Volcanic Age

Mo Du was a warrior belonging to the Evil Valley headquarters guards, and he would soon be forty-one. He was born in a rural area so small that it wasn't even on the map, and he grew up grappling with starvation.

His father had died in an accident during hard labor, so his mother had to raise her children alone. Unfortunately, her sorrow turned into a malady, and she passed away.

Mo Du was the eldest of five siblings—two boys and three girls. He had to feed his younger siblings as the eldest. Upon realizing that doing that through farming alone was impossible, he went into the world of gangho.

He roamed around as a wanderer until he was eventually noticed by a warrior from the Evil Valley, and he became the disciple of that warrior.

Mo Du lived a diligent life. He satiated his hunger with only grain pills so that he could feed his younger siblings and ensure that they'd grow strong. He focused on his training as well.

Perhaps it was because of his efforts, but he became a Second Class expert before he turned thirty, and he reached the First Class by the time he turned forty.

He managed to get married, albeit late. People often said that he had a wife like a fox and a child like a rabbit.[1]

However, his wife was not in good health. She had been suffering on and off with illness for several years before falling severely ill.

Mo Du's child was so young that his face ought to be filled with laughter and delight, but the child's tear-stricken face was full of worry. He hadn't been able to go outside and play with children of his age.

Mo Du was reminded of his mother, who had suffered a lot before passing away, and his father, who ended up dying while toiling away. Mo Du refused to let go of his first and last love so easily. Eventually, he ended up getting hired for a dangerous position but with great benefits.

However, his wife's medications were expensive—so expensive that the salary of a mere Evil Valley guard couldn't afford it. Even if he were to pray to a god, it would be useless

"Dear, I'm okay. The medicine must be expensive…" His wife muttered, telling him that she'd be okay while holding his hand. She told him that he ought to prioritize their child, who was only two years old.

Mo Du was heartbroken, and he hated his incompetence.

Thus, he worked even harder to earn money. He worked hard, as he did not want to let go of the woman he had chosen to spend his life with.

Perhaps the Heavens were moved by Mo Du's efforts, but his wife's condition gradually improved. His child's worry seemed to have been assuaged, and he seemed to be smiling more often than not these days.

The light was starting to shine on the Mo Family. Their misfortune was over, and it was time for them to be happy; at least, that was what Mo Du genuinely thought.

Until a troublemaker named Dan Libai attacked with the Beast Gate, the Heretical Formation Gate, the Twin Saber Gate, and the Neidan Sword Gate. There was an incredible amount of them that Mo Du was sure that they would lose.

With his wife and children in mind, however, Mo Du couldn't retreat. Thus, he charged forward to stage a counterattack. It was like squeezing blood from a stone.[2]

His will was indomitable, but there was a limit to what he could do. Just as he was about to give up—just as he thought that he was going to die in vain, an expert abruptly appeared.

"Let's go! Let's use this momentum to drive the enemies away!"

No, it was a hero. However, he was not someone that one would find in a hero story, as this wasn't a noble battle of ideologies. This battle was for the sake of nothing but profit.

The so-called "hero" was just a participant in a civil war born from pure desire, but he was more than enough to be a hero in Mo Du's eyes.

"Follow the hero of the Evil Faction!"

The Phantom Bow Swordsman was here.

Mo Du picked up his saber; the hero's title was vivid in his mind. The guard, who thought about giving up and running away just a few moments ago, roared passionately for the first time in a while.

He wiped away the blood flowing from his forehead and stopped the bleeding at his waist by blocking his acupoints. Then, he brandished his sword and roared once more.

Starting with Mo Du, the Evil Valley warriors charged forward in a counterattack.

The enemies were overwhelming in numbers, but they couldn't care less and rushed forward with the intent to fight.

Dan Libai and his group thought that they had emerged victorious. In fact, they were cheering just a few moments ago, so they were taken aback by the enemies' momentum and were pushed back.

"You idiots!" Luo Jiao roared, and a red vein popped on his forehead. "We've already won this battle. What the hell do you expect me to do if you run away now?!"

"Won? How can you say that after looking at that?!" a First Class martial artist shouted while pointing at the cold corpse of a Twin Wolf Fang Squadron member.

"You idiots! Did you not see the fight just now? Even if the Phantom Bow Swordsman is a Harmony Realm expert, his qi is not infinite. He used such a massive defensive qi barrier earlier, so he has to be exhausted now!"

As expected of the Evil Faction's brain, his commandeering and oratory skills were pretty high.

Those about to run away came to a screeching halt at Luo Jiao's words.

"The proof is right there.! He has put down his sword and has resorted to his bow!"

"That's true…"

At Luo Jiao's encouragement, the dropping morale rose once again.

