Volcanic Age

Chapter 273: Empyrean Overlord (1)

"It's dangerous…!"

The words escaped Zhou Xuchuan’s lips before he even realized it.

Bang!

"UGH!"

Zhou Xuchuan let out a scream as excruciating pain coursed through him. The Breaking Heaven Asura Palm Third Form: Absence had struck him squarely in the chest.

Before he could even attempt to stabilize his body using Thousand Catty Ballast, another devastating palm strike blasted him away, sending him hurtling through the air.

The damage is overwhelming.

The pain that erupted from the center of his chest spread like wildfire, stabbing into every corner of his body in an instant.

At first, it felt like being pierced by a thousand needles. Then, it transformed into something far worse.

His ribs had fractured and pierced into his internal organs, and his meridians were distorted. Yet, none of the injuries were beyond repair. He could still stand. It was too early to consider using Regression.

Well, at least, palm techniques aren't his main focus.

Even though they had reached a level where they could channel their qi through any medium, that didn't mean that the techniques themselves didn't matter.

In general, qi manipulation of the highest level was still limited to one's main martial art.

The fact that the Heavenly Demon was able to use Formless Sword Aura meant that his main technique was swordsmanship-related. In fact, the Heavenly Demon hadn't broken through Zhou Xuchuan's Formless Sword Aura using Breaking Heaven Asura Palm Third Form: Absence, but rather his own Manifestation of One's Path.

That meant that the power of his palm techniques was inferior to that of his sword. Moreover, they weren't strong enough to inflict fatal wounds.

Get your head together!

Zhou Xuchuan finished his analysis in a split second.

He imbued his body with strength and turned over with all his might. As he tried to change direction mid-air, his bones let out a sickening crack.

Biting his lip tightly, he poured every ounce of strength into the sword he had held onto until the very end.

His meridians creaked, but that was fine. His qi circulation was impaired, but it wasn't unusable.

Refusing to give up hope, he steadied himself once more.

However…

The Great Demon Head of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains didn't allow him any respite.

Woosh!

A devil with ash-colored hair fluttering in the wind, the Heavenly Demon, approached with his eyes flashing crimson.

"You…!"

Zhou Xuchuan shouted in frustration.

“Monstrous bastard!"

"That's what I should be saying!" the Heavenly Demon shouted, his voice filled with madness.

He dropped down from the air and appeared directly in front of Zhou Xuchuan. He was so fast that he seemed to have teleported himself using space as a frame.

Zhou Xuchuan hurriedly raised his qi to prepare for the next attack.

Rumble!!

The air around them trembled as the great power of Mother Nature boiled ominously. The plants and trees blackened and crumbled into ash.

Death unfolded, and hell was unleashed upon the world.

The living beings within the surrounding area either died from the pressure or fled desperately into hiding.

Ominous dark clouds covered the sun above.

Heavenly Demon's Three Sword Forms, Third Form!

The smile disappeared from Heavenly Demon’s face. His voice carried a desperate undertone.

"Try to block this one, then!"

His arms turned black, and the tendons protruded, writhing beneath his skin like dragons. His muscles also swelled in size.

His meridians burned, threatening to explode, and his head throbbed as though an earthquake was tearing through his mind.

“Heaven!”

The veins over his arrogant body visibly writhed. The pressure within them was excessive, causing them to protrude abnormally.

Not even the Heavenly Demon Body, which had been reducing the burden of his demonic arts, could hold out anymore.

“Destroying!”

Alarms seemed to ring in his head, but he paid no attention to them.

He just gave it his all, thinking only of ending the enemy in front of him.

“Emperor!”

Clang!

The final form of the Heavenly Demon's Three Sword Forms was, as its name suggests, utterly destructive.

The demonic energy that was projected outward soared like a pillar as the dark clouds that filled the sky disappeared without a trace. A hole was made in the sky.

Everywhere the Heavenly Demon Manifestation: Heaven Destroying Emperor fell on was completely destroyed.

There was no vegetation, no soil, no life.

The ash-colored darkness devoured everything—the air, the essence of nature, and even the sky itself.

Before Zhou Xuchuan could make a sound, whether it was his Formless Sword Aura or his defensive qi barrier—everything that he had around him was completely obliterated by the Heavenly Demon Manifestation: Heaven Destroying Emperor.

His body was flung across the ground without any resistance and crashed into the hillside a few zhang away.

BOOOOM!

RUMBLE!

The earth-shaking roar, the darkness that blinded his eyes, and the deafening explosion were like absolute destruction. Soon, the ominous light disappeared, and the sound that had been erased returned.

The first thing that broke the silence was none other than the Heavenly Demon’s breathing.

“Gasp… gasp…"

Boom! Boom! Boom, boom!

