Chapter 336. The Red Forest Merges Together (1)

While the Martial Alliance and Evil Valley were tied up by the betrayals that occurred everywhere, the fierce battle in Guizhou reached its peak.

"

Kaaaaaaak!

"

The screams erupting from the surroundings became more familiar and fainter as time went on.

"

Heup!!

"

Destructive Soldier extended his spear. The Flame Point Spear, which had grown a whopping five feet long, made a beeline for the heart of the Sword God while covered in flames.

Not caring about the heat licking his skin, Zhou Xuchuan drew a vertical line through the air with his sword, swinging his blade upward.

Clang!

The sword and spear clashed, and a long metallic clang reverberated.

A shockwave formed and swept across the surroundings.

"Argh!"

𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

The martial artists who were trying to take each other's lives around them were forcibly cut off from the fierce battle and were blown away by the shockwave.

Clang! Clang!

At the center of the shockwave, Zhou Xuchuan and Destructive Soldier faced each other and swung their swords and spears at dazzling speeds.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sword and spear emitted rays of light and sparks upon each contact. They were moving at a speed that even the most skilled martial artists couldn't follow with their naked eye. Even the air itself exploded upon each exchange.

It's hard to believe that this is the physical ability of a Harmony Realm Master.

The difference in cultivation realms wasn't limited to just special powers like qi aura or the Manifestation of One's Path. A cultivator's physical abilities were also fundamentally different from those on a different realm.

If the Harmony Realm were the apex, then the Coruscant Realm was beyond the apex. In addition to the difference in physical strength, one's speed and reflexes were on a whole new level as well.

However, for some reason, Destructive Soldier's combat prowess was so great that it was hard to believe that he was just a Harmony Realm Master.

He wasn't actually as strong as the Absolute Masters, but the warrior was still keeping up with Zhou Xuchuan.

I just realized it because we never really exchanged moves, but he's close to the Coruscant Realm. While his strength and speed aren't an issue, the sturdiness of that armor is the problem here.

"Are you surprised?" Destructive Soldier opened the distance and thrust his spear toward Zhou Xuchuan's heart. "If you think that the Black Iron Armor is simply an armor made of Ten Thousand Year Old Cold Iron, you're severely mistaken."

"Really? What, it seems like you cast some sort of sorcery on it or something?"

The creator of the Black Iron Armor was Qin Shi Huang. Qin Shi Huang was obsessed with superstition, so Zhou Xuchuan's remark was possible.

"Zhou Xuchuan, if you're trying to make a pointless provocation just to find the Black Iron Armor's weakness, then you better stop now." Destructive Soldier laughed, finding Zhou Xuchuan's words to be quite absurd.

"Well, if you have something that great, as my senior in the

gangho

, why can't you give me some concessions?" Zhou Xuchuan grumbled while being wary of Destructive Soldier's gestures.

When one had an artifact as great as the Black Iron Armor, one usually bragged about it as if it were some household cleaning tool. However, Destructive Soldier never really did anything like that.

"It hasn't been long since I stepped down from my official military position and became a martial artist, so in fact, you should be the one to make some concessions for me, Sword God."

"Don't talk nonsense, Po Jun. Aren't you the ones who escaped to the

murim

to avoid the emperor's eyes?"

Zhou Xuchuan retorted as Destructive Soldier's words were ridiculous.

"Just why the hell did you do something like this?" Zhou Xuchuan asked.

"So that the

murim

would be absorbed into the Dark Heavens—"

"Not the Dark Heavens Association, Destructive Soldier. I'm talking about your story," Zhou Xuchuan interrupted.

Destructive Soldier stood still, holding his spear. Then, he opened his mouth and indifferently asked, "Zhou Xuchuan. Have you ever experienced, or rather seen, the Northern Front?"

"The Northern Front? You mean the Tatars?"

Tartar was the name given to the Mongols by the Ming Dynasty after the Northern Yuan Dynasty was destroyed and the country was divided into a group of tribes.

"That place is... hell."

Po Jun was a Standard Class Rank Three Official and a Regional Military Assistant Commissioner of the Gansu Province. However, his life wasn't sweet at all.

Far from the imperial palace, Gansu was the frontier of the frontiers. Not only was the standard of living low, but there were also headaches due to the northern barbarians constantly attacking the dynasty since the Northern Yuan Dynasty.

There was hardly a day without any fighting.

