Volcanic Age

The roar of the Bear Fist Hero, Li Chu, sent a tremor through the hearts of the Righteous Faction.

It's not that I don't understand.

The Martial Alliance, or rather the Righteous Faction, definitely valued a person's origins.

With their long history, powerful techniques, and influence over the murim, it was only natural for such storied sects to receive preferential treatment.

The problem was that this favoritism had become excessive.

It was definitely a problem.

"Confucius once said, 'Jūn Zǐ Zhōu Ér Bù Bǐ, Xiǎo Rén Bǐ Ér Bù Zhōu (君子周而不比, 小人比而不周)'."

The gentleman is all-embracing and impartial. The inferior person plays favorites and is not all-embracing.

That was a quote from the Analects.

Li Chu looked at the people around him with disgust.

"The moment a faction that cannot distinguish between the matters of people and cause brings about discrimination, the fate of the Martial Alliance has already been sealed."

The eyes that burned fiercely with hatred softened for a moment as they landed on Tang Hui, who stood beside Zhou Xuchuan.

"Poison Phoenix, don't you know that all too well? You were looked down upon and ignored just because you were a poison master."

"..."

"It's ridiculous that there's such blatant discrimination even within the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Ancient Families."

Li Chu continued, his voice filled with frustration.

"Your brother also realized the hypocrisy and injustice of the Martial Alliance long ago and eventually came to lead the Avaricious Wolf Star. Although he may be a Little Patriarch of the Five Great Ancient Families, he is a man of wisdom who should be respected rather than ignored."

Li Chu had a deep resentment toward the privileged class, but people like Tang Mingren were an exception.

To him, Tang Mingren was someone who had made painful sacrifices yet rejected the privileges offered to him and sought to set things right.

"So you too…"

"Don't talk nonsense."

Zhou Xuchuan interrupted Li Chu.

"I understand what you're trying to say and what you're pointing out. However, this cannot be justified."

"Zhou Xuchuan!"

"The Dark Heavens Association, Blessed Existence, is nothing more than a group that cunningly worms its way into people's hearts, using sweet words to subtly manipulate them. They disguise their persuasion as reason, twisting ideals to serve their own agenda."

Zhou Xuchuan wouldn’t deny the truth—he knew the Martial Alliance was flawed.

Li Chu's point was right.

Stagnant water tended to rot, and excessive friendship led to ruin. It was true that the coalition created to bring out the peace and safety of the murim, help the weak, and uphold righteousness had become privatized over time for the benefit of its members.

If the purpose of such a coalition was for personal rights and interests like the Evil Valley, then that would be different. However, the Martial Alliance, the organization of the Righteous Faction, shouldn't have been like that.

There had been many dark events throughout Zhou Xuchuan's previous life. Some who grew fed up with the biased interests of the Martial Alliance turned away.

Hearing the message that something would change, such people joined the Dark Heavens Association and became a member of the eight divisions.

"If you really understand what is wrong, then—!"

"Your intentions are valid, but your methods are wrong!" Zhou Xuchuan shouted. The people around him were startled by his shout.

"If you really wanted to walk the righteous path, if you truly wanted to fix what is wrong, you shouldn't have sided with the Dark Heavens Association!"

"..."

"To truly believe in those bloodthirsty bastards who sacrifice all living things, whether human or animal, or who brought the Demon Cult, those lunatics who believe power is absolute and all else is mere indulgence? Have you lost your mind?"

Even if the true purpose of the Dark Heavens Association was to eliminate the absurdity of the privileged class, its methods were unforgivable.

"The Dark Heavens Association is a place where the innocent and uninvolved would be sacrificed if the situation calls for it!"

The Era of War and Chaos.

So many people had died.

When Zhou Xuchuan closed his eyes, he still couldn't forget the sight.

The corpses formed mountains, and blood formed rivers. The cries of those who lost their families rang in his ears. The screams filled with pain pierced his heart and tormented him.

The war had dragged on for decades, leaving people to suffer famine and disease. It had truly been a massacre.

It should never have to happen again.

However, it was happening again. Even in this second life, he couldn’t stop it. He could only try to minimize the damage.

"No matter what the purpose is, you should not associate with those bastards who start wars to weaken every faction for the sake of their own goals."

At least, the wars should never be started again.

"Not everything can be solved through conflict."

Regardless of the reason, such a conflict should never happen.

"Is… there… truly… no… other…" Li Chu muttered.

"Is there… truly… no other way, though?!" The Bear Fist Hero's voice trembled, his head bowed.

His tears fell to the ground.

***

The search and investigation expedition for the Human-faced Spider was over.

Since that moment, Li Chu had fallen into silence. It was as if something within him had broken. He merely swallowed the water and grain pills given to him, offering no words in return.

The Human-faced Spider helped the expedition party collect the bodies of the dead. Their members, which had numbered a hundred, had been reduced to seventy.

Zhou Xuchuan clenched his fists in anger at the sight of his comrades, torn apart by the spider’s legs, but forced himself to remain calm, remembering Old Man Blood Poison.

The spiritual beasts of Xiling Gorge, including the Human-faced Spider, had simply been controlled by the Blood Governance Art and had done nothing wrong.

After collecting the remains and treating their injuries, the expedition party prepared to set sail.

"Now that we've finished our preparations, we'll be leaving now."

"Thank. You. Again."

The Human-faced Spider thanked him with her six eyes shining. For some reason, it felt more like a threat than a thank you.

"I owe you something too, so you don't have to be so grateful," Zhou Xuchuan replied with a slight smile.

The token of gratitude that the Human-faced Spider had given him was a great help in many ways.

"Then, I'll be in your care in the future, too."

"This. Too. Is. Fate. And. Destiny. I'll. Humbly. Accept. It."

