Volcanic Age

The fame of the Phantom Bow Swordsman had even reached the ears of the Dark Heavens Association.

"Zhou Xuchuan… that's a name I've never heard before."

According to the Martial Alliance's naming convention, Blessed Existence could be considered the Seven Stars Division Strategist.

Although his cultivation wasn't particularly high, his strategic skills were unparalleled.

Even the Dark Heavens Association Leader often listened to Blessed Existence's advice, and the other Heads of the Dark Heavens Association rarely questioned his words.

"Hmm."

Zhou Xuchuan had played a major role in the destruction of one of the Eight Gates of the Evil Dao. They couldn't help but be concerned about him.

"Vast Gate."

"Yes?"

"Do you really think that there are just one or two Zhou Xuchuans within the murim? Moreover, he disappeared right after the conflict ended, and idiots pretending to be him showed up to take advantage of his disappearance. It's all a headache."

"Don't just focus on the name Zhou Xuchuan. It could be an alias, so conduct your investigation accordingly."

There was a reason Zhou Xuchuan had hidden himself when he was young.

Blessed Existence and the Dark Heavens Association were relentless. As an organization, they didn't get cocky. They would make sure to nip anyone who would interfere with their grand plan in the bud, without hesitation.

"First of all, we can rule out Mount Hua's Phoenix Slayer. It can't be him. He was only able to defeat the Poison Phoenix by relying on the Thousand Poisons Immunity. Besides being good with women and having decent cultivation, he's not that impressive."

Even the great Blessed Existence couldn't have imagined that the person who confronted Ju Zhong head-on and won was only eighteen years old. Defeating Ju Zhong was just that out of the ordinary.

"Do you know how long that would take?"

"I understand, but it doesn't matter. Just find him."

"While it's true that Harmony Realm Masters are rare, is there really a reason to be so concerned about an unknown master?"

"It's still just a guess, but he might also be the one who flooded the Tomb of the Ominous Demon."

Vast Gate flinched in surprise.

"Are you sure?"

Blessed Existence was more thorough and wiser than anyone in the murim. That was why the Dark Heavens Association Leader had given him the title Blessed Existence.

"Though it's uncertain, it's not out of the question. Based on what we know, he wields a divine-grade sword. It may not be Tai'e, but it's similar enough to warrant looking into. More importantly, I don't like that he's hiding his identity, especially since it's causing trouble for you."

Vast Gate was in charge of the Dark Heavens Association's intelligence system and was innately familiar with all reports that reached Blessed Existence. All the information in those reports had come from her, after all.

"A mysterious master whose name is unknown… Even if he's not the same person, he's still worth looking into. He's definitely hiding his identity from someone."

Thus, the Dark Heavens Association began chasing after the Phantom Bow Swordsman.

***

Tang Hui's eyes shot open.

"You're the Phantom Bow Swordsman, right?!"

"Yes," Zhou Xuchuan answered coolly.

"You're not hiding it?"

"There are too many points for me to hide."

He had disappeared to get the Mind Qi Separator. However, soon after, a master with the same name suddenly appeared and made a name for himself. After that, he immediately disappeared as if he was running away.

Tang Hui had uncovered all of this, and it was impossible not to connect the dots.

More importantly, Tang Hui had already discovered that Zhou Xuchuan's cultivation was extraordinary from the moment they met.

While the Tang Family guards following them thought that Zhou Xuchuan was just some dumb kid with a good background, Tang Hui was different.

He hadn't said anything earlier because of all the eyes on them, but when he finally had a chance to be alone with Tang Hui, he just answered her honestly.

"It's a little disappointing to see you being so honest."

"Since I answered you honestly, can you keep this a secret?"

"Of course, I have that much sense. We wouldn't have bothered with the guards if you weren't trying to keep this a secret in the first place."

"Thank you."

It was convenient to have someone who didn't need everything explained to them by his side. Wow, it really was a good feeling to finally have someone competent around.

"Who else knows besides me?"

"Only you so far. But I'll be telling the Head Merchant of the Gold Will Merchants and Zhuge Shengji soon. Oh, and Wu Qu, whom we just left, probably knows, too."

"I'm becoming more and more curious about you."

At first, she had considered him an enemy who had only taught her the sting of defeat and humiliation. It was more of the same afterward, too. She didn't think much of him otherwise.