Boulders continued to fall from above his head like meteors.

The ground had been flipped over, and the boulders shot into the air because of the shockwave caused by his attack.

The iron sword the Heavenly Demon was holding also crumbled into dust.

"Ugh!"

Before he could catch his breath, the Heavenly Demon vomited blood.

"Cough, cough!"

The principle behind the third form of the Heavenly Demon’s Three Sword Forms wasn't complicated.

It instantly released and burned through all of the demonic qi within his body. It also drew in the essence of the surrounding nature, converting the nature qi into demonic qi and exploding it outward.

This was what it meant to be Heaven Destroying.

The problem was that performing such a technique wasn't easy. It was impossible to simply transform nature qi through human will alone.

The Heavenly Demon Divine Art wasn't ranked as a divine art without reason.

However, using the third form was no ordinary burden on the body. Even if one mastered the qi cultivation method and ascended to the Heavenly Demon Body, its aftereffects were significant.

That was why he had only ever learned the form and never used it. However, using it directly like this… it was so taxing that his body trembled.

"Not even I, the throne…"

BOOM!

Time stopped.

No, to be exact, it felt like time was moving so slowly that it had stopped.

He couldn't understand what was happening. It was so absurd that he wondered if he had cognitive dissonance.

Was he hallucinating because he was so tired?

That seemed likely, especially as at the end of the Heavenly Demon's gaze stood Zhou Xuchuan, without a single wound on his body.

"Cough, cough!"

Zhou Xuchuan didn't miss the Heavenly Demon’s gaze even though he was spitting out dust instead of blood. He looked straight at him.

"What… the hell… are you…?"

His expression, one of utter disbelief, seemed fitting.

The Heavenly Demon simply stood there with his eyes wide open with shock.

"What…"

Boom!

The Master of the Seven Empyrean Overlords’ question was buried in the loud noise that came from Zhou Xuchuan as if the world had exploded.

Zhou Xuchuan became a meteor.

He put all his strength into his leg muscles and straightened his bent knees. The qi that gushed out from his Yongquan acupoint pushed the earth away.

His tattered and crippled meridians were fine, and his qi circulation was just as stable as when the battle had started.

His body was stretched straight out as an aftershock rippled in an arc behind him. Looking at him from far away, he looked like a hawk hunting for prey.

He didn't know how much qi he was drawing from his dantian. He just gave off the feeling of spitting everything out at once.

Screeeech!

He could feel the resistance of the air as the wind swept over his body.

He was moving so quickly that it was hard to open his eyes. This was the first time he had ever moved so fast. His muscles were so sore they felt as if they were going to tear.

Despite the pain, the effect of his movement was incredible.

Zhou Xuchuan approached the Heavenly Demon and swung his sword.

Crack!

It was like the Heavenly Demon was struck by a bolt of lightning.

Zhou Xuchuan's sword streaked down with a horrifying squeal as he used the first form, Violet Haze Dawnbreaker. Then, the vibrating sword aura spread out like a fan through Arc Flower Rain.

The arc of sword aura that had been spreading simultaneously gathered together once again and poured down like a waterfall.

"Ha!"

The Heavenly Demon held his breath as he focused on defense.

Desperate to muster what little qi remained, he wrenched at his dantian, forcing every last trace to the surface. At the same time, he crossed his arms in front of him, bracing for impact.

He waited for Zhou Xuchuan's next move with his eyes wide open.

"Come at me, any time… ugh!"

BOOM!

A streak of sword thread made of violet light (紫光) covered his body.

Crossing his arms had been useless. The pressure his body was undergoing had torn his arms apart. The weak defensive qi barrier that he had hastily wrapped around his body also shattered with holes everywhere.

Not only were his clothes ruined, but his skin was also left with numerous sword scars and blood scattered across the ground.

However, Zhou Xuchuan's offensive hadn't stopped yet.

Plum Blossoms Hide in a Crimson Haze ended, and the fourth form, Snatch Fate From the Heavens, followed.

The streak of light that dropped to the ground shook the earth before quickly rising into the air and raining down sword fragments.

The Heavenly Demon writhed in agony, unable to scream, let alone defend himself.

Pain wasn't a problem. He was just resentful that his body was too tired to respond.

Fifth Form!

Zhou Xuchuan clenched his fists. His nails dug into his flesh, drawing blood. The sword screamed.

The violet light that covered only the sword's body began to spread. It started to take its place, erasing the ominous darkness that had been shining so far.

Boundless Six Voids!

The flower had finally bloomed.

It was a plum blossom with a purple tint.

This wasn't a flower with a still-closed peak. No, this was a flower in full bloom.

