Volcanic Age

There were two main things on Zhou Xuchuan's agenda.

First, he had to deliver the Prajna Divine Art.

He needed to retrieve it from Li Yicai and take it to the Shaolin Temple.

While he could have sent it through someone trusted by the Martial Alliance Leader, the risk of that person being a spy for the Dark Heavens Association couldn't be ignored.

It was safer for him to handle it personally, or at least, that was what the Martial Alliance Leader had recommended in the letter he had sent to him before.

"Senior brother. Where are we going?"

"The Valley of Phantoms."

There was something he had to handle before delivering the Prajna Divine Art.

"The Valley of Phantoms? The league of assassins, the Valley of Phantoms?" Luo Xiaoyue's eyes widened in surprise.

It was famous for never failing a request once accepted, a force made up entirely of assassins.

There were no witnesses who had ever actually seen them, and anyone who tried to investigate them disappeared without a trace. Despite being an organization whose true identity was unknown, the Valley of Phantoms had been used by those with unscrupulous backgrounds for over two hundred years.

Their commission fee was unimaginably high, but their success rate spoke for itself.

Above all, the most reliable part about them was that they never revealed the details of the commission.

"Yes."

"Why would you go there? No, actually, do you even know where it is?"

"Yes."

While Zhou Xuchuan answered his junior sister's questions, his mind wandered to another thought.

The Divine Phantom Art…

The Valley of Phantoms' unique divine art was actually the Divine Phantom Art that he had obtained during the explorations of the Three-Eyed Divine Thief's Treasury when he had first entered the gangho.

While the Ten Thousand Convergence Art is also important, it's nothing compared to this.

If he had to choose only one of the divine arts he had obtained from the Three-Eyed Godly Thief's Treasury, it would naturally be the Divine Phantom Art.

"Whoever obtains the Divine Phantom Art will rule the Valley of Phantoms."

That statement wasn't just a rumor that had floated around the gangho.

These were the words left behind by the Dark Heavens Association Lord in Zhou Xuchuan's previous life.

The Valley of Phantoms was a neutral organization that had never taken a side.

Not aligning with the Righteous Faction, the Evil Faction, the Demonic Path, or even the imperial government, the Valley of Phantoms had always acted based on one thing—commission.

However, after the Era of War and Chaos had begun, a shocking fact had been revealed. The neutral Valley of Phantoms was the right hand of the Dark Heavens Association Lord.

'If ordinary assassins move like shadows, the assassins of the Valley of Phantoms don't even have shadows in the first place. They were everywhere but nowhere. With the greatest assassins in the world serving as the Dark Heavens Association Lord's subordinates, it was like giving wings to a tiger.'

If the Ten Thousand Convergence Art had turned the Dark Heavens Association Lord, who was already a monster, into a natural disaster, the Valley of Phantoms had played a part in turning the Dark Heavens Association itself into one as well.

The number of major figures of the murim who had fallen at the hands of the Valley of Phantoms during the Era of War and Chaos easily exceeded three digits, the most prominent of which was the Heavenly Strategist.

Moreover, their intelligence system was on a level incomparable to the Beggar Gang or the Xia Wu Sect.

Zhou Xuchuan had to make sure that the Valley of Phantoms never fell under the influence of the Dark Heavens Association this time around.

The location they were heading to had been exposed during the war in his previous life.

"Wait a moment, senior brother. Are you even listening to me?!"

Luo Xiaoyue puffed out her cheeks as if she was slightly offended.

I'll have to make you pout more often.

Luo Xiaoyue's pouting was so cute that Zhou Xuchuan almost fainted.

"I get it, I get it. I'll explain things while we move, so relax a little."

Although he couldn't be completely honest with her, Zhou Xuchuan had already prepared a story to convince Luo Xiaoyue and avoid any unnecessary suspicions.

Zhou Xuchuan split the story apart as they camped outdoors or walked through the mountains, to ensure no one could overhear their entire conversation.

"You know I visited the Sichuan Tang Family last year, right?"

"Yes, that's where you got the nickname, Phoenix Shitter."

"It's the Phoenix Slayer… putting that aside, you seem a little angry."

"Whatever. Anyway, what about it?"

