The Last Sentinel

The *Classic of Mountains and Seas*, specifically the *Great Wilderness West Classic*, records: South of the Western Sea, on the shores of the shifting sands, behind the Red River and before the Black River, stands the majestic Kunlun Hill. Northwest of Kunlun Hill, the Weak River stretches across the vast wilderness. An ancient saying describes it: "The Weak River is three thousand li deep; even a goose feather cannot float, and reeds will sink to the bottom." Within its depths dwells the ancient, strange Weak River Serpent, its body as large as a mountain, its head without claws, and its back sprouting wings, forever lurking in the abyss of the Weak River.

The River of Reverse Entropy surged with eerie, gray-black waves. A tiny yet undiminished glimmer of light raced across the surface, tearing through layers of water and reaching its maximum speed, leaving a long afterimage in the turbulent undercurrent.

Upon closer inspection, a towering figure, ten meters tall, stood amidst the light and shadow—it was Zhou Cang in his transformed form. He wore a coarse white linen headscarf, his long, black hair cascading messily over his shoulders, and his battle armor, torn to shreds in the previous battle, revealed clearly defined abdominal and pectoral muscles beneath his bronze skin, exuding a powerful aura like granite sculpted by time.

At this moment, he gripped the hilt of his long sword tightly with one hand, the heavy blade hanging at his side, a bulging quiver slung across his back, and his vertical pupils sharp as needles, scanning the surroundings for any hidden killing intent.

This man was none other than Zhou Cang from the Three Kingdoms period!

Among the many brilliant generals of the Three Kingdoms period, Zhou Cang has never been considered a particularly famous figure, and has long been underestimated by the world. However, in terms of his fearless tenacity and ability to survive in dire straits, he is certainly among the best.

At this moment, he moved swiftly, his physical defense was pushed to the limit, and his speed was at its peak. Facing the endless dangers of the Weak Water Abyss, he felt no fear or sorrow, but instead a proud and contemptuous smile appeared on his lips.

"Such an attack is far too weak and feeble!" Zhou Cang rode the waves at breakneck speed, laughing loudly, "Compared to Zhao Zilong of Changshan's Thirty-Six Spears of Izumo, it's utterly insignificant!"

"Second Master, please wait a moment. I will break through this weak water defense line, secure the first ascent, and then join the main army!"

The words had barely echoed across the river when a colossal wave suddenly surged forth, and a shadowy mass, obscuring the sky, abruptly rose from the water. A gaping maw, over three thousand meters in diameter, opened wide, unleashing a stench and a chilling wind—it was the long-dormant Weak Water Serpent. Without the slightest hesitation, the terrifying serpent's jaws, carrying overwhelming water pressure, swallowed Zhou Cang whole.

In this critical moment, Zhou Cang remained calm and shouted in a low voice, "Etherealization!"

In an instant, his body suddenly became ethereal, and dozens of identical clones scattered outwards. Each clone separated from the main body, and the real body would visibly shrink by the size of a grain of rice.

The gaping maw of the Weak Water slammed shut, swallowing most of the phantoms whole, instantly disintegrating them in the strong acidic current. Fortunately, the most condensed phantom of the main body managed to break through the gaps in the fangs during a moment of chaos.

"We escaped by sheer luck!"

Zhou Cang dared not linger and once again activated the Divine Speed ​​Technique. His remaining body split and transformed again, each new phantom shrinking a size and scattering like willow catkins, constantly fading away.

At that moment, an endless black shadow suddenly enveloped the sky above his head, and a heavy pressure rolled down from above, making the hairs on his body stand on end.

Zhou Cang looked up, and despair instantly enveloped his heart. The black shadow was as large as the Empire State Building, its massive body obscuring the sky. Without a doubt, it was another giant serpent of the Weak Water, lurking deep within the River of Reverse Entropy, blocking his path.

After several consecutive extreme splits and ethereal transformations, his divine speed technique had already reached its original limit. If he continued to forcibly split his own energy, his enhancement level would directly drop to 1.0, the basic warrior form.

In the treacherous and unpredictable Reverse Entropy River, teeming with strange beasts, a combat power of 1.0 is no different from surrendering to death.

The giant serpent roared and swooped down, its gaping maw still the same, its devastating devouring attack still unstoppable, leaving no way to escape.

A fierce glint flashed in Zhou Cang's eyes. He gripped his long sword tightly, ready to take the blow head-on. If all else failed, he would simply burrow into the snake's belly and seek another way out.

Just as the giant serpent's bloody maw was about to fall, at the critical moment, a dazzling golden light suddenly tore through the darkness of the inky night sky. Like a crimson sword cleaving through the long night at dawn, it roared down from the back of the giant serpent with a sharp sound, its sharpness piercing through the massive serpent body.

Zhou Cang's eyes widened suddenly as he stared in astonishment at the void. He saw the colossal Weak Water Serpent, as imposing as a skyscraper, pinned to the ground by an invisible force. Countless dense chains of golden runes spread wildly from its wounds, the talismanic light winding around the serpent's body. Where the chains touched, thick, hissing black gas rose continuously. The poison and demonic power were burned away by the Taoist runes. The giant beast writhed in agony in the void, unable to break free from its restraints.

"It's magical magic!" Zhou Cang's eyes lit up with hope, and he immediately cupped his hands and shouted, "I wonder which master has come to my rescue? Could you lend me a hand and help me cross this perilous Weak Water?"

The Golden Light Town bound the Weak Water Demon Serpent, and the waves of the Reverse Entropy River kept crashing against the ship's hull. A simple, ancient warship, a hundred meters tall, slowly emerged from the depths of the mist and floated on the surface of the Weak Water, where the buoyancy was strange.