The six leaves that drew a beautiful curve were truly impressive. The plum blossoms blooming from the sword gave off a fragrant scent that tickled the nose and breathed life into the barren land.

The ultimate and final form of the Violet Haze Sword Sutra was unfolded in the hands of the Mount Hua Sect's swordsman.

“Ah…"

Squelch.

The Heavenly Demon groaned as if he was regretful. His floating body fell limply and leisurely like the last leaf on a stem.

His body had no strength. He couldn't even tell what was damaged anymore. That was the extent of Zhou Xuchuan's attack.

While he responded with his Manifestation of One’s Path: Crush, he was only able to destroy one of the six leaves. In the end, five of the six leaves struck him directly.

As he looked over to the side, he saw that his shoulders had disappeared, starting from his fingertips. It was the parts where the flower petals had touched.

The hair fluttering in the air had no color left and had turned pure white. His rough and firm muscles collapsed, and he was unable to inject any strength into them.

His body, unable to resist or struggle, succumbed to the Boundless Six Voids.

Thud.

There was none of the horrifying noises that had occurred thus far. Only a few light clouds of dust rose from his fall.

“Ha…”

The Heavenly Demon took a deep breath while sprawled out across the ground.

“Whew...”

He exhaled deeply.

"Was that… your… Manifestation… of One's Path…?

The Heavenly Demon was still a little surprised even after speaking it into existence.

His voice was as unpleasant as scraping iron, and his lips were also cracked like dry earth.

The burning eyes that seemed to be on fire had also disappeared. They had died down now, as if it was impossible to tell where they were looking anymore.

“Yes.”

Zhou Xuchuan looked down at the Heavenly Demon and answered briefly. His face wasn’t very good either. It was as pale as a blank sheet of paper.

“Is that so…"

The Heavenly Demon's expression didn't look satisfied.

He just looked a little disappointed.

Zhou Xuchuan silently held his sword with both hands. If he used only one hand, it would tremble too much to hold onto the sword properly.

He held the sword in reverse and pointed the tip downward.

The Heavenly Demon looked up at the sword, then opened his mouth and said something. It was quite long. He spoke for a long time in a labored voice.

When he finished speaking, Zhou Xuchuan nodded. It wasn’t gratitude, nor was it respect.

It was just a farewell.

“Ah…"

The Heavenly Demon barely managed to hold onto his fading consciousness. He lay down and looked before him. He also looked up.

Before him was a sword that was blocking his view, slowly falling.

The Heavenly Demon looked beyond the sword—at the sky behind Zhou Xuchuan’s head.

“The sky doesn’t seem that dark, Association Lord…”

Squelch!

The sword pierced into his head.

Just in case, Zhou Xuchuan also drove his blade into the Heavenly Demon's heart.

Finally, he beheaded the devil.

He didn't care about respect for the Absolute Master.

After all, he was the Great Devil of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains.

The Greatest Demon Head.

Moreover, if the Heavenly Demon were to get up just because Zhou Xuchuan tried to act cool… that would be horrifying.

Zhou Xuchuan confirmed his kill without saying anything, then placed his foot on the Heavenly Demon's chest and raised his sword high.

He didn’t say anything in particular, but strangely, the sight didn’t leave people’s minds.

They remained silent, simply staring at him.

Cyncoco's Thoughts

It's me, Cyncoco!

The fifth and final form, Boundless Six Voids, actually has an incredible name.

The first two characters, 무궁 (無窮), are the characters that name the Korean Rose, the national flower of Korea. The flower's name in Korean literally translates to the flower that will never fade. It was a symbol of resistance against occupation.

The second two characters, 육허 (六虛), is a reference to the six paths of Buddhism, referencing reincarnation but also a neverending cycle of samsara.

But combined, they reference the cycle of flowers blooming and what it means to reach the peak of beauty.

In Korea, we often talk about how beauty is like that of a flower and how one will never be beautiful in the same way they were yesterday and the same way they will be tomorrow.

While the technique may say six voids and have six petals, true Korean Roses actually have five petals. That's what makes this so poetic.

Six is not a perfect number for the rose; five is. So having the Heavenly Demon destroy one and be attacked by the five petals, which represent the five Confucian virtues and the Daoist Path, is really cool, especially because by dropping the sixth petal, the Heavenly Demon is falling out of reincarnation and dying.

Of all the Mount Hua Sect techniques, this is my favorite.

This is one of those moments where it's impossible to translate the proper poetic intent, and it makes me feel like my work, in this case, is really inadequate.

If only one could understand the layered context behind this word with as much depth as it gives in its title in English as it does in Korean…

The fact that I have to TL/N: this and still sit here on my soapbox telling you that no matter how amazing I make this, it won't do it justice just goes to show why this was the very first murim to reach a million views on Kakaopages.