Volcanic Age

Twenty-two.

That was the number of people in Zhou Xuchuan's party.

The Sichuan Tang Family, including Tang Hui, consisted of eleven people. Of course, she wasn't just included, but as the Poison Phoenix, Tang Hui was the one who led them.

Tang Hui was not only the most powerful in terms of status but also the most powerful in cultivation among the Sichuan Tang Family members here.

The Gold Will Sword Sect faction consisted of ten people, including Chu Lian. On the surface, Chu Lian was their leader, but in reality, Zhou Xuchuan was the one in charge.

"Captain, there's something I have to show you.”

Chu Lian gestured to one side with her chin. Following her gesture, Zhou Xuchuan saw a box about three feet long.

He walked closer and opened the box, tilting his head at the unexpected object inside.

"This is…?"

"He packed it for us when he heard we were going to participate in the Seven Swords War." Chu Lian said, puffing out her chest with a proud smile.

"You're whispering so much, I'm starting to wonder what you're talking about," Tang Hui whispered as she inspected her hidden weapons.

"It's not something you'll be using, and you're going to see what it is in six days anyway. So don't worry about it."

Zhou Xuchuan closed the box with a meaningful smile.

"Have you been trained?"

"Well, does it really require training? Still, the kid gave me the full rundown, so there's no need to worry."

"Good. Then prepare to surprise the murim with this. You're the vanguard, so you'll make a name for yourself through it."

"Orabeoni and the others will be upset, it seems, hehe."

By "Orabeoni and the others", she was referring to the Ten Gale Swordsmen, since Chu Lian's blood-related siblings had died a long time ago.

"By the way, what happened to you, Captain? I heard you had an argument with the Miss over there the moment you arrived."

***

The Murim Alliance was currently in an uproar due to the appearance of the Poison Phoenix and the Phoenix Slayer. Considering the reputation of the Five Dragons and Three Phoenixes, it was only natural that the two of them would draw attention. However, they also had an argument with the other talents.

“Apparently, the Poison Phoenix said something to the Little Mount Tai, First Bud Sword, and the Sword Flower or something."

"Well, it wasn't just 'something.' I was nearby, and she basically told them to get their heads on straight if they didn't want to end up pissing their pants."

"Wow, she really isn't called the Poison Phoenix for nothing. She not only cultivates poison, but her tongue is just as poisonous."

"Isn't she famous for her venomous remarks? The fact that she doesn't discriminate between people is refreshing. I thought she only talked like that to paupers like us."

"Haha! It really is refreshing! I never liked how those brats acted so superior to us!"

"Those bastards from the Evil Faction or the Demonic Path may go around calling us hypocrites, but look at Miss Tang! Didn't she prove them otherwise?!"

Most of the martial artists felt refreshed by Tang Hui's bluntness. However, not all responses were positive, and criticisms soon followed.

"Yes, what she says is right, but don't you think that was too harsh?"

"The Poison Phoenix should have spoken politely. No matter how wrong the other side was, if she speaks without etiquette, how is she any different from those in the Evil Faction?"

"Exactly! As a member of the Righteous Faction, she should always be mindful of her actions and words. How can she show her face without at least that much tact?"

"Tsk tsk. As expected of someone who uses poison!”

"Shhh. Be careful. Have you forgotten how the Sichuan Tang Family handles their grudges?"

The Righteous Faction had always placed a strong emphasis on etiquette and morality. From that perspective, the Poison Phoenix’s actions were unacceptable.

"What's wrong with trying to get along with the other younger generation talents? Surely she's not looking down on the Five Mountain Sword Sects Alliance just because she's from the Five Great Ancient Families, is she?”

The Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Ancient Families had been leading the Righteous Faction's murim since its inception. So, it was only natural that the other sects would be dissatisfied. While most weren’t as powerful as these great sects, some were strong enough to rival them.

