Chapter 273: [273] The Gate of Life... or the Gate of Death?

Words : 1433 Updated : Oct 5th, 2025

Chapter 273 - [273] The Gate of Life... or the Gate of Death? The Gate of Rest, the Gate of Life, the Gate of Injury, the Gate of Obstruction, the Gate of View, the Gate of Death, the Gate of Shock, the Gate of Opening. These are the Eight Gates of the Human Plate. The Gate of Rest belongs to the Water element, the Gates of Life and Death belong to the Earth element, the Gates of Injury and Obstruction belong to the Wood element, the Gate of View belongs to the Fire element, and the Gates of Shock and Opening belong to the Metal element. Alright, you've now learned the basics of the Qimen Dunjia. Very good, very good. Now, it's time for you to break the ultimate formation of the Grand Strategist, the pinnacle of Qimen Dunjia—the Stone Sentinel Maze. "...You've got to be kidding me." The white-haired general twitched his lips. Around him, towering stone pillars stretched across the wilderness, interconnected in an intricate manner, sealing off his five senses and obstructing his magical energy. The stone pillars were merely the surface. The true essence of the formation lay in the connections between the anchor points—a net woven from principles that aligned with the grand laws of heaven and earth. It was not something that could be broken through brute force. This was a formation designed to halt the advance of Wu's hundred-thousand-strong army. Even Lu Xun, the Grand Marshal of Eastern Wu, had failed to break it. Had it not been for someone else's rescue, he would have been trapped to death within it. As a descendant of Huaxia, Sakatsuki understood all too well the difficulty of breaking this formation. As for why he had been caught in it— Though it was a major military campaign, the supply train was always slower. With the battle imminent, Sakatsuki had decided to let the main force advance alongside the supply team while he took a few hundred light cavalry ahead to serve as scouts. Sakatsuki was no fragile human—he was a Pseudo-Servant. He had no fear of decapitation tactics; in fact, he would have welcomed enemies charging at him. Yet, as he advanced into an open field, several massive stone pillars rose with a thunderous roar, instantly overturning heaven and earth, reversing yin and yang, pressing down on Sakatsuki like the Five Elements Mountain, rendering him immobile. Not only had the sky and earth lost their bearings, but attacks from all directions came relentlessly—rolling boulders from nowhere, surging floods, summoned gales and thunderbolts, even flames raining from the sky. The scorching steam nearly blinded his eyes. A surge of bloodlust erupted, forming a barrier that blocked the ever-changing onslaught. "Flashy tricks." Sakatsuki snorted coldly, though his expression remained grim. Pseudo-Servant: Zhuge Liang, Caster-class. And what Caster-class Servants were most famous for was their skill: Territory Creation. Of course, there were embarrassing exceptions like Shakespeare, but this was the formation of the Grand Strategist, the legendary Sleeping Dragon. How could it be underestimated? Even if Sakatsuki's Spirit Origin was also among the finest of the Military Strategists, with both timing and terrain now in the enemy's hands, a single misstep could lead to him being utterly suppressed here. But more importantly, there was the issue of the Stone Sentinel Maze's very existence. If Sakatsuki's memory hadn't failed him, the entity possessing the beautiful youth had indeed said, "Another Servant from the same Chinese lineage as you has already been captured by me." Though it felt somewhat rude to think so, Sakatsuki didn't believe these beings had any reason to lie—or even the intelligence to do so. So, what was the deal with this Stone Sentinel Maze? In Sakatsuki's view, there were two possibilities. One: Zhuge Liang, like Caligula or that beautiful youth Servant, had been seized by an unknown entity, acting against his will. Two: Because Lord El-Melloi II had been coerced, he had no choice but to play along, setting up this formation to protect someone. Wait, perhaps there was a third possibility—one that tested both luck and tacit understanding... Eyes flickering, the white-haired general glanced at his terrified soldiers and made a decisive choice. "Gather close to me. From now on, I'll go all