The Regressor of Mount Hua

Chapter 262. The Beast of the Demonic Path (2)

The murim's hidden force, the Dark Heavens Association.

Zhou Xuchuan explained everything, starting with the Tomb of the Ominous Demon, the reason behind the Seven Swords War, and the Blood Muscle and Tendon Classic. After that, he explained how they had intervened and manipulated major events like the Four Gates Rebellion, the Great War of Good and Blood, and the Great War of Good and Demonic.

Naturally, it was an absurd story.

If the individual before the Evil Valley Master weren't the Domination God Monarch, he would throw him out while shouting, "Are you playing me for a fool?!"

When he heard that the murim's four major powers were being toyed with by a mere organization, he couldn't help but laugh.

Above all, even if he accepted that the Neidan Sword Gate Master Tiemu Minghuan was one of those secret agents, the fact that the Sound God, an Empyrean Overlord, was also a member of the Dark Heavens Association was simply hard to believe.

"I understand your reaction," Zhou Xuchuan said.

There was no need to rush the Evil Valley Master. Considering Zhou Xuchuan was trying to convince and persuade him, it didn't matter even if the Evil Valley Master took his time.

It wasn't that he had the luxury of time, but that if he were to lose the Evil Valley's help just because he was in a hurry, it would be the fastest way to the murim's ruin.

"However, please know that this is the truth. If you want any proof, I'll try to get it."

"..."

The Evil Valley Master remained silent as he fell into deep contemplation.

Could it be true?

The Domination God Monarch's existence was suspicious. He suddenly appeared as if he had fallen from the sky and then disappeared as if he had descended into the dirt.

Then, two years later, he reappeared, killed the Sound God, and took their place as one of the Seven Empyrean Overlords. It was too absurd to accept as a fact, but he couldn't find any reason for the man to lie before him about something like this.

The Evil Valley Master's worries deepened.

Half an hour passed quickly, but Zhou Xuchuan still remained silent.

"To be honest, it's hard to believe what you're saying, Domination God Monarch."

"I understand that it sounds like I'm talking nonsense."

"But if you really are lying, I can't find a reason why you're insisting on saying such ridiculous things. To be honest, I'm about half convinced—no, half suspicious. Still, I know I'm not in the position to do so."

The Evil Valley Master couldn't refuse even if he knew that it was a lie.

The Evil Valley's situation was that bad.

"The Eight Gates of the Evil Dao have been reduced to the Four Gates of the Evil Dao, and even among them, the Melody Gate lost its Gate Master and is basically a closed Gate. Even if I wanted to fill the position forcibly, it's hard to do so because there's a possibility that it will end up like the Neidan Sword Gate."

The Neidan Sword Gate had joined the Eight Gates of the Evil Dao after the Flowing Waterfall Saber Gate's destruction. Not long after joining, however, they turned around and stabbed him in the back.

The Evil Valley was already unstable, so he couldn't make any hasty decisions.

"I thought that I would have a chance to fix things, as the Great War of Good and Blood and the Great War of Good and Demonic had occurred one after another in the midst of our struggle, but then, another disaster showed up," the Evil Valley Master said sharply, openly challenging Zhou Xuchuan.

"The Evil Faction members gathered outside of the gate are here to pay their respects to the hero of the Four Gates Rebellion, you, the Domination God Monarch. To put it bluntly, my position as the Evil Valley Master has become unstable."

The Evil Valley Master had carried out a reign of terror. In accordance with his nature, he wasn't one to forgive those who had bared their fangs at him, so he captured and executed everyone related to the rebellion down to the eighth degree.[1]

The Four Gates, which were the main characters of the rebellion, were all destroyed; their property was confiscated and used for repair costs.

The Evil Valley Master also severely oppressed everyone else so that no one would test him again, but it hadn't been as effective as expected.

His underlings were forced to submit, but if the remaining Four Gates on the Evil Valley Master's side grew weak, things could change drastically in the proverbial blink of an eye.

The emergence of a new strong player in the Evil Faction called the Domination God Monarch meant that the situation had become much more complicated in more ways than one.

"So if you promise me two things, I'll believe what you say and will help you as much as I can."

"Please continue."

"One is to gather your followers and convince them to join the Evill Valley, and the other is to express that you have no interest in the Evil Valley Master position and that you've ordered your followers to listen to my orders."

