"General Song, the court is utterly corrupt. Why not seize this opportunity and join forces with us to overthrow this dynasty?"
"When that time comes, you shall have seventy percent, and we shall only ask for thirty!"
Below the three peaks of Qingfeng Mountain, the Xiongnu leader spoke in a booming voice.
His face was covered in dark skin and scars, giving him a valiant aura.
"I, Song Gong, lifted a thousand-jin cauldron at the age of eight, and by ten, I could accompany my father onto the battlefield. Today, you insignificant Xiongnu dare to argue with me? To discuss matters of the world with me."
"Hah, ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!"
Zhang Tian laughed, a touch of pride and arrogance coloring his face.
Indeed, he was a favored son, admired by thousands, standing above the masses. How could he not be proud?
"It seems discussion is futile? Brothers, for our homeland, we must break through this Xuan Mountain!"
"To avoid oppression, so that our children can eat, we must overthrow the court!"
The Xiongnu leader roared, and immediately, countless tall, burly men charged forward.
Because of the Xiongnu's physique and ferocious fighting style, coupled with the fact that one Xiongnu could take on three men, and their numbers were comparable to Zhang Tian's – both around three hundred thousand – Zhang Tian's side found themselves unable to annihilate them immediately, despite holding advantageous terrain.
While Zhang Tian was engaged in battle with the Xiongnu, outside Sanzhi Mountain, the Emperor himself led the troops, encircling the entire mountain tightly.
Zhang Tian had always been a great threat to him, and this was an excellent opportunity; he would not let it slip away easily.
At this moment, outside, in the judgment chamber.
"Good heavens, did I dream myself back to the Tang Dynasty?"
"This doesn't look like the Tang Dynasty. It looks more like the Eastern Zhou."
"My goodness, that's been thousands of years!"
"The people on both sides, each at least three hundred thousand, all trapped in this mountain crevice. This place truly lives up to its name as the Ten Thousand Ghost Cave."
"The number of casualties in the end will be immense."
"Holy cow, is this reincarnation? It looks pretty good."
"You ahead, dream on. This is an illusion."
"I'm actually a little envious of Zhang Tian. He gets to experience two lives, and as a general too. That's so awesome."
Countless people below the stage became excited.
Especially seeing Zhang Tian enter the illusion and experience a new life, some of them felt a pang of envy.
After all, in this oppressive society, to live again and be a person of influence and wealth, wasn't that everyone's dream?
"Wait, have you guys noticed? The plot of reliving a life in this illusion seems so familiar."
"Stupid, isn't that the reason for the formation of the Ten Thousand Ghost Cave? It's just presented in the form of a memory."
"Holy cow, now that you mention it, it really is. What Zhang Tian is doing now is exactly what happened a thousand years ago!"
"Oh my god, I'm getting goosebumps."
Discussions erupted below the stage once more.
Meanwhile, Zhang Tian's battle had dragged on for several months.
By now, both sides' provisions and supplies were running low, and their strength had significantly diminished.
Concurrently, the number of casualties within this mass grave had multiplied. In the end, the soldiers were fighting by stepping on corpses.
The bodies had piled up into small hills dozens of feet high.
It was at this very moment that the sound of an attack suddenly came from outside.
A vast imperial army descended en masse.
"Is he here to help me?"
Seeing the Emperor arrive with his army, a flicker of gratitude crossed Zhang Tian's mind, his eyes alight with a spark.
However, in the next moment, when he saw the army indiscriminately slaughtering his soldiers and dominating the battlefield, he understood.
The court was setting a grand trap.
Instantly, Zhang Tian's heart filled with resentment.
His Song family (the original owner of this identity) had served the court generation after generation, toiling for the emperor.
They had never harbored any rebellious thoughts, yet they had been banished to the frontier, even having a princess sent to constantly supervise him.
He felt like a wild beast confined to a cage.
In the end, he hadn't even agreed to the Xiongnu's proposal to overthrow the court, but now this was his reward.
He was unwilling.
His heart seethed with endless fury. He hated his own indecisiveness, hated why, even after being crowned King, he still harbored a trace of reverence for the court?
Why was he not ruthless enough in his methods?
Until the moment his head was severed by the Emperor, his heart was still filled with regret.
It was precisely because of the general's regret that the Yin energy here surged, and at the same time, the Xiongnu leader felt an overwhelming sense of injustice.
They had long been exploited by the court, their lives now precarious and survival a struggle. Every one of them carried intense anger.
Yet, they were all mercilessly slaughtered here by the Emperor.
At this point, nearly six hundred thousand troops had perished in this valley, and the resentment of the two great generals lingered.
