Volcanic Age

Zhou Xuchuan shouted desperately, but it was already too late.

“Oho, so another sacrifice has presented itself,” the Blood Demon said with a sinister grin.

Within the hollow sockets of the Blood Demon’s eyes, tiny bloodshot pupils gleamed, giving him the eerie look of a child who had just found a new toy.

“Still, my hand did sting a little. The name Demon Slayer isn’t for nothing, you live up to your reputation."

"Agh!"

Zhi Yunbo's face turned red with humiliation. Not only had his full-powered attack been blocked, but his pride was hurt by the fact that the Blood Demon wasn't even pushed back, even though he was exerting all his power.

Above all, Zhi Yunbo couldn’t contain his anger after seeing the Blood Demon evaluate him like a child.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Why is it that you Righteous Faction members never change, no matter how much time passes? You always leap into the fire even when you know it’s a trap. What fools you are!”

"You bastard! How dare you insult me!” Zhi Yunbo couldn't bear the humiliation and shouted.

Facing one of the Ten Empyrean Overlords without fear was brave, but it was still reckless.

“Blood Cult Leader!”

Zhi Yunbo sheathed his sword and took three steps back. He wasn't running away, he had moved back in order to strike again. It was an excellent display of footwork.

The Blood Demon’s weapon slipped from his grasp, yet he made no effort to retrieve it. He didn’t take a stance or move at all.

To think he’s still making fun of me!

That indifference hurt Zhi Yunbo’s pride.

Even if his opponent was one of the Ten Empyrean Overlords, he really couldn't stand how he was treating him, one of the One Hundred Experts Under Heaven and the strongest expert of the Kongtong Sect.

As the First Demon Slaying Sword, Zhi Yunbo was accustomed to admiration and awe, whether from the Righteous, Evil, or Demonic Paths. This was the first time anyone had ever treated him with such indifference.

I'll make you regret it!

Drawing qi from deep within his dantian, Zhi Yunbo adjusted his energy flow slightly, channeling it through his vocal cords.

“Blood Demon!”

The Blood Demon!

Zhi Yunbo’s voice swept through the surroundings. It was loud enough to make the entire Gobi Desert tremble.

"Ugh!!"

His voice wasn't just loud, it also contained some form of power. Strangely, only members of the Blood Cult and the jiangshi were affected.

The jiangshi froze momentarily, while the Blood Cultists clutched their ears in pain, glaring at Zhi Yunbo.

"Is that the Demon Slaying Roar?"

As a Daoist technique of the Kongtong Sect, it was also classified as a martial art.

It was a sound art comparable to the Lion Roar of the Shaolin Temple, and it let out a roar of qi that exceeded human limits.

For those who weren't martial artists, the roar could rupture their eardrums and affect their brains. Even martial artists would experience temporary paralysis.

Just as the Lion Roar contained the power of exorcism, as its name suggested, the Demon Slaying Roar was also particularly effective on cultists.

Zhi Yunbo had never seen a cultist remain unaffected after being hit with the Demon Slaying Roar directly to the face. Since he had used half of his qi in the roar, he was sure the Blood Demon wouldn't be able to move.

It’s over!

Standing three steps away, Zhi Yunbo gathered his qi with all his strength, preparing to unleash the Kongtong Sect’s secret technique.

Great Heaven Smiting Demon Slaying…

"It seems like your fun is coming to an end."

Squelch!

"Ugh!"

Zhi Yunbo’s eyes widened, his expression distorting with shock and disbelief.

“First Demon Slaying Sword!” Shui Jing called out to Zhi Yunbo, screaming.

“This, this… nonsense…” Zhi Yunbo muttered in a strained, gurgling voice.

He felt a sharp, excruciating pain in his chest. But as it surpassed his pain threshold, the agony faded into numbness, leaving his mind hazy.

Lowering his head, he saw the Blood Demon’s arm impaled through his chest, a gaping hole where his heart should have been.

"I'll turn you into a zombie without desecrating you, so don't worry."

"Agh…!"

A scream briefly escaped his lips, but the flame of life was completely extinguished. His eyes rolled back, and like a marionette with its strings cut, he collapsed.

“No!”

“Eldest Brother!"

The disciples of the Kongtong Sect screamed in despair.