In particular, those of the Five Mountain Sword Sects Alliance, the Mount Tai Sect, the Mount Song Sect, the Mount Hua Sect, and the Hengshan Sect weren't lacking in any way.

"Well, I wasn't even mentioned, so it's fine with me."

Since Tang Hui was so… polarizing, all the attention was focused on her.

The Phoenix Slayer only appeared briefly before disappearing again, so everyone's gaze turned to Tang Hui.

Although the warriors of the Tang Family seemed a bit offended, they didn’t make any public fuss about it.

There were six days left until the Seven Swords War began.

As the sun set and everyone was wrapping up for the day, Zhou Xuchuan went to find Tang Hui, concerned.

"What is it?" Tang Hui asked, looking up at the dim moonlight. Her gaze was fixed on the sky, as usual.

Zhou Xuchuan, standing behind her, followed her gaze and looked up at the moon, scratching the back of his head as he spoke.

“The rumors.”

He didn’t have to say anything else.

"If you thought that I would make some sort of foolish mistake on the battlefield because of some meaningless drivel, then your judgment was excessive."

Tang Hui was brilliant. She understood the situation without needing further explanation and knew exactly what Zhou Xuchuan was insinuating.

"Because I'm used to it."

Zhou Xuchuan stood still, quietly staying with her.

It seemed like he was saying, “It’s okay.”

That was all he did.

That was enough.

***

The dark curtain of night began to lift as the sun slowly emerged from beyond the eastern ridge, illuminating the world.

There were five days until the Seven Swords War began. Since warriors typically started their day early, everyone was already busy preparing from the moment dawn broke.

Zhou Xuchuan was also busy, albeit for a slightly different reason than the others.

First, I have to find the moles and kill them.

Each of the Seven Forces gathered had been infiltrated by moles and spies.

In five days, when the war began, they would use all sorts of means and methods to prolong the war as much as possible.

Eliminating them was Zhou Xuchuan's top priority.

Since it was impossible for him to assassinate them in broad daylight, he had to wait until nightfall.

He passed the time strategizing with Tang Hui and Chu Lian about how to fight when the war began.

Occasionally, some people would try to catch a glimpse of Tang Hui's beauty, but remembering what had happened before, they kept their distance.

Time flew by, and soon dusk turned into late night.

However, it wasn't completely dark. Since a war was about to start, there was an incredible amount of security and light.

Zhou Xuchuan quickly slipped out of bed. No expert could detect his movements.

I never thought I would be doing something like this in my life.

Covering everything except for his eyes with a mask, Zhou Xuchuan dressed himself in black clothing that made him blend into the night. Anyone who saw him would have been suspicious.

He proceeded to sneak out, keeping any noise to a minimum. As long as Immortal Shang Ming wasn't the one standing guard, there was no way he'd get caught.

***

Four li south of the Murim Alliance's camp.

Black-clad men gathered among picturesque trees. They were the Dark Heavens Association spies who had infiltrated the Murim Alliance.

Though they remained silent at first, as soon as their numbers reached exactly twenty, they began to speak.

"What's going on?"

A black-clad man with a large build spoke first.

"Our meeting day was definitely supposed to be two days from now," another black-clad man muttered incredulously.

“Who signaled?”

Before night fell, a code that only the Dark Heaven Association could recognize had been engraved throughout the camp.

On the surface, it looked like a meaningless scratch, but to those of the Dark Heavens Association, it was unmistakable.

When no one responded, the atmosphere shifted abruptly.

The black-clad men, who had been indifferent moments ago, began to look at each other, growing increasingly uneasy.

The code that had summoned them had definitely been the Dark Heaven Association's. Moreover, it was classified as a top secret within the organization.

Since there was no way an outsider or a turncoat they had bought out would know the code, it was truly a mystery how the code had been placed throughout the camp if none of them had done it.

The moment someone was about to ask again, a voice was heard from behind the bushes.

“I signaled you.”

“Who are you!”

Shing!

The black-clad men drew their swords with lightning speed, sweat trickling down their masks.

