Chapter 22: Melee in the Underground Palace (Part I)

Page (1/3)

Darkness suddenly engulfed his vision as a towering, broad-shouldered figure, as solid as a mountain, blocked the light before Chen Yuchong’s eyes. With powerful arms, the figure hoisted him up and slung him over his shoulder, then strode forward with legs like stone pillars, retreating swiftly into the depths of darkness.

Elsewhere, after driving back Chen Yuchong, who had been lurking in the shadows firing cold shots, Yun Zheng quickly led the group charging into the hall ahead.

Strangely, the ugly, squat goblins halted near the hall, as if the area ahead was marked by some apex predator as forbidden territory.

Upon entering the hall, before anyone could scrutinize its structure and furnishings, the chieftain of Yongshun let out a harrowing scream and collapsed, writhing on the ground. Soon, foam bubbled from his mouth as he fainted.

Everyone exchanged glances, a mix of astonishment and anxiety filling their hearts.

“No need for the two chieftains to worry,” Yun Zheng kindly reassured them. “If I’m not mistaken, this dungeon should be the Great Wasteland City that our teacher once mentioned—built to suppress the fortunes of ancient kingdoms like Yelang, Nanzhao, Dali, and Luchuan. It seems this Yongshun chieftain harbored some disdain for the Ming court. The moment he stepped into this grand hall, he suddenly lost consciousness, as if struck down by an invisible force.”

“Fortunately, he has yet to harbor any rebellious intentions; otherwise, his fate would be far worse than mere fainting.”

Originally calm, the chieftains of Wumeng and Wusa instantly grew tense at Yun Zheng’s words, beads of cold sweat soaking their garments.

After the She’an Rebellion, many chieftains no longer held the Ming dynasty in deep respect, including these two. But they suddenly realized—if they entertained any disrespectful thoughts, would they be struck down by the spirit of Lord Mu on the spot?

Wusa’s chieftain gave a nervous chuckle. “Unexpectedly, this Great Wasteland City was not built beneath Lord Mu’s mansion in Yunnan, but underground in Chishui City.”

Wumeng’s chieftain, speaking like a strategist after the fact, said, “Building it under Chishui City makes sense. Zunyi Prefecture is the throat connecting Sichuan to Guizhou, playing a crucial gateway role. Guizhou serves as the bridge and passage by which Ming firmly controls the southwestern borderland of Yunnan. If we view the southwest frontier as a whole, Zunyi Prefecture is precisely the head of this land’s lifeline.”

“Lord Mu is truly a prodigy; such a masterstroke commands my deep admiration,” praised Wusa’s chieftain, his desire to survive shining through as he heaped praise on Mu Ying.

The combined jurisdiction of Zunyi and Pingyue Prefectures was once the fiefdom of one of Guizhou’s Four Great Kings—the “King Yang”—based in Bozhou.

Yun Zheng pondered quietly: Could the mastermind who dragged them into this dungeon be connected to Yang Yinglong?

Yang Yinglong, the 29th and final chieftain of the Yang clan in Bozhou, was no ordinary man. He was remarkably talented and cunning, having spent years striving to dominate the southwest, restore the legacies of Nanzhao and Dali, and even conquer Sichuan and Chongqing to rival the world’s powers.

Under Yang Yinglong’s command, the Bozhou Tiger Soldiers were fierce and battle-hardened, famed throughout the empire. After he rebelled, these troops swept across the southwest, winning battle after battle. The Shui Xiang clan of Guizhou, invited by the Ming to assist in suppression, was decisively defeated by the Bozhou forces.

In the Battle of Wujiang, 30,000 Ming field troops were utterly annihilated by Yang Yinglong. He sent a letter to the world, comparing the reigning emperor to Xiang Yu, the Chu overlord who committed suicide at Wujiang.

Page (2/3)

However, the true lingering regret at Wujiang was not Emperor Wanli Zhu Yijun’s.

At that time, the Ming dynasty had just experienced the rejuvenation under Zhang Juzheng’s reforms. It was not the feeble state it would later become but a mighty empire with nearly a million armed soldiers and overflowing treasury reserves. With a grand gesture, Emperor Wanli dispatched over 200,000 troops like divine warriors descending from the heavens, encircling Bozhou with an impenetrable siege.

