The Regressor of Mount Hua-Chapter 342. Hell Itself (1)

Qin Shi Huang's legacy, the Black Iron Armor.

An absurd armor made entirely of Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron.

The weight of the metal was light, and even Formless Aura couldn't penetrate it. As armor meant to protect an emperor, there wasn't even a single gap.

When Zhou Xuchuan asked Gan Yezi about its weakness, the blacksmith had replied, “I don't know.”

Even if he was the best blacksmith in the South Sea, Gan Yezi had no way of knowing anything about the legendary artifact.

Perhaps if he had the chance to examine it directly, things would be different—but for that to happen, Destructive Soldier had to be defeated.

If the Black Iron Armor's ability is to disperse the enemy's aura, then all I have to do is block the space in which the qi can escape when it disperses. It might not work... but it’s better than doing nothing.

If one's strength was lacking, then one could decide the outcome with numbers.

Whether it was the Poison Demon, the Blood Monk, or the Ominous Demon, they were all the same.

Even Great Demon Heads who stirred up the entirety of the murim were eventually forced to flee after being accused of being an enemy of the public.

There was no such thing as Righteous and Evil when it came to a mob attack.

That was the solution he had come up with.

Zhou Xuchuan mobilized the labor force that had built the Lake and Earth Formation, the power of the Valley of Phantoms.

I prepared this to make sure we secure the win.

The Potala Palace, the Lake and Earth Formation, the Valley of Phantoms.

If the Potala Palace hadn't arrived on time, Zhou Xuchuan had been prepared to drag Destructive Soldier into the mechanism by force, even if he could only manage to bring in the Seven Stars Division Head.

It was a labyrinth. Not easy to escape. His plan had been to block the exit and settle the fight there.

"By chance, you're not going to call me cheap, are you?"

Zhou Xuchuan openly sneered.

“If you’ve truly spent your whole life on the battlefield, you’ll know how stupid that would be.”

In a battle where life was at stake, there was no such thing as law or etiquette.

One would hide among the corpses of their allies and wait for the enemy to pass by, or they would use the corpses as shields.

While things might be different in a battle of fighting spirit that determined the morale of a large army, otherwise, it didn't matter.

Crack!

Destructive Soldier clenched his teeth, fingers tightening around his spear.

Righteous Faction? Evil Faction?

As Destructive Soldier looked at the ninety-nine black-clad figures, a wave of doubt surged within him. His head burned with a vicious heat.

He tried to recall what he had heard from the Dark Heavens Association, but he couldn’t come up with a clear answer.

At a glance, their aura was unusual. Their presence, which he should have sensed if they were true martial artists, was strangely faint.

It was different from how a lower level warrior couldn't gauge an expert's cultivation.

They didn't give off an impression that they were ordinary, or even unknown. Rather, they felt like they were dead.

Dead people?

Destructive Soldier’s gaze inside the helmet became fierce.

As expected of a master, he quickly noticed the identity of the faint presence. frёewebnoѵēl.com

Great Tortoise Breath Technique!

Their breathing and pulse were so slowed it was as if they had stopped.

It was essentially the Great Tortoise Breath Technique often used by assassins.

Assuming that they were assassins, he started to notice several things.

Slim builds regardless of gender, clothing that minimized movement restrictions, and a dagger hanging on the back.

"Impossible..."

The name “Death” made Destructive Soldier feel an ominous aura.

“Little Ghost.”

Zhou Xuchuan sensed Destructive Soldier’s aura and gave an order.

“..."

A mysterious woman appeared next to him. Her eyes were covered, but her body was exquisite just by looking at it.

The only thing that set her apart from the other Phantoms was a tattoo that glowed faintly on her skin.

It was Little Ghost, who had achieved physical growth through the use of the Piercing Mark Sorcery Art.

"If I’m ever unable to issue orders, use your judgment. However, exclude all actions that have a possibility of losing a limb or a life."

"Understood."

The ninety-nine people, including Little Ghost, slowly raised their lifeless arms and gripped the daggers that looked as if they were about to slip from their fingers.

“Kill.”

Bang!

The first to move was Zhou Xuchuan. He kicked off a gap in the wall halfway across the massive cavern and shot forward, moving as if he was running on the ground.

Control my breathing.

He held his breath and lowered his pulse. The Divine Phantom Art’s movement technique changed and hid the abilities within his body.

His body also became as light as a feather. It was the complete opposite of the heaviness of the Ten-Thousand Jin Sword.[1]

Thud, thud, thud!

Zhou Xuchuan slid down the wall and landed on the still spinning windmill blades, then jumped again.

