"If the higher-ups in the underworld are all such fools, then I have found the reason why the underworld has fallen."
Yan Chixia: "......"
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Chapter 391 How to fight this battle?
That candlestick was clearly an extremely powerful magical artifact. The dark blue flame gave Lu Xuan a chilling feeling that went straight to his bones.
All the magical artifacts of the underworld felt the same way, nothing special. The key was that Lu Xuan felt something peculiar about that flame. Just one glance made him feel slightly dizzy. Countless blurry images even flashed before his eyes. They seemed to be various past lives. He even felt a sense of being lost within them.
What kind of fire was that?
Lu Xuan turned to ask Yan Chixia. However, Yan Chixia also looked puzzled.
"I don't know. But the underworld is the underworld after all, it has its own foundation. It's not surprising that it has some strange magical treasures. It's just that that magical treasure doesn't look like it's for siege warfare at all."
"That's why I said that if everyone in the underworld is this kind of fool, it's no surprise that they would lose power."
The celestial being in the sky raised the candlestick in its hand and gently blew on it. A cluster of blue flames, the size of a candle flame, collided with the wind, transforming into a vast sea of fire that surged towards the City of the Wrongfully Dead.
This powerful attack caused the underworld army below to cheer once again. This time, even Yan Chixia couldn't help but shout "Bravo!"
The wave of fire, like a colossal blue beast, engulfed the City of the Dead before everyone's eyes. Those outside the city could even hear the screams of countless ghosts.
This made the underworld legion outside cheer even more enthusiastically. Only Lu Xuan looked at the group of simpletons around him with a strange expression.
"Is this how wars are fought in the underworld?" Lu Xuan had never participated in wars in this world. He had no idea that these idiots were so bad at fighting.
"Um, Brother Lu, do you have any other opinions?" Yan Chixia turned back to ask Lu Xuan.
"No, we have an army of 100,000 behind us, with six Yama Kings as generals. Wouldn't it be better to just swarm in and raze the City of the Unjustly Dead? Why are we fighting it here?"
"Brother Lu, haven't you seen how heavy the casualties have been in the City of the Wrongfully Dead? Morale is the most important thing in war. Right now, our army's morale is high, while the enemy's morale is low. Isn't that already our advantage?"
"Where did you get the idea that the enemy's morale was low? From beginning to end, Black Mountain hid in the City of the Dead, never even showing his face. You saw nothing, you only heard..."
Before Lu Xuan could finish speaking, a sharp whistling sound pierced the sky. Looking up, he saw the celestial palace, whose name he had been looking at, floating in mid-air, being entangled by a skeleton wreathed in ghostly fire. The skeleton was incredibly fast, tumbling and leaping, causing the high-ranking official of the underworld to scramble in confusion.
Seeing this, Yan Chixia was speechless. The cheering soldiers below stopped abruptly once again. Lu Xuan almost burst out laughing.
In the sky, the celestial being holding a candlestick, after a flurry of activity, finally regained his senses. He drew a long black whip from his waist. However, just as he swung the whip to strike the skeleton...
The City of the Undead suddenly trembled. A black arrow appeared silently in its chest. Without any reaction, it pierced his chest instantly. It was unclear what kind of magical artifact it was, but the arrow displayed unparalleled destructive power. Almost instantly, the Heavenly Palace cultivator's body disintegrated. The two flying magical artifacts were directly taken by the skeleton.
Lu Xuan turned to look at Yan Chixia.
"Is this what you mean by a surge in morale?"
Yan Chixia: "......"
Not to mention him, the entire Underworld coalition was stunned. Lu Xuan didn't know where they had learned this tactic of having their generals duel before engaging in battle. But there was one thing they definitely hadn't learned well: what to do if they lost the duel? Before the battle even started, the morale of the entire army plummeted to rock bottom.
At this moment, the third Heavenly Palace member finally realized the problem on their side. After hesitating for a long time, he stepped forward to ask Lu Xuan.
"It's been a long time since we last met. Fellow Daoist Lu is meticulous and adept at planning before acting. What are your thoughts on this battle?" Lu Xuan was somewhat surprised that they would take the initiative to ask him. These high-ranking officials from the Underworld had initially been arrogant and boastful, not even bothering to introduce themselves to Lu Xuan and his group. Only after losing two battles did they realize that their side seemed incapable of fighting.
After looking the other person up and down for a while, Lu Xuan asked.
"Don't you have any fighting experience?"
This made the other person even more embarrassed.
"Um, we are all newly appointed Heavenly Palace members. We have never fought with anyone before."
"...What did you do before you built this Heavenly Palace?" Lu Xuan was genuinely curious.
"I was originally a scholar in the mortal world. I heard the Great Emperor say that I was the reincarnation of a virtuous person who had lived ten lifetimes. After I died unjustly, the Great Emperor directly bestowed upon me a title and made me the head of the Heavenly Palace in the Underworld. Before that, I had never had any experience fighting with anyone."
Lu Xuan: "!!!!???????"
He was genuinely shocked; how could this be? According to Yan Chixia, the six Heavenly Palaces of the Underworld were the absolute highest levels of the Underworld. How could they have chosen an ordinary person's soul to be directly appointed?
No wonder Lu Xuan felt these high-ranking officials of the underworld were incredibly incompetent. So they were the kind who rose to power overnight. The other two, it seems, also ascended directly through merit or special karmic connections. This is what makes the world of *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio* so unique. Becoming an immortal isn't about cultivation, but about merit and karma. Those cultivators who toil in the mountains are ultimately just supporting characters. The various positions in the immortal ranks are predetermined.
Thinking of this, Lu Xuan couldn't help but sigh, knowing that these weaklings were hopeless. They had been directly appointed by the Great Emperor, possessing magical powers and abilities, but they didn't know how to use them at all. They could only mechanically unleash the abilities they knew. Combat, in this context, required a high level of skill.
Before engaging in combat, one must first set up defensive spells or magical artifacts to ensure their own safety. Then, based on the enemy's characteristics, choose appropriate supernatural powers or magical artifacts. Of course, the most important point is that if you have helpers, then go for a group attack. Battles among cultivators are far more brutal than battles in the mortal realm. Losing means annihilation. Therefore, there is basically no such thing as a fair duel; everyone uses every means possible. It's even more impossible to see a comical scene of one person challenging an entire city. These things only exist in the imaginations of scholars.
"According to my understanding, the Black Mountain Demon is clearly stalling for time. The longer he drags it out, the more disadvantageous it will be for us. So, you should assemble the army now. If you have any powerful magic weapons or spells, throw them all at the city gates and inside the city. Then, send 100,000 troops to overwhelm the city in one wave. There will be no duels, no challenges. Just charge in and wipe out everything you see. The Black Mountain Demon's plans will fall apart without a fight."
Lu Xuan didn't mention any complicated tactics, fearing that these novices wouldn't understand.
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Chapter 392 The Final Battle
Lu Xuan crossed his hands, gathering Yin-Yang lightning in them, and unleashed the Yin-Yang Twin Lightning. Purple and blue lightning shot out from Lu Xuan's hands, striking the city gate of the City of the Unjustly Dead.
Lu Xuan remembered that in the original story, the Black Mountain Demon's true form was actually its ghost city. However, here, Lu Xuan's divine sense was suppressed. The ghostly energy was too dense to clearly distinguish the opponent's true form. So he directly took action to test it.
The moment Yin-Yang Twin Thunder was unleashed, it startled the surrounding ghosts. After all, thunder magic was what they feared most. At that moment, a cloud of black mist suddenly appeared within the ghost formation, and then the Heavenly Palace figure who had just been instantly killed reappeared.