The Regressor of Mount Hua-Chapter 358. Raiding the White Horse Cave (2)

Zhou Xuchuan? Why is the Sword God here?!

The Vice Boss fled in terror upon hearing the name.

Fight that monster?

The Sword God's cultivation was real. Even in the murim, where all kinds of geniuses were abundant, Zhou Xuchuan was considered a monster.

There were more than a few people in the past who had looked down on him because of his age, only to end up in the underworld.

Run away!

Even the Evil Faction had no sense of loyalty, so it was unlikely that a mere band of pirates would have such a thing. Since their lives were in danger, the pirates ran without looking back.

What was there to gain if they were going to die, regardless of their water immersion arts or anything else?

No, they were too busy saving their own lives.

Even if he's one of the Six Empyrean Overlords, he's still only a land martial artist. He won't be able to keep up with us underwater!

The Vice Boss dived, thinking he would be safe from any attack coming from the surface.

However, the Vice Boss’ thoughts were a huge mistake.

"You dare!"

Thud!

Zhou Xuchuan also leapt into the river.

But he didn’t dive in. He ran across it.

He controlled his breathing and circulated the Divine Phantom Art.

lightened his body until it was as weightless as a feather, and used the Thousand Catty Ballast technique in reverse.

Before the first step he placed could sink, he was already stepping forward again, running with speed.

Thud, thud, thud!

Even though he ran at a terrifying speed, the water rippled.

Only the fluttering hem of his robe and the strands of hair across his forehead were affected by the wind.

Violet Haze Finger.

Zhou Xuchuan curled his middle finger as he ran.

Five.

He raised his right arm below his chest and snapped his fingers.

Thwip!

A purple flash of light flashed from the top of his fingernails, and the Violet Haze Finger shot out, drawing a diagonal line and sinking into the water.

BOOM!

There was no need for him to conserve qi since his qi reserves were absurdly massive. The attack, made with just a sixth of his qi reserves, was incredibly powerful. His Violet Haze Finger compressed the center of the river, pulling it inward before exploding upward and creating a massive water pillar.

"UGH!!!!"

Five bandits hiding beneath the surface died instantly, foaming and bleeding at the mouth.

“AGHHHH!”

The seven small skiffs shook violently as if they were caught in rapids. The people on board were shaken.

The water pillars that had risen above their heads fell down, drizzling like rain.

“Sorry!”

Zhou Xuchuan raised a hand in apology, then shifted the Divine Phantom Art to the Ten-Thousand Jin Sword technique, increasing his weight before dropping straight down.

Splash!

His weight decreased again. His natural buoyancy returned.

The water still felt cold because spring had just begun, but that was no problem for Zhou Xuchuan, who had the Extreme Temperature Immunity.

The color of the field of vision shifted, reflecting the water around it.

Shing!!!

As soon as he descended, a spear lunged toward him.

The moment the tip of the spear was about to touch his forehead, Zhou Xuchuan simply tilted his head slightly and dodged.

He saw the enemy’s eyes go wide.

How?

Disbelief and shock. Total incomprehension.

Without answering, Zhou Xuchuan grabbed the enemy’s arm holding the spear and squeezed.

Crunch!

AGH!

The enemy’s face twisted in pain. The bones in his arm shattered, and foam began to rise from his mouth.

Annoyed, Zhou Xuchuan grabbed the man's arm and hurled him toward the riverbed.

BOOM!!!

The bandit shot downward with unnatural force, as if thrown in open air rather than underwater.

Panicked, he tried to resist, but it was too late.

His body smashed into a rock beneath the riverbed.

BOOM!

Dust rose from the bottom. Fish startled by the impact scattered in every direction.

The broken rock pieces floated up in an arc.

W-what is that?!

Are we really underwater right now?

The pirates still hiding below watched the scene in horror. Their faces turned pale.

They couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

They weren’t frozen in place because they were fools.

Even martial artists who were supposed to have surpassed common limits couldn’t display this kind of power underwater.

Yes, they could swim. Yes, they could hold their breaths for a long time. However, it was common knowledge that land martial artists couldn't fight under water.

It was a natural result. While they were underwater, they couldn't breathe, and that was the beginning and end of martial arts. It wasn't for nothing that both the Righteous and Evil Alliance were struggling because of the Nine Water Gangs.

This common sense applied to both low-level warriors and high-level experts. Even masters of the Harmony Realm didn’t recklessly throw themselves into the Yangtze River.

The difference was so stark that many considered it better to fight while climbing a cliff.

Absolute Masters who had reached the Empyrean Overlord State were monsters who defied common sense. Still, even though they could move easily underwater, there were limits. Anyone could see that the judgment of their numerous enemies wouldn't normally have been wrong.

You bastards are right. These really are movements impossible for anyone not using a water immersion art, and an expert at them at that.

A cold smile spread across Zhou Xuchuan’s lips. The water skills he had acquired on Hainan Island allowed him to move freely underwater.

I’ll finish this quickly.

The Vice Boss was nowhere in sight. Zhou Xuchuan could already see that the pirate had discovered his true identity and was fleeing at full speed, swimming far into the distance.

One, two!

Zhou Xuchuan twisted his body, pulled his left arm back, and shot it forward. As soon as it passed his ear, he threw a spear.

Squelch!

Ugh!!"

A hole was punched through the chest of the enemy in front of him as the spear tore through.

“Mmmmm!”

The enemy behind had no time to react either. The spear pierced through his forehead in an instant. Blood spread through the water, attracting a school of fish.

Three, four, five!

He didn’t say it out loud, but the words of the God of Death came to him naturally. Zhou Xuchuan swam forward, gliding smoothly as if kicking up the water. While not as fast as running on land, he still closed the distance with terrifying speed.

