Volcanic Age

Nangong Caiying had been taught by the Completion Sword Nangong Weiwu. Although he might not have been one of the One Hundred Experts Under Heaven, his martial skills were powerful enough to be comparable to them. Additionally, his cultivation was one of the best within the Nangong Family.

"Show them the power of the Nangong Family!" Nangong Caiying shouted as he slashed through the martial artist blocking his path. Blood sprayed into the air as his blade sliced deep from chest to pelvis.

RAAAAH!!!

With Nangong Caiying leading the way, the Nangong Family’s morale was unwavering. No one showed any fear.

On the contrary, the martial artists facing Nangong Caiying were in bad shape, with most of them dying due to mistakes made out of fear.

The Nangong Family moved as swiftly as the wind and launched a fierce attack akin to a spreading fire.

Originally, they should have taken advantage of this momentum to defeat the enemies and reach the plateau. However, they ran into trouble along the way.

“Nangong's Tyrant Sword! Looks like you're still the same!"

"Who are you?!"

Nangong Caiying stopped walking. As he asked the person to identify themselves, he seemed to recognize the voice.

"What, you've forgotten my voice just because we haven't met in a while?"

“Ximen Erjin (西門珥晉)!”

Nangong Caiying frowned.

“The Thunder Inheriting Saber (雷承刀)!”

Chu Lian, who was in the rear, immediately called out Ximen Erjin's title.

“The Thunder Inheriting Saber? From the Ximen Family?”

Zhou Xuchuan recognized the name.

The Zhejiang Province’s Ximen Family.

A famous family of the Seven Gates of the Evil Dao, they were renowned for their fast and brutal Saber Technique. Just like Nangong Caiying, Ximen Erjin of the Ximen Family had skills comparable to the One Hundred Experts Under Heaven.

"Oh!"

Zhou Xuchuan exclaimed unconsciously as a memory he had just forgotten resurfaced.

‘Nangong Caiying and Ximen Erjin!’

The Nangong Family was in Anhui while the Ximen Family was in Zhejiang.

The two Families were so close that they could almost touch each other if they stepped wrong, which meant that they had often interacted since ancient times.

However, since they were both representative forces of their respective factions, they were enemies, not comrades, and their interactions were usually battles, whether with words or weapons.

The history between them both went a long way. Having clashed frequently during their youth, that led to their horrid relationship.

In the end, they fought their final battle during the Great War of Good and Evil and perished together.

Things might have been different if Nangong Caiying and Ximen Erjin had gone down in history, but since they merely fought day and night during the Great War of Good and Evil, only to end up as fertilizer, there was no reason for Zhou Xuchuan to remember them in detail.

It was only because Nangong Caiying was the son of the Completion Sword Nangong Weiwu and the younger brother of the current head of the Nangong Family that he vaguely remembered him.

“Why is the Ximen Family here?”

“I haven’t heard any news of them participating in the war…”

The warriors of the Nangong Family whispered.

Since they were enemies, the two Families kept close tabs on each other, and there was no way that either side wouldn't have found out if the other was going to participate in the war.

The Ximen Family hadn't been on the list of people on the Evil Valley side of the Seven Great Powers.

"Isn't it a little strange that the Evil Faction just let this happen? Let's see… Even at a glance, there's probably a hundred of them.”

Zhou Xuchuan shrugged.

It wasn't as if the Righteous Faction had completely followed the rules of the Seven Swords War, and it was futile to expect the Evil Faction to do so.

In fact, the Evil Faction had gone further and secretly added about a hundred more people.

"You cowards!"

“And to think you still call yourselves martial artists!”

"Oathbreakers!"

The Nangong Family warriors fumed, their voices seething with anger.

“Dirty Ximen Family bastards!”

Accusations flew, but the Ximen Family remained unfazed. Instead, they snorted and laughed.

"You're such tightasses, as if you're afraid someone might forget you're part of the Righteous Faction."

"Are you seriously going to squabble over every little detail, even in the middle of a war?"

"Well, it's no surprise, since you value being upright more than your lives."

That part is true.

Zhou Xuchuan found himself agreeing with the Ximen Family’s accusations.

The current Righteous Faction in the murim, after enduring a long period of peace, valued their pride more than their lives. He himself had once been like that. Only after experiencing numerous wars and facing inevitable situations did he gradually abandon the stubborn pride of the Righteous Faction.

Of course, he still had a line he wouldn't cross, unlike the reckless members of Evil Valley who acted without any reservations.

"On that note, you're lucky to have the Poison Phoenix on your side."