It's over if we retreat here. Luo Jiao was left in charge of this place, so he could not retreat. Even if they ended up winning the war, they wouldn't gain much by losing here. It was especially true for Luo Jiao, who had been left behind to take charge.

Luo Jiao couldn't lose this opportunity to turn the Eight Gates of the Evil Dao into the Four Gates of the Evil Dao and become free of the belittlement he had always faced.

More than anything, he wasn't bluffing as well. He was certain that the Phantom Bow Swordsman was exhausted.

Luo Jiao brought his hands together as if he was about to cup his fist. His robe was large, and his sleeves were massive, so his hand signs were impossible to read. It was a simple but effective way to hide his attacks.

The Heretical Formation Gate was skilled in the heretical arts and the art of formations; Luo Jiao was especially skilled in the heretical arts.

"Ghost Assault!" A foul aura rushed out of Luo Jiao. The so-called "evil qi" gushed out and swirled around him.

The evil qi formed a massive tornado that split into several tornadoes before engulfing Zhou Xuchuan.

"Ahahaha! How do you like that?!"

Ghost Assault was a heretical art that would immobilize the target, but it was useless against those with immense qi reserves as well as true experts. Unless the expert in question was really exhausted, Ghost Assault would most likely fail against that expert.

"..." Zhou Xuchuan nocked an arrow on his bow and remained frozen.

Luo Jiao laughed out loud, feeling proud of himself. "Hahaha, stupid bastard! You must be tired, but you should have dodged that. I know you can handle a bow like you're some kind of a g—"

Twang!

An arrow flew from Zhou Xuchuan's bow and grazed Luo Jiao's cheek, interrupting the latter's speech. A thin red line was drawn on Luo Jiao's face, and blood dripped down the wound, landing on the ground.

"Tsk." Zhou Xuchuan clicked his tongue and frowned with a dissatisfied look. "The Heretical Formation Gate Master really lives up to his reputation. You are definitely extraordinary."

In terms of accuracy, Zhou Xuchuan had long reached the realm of Hundred Arrows Hundred Deaths. In other words, the word "miss" did not exist in Zhou Xuchuan's dictionary.

His plan was to make Luo Jiao drop his guard down to kill the latter with an arrow, but the Ghost Assault had influenced the trajectory of his arrow. In the end, Zhou Xuchuan's arrow struck true, but it only grazed the target.

"Great! But how about this?!"

Luo Jiao stood frozen, looking dumbfounded.

Zhou Xuchuan drew all the arrows from his quiver, nocked them on his bow, and shot into the sky.

The five arrows rose high as if they were going to pierce the sun. Moments later, they descended at once, making a beeline for the crown of Luo Jiao's head.

"Watch out!" The guards of the Twin Saber Gate flew forward and sent the arrows flying. However, it took three people to defend Luo Jiao from the arrows instead of just one.

"Are you okay?" asked one of the guards.

The Heretical Formation Gate Master's face was as white as a sheet of paper. The fact that the Ghost Assault seemed ineffective to Zhou Xuchuan meant that the latter was not tired at all. Luo Jiao could not help but wonder about the depths of the archer's qi reserves to make all this possible.

In Luo Jiao's eyes, Zhou Xuchuan looked more like a monster rather than a person.

"Heretical. Formation. Gate. Master!" Zhou Xuchuan shouted, enunciating each word in an effort to ensure that everyone would hear him. His declaration sounded like the voice of the Herald of Death.

Thud!

Zhou Xuchuan's thigh muscles bulged, and qi gushed out of his Yongquan acupoint. His figure bent like a slingshot before bounding forward.

"S-stop him!" Luo Jiao shouted urgently. The Beast Gate, the Twin Saber Gate, and even the warriors of the Neidan Sword Gate stepped forward. Overall, they numbered over thirty.

Unfortunately, numbers were meaningless in front of Zhou Xuchuan. He charged like a wild boar and swung his iron sword.

The iron sword carried a shocking force disproportional to its weight and speed.

Everyone screamed in the face of the terrifying destructive power.

"Ahhh!"

"Ugh!"

The gusts of wind generated by Zhou Xuchuan's sword were enough to sweep some of the guards off their feet. However, those forced to the ground by the fierce winds were fortunate compared to those who managed to remain standing.

Those standing firm, regardless of their level of strength, were torn in half. Luo Jiao was shocked to see a thick fog of blood manifested before his eyes. He was so shocked that he couldn't even launch a proper counterattack.

Q-q-q-qi force! That's right, that has to be qi force! Luo Jiao exclaimed inwardly amidst his predicament. He pretended to be scared on the outside, but the cogs in his mind were turning furiously to come up with a strategy against Zhou Xuchuan.

