Volcanic Age

Chapter 230: The End of the Great War of Good and Blood (1)

"Is that Wei Zhijie? The Plum Blossom Sword Captain?!"

Yun He exclaimed in delight after recognizing Wei Zhijie's face.

"It's... the Plum Blossom Swordsmen!"

The faces of the righteous faction cultivators lit up instantly.

If Mount Hua's greatest elite, the Plum Blossom Sword Captain, traveled to Gangho, the swordsmen under his command would surely follow.

Not just one or two, either. Usually, at least ten swordsmen would accompany their captain.

"Reinforcements! Our reinforcements are here!"

Cheers erupted from the Martial Alliance combatants as they spotted the group standing on the distant hilltop.

It wasn't just the Plum Blossom Swordsmen. More Martial Alliance flags soon appeared, signaling the arrival of additional warriors.

Among them were ordinary fighters, Taoist and Buddhist monks, and even the beggars of the Beggar Gang!

"Assist our allies and crush our enemies!"

Wei Zhijie roared out his command.

"Whaaaaah!"

Around a thousand martial artists roared in unison before charging down the hill to join the battle.

"Senior Brother! Are you alright?"

As the war raged on, Luo Xiaoyue hurried to Zhou Xuchuan's side, her voice full of concern.

"More or less. Just a bit tired," Zhou Xuchuan replied with a joking tone, happy to see a familiar face.

"I'm sorry for being so late. We should've joined the Sect Master as he departed the sect, but the word didn't reach us in time, and that delayed us a little."

"It couldn't be helped. You were in closed-door training."

Initially, You Riwen had intended to take Mount Hua's elite Plum Blossom Swordsmen with him as reinforcements, but the Sword Captain's permission was required. Unfortunately, Wei Zhijie and other Plum Blossom Swordsmen had been in closed-door training at the time, making it difficult to contact them.

After some thought, You Riwen left an explanation about the Great War of Good and Blood and headed to the battlefield.

Soon after that, Wei Zhijie somehow got wind of the news through an emergency channel, forcing him to lead the Plum Blossom Swordsmen and chase after the Sect Master in a hurry.

"Oh, and we ran into cultivators that were summoned by the Martial Alliance on the way. Here, Hefei asked us to give you this letter," Luo Xiaoyue said.

Zhuge Xiuluan took the letter and quickly read it. "I'm sending additional troops, just in case. Vice Strategist, Zhuge Xiang..."

As expected of you, Heavenly Strategist!

Zhou Xuchuan couldn't help but admire Zhuge Xiang's foresight. Not only had he ensured the Martial Alliance warriors would meet the Plum Blossom Swordsmen en route, but he also timed their arrival perfectly. His future reputation as a heaven-sent strategist was clearly well-deserved!

"In that case, Young Lady Zhuge, I'll leave the rest to you," Zhou Xuchuan said, his exhaustion becoming more evident. "I'd like to help more, but I'm completely spent..."

His eyelids had gotten so much heavier. He wanted to rest so badly right now.

"Don't worry. Leave everything to me."

Zhuge Xiuluan's calm demeanor put Zhou Xuchuan's heart at ease.

"I'm retracting the order to retreat," Zhuge Xiuluan said.

The reinforcements numbered around one thousand, bringing the Martial Alliance's total force to just over three thousand combatants.

While the Blood Cult still had around four thousand fighters, their situation was grim. Most of their members were madmen who had abandoned reason. Roughly forty percent of their ranks consisted of jiangshi with weak physical bodies and no ability to think.

"We'll counterattack!"

"That's what I've been waiting to hear!" Zhi Yiguang roared, his voice brimming with the desire for vengeance.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

It was unfortunate that the Blood Demon was already dead, so he planned to take the lives of the Blood Cult believers in order to appease the souls of his disciple brothers and sisters.

"Kuh-aaaahk!"

"Aaaahk!"

The army of three thousand clashed with the opposing army of four thousand. Initially, the Blood Cult's savage ferocity gave them an advantage, but it didn't last long.

As the day wore on, the Blood Cult's numbers dwindled, and their numerical advantage was lost to the Martial Alliance.

The jiangshi had been revived by the Death Yin Staff at the cost of much lower durability, so they were the first to fall apart like leaves getting blown away by the storm winds.

Several sorcerers belatedly tried to control the jiangshi and mount a counterattack, but the sheer number of the undead made it nearly impossible. Besides, with their strength, controlling their own jiangshi already took a lot out of them. This was a stark reminder of just how monstrous the Blood Demon was.

Then again, the Blood Demon wasn't just a supreme cultivator who had reached the realm of manifesting his Path, but also the strongest sorcerer and a corpse master!

When over one thousand five hundred jiangshi had fallen, the remaining Blood Cultists began to panic.

"Kuh-heok?! D-dammit!"

When Zhuge Xiuluan arrived in a panic to ask for help, Yun He and the others rushed to help. But when they reached the Blood Demon, his sheer presence had left them paralyzed with fear.

