Volcanic Age

Zhou Xuchuan mulled over the names of the Dark Heavens Association leaders, solidifying his resolve.

"Whew…"

Nangong Weiwu let out a heavy sigh. Zhuge Zhonghao’s reaction was no different.

“I'm really at a loss."

They wanted to catch the spy. However, if that spy was a high-ranking figure, it wouldn't be as easy as it sounded.

If they attracted attention by being too forthright about their suspicions, the forces behind the suspect might become wary and start asking questions.

Most importantly, they had to be careful. If their movements were discovered, the spy would be on high alert and go into hiding.

It was quite a headache.

“Is there anything else you want to say?”

Since the Martial Alliance meeting began, he had locked himself in the underground cultivation hall almost immediately. As a result, he hadn’t heard what had been discussed and wanted to know the outcome.

"It wasn't something that could be concluded so easily."

Nangong Weiwu smiled bitterly.

Even though the testimonies of the Divine Physician, the Seventh Young Master of Diancang, the Poison Phoenix, and other experts had been gathered, the other elders were unlikely to accept them immediately.

The existence of a power that sat behind the scenes controlling the Central Plains murim was hard to believe.

Moreover, the people they had to convince were those of the Righteous Faction, known for their overwhelming pride and fragile honor. Even when they were told the truth, they didn’t want to believe it. Accepting something like this would take time.

Some of them scoffed outright, unwilling to listen. Others, however, secretly believed what the search party had to say and went on to conduct separate investigations out of fear that there might be spies within their ranks.

"I see." Zhou Xuchuan said, nodding with an indifferent expression.

It was something he had expected.

In his previous life, no one actually knew about the existence of the Dark Heavens Association until they fully emerged on a large scale. Even when some information leaked, most people dismissed them as wild rumors. Even during the war, there were still plenty of people who refused to believe the Dark Heavens Association existed until it was too late.

In the end, it was that arrogance and denial that led to their downfall. Only when they were on the brink of destruction did everyone finally accept the truth.

This was something that required time or a catalyst to change people's minds, so there was no need to try to persuade them hastily. Since the highest authority within the Martial Alliance was already on his side, there was no need to worry.

"While I'd like to discuss future plans, seeing as we're all on the same page, circumstances seem to make that difficult for us."

"What? Where are you going at such a critical time?" Zhuge Zhonghao asked, clearly dissatisfied.

"Don't I have to report to the sect, too?" Zhou Xuchuan replied with a bitter smile.

"Hmph."

While Zhuge Zhonghao was still disappointed, he couldn't come up with a retort.

Although he had received the request through the Martial Alliance, the Benevolence Clinic had entrusted the task to the Mount Hua Sect. So, Zhou Xuchuan had to make a report in person.

If there were unavoidable circumstances, he might have been able to send a letter, but since that wasn't the case, he had to go in person.

“By the way, can I ask you one thing?” Nangong Weiwu asked, his expression serious.

“Of course.”

"Before you go back to Mount Hua, I have a favor to ask."

"A favor…?"

“Would you like to meet my granddaughter?”

“…”

Zhou Xuchuan was speechless.

He had been curious about what the old man, the Leader of the Martial Alliance, would ask, given his serious tone. But he hadn’t expected something like this.

Zhuge Zhonghao, who was standing next to Nangong Weiwu, clicked his tongue in disbelief and cursed at his old friend.

"Pssh, tsk. Just look at how you act so shamelessly without any tact. Get it together, just get it together, you old man!"

“Tsk.”

Nangong Weiwu licked his lips sheepishly at Zhuge Zhonghao’s ridicule.

"This little brat is having a good time with my granddaughter anyway, so don't bother him unnecessarily."

“Cough, cough!”

Zhou Xuchuan’s eyes widened, and he started to cough.

Zhuge Zhonghao didn’t seem to care about Zhou Xuchuan’s flustered reaction and continued speaking as he pleased.

"Your granddaughter has no room to interfere, no room at all. I heard that this brat helped Xiuluan study formations a while ago. Since they're going to be married in the future, they're already starting to get along well!"

Zhuge Zhonghao laughed heartily.

“What? Is that true?” Nangong Weiwu asked with wide eyes. His expression was like, ‘How could you do this to me?’

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave now.”

Zhou Xuchuan said, shaking his head as though at a loss.

"Ahem. It looks like us old folk made a fool of ourselves for a moment. I'm sorry."

Nangong Weiwu also changed the mood with a dry cough, as if he was embarrassed.

“What did you see?” he asked, his eyes now deeply sunken in and his voice grave.

When Zhou Xuchuan met those eyes, it felt like the elder could see deep into his heart.

Zhou Xuchuan was caught off guard by Nangong Weiwu’s question. But after a moment, he calmed down, understanding the intent behind it, and responded.

“I saw a wall, no, something more than that.”

It was on a different level from the wall that had stood in front of the Harmony Realm.

It almost felt like the boundary between the living and dead, something that he could neither jump nor fly over.

"Ha, at your age, reaching the Harmony Realm is already absurd, but to think you've already reached that…"

Nangong Weiwu wasn't being sarcastic; he was sincerely admiring him. On the other hand, Zhuge Zhonghao didn't understand their conversation and could only guess that it was a discussion about some realm of cultivation.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

“There’s no need to be hasty. On the contrary, if you become obsessed, you’ll never get there.”

Zhou Xuchuan listened intently to Nangong Weiwu’s words, committing them to memory and repeating them to himself so he wouldn’t forget.

This was the teaching of not just anyone but an Absolute Master of the Ten Empyrean Overlords.

It was priceless.

"Then, what should I do?"

