Volcanic Age

It wasn’t easy to turn a martial artist—one who had been a master in life—into a jiangshi. This was especially true when the master in question had reached the Harmony Realm.

There was no way that a corpsemaster as strong as the Blood Demon would have turned a Harmony Realm Master into a common jiangshi, either.

As proof, You Xiaofeng showed an ability to move that a common jiangshi could never accomplish.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Woosh!

With a twist of his wrist, he flipped the handle of his weapon. The blade, which had been pointed at empty air, suddenly redirected toward Zhou Xuchuan on the opposite side.

Shing!

The yanyuedao left a streak of light as it sliced horizontally.

However, instead of a straight trajectory, the blade changed course mid-swing, slicing downward to cleave Zhou Xuchuan, who had bent low to the ground as if lying down.

“Heup!”

Zhou Xuchuan abruptly pulled his sword back and swung it upward to intercept the yanyuedao coming down from above.

Clang!

The longsword and yanyuedao collided, sending sparks flying.

“…!”

Startled, Zhou Xuchuan straightened his posture and stepped back.

He's strong.

His wrist tingled from the sheer force of the blow.

You Xiaofeng had been a formidable Harmony Realm Master in life, but now, resurrected as a living jiangshi, he was an entirely different kind of opponent. The process that turned him into a jiangshi had made him even stronger.

"I heard that the Celestial Gate Master had either gone mad or turned into a jiangshi, but I never thought it could be true…"

Beside him, Qiu Feng gasped for breath, visibly exhausted.

“By the way, isn’t that a bit different from what you said before?” Milky Way Sage asked as he also fixed his gaze on You Xiaofeng.

“Didn’t you mention that jiangshi created with the Death Yin Staff aren’t as strong because they’re hastily made?"

Zhou Xuchuan had seen him casually deflect a master’s sword strike with nothing but his skin. That kind of toughness was far beyond anything normal.

"That… that's beyond my knowledge as well," Zhou Xuchuan admitted.

He had a general idea of what the Death Yin Staff did, but he didn't know much about it in detail.

Considering it was an artifact that had gotten its fame from the Great War of Good and Blood, Zhou Xuchuan only knew its general abilities.

"Regardless, we don't have much time. I'll handle the Celestial Lake Gate Master, so could you quickly go rescue them?"

"Understood."

Meanwhile, the Kongtong Sect and the Mount Heng Sect were falling into more danger with every passing moment. They couldn’t afford to lose any more forces, so Zhou Xuchuan and his allies stopped talking and focused on the battle.

"Please create a path through their forces, Milky Way Sage and Fourteenth Sword Hero! I'll take care of the rest of the cultists and hold the line!"

Tou Zhong shouted as he took care of the jiangshi-turned Celestial Lake Gate disciples.

Woosh!

"It's the mole cultists!"

“Ugh!”

From underground, mole cultists emerged, while blood cultists and jiangshi continued their relentless attack on the Martial Alliance.

Even though Zhou Xuchuan and his group weren’t deep in enemy lines, the assaults were unending.

Zhou Xuchuan issued commands, and Tou Zhong followed without hesitation. At the least, he wasn’t a fool who couldn’t understand the situation.

Zhou Xuchuan’s reputation as a disciple of a major sect and a hero of the Righteous Faction gave him credibility with the battlefield commander, but the situation in the enemy’s center was becoming dire.

“Ugh!”

“Agh!”

With the sudden appearance of mole cultists, the Kongtong Sect and the Mount Heng Sect fell into chaos, their screams echoing across the battlefield. The blood cultists and jiangshi in front of them were already overwhelming, but the mole cultists' hands rising from the ground was truly terrifying.

"No! Senior Brother! Come to your senses!"

"Agk!"

"Ugh! It's me! I'm your Junior Brother!!"

But the most horrifying sight was their junior and senior brothers and sisters turning into jiangshi as they died. It was a nightmare no one ever wanted to face—seeing those they had lived and trained with become their enemies.

Even if they were jiangshi, and even if they weren't very strong, how could anyone bring themselves to cut down a fellow disciple who had been breathing moments ago? This just wasn't right.

“Come to your senses!”

Zhi Yunbo cleaved through the neck of a disciple who had turned into a jiangshi.

"They’re not your fellow disciples anymore; they’re just jiangshi now!"

"But, Eldest Brother!"

"Don't forget our Demon Slayer creed! If you don't come to your senses, you're going to die!"

Zhi Yunbo fought ferociously, tearing through the demons before him.