“Retreat!”

There was no time to mourn Zhi Yunbo’s death. Right now, they had to escape as quickly as possible.

“Right now!” Zhou Xuchuan’s voice, though not as powerful as the Demon Slaying Roar, was loud enough to reach everyone nearby.

“Since the First Demon Slaying Sword has died, I hope the disciples of the Kongtong Sect will follow my orders! Retreat!”

Tou Zhong helped Zhou Xuchuan shout.

“Follow the orders of the Plum Blossom Order Sword and the Lanzhou Branch Manager!”

The Milky Way Sage defeated the blood cultists and created a retreat route.

“Agh! Blood Demon!”

“I’ll kill you!”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Some of the Kongtong Sect's disciples rushed out. They seemed to be Zhi Yunbo’s close disciple brothers and sisters.

"I understand that you're aggravated because your enemy is right in front of you, but there is no way for us to win now! This is a strategic retreat!”

Zhou Xuchuan gave up on the others completely. Instead, he persuaded those of the Kongtong Sect and the Mount Heng Sect, who were still standing there, not knowing what to do.

“Hmph!”

Shui Jing turned away. While she didn’t want to agree with the words of the detestable Mount Hua Sect disciple, it would be suicide to stay like this.

“We retreat!”

The Mount Heng Sect followed Shui Jing to the escape route.

"R-retreat!"

“Damn it!”

"Just you wait! We'll get our revenge someday!"

The disciples of the Kongtong Sect swallowed their tears and retreated.

Until now, they had refused to take orders because of Zhi Yunbo’s presence. But with his death, command naturally passed to Zhou Xuchuan.

"KEKEKEKE!"

"Where are you going?! Give me some blood before you go, my fellow compatriots of the gangho!”

The Blood Cult mocked the retreating Martial Alliance.

“Die!”

“Agh!”

“Damn it, get the hell off me!”

"Agh!! Don't abandon me! No!!!"

Squelch! Squelch!

Clang!

Amidst the desperate screams and squeals, the Martial Alliance of Lanzhou suffered a crushing defeat.

Dark Heavens Association.

"Hahaha!"

Blessed Existence’s laughter echoed in the hall.

“Yes, this is how it should be!”

Part of the grand plan had succeeded and Blessed Existence was satisfied that things were going as expected.

“Zhou Xuchuan, I thought you might cause trouble again, but it seems my worries were unnecessary. Those who follow the heavens will survive, and those who go against the heavens will perish. I will show you exactly what that means!”

The Plum Blossom Order Sword, Zhou Xuchuan!

Whenever he heard that name, his blood pressure would rise. That was how often he, along with the Phantom Bow Swordsman, had interfered with Blessed Existence’s plans.

He tried every means possible, but that bastard had always destroyed his plans with ease, even causing a setback in the Dark Heavens Association’s grand plan.

He could never forget that grudge. In order to make sure that they dealt with him once and for all, he had been keeping an eye on him since the moment the Blood Cult made their move.

“This time, I’m going to end things for sure.”

Blessed Existence wasn't entirely satisfied with this victory. He was wary of possibly letting down his guard and inviting trouble. Even while laughing, he couldn't stop making minor revisions or establishing a grand plan in his mind.

Hefei, Anhui Province.

“The first clash occurred in Lanzhou.”

“What happened?”

The Martial Alliance Leader’s expression turned grave as he noticed Zhuge Xiang’s somber demeanor.

"Eight hundred of the three thousand three hundred forces have died, and two hundred were seriously injured. Including those lightly wounded, we have only about two thousand three hundred left. Zhi Yunbo, the First Demon Slaying Sword, was killed by the Blood Demon, and the Lanzhou Branch was defeated."

"Ha…"

Groans filled the room.

“Just what on earth is Lanzhou doing?!” Peng Junping shouted, tapping at his chest in frustration.

The losses on the first day were far worse than anticipated. Zhuge Xiang, reading the report from Lanzhou, recounted the battle as if he had been there himself.

"Kongtong's Sword, I knew that guy would go crazy at the sight of cultists, but… hmph!"

Huang Jian couldn’t bring himself to curse and let out a sigh.

“Namu Amitabha Buddha…”

Jingren Shitai prayed for the repose of his soul.

“And what about the enemy?”