Woosh!

His sleeves fluttered in the wind. The plum blossom embroidery caught Destructive Soldier's eye as a dagger shot out from within.

The dagger's blade flashed under the light of the Luminous Night Pearl. This was the worst attack method for an assassin.

However, the flash of light that flowed out from the darkness wasn't just one.

Thwip, thwip, thwip, thwip!

Ninety-nine blades followed. The Phantoms, with Destructive Soldier as the center, shot daggers from all directions. It all happened lightning fast.

The daggers raining down on one person were a spectacular sight to behold.

“What a cheap trick!”

Destructive Soldier spun his spear and laughed.

He moved fast, striking at the blades that flew at him from every direction. His legs spread wide as he stepped in rhythm across the stone platform, his upper body muscles flexing beneath the armor.

Clang!

His body twisted sideways, then released that tension in a burst of strength. He spun his spear forward, then swept it to the side and back along his wrist and forearm, deflecting the incoming daggers.

Flames spurted out from the tip of the spear, making it look like a work of art.

Clang, clang, clang!

The spear spun like the windmill that had once symbolized their hope, now turned into despair. It whipped up gusts of wind that struck back at the daggers raining down from all sides.

Destructive Soldier’s experience was evident in his movements. He struck each blade from a distance, ensuring nothing would interfere with his next steps, even amid the chaos.

Woosh!

There was no time to catch his breath. Just as he blocked another dagger, a fierce stab came at him from the side.

He tried to turn his spear quickly, but the transition from his previous defensive stance wasn’t smooth. The fluidity between movements faltered, and he could not react in time.

BOOM!

"...!"

Zhou Xuchuan’s sword stabbed Destructive Soldier’s side.

No, it would be more accurate to say he slashed.

"So... you used... a heavy sword technique?"

The pressure pressing down on his body was immense.

Yet none of the martial arts from the Mount Hua Sect possessed the qi nature of a heavy sword.

"It's the weight of my life," Zhou Xuchuan answered in a cold voice.

"Just... what the hell... are you?"

Doubt flickered in the eyes beneath the helmet.

The movement Zhou Xuchuan had just used was not something from Mount Hua. It was expected that a warrior’s strength would grow with their cultivation, but that did not mean their essence would change.

Zhou Xuchuan’s footwork and techniques resembled that of an assassin more than a swordsman. He had even displayed a Peak-level hidden weapon technique. On top of that, he used a heavy sword art powerful enough to threaten top-tier Harmony Realm experts.

None of it made sense.

“Mount Hua Sect," Zhou Xuchuan answered while pressing his sword forward.

“Zhou Xuchuan.”

BOOM!

He shifted his center of gravity. His thigh muscles swelled, and purple veins bulged beneath his skin.

The sword slash that dug into Destructive Soldier’s side released no outward qi. Instead, it compressed internally, growing heavier with every second.

"HA!"

He changed his breathing method from the Divine Phantom Art to the sutra of the Ten-Thousand Jin Sword. Then, he let out a shout at the moment he swung his sword.

The body of Destructive Soldier, whose side was pressed by the sword, was pushed back.

Woosh!!

As Destructive Soldier retreated, he sank as if he was stepping into quicksand. His ankles sank deep into the earth.

"How audacious..."

At that moment, Destructive Soldier raised his spear and attempted a full-force swing.

Clang!!

He had momentarily forgotten that there were more enemies because of Zhou Xuchuan's actions.

The Phantoms used their lack of presence to close in and attack. Though they could not land a solid blow because of the troublesome Black Iron Armor, it was enough to make his stance falter.

No matter how skilled Destructive Soldier was, even he could not completely withstand a group of assassins at the Peak Realm, all targeting a single point. And with a master of the Coruscant Realm standing directly before him, the pressure only mounted.

If Destructive Soldier had been a martial artist from the beginning, he would have cursed Zhou Xuchuan and the Phantoms for attacking as a group.

Who were the Six Empyrean Overlords?

They were the pinnacle of the murim.

Especially as a member of the Righteous Faction, it was unthinkable for a hero who was respected by many to be fighting like an assassin and even joining forces with others.

Moreover, that was a hundred to one!

"RAH!"

A thunderous roar escaped Destructive Soldier’s throat.

Flicker!

Then, as if to reflect his fury, a burst of flame erupted from the tip of the Flame Point Spear, rising upward and spreading in a radius of one chi.

"ZHOU XUCHUAN!"

He stomped his foot while shouting the name of his most hated enemy.

