Volcanic Age

"Zhou Xuchuan! You son of a dog! Trampling and spitting on your corpse won\'t be enough of a punishment for you!" Blessed Existence raged. He was famous for being the epitome of composure, but he was actually raging like a madman at this moment.

Blessed Existence screamed, pounded the ground, and swore incessantly. Considering his personality, he\'d never put on such a disgraceful show for others to see, but today was an exception.

"Just how! How! How….!" The blood rushing to Blessed Existence\'s head made it difficult for him to form a proper sentence. He gnashed his teeth so hard that creaking noises echoed from his teeth.

He survived the Jiangsu branch?!

That place was supposed to be a death trap—a guaranteed death for intruders!

The trap mechanisms installed by the entrance were designed to overwhelm any intruders. Even if the intruders somehow managed to break through the traps, they\'d have to deal with the jiangshis immediately afterward.

The whole place was a nightmarish hellscape!

Regardless of Zhou Xuchuan’s cultivation realm and how many heavenly spiritual medicines he had consumed so far, escape from that tunnel was supposed to be possible.

Even if he somehow got lucky and survived both the overwhelming traps and the jiangshis, the experts from the Warped Valor Division were still lying in wait for him.

Blessed Existence reckoned that even a Harmony Realm expert would find it difficult to fight against a highly trained group of enemies in an unfamiliar and constricting environment.

The Jiangsu Branch was bolstered with many different advanced and expensive mechanisms, creations of sorcery from the Blood Cult, and even a living group of experts.

Even if an intruder were a top expert, they\'d still fail to survive such a predicament—no, even the grandfather of said top expert would die if he were in the latter\'s shoes.

Blessed Existence even received criticism from the other executives; they all said that he was going overboard by dispatching Warped Valor’s soldiers. Blessed Existence\'s preparations were that thorough, and it was the only way for him to feel secure.

The Jiangsu secret branch was surprisingly valuable to the Association, so giving up on it would be too much of a loss. That was why he worked so hard to prepare for a possible infiltration.

Since he had decided to do it, he was going to do it as meticulously as possible. He even deployed a surveillance team near the entrance just in case the absolute worst ended up happening.

He was so thorough that the word "meticulous" was no longer apropos to describe him; he had long entered the realm of obsessive madness!

However, despite his preparations…

"How come we still know basically nothing?!"

Several pawns based in Suzhou had reported that something strange had happened below the Lion Grove. Feeling anxious, Blessed Existence dispatched his agents, and they reported that the secret base had somehow caved in.

It was literally destroyed. The entrance was designed to end up that way, so its condition did not really matter. However, the report also stated that the hidden entrance located some distance away had also been blocked off by debris.

With that, it became impossible to investigate what Zhou Xuchuan had uncovered and had taken away with him.

The surveillance team near the entrance had gone missing as well.

Of course, "missing" was just the official report. Blessed Existence reckoned that they were all dead by now.

Blessed Existence\'s meticulous preparation had all ended in a spectacular failure, but what enraged him even more was the possibility that the Association’s grand plan had been compromised.

Having no idea how much information Zhou Xuchuan had unearthed, Blessed Existence had to consider going back to the drawing board for the Association\'s grand plan.

***

A week ago, Zhou Xuchuan’s group shoved every log, record, and document in the library into a large sack. Then, they left the branch through the hidden exit. Zhou Xuchuan immediately sensed hidden gazes observing him from afar, and he promptly took care of them.

Once he was done dealing with the gazes, he couldn\'t help but feel a bit afraid, realizing that his enemies were awfully prepared.

After dealing with the surveillance team, the group returned to the hidden exit to destroy the Dark Heavens Association\'s secret underground branch.

Zhuge Shengji pushed and prodded the walls, sending the traps into a frenzy.

Eventually, the ground caved in, and the branch was buried in a ton of dirt. At the horrible sight, the Jiangsu Branch Head bit his tongue, choosing to end his own life.

It was a mistake born from a brief moment of distraction. Since the Jiangsu Branch Head was so obedient, Zhou Xuchuan figured that the old man was a smart man who valued his life, but he was mistaken.

The Jiangsu Branch Head lost all hope when the hidden trump cards he had been counting on ended up getting buried beneath all that dirt.

The original plan was to drag the Jiangsu Branch Head back to Jinan and torture him until he spat any useful information. However, the plan had to be scrapped with the Jiangsu Branch Head\'s death.

The group had no idea of their current location, so they were forced to walk in a random direction. After walking for half a day and arriving at a remote village, they finally got their bearing. It turned out that the remote village was neither too far nor too close to Suzhou.

"What are you going to do now, Senior Brother?" Luo Xiaoyue asked.

"It looks like I must infiltrate the Evil Valley after this," said Zhou Xuchuan.

"The Evil Valley?"

"Yes. Here."

The information that they had uncovered in the Jiangsu Branch of the Dark Heavens Association couldn’t be called earth-shattering, but it still proved useful. In fact, the information that they had obtained was perfect for Zhou Xuchuan.