out. Keep up on your own!" With a sharp shout, a colossal blood-colored terracotta warrior rose between heaven and earth, wielding twin blades. It charged forward without hesitation. Boom! Boom! Boom! What greeted the warrior was a sky full of explosive lightning. Ordinary soldiers would have been annihilated in an instant. Even the bloodlust warrior lasted only moments before dispersing voluntarily, avoiding pointless consumption. Not only that, but the Stone Sentinel Maze seemed enraged. The attacks against Sakatsuki intensified, and even his vast bloodlust grew thin under the assault of wind, thunder, water, and fire. It wouldn't hold much longer. "...Times like these make me miss my true body." The white-haired general waved his hand, releasing a surge of bloodlust to reinforce the defense. Had he entered the formation alone, self-preservation wouldn't have been an issue. But with hundreds of liabilities around him, protecting them drained far more energy than simply looking after himself. After this brief complaint, Sakatsuki calmed his mind and began analyzing the formation. Had this been a Servant from another mythology or region, they might have floundered like a headless fly until exhaustion claimed them. But both Sakatsuki and the Servant fused with him hailed from Shenzhou Huaxia. They knew a thing or two about the infamous Eight Formation Diagram. "The Gate of Injury falls in the Zhen position, Wood element, due east, its force thunder." With just this one probe, Sakatsuki grasped the nature of this gate. He raised his hand, and the blood warrior reformed, charging in the direction he pointed. "The Gate of Life falls in the Gen position, Earth element, northeast—meaning this is the key to escape!" Sure enough, once the warrior broke through the chaotic currents, the scenery ahead opened up, revealing a clear path to the Gate of Life. This was the wonder of bloodlust. Even without expendable scouts, Sakatsuki could still find the escape route unscathed. "Move." With a low command, Sakatsuki surged forward, bloodlust shielding his group as they pushed toward the Gate of Life. If they kept advancing in this direction, they would break free of the Stone Sentinel Maze's blockade. But would things really be that simple for Sakatsuki? The answer, of course, was no. The Eight Formation Diagram took the Eight Trigrams—Qian, Zhen, Kan, Gen, Kun, Xun, Li, and Dui—as its core, forming its structure with Heaven, Earth, Wind, Cloud, Dragon, Tiger, Bird, and Snake. It encompassed astronomy and geography, a rare marvel in both Chinese military and magecraft history. Sixteen celestial formations, twelve earthly formations, the wind formation formless, the clouds clinging to the earth— Who had ever said that once this formation took shape, it remained static? After breaking through layer after layer of obstacles, Sakatsuki raised his sword and slashed forward, as if piercing a thin membrane. The scenery ahead suddenly cleared. But before Sakatsuki could even register his position, he was once again shrouded in mist. Curses, paralysis, resentment—wails echoed in his ears as if he stood on the Yellow Springs Road leading to the underworld. This time, even bloodlust couldn't protect the soldiers. As long as they breathed, as long as they felt, as long as they moved, they were doomed to drown in the torment of hell. Screams erupted one after another. Soldiers clutched their throats and heads, their wills corroded by the resentment and curses they themselves had invoked. They abandoned the bloodlust's protection and, within moments, dissolved into pools of blood. The Gate of Death fell in the Kun position, Earth element. And it stood directly opposite the Gate of Life. Just as mountains and marshes shared breath, and thunder and wind intertwined, Qian and Kun were two sides of the same coin. Life and death were inseparable—what seemed like the Gate of Life could, with the slightest shift, become a path with no escape. To make matters worse, amidst the chaotic screams, a horde of soldiers with blood-red eyes, like wild beasts, surged into the Gate of Death. Bathed in blood and flame, they charged toward Sakatsuki and his men. "Form up! Engage!" *** Hey readers! 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Chapter 273: [273] The Gate of Life... or the Gate of Death?

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