Volcanic Age

"Rest easy; I shall not end your life today. Our organization lacks talented individuals, and losing you on top of that won't do us any good.

Although I'm displeased about going through so much trouble to take out the Black Coffin from our treasury to satisfy your request, Mount Hua's future has become murky thanks to the Exalted Sword Immortal's death.

"His death alone should be enough for you to be forgiven this time," said the Dark Heavens Association Lord. According to the plan, the Great War of Good and Blood was supposed to have dragged on for a long while—around three years or more, at the very least.

The war was meant to produce countless casualties, and its length was supposed to make the populace turn their backs on the cultivators.

Unfortunately, the war had wrapped up far sooner than expected.

There were some silver linings to this debacle—the Exalted Sword Immortal's demise had plunged Mount Hua into a crisis. Meanwhile, the Martial Alliance had suffered a major blow after losing many of its promising talents.

Of course, this outcome was hopelessly inadequate, but this wasn't the time for Blessed Existence to care about that. He wouldn't be breathing right now if it weren't for those minor accomplishments!

Zhou Xuchuan! Zhou! Xuchuan! You abominable son of a dog! Blessed Existence's rage boiled over even as he kowtowed. Since his face was flushed red from anger, he dared not raise his head lest the Association Lord would get the wrong idea.

He tried to cool his rage somehow, but he couldn't do it. Merely recalling the name of that damn interloper made his blood pressure spike through the roof! That was why he had played an excessive hand. It was to ensure that he'd never ever hear that bloody name again.

Blessed Existence didn't want to grant the Blood Cult too much power, but for the sake of finishing the job for good, he delivered the Black Coffin as payment. While doing so, he warned the Blood Demon several times to keep his wits about him at all times around Zhou Xuchuan, but this…!

Just what! Just what kind of hellish connections did we share in our past lives that you dare interfere in everything I do?!

The Great War of Good and Blood was a little different from all the other schemes Blessed Existence had cooked up so far. For one, one-third of the goal was all about killing Zhou Xuchuan!

Some within the organization opined that Blessed Existence was going overboard here, but he vehemently disagreed. Whether directly or indirectly, Zhou Xuchuan had ruined countless of his plans so far.

Simply knowing that the brat was still walking this earth gave Blessed Existence a case of serious migraine. The extreme irritation would obviously affect his decision-making, and he believed it was enough of a reason to go all-in.

In addition, Zhou Xuchuan seemed to know quite a lot about the Dark Heavens Association. For the sake of the organization's future, that brat simply had to die!

That was why Blessed Existence had prepared several measures to achieve that goal.

However, they all got crushed. Zhou Xuchuan was still alive. Everything had ended in failure!

"Thank you for forgiving this useless, foolish servant through your boundless generosity! And thank you for giving me another chance to redeem myself!" Blessed Existence slammed his forehead on the ground once more, his eyes coldly flickering.

The cold flames within those eyes burned chillingly.

"My liege, although I've failed, we still have achieved one of the objectives. The chaos of the Great War of Good and Blood has allowed more of Twisted Melody's spies to infiltrate the Central Plains.

"What's more, Avaricious Wolf's sphere of activity and authority has increased, which, in turn, has improved the quality of the information that we can gather."

Despite staining his reputation with a recent string of failures, Blessed Existence's capabilities were still a real deal.

The schemes he had cooked up with great care, like the Great War of Good and Blood, had ended in failure, but he remained level-headed and tried to extract as much profits from the losses.

Even though his schemes had gone in the wrong direction or had gotten crushed, he would desperately cook up other plans on the fly to make up for his failures.

What was so remarkable about that was that such schemes weren't some sloppy attempts to sweep his mistakes under the carpet or anything like that.

"My liege. I won't beg you to keep believing in me, but please have faith in my hatred. In my rage. That I do beg of you!"

***

The colorful leaves of Autumn fell; the heat receded, replaced by chilly winds.

However, this weather applied only to the Central Plains. The Gobi Desert of the Gansu Province remained the same as ever.

"Finally! I get to say goodbye to this damned desert," Zhou Xuchuan muttered while grandly stretching his limbs.

Two months had already passed by since the "Ten Empyrean Overlords" were renamed to the "Eight Empyrean Overlords." The standby order from the Martial Alliance had finally been rescinded as well.

"Forgive me for delaying your departure until now. Even though you should've left much sooner," said Zhi Yiguang. He had taken up the role of the Lanzhou area commander in the place of the deceased You Riwen.

"No, I understand," Zhou Xuchuan replied. "It couldn't be helped, after all."

Unlike other sects, Mount Hua had lost its Sect Master, so it was only natural to send all of its members back home. However, the threat of the Blood Cult passing through the Yumen Pass again and attempting another assault on the city still cast a long shadow over everyone.

This fear made it difficult to let the members of the core combat force leave so soon. In the end, the Martial Alliance apologized profusely and asked Zhou Xuchuan to remain.

"Thank you for your understanding. Also, please forgive me for my earlier rudeness."