After all, he could no longer predict the future.

Zhou Xuchuan pondered over what to do next. Fortunately, the Evil Valley’s territory wasn’t too far from Jiangsu, so he decided to keep going south and slip into their backyard.

Of course, he didn’t forget to discuss his findings with Luo Xiaoyue and Zhuge Shengji.

"You told me that the Dark Heavens Association must have infiltrated the factions in Murim, but to think that it’d be to this extent!" Luo Xiaoyue replied, failing to hide her shock.

Zhuge Shengji also nodded in agreement.

"While we’re on this topic…" Zhou Xuchuan muttered. He scratched his head, looking troubled.

"I know, Senior Brother. I’ll draw too much attention," said Luo Xiaoyue. Her furrowed brows indicated that she was unhappy, but she seemed to have understood where Zhou Xuchuan was coming from.

Luo Xiaoyue was so beautiful that she\'d turn heads wherever she went, and her fame had recently skyrocketed due to the Green Dragon incident, so it was difficult for her to move incognito.

A veil wouldn\'t be that helpful as well, so Zhou Xuchuan figured that it\'d be better not to bring her along. Fortunately, Luo Xiaoyue did not insist on following Zhou Xuchuan to his next destination.

"It can’t be helped," said Luo Xiaoyue, but she looked deeply rueful. She had been looking forward to a cultivation journey with her Senior Brother for quite a while now, but the timing was never quite right until now.

If they were to part ways today, it’d be a long, long time before they\'d get to see each other again.

The realization made Luo Xiaoyue feel even sadder.

"The weather’s gotten cold, Senior Brother. It’ll be a year in a little while."

Unlike other Mount Hua disciples, Luo Xiaoyue wasn’t allowed to travel in gangho

for too long. It was all because she had already been chosen, albeit unofficially, as a Plum Blossom Swordsman.

She had already achieved enough fame, so there was no need for her to go any further.

At this point, all she had to do was return to Mount Hua and receive training as one of Mount Hua\'s elite swordsmen.

"I’m sorry for breaking our promise, Junior Sister. Please blame this idiotic Senior Brother of yours," said Zhou Xuchuan with a bitter smile tugging at his lips. He wasn’t joking. He genuinely felt bad for her.

He had been dragging Luo Xiaoyue around, but he had ended up leaving her behind to deal with many things, including the matter with the Xia Wu Sect. They regrouped later on, but the issue with the Dark Heavens Association had kept them too busy to enjoy the scenery and bustle of gangho.

They were so busy that their time together was up before they realized it.

"No, it’s fine, Senior Brother." Luo Xiaoyue shook her head, and a gentle, natural smile suffused her lips. "I’m unhappy, but it’s not like I don’t understand the situation. It can’t be helped. More importantly, though, I had a wonderful time experiencing all these events with you, Senior Brother."

What\'s this? Is she a fairy?

Luo Xioayue’s radiant smile was burned deeply into Zhou Xuchuan’s brain. Luo Xiaoyue was so devastatingly beautiful that he felt like her smile would forever be burned into the retina of his eyes!

If Luo Xiaoyue\'s smile were an expert, they would be on the same level as the Ten Empyrean Overlords. Forget grievous internal injuries, her smile was so powerful to trigger a cultivation deviation!

"Although it’s unfortunate that I won’t see you for a while, it’s not like we’ll never see each other again, isn’t it?" Luo Xiaoyue asked, smiling shyly while holding Zhou Xuchuan’s sleeve. "If you truly wish to be with someone you care about, wouldn\'t your heart already be with that individual? Even if a great distance separates you both?"

Someone once said that an individual\'s true feelings would shine the brightest just as they were about to greet or part from someone they cared about.

"Ah…" Zhou Xuchuan almost teared up just then. No one had ever spoken such words to him until now. There was actually someone who cared about him? His old self was unfamiliar with such a concept. Zhou Xuchuan didn\'t even have a close friend back then, much less someone who genuinely cared about him!

Zhou Xuchuan’s eyes darted around in sheer awkwardness, but he eventually held Luo Xiaoyue’s hand.

"Got it. We shall meet again."

Luo Xiaoyue’s eyes opened wide in surprise before curving into a pair of crescent moons as she erupted into a radiant smile.

Erm, is this the right time to ask if I can go home as well? Hm, I guess not? Zhuge Shengji was squatting in a corner, silently watching the two from the sidelines.

Encounters were bound to end with goodbyes. After promising each other to meet again in the future, Zhou Xuchuan and his companions went their separate ways.

Before they separated, Zhou Xuchuan gave Luo Xiaoyue a Lesser Circulation Pill. It was the one that Shaolin’s Divine Monk had allowed him to use. During the Jiangsu incident, Zhou Xuchuan learned that Luo Xiaoyue’s qi reserve was a bit lacking, so he hoped that the Lesser Circulation Pill would help her.

If she was lucky, the pill would help her break down the wall between cultivation realms. Even if luck wasn\'t on her side, her qi reserve would still increase substantially upon consuming the pill.

