Chapter 423. The Worst Reunion (4)

I wasn’t expecting much to begin with!

Zhou Xuchuan furrowed his brow, displeased but not surprised.

His Violet Haze Dawnbreaker had overwhelmed countless enemies before, yet the Dark Heavens Association Lord blocked it with ease.

Not yet!

Keeping his right arm extended, Zhou Xuchuan twisted his waist. He felt his muscles coil like a rope.

Using his left leg as the pivot, he spun on the spot. Longyuan, his treasured sword, traced a circle through the air, brushed past the enemy’s blocking sword, and slammed powerfully into its side.

KA-BOOM!

Even though two blades had clashed, the resulting explosion-like noise resembled a blunt weapon slamming into a solid wall. But it wasn’t just the noise that exploded on impact. The invisible yet condensed layers of qi surrounding the blades collided with force, generating shockwaves that rippled outward through the surrounding air.

Not yet!

Zhou Xuchuan unleashed the Twenty-Four Sword Forms of the Plum Blossom. From left to right, then from top to bottom, his sword cut countless arcs through the air, striking at the Dark Heavens Association Lord.

His form, a combination of illusion sword and unfettered sword carrying the scent of plum blossoms, was of such a high caliber that even the former Sect Master, the Exalted Sword Immortal You Riwen, would have offered unreserved praise.

Clang! Claaang!

However, despite not moving his eyes much, the Association Lord could still accurately detect Zhou Xuchuan’s sword strikes. He sometimes fell for the illusion sword and struck at the empty air, but whenever he did, he recovered even faster to block the real strike.

Soon, streaks of light numbering in the hundreds slashed and collided between them, scattering brilliant sparks.

CLANG!

After exchanging hundreds of sword strikes in the blink of an eye, the two absolute masters powerfully shoved each other back and distanced themselves.

“Those who master the cultivation arts of the Righteous path, no, the ways of Taoism, are supposed to uphold patience as their virtue, yet you bastard seems to be quite hot-headed,” said the Association Lord while lowering his sword.

“The Dark Heavens Association Lord... no, Xun Yingguan, former Registrar of the Registry and official of the Censorate,” Zhou Xuchuan coldly spat out the Association Lord’s real name. “Why?”

“...?”

“Why did you do all this?”

Zhou Xuchuan could understand why Xun Yingguan had remained in the Dark Heavens Association, even as others left. Someone had to stay, manage what was left of the organization, and offer support to others. And naturally, that person had to keep a low profile.

Instead of staying hidden, Xun Yingguan reorganized the Dark Heavens Association and schemed to conquer the

murim

instead. That was what puzzled Zhou Xuchuan.

Just what could have happened to the imperial court’s secret organization that it morphed into a

murim

organization instead?

“You want to know why I’m trying to conquer the

murim

?”

“That’s right.”

“When the former Martial Alliance Leader asked me that, I began to understand something. Humans... no matter who they are, love to assign meaning to things and become obsessed with them, don’t they?”

The Dark Heavens Association Lord frowned as if he couldn’t understand it.

“Zhou Xuchuan... no,

murim

. Listen carefully. Don’t think too deeply about it.”

A strange smile tugged at the Association Lord’s lips.

“It’ll be a grave mistake on your part if you think I desire vengeance or wish to usher in a revolution for some noble purpose.”

“...”

“Although it isn’t entirely accurate, I did once have a purpose. As an original member of the Dark Heavens Association, I, too, wanted to escape the emperor’s constant scrutiny. This was merely one of my struggles to achieve that aim. Even if the Censorate answered directly to the emperor, it was inevitable we’d be under constant surveillance due to our high level of influence compared to other ministries.”

As the overseer of the Censorate, Xun Yingguan naturally received the invitation to join the newly established Dark Heavens Association.

“Afterward, I used the Association’s connections to gain access to the secret cultivation manuals stored in the imperial palace’s treasury. That was when I realized I had a talent for cultivation and spent my days improving both my martial skills and academic knowledge.”