As expected, Zhou Xuchuan thought. The Evil Valley Master's concern was the rising power of the Domination God Monarch.

The followers standing directly in front of the Evil Valley alone numbered quite a few, but the Empyrean's popularity was sky-high even within the Evil Valley Master's own territory.

If another rebellion like the Rebellion of Dan Libai were to occur, it would be uncontrollable.

"That's easy."

The Evil Valley Master was surprised when the Domination God Monarch readily agreed to his request.

"...Really?"

It was natural for him to be doubtful.

They were speaking about making promises to each other and negotiating terms, but from the Domination God Monarch's perspective, there was almost nothing for him to gain.

They weren't talking about random people here. The Evil Valley Master wanted the Domination God Monarch to abandon the followers who had come all this way under his banner and make them join the Evil Valley Master.

If he truly wanted to do so, the Domination God Monarch could create an independent power capable of rivaling the Evil Valley. Although he would have to fight the existing forces for power, it was still an undeniably attractive choice.

"I don't mind saying that I have no intention of challenging you for the Evil Valley Master position. Believe it or not, but I don't need the Valley Master's power. On the contrary, it'd be more troublesome for me if we were to fight each other. It could, after all, create an opening during the decisive battle with the Dark Heavens Association."

"Hm."

"Since you have proposed your conditions, I'll also propose mine."

The Evil Valley Master waited nervously for Zhou Xuchuan's next words.

"The Martial Alliance Leader also knows about the Dark Heavens Association. I've requested their cooperation as well, so once I send you the signal later, please announce the existence of the Dark Heavens Association and help me fight them together through the combined might of both Righteous and Evil."

"Ha... are you serious? No, is that really true?"

Was the Martial Alliance Leader some random dog down the street? He was the representative of the Righteous Faction murim. He was an Absolute Master and was also known as the Completion Sword.

Moreover, he was the former head of the Five Great Ancient Families' Nangong Family.

"Then won't you be able to tell if it's the truth or a lie at that point? Moreover, there might still be traitors from the Dark Heavens Association inside the Evil Valley, so you should be careful.

"I have here a list of people whom I investigated personally."

The Evil Valley Master was impressed upon receiving the list from Zhou Xuchuan.

There weren't that many traitors left in the Evil Valley, but the Martial Alliance still had quite a few of them.

"Ha, the Poison Dragon of the Five Great Ancient Families—wait, the Hundred Paces Fist Monk? The Head of the Shaolin Temple is part of the Dark Heavens Association?"

The Evil Valley Master's eyes widened upon seeing Hong Gao's name. His eyes widened to the extent that it seemed as though they were going to tear open.

"He's still unconfirmed, so just use the list as a reference. It'd be best if you memorize the list and then burn it within the day."

Zhou Xuchuan stood up. He had finished everything he had set out to do.

"Don't worry. I'll inform the people outside, and I'll contact you separately if anything happens."

"Wait."

The Evil Valley Master stopped Zhou Xuchuan as he was about to leave.

Did he notice it?

Zhou Xuchuan flinched and instinctively touched his chin to check the human face mask on his face.

"The human face mask on your face—I noticed that a long time ago." the Evil Valley Master pointed out as if he had read Zhou Xuchuan's mind.

No matter how good his skills were, it seemed impossible to avoid the keen gaze of the experienced Evil Valley Master. Zhou Xuchuan found it a bit regretful.

"What is your true identity?"

If, really, if... the Domination God Monarch was really telling the truth, the Evil Valley Master couldn't help but wonder why he would do something like hiding his identity.

As an Absolute Master, he was strong enough to raise his own force, so why was he moving under the cover of a false persona? The Evil Valley Master had tried to read the other party's true intentions, but the Domination God Monarch seemed to have no desire for power.

Zhou Xuchuan looked at the Evil Valley Master's puzzled eyes and smiled lightly. In the midst of the fluttering breeze, he answered, "I'm a passing swordsman. And I'm..."

A Fourth Generation Disciple of the Mount Hua Sect...

"Just... someone who wants to help."

Zhou Xuchuan...

***

Many people were waiting for the Domination God Monarch.

After achieving his goal and leaving the Evil Valley Headquarters, Zhou Xuchuan walked out to find the Evil Faction members standing in front of the gate.

There were more of them than before. There were so many of them that the ground was dyed black as if there were a swarm of ants. They were all people who had heard the news of his appearance and had come here to find him.

