Volcanic Age

Zhou Xuchuan thrust his sword into the skull of the last remaining jiangshi, allowing his group to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Finally. It’s over."

Luo Xiaoyue chugged a water bottle, quenching her thirst.

Meanwhile, Zhuge Shengji focused on studying the layout of the surroundings.

"I’m sorry. I was too rash," Zhou Xuchuan apologized, scratching his head. He was supposed to be careful, so he had made a mistake by pulling out a Luminous Night Pearl as soon as they walked into the entrance.

"No, don’t say that. Anyone in your shoes would have done the same," said Luo Xiaoyue while shaking her head. She was obviously trying to console him.

Zhuge Shengji chimed in. "Lady Luo is correct. This whole place is designed to collapse from the get-go, after all."

Zhou Xuchuan looked at him and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Since it all happened quickly, I didn’t manage to get a good look, but! This place was designed to react to light, sounds, weight, or even vibrations from the stone door. Even if you hadn’t used that pearl, the traps would still activate, Brother."

"Either the entrance by the Lion Grove was a fake, or this entire place is one big trap, Brother."

"We better pray it’s not the latter, then."

If it was the former, the fact that this place was a secret satellite base wouldn’t change.

However, things would become tricky if it was the latter.

"But Senior Brother. Considering this level of preparedness, wouldn’t a fake entrance be a more plausible explanation?" Luo Xiaoyue asked while dusting off the hem of her skirt with her sleeves.

"Let’s hope that’s the case."

***

The Dark Heavens Association had something called "list of targets to eliminate," and it hadn't been that long since Zhou Xuchuan’s name was added to it. He was also near the top of the list.

Vast Gate’s disappearance and the Association’s grand plan had been keeping Blessed Existence busy, but he had never stopped thinking about how to deal with Zhou Xuchuan—the young genius from Mount Hua.

It's still unconfirmed, but Zhou Xuchuan might already be aware of our existence.

The source of his suspicion was Meng Gang. Just like how Meng Gang didn’t trust the Dark Heavens Association, the Association didn’t trust him, too.

The man looked like his brain was full of muscles, but it was definitely not the case. Not only was he clever enough to put most civil servants to shame, but he was rather meticulous, too. In short, he was a force to be reckoned with.

That was why Blessed Existence had Meng Gang’s every move monitored, and it paid off. He discovered Meng Gang’s surreptitious attempts at investigating the Association.

At the time, Blessed Existence feigned ignorance. He wasn’t turning a blind eye, though—he simply didn’t mind it, as he had already made preparations to counter whatever Meng Gang could foolishly try in the future.

In fact, it was a great development, as it would allow Blessed Existence to exploit Meng Gang’s confidence.

He wouldn’t leave records of things about the Association that are easy to recall. However, the odds of him leaving something about our branches or agents behind are uncomfortably high.

Blessed Existence’s guesses were eerily accurate. There was indeed a good reason as to why he was the brain of the Dark Heavens Association.

If it weren't for the limited amount of information, Blessed Existence would easily see through everything. However, he needed just a clue, and he'd see through everything in no time.

It doesn’t matter how much Zhou Xuchuan knows about the Association; he’ll definitely seek out the nearest branch upon seeing Meng Gang’s records. That will be our opportunity! Blessed Existence wouldn’t be this worried if Zhou Xuchuan were a First Class expert or a Peak expert.

Unfortunately, Zhou Xuchuan was stronger than such experts, which was problematic.

In addition, it was still unclear whether he had already stepped into the Harmony Realm. Blessed Existence had to acknowledge that Zhou Xuchuan possessed the martial prowess of one of the One Hundred Experts Under Heaven.

I knew something like this could happen, so I had a variety of mechanisms installed. With that… there's no way he'll get out of there alive.

Blessed Existence wasn’t just a genius of military strategies. His knowledge of array formations and mechanisms was pretty high as well. As a matter of fact, he was behind all the mechanisms and traps of the Dark Heavens Association.

The presence of the Mechanism Freak is a bit annoying, though…

However, Blessed Existence didn’t think that Zhuge Shengji’s presence would pose a problem. First of all, the art of mechanism had long faded away into obscurity, forgotten by the people of Murim.

In other words, Zhuge Shengji's level of knowledge regarding mechanisms couldn't be that deep.Besides, he was infamous for being not that smart despite inheriting the blood of the Zhuge Family.

Never mind disabling the mechanisms; they probably won't even notice a thing!

***

The tunnel of solid stone was sparsely lined with lit torches, but it remained relatively dim. Zhou Xuchuan and his group moved forward while relying on the faint light.

"Hehehe! A mechanism over there. A contraption over here! Wherever I look, there are traps! These fellas tried their best, but their efforts do not matter before this supreme genius!" Zhuge Shengji cackled haughtily, looking excited.

Even the brain of the Dark Heavens Association, the one and only Blessed Existence, couldn’t have predicted the bizarre—nay, obsessive focus of Zhuge Shengji’s intellect on solving mechanisms and traps.