That talent wasn’t merely on the level of a common “genius”. It was as if a fish had found water. No, maybe even more than that. As if to say he was born to master martial arts, Xun Yingguan reached the absolute peak of cultivation in the blink of an eye.

Mastering one meant he’d gain knowledge of ten more. Mastering ten things led to gaining an understanding of a hundred different things. Even if he had access to top-tier cultivation manuals, he didn’t have anyone to guide him, nor did he experience many real-world battles, either. Even then, he still improved at a monstrous rate.

“After some time had passed, and other bureaucrats had disappeared, only a bureaucrat named Xun Yingguan and the remnants of the Dark Heavens were left behind. But these remnants were far greater than anyone imagined,” the Association Lord said.

The Dark Heavens Association had built up a network of contacts spanning the central government, the military, and the pirates of the eastern and southern seas. Not only that, but it had access to various secret manuals, divine elixirs and weapons stored in the imperial treasury, and even nurtured highly trained private soldiers as well.

To the bureaucrats, this was merely a way to secure their new lives, but the scale of their operation was still something to behold.

“Tell me,

murim

. What happens when you hand over a sword that a master craftsman has poured all his efforts into, to a swordsman? There’s no need to explain, is there?”

A true swordsman would want to wield that sword. Just like a mountaineer would want to scale the next visible peak, a martial artist would feel the urge to unleash their skills. It was a simple, yet inevitable truth of human nature.

“Oh, the people of the

murim

, do not be mistaken. Your society’s duplicitous nature, its discrimination, and its so-called need for reform are nothing but fine-sounding pretexts. They are mere justifications for my conquest. Nothing more, nothing less.”

The Dark Heavens Association Lord continued to address Zhou Xuchuan, his voice completely devoid of emotions.

“If you believe I’ve been driven by resignation or frustration at a society that has refused to change for generations thereby turning me into Opposing Heaven, you’re solely mistaken. This is not a confrontation between differing ideals of individuals or organizations. And I’m certainly not under a grand delusion and see myself as a god, a savior, who wishes to conquer this land for the betterment of its people.”

The Association Lord was an intellectual. If one wanted to debate him about Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism or any other types of philosophy, they could do so throughout the night. However, knowing and academically understanding something, and practicing it or even agreeing with it, were two different things.

“I seem to be repeating myself,” the Association Lord spoke, his explanation finally winding down. “Don’t overcomplicate this. I’m simply wielding the sword in my hands. That is all.”

“That... is all? Really?”

Zhou Xuchuan grimaced, the heat of his fury rushing straight to his head. His blood boiled so fiercely that he could only feel a growing sense of helpless rage.

“You... You insane son of a b*tch!”

He couldn’t hold back anymore and spat out a curse.

“Do you have any idea what you’re even saying?!”

“Yes, better than anyone. No need to fret, as my ethics or reasoning haven’t been twisted by demonic possession."

The Demonic Path’s cultivation art, One Life Demonic Art, transformed the cultivator. And it differed from the idea of a person getting corrupted by the power they had acquired. No, this cultivation art damaged the brain of the cultivator and turned them evil. Even as they committed heinous acts, they no longer viewed their actions as wrong.

But the Dark Heavens Association Lord was different.

“I don’t have any desire to justify my actions with some shallow and childish excuses like sacrificing myself for a greater and nobler goal. Anyone who still thinks that way even now is actually an insult to my noble self.”

The master of the Dark Heavens took a step forward. One step, then another. The surroundings began rocking and rumbling ominously.

“

Murim...

no, Zhou Xuchuan.”

Pah-su-sut!

Pebbles the size of fingers started to lift off the ground. Clumps of dirt floated as well, rising above the Association Lord’s head.

As the whites of his eyes turned pitch-black, a dreadful aura that bordered on pure malice and evil began oozing out from him.