"All of you, listen!" The Evil Faction's warriors raised their heads upon hearing an Empyrean Overlord's shout. "The times are about to change!"

The era of the Four Great Forces was over.

"You probably won't know what I mean by this, so just remember!"

The warriors listened.

"There is a threat on the horizon that is neither the Righteous Faction, the Evil Faction, or the Demonic Path! They're making a mess of the murim and are trying to destroy it!"

They were puzzled by the unexpected words.

"That's why I, the Domination God Monarch, have joined the Evil Valley! I will join hands with the Evil Valley Master to stop them!"

The Evil Faction members who had been secretly expecting something were disappointed.

In the end, nothing has changed.

The Domination God Monarch simply took the Sound God's place.

In the end, the Evil Valley is going to devour everything.

They hadn't expected him to flip the order over completely, but they still had some expectations. They had assumed that he would show them something different, something new.

The Domination God Monarch's actions so far had been attractive to the Evil Faction.

"So!"

Thud!

The Domination God Monarch stomped.

"Help me!"

The eyes of the Evil Faction's warriors went wide.

The Domination God Monarch bowed. He bowed to the insignificant Third Class warriors without any hesitation.

He was an Empyrean Overlord and an Absolute Master, but he was asking them for a favor.

"I apologize for not being able to explain everything just yet, but the murim will soon be in jeopardy, so please lend me your aid!"

It was a strange request.

The truth was hidden, and he couldn't tell them everything.

It was a random remark with neither beginning nor end.

None of them could accept such a thing, and it was to be expected. Frankly, it would be strange if they were to accept it. That was why he simply made a request.

"Well... If the Domination God Monarch says so..."

"But are we really going to be in jeopardy?'

"No, honestly, it sounds like a complete lie..."

The reactions varied—some were disappointed, some were skeptical, some turned away, and some believed in him, but this was fine. They would never forget this event, and if it ended up helping him in the future, it would be enough.

Moreover, the gathering of so many Evil Faction members was rare, so Zhou Xuchuan decided to make use of this opportunity and request their aid in advance.

Regardless of their reactions, the crowd seemed to have taken the information with some degree of sincerity. After all, an Absolute Master and one of the Seven Empyrean Overlords had bowed before them.

Martial artists had incredibly strong pride, and it only grew powerful as they became even stronger. Those from the Evil Faction were the same. Since someone like the Domination God Monarch had bowed to them, they couldn't treat his words with indifference.

The bait has been laid out.

There really wasn't much left now.

***

"This can't be."

Ugh. She wondered where it had gone wrong. The Commander of the Front Lines of the Martial Alliance, Tactician Phoenix Zhuge Xiuluan, bit her lip and regretted her foolish decision.

Turning back time, it happened during the first clash. The Demon Cult's army, numbering slightly over ten thousand, rushed forward. However, she had not expected them to come rushing in just like that.

Common sense said that moving ten thousand troops at the same time was extremely foolish. Even if they were to use proper tactics, important orders wouldn't be conveyed properly that way.

Even if they had prepared a communication system that would allow them to relay such orders in quick succession, it would still be difficult to command a moving army in real time.

The battle would unfold quickly, so it was nearly impossible to receive orders and act simultaneously.

In other words, even if one gave an order, it was questionable whether the troops could receive it, and even if they received it and responded to it, their response couldn't be timely.

In particular, it was impossible to command ten thousand people like the cultists, who would easily lose their reason and fall under the control of their demon nature.

Thus, they assumed that the Demon Cult was only showing off their ten thousand-man army before the clash to raise their morale and lower the Martial Alliance's morale before dispersing into their respective legions to start the attack.

Zhuge Xiuluan wasn't alone; the other strategists felt the same.

There were no errors with that calculation, but...

The Demon Cult's next actions were truly unexpected.

"Bwahahahahaha!"

"Good, good! Kill them!"

"Let that woman live! I want to pound her after this!"

It was complete chaos as a little over ten thousand demon cultists rushed forward like tidal waves.

The Martial Alliance had dispersed its forces in preparation for the attack and was left disoriented by the Demon Cult's unexpected move.

"It's not your fault." Exalted Shang Ming cast a contemptuous gaze at the dark waves of demon cultists. "Only people have common sense; animals don't."

1. Fun fact: in Korea, this is the least degree of familial relationship in which one cannot get legally married. In US terms, one's third cousin. ☜