Ximen Erjin looked at Tang Hui and smiled unpleasantly. He had noticed her earlier because of her beauty.

“Today, I will kill you and take the Poison Phoenix as my reward!”

Ximen Erjin flew forward, the warriors of the Ximen Family following closely behind him.

“Protect the Miss!” Yuan Dasik shouted while leaving Tang Hui behind.

“No mercy!”

The Nangong Family and the Ximen Family clashed.

“Ha-eup!"

Ximen Erjin leaped into the air, swinging his saber with all his might. As expected of the Ximen Family’s quick saber arts, his speed was extraordinary. His saber cut through the air, aiming straight for Nangong Caiying’s head.

Nangong Caiying quickly raised his sword to block the falling saber.

Clang!

Neither side was pushed back.

The two weapons clashed, their force pressing against each other, causing them to tremble.

Crack! Crack!!!

An invisible current flowed from the saber, trying to seep into the sword. However, Nangong Caiying blocked it with his qi.

This was the representative Saber Technique of the Ximen Family, the Thunder and Lightning Saber Technique.

"In order to kill you, I sharpened and refined my saber, mastered the Thunder and Lightning Saber Technique, and even learned the Eighteen Inheriting Heaven Saber Forms!”

"No matter what you've learned, your Ximen Family’s tricks will not work against the Nangong Family’s sword!” Nangong Caiying growled softly as he swung his sword.

"We'll see about that!"

Ximen Erjin quickly swung his saber several times. Not only was it fast, but its destructive power was also strong.

Nangong Caiying blocked all the attacks with his Boundless Heavenly Dome Sword Technique, the Nangong Family's representative Sword Technique.

“Hmph!”

Ximen Erjin clicked his tongue and launched his next attack. Every time he swung his saber, the crack of lightning could be heard.

As expected of Transcendents, their exchange of blows was nothing to scoff at. In the blink of an eye, they had already exchanged fifty blows.

It’s not called the Boundless Heavenly Dome Sword Technique for nothing!

This was the Sword Technique of the Completion Sword Nangong Weiwu, one of the Ten Empyrean Overlords!

There was no way it could be mediocre.

Above all, Nangong's Tyrant Sword's cultivation itself was outstanding.

It wasn't for nothing that Ximen Erjin had cultivated hard to match him. He grimaced to himself before focusing on the current battle.

Meanwhile, Nangong Caiying was also surprised.

This bastard. He really didn't slack off in his training.

Each of Ximen Erjin's blows carried a powerful force. Every time he countered, he felt the muscles in his arms tingle.

This is a problem.

Both warriors likely shared the same thought. Neither could predict how this battle would end.

The real issue for Nangong Caiying was that he didn’t have the time to be caught in this fight.

If things continue like this, the Flower Scattering Palm will obtain the Blood Muscle and Tendon Classic.

Immortal Shang Ming had gone to take on the Raging Fire Blood Demon. Nangong Caiying knew that he was the only one left in the Righteous Faction who had the strength to deal with the Evil Valley's representative.

Although he had sent the younger generation talents up first, the chances of them defeating the Flower Scattering Palm were slim.

What should I do?

Nangong Caiying shifted his focus away from Ximen Erjin and looked around. Warriors were fiercely fighting each other all around him.

After looking around, he came to the conclusion that it would be difficult to break through to where the Blood Muscle and Tendon Classic was located. Everyone was in a similar situation.

Even if he eventually won this battle, it would take too much time. That time would be more than enough for the Flower Scattering Palm to take Blood Muscle and Tendon Classic and escape.

"Do you really think it’s okay to look elsewhere while I’m right in front of you?!"

Ximen Erjin’s saber swung up from below. Nangong Caiying retreated quickly, but it still sliced into his thigh.

Ugh!

Fortunately, the wound was shallow, small enough that he could still fight without any problems. It was just a line of blood drawn across his skin.

Pushing his complicated concerns aside, Nangong Caiying refocused on Ximen Erjin.

This is the result, regardless of how it happened. I have to handle this quickly, and…

Boom!

Thwip, thwip, thwip!

Before he could complete his thought, he heard a loud crash behind him.

It wasn't the thunder of the Thunder and Lightning Saber Technique or the screams of people that he had become accustomed to and ignored.

It sounded like the flapping of dozens of birds' wings, followed by a torrent of arrows raining down over Ximen Erjin’s shoulder.

Thunk, thunk, thunk, squelch!

“Ahh!”

“Ugh!!!”

The sky was dyed black by a rain of more than a hundred arrows!

Nangong Caiying kept a close distance and witnessed the arrows pouring down like a waterfall with his own eyes.

