Volcanic Age

In an army, the general played an important role.

While individual strength and command were important, their true value was maintaining the morale of their allies.

"If you want to shoot a person, shoot the horse he's riding first. If you want to capture an enemy, capture the enemy king first."

Shè rén xiān shè mǎ, qín dí xiān qín wáng (射人先射馬, 擒敵先擒王).

In Buddhism, all lives were considered equal, whether it be the life of a human or an insect. However, things were different on the battlefield.

If a general died, the enemy's morale would rise while the morale of the allies would fall.

In extreme cases, the chain of command could even become chaotic and collapse.

The same went for the murim. The death of a famous master would affect morale as much as the death of one's general.

When the death of Exalted Shang Ming was announced, the Martial Alliance's momentum was further reduced, and the Demon Cult's power increased.

Blessed Existence tried to order the demon cultists but eventually stopped himself. Even without him saying a word, the demon cultists continued to push forward, becoming wilder and more crazed.

"Sect Master!"

"AGH!!!!"

Hatred would grow into strength. Moreover, hatred was an emotion that could take away lives.

The Kunlun Sect, which formed the backbone of the Martial Alliance's forces, went insane when they lost their Sect Master.

Already having had a deep grudge against the Demon Cult, the Kunlun Sect couldn't maintain their composure after losing their Sect Master.

"Calm yourselves!"

Zhuge Xiuluan's clear shout echoed throughout the battlefield.

"Calm down!"

Even the experts of the other sects, like the Milky Way Sage and Gu Yeyin, tried their best to calm the disciples. However, it was of no use.

"Gal!"

Hong Gao's Lion Roar exploded.

While his shout helped to calm the enemy down, their allies were different. They still showed no signs of calming down.

"Are you tired, Senior Brother?"[1]

Hong Jin was puzzled when he saw the lack of effect.

The Shaolin Temple's Lion Roar was able to induce clarity that could remove people's distracting thoughts and calm their hearts.

However, since none of their allies reacted to it, his confusion was natural.

"Gal!"

Hong Jin shouted in place of Hong Gao. Although his Lion Roar was less powerful, the Buddhist qi imbued in his voice cleansed everyone's minds.

Hong Gao silently stroked his Adam's apple before swinging a fist with his other hand, smashing the head of the demon cultist standing before him.

"You've fallen as far as you can, Shaolin Temple's Abbot."

The Heavenly Demon, observing from a distance, clicked his tongue.

"No, it's shameful to even refer to you as the Abbot. Right now, you're not even a monk of the Shaolin Temple; you're no different from a demon cultist."

Hong Gao's fists and shouts were powerful. Every time he moved, demon cultists fell like autumn leaves.

His strength and power were undeniable. However, he no longer resembled a monk of the Shaolin Temple.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. I was looking forward to a showdown with the Divine Monk… What a pity."

The Heavenly Demon licked his lips.

"By the way, did he collude with those weaklings that you deployed to the Shaolin Temple?"

"Yes. He decided to help the Shaolin Temple gain a reputation more easily. In return, he turned a blind eye to various things and even provided information unrelated to the Shaolin Temple. Well, even if he didn't listen to our demands, wouldn't it be a good thing if that crazy monk Hong Gao never realizes his mistakes and continues floundering around with his vain ideology?"

Hong Gao had chosen the Asura's power over the Buddha's mercy.

With that power, he could easily destroy the Demon Cult. And as long as the damage the Shaolin Temple suffered was less than that of the other Righteous Faction sects, he might even grow more intoxicated by its power.

Does it even matter how many demon cultists die anyway?

An uncontrollable army wasn't even a double-edged sword. It was more like a sword without a handle. Still, with no other weapon available, Blessed Existence had no choice but to use it.

The Heavenly Demon heard his words and laughed cheerfully as if it was funny.

The situation played out exactly as Blessed Existence had intended.

The Shaolin Temple responded easily with the information they already knew, while the other sects retreated while fighting fiercely.

For reference, the Kunlun Sect suffered the most damage. Even though they may have come to their senses belatedly, they were still half-mad for revenge.

Are we… are we really going to lose like this?

The Boundless Dragon, Nangong Shanxu, let out a sigh.

He was in the midst of the battle, and upon observing the overall movements of the Martial Alliance, he couldn't help but feel a sense of defeat creeping in.

