Chapter 29: The Emperor's Dragon-Transforming Sword

As the elephant formation drew near, everyone finally discerned the details of these terrifying machines of slaughter.

Each of these armored giant elephants was a mobile fortress, or perhaps an unbreakable mountain of rock. They advanced with the momentum of a collapsing mountain and an overturning sea, shaking the very foundations of heaven and earth, as if the roars echoing from the depths of the wilderness were declaring that they would sweep everything aside with unstoppable force.

The riders atop the elephants resembled celestial warriors commanding mythical beasts; they held long spears as if clutching bolts of lightning, ready at any moment to rain fear and death upon their enemies.

Yun Zheng thought to himself: The power level of this world is roughly equivalent to the First World War. If these elephant herds were transported to the battlefields of my home, even if they couldn't compare to tank divisions, they wouldn't be far off.

The elephant troops closed in, making the term "earthquake" increasingly literal. The subordinates brought by Shui Rouqin and Jin Kaijia could no longer stand steady amidst the ground-shaking tremors.

Bullets rained down into the elephant herd.

The elephants let out shrill roars, filled with a subtle, underlying sense of dread and unease.

Then, a staggering spectacle unfolded: most of the elephants struck by the bullets seemed touched by some mysterious power, gradually turning into hazy phantoms and vanishing without a sound.

The Wumeng Tusi wondered: "Are these elephants mostly illusions? Is that why the Shuixi soldiers were driven to trample each other to death by their own fear?"

"No, I understand now—it’s gunpowder! Elephants are naturally terrified of gunpowder. These elephant soldiers are vengeful spirits from the Battle of Dingbian; their fear of gunpowder is etched into their very marrow. Once they encounter a volley from gunpowder rifles, the vast majority of these spectral troops vanish into thin air out of terror. That is why Commander Yun specifically replaced the magic potions with gunpowder this time!"

Enchantment arts were not introduced to the Ming Dynasty until the Wanli era. Clearly, the ammunition used by Mu Ying back then must have been a product of Taoist alchemy focused on explosions, rather than magic potions carrying elemental damage.

Although the gunpowder formula in this world was much like the one from Yun Zheng’s home, it required the addition of a mineral called "Flame Crystal Sand" to enhance the explosive power; otherwise, it would be difficult to cause harm to those with martial cultivation.

"Flame Crystal Sand" was, in fact, cinnabar exposed to the radiation of earth veins. These earth veins were the source of all supernatural power in this world. Once contaminated, they triggered cataclysms, causing many Ming people to mutate into creatures from Western legends.

Standing to the side, Priest Li said smugly: "This Taoist method is truly useful. When Emperor Yongle ordered the renovation of the Zhenwu Hall on our Wudang Mountain, he actually sent the Divine Machine Battalion to train on our mountain."

Priest Li was merely talking to himself, but the Wumeng Tusi, thinking the other had seen through his thoughts, was startled.

Before Western enchantment arts were introduced to the Central Plains, ancient firearms units relied on Taoist formations to reinforce their power and ensure their lethality against various bizarre and ghostly entities. It was clear that the Wudang Sect possessed such Taoist traditions, and among Yun's household staff, there were Taoists who understood this heritage.

The resurgence of these Taoist arts awakened the fear that had slept for over two hundred years in the Lucuan elephant troops, who had once perished under Mu Ying’s "three-stage volley."

After a volley, most of the elephant soldiers vanished into thin air under the hail of bullets. Only about thirty remained, suddenly clarifying everyone’s line of sight.

In some cases, only the elephant disappeared, leaving the rider to fall to the ground, where they were crushed by the armor of nearby elephant soldiers, their bones shattered before they, too, gradually dissolved into the earth.

At the moment they vanished, it was visible that those riders no longer had any flesh; inside their airtight armor, there were only white bones.

However, faced with the spitting tongues of fire, the mounts of these remaining thirty-some riders began to refuse the charge; a few even turned and retreated.

The Lucuan Dynasty had been defeated by Mu Ying's "three-stage volley" and never recovered, eventually fading into the dust of history.

Two hundred years later, Yun Zheng and his men possessed matchlock rifles with a higher rate of fire than the old hand-cannons, which should have exerted an even stronger suppression on the enemy.

Bullets hitting the massive bodies of the giant elephants only left small holes; the destructive force could also sear faint black smoke into the surfaces of these undead creatures.

But the pained elephants were still clearly slowed down.

Generally, using an enchanted rifle formation required a large number of pikemen or shield-bearers to cover the front. But the Yun army was stretched too thin on manpower at this moment and could not spare any soldiers.

Fortunately, the continuous firing did indeed terrify the surging elephant formation, making them hesitant to advance.

The Elephant King, positioned at the very rear to command, was effectively isolated from the rest of the formation.

More importantly, for a commander who excelled at seizing opportunities, charging into the gaps within the elephant formation was an excellent chance for a decapitation strike.

The only problem was that the Elephant King was undoubtedly the strongest opponent on the field.

...

"The Duan clan of Dali..." Chen Yuchong muttered in the resplendent palace.

He had previously looked down on the Guizhou king and Tusi families like An, Tian, Song, and Yang, believing they only possessed a pedigree but no substance. But now, he realized his own lineage was far more noble than theirs.