"The pungent smell of blood from the corpses was so strong that it would make you feel like your nose is rotting, and soldiers who had finished training the day before would return as corpses today.

" Soldiers who had come in like little chicks would become mere corpses the next day. That place was hell."

A battlefield was reflected in the eyes Zhou Xuchuan could see behind the helmet.

Cold corpses were sprawled out on the ground, and mountains of corpses were piled up above the corpses on the ground.

The blood that formed the Yangtze River soaked their feet, and there were countless broken swords and broken arrows; not a single flower grew on the deceased land.

The number of casualties was indescribable.

There were so many corpses that if they were alive, one could establish a nation with them.

"In the early days of the nation's founding, I was able to enter the path of a government official as a young soldier who had a few achievements, and it was all thanks to the active recruitment of talented people by the founding emperor.

"Moreover, as a border official and a low-ranking physical officer at the time, I was able to escape the merciless purges. However, I

should

have died then."

Destructive Soldier's voice was filled with deep regret.

"It was after that point that I understood why all the officials were so eager to go to the center. That place... it's not a place for people to live. Yesterday's friends would die today."

Today's friend would die the day after.

Fortunately, he survived because of his excellent cultivation, his quick wit, and his luck. He had made many achievements during that time and eventually became a high-ranking official.

However, that was by no means a good thing. Ten years later, he caught the eye of Emperor Hongwu, who was still on the throne. It wasn't wise for a young man to make a name for himself by making many achievements on the battlefield.

His struggles for survival brought disaster upon himself.

"In order to escape the purge, I had to show that I had no interest in power. I couldn't leave the border; I couldn't even go outside Gansu, or even beyond the front lines, so that they wouldn't think that I was gathering troops from the provinces. Can you imagine living like a bird in a cage, or a prisoner in a prison?"

Destructive Soldier's words contained not the usual indifference from before.

Zhou Xuchuan could feel pain and anger from them.

At the same time, someone's words came to mind.

"Since you defeated me, as a reward... I'll tell you. What I know... I don't know much. I just... I just didn't want to see those damned northern barbarians anymore... I just wanted to... wanted to get out of that hellish place... so, I just got their help because I wanted to leave..."

The Stockade Boss of the Eighteen Stockades of the Red Forest, Meng Gang.

The expert of the Yang Family Spear Technique had joined hands with the Dark Heavens Association for the same reason.

"Life wasn't truly living, and I was just waiting for the day I would die... but he saved me."

The remaining executive of the Dark Heavens Association and the Association Lord.

At that time, the Association Lord had just hidden away the members of the association and became the only remaining official within the imperial government, and he needed a subordinate for a new goal.

While looking for talent, Po Jun—now Destructive Soldier—caught his eye.

"If you serve me, I will give you freedom."

He was referring to the freedom called the

murim

.

"The Association Lord saved me from the purge, and he also helped me escape that hell to become a new person as promised."

In return, as a military commander, he had to train the Seven Stars Division soldiers for a long time or mobilize the troops. However, that was a minor problem.

Destructive Soldier would do anything as long as he could escape the battlefield where he had been tied to for decades.

"...That's ridiculous." Zhou Xuchuan laughed in vain after hearing Destructive Soldier's story.

"Does this place look like a paradise to you?" Zhou Xuchuan spread his arms as if he were in awe.

"

Argh!

"

"

Urgh!

"

"Help me!"

"Die!"

Screams burst out from the mouths of the nearby martial artists. Horrifying screams and shouts filled with a myriad of emotions echoed endlessly throughout the battlefield.

"What, are you talking about those idiots who talk about divine will as they fight? This is nothing more than child's play," Destructive Soldier said, straightening his spear.

"A country ruled by foreign countries, founded by peasants who are starving and exhausted from the corruption!"

Thud!

Destructive Soldier kicked off the bloody ground and flew. Despite wearing heavy armor, he flew like a butterfly. Rather than being heavy, he seemed as light as a feather. There was no time to feel amazed.

Destructive Soldier closed the distance and stung like a bee.

"The emperor killed thirty thousand people to prevent being looked down on, and after his death, his children split into two factions because of greed, and they started a civil war, resulting in the deaths of many people!"

Shing!

The first form of the Six Directions Spear of the Spear God was unleashed. A hole appeared in the layered air; it wasn't just a simple hole. Even the very air itself was engulfed by the flames.