His expression revealed that he had never expected that they would be pushed back to this degree by the Demon Cult.

No!

Nangong Shanxu's sword plunged into a demon cultist's heart.

"The Martial Alliance will not give up!"

The young hero, a talent of the younger generation, shouted loudly across the battlefield.

"The peace and chivalry of the murim will not be broken!"

The morale was quite low.

The overall atmosphere was not good.

However, Nangong Shanxu did not kneel. He tried to inspire courage among his comrades.

"If we fall, then we just have to get up again, right?"

The Boundless Dragon's shout struck the eardrums of the Righteous Faction.

"Even if I die, our families who are waiting at home! Our friends! Our siblings! As long as they all can live! I will never regret standing here!"

"...!"

As if his voice had finally reached them, the Martial Alliance warriors who had been stagnant suddenly raised their heads.

"Rah!!!"

"Damn it, fine! Let's try it, then!"

The Boundless Dragon's words were helpful.

"…"

Wei Zhijie tightened his grip on the sword in his hand.

"The Completion Sword is blessed by his grandsons."

The Milky Way Sage curled his fingers and gathered his qi.

"To think I'd find my courage from such a young one…"

A middle-aged man standing in front of the old man smiled shyly before swinging his sword, cutting through the battlefield.

Everywhere the sword passed, a demon cultist screamed as their blood sprayed everywhere.

The sword was aimed only at vital points, and it had considerable power.

"Qingcheng Sword Guest Bo Gong Zi!"

"It's the Azure Clouds Crimson Haze Sword!"

The Azure Clouds Crimson Haze Sword was a sword technique that was famous for its brutality even throughout the murim. Whenever the Qingcheng Sword Guest's sword flashed, his victims fell, splattering blood like a red sunset.

"He's right."

Gu Yeyin laughed simultaneously with the cultists before him as he destroyed them with an attack.

"Agk!"

"It's One Sword Seven Kills!"

The expert of the Kongtong Sect, One Sword Seven Kills Zhi Yiguang, who had made a name for himself in the Great War of Good and Blood not too long ago, let out a shout.

Demon cultists fell to the ground as if they were crumbling under his hand.

"Rah!!!"

The warriors of the Martial Alliance cheered at the experts' performance.

Recently, the Martial Alliance had been suffering a series of disasters.

The Divine Monk had passed away, and soon after, the Hero of the Righteous Faction had died.

The shock of Zhou Xuchuan's death had been even greater as it hadn't been that long since the Hero of the Righteous Faction had given a speech asking for the help of the murim.

The Seven Swords War, the Great War of Good and Blood, and now this.

The successive wars had worn their hearts out.

Above all, even if this war ended safely, they were afraid that the Domination God Monarch, who had recently joined forces with Evil Valley, would attack them next.

That anxiety and fear had eroded their spirit.

It had made them take a step back. It had made them lose the strength within the hands that held onto their swords.

What should we do? Will there be anything left even if we keep fighting like this?

As hope disappeared, their hearts slowly gave way to despair.

However, at that moment, starting with the Boundless Dragon's shout, the experts stepped forward.

Their backs looked more trustworthy than ever.

Trampling the Demon Heads under their feet, they personally demonstrated the power of the famous techniques of the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Ancient Families.

The reed that had been broken slowly rose again. Their backs straightened, and the strength that had left their hands returned.

Yes. We can do this.

The Demon Cult is full of brainless idiots, anyway.

If we let those cruel bastards go like this, our family and friends won't be safe.

Isn't a sense of justice what makes the Righteous Faction what it is? Helping the weak and valuing trust is what it means to be a human being.

The flame that had been faint like a dying candle flared up. The beliefs that had been crumbling were solidified again.

"I won't back down anymore! I won't let them trample on the peace of the Central Plains!"

The Righteous Faction members all prepared themselves for the coming battle and began to shout.

"Compatriot of the Martial Alliance! Comrades of the gangho!"

It was a shout that could shake the heavens and the earth. The Martial Alliance warriors tried to turn the shouts of determination of thousands of comrades into strength.

"Let's…"

The Martial Alliance waited for the next words of their new hero, the Boundless Dragon. However, the words were buried in a loud noise and could not be heard.

BOOM!

No one could tell what had just happened.

As if a catapult had been launched, something crashed down from above and made a loud noise.

Yellow dust rose like a cloud, obscuring their vision.