However, it wasn't a surprise. A genius-level intellect that only cared about mechanisms? Search the entire world high and low, and one would still not find an eccentric genius like that.

Before the discerning eyes of the Posthumous Genius Zhuge Shengji, no mechanisms and traps were safe.

The craftsmanship of the mechanism or the materials used to construct it did not matter at all. Even the mechanism's intended purpose didn't matter as well, as Zhuge Shengji uncovered and resolved them all.

While humming away playfully, Zhuge Shengji would use a needle or a dagger to prod and tap on certain spots in the tunnel, disabling every mechanism as if he were taking candy from a baby.

Not a single trap had been activated so far since that mishap by the entrance.

"Maybe there aren’t actually any mechanisms here?" Luo Xiaoyue was a bit confused. Her puzzlement made sense, as the group’s progress had been far too smooth sailing.

There's a reason he earned the title "Posthumous Genius."

Zhuge Shengji’s talents had never failed to impress Zhou Xuchuan; the latter would always be impressed by it, no matter how many times he had witnessed it. At this point, no adjectives could adequately describe Zhuge Shengji's genius!

The mechanisms they had encountered so far were so brutal that even powerful experts would have trouble safely extricating themselves from those traps.

Under Zhuge Shengji’s lead, the group’s travel time was reduced by several hours—no, perhaps even a day or two!

Several jiangshis had popped up along the way, but they were all si jiangshi[1], just like the ones that the group had encountered near the entrance.

A si jiangshi was a tricky opponent for Third Class and Second Class cultivators, but a First Class cultivator wouldn't find it too troublesome to handle. A jiangshi’s movements were stiff and dull, so a competent cultivator shouldn’t have anything to worry about.

The only things to worry about were the corpse venom and the fact that a jiangshi couldn’t be cut down unless attacked with qi.

Zhou Xuchuan and company didn’t need a long time to deal with the jiangshis.

After finishing the undead, they headed to the next section through the tunnel.

"Mm?" Zhuge Shengji stopped moving like an excited kid. The tunnel had abruptly widened, prompting him to look aroundlike a hawk.

"Did something happen?" Zhou Xuchuan asked, gripping his sword tightly.

"Brother, the space ahead of us is filled with traps. I’m not talking about one or two traps. There are so many of them that I can’t decipher them all."

"Really? Just how many traps did they install in this place?"Zhou Xuchuan wondered. He knew that the organization favored the deployment of trap mechanisms. Even then, he still couldn't believe that they'd deploy so many traps in one place.

"What should we do?"

Zhuge Shengji replied with little concern, "It’s fine, Brother. We can simply go around them."

"Go around?"

"Mmhm, well, let’s see… Over here, Brother. Can you cut those sections down?"

Zhuge Shengji pointed at several spots on the wall to their right.

Zhou Xuchuan moved quickly, cutting through them.

"…Uh?"The feedback that he received from stabbing and slicing through those sections in the wall felt different. It could only mean that the wall was hollow.He cast a questioning gaze at Zhuge Shengji.

Zhuge Shengji nodded and explained, "Installing over ten different trap mechanisms in a cramped area like this will inevitably lead to a problem. So you have no choice but to create an empty space against such a mishap."

Zhuge Shengji shoved the wall with his palm, and the large stone wall fell down with a loud thud. He peeked inside through the opening, and then he pointed into the darkness beyond the wall.

"There should be a few more trap mechanisms inside. I'll let my eyes get used to the darkness first so we can slip past the traps without triggering them. The triggers are on the outside, but it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious, would it?"

"Excuse me, Master Zhuge?" Luo Xiaoyue asked, looking rather impressed. "What were you pointing at just now?"

"Oh, that? I was pointing toward spots that can be touched safely. One wrong touch can trigger a trap, you see."

"That's amazing… how did you know that?" Luo Xiaoyue asked, gasping in surprise and awe. She knew nothing about traps and mechanisms, but even a child could see how impressive Zhuge Shengji was.

"Kuh-hum, kuh-hum!"

Zhuge Shengji stood tall and haughtily. He pushed his chin up to the extent that his nose nearly pierced the ceiling. He spread his chest wide open and declared egotistically,"It's nothing amazing, Lady Luo. Isn't it obvious? Anyway, you want to know how I spotted them?

"Well, just look around you. Aren't they easy to spot? Lady Luo can be so humorous at times. Hahaha!"

"I’m sorry?"Luo Xiaoyue asked. At first, she thought that Zhuge Shengji was jesting, but she soon grew flustered upon noticing his serious expression and demeanor.

Just as she was panicking about how to respond, her senior brother came to the rescue and patted her shoulder lightly.

"Junior Sister. That guy has a bad personality, so don’t pay any attention to him. If you’re interested in learning more about this topic, I suggest you study it by yourself," said Zhou Xuchuan.He was being serious here.