“What is this…!”

Shui Jing rolled her prayer beads with trembling fingers, anger rising within her as she took in the scene around her. Her body shook with rage.

No matter how much Buddhism valued ​​the soul and spirit over the flesh, wasn’t this wrong?

"How dare you insult the dead like this, Blood Demon! You will face heaven's wrath!"

Shui Jing’s anger surged as she unleashed the Blossom Severing Petal Scattering Sword Technique, cutting down a group of blood cultists.

But unlike Zhi Yunbo, she couldn’t bring herself to strike her fallen brothers and sisters who had become jiangshi. Instead, she either pushed them back with palm wind or shoved them away with palm force.

Looking toward their retreat path, she was dismayed to see it filled with not those of the Martial Alliance but with blood cultists.

"We’ve fallen into a trap!"

Shui Jing only realized that they had made a mistake after falling into danger.

Zhou Xuchuan had seen a master become a living jiangshi in the past.

The first Phantom Sovereign of the Valley of Phantoms, the Three-Eyed Godly Thief.

At that time, the Three-Eyed Godly Thief had demonstrated incredible martial arts, but he hadn’t been this strong. Perhaps it was because his training had focused solely on thief-like footwork and movement techniques, leaving his overall cultivation at the Transcendent Realm.

In comparison, the Celestial Lake Gate Master You Xiaofeng was different.

In contrast, the Celestial Lake Gate Master, You Xiaofeng, was different. He had been a Harmony Realm Master in life and didn’t rely solely on movement techniques. His cultivation was well-rounded and formidable.

Above all, with his new jiangshi body, his already extraordinary physical strength had been amplified several times over.

Clang!

Zhou Xuchuan’s sword clashed with You Xiaofeng’s yanyuedao. The sharp metallic sound rang out repeatedly, each strike screeching through the air. The man and the jiangshi locked eyes, measuring each other.

There's no testing with him.

Jiangshi weren’t like humans. They came at you with everything they had right from the start. Trying to test their skills now would only invite disaster.

Even when alive, the Celestial Lake Gate Master would have been a challenging enemy to face, but now, in death, he had leaped a few steps higher. He was clearly at the peak of the Harmony Realm.

"Fine. I’ll give it my all, too.”

Woosh!

A purple haze began rising from Zhou Xuchuan’s feet, swirling up his body. His sleeves billowed and fluttered as the Violet Haze Divine Art exploded with power. His tendons bulged, and even his blood vessels were visible.

Thump!

His heartbeat quickened. His breathing slowed. He could feel his pulse racing as raw power coursed through his veins.

"Heup!"

Thud!

Zhou Xuchuan kicked off the ground and dashed forward.

Time seemed to slow as his senses sharpened. The metallic sounds in the battlefield seemed to fade, and it felt as though he were alone in the world.

However, he wasn't alone. His activated qi sense rippled outward. The moment his soles touched the ground, he detected the movements within the earth veins beneath him.

Crunch!

The hands of mole cultists burst from the ground, clawing at his ankles. But Zhou Xuchuan had already leaped into the air.

He twisted mid-air, swung his sword, and severed a hand reaching for him. As he landed, he rolled smoothly and closed the distance to You Xiaofeng.

Boom!

You Xiaofeng swung his yanyuedao with terrifying force, the heavy blade cutting through the air with a deafening crack.

Zhou Xuchuan didn’t flinch. He stepped forward and countered with his sword.

BOOM!

When their weapons collided, the sheer power of the clash exploded outward, creating a shockwave that echoed like cannon fire.

“Tsk!”

Zhou Xuchuan clicked his tongue in frustration as his sword aura was blocked.

Even though You Xiaofeng’s body retained the power of a Harmony Realm Master, as a jiangshi, he couldn’t use aura arts. While he could still perform the techniques he had mastered in life, aura wasn't something that could simply be created by using a lot of qi, but rather required a concentration born of enlightenment a jiangshi no longer possessed.

Instead, a living jiangshi formed using the body of a Harmony Realm Master would convert pure qi appropriate to its realm to strengthen its body.

That was why, even without countering an aura art with one of its own, a jiangshi could still block the full impact of an attack as long as it had enough qi.

The downside was that this qi couldn’t be used for offensive techniques. But for a jiangshi, that hardly mattered. Their tireless bodies and unique abilities more than made up for it.

So the ability to absorb death qi to recover if there are corpses or other jiangshi nearby is still the same! How annoying!