No one could see what had fallen out of the sky.

What was important right now wasn't what had fallen, but Nangong Shanxu, who had made the martial artists' hearts flutter just a moment ago.

What had just happened to the grandson of the Completion Sword, who would succeed the Sword Dragon as their new hope and future?

That question was immediately resolved by the words to follow.

In a horrid way.

"You really do talk too much."

It was a voice that made their heads buzz. Something ran down their spines and gave them goosebumps.

As the thick fog of dust cleared, a handsome man, whose appearance was unusual even at a glance, emerged.

His hair was a dull gray, and the whites of his eyes were stained black as his red pupils flashed eerily.

When he appeared, even the heavens seemed surprised, as the sunlight that had been shining brightly disappeared, and dark clouds filled the sky.

"H… how…"

Zhuge Xiuluan bit her lip so hard that it bled.

She wasn't alone—everyone present thought the same.

They had definitely thought that he wouldn't show up.

A single stroke decided a match between those of the Seven Empyrean Overlords.

While it wasn't a certain outcome, that was almost always the case when it came to battles between masters. Thus, common sense dictated that the man should have waited.

In reality, they hadn't even seen a single speck of his presence. They believed that he would deliberately not appear because he was conserving his strength.

So, could this be a strategy of the nameless strategist of the Demon Cult?

No, that was wrong.

"Agh!"

Blessed Existence gritted his teeth.

"That's why I hate Demon Cultists…!"

Blessed Existence prayed for the Dark Heavens Association Lord to appear.

The only thing that could stop the Heavenly Demon's rampage was the Association Lord.

"Hahaha, I'm sorry. However, didn't you also say something to that effect? That 'nothing was easier than when the opponent thinks we won't do it?'" the Heavenly Demon shouted in a raised voice as if to tell him to listen.

It certainly wasn't a wrong statement. However, even that depended on the situation.

The Taiji Sword might come at any time right now.

If something went wrong during this process, another plan would fall apart.

"Heaven! Demon! You…!"

It was clear that the Righteous Faction already knew that there was a strategist on their side, but it was still annoying to hear that bastard say it so openly. This really was completely unacceptable.

"What do you expect of me when they bother me so much?"

The Heavenly Demon swung his foot as if he was annoyed.

Bang!

In the midst of the appearance of one of the Seven Empyrean Overlords, the Righteous Faction's new hope that had been momentarily forgotten tumbled across the ground.

"...!"

"B-Boundless Dragon!"

"Great Hero Nangong!"

A shocked scream erupted from the Martial Alliance.

They stood in stunned silence, their faces blank with despair as the strength drained from their hands.

The body of Boundless Dragon Nangong Shanxu seemed beyond recovery. He was drenched in blood from head to toe, and his joints were twisted in unnatural directions as if they had been completely shattered. His sword was also completely destroyed.

He was unrecognizable, his face covered in blood and dirt.

"Listen!"

The Heavenly Demon stomped his foot.

BOOM!

The ground within a five zhang radius caved in and collapsed. The corpses on the ground were sucked in or thrown away.

"Conversation isn't what comes first! Violence is what comes first!"

From the cracked floor, a dark haze slowly rose before thrashing violently.

"W-what the…"

His cultivation was so profound that the leaking qi was literally making his aura visible. Everyone was overwhelmed by his pressure.

"Persuasion isn't what comes first! Submission takes precedence!"

Pebbles and sand defied gravity, rising into the air alongside the dark haze.

"Since ancient times, the winner speaks, and the loser listens! How can someone who doesn't even know who the winner is right now be talking?"

The Heavenly Demon continued, bursting into laughter.

"Hahaha! Listen! I didn't come here to prove the Demonic Path or anything like that! I didn't come to take revenge or to conquer! I don't know much about such complicated philosophy or ideology!"

The hair of the Demon Cult's Absolute Master floated into the air. Behind him, countless demons smiled cruelly.

"I just came to fight!"

Martial artists, no, people, called this man…

The Heavenly Demon.

1. Before, when Hong Jin first appeared, Hong Gao was said to be his master. I was confused then because they're of the same generation, as can be seen by their generational dharma name modifier. Now that Hong Gao has been called his senior brother and not his master twice, it seems the author made a correction. However, this won't be fixed in the previous chapter as the introduction itself makes no sense without the master relationship. ☜