Volcanic Age

Zhuge Xiuluan was in a rush.

If she could, she would abandon the special task force behind and run as fast as her legs could take her to find help.

However, that was not something a commander could do. Thus, she led the special task force in an orderly retreat to the main army while prioritizing their safety.

The Milky Way Sage is… a no.

No matter how calm and gentle the Milky Way Sage was, even such an individual would fly into rage and grief at the news of Hao Dechang's death—the promising star of the Zhongnan Sect.

In that case, it'd be better to request help from the main army.

"I'll bring One Sword Seven Kills and Wudang's Second Absolute," said Zhuge Xiuluan. "Sir Hundred Paces Fist Monk, please request help from Sir One Palm Purifying Demons."

She needed their combat strength, and diverting them away from the frontline like this didn't feel good for her at all. Unfortunately, the ongoing situation demanded such measures.

Hong Gao asked, "Lady Tactician, are you planning a joint assault to bring down the Blood Demon?"

"Yes. Even if the Blood Demon is like a monster, the battle against the Sword Immortal must've exhausted him."

Zhuge Xiuluan didn't let her emotions interfere with her judgment. She relied solely on her rational mind to calculate their odds. Even if defeating the Blood Demon was out of the question, grievously injuring him or rescuing Zhou Xuchuan had to be doable.

Young Master Zhou cannot die in a place like this! Zhuge Xiuluan recalled their brief time together. And I also owe him, don't I?

Her younger brother was subjected to discrimination and oppression by his own family, but Zhou Xuchuan still became his friend. By doing so, he had rescued Zhuge Shengji, someone even the oldest son of the Zhuge family had almost given up on.

Please wait for a bit longer, Young Master Zhou!

***

Zhou Xuchuan's bones ached. He felt utterly exhausted, and he felt as if his muscles had been torn apart. There was a small hole in his torso, too. The pain almost crippled him, but he was neither crippled nor dead.

He squeezed out every little ounce of energy left and desperately moved around.

"Hmph!"

This had to be a nightmare. Zhou Xuchuan could have never imagined fighting a life-or-death battle against his own Sect Master, even though the latter had become just a mere body that had been taken over by someone else.

Hidden Nether Flying Dagger Art!

Zhou Xuchuan's sleeve with a plum blossom motif billowed, and a hidden dagger flew out, flying toward the Blood Demon's throat.

"A hidden weapon?"

The Blood Demon sounded dumbfounded just then. However, his flabbergast was understandable, since a proud disciple of a large sect—a hero of the righteous faction at that—had just unleashed a high-level hidden weapon technique.

Of course, the Blood Demon only needed to tilt his head out of the way to dodge the hidden dagger, but the Mount Hua's sword technique followed right afterward.

"How frivolous!" the Blood Demon snorted, meeting the oncoming sword strike with his Death Yin Staff.

CLANG!

The sword and the staff vibrated upon impact, and the reverberations from the clash echoed for a while.

It's possible! Zhou Xuchuan was elated. His situation wasn't as hopeless as it seemed. It turned out that the Blood Demon wasn't in perfect condition, either.

The initial punch hadn't missed Zhou Xuchuan because the Blood Demon had underestimated him—no, the intense battle against You Riwen had to have exhausted the Blood Demon.

The Blood Demon was an Absolute Baster, but there was no way he'd be in great shape after spending that much internal energy. Moreover, wasn't he occupying someone else's body at the moment?

The two bodies were starkly different, whether it was the body shape, the muscle mass, and the reaction speed. It became painfully obvious that the Blood Demon couldn't possibly unleash his full might right now.

At least, that was what Zhou Xuchuan thought, but…

Ugh! Zhou Xuchuan wasn't in good shape, either.

Ever since the mission began, he and the special task force had been fighting and pushing their way forward without rest. Worse still, Zhou Xuchuan stood at the helm of the group, fighting the highest number of enemies.

The Blood Demon's attack had created a hole in Zhou Xuchuan's torso, and to make matters worse, his qi reserves, which were like an inexhaustible well most of the time, were almost depleted.

No! Don't give up yet! Of course, Zhou Xuchuan couldn't afford to back down at this point. He gnashed his teeth, steeled his resolve, and swung his treasured sword nonstop.

Swish! Swoosh! Swoosh

His sword attack wasn't anything complicated, merely a downward chop. However, its simplicity meant that it boasted greater strength and speed. Zhou Xuchuan's attack fell with explosive momentum, and it aimed to split the Blood Demon's head.