You Xiaofeng's qi became a wellspring that never dried up.

Woosh!

You Xiaofeng straightened his yanyuedao and lunged forward, delivering a powerful threefold strike.

Clang!

Sparks flew.

Clang! Clang, clang!

The sound of metal rang out in rapid succession as You Xiaofeng’s relentless thrusts pushed Zhou Xuchuan back. Zhou Xuchuan struck back just as fiercely, their blades meeting again and again.

In mere moments, dozens of blows had been exchanged. Both moved at speeds that left afterimages behind—movements so fast that an average martial artist wouldn’t even be able to see them!

Ha! Taking down a jiangshi really is no easy task!

The special nature of the Celestial Lake Gate's foundational technique was originally in its weight, not its speed. Such rapid strikes should have been impossible.

The yanyuedao was heavy, and if one overdid it while using a lot of strength, their meridians would tear. However, a jiangshi’s body didn't have such restrictions.

After being reborn as a jiangshi, You Xiaofeng’s strength increased significantly, and since he now moved by leveraging qi, such tears didn’t matter.

However!

Zhou Xuchuan's eyes widened as his grip on his sword tightened.

Strength surged from Zhou Xuchuan’s dantian, just below his navel. The energy flowed through his meridians, reaching his hand and making it tremble as he channeled power into his sword.

“Your body may be strong!”

Clang! Clang, clang!

Clang!

The sword and the yanyuedao clashed countless times. They clashed vertically, horizontally, and diagonally, their strikes creating beams of light that shot out in every direction.

The swords clashed in midair at speeds too fast for the naked eye to follow.

In that brief exchange, they collided hundreds of times, when suddenly, cracks spread across the yanyuedao like spider webs.

"But your weapon isn't!"

Even though the yanyuedao was a weapon worthy of a gate master, it couldn’t compare to Tai’e, one of the legendary Three Swords of the Spring and Autumn Annals.

It was only a matter of time before the relentless impacts became too much for it to endure.

Crack!

Finally, the yanyuedao gave out. It shattered into countless pieces, the fragments scattering and spinning through the air. Each shard caught the sunlight, reflecting the faces of its master and his opponent.

You Xiaofeng’s expression, for the first time, seemed strangely calm—almost peaceful.

"Goodbye, Celestial Lake Gate Master!"

Zhou Xuchuan looked at You Xiaofeng with a deep sense of respect as he swung his sword in a single, clean motion.

Squelch!

The blade cut through You Xiaofeng’s head, slicing through his skin, skull, and brain.

“…Ha!”

Zhou Xuchuan exhaled heavily as his breathing returned to normal. His body wasn’t physically exhausted, but his mind felt drained.

The Harmony Realm Master, who had fought so fiercely, slowly closed his eyes.

When Zhou Xuchuan withdrew his sword, You Xiaofeng’s body collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

“What’s happening at the front?”

If the situation hadn't been so urgent, he would have been more tactful. However, as soon as he confirmed that You Xiaofeng was dead, he turned his head sharply.

"We’re starting to break through!” Qiu Feng called back.

Ahead, the Milky Way Sage, Tou Zhong, and the other Martial Alliance forces were pressing forward. Though not all of the trapped sect members could be seen, Zhi Yunbo stood out among the crowd.

“Hmm, Kongtong’s Demon Slayer. That'll be a pretty good sacrifice.”

At that moment, a Great Demon Head emerged, his presence instantly drawing everyone’s attention.

“Blood Demon!”

Zhi Yunbo gritted his teeth.

"Where were you hiding all this time? Still, it’s impressive that you finally found the courage to show yourself! Hahaha!"

The aura on Zhi Yunbo’s sword flared. His eyes, filled with bloodlust, were as sharp as a predator’s.

“No! Run away!” Zhou Xuchuan shouted, his expression darkening as he saw the Blood Demon.

“Hmph! What good could a mere cult leader, a sorcerer, do if he gets close instead of staying far away?” Zhi Yunbo snorted.

Then, worried about what kind of sorcery the Blood Demon might use, he flew forward quickly.

“Die!”

The bluish aura of the Demon Slaying Sword shone even brighter in the sunlight as he swung it down.

Tap.

Zhi Yunbo's eyes widened in disbelief. What he saw was the Blood Demon holding a sword with a fern-like hand.

"The Blood Demon didn't become one of the Ten Empyrean Overlords through sorcery!"

Zhou Xuchuan shouted, recalling the nightmare of his previous life.

"He became one through his martial arts!"