"I’ll see you again, Brother!" Zhuge Shengji shouted, beaming brightly.

Zhou Xuchuan was somewhat rueful about the fact that he could not take his friend with him. His next destination was within the Evil Valley’s sphere of influence. He’d have to move in surreptitiously once he was there, so allowing Zhuge Shengji to return home was a better choice.

Luo Xiaoyue would be Zhuge Shengji\'s escort, so there was nothing to worry about. Her cultivation journey would reach its end once Zhuge Shengji was returned to the Gold Will Merchants. She could return to Mount Hua directly afterward.

"Looks like it’s only you and me, Little Ghost," said Zhou Xuchuan.

"Yes, sir."

"Do you mind chatting with me whenever things get boring?"

"No, sir."

"Yup, I’m screwed. Might as well talk to myself instead."

Zhou Xuchuan needed Little Ghost to guide him to a Phantom branch. However, he also required someone capable of acting as his hands and feet. Little Ghost was perfect for the job, as her skills were unquestionable, and they had gotten quite close, too.

"For now, let’s head to Zhejiang."

Zhou Xuchuan could already picture Blessed Existence losing his mind over the destruction of a secret base. He reckoned that Blessed Existence had to be in the middle of turning Jiangsu upside down to find the culprit.

Zhou Xuchuan briefly considered working together with Jiangsu’s Phantoms, but their base was in the opposite direction to Zhejiang, and the distance was quite considerable, too.

Zhou Xuchuan could hide his face and move with extra caution, but he didn’t feel like it was worth doing that in exchange for exhausting himself mentally. Besides, he could just stop by later.

Thus, Zhou Xuchuan visited Zhejiang\'s Valley of Phantoms instead of their branch in Jiangsu.

The Phantoms welcomed him politely.

"We welcome the Phantom Sovereign."

The branch was smaller than Zhou Xuchuan had expected. Zhejiang’s Phantom branch was located on Mount Tianmu, and the number of Phantoms was fewer than expected—there were only thirteen of them. It was the same story for the number of trainees, too.

It wasn\'t supposed to come as a shocker due to the shortage of instructors. Clearly, handling more agents was harder than handling just a handful of them.

Zhou Xuchuan wondered whether the branch had a head Phantom or not, and he decided to ask about it, but he was mistaken. Since the make up of a branch’s personnel differed from region to region, the response wasn\'t surprising at all, so Zhou Xuchuan brushed it aside.

Fine. Should I stay here for a while? He had a bit of time to kill, but he also had to prepare a few things before infiltrating the Evil Valley. And the first thing on the list is… a fake identity.

Blessed Existence had to be moving around like crazy right about now. He was definitely worried about the leaked information from their secret branch in Jiangsu. He had to have returned to the drawing board, revising the Association’s plans.

With that in mind, Zhou Xuchuan knew that showing up and loitering around the Evil Valley’s territory could make things rather tricky.

That was why he decided to obtain a fake identity for his new adventure.

Thankfully, he had a perfect identity for such an occasion.

The Phantom Bow Swordsman, Zhou Xuchuan!

A swordsman with an absurd talent in archery—an expert from an evil faction! A man who had obtained much fame during the war between the Miao Family Sword Gate and Flashing Waterfall Saber Gate!

He had fought hard to obtain the Mind Qi Separator; he also fought Ju Zhong, the leader of the Flashing Waterfall Saber Gate, to death, eventually becoming a part of the One Hundred Experts Under Heaven.

Like an idiot, he brazenly used the name "Zhou Xuchuan" everywhere back then.

Thankfully, he managed to overcome those events without too many hiccups.

"Wheeew… Alright, should I go with that again, then?"

Zhou Xuchuan reckoned that he would be able to fool most people with a disguise and the Ten-Thousand Jin Sword. With that identity, infiltrating the Evil Valley’s territory and taking care of things there was doable.

Even if the truth was uncovered later on, it wouldn\'t matter. The enmity between him and the Dark Heavens Association was already considered irreconcilable, so his current predicament couldn\'t be considered the same as his predicament back then.

Zhou Xuchuan stayed in Zhejiang’s Phantom branch for a while, devoting himself to training. Of course, his focus was on the Ten-Thousand Jin Sword.

It was unfortunate, but he couldn’t practice Phantom Steps. The Ten-Thousand Jin Sword demanded he become heavier, but Phantom Steps demanded he become lighter.

In other words, the two arts were diametrically opposed.

His Ten Thousand Convergence Art had allowed him to practice both simultaneously, but it came with a hefty penalty in the form of a fifty-percent reduction in the effectiveness of both arts.

Two weeks later, Zhou Xuchuan\'s Ten-Thousand Jin Sword reached the fourth stage, and it was all thanks to his rigorous training. The speedy rate of improvement was only made possible by his high comprehension of the sword. Of course, sparring with all the Zhejiang Phantoms at once had been a big help, too.

It would actually be strange if his rate of improvement were slow.