Chapter 384. The Murim Is a Curse (1)

"Gasp, gasp!"

“Ha, ha!”

Fang Zhesan and Guo Cai glared at each other, both breathing heavily. Their expressions were strained, filled with exhaustion and resentment.

"Agh, whatever!"

Guo Cai swung his sword with irritation.

"To think I have to struggle like this because of that idiot!"

Guo Cai didn't want to admit that Fang Zhesan's skills were on par with his. It was humiliating to be defeated by something that wasn’t even a sword.

"There's no need for me to exert all my strength against trash like that! Come over here!"

As Guo Cai shouted, the disciples of Mount Song Sect swarmed in.

"U-ugh! You cowardly bastard!"

Fang Zhesan’s face twisted in frustration.

The crowd of Mount Song Sect disciples surrounded him, encircling him. As he was slowly running out of qi, he couldn't even fight back.

Even if he tried to look for help, the situation everywhere else wasn't good either.

"You brat, as a member of one of the Righteous Faction's prestigious sects, you should know shame!”

"Hmph!

You

should know shame. After all, it was your Mount Hua Sect’s fault that we ended up like this.”

Guo Cai sneered, his voice full of disdain.

“It’s not too late. Fang Zhesan, as a disciple of one of the Five High Elders of Mount Hua, admit that the Mount Hua Sect is wrong and report it to the world. Moreover, if you say that the Mount Song Sect is the leader of the Five Mountain Sword Sects, I will spare your life.”

Guo Cai acted arrogantly, as if he was the leader of the Mount Song Sect, or rather, the Five Mountain Sword Sects Alliance.

"Agh!"

Fang Zhesan’s face turned red with anger.

“Judging by your expression, I guess you have no intention of doing it."

Guo Cai aimed his sword at Fang Zhesan.

"Kill him!"

Woosh!

Ten Mount Song Sect disciples rushed out.

N-no!

Fang Zhesan tried to put up one final defense, but there was nothing he could do.

They attacked from all directions. There was nowhere to run, no opening to escape.

To make matters worse, his qi was completely drained. Sensing death closing in, Fang Zhesan instinctively shut his eyes.

Shing!

A sword sliced through the air...

“Aah!”

Squelch!

Then, it cut through a wrist.

"Huh?"

Fang Zhesan blinked, dumbfounded.

He wasn't the one screaming. It didn't feel like he had lost a part of his body. Instead, he saw a severed wrist right before his eyes.

Squelch!

"Ugh!"

The chaos wasn't over. A diagonal line of blood ran across the body of the disciple whose wrist had been severed.

“Ah!”

Fang Zhesan finally realized something.

Joy, shock, and pure disbelief flowed out of him.

“Senior Sister Luo!”

Luo Xiaoyue passed Fang Zhesan and extended her sword.

Squelch!

“Ugh!"

A Mount Song Sect disciple behind Fang Zhesan fell, clutching his chest where the blade had pierced him.

Woosh!

Without pausing, Luo Xiaoyue continued her movement. She spun like a top, using her foot as the axis.

She didn't just spin. She moved her center of gravity forward, carving a semicircle with her blade.

Squelch!

"Ugh, ugh!”

A nearby Mount Song Sect disciple grasped at his throat.

Blood streamed from a severed artery and his fingers couldn’t stop it. Eventually, his eyes rolled back.

Woosh!

A cold wind blew like it was freezing their flesh. The disciples shivered.

But before they could even react, Luo Xiaoyue moved again. She seemed to float, then swept through them like a violent gust.

The scent that entered their noses at that moment... became the last thing they ever smelled.

Flutter!

“Ugh!”

If they tried to raise their arms in defense, they were severed. If she brushed past them, their arteries were cut, and they couldn’t breathe. If they were lucky enough to block her, their swords would be split in half.

The last thing they ever saw was the sword aura on her blade.

In the blink of an eye, the group of Mount Song Sect disciples was completely wiped out.

“W-what...!”

Guo Cai stared, his mouth wide open.

Then he looked at the one who had slaughtered the disciples and was shocked again.

"What? I-impossible!"

Just as Guo Cai was about to say Luo Xiaoyue’s title, Luo Xiaoyue appeared in front of him, as if she had folded space, and then unleashed the Plum Blossom Fist with her empty hand.

Bam!

“Ugh!"

Guo Cai was hit in the face and fell backwards.

Bang!

As if his luck couldn’t be worse, the back of his head struck a rock on the way down and his skull split open on impact.

𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"...huh?"

Luo Xiaoyue looked down at Guo Cai who had lost consciousness and tilted her head.

“Does he know me?”

There’s no way he wouldn’t know. The Plum Blossom Sword Phoenix was famous not only for her martial arts skills but also for her beauty.

"Oh, this isn't the time... Junior Brother Fang Zhesan, are you okay?”

"Yes, yes!”

Fang Zhesan answered quickly, still stunned.