"After that, I went to Poisonblood Valley."

"Poisonblood Valley, that's insane…. Oh. The Thousand Poisons Immunity."

Luo Xiaoyue turned pale for a moment before quickly relaxing.

"I happened to find the Valley of Phantoms' foundational art there, and I was thinking of passing it over to them to gain their favor."

"Wait, you're saying you found the Valley of Phantom's foundational art?"

"Listen carefully, junior sister. What I'm about to say is a bit serious."

From this point on, Zhou Xuchuan had to tell a lie mixed with the truth.

He had practiced it many times in his mind.

Having told this kind of lie so often, it had almost become a cultivation technique of some sort. Moreover, he must have been in excellent condition as his tongue moved smoothly.

"So, to summarize, you happened to meet a secret and dangerous group that threatens the fate of the murim. Their plan is to conquer all of the murim and bring the world under their thumb, and you, after discovering their plans, are trying to stop them?"

"Yes. One of their plans is to use this foundational technique to control the Valley of Phantoms. That's why I plan to strike first."

"... senior brother."

"Yes."

"If I'm honest, this is pretty hard to believe."

Luo Xiaoyue's face was serious. She didn't laugh at Zhou Xuchuan's story, nor did she look at him like he was crazy.

He wondered if this was a case of the apple not falling far from the tree. He could see a faint trace of Shen Yulian's seriousness in Luo Xiaoyue's expression.

"Even if you suddenly tell me something that, in all honesty, sounds like a conspiracy theory, I won't just go, 'Oh, I'll believe him because he's my senior brother.'"

"I get that."

"Do the elders of the sect know about this?"

"No, you're the first one I've told."

"I'll set my disbelief aside for now, but if you're telling the truth, why didn't you tell them? I don't think this is something that a mere Fourth Generation Disciple can decide alone."

"Because they've infiltrated deep within not only Mount Hua but the Righteous, Evil, even the Demonic Path. Putting aside the fact that everyone in the sect would look at me like I'm an idiot if I told them, if even the tiniest bit of my knowledge of this organization leaked out, my life would be in danger."

Zhou Xuchuan responded just as seriously as Luo Xiaoyue.

There wasn't a hint of jest in his voice.

He didn't avoid eye contact either, instead he looked her directly in the eyes.

"..."

After their conversation ended, Luo Xiaoyue didn't say anything. She simply stared at her senior brother, who had told her such a suspicious story, with a blank expression. Silent, without a trace of emotion.

The awkward silence stretched for a moment before Luo Xiaoyue finally spoke.

"Then, I should keep this a secret, too. Right?"

"Exactly."

"...ha."

Luo Xiaoyue sighed so hard that it seemed as though the ground was sinking.[1]

Then, she immediately looked up at her suspicious senior brother.

"Also, a disciple of Mount Hua obtaining the favor of an Assassin Organization. Don't you know that's a serious crime?"

"I know, but in this situation, things can't be helped. Considering this is for the sake of saving the murim, they'll understand."

Luo Xiaoyue's eyebrows furrowed without a word.

"Do you believe me?" Zhou Xuchuan asked.

"Only partially."

"That's more than I thought."

"It's only because you're my senior brother that I partially believe what you're saying."

While her head told her it was nonsense, her heart said otherwise. Her feelings were complicated.

"In the first place, don't you think it's a bit strange that the foundational technique of the Valley of Phantoms was in the Poisonblood Valley?"

"Junior sister."

"Yes?"

"Have you been to Poisonblood Valley?"

"No, I've never been there…"

"If you haven't been there before, how would you know?!"

She had no answer to that.

***

The mountains and steep cliffs surrounding the valley created a breathtaking landscape, but also made it dangerous for them and difficult to enter.

Raging water flowed violently and roared, carving out paths between the stones as it flowed through the valley.

Ahead of them, the fog was so thick that it was nearly impossible to see their destination.

A place where not even animals dared to venture, let alone people.

"The Valley of Phantoms…"

While the scenery wasn't as magnificent as Mount Hua's, the landscape before them was still beautiful enough to make them pause in awe.

"Senior brother, is this…"

Luo Xiaoyue frowned as she admired the sight.