The Human-faced Spider retreated and disappeared into the darkness.

Not long after, the expedition's ships departed from the habitat.

"Everyone, head for the Martial Alliance."

The Human-faced Spider’s habitat itself had been a carefully laid trap by the Dark Heavens Association.

It wasn't a good idea for them to disperse, as there could be other dangers lurking around. More importantly, they needed enough manpower to escort Li Chu and transport the casualties.

They navigated the rapids of Xiling Gorge, one of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River. Since the current was fast, they were still able to gain speed.

"Zhou Xuchuan."

As he stood on the deck, enjoying the breeze, Tang Hui approached him.

"What is it?"

Is she planning to push me into the river since her poison won’t work on me?

Zhou Xuchuan turned around slowly, keeping his guard up.

"...Thank you."

"For what?" he asked, still suspicious that she was trying to make him let his guard down.

"Just, everything. I owe you my life, and…"

If it hadn't been for Zhou Xuchuan's help, not even Tang Hui, a master of poisons, would have been able to survive.

She had even received some of the neidan's Spirit Qi, which was more valuable than life to a martial artist.

While it wasn’t as much as what Luo Xiaoyue had received, her accumulated cultivation had significantly increased, and her poison arts had advanced by leaps and bounds.

No matter how proud she was, she wasn’t so ungrateful as to overlook the person responsible for giving her this chance.

"And for this too."

Tang Hui took out a vial from her bosom. Inside it was the poison of the Human-faced Spider and the other poisonous beasts.

It was the most precious extreme poison to poison masters. However, it didn't just end there. The important part was the regular supply. Zhou Xuchuan had promised to provide the Human-faced Spiders with protection from outside invasions, including the Dark Heavens Association in exchange for high-grade poison and webbing, and had appointed Tang Hui as his envoy.

To poison masters, high-grade poisons were weapons, and more importantly, elixirs. It was an incredible blessing to receive it for free.

"Thanks to you making the Human-faced Spider recognize me, my father won’t be able to interfere so easily in this matter. If necessary, I can even go directly to her and stop the supply of poison to the Family."

"Yes."

It was obvious without her having to say anything how much Tang Hui's status and influence within the Family would rise in the future.

"To think you would do this much for me… thank you, sincerely."

This time, there was no sarcasm in her voice. No empty words.

She truly meant it.

She owed him a great debt. No matter how many times she thanked him, it wouldn't be enough.

Tang Hui folded her hands politely and tried to bow.

"Well, that's…"

Before she could bend forward, she felt something pressing lightly against her waist, holding her in place. She quickly realized that it was Zhou Xuchuan's Spatial Manipulation.

"Because you asked for help."

Tang Hui looked up to see Zhou Xuchuan gently shaking his head. A soft breeze ruffled his hair.

"So…"

Thump. Thump.

For some reason, her heart was pounding.

Tang Hui folded her hands over her chest and held her breath.

She waited for the young Daoist of the Mount Hua Sect to speak again.

"I'll apologize for teasing you earlier, so please let go of your resentment and promise not to poison me when I eat or sleep."

"I'm going to kill you," Tang Hui replied coldly, her fingers tightening around the vial as if she were about to open it.

"Hohoho."

Laughter was heard from a corner of the ship.

Zhou Xuchuan stepped back from the railing, waving a hand as if to calm Tang Hui down, then turned toward the source of the laughter.

"Wave Sword Phoenix?"

"I wanted to get to know what kind of person the Sword God was, but he's more interesting than I thought."

Duan Lihua walked out with a charming smile. Her distinctive feature was her dark-colored bamboo hat.

"It's been a while, Unnie."

Tang Hui frowned as she greeted Duan Lihua, her expression clearly showing her displeasure.

"That's right. It's been quite a while since the Meeting of the Dragon and Phoenix."

The Righteous Faction's stars of the younger generation, the Five Dragons and Three Phoenixes, held regular meetings, which were called the Meetings of the Dragon and Phoenix.

However, after the situation of the murim changed unexpectedly, the meetings were postponed.

Unnie…

It was unusual for Tang Hui to call someone "unnie," so it felt refreshing in its own way.

However, her tone wasn't friendly at all, which was strange.

"I didn't know that you had developed a hobby of eavesdropping during the time I haven't seen you, Unnie. Or did you always have that habit?"

"Oh my, how could that be? My cute little sister seems to have misunderstood something—I just came to express my gratitude to the Sword God, just like you."

She licked her lips slightly, flashing a faint smile. It was remarkable how effortlessly she brushed off Tang Hui's harsh words.

"…"

Tang Hui bit her lips, clearly irritated.

Huh?

Tang Hui was never one to let a slight go unanswered. Yet, she backed down so easily.

It seemed as if Duan Lihua made her uncomfortable.

Duan Lihua removed her bamboo hat and turned to Zhou Xuchuan.

"I owe you a debt from the forest. If not for your help, I’d be lying cold and lifeless on the ground right now. Truly, I thank you for saving my life."

"There’s no need to thank me. I only did what was necessary."

"To think you're even humble—You truly are a hero."

Zhou Xuchuan scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

Duan Lihua looked up at Zhou Xuchuan and smiled.

"I owe you my life, so please let me repay that debt to you."

"No. That won’t be necessary."

"No, no. As a martial artist, I cannot take such kindness lightly."

Duan Lihua seemed to remember something, and whispered with a mischievous smile.

"Oh, how about this? I’ll repay my debt with… dual cultivation?"

"..."

Zhou Xuchuan was speechless.

"CAN YOU PLEASE JUST SHUT UP?!" Tang Hui shrieked, sounding as if she had just heard the most horrifying thing in the world.