Claaaang!

Unfortunately, his attack was easily stopped.

The Blood Demon raised the Death Yin Staff above his head with his left hand to stop the oncoming sword, and then he performed a powerful palm strike with his right hand.

Veins bulged on what little remained of the skin on the Blood Demon's arm. Unseen pressure rapidly closed in on Zhou Xuchuan, and it tried to crush him.

POW!

The Blood Demon's palm strike landed on Zhou Xuchuan's abdomen. However, the latter didn't fly away while spitting blood. At first glance, it looked like the palm had touched the abdomen, but there was a small gap between the two, as if something invisible existed there.

He still has this much qi left? The Blood Demon was stunned. If he still had eyeballs, his eyes would have widened by now.

No, don't give up yet! Zhou Xuchuan roared inwardly.He, too, was holding his weapon with one hand, like the Blood Demon. His left hand was clenched into a tight fist.

Blood Demon! Zhou Xuchuan's biceps bulged. Veins bulged on his left arm as the qi flooding out of his dantian was converted into physical strength. At the same time, a faint green light leaked out from his left eye. It was like his eye was in resonance with his left arm.

Green Eyes Ten Thousand Poisons Art!

Whoosh!

Zhou Xuchuan's waist twisted slightly as his left arm moved along with a powerful rotational force. The surrounding air was crushed flat before splitting into two.The next moment, Zhou Xuchuan's fist slammed into the Blood Demon's cheek.

CRAAAAACK!

The Blood Demon's flesh was crushed, and his head was forcibly snapped to the side. To make matters worse, poison entered the Blood Demon upon contact, and it began circulating rapidly throughout his veins.

"Poison?!" the Blood Demon exclaimed, stunned.The sensation traveling down his spine was familiar. The attack had truly caught him off guard.

The Green Eyes Ten Thousand Poisons Art created a brief gap for Zhou Xuchuan to exploit, and this brief gap was his goal all along. Hopefully… the following attack—an ace up his sleeve—would finish his enemy off for good!

Ten-Thousand Jin Sword!

Zhou Xuchuan pulled his sword back with his right arm. His left foot stepped forward, shifting the center of his gravity forward. His left fist was pulled away from his target's face.

Zhou Xuchuan went through the Hundred Divine Transformations. His stance and qi circulation changed instantly.

CRACK!

The ground beneath his feet cracked open. The earth sank from the abrupt increase in his weight.

"Heup!"

Seemingly in an effort to repay every hardship that he had endured so far in this fight, Zhou Xuchuan focused all of his strength into this one attack.

Sect Master…!

For the briefest moments, memories from his youth flitted across his mind. There weren't that many memories for him to reminisce about, as by the time Zheng Huilian matured as an adult, You Riwen had imparted all the teachings necessary to become a righteous leader before departing from this world.

However, the story in this life was a bit different. Of course, Zhou Xuchuan could never say that he was close to the Sect Master of Mount Hua.

The matters in the Lotus Pavilion meant Zhou Xuchuan would sometimes be in the same room as the Sect Master, but there was always a respectful distance between them. The two conversing privately was quite rare.

Back then, Zhou Xuchuan had to grow a little older than now to speak more frequently with the Sect Master. Even then, they would exchange only the bare minimum number of words.

Despite that, Zhou Xuchuan greatly respected You Riwen. The brilliance of the subsequent generations had obscured his luster somewhat, but the fact that You Riwen was a wizened and powerful expert whose renown had defined his era couldn't be forgotten.

He had reached the zenith of his art as a cultivator and a swordsman. Not to forget, he was the highest elder of the sect and its undisputed leader. That was why Zhou Xuchuan held You Riwen in great reverence and deep respect.

"Please, rest in—"

Although it would be a little rude to say this, Zhou Xuchuan didn't lose himself to rage at the sight of the Sect Master's death. Of course, he was stupefied, and he definitely felt certain emotions from the Sect Master's death.

He was regretful, and… a little sorrowful.

"—peace!"

Zhou Xuchuan raised Tai'e high above his head as if it were a mace rather than a sword.

He gripped the sword's hilt with his left hand just as the weapon came down, turning the one-handed downward slash into a two-handed downward slash.

This is the end!

