The Regressor of Mount Hua

Chapter 260. The New Empyrean Overlord of Domination (2)

The Domination God Monarch, Zhou Xuchuan, who would later be known as the Evil Faction's mysterious master, turned around and cast a satisfied look at the gathering crowd.

"What is it, Eldest Hyungnim? Should I call all the underlings?" asked Jin Ba, smiling cowardly despite looking to be at least fifty years old.

"No. That's enough. Moreover, your breath stinks, so get out of the way."

"Understood, Eldest Hyungnim!" Jin Ba stepped back with a smirk.

"You, too."

"Understood!"

His eight younger brothers stepped back as well.

After the confrontation with the Sound God in Nanchang, Jin Ba and quite a few Evil Faction warriors joined him. Eventually, the followers gradually grew to the point where they became a force of their own.

The first of his followers, Jin Ba and the Eight Brothers, became the rumor mill that spread the Domination God Monarch's divine authority far and wide, so Zhou Xuchuan had deliberately left them alone.

"Brothers of the Evil Faction! Follow the Domination God Monarch!"

"Nothing can stop his domination! Not even the Sound God could stop the Domination God Monarch!"

"Do you remember what happened during the Rebellion of the Evil Valley? Follow the great footprint of that hero! We will go down in history!!"

Perhaps it was because he had been a con artist for so long, but Jin Ba was pretty good at speaking. His words allowed him to create a following. Zhou Xuchuan hadn't left him alone for no reason at all.

There was a reason for everything.

I have to create a personal force to pressure the Evil Valley Master and get him to cooperate with me. His original goal was to track down the Destructive Soldier, but the Sound God's death drastically changed the situation, and he also had to change his goal.

He proceeded with his second task—obtaining the cooperation of the Evil Valley.

Let's make use of the Empyrean Overlord title. Unlike the Martial Alliance, the Evil Valley had a centralized system.

The Evil Valley Master was incredibly powerful and had extraordinary authority, but his authority had dwindled as a result of the Four Gates Rebellion.

The rebellion had failed, but the fact that it had even happened in the first place created an atmosphere where it felt okay to challenge the Evil Valley Master.

After all, the forces that had pledged allegiance to him had been torn in half, making it worth trying to take advantage of his loss in strength.

Unfortunately, the Evil Valley Master's worries had become a reality. Zhou Xuchuan intended to take advantage of this shift in the ominous wind. That was why he hadn't stopped his followers, even though they were annoying.

He also made sure not to draw even more hostility than necessary and give the impression that he was looking for all-out war.

"Eldest Hyungnim, but are you really not going to conquer the Evil Valley?"

"If you ask that question again, I'll go to the Evil Valley Master and personally convey your ambitions to him."

"Long live the Evil Valley! Long live the Evil Valley Master!"

He had earned quite a substantial profit as well.

He went to Shao Leijin's living quarters and searched it thoroughly, wondering what Pure Faith could have been hiding. He could have found additional secret storage spaces if he had brought Zhuge Shengji along with him. Unfortunately, there was no way he could have done that.

Still, since he had some knowledge about the art of mechanisms, so he managed to unlock the Melody Gate Master's treasury. He found treasures beyond what he could have expected within the treasury.

They really were worthy of being an executive of the Dark Heavens Association as well as an Empyrean Overlord.

Among the treasures, Zhou Xuchuan was most delighted with the sword capable of replacing Tai'e.

Longyuan[1].

Like Tai'e, Longyuan was one of the three swords that Ou Yezi and Ganjiang had forged under the orders of the King of Yue, and, again, like Tai'e, it fell into the hands of Xiang Yu after the fall of the Chu Dynasty.

Zhou Xuchuan wondered why such a famous sword was hidden from the world, but considering the identity of the previous owner, he quickly understood.

Shao Leijin wasn't short on money, and they most likely hadn't wanted to see an influx of sword-wielding due to Longyuan's emergence into the world.

As Tai'e's sibling blade, Longyuan had extraordinary sharpness and sturdiness. He had been looking for a replacement for Tai'e, as a normal iron sword would shatter after a few swings using the Ten-Thousand Jin Sword.

The discovery was truly a fortunate boon.

"And secret arts..."

He found secret arts and techniques as well. However, those secret arts were things that would only disappoint most martial artists.

As expected of the Melody Gate, Zhou Xuchuan found only sound art manuals.

No one would ever know if the Melody Gate Master had actively set out to collect all of the sound arts in the world, but there was still a pile of rare manuals, starting with the most famous ones.

If someone else had seen them, they would probably gloss over them and say that they were trash, but Zhou Xuchuan was different.

He chose three and took them away.