"And what are you going to do with that information?"

"There can't be another one of us!"

There were exactly twenty spies that had infiltrated the Murim Alliance.

No more, no less. That number could not have changed.

The brains of the Dark Heavens Association, Blessed Existence, was someone who was more thorough than anyone else. He would never have allowed such an exception.

Even if there had been a change, they would have been informed. Nothing like this had ever happened before.

"Don't be so hostile. I'm a spy who infiltrated the Evil Valley. I've come to speak to you for a reason," the twenty-first black-clad man spoke calmly.

“You came from the Evil Valley?”

“Yes.”

The black-clad men looked at each other before scanning the area. Only after they sensed that there was no movement around them did they let their guard down slightly.

After exchanging glances for a while, one of them finally asked a question, the group moving as if they had all made up their minds.

“How many moles have infiltrated the Evil Valley?”

“…Twenty.”

Woosh!

The twenty-first black-clad man was surrounded in an instant.

“What are you doing?”

"Except for a few people, none of us should know who or how many of us have infiltrated the Evil Valley or the Demon Cult. You should have asked why I was asking that instead of answering."

"I see. In case of any unexpected situations, you made sure that moles from different affiliations don't know each other so that information wouldn't leak."

The twenty-first black-clad man, Zhou Xuchuan, shrugged his shoulders as if he had been taken aback.

“You. Who on earth are you?”

“How do you know the code for this meeting?”

The Dark Heavens Association had more than one code, and the codes used by each individual group of spies were also different.

It wasn't by chance that they had managed to hide their identities for decades. Their meticulousness had allowed them to keep their secrets hidden so thoroughly.

"Hey, would you have answered if you were me?"

Zhou Xuchuan sneered as he drew his sword.

“No matter what happens, we have to capture him.”

"It doesn't matter if you have to cut off one or two limbs."

The black-clad men talked as they closed in on him.

"As expected, you Dark Heavens Association bastards have no gaps. No gaps. Don’t you get tired of living like that?” Zhou Xuchuan asked.

As he looked around, he could hear gasps. Everyone looked shocked.

"You even know the name of the Association?"

"Forget about the disruption mission. Capturing him is our new priority!"

Woosh!

Twenty people rushed at Zhou Xuchuan simultaneously.

They went all out from the start. They didn’t care that the opponent in front of them was alone. It didn't matter to them what level of cultivation he had reached.

There was no pride or arrogance.

You damn bastards!

They didn’t let their guard down, and they didn’t get cocky.

Those two points alone were terrifying enough, and they couldn't be underestimated. Zhou Xuchuan had been cautious of them for good reason.

Swish!

Swords flew at him from every direction, slicing through the air. Judging by the sword qi that was gathered in each of the blades, their power definitely wasn't anything to scoff at.

However, they weren’t aiming to kill him; they wanted to capture him alive. They avoided any fatal strikes to his neck, heart, or lungs.

Zhou Xuchuan spun on his left foot, using it as an axis. His sword drew a circle in the air.

Clang, clang, clang, clang!

Before their swords could even touch his, they were caught in his sword wind and sent flying upward. The experts holding the swords were pushed back along with their weapons.

So they've all reached the Peak Realm?

Zhou Xuchuan clicked his tongue.

His counterattack had been powerful enough that if they hadn't reached at least the Peak Realm, they would have been knocked out rather than just pushed back.

The moles from the Dark Heavens Association were even more flabbergasted than Zhou Xuchuan.

They all couldn’t believe what was happening before their eyes.

This is impossible!

Although they had been trained to remain calm in any situation, they were all wide-eyed with shock.

The twelve spies who had reached the Peak Realm had all attacked at the same time. Even if they hadn't attacked with the intent to kill, they had still gone all out.

Not even a Transcendent should have been able to block it so easily. Yet Zhou Xuchuan had done it effortlessly.

It was a situation where their eyes saw what happened, but their minds refused to believe it.