“Do you know where Senior Brother Hong and Senior Sister Xuen are?”

“O-over there.”

“Thank you.”

Luo Xiaoyue smiled like a fairy and flew away.

Fang Zhesan was left alone, staring blankly at Luo Xiaoyue, and then shouted as if he had realized something.

“Ah! Senior Sister Luo Xiaoyue is here!”

“Zhou Xuchuan!”

Zhao Wuyang’s face brightened. His face was filled with joy.

“Elder. Are you okay?”

“Of course, that's a given!”

Zhao Wuyang neither liked nor disliked Zhou Xuchuan, but right now, he felt like hugging the young man.

“I want to know about the current situation.”

He wanted to ask about his master first, but held back.

No matter how much the attack on Mount Hua had shaken him, knowing the situation came first. If he rushed in blindly, the damage might only worsen.

“That's...”

Zhao Wuyang summarized it as concisely as possible.

“Thank you. And where is Master?”

“He should be guarding the Sect Master in the Upper Palace.”

***

Splash!

The pond where a fairy had washed her hair was trampled.

“Ignore everything else! Capture Liu Zhengmu!”

Around thirty people sprang into action.

They were dressed in the Three Mountain Sword Sects Alliance’s uniforms, but something was strange. They were ignoring Zheng Huilian, who should have been their first target.

“Liu Zhengmu!”

Thwip!

Something that shouldn’t have come from disciples of the Three Mountain Sword Sects Alliance flew out from within their robes. Their sleeves puffed up, and hidden weapons shot out.

“Hmph!”

Liu Zhengmu, who was fighting alongside Shen Yulian, flinched.

Hidden weapons?

The Three Mountain Sword Sects Alliance had betrayed the Martial Alliance and even the Righteous Faction because of their inferiority complex as lesser sects. No matter how bad things were, however, the source of this tension was their pride in their martial arts, and in their swords, at that, so they weren’t crazy enough to suddenly use hidden weapons.

“Ha!"

Liu Zhengmu quickly moved his sword to deflect the hidden weapons, just in case they were aimed at Shen Yulian beside him.

They called out my name.

They didn't say Zheng Huilian or Shen Yulian. As expected of Liu Zhengmu, who wasn't only skilled in martial arts but also had a keen mind, his judgment was quick.

“Protect the Sect Master!” Liu Zhengmu shouted, pulling away from Chaoyi Shitai and Shen Yulian. As he moved, the unknown group followed.

“Who are you? Reveal your identity!”

"It doesn't matter if you use force!" shouted one of the thirty, seemingly the commander.

“Catch Liu Zhengmu!”

“Ugh!”

Liu Zhengmu realized that the conversation was useless, so he retreated from the Upper Palace and put as much distance between them as possible. He feared the Sect Master would be drawn into the fight.

He wondered if this was a trap, but the attackers seemed completely uninterested in Zheng Huilian.

“You dare!"

The unknown man clung to him like a tail, extending his sword.

Woosh!

He stabbed at him from the front.

Hmm?

However, the man suddenly changed direction. It wasn’t the chest that he had initially aimed for, but the wrist.

They have no killing intent.

Puzzled, Liu Zhengmu deflected the strike.

Clang!

"Ha!"

As soon as he struck back, a series of attacks followed.

Two of the unknown people rushed ahead of the one leading them.

Their swords traced vertical lines from the top left and right, then cut straight down toward Liu Zhengmu’s sides.

This is...

Even in the face of danger, Liu Zhengmu calmly observed the enemy’s intent.

“Huh!”

He let out a shout that was neither loud nor soft. Then, he let out a calm breath and spread his sword technique in all four directions.

His qi that had been curled up like a flower bud soon transformed into aura, and like a plum blossom in full bloom, it formed a curtain of petals.

Clang, clang, clang!

"Impossible!"

The attackers were stunned. Even if they had been attacking without killing intent, their combined assault should have left him paralyzed. But Liu Zhengmu blocked every strike while retreating.

"Seven Severings Plum Blossom Sword!" someone recognized Liu Zhengmu’s sword and shouted.

"Is that the Ten Thousand Flower Curtain?"

“Ugh!”

The Twenty-Four Sword Forms of the Plum Blossom was only taught to Plum Blossom Swordsmen.

Zhou Xuchuan was so special that he was an exception, but usually, it was only allowed for Plum Blossom Swordsmen, swordsmen initiates, or retired swordsmen to learn and train.

Liu Zhengmu had been unable to become a Plum Blossom Swordsman due to his health, so he couldn't receive the training, and by the time his chronic illness got better, he was too old. That was why he had chosen this Seven Severings Plum Blossom Sword.[1]

“Ha!”

Liu Zhengmu was known for his gentle nature, not just within his sect but throughout the entire

murim

. His title was the Gentle Smiling Swordsman because of his gentle, graceful, and always-present kind smile.