The monster flew forward, leaving behind a tempest in his wake.

The surroundings were devastated as if a meteor had landed.

Explosive Counter!

It was a heretical art that used the opponent's qi force to deflect an oncoming attack. However, it had to be executed at the perfect time, and even if one managed to time it perfectly, one would have to suffer from its side effects.

The user's cultivation had to be higher than the target, and the heretical art also demanded an impressive amount of qi, which was the reason it didn't become popular despite its effects.

However, this wasn't the time for Luo Jiao to worry about those side effects. In the face of the Herald of Death, he had to grab onto the final lifeline before him.

Come! Luo Jiao exclaimed inwardly. People tended to show off their wits in a time of crisis. Luo Jiao used Explosive Counter against Zhou Xuchuan's attack at the perfect timing.

"Enough—ugh!"

How was this possible?!

Luo Jiao could no longer count how many surprises he had received so far, but he had never been as surprised as he was at this moment.

"How… did…?" Luo Jiao could not believe it. Zhou Xuchuan's attack was coming at him at full speed, so the Phantom Bow Swordsman couldn't have noticed his Explosive Counter.

However, Zhou Xuchuan seemed to have somehow known that Luo Jiao would use Explosive Counter, so just a few moments before the moment of contact, Zhou Xuchuan withdrew his qi and refused to make contact with Luo Jiao.

"How… did… you—from… the very beginning…" Luo Jiao could barely squeeze these words out of his throat as he clutched his neck. His voice sounded doubtful and fearful, as if he did not want to hear the answer to his question.

There was no way Zhou Xuchuan could have made that decision by recognizing it and adapting to it in the proverbial blink of an eye. No, it felt like he had always known the existence of the Explosive Counter hidden art.

Explosive Counter was a demanding hidden art, so it wasn't used often, even among the people of the Heretical Formation Gate. In other words, there wasn't supposed to be any information about it out there.

"Because I know it exists…" Zhou Xuchuan snickered. The sword he was holding with both hands moved to his left hand, and he gripped Luo Jiao's neck hard with his right hand.

Crunch!

A grotesque noise echoed, and Heretical Formation Gate Master Luo Jiao dropped to the ground with his neck broken and confusion unresolved.

"This can't be…!"

"The Heretical Formation Gate Master is dead…?"

"Luo Jiao is dead!"

The external assault was under Luo Jiao's overall command. The remaining Gate Masters who could assume command were sent to the joint assault on the Evil Valley Master.

Regardless, they did not expect that their leader, Luo Jiao, would collapse helplessly in the middle of their forces without being able to do anything substantial in the battle.

As expected, he used Explosive Counter. Zhou Xuchuan stabbed Luo Jiao in the chest to confirm the kill. There were heretical arts capable of prolonging one's life, so he had to be careful and ensure that Luo Jiao was dead.

It was during the Great War of Good and Evil, wasn't it?

Zhou Xuchuan could no longer remember who it was, but he was reminded of a commander of the Righteous Faction who had attacked his enemy with all his might. Unfortunately, his enemy used Explosive Counter on him, and he ended up losing his life, killed by his own power.

At the time, the Righteous Faction was winning against the Evil Faction, but the death of their commander ended in the defeat of the Righteous Faction.

It lived up to its name—it was truly an Explosive Counter.

The horrors of that time were etched on Zhou Xuchuan's mind, and he felt fortunate that he had gathered his qi in a way that would allow him to withdraw it just in case.

"I killed Luo Jiao! The Heretical Formation Gate Master has died at the hands of me! The Phantom Bow Swordsman!" Zhou Xuchuan shouted, brandishing his bloody sword.

"Woaaaah!" The roars of the Evil Valley warriors grew louder. Their delighted cheers rumbled like thunder amidst a clear sky.

"Argh!"

"W-what do we do now?!"

Their brain and hearts had been pierced. The elders of the Heretical Formation Gate were still alive, but they were so shocked by the death of their leader that they had no idea what to do.

Above all, Zhou Xuchuan's strength was too overwhelming.

They retreated at once with terrified faces.

To ensure that the remnants of the enemy forces wouldn't delude themselves into thinking that he was exhausted, Zhou Xuchuan shot out sword winds to cut them down.

"I-It's impossible!"

"How can we win this?"

They still had the numbers advantage, but Zhou Xuchuan's side had an overwhelming advantage when it came to morale.

"As long as the Lord and Phantom Bow Swordsman are here, we will never be defeated!" Mo Du grinned brightly and raised his sword. "Let's go!"

1. A pretty wife and cute child/children. ☜

2. Literally, a drop of blood from a bird's foot. ☜

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