Zhou Cang stared intently, and saw that the warship was not filled with living people, but with fierce ghosts and ghostly soldiers exuding malevolent energy. The dense and lingering eerie ghostly aura rose into the sky, and even from a distance, one could feel the biting cold rushing towards them, as if it were a ghost ship from the underworld.

At the bow of the ship, a colossal golden ghost general, ten zhang tall, stood out conspicuously. He was clad in gleaming, gilded heavy armor, the patterns on the armor plates deeply etched and shimmering with a thick, cold metallic sheen under the sunlight. His head was wrapped in a traditional yellow turban, and a ferocious helmet covered his skull. His imposing and menacing aura was palpable. Two crimson ghost flames flickered eerily in his empty eye sockets, exuding the unique ferocity of the undead.

Based solely on his visual perception, Zhou Cang could determine that this golden ghost general's combat power was at least at the 3.0 enhancement level, and perhaps even more profound and unfathomable.

Behind the ghost general stood hundreds of fierce ghost soldiers, each clad in heavy armor, wielding long-handled battle axes and sharp halberds. Their faces were fierce and arrogant. The entire undead army was deathly silent, with only ghostly fire flickering between the gaps in their armor.

These ghost soldiers under their command are also formidable in combat, with some reaching level 2.0 and the majority at peak level 1.0. Their formation is well-organized and their killing intent is awe-inspiring.

Zhou Cang looked at the group of undead soldiers on the ship, feeling uneasy. "Damn it, where are we?"

Is it the underworld?

As the saying goes, one should be grounded in reality but not in the imperial court!

The strategist didn't say that the other side was the underworld!

At this moment, the ghostly soldiers on the ship were also whispering among themselves, scrutinizing the uninvited guest standing on the Weak Water.

"Who exactly are they? How dare they trespass into the Forbidden Sea of ​​the Underworld? Their audacity is truly astounding."

"Ordinary creatures sink instantly upon falling into the Weak Water, yet he can stand on the water; his physical body is truly extraordinary."

"Judging from his attire and the sword he carries, he looks like a general under a king or noble. He must be a henchman of a strange and powerful family, and a former mortal enemy of our Yellow Turban Army."

"Since he is an enemy, just kill him with one strike and send him to the underworld."

Hearing the ghostly soldiers' hostile words, Zhou Cang's heart tightened, and he quickly raised his voice to ask, "May I ask, are you all former subjects of the Han Dynasty?"

The leading golden giant demon's voice was as cold as metal, his ghostly eyes flickering slightly: "The foundation of the Han Dynasty still stands, the world order has not collapsed, so why speak of the term 'remnant people'? Boy, state your origins, who exactly are you?"

"I am not a being born of this world!" Zhou Cang exclaimed excitedly, quickly explaining, "I am a descendant of the Han Dynasty from the future, blessed by the spirits of my ancestors in my homeland. I have crossed time and space to come here specifically to seek out the ancient ruins of the Han Dynasty, and I have no ill intentions whatsoever!"

The Golden Ghost General let out a cold sneer, his armor clanking dully, his expression full of disbelief: "Powerful clans are masters of sophistry and deception, lying without batting an eye. Men, kill this madman on the spot!"

Seeing that the ghostly army was about to move, Zhou Cang, in a moment of inspiration, blurted out the slogan of the Yellow Turban Rebellion: "Heaven is dead!"

Upon hearing this, the Golden Ghost General froze, and almost reflexively replied in a deep voice, "The Yellow Heaven shall rise!"

Zhou Cang continued, "The year is Jiazi!"

"Great fortune for the world!" The crimson flames in the Golden Ghost General's eyes suddenly surged, and he demanded sharply, "Just who are you?"

"Next week, in the warehouse!"

"Nonsense!" the Golden Ghost General retorted sharply. "In the first year of the bizarre outbreak, all the heroes of the Three Kingdoms have vanished. Now, this land is divided between the Han Dynasty, the remnants of Yuan Shao's forces, and my Yellow Turban Army. You falsely claim to be Zhou Cang, why don't you just lie and say you're Guan Yu?"

Zhou Cang was extremely anxious and truthfully explained the situation: "I am indeed Zhou Cang! All the fierce generals of the Three Kingdoms are now trapped on the other side of the Weak River, blocked by countless snakes. The battle is in dire straits. In desperation, I broke through the encirclement alone to seek help. I implore you, General, to take me to see General Zhang Jiao, the Heavenly General, and send troops to our aid!"

The Golden Ghost General remained suspicious: "How can I believe you when you're just spouting empty words?"

Zhou Cang offered no further explanation. He drew his short sword from his waist and slashed his own arm fiercely. Warm blood gushed out, splashing across the Ruoshui River: "General, look! I have fresh, hot blood flowing within me. I am not a vengeful ghost, but a living, breathing human being! Not a ghost like you!"

The golden ghost general raised his hand and scooped up a splatter of blood from mid-air. He picked it up with his fingertips and put it in his mouth to examine it closely. The crimson ghost fire in his empty eye sockets suddenly pulsed violently, and his face was filled with shock: "It really is human blood! It's actually the bloodline of a living person from our homeland! Quickly throw down the rope and bring this distinguished guest aboard!"

The horde of ghostly soldiers immediately obeyed the order, throwing thick ropes from the ship's side and dangling them beside Zhou Cang. Zhou Cang gripped the ropes tightly, and with the pull of the ghostly soldiers, he leaped up and steadily boarded the Yellow Turban ghost ship drifting on the Reverse Entropy Weak Water. Thus began a plea for help that transcended time and space, connecting the former subordinates of the Three Kingdoms with the spirits of the Yellow Turbans.