“However, what if I am not motivated by a grand purpose? What if our descendants in the distant future will try to assign meanings to our actions and reinterpret everything for their own convenience?”

This man, he truly deserved to be called “evil”!

“All wars erupt for absurd reasons,” the Association Lord muttered.

He hadn’t established his Path or anything like that. It was more like he was an existence born from the Path itself!

“It’s not something for you to worry about.”

“Why, you...!”

BOOM!

The ground beneath Zhou Xuchuan violently caved in.

“You... You son of a b*tttttch!”

The sight of the hollow pit beneath his feet ignited something deep within him. His emotions surged like molten rock, twisting and turning into a violent storm that spread through his entire body before seizing control of his mind.

Just because of that?!

The bottom of his feet grew hot, as if he really was stepping over the lava. The pressure in his blood rapidly intensified, imbuing his entire body with tension and strength.

“Just because of that?!”

Some died while trying to save others.

Some died while taking on the blame.

Some died while trying to change this broken society.

Some died while despairing at the unchanging reality.

And some sacrificed themselves for the sake of others.

Not only those from the Righteous-Evil Alliance, but the people of the

murim

, and even unrelated innocents, had to die without understanding why.

“Just because of that, all those people had to die?!”

RUMBLE!

Zhou Xuchuan’s roar echoed like thunder.

WHOOOOSH!

Air currents tinged with a faint violet hue spun and lashed out like a whirlpool to create a sword path before his eyes.

Eventually, traces from the swirling air scattered and transformed into flower petals, drifting upward into the sky. At the same time, the swords beneath them spread open like a fan.

What began as dozens soon became hundreds. The blades branched out rapidly, rising into the air before crashing down on the Association Lord like a raging storm.

KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA!

Each attack conveyed Zhou Xuchuan’s desperation. A fierce bombardment of vajra qi, not sword qi, mercilessly slammed down on Xun Yingguan, the master of the Dark Heavens!

RUMBLE, ku-gugugu!

The heaven and earth rumbled and quaked. The vibrations were so intense that the spectators believed meteors had landed.

The swords, after pounding into the ground, floated back up into the air and resumed their assault, now releasing whips of sword light. Starting from the Violet Haze Dawnbreaker to Arc Flower Rain, and even the Plum Blossoms Hide in a Crimson Haze and Snatch Fate from the Heavens, Zhou Xuchuan unleashed them all.

However, just as he got ready to unleash the Infinity Enclosed in the Six Directions as the finishing blow, his expression twisted hideously.

‘When did he...?!’

The whips of sword light still pounded the ground, but there was no one below the strikes. And it wasn’t because the target had been reduced to dust.

His target, the Dark Heavens Association Lord, had simply vanished from the spot... Only to reappear right next to him.

Time seemed to slow, yet only the sword of the Dark Heavens continued to move at normal speed.

Zhou Xuchuan thought about dodging or defending against it, but it was too late by then. The Association Lord’s physical abilities, enhanced through Opposing Heaven, defied logic... no, the law of nature itself.

Unless one could see the future, avoiding such an attack would be impossible.

Shu-wuu!

Zhou Xuchuan felt a chill down his neck, which continued to run down to his spine. His irises trembled.

His thoughts grew icy-cold, while his chest tightened. His mind refused to process the looming danger.

The accuracy of the Association Lord’s strike was terrifying. Zhou Xuchuan had just begun to wonder if this would be the end for him when a sudden burst of cold swept over the battlefield.

KA-BOOM!

The Association Lord furrowed his brow. Before he could cut Zhou Xuchuan’s head off, his sword was thrown off course and shoved upward from an impact coming from below.

“Leng Yuefei!”

Zhou Xuchuan cried out in surprise. The ruler of the North Seas and the one who held both strength and wisdom, was below him, pushing the blade aside while clutching her right hand with her left.

She predicted it!

Zhou Xuchuan couldn’t hide his awe just then.