A-agh!

A pirate swung his sword wildly in terror. His fear made his swordsmanship sloppy. Zhou Xuchuan passed him without a glance and swung his sword.

Squelch!

Huh?

The last thought he had before dying was a question.

His body had been cleanly sliced in two. Beyond that, he caught a glimpse of Zhou Xuchuan cutting down the two pirates behind him.

A-agh!!

He's a monster!

It's a water ghost!

Aside from their water immersion arts, there wasn't anything special about the pirates.

There weren't many experts, let alone those who could be considered masters. They were terrified of Zhou Xuchuan’s strength and tried to flee.

But Zhou Xuchuan wasn’t someone who would just let them run.

Violet Haze Dawnbreaker!

Violet Haze Sword Sutra: First Form unfolded underwater.

As he extended his sword, a faint thunderous sound echoed and a purple beam of light shot forward.

Arc Flower Rain!

The straight line drawn by Zhou Xuchuan’s sword fanned out, widening into an arc before scattering in all directions and engulfing the fleeing enemies.

Ugh!!

Cough!

I-impossible!

Even the Violet Haze Sword Sutra, a Divine Art from the Mount Hua Sect, was less powerful when unleashed underwater. However, it still wasn’t so weakened that ordinary pirates could withstand it.

Ten pirates died in an instant.

Ugh...

Rattle!

Teeth chattered and ground together. With the Vice Boss running away, out of the twenty-nine remaining pirates of the White Horse Gang, only eight pirates were left.

In their minds, fear churned along with confusion. Unless they knew about the Ten Thousand Convergence Art, they couldn’t begin to guess how Zhou Xuchuan could use water immersion arts.

Thus, their ignorance turned to fear.

They hesitated—run or surrender?

Among the eight, half decided to resist to the end. However, they quickly judged that direct combat was suicide. So they aimed to take hostages instead.

The merchants!

Those bastards should be weak!

They hurriedly looked back and saw the bottoms of some ships nearby. It was the seven ships they had seen earlier.

The four bandits made a quick decision, turning around and swimming toward the ship at full speed.

When I looked at them earlier, their escorts were definitely...

Squelch!

Huh?

They tried to kick their legs and push forward, but their bodies wouldn’t rise. The bandits panicked and turned to see what had happened to them.

“Mmmm!!!”

Agh! Agghh!!!

From their knees down, nothing remained. Blood billowed through the water like a red cloud from their severed limbs. One pirate turned, looking for help, but only despair filled his face. The other three who had chosen to fight with him had been cut in half. Fear overwhelmed him.

Four.

Zhou Xuchuan’s emotionless eyes scanned for survivors. He saw four thieves frozen in place underwater. They didn’t speak, but their faces begged for their lives.

Zhou Xuchuan gestured for them to get out of the water with his finger, and the four thieves obediently followed.

“Ha!”

"Cough!"

"Ugh!"

As soon as they emerged, the pirates let out pitiful sounds soaked in tears and fear. The water, once familiar to them, now felt like hell. They wanted to escape immediately.

Meanwhile, Zhou Xuchuan came out of the water and boarded the White Horse Gang's warship that was floating nearby.

“Vice Boss, you’re so quick-witted," Zhou Xuchuan muttered as he glanced around, almost admiringly. Then he turned his gaze to a pirate watching him.

“Hey, look here.”

“Yes, yes! Great Hero! I’ll do anything if you let me live!”

“P-please...”

Although Zhou Xuchuan just called out, the pirate reacted violently.

“Take me to the White Horse Gang.”

“Understood! Just leave it to me!”

Zhou Xuchuan’s recent actions had clearly shaken the pirate deeply. The man responded as if ready to offer his soul.

"The reason I left four of you instead of just one or two was because I thought that you might do something foolish. If anyone tries something stupid and wastes my time, I'm going to kill you all."

"W-we'll keep that in mind!"

There was no mercy or sympathy for the likes of pirates.

No matter what their circumstances, in the end, they were just people who plundered others.

Zhou Xuchuan had no intention of letting them go. Even though it might have been annoying, he was fine with just slaughtering them all and searching around the area like a stray dog.

“Great Hero! What should we do?”

A merchant from the Gold Will Merchants asked from a distance away on the warship.

"Go to the Hunan Branch and take care of business!"

Zhou Xuchuan disguised the Gold Will Merchants so that they could avoid the suspicion of the White Horse Gang and advance.

If the Gold Will Merchants, who were on the side of the Righteous and Evil Alliance, had tried to cross openly, the pirates would have thought something was wrong and not approach them while sounding the alarm.

“Understood! See you next time!”

Zhou Xuchuan nodded in response to the merchant’s parting words.

“Let’s go.”

***

White Horse Cave.

"Ha!"

The Vice Boss of the White Horse Gang raised his head above the water and took a deep breath.

His eyes were bloodshot and he coughed up water mixed with snot. He seemed exhausted as he lifted his body onto the ground of the cave.

“Vice Boss!”

"What’s going on?”

The pirate on guard spotted the Vice Boss and hurriedly approached him.

It was surprising that the Vice Boss, who had brought fifty-nine men on two warships, returned alone.

“Are you okay...”

“Fuck off!”

The Vice Boss lashed out and struck the approaching pirate hard.

"Ugh!"

The pirate fell back, blood spurting from his nose. The Vice Boss stood up and shouted toward the depths of the White Horse Cave.

“Boss! Boss! This is terrible!”

The Vice Boss’ voice trembled with fear.

“Sword God! It’s the Sword God! One of the Six Empyrean Overlords, Sword God is coming!”