Volcanic Age

"Waaaaaah!"

"Die!"

The Four Great Guardian Golden Saber Demon's action triggered the cultists into attacking once more.

"Be careful! They're members of the Demon Cult's Wind Demon Squadron!" Fang Fotong cried out urgently.

The Wind Demon Squadron was the Demon Cult's infamous pursuit squadron. Thus, their lightness arts were some of the best within the cult. Every member's martial prowess was at least on the Peak Realm, while the squad leader was at the Extreme Demon Realm, making him a top-tier expert.

The apostate was one of the Four Great Guardians, so it was clear that the cult had gone all-out to get the job done.

"Assist the Abbot! Now!" Hui Fa shouted at his fellow Shaolin monks. He was a warrior monk second in the hierarchy to Hui Mian. With the Eighteen Arhats at the lead, the warrior monks charged in and collided against the fifty-strong Wind Demon Squadron.

"Argh!"

"Aaaahk!"

A fierce battle that eyes could hardly follow ensued. Waves of killing intent, sharp enough to make hairs stand on end, blew across the battlefield like storm winds.

The two sides yielded not even an inch. The Shaolin Temple had dispatched their top warriors to ensure their vengeance would be fulfilled by the end of today, but the Demon Cult had clearly done the same.

Both sides boasted a similar level of combat strength, making it difficult to decide who would walk away victorious from this fight. Mount Heng Sect and the alliance of Shanxi's sects and clans were here to help, but they ultimately couldn't do much.

The alliance members couldn't even approach the battlefield, as they were afraid of making things worse for the Shaolin Temple by getting in the way. As for Mount Heng, they hadn't sent enough people to make a difference.

Perhaps it was because the Shaolin Temple had revealed its intention to lead the hunt for the Great Demon Head, but ninety percent of the warriors were made up of warrior monks.

While all this was happening, another group was stealthily observing the situation from some distance away. Even a casual glance was enough for anyone to see the ominous air emanating from this group.

Numbering almost one hundred, these warriors emitted an aura that was perhaps not as strong as the Wind Demon Squadron but still told everyone that they were a force to be reckoned with.

They moved forward cautiously while concealing their presence and noises.

"Argh!"

Before they could cover a decent distance, one of them collapsed to the ground and writhed as foam bubbled out of their mouth. The group was shocked, and they were forced to stand up.

"It's poison!"

"Who is it?!"

The poison was unknown to them, but the fact that one of their own was poisoned meant that their presence had been discovered. At this point, stealth was pointless.

The cultists wanted to ambush the enemy from the rear, but their efforts had gone out the window. While ruing their missed chance, the cultists urgently looked around.

"Nice to make your acquaintance, Wind Yin Squadron."

The enemy readily revealed themselves.

"…!" The leader of the Wind Yin Squadron was stunned for two reasons. The first reason behind it was the fact that the enemy had casually spoken their group's name, which was a secret even within the cult.

As for the second reason? It was the enemy's identity, of course!

"Sword Dragon Zhou Xuchuan!"

The stories of the Righteous Faction's hero had spread beyond the borders of the Central Plains. Some of his fame could be attributed to how the Seven Swords War triggered by the Blood Muscle and Tendon Classic had ended in such an absurd manner.

"To think you know about Wind Yin Squadron when only a few within the cult are aware of our existence! It seems that the spies from the Righteous Faction have infiltrated our ranks quite thoroughly!" The Wind Yin Squadron Leader muttered with his eyes narrowed to slits.

Of course, he was mistaken. The existence of the Wind Yin Squadron would only be revealed sometime later in the timeline. Zhou Xuchuan was only aware of their existence because he had fought them during his previous life.

If the Wind Demon Squadron was like a storm, then the Wind Yin Squadron would be like invisible blades hidden within said storm. This group usually remained hidden some distance away, and then they would ambush the enemy from the rear when they least expected it.

Their enemies would be too occupied with fending off the storm or were busy figuring out how or why they had died.

Zhou Xuchuan really had to thank Luo Xiaoyue for discovering their presence.

"Ninety-four, ninety-five… Ninety-five?" Tang Hui casually counted the Wind Yin Squadron members here, as she had already sent five of them to the afterlife with her poison. Her count was perfect; the Wind Yin Squadron numbered one hundred earlier.

Zhou Xuchuan's group seemed hopelessly outnumbered.

"Hahahaha!" The leader of the Wind Yin Squadron laughed in dismay. "I've heard that the Righteous Faction's young geniuses are arrogant beyond description, but never have I imagined that it'll be to this degree! There are only six of you; you're not thinking of taking us out, right?"

Zhou Xuchuan inwardly muttered, Nope, there are seven of us.

Little Ghost was hiding within his shadows at the moment.