The first was Dragon Roar, a roar-based sound art similar to the Lion Roar or the Roar of Injustice; secondly, he took away the Flicking Sword Tune, a technique that would allow a martial artist to manipulate their sword to produce sound waves.

The advanced version of the Flicking Sword Tune was the Iron Sound Reverberation Wave that Shao Leijin had been actively using.

The Iron Sound Reverberation Wave was a bit more powerful, and unlike the Flicking Sword Tune, it wasn't limited to the sword, as one could use it with any iron object.

Even though it wasn't as strong as the Iron Sound Reverberation Wave, Zhou Xuchuan couldn't really care less. He could only reach the Fifth Stage with it, anyway, and he wasn't planning on using it as his main technique as well.

The last one was the Encrypted Voice Transmission.

The technique allowed anyone to secretly transmit their voice to someone at a certain distance. It was a sound art, but it wasn't an offensive-type art like most sound arts.

It required a considerable amount of qi, so it was burdensome to use even for those who had reached the Transcendent Realm. In addition, one had to be a master of sound arts as well.

While it was a really convenient technique, it wasn't so convenient that one would purposefully choose to master sound arts just for the sake of using it. Thus, only a few martial artists out there could use it.

Zhou Xuchuan diligently practiced the Flicking Sword Tune and the Encrypted Voice Transmission while he was on his journey to meet the Evil Valley Master.

He could practice the Flicking Sword Tune by flicking his fingers on the sword whenever he got bored, and he practiced the Encrypted Voice Transmission with Little Ghost.

Thanks to his enlightenment upon reaching the Coruscant Realm, the Manifestation of One's Path, and Imitation, Zhou Xuchuan managed to reach the Fifth Stage of both techniques in less than two weeks.

In the case of the Dragon Roar, its range was massive, and it could cause a lot of damage to the surroundings, so Zhou Xuchuan hadn't been able to practice it properly. In the end, he could only use it to keep his followers in mind.

"Following me is your choice, but I will not forgive those who use that power to commit evil!"

The followers were startled by the dragon roar that rang in their heads. Overwhelmed by fear, they remained quiet. Of course, not all of them stayed quiet. The members of the Evil Faction disliked being ordered around, and they tended to be rebellious.

Some ignored his commands and used the name of the Domination God Monarch to do harm. However, Zhou Xuchuan personally sought them and gave them a beating to within an inch of their lives.

He wanted to destroy their dantians, but he had no plans of attracting so much attention until he met the Evil Valley Master. In the end, he simply broke one of their limbs and kicked them out.

"As expected of the Domination God Monarch!"

"The King of Domination!"

Some were left in fear or discontent, while some were enthusiastic about Zhou Xuchuan's majesty and coolness.

Am I supposed to be happy or not? If I destroy the Dark Heavens Association, I'll have to give up my title as the so-called Domination God Monarch.

He had absolutely no idea how he would be treated if it became known that a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, moreover, a Hero of the Righteous Faction, was actually one of the Seven Empyrean Overlords from the Evil Faction.

Thus, he headed to the headquarters of the Evil Valley while being careful not to create unnecessary enmity.

Now that I think about it, the Martial Alliance and the Demon Cult must be engaged in a fierce battle right about now. I hope there aren't going to be any problems...

***

The Demon Cult army that set foot on the land of Qinghai from Xinjiang numbered approximately ten thousand, and their flags fluttering in the wind looked particularly ugly.

The storm of bloodlust that had pervaded the horizon was enough to instill fear in the eyes of just about anyone.

Thud! Thud, thud!

A war drummer struck his drum. One person turned into two, and two into three.

The sound of the drum spread throughout the army as if it were contagious, and the drummers in their respective positions struck their drums at the same time.

The visible tremors in the air struck fear into the hearts of the Righteous Faction members.

"Kyahahaha!"

"I see something to eat over there!" @@novelbin@@

Frivolous laughter that didn't match the dignity of the army rang out as the troops of the Demon Cult army revealed wicked smiles.

Slaves rendered skin and bones from starvation stood at the helm of the army, and iron torture devices were hanging around their necks. They had a completely different aura compared to the Blood Cult army.

The Blood Cult was crazy and engrossed in their primal desires, while the Demon Cult was full of well-trained warriors rather than religious fanatics like the former.

The Demon Cult army advanced leisurely and slowly before coming to a halt midway as they approached Qinghai Lake.

The sight of the Demon Cult's hordes, numbering slightly over ten thousand, stopping at the same time was quite a spectacle to see.

Beneath the black flag fluttering in the wind, an old man with an unkempt face that resembled a tiger's scratched his rough beard and grinned.

"The hypocrites of the Righteous Faction have come out to greet us."

He was riding a black horse with an excellence that anyone could see with even a cursory glance. The old man looked straight ahead, gently stroking the horse's mane.

