A master of comedy!

The rain is coming and the wind is all over the building.

He lived to the seventh year of his reign, on the twenty-first day of the ninth month.

General Yang Dingbang, the Grand General of the State, led an army of hundreds of thousands and, in a short period of time, conquered several passes and killed thousands of enemies. His advance was unstoppable, demonstrating the prowess of a renowned general.

An army of 400,000 men arrived at the city gates in the blink of an eye.

On this day, banners covered the sky, like a vast black river, stirring up dust everywhere, and the murderous aura so strong that it reached the heavens.

Even more terrifying, above the sea of ​​clouds, figures of cultivators appeared and disappeared, like heavenly soldiers and generals.

Those were the Xuanqiong Division and many sect cultivators who responded to the Gathering Immortals Order.

For a time, Luoyang seemed like an isolated island in a raging storm, as if it could be swallowed up by the giant waves at any moment.

Of course, Luoyang was not entirely unprepared.

Those cultivators who stood amidst the clouds felt a chill run down their spines as soon as they arrived in Luoyang. Gazing at the ancient city, they could vaguely sense the terrifying aura hidden within.

A terrifying killing formation has been set up in the city!
"What a magnificent formation! I have studied formations for decades and have never seen such a vicious formation before!"

"Old Yi, you are a master of formations, can you see through the details of this Luoyang Grand Formation?"

"You've come to the right person. When the heavens unleash their killing intent, stars shift and constellations change. This formation must have originated from the Louguan Sect. More than three hundred years ago, Imperial Tutor Liu Bowen used this formation to kill over a thousand cultivators!"

"Hiss, there are rumors that Zhou Sheng is not only a master of opera, but also the leader of the Louguan sect. Now it seems that the rumors are true..."

Above the clouds, the cultivators discussed amongst themselves, but none of them wanted to be the first to go.

Let the mortals below fight first.

The lives of cultivators are far too precious, but those of mortals are different. It is undoubtedly very necessary for tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of mortals to test the waters and find out the true strength of Luoyang.

If we can deplete some of the enemy cultivators' mana, it will be even more profitable.

……

On the city wall, Zhou Sheng, Jinse, and a group of incense masters from the Longhua Sect gazed at the vast, dark imperial army and the countless cultivators on the sea of ​​clouds in the distance.

The incense masters looked very somber, and some of them even showed signs of fear.

This is truly terrifying.

If it weren't for the presence of Zhou Sheng, a peerless master, they would probably have already fallen into disarray and been defeated before the battle even began.

"Master, the brothers guarding the strategic pass outside the city have suffered heavy casualties. Yang Dingbang is indeed a famous general. Even with the advantage of the terrain, the brothers couldn't hold out for even three days!"

"Although we have set up the formation, the time was too short, and the followers from all over the country have not yet fully arrived. Also, the food, weapons, and medicine in the city are not fully prepared..."

Even though the tiger is dead, its might remains.

When attacking Luoyang, they emphasized surprise and used poisonous talisman water to make many civilians cannon fodder, which enabled them to capture the city quickly.

However, the current leader and the Heavenly Lord have issued decrees prohibiting the harm to ordinary people, and have killed a number of people for this purpose. In addition, the imperial court has come prepared, and the strength of their military force is unprecedented in the world.

Many people began to feel afraid, becoming hesitant even before the battle began.

Zhou Sheng glanced at them, knowing that to win this battle, he needed to first dampen the enemy's fighting spirit and boost the morale of the Longhua Sect.

As for the duel a few days ago, Bao Ying has not been heard from since he returned.

Ugh!

Suddenly, a heavy bugle call sounded, followed by a torrential downpour of drumbeats. The hundreds of thousands of troops surrounding Luoyang, under the command of Yang Dingbang, began to advance again.

The armored troops advanced in an orderly fashion, layer by layer, until they stopped a hundred feet outside the city. Then the drumbeats changed, and the army ceased its advance and began to form ranks.