However, he didn't see a need to correct the enemy.

Of course, their numbers wouldn't change the fact that his side was outnumbered. The enemy's ridiculing attitude also wouldn't change even if Zhou Xuchuan were to correct them.

"Looks like our enemies range between First-Class and Peak Realm. As for their leader, he seems like a Transcendent Realm expert. Be on guard, everyone," said Meng Ge while spinning his sword in his grip.

"Prepare the Three Aspects Sword Formation," said Tan Xiang, who was the most proficient at commanding a sword formation out of everyone here.

Meng Ge and Luo Xiaoyue got in formation to match Tan Xiang.

"Mm…? Wouldn't it be better to ask for help?" Poison Dragon Tang Mingren asked.

Zhou Xuchuan's companions were confident in their skills, but dealing with nearly one hundred demonic cultivators would still be dangerous. More specifically, they were about to deal with ninety-five demonic cultivators.

Clashing against so many head-on could lead to serious injuries.

Even worse, the Wind Demon Squadron Leader was right in front of their noses, too. Exhausting themselves even before fighting the other group of enemies didn't sound like a good idea at all.

"The Wind Yin Squadron is one thing, but the Wind Demon Squadron is an elite combat force within the Demon Cult. The Shaolin Temple won't have any wherewithal to help u.

"I must apologize first for saying this, but the representatives of other sects joining the fray will only make our job harder."

Zhou Xuchuan was strong enough to avoid his allies and pick out only the enemy combatants, even on a chaotic battlefield. However, he didn't feel the need to get his allies involved here.

In all honesty, he thought that they would only get in the way. Since that was the case, handling this situation by himself was the better choice here.

Then, shall we find out how much stronger I've become?

Zhou Xuchuan had been training with his sword since he reached the Coruscant Realm, but other than the Blood Demon, he had yet to obtain a chance to test his strength in real combat.

Fortunately, an opportunity to do so had just appeared before him.

"Let me make this clear," said Zhou Xuchuan. He started rotating his ankles to loosen his joints. "I'm strong."

"What a clown!" The leader of the Wind Yin Squadron snorted derisively and exclaimed, "You only managed to kill the Blood Demon because you got lucky! How dare you think that your victory was all due to your prowess alone!

Everyone in the murim knew that the Blood Demon had received severe injuries from the Exalted Sword Immortal, and then Zhou Xuchuan swooped in to finish the job.

The leader of the Wind Yin Squadron was one of those who believed that story. Of course, he acknowledged Zhou Xuchuan's strength. After all, Zhou Xuchuan was a Harmony Realm expert and at the top of the One Hundred Experts Under Heaven.

However, that was all Zhou Xuchuan amounted to.

Moreover, he was still a brat barely past the age of twenty.

Zhou Xuchuan was so arrogant that the leader of the Wind Yin Squadron believed that he could beat the former even with his eyes closed!

"Very well! Since you wish to die so badly today, then let me help you!" The Wind Yin Squadron Leader smirked, and his eyes burned brightly in a crimson hue as demonic nature took over him.

He and his group usually hid themselves to avoid detection, but when it was time to fight? As befitting demonic cultivators, they unhesitantly fell back to their savage natures.

"Zhou! Xuch—"

Smack!

The Wind Yin Squadron leader couldn't finish his words, as something had left behind a straight line in the air before brushing past his cheek.

A Wind Yin Squadron member behind the Squadron Leader threw his head backward as if a rock had crashed into his forehead.

The squadron member's skull shattered like a ripe watermelon, and his headless body collapsed onto the Wind Yin Squadron Leader's back.

"…chuan?"

The Wind Yin Squadron Leader somehow finished mouthing Zhou Xuchuan's name.

What had flown past him just now? He saw a violet flash, but that was about it.

He couldn't figure out what happened afterward.

By the time he had sobered up, another flash of light had already brushed past his cheek, destroying the head of his subordinate on standby behind him.

The Wind Yin Squadron Leader hurriedly turned around to discover Mount Hua's monster folding his thumb and middle finger inward. The violet haze wavering near Zhou Xuchuan's fingertips told the Wind Yin Squadron Leader the truth.

"Violet Haze Finger!"

It was Mount Hua's high-tier finger attack technique. Moreover, the specific technique was recorded in the Violet Haze Divine Art that only the Sect Master was permitted to study!

"I've heard the rumors, but to think it was true…" Tang Mingren muttered, taking the words out of the Wind Yin Squadron Leader's mouth.

Knowing that his passing was imminent, Mount Hua's late Sect Master, Exalted Sword Immortal You Riwen had supposedly chosen to impart the Violet Haze Divine Art to the Five High Elders and Sword Dragon Zhou Xuchuan.