According to Chen Yuchong’s conjecture, his ancestors must have changed their surname after being exiled to the Central Plains by the Ming founder Zhu Yuanzhang, in order to escape the oppression and persecution of the Ming people, eventually forgetting their noble family origins over the generations.

"Duan Yuchong," he thought to himself. That name had a nice ring to it.

"Correct. Our family are the white sacred eagles that soar above the Dianyun Plateau, descendants of the Garuda who feed on dragons," Duan Zhengyan said proudly.

Chen Yuchong felt countless Buddhist swastika symbols spinning in the air; a surging golden light filled his vision and poured into his crown.

His limbs and bones felt a numbing comfort, as if he had drunk deeply of sweet dew. His fractured lower leg emitted a cracking sound as the broken bones healed with incredible speed, and his wounds recovered rapidly.

His physical body was being strengthened rapidly under the bath of golden light. Chen Yuchong felt as if he had suddenly grown twenty years younger, his body brimming with a power that threatened to boil over. His gaze became incomparably sharp, just like the divine Garuda bird that covered the sky!

"The Garuda feeds on dragons. If it is possible, you may also devour that so-called True Dragon of the Zhu family in the Central Plains," Duan Zhengyan issued an ambitious command to his descendant.

"Through this empowerment, I have bestowed upon you two ultimate techniques, both created by our Great Dali Kingdom's founding emperor, Duan Siping."

"This 'Thousand Autumns Mountain and River Finger' can channel the true essence within your body, transforming it into sword qi that roars out to injure foes."

"And this 'Son of Heaven Dragon-Transforming Sword' is even more extraordinary. Emperor Duan Siping created this technique by carrying a tripod with his holy body and channeling the power of nine transformations into a dragon. By utilizing the Ren and Du meridians to tap into the earth’s fortune from the Cang Mountains and Erhai Lake, it releases nine dragon auras, manifesting into a solid nine-dragon golden sword. It displays the full majesty of the Dali imperial lineage, cutting through enemies like grass and slicing through iron like mud. With this move, you will no longer need any weapon."

The "Son of Heaven Dragon-Transforming Sword" reminded Chen Yuchong of the "Shadow Slash" that An Miaotong used to kill his personal captain, Cao Ruobing, and the giantess, Keisuke.

But "Shadow Slash" merely extended a phantom part of An Miaotong’s water-splitting moth-eyebrow daggers, whereas the "Son of Heaven Dragon-Transforming Sword" completely manifested an unbreakable divine weapon from the void. It could be manifested infinitely, so it was neither afraid of wear nor of being destroyed by the enemy.

It was worthy of being an ultimate technique of the Dali royal family. Clearly, the "Son of Heaven Dragon-Transforming Sword" was a divine skill one level higher than "Shadow Slash."

An overflowing joy flooded Chen Yuchong like an ocean.

"Now that this descendant has obtained these two ultimate techniques, wouldn't it be as easy as turning over one's hand to eliminate Yun Zheng and Ye Xi, who forced me into such a state?" Chen Yuchong asked.

"Yun Zheng and Ye Xi?" Duan Zhengyan laughed. "I fear they are nothing more than two small insects. As for those who trouble my descendant, you may simply wipe them out as you please."

"Your unworthy descendant thanks his ancestor for his immense grace!"

Duan Zhengyan’s figure could not be seen within the palace; Chen Yuchong could only bow his head toward the front.

"Rise," Duan Zhengyan said indifferently. "Although you possess the vast power I have bestowed upon you, the world outside is still the Ming’s domain. When you act, listen to my advice. Remember, 'act with caution and speak with humility; crouch like a caterpillar to preserve yourself,' and only then can you achieve the great cause of restoring our Duan family's Dali Kingdom."

But no matter how strong Duan Zhengyan was, he could not peer into Chen Yuchong’s heart.

Even after receiving the ancestor’s gift, Chen Yuchong was already wondering: by planting a divine consciousness into his body, was this ancestor trying to turn him into a mere puppet?

If that were the case, what would be the point of restoring Dali and becoming the supreme ruler?

Ever since learning he was a descendant of the Dali Duan clan, his desire to restore the kingdom was for the sake of supreme power.

It was not to be tightly controlled by an ancestor without a physical body, unconditionally accepting the other's constant nagging and commands!

The Dali Duan clan had been Buddhist for generations, and the Buddha Shakyamuni once said, "Above heaven and below heaven, I alone am the honored one."

As conceited as Chen Yuchong was, he at least believed in this statement. He felt that nothing was more important than the "self." Even an ancestor had no right to command him.

The palace blurred in an instant and then vanished from before Chen Yuchong’s eyes.

He realized he was standing at a desolate crossroads in the Great Wilderness City. In the center of the road stood a broken stele inscribed with ancient Bai characters he could not read.

This must be the long-lost Dali script. Then, presumably, his ancestor Duan Zhengyan was sealed within this stele, and that magnificent palace was nothing more than Duan Zhengyan’s fantasy of the old Dali imperial palace.

Chen Yuchong gripped his famous gun, "Violet," tightly, his brow furrowed, revealing a trace of killing intent.

"I, Chen Yuchong, have returned. And you no longer have any chance."

He murmured to himself.

Only by wiping out Yun Zheng, Ye Xi, and all others involved could he bury his string of crimes forever in this dark, sunless underground palace.

And for his grand ambition of restoring the Dali Kingdom, this was merely the beginning.