As he shifted his weight onto one foot, the ground collapsed beneath him at the center, flinging away the Phantoms that had been closing in from every direction.

Destructive Soldier didn’t stop there. He swung his extended spear with everything he had, regardless of who he may hit.

BOOM!

“Tsk!”

Zhou Xuchuan clicked his tongue and straightened his sword to block the spear strike.

While the Absolute Master, the Phantom Sovereign, could successfully defend against this, the other Phantoms, who were vulnerable to defense, definitely couldn't.

Unless it was Little Ghost with the Piercing Mark Sorcery Art, they wouldn't even be able to perform extreme evasive maneuvers to dodge such a blow or even attempt to defend against it.

In the end, a dozen people nearby were hit by the spear and knocked far away, either slamming into the wall or rolling miserably across the floor.

However, it was amazing that they didn't even groan.

“The Valley of Phantoms! The Valley of Phantoms!”

A mysterious assassination group that even the Dark Heavens Association couldn’t find.

Blessed Existence had tried everything to recruit them, but it was hard to even find them, let alone commission them. Even if one searched through the murim, there was only one force with such exceptional skills and aura.

Destructive Soldier didn't know why the legendary assassins had joined hands with Zhou Xuchuan, but this wasn't the time to be discussing such things.

Six Directions Spear, First Direction!

The spear, which was a harmony of red and gold, reproduced the martial arts of the Spear God to swallow up the greatest enemy.

The Six Directions Spear's First Direction was, as its name suggested, a single spear thrust.[2]

Destructive Soldier focused on stabbing using the spearhead and launched a full-out spear thrust.

Woosh!!

The air split, and a piercing sound rang in Zhou Xuchuan’s ears as the strike shot straight toward his chest.

The pressure was immense. Zhou Xuchuan’s body trembled, but he did not retreat. He countered with the first form of the Violet Haze Sword Sutra.

Thrum!

Even underground, there was a thunderous sound. The purple flash swirled and collided with the Flame Point Spear.

BOOM!

The masses of highly compressed qi collided with each other, causing an explosion. The shockwave filled the large cavern.

Rumble.

Torches tumbled from the walls and sparks scattered across the stone floor. A few Phantoms were slammed into the ground near them.

The shockwave created by the collision of the powers that had both reached the ultimate path of martial arts was enormous.

Invisible blasts of qi burst through the air several times, and the resulting shockwaves swept through the surroundings.

One of the windmills that had been spinning quietly was also destroyed.

Six Directions Spear, Second Direction!

Destructive Soldier’s attack was not over yet.

The tendons on the arm holding the Flame Point Spear bulged, and an explosive muscle strength poured out. An enormous amount of qi rippled from his dantian.

The second form wasn't that complicated, but it was entirely ridiculous.

It was the ultimate Internal Piercing Force technique that would freeze the opponent's body upon contact before infusing the same amount of spear force into their bodies as the First Direction.

If it's a showdown of qi reserves, I won't lose!

Zhou Xuchuan glared without backing down.

Starting with the Plum Blossom Life Art, he drew out the qi of various qi cultivation methods.

It was such an obscene amount that even calling it vast seemed inadequate.

What the hell is that?!

Destructive Soldier’s eyebrows twitched at the ridiculous amount of qi.

While he knew that Zhou Xuchuan's internal qi reserves weren't ordinary, when he was directly facing it like this, it truly felt absurd.

This isn't good.

With the Black Iron Armor forged from Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron, while he would definitely have the advantage in a clash of qi, the problem was what would happen when he clashed with the weapons.

If this was one-on-one, he wouldn’t have cared at all, but being surrounded by so many people was the problem.

He was about to change his mind and switch into the First Direction. However, right at that moment...

Tap, tap, tap, tap!

Agh!!"

The face inside the helmet distorted horribly.

Screech.

It wasn't just Zhou Xuchuan. Even though the shockwave was generated by the battle of force, there was a Phantom that attacked.

Screech.

With the Southern Jungles' Piercing Mark Sorcery Art, Little Ghost's physical abilities surpassed the Harmony Realm. The short sword she held slashed at Destructive Soldier's back.

Screech.

It didn't end there. The flying daggers, now reduced from the original hundred to sixty, rained over Destructive Soldier's body.

Screech!

"ZHOUXUCHUAAAAAAAAAN!!"

And a fine crack appeared on the Black Iron Armor.

1. It says Ten Thousand Convergence Art, but that makes absolutely no sense here, I think he got the wrong ten thousand. ☜

2. First direction reads one direction, and a single spear reads one spear. ☜