Under the command of the flags and drums, hundreds of thousands of soldiers transformed into a mysterious military formation, resembling a tortoise shell or the Eight Trigrams. At the very center of the formation rose a nine-zhang-high (approximately 33 meters) command platform, surrounded by seven star-shaped cavalry units, each holding a seven-colored command flag.

"What kind of battle formation is this?"

"It's truly dazzling and ever-changing..."

The leaders of the Longhua Sect were abuzz with discussion and became even more wary.

Until Zhou Sheng's voice rang out.

"This is the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation. Yang Dingbang has set up a challenge to lure the snake out of its hole and test the strength of our army." Zhou Sheng had also seen this formation in the Louguan Dao's secret manual, which also described in detail how to break the formation.

One hot-tempered man scoffed, "He's dreaming! We've taken over Luoyang, why should we risk leaving the city to compete with his ridiculous formation?"

The others nodded, but Jinse shook her head.

"Yang Dingbang's move was an attempt to win people's hearts."

"He knew we wouldn't dare leave the city to fight, so he deliberately set up this formation to show off his skills and demoralize our troops!"

Jinse had already guessed the other party's intentions. The Longhua Sect was not a monolithic entity. Being besieged by a large army would cause many people to panic. If they were to discover that the other party's commander was so capable, they would lose confidence even more.

Once morale collapses, defeat is inevitable.

"Master, what should we do now?"

Everyone looked at Jinse, while Jinse looked at Zhou Sheng.

He slowly stretched, his bones cracking and popping, and even the slightest leak of his terrifying blood and energy seemed like a surging heat wave.

"It's been so long since I've performed opera, I'm really itching to do it."

"Jinse, have you selected the eight hundred brave warriors I asked you to choose?"

Jinse already knew what the troupe leader wanted to do. Her eyes lit up with admiration as she said, "Tour leader, the choice has been made."

"If that's the case, then open the city gates."

"Watch me—break—the enemy!"

The opera singing suddenly began, powerful and thunderous, its energy soaring to the heavens!

……

On the nine-zhang-high general's platform.

Yang Dingbang, clad in golden armor, personally went into the battle to serve as the key figure in the formation.

Yang Ying felt that this was too dangerous and advised her father to stay behind and command, but he refused.

"What does Jinse, a mere woman, know about military strategy?"

"That Zhou Sheng is a former opera singer. Although he was fortunate enough to become an Earth Immortal, he is restrained by two Grandmasters and will certainly not dare to leave the city!"

Yang Dingbang was beaming, his eyes brimming with confidence and arrogance. He stroked his long beard and said proudly, "I am certain they will not dare to leave the city. I will set up a battle formation to demoralize them first, so that when we attack the city, we will achieve twice the result with half the effort."

His adopted son, Yang Ce, immediately flattered him, saying, "Father's military strategy is divine, the best in the world. It has truly broadened my horizons!"

Yang Dingbang chuckled and said, "Watch carefully and learn well."

He was excited inside, but on the surface he remained calm and composed. This was the composure of a leader, but the ripples in his eyes still betrayed his true feelings.

If he wins this battle, he will realize his two long-cherished wishes.

One is to be promoted to Grand Commandant, ranking among the Three Dukes; the other is to be remembered in history and become a great general comparable to Han Xin, Bai Qi, and Li Jing!
He made a mistake in front of His Majesty when he was drunk, and has been sidelined ever since. Although he holds the title of General Who Protects the Nation, he no longer holds military power.

He waited for more than 20 years before finally getting this opportunity.

Therefore, we must not only win this battle, but win it spectacularly!
"The enemy is nothing but a bunch of cowardly rats. They will be terrified at the sight of my formation and unable to sleep all night. We will attack the city again tomorrow at dawn when they are exhausted!"

Yang Dingbang waved his hand and said with certainty.

However, the smile on his face froze instantly the next moment.

The heavy city gates of Luoyang were surprisingly opened.

A man and a horse slowly emerged.

The unparalleled mask depicts blood and tears; the ambush from all sides stirs the battle clothes.

With his double pupils, he looked down upon the vast land, his halberd sweeping across the faint sun and moon.

It was none other than Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, from the opera! (End of Chapter)