After death, Zhang Tian, in the form of General Song's soul, looked at the Xiongnu leader before him.
Just as he was about to strike again.
Zhang Tian felt a warmth spread through his body.
Fragments of memories appeared before his eyes.
His head throbbed.
Meanwhile, outside.
"Boss, what's going on? It's been three days, and he's still yelling. Anyone who doesn't know would think he's mentally unstable."
Fatty, watching Zhang Tian, who was currently playing a general, spoke with a hint of frustration.
After entering the illusion, Fatty had been pulled out by the Princess.
As for Hu Bayi and Xie Yuchen, they were brought out by Daoist Yi Mei.
Only Zhang Tian, like a fool, was performing his general's dream in front of everyone.
"I hate you, I hate you..."
Watching Zhang Tian roar at the sky, his appearance comically pathetic.
Daoist Yi Mei finally couldn't hold back.
"My good disciple is too deeply engrossed in his role, really. It seems I must act."
Daoist Yi Mei said, drawing a talisman with his peach wood sword and striking Zhang Tian.
"Little Yellow Man, what are you doing?"
Fatty asked Daoist Yi Mei, puzzled.
"I am helping him find his true self, which will be beneficial for his breakthrough."
Daoist Yi Mei had truly worried himself sick.
"Speaking of which, Boss was so strange just now, one moment the Emperor, the next fighting the Xiongnu, then occupying the court. Boss's dream was so weird."
"Almost as good as Fatty's."
Fatty muttered to himself.
Hu Bayi couldn't help but chuckle.
Zhang Tian's dream just now was too bizarre, like a madman, a true epitome of social death.
Meanwhile, within the illusion, as memory fragments surfaced in Zhang Tian's mind, he recalled the various reasons.
"Damn, I almost got carried away by the general's resentment."
Zhang Tian felt a surge of frustration.
That Samsara Hall was likely a restriction within the Ten Thousand Ghost Cave, deliberately sealing memories and then dredging up the general's resentment.
"So that's how it is."
"The Yin energy in this Ten Thousand Ghost Cave can probably be dispelled."
Zhang Tian thought, intending to break free from the Ten Thousand Ghost Cave. Otherwise, with this ghost general fighting battles every day, how could it possibly work? It would be better to fight in the underworld.
"Shall we call a temporary truce?"
Zhang Tian looked at the Xiongnu.
"If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have died like this. We could have overthrown the dynasty!"
"You are a villain, a coward, a dog of the Emperor!"
The Xiongnu leader's face was filled with fury.
"This matter, in fact, is not our fault. Moreover, we are already dead. Further fighting is futile."
"We should find the Emperor. We fell into his trap once already. Must we continue to accumulate resentment for a thousand years because of him? Look at our soldiers."
"Don't they wish for reincarnation?"
"Are we going to let them suffer for our own selfish desires?"
Zhang Tian spoke, and the Xiongnu leader looked at the soul soldiers behind him. Their faces were etched with pain.
Having fought for a thousand years, even they couldn't bear it any longer.
Their bodies were shattered and reformed, a torment they had endured for millennia.
The Xiongnu had risen up for the sake of their people. Now, seeing their people in such a state, the Xiongnu general felt a pang of sympathy.
"I propose we start an uprising in the underworld, and then overthrow the rule of this dog emperor."
Zhang Tian spoke again, and the Xiongnu leader wavered.
"Our uprising was originally intended to give our people a better life, wasn't it? But now? What expressions do we see on our people's faces?"
Zhang Tian, with his modern eloquence, delivered the final blow to the Xiongnu leader.
"Wait, I think I understand something."
Zhang Tian suddenly realized something.
Based on these memory fragments, Zhang Tian understood that one should not be a slave to techniques or cultivation. One should be oneself.
Follow your heart. Even if your cultivation level doesn't rise, if your inner strength is fortified and your power increases, what does it matter if your rank doesn't increase?
Furthermore, Zhang Tian understood that one should not be a sycophant. Even if you are loyal, you might still be trampled upon.
After Zhang Tian finished speaking, the Xiongnu leader seemed to show some remorse.
Gradually, the souls of the Xiongnu army began to dissipate.
Outside, Daoist Yi Mei was stunned.
"Holy cow, Xiao Tian actually managed to enlighten the souls???"
"How did he do it, Ancestor Master! My disciple has achieved something!"
"No, I must tell Ancestor Master about this later, so he can secretly rejoice in the underworld!"
Daoist Yi Mei was filled with excitement and a touch of astonishment. He had truly found a treasure this time!
The revival of Taoism was just around the corner!