His tense muscles unleashed their stored power. Zhou Xuchuan's shoulder bones matched the muscles' movements. His weight converged on his front, and his back bent forward.

His meridians ached as a large amount of qi rushed past them, but the pain proved that he was still alive.

FWHOOOOOOSH!

The first level, the second level, the third level, the fourth level, and the fifth!

The sword's weight increased exponentially, and now, it weighed as heavy as life itself, along with all of its trials and tribulations. Zhou Xuchuan's qi billowed out like an ascending dragon before bursting forth.

From the side, Zhou Xuchuan's sword was falling at a downward curve, starting from somewhere behind him. However, from the front? It was as straight as it could be!

A radiant violet sword light blinded the Blood Demon.

SLICE!

Zhou Xuchuan's sword, containing many incredible powers swirling within, sliced through the air and dug deep into the Blood Demon's shoulder. It moved fiercely as if its sole mission was to separate the world of living from the netherworld!

Damn it! Zhou Xuchuan reflexively gasped in disappointment.

He had been targeting the Blood Demon's skull, but the enemy had twisted his head out of the way at the last second. In other words, his attack unfortunately cut through the Blood Demon's shoulder until it reached his waist.

Even so!

Still, this level of injury should prove fatal. After all, almost half of the Blood Demon's torso was split into two. Hope rose in Zhou Xuchuan's heart at the sight.

Unfortunately, his hope rapidly morphed into despair. His expectation was grandly shattered at that moment.

"Ku—hahahaha!" The Blood Demon guffawed like a madman before kicking Zhou Xuchuan away.

"Argh!"

Zhou Xuchuan was blasted away, and his air was caught in his throat upon impact. He couldn't block the attack, as they were too close to each other, plus the large movement of his attack had left many openings for the Blood Demon to exploit.

"Entertaining! Yes, this is entertaining! Somehow, you've entertained me!"

The Blood Demon's overjoyed voice contained a tinge of madness.

Despite reaching the demonic cultivation's Harmony Realm, the Unfettered Demon Stage, the Blood Demon's demonic nature hadn't gone anywhere. As a matter of fact, his violent and evil nature was still there, waiting to be unleashed.

The breakthrough hadn't turned him into a more sensible person. No, it was more like he had been keeping himself in check all this while!

"Kuh-kakakaka!"The Blood Demon let out a bizarre cackle. A large chunk of his body was about to fall off, but he still guffawed in pure joy.

"Cough!"

Zhou Xuchuan bounced off the ground several times before stopping some distance away. He tried to get up while vomiting mouthfuls of blood.

"Very good! I shall praise you for pushing this body this far! I'm being serious, brat! Let me teach you something good as a token of my respect."

The burning lights in the Blood Demon's eye sockets shifted to his side—to his severed shoulder.

Zhou Xuchuan looked and saw that his attack hadn't cut through the flesh. All the blood leaking out from the severed flesh had transformed into crimson threads that were rapidly connecting with each other. What was even more bizarre was the fact that the blood was… suspended in midair!

"The Harmony Realm is the upper limit of cultivation? That's nothing more than people taking everything they've seen, heard, learned, and practiced to the limits of their potential."The Blood Demon walked leisurely toward Zhou Xuchuan."Just because they know a bit more about what already exists than others, they actually think that they've reached the pinnacle?! Hahaha!"

It was a mocking laughter.

"What do you think is beyond that realm? Go beyond what you've learned to discover something new, something else! And create what's uniquely yours! Overcome the concept of one life, modify that obsolete concept into what is uniquely yours, and evolve! Evolve until you can manifest that concept into reality!"

The blood flowing out of the severed shoulder wavered ominously before taking to the skies. The sphere gradually morphed into… a person's head!

"…!"

Zhou Xuchuan shuddered violently.Nangong Weiwu and You Riwen's words suddenly came to his mind. Their disparate words began overlapping with the Blood Demon's words.

"This is the essence that proves my existence! The truth of the realm beyond. That is… the Manifestation of One's Path!"

Rumble!

Blood flooded out like a waterfall from the Blood Demon's severed shoulder. Eventually, the shoulder seemed to have reattached itself.

The bizarre phenomenon didn't end there, however, as the blood swelled as if it was a physical body growing in size. The human head next to it distorted hideously like that of a terrifying Rakshasa!

The spectacle was a manifestation of power that was supposed to only appear in some forgotten legends. A power that easily transcended the realm of mortals!