"It's a formation."

Zhou Xuchuan scratched his head in exasperation.

I didn't realize something like this would be here…

The location of the Valley of Phantoms had been recorded in the books and reports that he had read in his previous life. The only difference between those records and what they were looking at now was the existence of a formation.

At least in the records he had read, there had been no mention of a formation.

Still, Zhou Xuchuan could roughly guess why that was.

'The reports must have been made after the Valley of Phantoms had been attacked and its nature formation destroyed. That would explain why it had been omitted.'

The only people who would be interested in the nature formation were the Zhuge Family. Moreover, the only people who would record and read it were also the Zhuge Family.

For convenience, the records regarding the formation were probably left to the Zhuge Family back then.

Damn it. I should have brought Shengji.

It wasn't that he had absolutely no understanding of natural formations, but his mastery was only at the basic level. Even with a cursory glance, he could tell that the formation before them was incredibly complex.

"Senior brother, look over here."

Luo Xiaoyue's voice shook Zhou Xuchuan from his thoughts. He walked over and saw an inscription engraved where she pointed.

All living souls who cross beyond this point, be warned: No living soul can escape the peril that awaits.

"If you can't be a living soul to cross… is it talking about the Phantoms, then?"

"Yes."

Anyone unfamiliar with this place might take the sentence as a simple warning.

However, since they already knew this was the Valley of Phantoms, they immediately understood what it meant.

It's too late to bring Shengji here.

The Gold Will Merchants in Shandong was too far, and they had already gone through countless hardships just to get here.

He didn't want to turn back now that they had gotten this far.

Maybe…

He closed his eyes and fell into thought.

I might be able to enter if I become a Phantom.

Zhou Xuchuan had already memorized the Divine Phantom Art's sutra. Considering he already mastered the Ten Thousand Convergence Art, learning this shouldn't be difficult.

However, something still bothered him.

I've never seen or heard of the Dark Heaven's Association Lord using the Divine Phantom Art. This could become a big problem.

It could be disastrous if Zhou Xuchuan secretly learned the techniques of other sects, especially their divine arts, without permission. Although the Valley of Phantoms wasn't an ordinary sect, the laws of the murim would still likely hold sway.

There was a reason why he hadn't practiced the Divine Phantom Art.

While there was a chance he could use Mount Hua's movement technique in place of the Phantom Steps, he was worried about the risk of getting rejected by the formation.

What he really wanted was the Valley of Phantoms, not their divine art, which was why he deliberately hadn't learned it, just memorized its sutra.

Am I going to have to go back?

Considering how important this matter was, Zhou Xuchuan couldn't make a decision carelessly.

No, that's not it, either. Considering how close we've gotten, the Phantoms might have already noticed us. Even if I bring Shengji back, there's no guarantee that they'll still be here when we return.

If that were the case, it would be a serious problem.

He couldn't guarantee that he'd be able to find another outpost of the Valley of Phantoms, and he could end up being targeted by the Phantoms.

In the worst-case scenario, they would stop at nothing to kill him.

"Okay."

He had made his decision.

"Let's go back for now. I've thought of a plan."

The Divine Phantom Art.

Zhou Xuchuan started practicing it at dawn, reciting its sutra in his mind.

As expected, it starts with a cultivation technique that even includes a breathing technique.

An assassin must not stand out.

The Ghost Breathing Technique was the most basic of assassin arts, allowing one to survive for almost a day without breathing. In particular, the Ghost Breathing Technique of the Divine Phantom Art could even slow one's pulse to the point where it seemed as though it had stopped.

That was one of the secrets of the Phantoms' warning.

If one didn't breathe or even have a pulse, then was one really alive?

Considering we don't have much time, I'll put aside most of the art. We're just going in and out, so I'll only focus on the cultivation technique and the footwork technique.

There were many things that made up the Divine Phantom Art. Starting with the most foundational cultivation method, the art included secret techniques such as movement techniques and hidden weapon arts.

Since he was only going in and out anyway, he only had to focus on the foundation and the movement technique.

The movement technique should be the most important part for now. There must be a path that only the Phantoms can take.

1. A random Korean idiom. She's just sighing really hard. ☜

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