"We don't know what they're planning, but fortunately, they haven't advanced and are just waiting in the skirmish area." Huang Jie answered instead of Zhuge Xiang.

“Were there many casualties among the Blood Cult?”

"They suffered significant losses too. However, both their dead and ours were turned into jiangshi, so their numbers remain around five thousand."

“It’s not called an artifact for nothing.”

They could once again see how powerful the Death Yin Staff was.

"Then, I don't understand why they're waiting. Isn't there too little to gain by standing around and simply reorganizing? Wouldn't it be better to pursue the retreating allies and kill them?" Wu Bai (禹白), the disciple of the current Sect Master of the Diancang Sect, an elder of the Martial Alliance, and the First Young Master of Diancang, expressed his doubts.

“I think it’s because of the First Demon Slaying Sword.”

"The First Demon Slaying Sword? Can you explain why, Vice Strategist?"

Zhuge Xiang nodded, then explained the manufacturing method of Jiangshi and the Death Yin Staff before continuing.

"It takes a lot of time and effort to make a living jiangshi, which is known to be the best among jiangshi. It seems that the Blood Demon stopped his forces briefly in order to turn the First Demon Slaying Sword into a living jiangshi."

"There's no need for that because he has the Death Yin Staff, right?"

"Of course, with the Death Yin Staff, that process would certainly be shortened. However, as I explained before, its durability would be weaker than if created using the traditional method. From the Blood Demon's perspective, he probably thought that it would be a waste to make it less durable, considering he had finally obtained another Harmony Realm Master corpse."

"Oho, indeed."

Zhuge Xiang’s explanation drew murmurs of understanding.

"Hmm, but wasn't it said that it takes at least a month to make a regular jiangshi? For a living jiangshi, it would take years—possibly even decades… come to think of it, even turning the Celestial Lake Gate Master into a living jiangshi seems questionable."

The gazes of the audience turned to Huang Jian, then back to Zhuge Xiang.

"Unfortunately, I must be lacking too much in that area, so I'm not that sure. I'm sorry."

Instead of pretending to be knowledgeable, Zhuge Xiang honestly admitted his ignorance regarding the subject and apologized.

The Vice Strategist truly is a good person, a good person indeed.

While the children of the Five Great Ancient Families usually have a lot of pride, this one easily admits it and apologizes. Moreover, he's even humble.

He isn't called the Knowledge Dragon for nothing. The Strategist has chosen his successor well.

No one found fault with or scolded the Vice Strategist because of his many achievements so far.

"Most likely, he gathered the death qi and the blood qi from the surrounding area to make up for any shortcomings. Being the greatest sorcerer in the Central Plains, that shouldn’t be too difficult for him."

Instead of Zhuge Xiang, a middle-aged man with half-gray hair slicked back answered. He was the second oldest after Nangong Weiwu and Zhuge Zhonghao.

The Wudang Sect's Way of the Nine Palaces Sword, Elder Kong Chau.

"As expected of the Wudang Sect. Thank you for your teachings, Elder Kong Chau,” Zhuge Xiang politely greeted with a cupped fist.

“Where is the Sword Immortal?” Nangong Weiwu asked Zhuge Xiang.

“He’s two days away from Lanzhou.”

"So the time has been reduced from four days to two. That’s fortunate. Let’s hope the Blood Cult doesn’t make a move before he arrives…"

"In addition to the Mount Hua Sect forces in Shaanxi led by the Sword Immortal, there are those of the Zhongnan Sect and the Tang Family from Sichuan, the Shaolin Temple in Henan, and the Wudang Sect and the Zhuge Family in Hubei coming, totaling five thousand. The difference in numbers is advantageous for the Martial Alliance, and with the Exalted Sword Immortal You Riwen of the Ten Empyrean Overlords, we will definitely be able to achieve a clear victory.”

“I hope so," Nangong Weiwu muttered with a serious expression.

There are more than one or two suspicious things. How the Blood Cult passed through the Yumen Pass so quickly still hasn't been explained. It's even possible that we're all being played with by that rumored Dark Heavens Association…

Two days later, the Martial Arts Alliance’s rear guard arrived in Lanzhou without any problems, and the Blood Cult, as if they had been waiting, began to move their forces the instant the rear guard arrived.