This wasn’t a matter of matching speed. She had simply anticipated that someone like the Association Lord would be able to avoid the sword storm, and she moved accordingly. Her intuition had saved his life at the final moment.

“This is the end!”

It wasn’t only Leng Yuefei who had predicted correctly, however. Yun Guang, too, had made the correct call. He hadn’t earned the title of Martial Alliance Leader or his place among the Empyrean Overlords by chance.

As a member of the previous generation, he was someone who had experienced all sorts of dangers and adventures along with the Juvenile Fist Emperor Jing Bai, Nangong Weiwu, Zhuge Zhonghu, and the Divine Monk, Abbot Hui Mian. As befitting such a man, he had not only anticipated the enemy’s actions, but even forwent Grafting Flowers to ensure he’d not make the same mistake as before.

Yun Guang’s sword, now containing not only the Grafting and Reflection, but also the principles of Yin and Yang, and even the Taiji itself, was about to pierce through the Dark Heaven Association Lord’s back. However!

“What?!”

Once again, the Association Lord’s actions defied logic. He released his sword, twisted his torso, stepped left, and lifted his right arm.

Pew-shu-shu-shut!

He literally sacrificed his flesh to break the enemies’ bones.

Although Yun Guang hadn’t activated his Manifestation, Grafting Flowers, he still unleashed the formless sword aura. Even if the Association Lord was a bona fide monster, he still wouldn’t emerge unscathed after getting hit by this attack.

Just the brush of the blade beneath his arm was enough to vaporize his sleeve. Skin and muscle tore apart beneath the fabric.

“

Fuu-huph

!”

The Association Lord was also not holding back. He no longer carried the same relaxed air as before, his attitude one of grave seriousness, as if to indicate that he hadn’t forgotten who he was fighting right now.

He ignored the pain in his arm. Once the blade had gone past him, and Yun Guang’s arm slipped under, the Association Lord caught it under his armpit.

“I’ll use it well.”

A swordsman without his blade might as well be dead. But the Association Lord showed no hesitation. He thrust his left hand like lightning and seized Yun Guang’s sword in an attempt to steal it.

Crunch!

“

Oh

, no!”

Yun Guang desperately held on, but couldn’t withstand the Association Lord’s monstrous strength and lost his weapon.

“

Kuh-hah-aph

!”

The Association Lord roared with fury, stomping his foot into the earth with explosive power. When his non-pivoting foot landed, the ground within a thirty-five meter radius sank in with a deafening crash, as if a meteor had struck the battlefield. With four fighters caught in close quarters, he wanted to create some distance between them so that he could swiftly and accurately swing his sword.

Pa-ba-ba-baht!

Bright light... no, dark light flickered ominously within his eyes. At the same time, the Association Lord’s sword, dyed in an ominous dark hue, drew sharp lines in the air and cut several objects rapidly.

SLICE!

“...!”

Zhou Xuchuan’s right shoulder and arm disappeared. Even his left wrist got severed, exposing the bones underneath.

He’s finished.

The Association Lord’s lips curled into a satisfied smirk.

A swordsman just lost the use of not one, but both of his hands. With that, Zhou Xuchuan was no longer an Empyrean Overlord or even a martial artist, but a useless shell of a man.

The Association Lord stopped paying attention to Zhou Xuchuan altogether and instantly turned around to face Yun Guang and Leng Yuefei.

“...?”

However, when he faced them, a fresh suspicion entered his mind. For some reason, both Yun Guang and Leng Yuefei were looking at something else, not him.

Behind me?

Those two must be trying to trick him. That was what the Association Lord’s reasoning told him, yet this indescribable anxiety suddenly began gnawing on him.

Wait... could it be?!

The Association Lord whipped his head around. With that, his view also changed instantly. And that was when he spotted the perfectly fine Zhou Xuchuan, the light in his eyes burning menacingly, swinging his sword with all his might.