There was no drumming on the other side, but the Martial Alliance's army faced the Demon Cult's forces, like white and black, in a seemingly neverending standoff.

However, the Martial Alliance's numbers were small. They only had seven thousand troops compared to the Demon Cult's ten thousand troops.

The Righteous Faction murim's manpower was lacking to begin with, and due to the recent damage from the Great War of Good and Blood, they could only mobilize this many people at short notice.

In addition, they also had to block the Evil Valley forces to the south, and it made them numerically inferior.

"Well met!" the elderly demon said, flicking his reins and moving forward. "I'm the Vice Cult Leader, War Tiger Demon!"

"War Tiger Demon!"

The War Tiger Demon was a Great Demon Head who once dominated an era. He was a cultist with a face that resembled a tiger and especially liked fighting.

There was a saying that if one wanted to find the War Tiger Demon, one ought to go to a battlefield, not the One Hundred Thousand Mountains. The War Tiger Demon had grown up as a demon cultist, and he slaughtered countless people to obtain the title of Great Demon Head when he was still young.

Eventually, he became the Vice Cult Leader.

"The sun is up high, and there is not a single cloud in the sky! This is the perfect weather for war!" War Tiger Demon laughed cheerfully. He wasn't mocking anyone; he seemed genuinely happy. His emotions ran high in anticipation of the war.

He hadn't been able to fight due to the peace treaty between the Martial Alliance, the Evil Valley, the Demon Cult, and the Blood Cult, so one could only imagine just how frustrated he had to have been feeling thus far.

"To think that you're still alive... you really have such a long life."

Someone from the Martial Alliance walked forward. He was an old man with a gray beard. However, he wasn't some ordinary old man one would see anywhere, as he was an old man with a mysterious and majestic presence.

The War Tiger Demon exclaimed in joy, "Oh! Aren't you the Sect Master of the Kunlun Sect, the Exalted Shang Ming?!"

"Shut up!" Exalted Shang Ming's face distorted.

The Kunlun Sect and the Demon Cult had been mortal enemies since ancient times.

Just like what was happening right now, whenever the Demon Cult invaded the Central Plains murim, it had to pass through Qinghai no matter what, meaning that it always made contact with the Kunlun Sect first.

Even if peace were to continue, this fact wouldn't change.

Whenever mad and hungry cultists flowed into the Central Plains, the Kunlun Sect would step in and subdue them. The long history between the two meant that the accumulated resentment was quite considerable.

In addition, there had been bad blood between Exalted Shang Ming and the War Tiger Demon since they were young. The two mixed their personal hatred into the battle between the Martial Alliance and the Demon Cult.

"Hey, hey, my friend. Don't be angry. Do you know how happy I am to see my old rival?"

"You still talk too much. Good. Today is the day I will cut off your tongue and slit your throat."

"Kekeke. The Daoist Sect Master of the Kunlun Sect can actually speak so harshly? Well, I'll welcome you anyway." The War Tiger Demon's eyes curved like a crescent moon. Judging by the light in his eyes, he seemed genuinely happy.

"Okay, then..."

The War Tiger Demon raised his chin and lowered his eyes.

The troops of the Martial Alliance frowned, clearly displeased by his arrogant gaze.

Regardless of whether the Righteous Faction people were angry or not, the War Tiger Demon slowly closed his eyes and opened them wide.

"Okay, listen! Followers of the Demon Cult!"

The elderly demon's demeanor changed, and everyone felt as if a tiger was roaring before them. The elderly demon's aura was closer to that of a beast than a human, and it engulfed the surroundings at once.

"Right or wrong! Those things that you spout, Righteous, Evil, whatever—it's all just the nonsense of the weak!"

Thud, thud, thud!

At the thought of seeing flesh and blood, the War Tiger Demon's heart pounded madly against his chest as if he had seen his first love. Heat gathered near his trouser legs, and his mind raced.

"The history of man has started with force and ended with force! Comrades! Let us acknowledge what we call the Demon Cult! That weakness is a sin and is a shame!"

The War Tiger Demon's hair stood on end, and goosebumps broke out all over him. His heart trembled at the thought of the battle that was about to take place. His rod stood on end as well, and his mouth split into a grin that reached his ears.

The War Tiger Demon's pupils slit vertically like those of a beast's. Even the color of his eyes flashed gold like a tiger's eyes.

"If you lack wealth, just plunder it, and if you desire a beautiful woman, take her by force! If someone annoys you, kill them! Everything is fair before the might of force!

"If you think someone is more correct than you, then kill them! Then your words would be in the right!"

"Kyahahahahaha!" The demons laughed.

1. See chapter 80 TL/N for information regarding this sword. ☜