After calming down the mechanism genius from his agitated rant, the group caught their breaths and entered the hidden space behind the walls.

The inside was indeed filled with many different mechanisms.

The sight of the complicated mechanisms alone was enough to make the group dizzy.

From the crescent moon-shaped blades that threatened their lives at the entrance to iron maces capable of crushing people to pastes, they could all be seen here.

Afraid that making too much noise could trigger the mechanisms, the group held their breath and carefully navigated their way around the traps.

At first, Zhou Xuchuan was tempted to ask why they hadn’t used this secret tunnel from the get-go, but he soon found the answer to his question.

The passageway was extremely tight, and the group couldn't move freely in fear of triggering the traps. As a result, the journey became rather uncomfortable and tricky.

Seriously now… They really installed a ton of traps…

Judging from the number and complexity of the mechanisms here, it seemed that the Association wanted to obliterate any intruder. The number of traps here had to be at least twice as many compared to what the group had encountered so far.

The group walked cautiously for fifteen minutes or so. The number of mechanisms grew fewer and fewer as time ticked by. It also seemed that they were getting close to the exit. Once they were out, their nerve-wracking ordeal against these mechanisms would be over.

Hold on! Zhou Xuchuan thrust his hand out toward Zhuge Shengji at lightning speed, stopping his friend from opening the exit. Someone’s outside.

Zhou Xuchuan placed his index finger on his lips, and then he gestured at Zhuge Shengji to listen closely.

Sure enough, there were whispers from beyond the wall. The group infused their qi into their ears and focused on listening to the unidentified voices.

"Come on, now. There has been no reaction since the first one. Am I wrong?"

"Maybe they got crushed to death by the traps by the entrance? It’ll be difficult to survive all those traps unless you’re one of the Ten Empyrean Overlords."

Everyone's eyes widened at that.

Zhou Xuchuan’s mind churned rapidly, analyzing the situation.

The first reaction and the traps by the entrance? I see… it sounds like they're aware that we are here. The worst-case scenario was that this whole place was just one big trap.

Zhou Xuchuan was not afraid of some measly traps; he was worried that his journey would end in vain.

No, hold on. They went to this much trouble to welcome us. There must be something worthwhile in this place, then, Zhou Xuchuan thought. This was the only way he could stop the crushing disappointment from crushing his heart.

He prayed that they'd find at least some information on the Association here.

Besides all that, who are they?

Zhou Xuchuan's decision would change depending on the identities of the people on the other side of the wall. For now, it was still too early to decide.

Thus, Zhou Xuchuan waited patiently—he waited until someone on the other side mentioned someone's name, and he hoped that they’d speak up soon.

Zhou Xuchuan had mastered the Divine Phantom Art, and Little Ghost was an assassin, so waiting patiently for one or two days wouldn't be a problem for them. However, that wasn't the case for the two remaining members of their group.

"Shouldn’t we do something?"

Thankfully, the conversation on the other side of the wall resumed.

"Keep your mouth shut, Warped Valor Soldier."

A heavy voice echoed, sounding irritated.

A Warped Valor Soldier! Zhou Xuchuan’s eyes shot open wide.

Among the Seven Stars Division, the Warped Valor Division boasted several powerful experts under its banner. Every one of the Warped Valor Division’s combatants could be called an elite warrior.

Additionally, the position of Warped Valor could only be occupied by an expert second only to the Association Lord in strength, but Zhou Xuchuan wasn't familiar with the current Warped Valor.

According to the original timeline, the Dark Heavens Association would have healed Wu Zhenhua to entice Wu Qu into joining them. In other words, Wu Qu would be the incumbent Warped Valor, but history had changed.

From their conversation, it sounds like they're soldiers from the Seven Stars Division…

The head of each Star within the Association wouldn't have the word "Soldier" appended at the end of their title. In other words, the men on the other side of the wall were simply soldiers under the Warped Valor Division's banner.

However, it didn’t mean that Zhou Xuchuan could afford to relax. He and Luo Xiaoyue were going to be fine, but Little Ghost or Zhuge Shengji could die in the blink of an eye.

Zhou Xuchuan gathered more and more qi, strengthening all of his senses, including his hearing. The thick wall was in the way, but he was still a Harmony Realm expert. He finished a rough count of the enemy’s numbers in no time.

Between fifteen and twenty!

It seemed that other combatants besides those from the Warped Valor Division were present. It was highly likely that they hailed from Blessed Existence’s camp.

The only ones capable of adjusting and operating all these mechanisms in this secret base would be the soldiers from the Blessed Existence Division—a division that specialized in trap mechanisms.

Good! We’ll strike them down before they notice us! Zhou Xuchuan knew that they couldn’t just bide their time and wait for an opening to strike. Zhuge Shengji’s low cultivation realm meant that it’d only be a matter of time before they were discovered.

1. A si jiangshi is apparently the lowest class of jiangshi. ☜

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