However, the recent incident completely changed her perception of him.

"Yes, you're a disciple of a major sect, but it's still strange that a Daoist like you is close to a Merchant. More importantly, you not only know the location of an artifact like the Mind Qi Separator, which no one in the murim knew. On top of it all, you even fought and won against the Flashing Waterfall Saber Gate Master. That's not something just anyone can do."

"Yes, I've kept it a secret all this time, but actually, my cultivation…"

"I hope you're not going to start spouting bullshit while we're talking. You must have won through some underhanded means, like when you defeated me, right? You used the help of people around you or took advantage of a Harmony Realm Master's pride, right?"

A vicious personality that cuts off words in advance!

Zhou Xuchuan was seriously considering breaking up parting ways with Tang Hui.

***

Shanxi, the Tomb of the Ominous Demon.

The Blood Muscle and Tendon Classic.

The foundation of the current uproar in the murim.

The yellowed, rotten book was currently in the hands of an old monk.

Dharmic Wisdom, a monk of the same generation as the abbot of the Shaolin Temple, stopped reading the Blood Muscle and Tendon Classic and set it aside.

His face, usually filled with compassion, was now twisted with displeasure.

"What is it?" Immortal Shang Ming asked incredulously.

"I wouldn't believe you even if you were to tell me it's fake," the Flower Scattering Palm said, glaring suspiciously at Dharmic Wisdom.

"No, it's the opposite. This is definitely the Blood Muscle and Tendon Classic."

Dharmic Wisdom confirmed, turning his prayer beads.

"Then why did you stop reading it halfway?"

"The Blood Muscle and Tendon Classic is designed so that a Shaolin monk naturally begins to cultivate it the moment they read its sutra."

Only then did the others nod in understanding.

"Then this must be the original Blood Muscle and Tendon Classic!"

The day the appraisers confirmed the authenticity of the text, at least a dozen or more messenger hawks flew through the air. There were especially many homing pigeons and messenger hawks in the sky that day.

Naturally, when the news spread, reactions were intense. All eyes turned to the tomb of the Ominous Demon.

"Wow, does this mean there's going to be a war?!"

"Yes, they said there's going to be war. However, only in Shanxi. Moreover, it seems it will be limited to the southern region, where the Tomb of the Ominous Demon is located."

"Oh my! My relatives live in Shanxi…"

Even though it might only be a faction war, a war was still a war. While the elders limited it to small forces, considering those involved, it was anything but small.

The Martial Alliance, the Evil Valley, and the Demonic Cult's forces gathered.

No one wanted to even imagine what would happen when these three factions, forces that couldn't wait to kill each other on a normal day, gathered in one place.

In any case, the three major factions hurriedly prepared for war over the next fortnight. Several experts from each faction headed to Shanxi.

Moreover, there were several rules for the ensuing Seven Swords War.

1. The number of people from each force was limited to one thousand.

2. While those not originally from the Seven Major Forces were permitted to participate, no more than ten people per outside force were allowed.

3. The Blood Muscle and Tendon Classic would be moved on the night before the full moon. A representative from each force would gather to transport it to the peak of a plateau that was clearly visible from all sides.

4. If any of these rules are violated, the violator will be punished.

"But, would the Evil Faction or the Demon Cult really follow these rules?"

As soon as the four rules were made public, gossipers gathered and blabbed with one another, spewing frustrations and problems left and right.

"Tsk tsk, you don't know anything."

"What do you mean?"

"Most likely, neither the Martial Alliance, the Evil Valley, nor even the Demon Cult, intend to follow the rules."

"Then, why did they come up with them?"

"It's better than not having them at all. You could consider it the bare minimum to keep things under control."

"Could you elaborate?"

"If we don't limit the number of participants from each force, they'll quickly grow to five thousand, or even ten thousand people, making the situation uncontrollable. Moreover, if we don't limit the number of forces themselves, then the same thing will happen, giving the leaders of the factions a major headache."

"And what about the third and forth rules?"

"Think carefully. That's an easy point."

"Fine, fine! I lost here, I lost! Drinks and dinner are on me, and I'll even buy you top-shelf, so just explain it, will you?"

"Ahem. The Blood Muscle and Tendon Classic needs to be kept under strict surveillance for two weeks to prevent it from being stolen. Naturally, the guards would be chosen from among the Three Major Factions."