During their first meeting, Zhi Yiguang was raring for a chance to get even. However, that attitude was nowhere to be found at this point.

"Actually, I don't know what you're talking about," Zhou Xuchuan grinned softly and jokingly replied. That was his attempt at easing the burden on Zhi Yiguang's conscience.

Zhi Yiguang was given the commander role, not because he hailed from a major sect of Gansu. No, it was all thanks to his renown as a top-tier expert who boasted excellent judgement. Of course, he had also made many contributions during the war, which gave him a lot of sway within the Alliance's army.

"Thank you for everything you've done for us, Young Master Zhou. The hour's getting late, however. How about departing early tomorrow morning? Again, thank you for all your hard work."

Zhi Yiguang, who had never cracked a smile once, grinned faintly.

Zhou Xuchuan nodded. "Then, I'll come speak to you again before departing tomorrow."

"No, it's fine. All the procedures have been taken care of, so you can leave whenever it's convenient for you."

"Thank you for your consideration."

Zhou Xuchuan left the Martial Alliance's office and headed outside the building.

"Keep up the good work, sir!"

When Zhou Xuchuan emerged from the outside, the warriors standing guard saluted him with admirable discipline. Respect and admiration were writ large upon their expressions.

"You too. Thank you for your hard work," Zhou Xuchuan replied while smiling a little awkwardly. He leisurely walked through the corridor and headed downstairs.

"Senior Brother!"

"Ah! Junior Sister Luo."

Within this still night, a fairy stood between the gentle light from the lamps, waiting for his eventual arrival.

"I thought you went to bed already."

Luo Xiaoyue gently grinned. "Well, it somehow ended up this way. Besides that, Senior Brother. What about you…?"

"Oh. I was just on my way back from the Alliance office. They say we can withdraw now."

"Really?"

Luo Xiaoyue's expression brightened in an instant. Even though she had spent a large part of the last two months in the city of Lanzhou, her patience was still about to run out.

"I mean, the desert's temperature changes are a bit too harsh to be called playful, after all," said Luo Xiaoyue.

"Is that so?" Zhou Xuchuan replied disinterestedly.

"Even if you've achieved the Extreme Temperature Immunity, aren't you a little too disinterested, Senior Brother?" Luo Xiaoyue cutely complained, her cheeks slightly puffed up. "Anyway! If you're not heading to bed, how about taking a walk with me? It's not polite to talk loudly indoors when it's already this late, after all."

"Sure, why not?"

Even though they were supposed to be on guard, there was no actual threat in this area, which allowed Zhou Xuchuan and others to pass the time by chatting away. He got to know how Luo Xiaoyue had been doing before reaching Lanzhou.

Luo Xiaoyue also got to find out what Zhou Xuchuan had been up to.

Luo Xiaoyue had reached the very limits of the Transcendent Realm, which meant that she had finally stepped foot into the ranks of true experts.

Although her name was still relatively unknown, her skills alone would be more than enough for her to enter the ranks of One Hundred Experts Under Heaven. At the very least, that was what Wei Zhijie guaranteed, so it had to be true.

The last thing to note was that Zhang Hong and Zhang Xuen had also entered the ranks of the Plum Blossom Swordsmen, which used to number only twenty-four.

"To think you've become a Plum Blossom Swordsman before the age of twenty!" Zhou Xuchuan exclaimed in admiration. "You're amazing, Junior Sister. As your Senior Brother, I'm proud of you."

Luo Xiaoyue was a genius among geniuses, so there was that, but even Zhang Hong and Zhang Xuen were extraordinary for achieving such outstanding growth.

"It still feels weird, though. And when you say it like that, it doesn't feel like I've done anything amazing," said Luo Xiaoyue while sounding a little dismayed.

"I'm not being sarcastic, though. Don't feel so discouraged, Junior Sister." Zhou Xuchuan could only chuckle wryly. He had no thoughts of mocking her here, but it made sense why she would think that way.

Since Zhou Xuchuan had kept the secret of his second attempt at life from everyone, he definitely looked like an unprecedented monster to anyone with functioning eyes. Even he himself thought that the things he had achieved were absurd, after all!

Not only had he stepped into the Harmony Realm at the tender age of twenty, but he was already at the upper half of the realm, to boot! And he had achieved many incredible feats that ordinary people couldn't even dream of achieving.

Zhou Xuchuan had rewritten the history books not once or twice but several times, so it made sense that Luo Xiaoyue would feel dismayed by his encouragement.

"Are you sure about that, Lord Sword Dragon?" Luo Xiaoyue playfully smiled like a fairy.

The death of Seal Dragon, Hao Dechang, meant a spot had opened up among the Five Dragons and Three Phoenixes. Rather unsurprisingly, Zhou Xuchuan had taken up that spot.

The truth was, though, whether it was his renown or cultivation realm, he had already far surpassed the level of the Five Dragons and Three Phoenixes. However, this title technically wasn't misplaced, as it denoted one of the strongest in the younger generation, namely cultivators aged between twenty and thirty.