The spear, spewed out flames that swirled around like a whirlwind, flew in a straight line toward Zhou Xuchuan's heart.

"

Heup!

"

Zhou Xuchuan held his breath so that the air within him wouldn't escape. Then, he swung his sword, imbuing it with Formless Sword Aura.

BOOM!

This wasn't the sound of metal hitting metal.

It was an explosion like gunpowder exploding in succession. The martial artists on both sides realized that it was too dangerous to approach the two, but they froze, unable to move. Even their hearing was temporarily paralyzed.

"It hasn't even been fifty years since the founding of the nation! Compared to those crazy psychopaths, the

murim

is just child's play!"

He wasn't wrong.

The Great War of Good and Evil, or the Great War of Good and Demonic could be considered

wars

, but they didn't happen that often. The reason this era was called the Era of War and Chaos was that there had been several, short, large-scale wars.

However, those from the imperial government had survived those wars.

As evidence, the reigning emperor had sent troops to Tatar and the Southern Jungles to conquer them after the civil war.

"Child's play?" Zhou Xuchuan's eyebrows rose fiercely. "Don't make me laugh!"

He swung his sword to the right with all his might.

Clang!

The spearhead clinging to the sword flashed as it bounced off to the side.

The flames of the Flame Point Spear also scattered in the wind.

Destructive Soldier hurriedly tried to return the spear to its original position, but it was too late. Zhou Xuchuan disappeared, leaving behind an afterimage as he closed in on Destructive Soldier.

Shing!!

The spear that had stretched out to about three

chi

shrank, but it wasn't fast enough to catch up with the enemy who had appeared right up to his nose.

After checking Destructive Soldier's movement out of the corner of his eye and determining that there was no problem, Zhou Xuchuan stretched out his arm and aimed for the seam at Destructive Soldier's armpit.

Clang!

"

Urgh!

"

"

Argh!

"

Zhou Xuchuan and Destructive Soldier groaned at the same time.

Just why the hell did anyone make something like this?!

Zhou Xuchuan felt like going to Qin Shi Huang's tomb and destroying everything in there. He was

that

annoyed.

The power that a martial artist would obtain after reaching the apex of cultivation couldn't be properly displayed before the Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron. The same was true of the power that exceeded that apex—the Formless Aura.

The only visible difference between Formless Aura and Aura was that the former had lost its visible form. However, the true difference was the pure contrast in power.

Still, the inherent nature of the Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron made it useless. The Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron had the durability of Aura, but it also dispersed any third-party around it, minimizing damage to the wearer.

It was truly the most absurd of all artifacts—the culmination of Qin Shi Huang's efforts.

One could truly see how absurd things could become if absolute power were given to those with the vain delusion of dreaming of immortality.

"

RAAAH!

" Destructive Soldier took one hand off the spear and swung his arm to get rid of Zhou Xuchuan standing close to him.

"

Tsk!

" Zhou Xuchuan clicked his tongue and lowered his torso. The heavy "thrum" of wind blew above his head.

Swoosh!

He spun half a turn using his left foot as the axis, but it wasn't just his body that spun. He drew a semicircle with his sword and slashed at Destructive Soldier's back and waist.

Clang, clang!

However, he didn't actually cut him, as sparks flew instead of blood.

Good, if this is how it's going to work, then with the Ten Thousand Jin Sword...

No one would recognize the techniques he was using, as the battlefield was completely chaotic. With that in mind, Zhou Xuchuan decided to change his approach.

Poison was useless without direct contact, but the Ten Thousand Jin Sword was different. He was thinking of crushing Destructive Soldier under the weight of his sword.

"You dare!"

Destructive Soldier noticed something and raised his leg.

If an expert were willing to use their qi, anyone could use the Ten Thousand Jin Sword's base technique, the Thousand Catty Ballast. Destructive Soldier multiplied his weight before kicking with his foot with all his might.

BOOM!

So he wants to decide it in a single blow!

Zhou Xuchuan swallowed his words and stepped back.

It felt a bit strange to get hit by an attack he usually enjoyed.

"Sword God!" Shen Daoyun saw Zhou Xuchuan retreat and urgently shouted, "It's almost time!"

Zhou Xuchuan closed his eyes tightly at Shen Daoyun's words.

Don't be anxious. Don't be greedy. As always, find a more certain way and deal with it by then.

The words "child's play" lingered in his mind, and it made him furious.

However, he regained his composure and calmed down.

"We will retreat!"