The battlefield was always unpredictable, but this was something he could never have imagined.

"Just what the hell is…"

Nangong Caiying and Ximen Erjin simultaneously turned toward the direction the arrows had come from as if they had decided to do so together.

"What do you mean, 'What the hell is this?’ This is the Multiple Fire Lance Launcher (多發火箭)!”

When one tied a directed barrel of gunpowder to an arrow and lit it, the ensuing heat could send an arrow flying to a target in the distance. This innovative creation was called a fire lance.

This Multiple Fire Lance Launcher, as its name suggested, was able to fire multiple fire lances simultaneously when lit.

After making a hollow hexagonal box, tubes that could hold a conventional fire lance were layered. Then, by adding a connected fuse to an opening at the base and lighting it, one could fire all of the fire lances at once.

Its range was about one to two li, and the arrows were arranged tightly like a net, allowing for a wide range of fire.

"This is the special creation of the genius of mechanisms, Zhuge Shengji!” Chu Lian shouted excitedly. Behind her, the Gold Will Sword Sect warriors were carrying Multiple Fire Lance Launchers at their side.

“What are you shouting?” Zhou Xuchuan asked Chu Lian.

“That master told me to shout when I use it.” Chu Lian replied with a shrug.

“Well, it's not a wrong statement…”

Zhuge Shengji had a strong desire to be recognized through his skill with mechanisms. Since the statement wasn't wrong, Zhou Xuchuan didn't plan to intervene.

‘He really is an incredible genius.’

The Multiple Fire Lance Launcher was a weapon that hadn’t existed in his previous life.

It was understandable because, in his previous life, the Posthumous Genius Zhuge Shengji had been treated poorly and hadn't received any support to work on new mechanisms.

While the appearance of the Three-Eyed Godly Thief’s Treasury has belatedly highlighted the importance of mechanisms and gotten Zhuge Shengji some support, even that had come with many limitations.

The Zhuge Family had considered hidden weapons to be humiliating and banned Zhouge Shengji from designing weapons, focusing only on disarming mechanisms and traps.

The simple bamboo tube that was synonymous with the Sichuan Tang Family's poison weapons was proof of this.[1]

"Who knew Shengji would be this scary if he was given money!"

Gunpowder was expensive. It wasn’t something that could be bought with any reasonable amount of money.

The firearms of the imperial government had been abandoned for the exact same reason. The manufacturing cost wasn't low, and its effects weren't much different from that of a bow, which was why it was ignored, and naturally, the research halted.

However, Zhuge Shengji had not only revived the halted research but also improved it.

After asking Li Yicai to bring him all sorts of books related to mechanisms and weapons and reading them all, he quickly mastered all the knowledge provided to him.

Then, he applied that knowledge to create something ridiculous.

"This, this…"

Ximen Erjin’s face turned red. He was so shocked that he even stuttered in front of Nangong Caiying.

“You cowardly bastards!”

“I know!”

While Zhou Xuchuan hadn’t fully grasped the power of the Multiple Fire Lance Launcher when he first heard about it from Chu Lian, he quickly recognized its impressive capabilities when he saw it for himself.

"The Phoenix Slayer and the Gold Will Sword Sect?”

Nangong Caiying frowned.

He hadn't forgotten the existence of those who had irritated him just days ago.

The surrounding battle paused momentarily before a flood of curses was directed to the Gold Will Sword Sect. Even their own allies despised them.

“Now, listen carefully! This is the power of the Gold Will Sword Sect!”

Zhou Xuchuan sold out the Gold Will Sword Sect out of fear that his Mount Hua would get cursed.

“The owner of the Gold Will Sword Sect is Li Yicai!” Chu Lian interjected.

A child would suffer the debts of the parents.

Chu Lian was worried that she and the others of the Gold Will Sword Sect would get targeted because of the attention they were drawing and quickly sold out the Head Merchant.

"They still have two left!"

The Ximen Family warriors grew concerned. They could see four warriors of the Gold Will Sword Sect pairing up and opening boxes to reveal two Multiple Fire Lance Launchers, each with the ability to fire a hundred fire lances at once.

“Let’s go!” Zhou Xuchuan shouted and ran forward. As he stepped aside, the Multiple Fire Lance Launcher’s mouth came into view.

BOOM!

With a thunderous roar, a hundred arrows darkened the sky.

“Fu–"

Thunk, thunk, thunk, squelch!

“Ahh!”

“Ugh!!!”

"Agk!!!!!"

1. These bamboo tubes are more like blowguns, using either qi or air to propel needles. ☜

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