Though Yang Yinglong commanded the wealth amassed by the Yang family over 700 years, iron-willed Bozhou troops, fiercely loyal warriors recruited from many places, and the strategic mountain passes at Loushan and Hailongtun, his single province was no match for the vast empire. He ultimately was defeated and perished, leaving behind centuries of resentment and mysterious legends about his lost treasures.

Considering the Battle of Sarhu only twenty years later, where the Jianzhou leader annihilated over 40,000 Ming troops—dealing a severe blow to the empire—we cannot help but marvel at the rapid decline of Ming power within such a short span.

Chen Yuchong, forced to withdraw, was filled with unwillingness and rage.

Having one leg broken by Yun Zheng meant that even with the map, surviving within this perilous dungeon was a struggle, let alone setting traps to ambush Yun Zheng’s party.

Fortunately, he still had other cards to play.

Now disabled, Chen Yuchong was not acting on his own strength. At this moment, he was being carried like a child by a female giant over two and a half meters tall.

This giantess, “Jiskabie,” was one of countless successful investments Chen Yuchong had made over the years.

Yet Chen Yuchong firmly believed this investment could serve as an invaluable trump card in critical moments.

The Ming dynasty had established the Moon Harbor in Zhangzhou for trade with Westerners.

Named for its crescent shape, this magical seaport funneled countless exotic goods and creations from the outside world into the empire.

For example, blueprints and finished products of enchanted bullets and firearms.

Also, crops like chili peppers, which Yun Zheng had promoted, and tobacco, which Chen Yuchong sought to popularize.

Yet the most anticipated trade at Moon Harbor were the people captured by foreigners from around the globe:

Aztec priestesses, holy maidens from Indian temples, shield maidens from the West...

Jiskabie was a spoil of war from the Spanish conquest of the New World—the West Indies. Captured deep within the boundless rainforests, rumors claimed she once tore a Spanish colonial cavalry horse in two during a frenzy.

At auction, the seller dubbed her the “Amazon Tyrannosaurus,” a nickname Chen Yuchong found perfectly fitting, given her strength rivaled that of a T-Rex.

Securing such a high-quality slave at auction was in fact a lucky byproduct of Jiskabie’s extreme side effect—pathological possessiveness. She was not an uncontrollable wild horse, but once she bonded with a master, she developed an almost obsessive dependence.

Once, when Chen Yuchong inadvertently exposed her to a tender scene with his concubine, the result was shocking—Jiskabie brutally smashed the concubine into pulp, and Chen Yuchong could only helplessly watch. Since then, he rarely dared indulge in romantic pleasures.

Page (3/3)

Yet for Chen Yuchong, none of this was a concern. In his mind, only power was the supreme pursuit; beauties were but insignificant embellishments upon the grandeur of power. And Jiskabie’s unconditional loyalty added a tangible asset to his power.

Suddenly, the giantess, who was clutching Chen Yuchong with a look of infatuation, raised her head sharply and gazed toward a woman approaching slowly ahead.

Following Jiskabie’s line of sight, Chen Yuchong’s face twisted into a grimace.

He recognized the tall, graceful woman—it was the “adjutant” who accompanied Yun Zheng.

Behind her trailed two swordsmen clad in white. Chen Yuchong had an excellent memory; he recalled Yun Zheng calling one Yun Eleven and the other Yun Thirteen.

His expression changed drastically.

An Miao Tong inwardly marveled at Jiskabie’s strangeness.

This female giant, clad in simple leather garments barely covering her essential parts, had eyes like copper bells, a nose like a wild bull, and square muscles resembling chunks of rock. On her back rested an enormous war bow, almost rivaling a crossbow cannon.

Chen Yuchong’s tolerance for such a monstrous woman was truly beyond ordinary men.

As An Miao Tong prepared to approach Chen Yuchong, she suddenly and without warning drew a finely crafted wheellock pistol and fired into the ferns beside Chen Yuchong.

In the Great Wasteland City, where sunlight was absent and only faint ambient light existed, it was a mystery how such plants thrived. Yet the mysterious relics left by Lord Mu Mu Ying defied all reason.

A figure tumbled clumsily from the ferns, narrowly dodging An Miao Tong’s deadly bullet.

Of course, An Miao Tong recognized him—the most ferocious mad dog under Chen Yuchong’s command: Chief Guard Cao Ruobing.

Five years ago, Cao Ruobing had led an assault on Ye Xi during her return home; had Yun Zheng not accompanied her then, Ye Xi might have met disaster.

An Miao Tong felt it her duty to avenge Ye Xi’s grievance.