebuked, "What nonsense! At this moment, is there any possibility of retreat? Do you think we can hold out by retreating into the Hall of the Underworld? Those few... they just want me to reveal my trump cards first, to weaken the Underworld Emperor's strength." His tone carried a hint of understanding and helplessness. "Very well, relying on others is ultimately not as good as relying on ourselves. At a time when the survival of the Underworld is at stake, how can I stand aside and let my soldiers fight to the death?"

After speaking, his expression suddenly changed, and his usually restrained imperial majesty erupted forth, radiating a chilling and resolute aura! "All generals, heed my command! Assemble all available personal guards and follow me out of the city—to meet the enemy!"

A moment later, accompanied by a long, desolate horn sounding from within the Senluo Ghost City, Yan Jun Qin Chuan personally led the last and most elite thousands of Reincarnation Imperial Guards cavalry into view from behind the breach in the city gate.

He had already changed out of his imperial robes and put on a black dragon-patterned armor. The armor plates were layered like dragon scales, shimmering with a dark and deep luster.

The shoulder armor was adorned with two ferocious Yazi heads, while the breastplate was engraved with a complete depiction of the underworld's mountains and rivers. A dark red cloak billowed behind him without wind, like flowing blood.

He wore a black jade crown that bound his hair, his face was cold and stern, his gaze sharp as lightning, and he held a divine sword with an ancient design, yet imbued with supreme authority and power—the Dragon Slayer. The sword was long and narrow, with hidden dragon-shaped patterns flowing within it, and a huge ghostly gem was inlaid in the hilt, seemingly capable of devouring all light. He merely stood there, and an aura of imperial dominance, suppressing the universe and ruling the cycle of reincarnation, permeated the air, forming a stark contrast with the pale and eerie imperial majesty of the Underworld Emperor Zhao You.

"Kill—!" With a command from Yan Jun Qin Chuan, the last elite force, like a black torrent of steel, charged against the surging tide of corpses and resolutely broke through the broken city gate! Countless corpses surging towards the breach were instantly crushed and routed by this well-equipped and highly motivated fresh force.

Seeing Qin Chuan personally lead his army out to attack, Emperor Zhao You of the Underworld couldn't help but reveal a cold smile: "Finally, you've run out of tricks and have to personally intervene? Very well, let me end all of this myself!"

He shouted in a loud voice: "Where are the Four Generals of the Underworld! Assemble the Imperial Guards and follow me—to defeat the enemy!"

The four ghost generals, who had been waiting for a long time, stepped forward in response, each leading the most elite Underworld Emperor's guards. Like four sharp knives, they followed closely to the Underworld Emperor and launched a charge!
Two armies representing the highest military power in the underworld, like two waves of death, collided violently outside the broken city gates in an instant! And the Underworld Emperor Zhao You and Yama King Qin Chuan, the two strongest beings in the underworld, also crossed the chaotic battlefield and bumped into each other!

(End of this chapter)