"Now, behold! This is the manifestation of my will! O Central Plains! O Murim! Everything under the heavens! Behold, as long as humans are made of flesh and blood, I shall use them to live forever!"

The Blood Cult's core beliefs had become twisted over the years, but they were still related to blood. Of course, this was true of most demonic cultivation; it wasn't just the Qi and Blood Demonic Art.

Thus, the destination that the Blood Demon had reached at the end of his martial journey was the foundation of the cult's beliefs—the very beginning of it. Eventually, his enlightenment took him to a realm where he could become one with blood and manifest his will with it.

"Kyah-hahahahat!"

Boom!

You Riwen's seemed to have exploded as blood flowed out of his eye sockets, nostrils, and mouth before his figure itself swelled like a tidal wave.

The strands of blood transformed into blades and spears before rushing toward Zhou Xuchuan at a scarcely believable speed!

Shwik, shwik, shwik!

The blades and spears of blood mercilessly pierced and punctured Zhou Xuchuan. His arms, legs, abdomen—almost every part of him was hacked and stabbed over and over again.

His head was spared, perhaps due to the Blood Demon's final mercy, but it didn't change the fact that the deadly weapons had transformed him into a wretched mess.

"Nooo!"someone's despairing scream reverberated across the battlefield.

However, as if to mock that scream, more spears and blades flew in and pierced Zhou Xuchuan before slamming into the ground behind him.

Unlike Blood Demon's previous body, which had ten swords sticking out of it, Zhou Xuchuan was covered all over with sharp weapons made out of blood.

The stupefied and despairing Zhuge Xiuluan finally arrived with the Martial Alliance's core combat force.

They couldn't help but let out sighs of lamentation at the sight.

"Are we too late?!" Yun He exclaimed in anguish.

"No, wait. The Blood Demon's face. It's really—" Zhi Yiguang gasped in sheer shock upon seeing the Blood Demon.

Zhuge Xiuluan had briefed the combatants on their way here, but they were still shocked to see that the former hadn't lied to them.

"…Ah, dammit. I got too lost in the thrill that my emotions got the better of me."

The image of the terrifying demon, Rakshasa, shrank before scattering away like fog. The spears and blades that had hacked and stabbed Zhou Xuchuan to death disappeared without a trace.

"Huh-uh… How lamentable! I still had so much to ask the brat. And I haven't even figured out his true identity," the Blood Demon said ruefully while turning toward the newly arrived cultivators of the righteous faction.

Yun He, Zhi Yiguang, Hong Gao, and Hong Jin all flinched just then. Perhaps because the power they had witnessed was too overwhelming, but their legs didn't want to move at all.

They nervously swallowed mouthfuls of their own saliva and began wondering what to say when—

"This is ridiculous."A voice abruptly echoed in their ears.

The voice sounded so out of place that it made the Blood Demon question his own hearing!

Everyone present held their breaths.

"…?"

The Blood Demon slowly, oh-so-slowly, turned his head again.

"I couldn't comprehend even a word of what the Martial Alliance Leader or the Sect Master had told me, yet to think I'd reach enlightenment from the ramblings of an insane great Demon Head. It's so ridiculous it's not even funny anymore…"

An unbelievable spectacle unfolded from where the voice was coming from. Without a doubt, Zhou Xuchuan's figure was supposed to have been pockmarked by stab and slash wounds.

For some unknown reason, those wounds had vanished, but the bloodstains and the holes in Zhou Xuchuan's clothes proved that what had transpired earlier hadn't been a mere illusion, so… what was going on here?

The one decisive proof was missing, but Zhou Xuchuan was devoid of any injuries.

It looked like he had never been injured at all.

"…?"The Blood Demon's eerie crimson light balls in his eye sockets wavered in confusion. Before he could even voice his confusion, Zhou Xuchuan's figure vanished in a blur before appearing right before the Blood Demon's nose.

He moved so fast that even the Blood Demon—a cultivator who had transcended the limits of humanity—could barely keep up with him.

"Huh?"The Blood Demon couldn't hide his flabbergast.

"Your teeth—" said Zhou Xuchuan, tossing away the sword in his right hand into the air.

"You better clench them tight."

BOOM!

A sonic boom erupted as Zhou Xuchuan's punch landed squarely in the middle of the Blood Demon's face. The powerful punch announced the beginning of his grand counterattack.

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