Even though they were prepared to fight, Yun He doubted they could have defeated such a monster.

But then, Zhou Xuchuan miraculously returned from the brink of death and killed the Blood Demon, as if he was avenging his Sect Master.

Shui Jing's expression darkened. Yun He's words felt like a subtle jab at her.

However, she couldn't say anything in her defense and had to keep her mouth shut. Although she didn't like Zhou Xuchuan, that didn't mean she was going to deny all the contributions he made during the war.

"You've all fought hard," Wei Zhijie said. "Leave the night watch to us and get some well-deserved rest."

Though no one admitted it, they all looked dead-tired. Then again, considering they had been fighting all day, exhaustion was unavoidable. Not being tired would have been stranger.

The reinforcements, under Wei Zhijie's supervision, volunteered to guard the army as the night watch.

The truth was, there were still many unanswered questions. For instance, the details of the Blood Demon's fierce battle with the Exalted Sword Immortal, or how Zhou Xuchuan had seemingly come back from the dead after being pierced by countless blood spears and blades.

Other matters piqued the curiosity of the executives, but it was getting late. The temperature had also plummeted, causing stiff winds to blow. As a result, they had to postpone the rest of the briefing to the next day.

The following day...

Thanks to the Benevolence Clinic's capable physicians, many of the injured were treated successfully. Unfortunately, several people in critical condition still passed on despite the best efforts of the physicians.

However, before the piled-up corpses in Lanzhou could be dealt with, the Blood Cult believers raided the army, starting yet another intense battle.

By this time, the army had regrouped, and many of the injured had received medical attention. Even so, the battle was chaotic, as not many had been able to rest properly.

As it turned out, the Fragrance Spreading Draft's effects were much stronger than they had expected.

The Blood Cult believers attacked several times at night, too, forcing the Martial Alliance army to remain on high alert.

After three days and nights of hardship and battles, the Blood Cult's first and last invasion of the Central Plains came to an end.

Around one hundred of the surviving Blood Cult believers got captured, while the rest were crushed.

The Martial Alliance paid a heavy price for their victory, with seven hundred dead and three hundred injured.

"Is it finally over?"

Zhou Xuchuan relaxed while listening to the celebratory roars coming from outside his tent.

As for my body... it's more or less fine.

In truth, Zhou Xuchuan had fully recovered from his injuries and fatigue two days ago. His condition was now at its peak. Yet, he had refrained from participating in the battles.

I can't be sure if I've fully recovered, after all.

Countless spears and swords flew in and skewered him mercilessly. His injuries had been so grave that not even Hua Tao, the famed physician from the late Eastern Han dynasty, would have been able to heal them. Since that was the case, being more cautious seemed like a good idea.

More importantly, though, Zhou Xuchuan needed some time to organize all his new enlightenment acquired after reaching the Coruscant Realm. That was why he remained in this tent and spent his time focusing on qi breathing and circulation.

The Manifestation of One's Path... Regression.

It certainly was a new and novel power. Perhaps nothing suited Zhou Xuchuan more than such a power when trying to describe his life.

His previous life was what it was, but his current life couldn't have existed without regression. Getting older wouldn't have changed anything, either.

That was the main reason for Zhou Xuchuan successfully manifesting his Path. Regardless of how he lived his life, everything began with regression.

This power is to recover. To reverse time.

At a casual glance, it almost resembled the Bodily Reformation's third effect, the complete regeneration, but Zhou Xuchuan's power was completely different in reality. In fact, one could say it was even more absurd than that.

I can revert my body to the state it was in before I got injured.

In short, it was a type of regression, a power to revert his body's 'time' back.

To think he could go against the laws of nature purely through his will! Even he had to admit such a power was extremely absurd.

Having said that, it was still a human being's power, so it had severe restrictions and several side effects.

What I can regress are my flesh, blood, bones and injured internal organs. And I can only use this power on myself, no one else.

The Bodily Reformation's complete regeneration was closer to breaking down what existed and replacing it with something new. But regression was exactly what it was—reversing time. Zhou Xuchuan now had the power to return to the state before he got injured.

But I can't use this power infinitely. It's limited to once per day, and it drains an enormous amount of stamina and qi.

As proof, despite his best efforts to stay awake, Zhou Xuchuan couldn't overcome the intense fatigue and fell asleep right after his battle with the Blood Demon.

Even if people he trusted were nearby, he had still lost consciousness in the middle of a war zone. It was no laughing matter.

Also, although it's not tested yet, my power won't work if I'm killed instantly.

It'd be impossible to regress if he got beheaded, or if his brain or heart got destroyed. Even the power to go against laws of nature was still based on such laws. Even if his power allowed him to revert the state of his body, what was the point if his head was no longer attached to his neck?

Even if his head reverted to its original state, he would still die since the rest of his body was missing. Even if his body regressed, he'd still die without the head!

Also... Mm, I guess I can confirm this some other time.