Nangong Weiwu smiled gently.

“Do what you want.”

"Pardon?"

"I don't know what you saw then. Even if you ask any of the other Ten Empyrean Overlords, their answer would be the same."

Zhou Xuchuan couldn't understand what Nangong Weiwu was saying.

"People are all different, so how could our enlightenments be the same?"

Nangong Weiwu looked at his junior with a gentle gaze.

"But, if we had to say something, it would be to be oneself. You should also let go of excessive greed and obsession. Remember not to let go of all of it, otherwise, you'll lose yourself. After all, you and I aren't monks."

“…?”

It was an ambiguous statement.

Let go of greed and obsession, but don't let go of all of it.

Moreover, what does it mean to ‘be oneself’?

It sounded like a riddle, a vague statement. No matter how much he racked his brain, he just couldn't understand it.

Zhou Xuchuan tried to commit the Empyrean Overlord’s teaching to memory, but no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t make sense of it. All it did was leave him scratching his head in confusion.

"What sort of shit is that?" Zhuge Zhonghao muttered, voicing Zhou Xuchuan’s unspoken thoughts.

****

A homing pigeon left Hefei, carrying a simple letter. The message wasn’t noteworthy—it simply stated that the Divine Physician had been rescued and the mission completed, and Zhou Xuchuan would soon return to Mount Hua.

This wasn’t surprising, as news of the Divine Physician’s successful rescue had already spread. Now, they were simply waiting for Zhou Xuchuan to return.

"Then, I'll be taking my leave now. It was a pleasure to travel alongside you."

"It doesn't feel good sending off my benefactor without being able to offer any hospitality."

Although Duan Hecheng had asked to treat him to a meal several times, Zhou Xuchuan declined every time.

Since he couldn't persuade Zhou Xuchuan otherwise after being told that he had to return to the sect, they settled for a light drink the night before his departure.

Although the Diancang Sect may have been different, the Mount Hua Sect didn't tolerate excessive drinking. So, they ended it before it went too far.

Still, they were able to foster a good relationship by talking about things that they hadn't yet been able to address.

"What do you plan to do, Young Lady Tang?" Zhou Xuchuan asked Tang Hui.

Swish!

Instead of answering, a poisoned knife flew at him.

"Y-you crazy woman!" Zhou Xuchuan screamed in horror.

Tang Hui put her hand on her chest in relief, let out a sigh, and smiled gently.

"I thought it was someone disguised as you that approached me. Don't randomly start doing things that you haven't done before. You even tried talking to me in such a greasy tone—can't you see that my cheeks are flushed red with anger? Look! I have goosebumps."

Tang Hui slightly rolled up her sleeves to show her pure white arms.

"There's nothing there, though?"

"So your eyes are still trash, then. Anyway, what brings you here?"

"I'm planning on returning to Mount Hua tomorrow. What about you?"

Sichuan was right next to Shaanxi.

Since they were going back the same way, he had come to ask if she would like to go back with him. However, he now regretted it.

The woman was dangerous, and part of him thought it would be wiser to leave her behind and return to Mount Hua alone.

"Since the road back won't be boring, I'm tempted by your offer. But I'll have to decline. I don't have any need to go back for the time being."

For some reason, the Tang Family Head had left Tang Hui on her own.

As she was a younger generation talent of the Righteous Faction and wasn't a child anymore, it wasn't unreasonable for the Head to leave her alone. But this… Zhou Xuchuan felt that he was just too uninterested.

While he wanted to ask her a few things and have a conversation, he swallowed it down because he thought it would be too much of a bother.

Moreover, it wouldn't be so bad if she didn't return to the Tang Family. She would be able to help the Gold Will Merchants when they were in trouble.

Even so, he explained the deal he’d made with the Divine Physician in exchange for his cooperation and asked if she could escort him to the Gold Will Merchants as part of their agreement.

"I have some work to do at the Martial Alliance, so is it okay to handle that first and then go?"

"The Divine Physician, I'm not sure how much that eccentric old man will tolerate. So, I want to finish it as quickly as possible…"

“It won’t take that long, so don’t worry,” Tang Hui responded, taking out a glass and a bottle of wine from the cupboard. When Zhou Xuchuan gave her a questioning look, Tang Hui responded with a playful, seductive smile.

She poured him a glass of wine and invited him to drink with her since he was already there.

Of course, he almost flipped the table when he heard that the wine had been poisoned.

The next day.

Zhou Xuchuan left the Martial Alliance feeling surprisingly refreshed and without a hangover, thanks to the Thousand Poisons Immunity.

He was traveling alone for the first time in a while.

Riding a horse provided by the Martial Alliance, he galloped at full speed. It seemed they had prepared a thoroughbred as it was quite fast.

So, he held the reins and galloped excitedly. However, even the best horses had their limits.

By the end of the day, the horse was almost foaming at the mouth from exhaustion. So, Zhou Xuchuan sold it in a nearby village and continued on foot, using his lightness technique to travel toward Shaanxi.

Even if I think about it myself, my cultivation is truly monstrous.

As most already knew, lightness techniques consumed a lot of qi.

However, even after running for hours, he wasn't exhausted at all. Still, his ocean-like qi reserves did decrease slightly.

On the other hand, his stamina remained unaffected.

Although he had partly compensated for his stamina with his qi, thanks to the Divine Pill of the Au Co, his stamina quickly recovered even after a little rest, which was nice.

It was amazing because he truly felt like he was immortal.

Thanks to his enormous qi reserves, his stamina that never seemed to run out, and the fun that he had racing around with his lightness technique, he arrived at the Mount Hua Sect in less than a week.