However, the Wind Yin Squadron Leader belatedly realized that the word "supposedly" was misleading. The rumors were true all along.

"I don't even know who's the peerless genius here…" Luo Xiaoyue muttered, sounding stunned.

The other Mount Hua disciples failed to hide their shock. They would often hear about the extremely high level of the Violet Haze Finger. Sure enough, its destructive power made them all go, Yup, I get it now.

However, this technique was based on the Violet Haze Divine Art, which was notorious for its extreme difficulty. In other words, executing the Violate Haze Finger on a battlefield was easier said than done.

As proof, the Five High Elders of Mount Hua couldn't even unleash the Divine Art, never mind use it to strengthen themselves. There was a reason people were calling Zhou Xuchuan an unprecedented genius and a monster as well.

"Our late Sect Master once said that it took him a considerable amount of time before producing that much power from the Violet Haze Finger…" Meng Ge muttered, and then he shook his head helplessly.

"Enough with the surprise. We can't let Xuchuan handle everything. Let us demonstrate the power of the Plum Blossom Swordsmen!" Tan Xiang shouted.

The Three Aspects Sword Formation came to life. This formation was a basic cooperative attack method that required three people to execute. It was basic, sure, but the members utilizing it weren't some weak pushovers.

They were Mount Hua's elites, so their individual martial prowess was something else, while their teamwork was just perfect. They moved as if they were a single person.

"Uwaaaahk!"

"Argh!"

Every time plum blossoms gently danced, fogs of blood scattered in the air.

The Wind Yin Squadron members unleashed their demonic energy and pounced on the Mount Hua trio, but their reward was death.

Meanwhile, the Poison Dragon and the Poison Phoenix engulfed their surroundings with their arsenal of hidden weapons as well as their deadly poison.

"W-what was that?!"

"Someone is hiding nearby!"

"Argh!"

The Wind Yin Squadron members knew that poison users were weak in close-quarter combat, so they tried to close in, only to die unceremoniously before they could get close enough.

This was the handiwork of Little Ghost, an assassin whose level of stealth was so high that not even the Wind Yin Squadron members could detect her.

Little Ghost hovered near Tang Hui and Tang Mingren, nipping the buds that looked dangerous before they could bloom.

"I'm not sure who's with the Sword Dragon, but their skills are extraordinary," said Tang Mingren in admiration.

Zhou Xuchuan had already introduced Little Ghost to everyone. Of course, he hid her true identity. His explanation was that he ran into her coincidentally during his sojourn through the gangho. She was in danger, so he helped her out, and she swore to guard him as repayment.

Anyone with a brain could tell that the story was suspicious, but Tang Hui and Luo Xiaoyue, cognizant of Little Ghost's existence, assisted Zhou Xuchuan and convinced the others to believe him.

Little Ghost had never revealed her physical appearance, so they had no idea that she was a young girl.

This makes no sense! The Wind Yin Squadron Leader was freaking out inside.

These youngsters were the famed Five Dragons and Three Phoenixes, and they were accompanied by the members of the Plum Blossom Swordsmen, but would anyone expect their group to be this overwhelmingly powerful?

Of course, this was only possible thanks to Zhou Xuchuan dealing with the majority of the Wind Yin Squadron members by himself.

I see. So this is the true power of Imitation! Funnily enough, even Zhou Xuchuan was stunned by his own heaven-defying strength.His Manifestation of One's Mind consisted of '"Imitation" and "Regression."

"Imitation" allowed him to re-learn everything he knew to improve his martial prowess radically, and his learning speed was astoundingly fast.

He was learning so fast that the public took to calling him "history's number one genius," but they were wrong. His incredible attainment in Mount Hua's techniques was only possible because he had already mastered those techniques long ago.

However, most techniques outside Mount Hua required him to be enlightened separately to master them, and this explained why it took Zhou Xuchuan a bit longer to master them.

This was his secret.

This had been the case for the Ten-Thousand Jin Sword and the Eclipse Divine Archery Art.In other words, his talent was ordinary, so mastering a new type of martial arts would take him much longer, and even then, his level of mastery would be low, too.

However, it all changed once he got his hands on "Imitation." The more he trained what he had already learned, the more he looked like a super genius!

Despite teaching Zheng Huilian for nearly five months, Zhou Xuchuan never neglected his own training and had mastered several things.

For instance, the techniques that he had mastered through the Ten Thousand Convergence Art had already reached the fifth level. His Hundred Divine Transformations had become quite a high level as well.

However, he had seen the most improvement with his Violet Haze Divine Art and Violet Haze Sword Sutra. He matched the Exalted Sword Immortal You Riwen's level of mastery over those arts.

"Come, Wind Yin Squadron! I'll be the one to torment you today!"