However, that didn't mean he was weak. He wasn't the kind of person who would hesitate to kill in this world, and he definitely wasn't an idealist.

"Agk!"

"Ahh!"

Six of the unknown people fell down, cut down by the sword.

"Tsk!"

The remaining twenty-four clicked their tongues in frustration, but quickly surrounded him again.

"Indeed."

Liu Zhengmu looked at those surrounded and nodded.

“Are you from the Dark Heavens Association?”

"As expected from Zhou Xuchuan's master, you're quick to catch on."

The unknown assailants, or rather, the Seven Stars Division soldiers of the Dark Heavens Association were irritated.

“If you were really from the Three Mountain Sword Sects Alliance, you wouldn’t have followed me when the Sect Master was right in front of you.”

“Is that your only reason for figuring it out?”

"What else would make you follow this insignificant middle-aged warrior all this way? Since there’s no murderous intent in your sword techniques, I guessed that you're planning to take me somewhere... The answer is obvious. Unless it's that you held a grudge against me, you were most likely planning to use me as a hostage to threaten my disciple Xuchuan."

Liu Zhengmu was as famous as the Sect Master in Mount Hua Sect.

It was no wonder, because he was the master of the Sword God.

Moreover, since the Sword God always praised Liu Zhengmu, his fame had spread.

"You must talk fast because you're so smart, Liu Zhengmu.”

As soon as the commander raised his hand, the Seven Stars Division soldiers closed in on him.

As expected of the Dark Heavens Association. Each and every one of them was a Peak Realm expert.

Liu Zhengmu looked calm on the outside, but inwardly, he was completely tense.

They were all Peak Realm warriors at the lowest. The rest were Transcendent Realm.

None were Harmony Realm masters, but their numbers alone made the situation dangerous.

And Liu Zhengmu had already fought fiercely with Chaoyi Shitai just moments before.

“It seems this won’t be easy.”

As Liu Zhengmu raised his sword, sword aura formed on his blade.

“Sword aura!”

“To think he's a Harmony Realm Master...”

The Seven Stars Division soldiers had only just arrived on the battlefield. In the fierce battle with Chaoyi Shitai, they hadn’t seen Liu Zhengmu use sword aura, so they hadn’t known his realm.

I never heard anything about him being in the Harmony Realm...

Liu Zhengmu’s realm wasn't exactly public. All most knew was that he had been at the peak of the Transcendent Realm.

Since the

murim

was a special place where letting things be known was the norm, usually, when a disciple of a sect achieved the apex of martial arts, even if it wasn't done by the person in question, it would end up getting publicized in order to raise the sect's name or influence.

However, Liu Zhengmu had no interest in attention, and even without that added fame, being the Sword God’s master was burdensome, so he wanted to quietly stay in the background.

The current Sect Master, Zheng Huilian, readily accepted the request of Liu Zhengmu, the master of Zhou Xuchuan, whom he admired and respected second only to You Riwen. That was the reason why Liu Zhengmu’s realm had remained unknown to the world.

“Whew...”

Liu Zhengmu, thanks to his disciple, had overcome his chronic illness, and threw himself at his cultivation with all the frustration of those wasted years.

The fact that he wasn't able to enter the Plum Blossom Swordsmen wasn’t due to a lack of skill, but his chronic illness. His talent and skills were beyond words.

He was a man who climbed a cliff on his own without using any qi, calling it a health exercise.

He had always been strangely lacking in common sense when it came to martial arts cultivation and training methods.

His approach was so intense that others could only shake their heads in disbelief. Using his growing fame as an excuse to avoid the public eye, he disappeared from the murim and threw himself into relentless training. He practiced endlessly, without rest. Perhaps because of his endless cultivation, he had been able to ascend to the Harmony Realm.

"I'll resolve this situation before Zhou Xuchuan comes.”

“Take Liu Zhengmu with us even if it costs you your life!”

“Keep in mind the words of Blessed Existence!”

***

Tremble.

Their hands shook like aspen leaves. Their grips loosened, and their swords nearly fell.

Just moments ago, they had been clashing blades with the enemy.

They thought they had a chance. The name of Mount Hua Sect seemed as though it had begun to fade.

However, the appearance of a certain person changed the situation.

“Who, who is that?”

Plum blossom petals were fluttering through the air. Although the weather was warm, it felt as cold as midwinter.

It was a nightmare. They still couldn’t believe it.

They couldn’t understand what had happened.

Someone suddenly appeared in the air as if they were flying, and in the blink of a purple flash, the disciples screamed and fell.

“Six Empyrean Overlords.”

An Absolute Master walked over.

There was no interest in his eyes. It was as if he was looking at something annoying.

“Sword God.”

He had been standing below, at the foot of the hill. Yet somehow, he seemed to be looking down at them all.

“Zhou Xuchuan.”

1. In some novels, this sword technique is also only allowed to be learned by Plum Blossom Swordsmen. ☜