Zhou Xuchuan hadn't considered joining this group, as there had been no change to the roster until now. He also had no reason to push out an existing member.

However, the surviving members wanted to fill the void left behind by Hao Dechang's passing, and Zhou Xuchuan's name came up.

Sword Dragon, is it…? Zhou Xuchuan pondered his new title as if it amused him somewhat.

In addition to being praised as the hero of the Righteous Faction, he had joined the ranks of the Five Dragons and Three Phoenixes as well, which was a group idolized by the younger generation. A group that people couldn't enter upon missing the one and only opportunity for some reason!

Once upon a time, Zhou Xuchuan envied the members of this group and dreamed of joining them. Of course, he eventually accepted his limitations and gave up.However, the distant dream had suddenly become his reality, and it made him feel weird.

"…"

While Zhou Xuchuan reminisced about his past, Luo Xiaoyue pretended to enjoy the view of the night skies while cautiously studying his response. She obviously wanted to ask him about something, but she kept hesitating for some reason. Eventually, though…

"Excuse me, Senior Brother?"

After faltering several times, Luo Xiaoyue cautiously broke her silence.

"Mm?"

"Do you, by any chance… have any thoughts of becoming the Sect Master?"

"...Huh?"

Zhou Xuchuan tilted his head in pure flabbergast at his junior sister's unexpected question.

"It's because an unsettling rumor has been doing the rounds for a little while now," said Luo Xiaoyue. "It says that you're trying to push out the Sect Master's disciple Zheng Huilian and become the next Sect Master. At first, people thought of it as a false rumor, but then…

"Witnesses said that they saw you unleash the Violet Haze Divine Art during the Great War of Good and Blood."

So, it's finally here.

Then again, hadn't he rampaged during the war while relying on his qi aura? Knowing that, he couldn't help but wonder why this topic had taken so long to come up.

When he thought about it, however, it made some sense, as various things had happened in the meantime. They naturally pushed the story of Zhuo Xuchuan using the Violet Haze Divine Art to the sidelines for the time being.

First of all, there was the significant matter of the Ten Empyrean Overlords being reduced to eight. Then, the reactions of the three opposing factions regarding the Great War of Good and Blood had to be considered, too. Besides those, a few other matters had gotten in the way as well.

Zhou Xuchuan strengthened his perception and scanned the surroundings before quietly saying, "Junior Sister?"

"Yes, Senior Brother."

Luo Xiaoyue was surprisingly calm, but flickers of anxiety flashed within her eyes.

Clearly, she was also feeling a bit uncomfortable.Even so, she didn't try to avoid his gaze and patiently waited for him to finish.

"If you are curious about the matter with the Violet Haze Divine Art… Yes, it's true."

Zhou Xuchuan unhesitantly told her the truth.

Luo Xiaoyue remained composed. She neither lost her cool, felt disappointed, nor panicked.

"You're not surprised?"

"…Of course I am. I'm surprised. A lot. But I have faith in you, Senior Brother. You must've your own circumstances, right?"

Was she really a fairy? Zhou Xuchuan felt sincerity and trust in her voice and almost shed tears of gratitude just then. A gentle smile spread across his lips as he replied, "Yes."

"Then… I won't dig in any further. However, promise me that you'll tell us what happened at a later date. Okay?"

"Of course. I promise."

Luo Xiaoyue smiled in relief at Zhou Xuchuan's reply. As usual, she was stunning enough to make him forget where he was for a split second.

Ba-dump, ba-dump!

Yup, this is bad. At this rate, I might do something I'll regret later! Zhou Xuchuan's heart showed no signs of slowing down with Mount Hua's number one beauty—no, Shaanxi's number one beauty in such close proximity.

Technically speaking, she was way, way younger than him. As in, young enough to be his granddaughter! She was just a kid, yet Zhou Xuchuan found it hard to control his pounding heart.

"Is it because my body's young? And overflowing with hot-blooded energy…? It's hard to control my feelings," Zhou Xuchuan absentmindedly muttered.

"…Senior Brother? You're muttering what's on your mind out loud again. Also, we have a guest, so please don't say anything that can lead to a misunderstanding," Luo Xiaoyue whispered, lowering her head to hide her flushed cheeks.

"Oops." Zhou Xuchuan awkwardly backed off before turning around. "Kuh-hmm! Please forgive me, Young Lady Zhuge."

"No, not at all. I should be the one apologizing for intruding during your conversation."

The moonlight peaked through the cloud and faintly illuminated the land below to cast a slender shadow. Zhuge Xiuluan's pale and smooth skin appeared beneath the moonlight.

"Please don't mind me. I simply wanted to get some fresh air. Well, then. Please excuse me…" said Zhuge Xiuluan.

"No, hold on. Actually, this is good," said Zhou Xuchuan. "I have something to discuss with you."

"…?"

Zhuge Xiuluan slightly pushed her hair back.

"The truth is… I'd like to ask for your help."