"And?"

"Everything should be fine before the war starts. The surveillance would be tight, and with the constant shift changes, none of the guards would be able to make any plans to steal it. Moreover, the side that does cause any trouble would lose out. The actual problem would be the day before the the war starts."

"Why?"

"The moment before the guard surveillance ends, a group could kill the joint Three Faction Guards, steal the Blood Muscle and Tendon Classic and flee to where their allies are waiting. It's actually a pretty feasible plan. If you pull it off, your elders might even praise you instead of punishing you."

"Oho!"

"To prevent that, the Three Major Factions plan to place the Blood Muscle and Tendon Classic where everyone can see it the day before the war and restrict all access. Then, the winner will be decided in a single day. Finally, the fourth rule allows the other two factions to ally against any side that violates the rules."

The first and second rules were difficult to keep. With the Blood Muscle and Tendon Classic in front of them, the Righteous Faction, Evil Faction, and the Demon Cult didn't trust each other at all.

In such a state of distrust, there was no way they could rely on some hastily put-together set of rules.

Each faction likely assumed the others would bring stronger experts or prepare more troops than they could handle and planned accordingly.

Of course, none of the three could blatantly violate the rules. As long as whatever they planned wasn't noticeable, it was fine.

"I see! At least with something like this, we can avoid the worst-case scenario. Right?"

"That's right."

"I don't know who came up with this, but whoever it was is truly outstanding!"

"It was the Vice Strategist of the Martial Alliance, Zhuge Xiang."

"As expected of the Knowledge Dragon!"

Just like in the future, Zhuge Xiang was already displaying his dazzling intelligence, even before the Great War of Good and Evil. Among the Five Dragons and Three Phoenixes, his fame was the greatest.

After passing through the steep valleys that were blessed by nature, the Yellow River, which was about ten feet deep, came into view. The Yellow River, which had relatively shallow waters, only circled around one place—a vast plateau rarely seen in southern Shanxi.[1]

The Martial Alliance, the Evil Valley, and the Demon Cult were all preparing for the war, setting up camp in the fields beyond the Yellow River at strategic points around the plateau itself.

There was a little over a week left until the Seven Swords War.

As the Martial Alliance was conducting an inspection regarding their troops, they suddenly received an unexpected visitor.

***

"The Poison Phoenix? The daughter of the Poison King?"[2]

Immortal Shang Ming stroked his white eyebrows and looked puzzled.

"Yes, that's right," the middle-aged man next to him answered.

He was Nangong Caiying, the son of Nangong Weiwu and the younger brother of the current head of the Nangong Family.

"I didn't hear anything about the Sichuan Tang Family participating…"

The Poison Phoenix herself wasn't a problem. What Immortal Shang Ming cared about was her status.

In the murim, being a legitimate successor of a famous family meant being the representative of that family.

Normally, even if they had strong cultivations, they didn't move alone. They also had about a dozen or so experts accompanying them.

That was why they couldn't be considered as mere individuals.

"Well… after looking into it, things aren't quite what we thought."

"What do you mean?"

"According to the reports, the Poison Phoenix herself said that she hadn't come as a representative of the Sichuan Tang Family. In fact, she only has a few Tang Family guards with her. Moreover…"

"And?"

"She's not only accompanied by a direct disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, but she's also accompanied by warriors of the Gold Will Merchant.

"Huh?!"

Things were getting even more confusing.

Immortal Shang Ming had heard about the Gold Will Merchants.

They were a substantial merchant group that had recently become famous not only in the merchant world but also throughout the murim.

However…

Why did they show up here at the Seven Swords War, and why were they with the Sichuan Tang Family?

That was the question.

1. This is a real place. The Loess Plateau. ☜

2. This says granddaughter, but previously says that she's the Poison King's daughter in chapter 88. Looking at future chapters, she's definitely his daughter, so it will be written accordingly if there are any other typos. ☜

Cyncoco's Thoughts

Omg we about to hit it. The big double zero.

Fun fact,

Loess is a geological term. It's a type of sediment.

The Loess Plateau is SO BIG that it doesn't actually have like a fancy name; it's literally just called, [SEDIMENT] Plateau.

The size means it's almost synonymous with the sediment itself. Lmao

Also, on a more serious note.

Thank you so much for being here.

I hope to see you at chapter 199, too.

~ Cyncoco