The Regressor of Mount Hua-Chapter 320. The Confusion of Black Shadows (2)

“What a total mess.”

Zhuge Xiang let out a deep sigh.

It was just as Zhou Xuchuan had said.

"In the first place, hasn't the Black Shadow Division existed for quite some time? Why is the Juvenile Fist Emperor only now voicing his complaints about it?"

"The darkness of the Righteous Faction has existed since ancient times. It merely changed names across generations—disappearing, reappearing, or going into hiding based on the circumstances.

“About fifty years ago, Jing Bai had reorganized the Martial Alliance by cutting down numerous high-ranking officials tainted by corruption and hypocrisy. In the process, the previous organization that had filled the role of the current Black Shadow Division had disappeared.

"And those remnants must have been gathered and the organization revived, reborn as the Black Shadow Division."

Nangong Weiwu nodded.

“Yes.”

Jing Bai had already decided to leave at the time of the Black Shadow Division's reorganization.

"Back then, Senior told us that I and a few others were better suited to lead the reformation of the Martial Alliance, and he stepped down."

It wasn’t that he had just passed the torch irresponsibly. The Juvenile Fist Emperor also had his own considerations.

“Why are you leaving?”

"Part of it is because I’m exhausted. But more than that, you know I’m no good at anything other than cultivation. Even if someone like me took the seat, I’d just be a scarecrow. If I’m unqualified, I shouldn’t become a burden. I should step aside."

“But...”

"Weiwu, no, Alliance Leader. The present has already become the past. From now on, the future must be led by the present, not the past. That’s why, as someone of the past, I want you to pass on your experience and knowledge to the youth of today. But me? Someone lacking like me would only get in the way, don’t you think?”

The Juvenile Fist Emperor had realized early on that he lacked the traits of a leader, and left the rest to those he trusted.

He also decided to live in seclusion, worried that if he remained in the gangho murim, his great fame would be a hindrance to the new leaders.

He didn’t have any great ambitions in the first place, and because he had spent so much time within the gangho, he was able to leave without much regret.

What a wise man.

Zhou Xuchuan was naturally impressed by Jing Bai's wisdom. He was a hero who had pulled out the rotten roots of the Righteous Faction, only to then withdraw for the sake of the future without expecting any compensation.

In the end, Jing Bai's choice was the right one. If he had still remained in the gangho murim, all of the martial artists, including his own followers, would have continued to question Nangong Weiwu's qualifications.

But while the person I had trusted and left the world to wasn't as bad as those before him, he still revived what I had worked hard to destroy...

Zhou Xuchuan could understand the Juvenile Fist Emperor's feelings.

However...

He still couldn't understand the Juvenile Fist Emperor's reaction intellectually.

Nangong Weiwu, who had been entrusted with the task of being the leader of the Righteous Faction murim, had to reorganize and correct the broken Martial Alliance.

But using the “correct” method would’ve taken far too long.

Since the Evil Faction and the Demonic Path were both eyeing the messy Martial Alliance, they had had to settle down as quickly as possible.

Above all, there was a need to find the spies who had infiltrated during the chaos, and he had been forced to use torture to find the people involved.

In addition, the remnants of the hypocrisy and corruption from the previous generation had to be found and punished. The problem was, those remnants had long since destroyed the evidence, meaning they had to be dealt with by other means.

That was why the Righteous Faction's darkness, the Black Shadow Division, was remobilized. Annihilating them, a necessary evil, was impossible from the start.

“The incident from fifty years ago will happen again. The target will be the Elders, including the Alliance Leader.”

The Juvenile Fist Emperor couldn't be stopped. It was impossible to persuade him.

Then, all they could do was prepare.

“The only difference is that this time, no one will stand in his way," Zhuge Xiang said somberly.

In the past, Jing Bai hadn't been one of the Seven Empyrean Overlords. He had just been some third-rate unaffiliated warrior with no connections to any of the new generation.

However, now, things were different. He was an Absolute Master of the murim, a hero of the previous generation, and an enforcer of the righteous.

Although his cultivation was formidable, that wasn't the main issue. If anyone tried to stop the man known across the world as the embodiment of justice and order, they would immediately be branded hypocrites.

It was uncertain whether the Righteous Faction, which valued honor and reputation more than their lives, would try to stop him.

“The Dark Heavens Association will seize this opportunity," Zhou Xuchuan said, his expression grim.

"It's as you say, Great Hero Zhou. There's no better opportunity than the division of the Martial Alliance. They'll most likely launch an invasion of the murim around the time Elder Juvenile Fist Emperor visits."

Zhou Xuchuan and Zhuge Xiang looked at Namgung Weimu.

Namgung Weimu’s face was covered in deep wrinkles.

“I think we need to think hard about what to do.”

***

Sichuan, Tang Family.

"..."

Tang Youqi couldn’t help but lament.

The sect that was inseparable from the Black Shadow Division, or rather, the Righteous Faction's darkness, was the Tang Family. Thus, it was a given that they would react greatly to this situation.

"Just why did a ghost from the past suddenly appear?!"

Fifty years ago, before the reorganization of the Martial Alliance, the Tang family had also been deeply involved with the same darkness. However, it had only been a matter of the previous generation.

Though Tang Youqi looked old, he was still only middle-aged. Fifty years ago, he hadn't even been aware of the full truth.

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Back then, his grandfather had been the family head, and his father, the Little Patriarch, had been a part of the Martial Alliance and served as the darkness of the Righteous Faction.

In addition, the Tang Family had also been at the center of the Martial Alliance's regime, meaning that many things had happened to them during the regime change.

In the case of his grandfather, who was one of the direct causes, he was caught up in the regime change started by the Juvenile Fist Emperor and ended up losing his life.

As for his father, he had been declared brainwashed by his grandfather, and was spared after aiding victims of injustice.

Sometime later, he received a call from the new generation of the Martial Alliance and became the darkness of the Righteous Faction again, working diligently.

In fact, the reason the Black Shadow Division eventually returned under the Tang Family’s control was largely due to the events of fifty years ago.

As previously mentioned, prior to the decline of the Tang Family, various factions of the Martial Alliance had taken charge of the Black Shadow Division. Back then, criminals from the sects or those driven by a thirst for power—like the Tang Family—had willingly taken on such roles, hoping to receive compensation proportional to their actions.

Of course, even before that, many people from the Tang family, which had already begun to decline, had seized power. However, their control wasn't as overwhelming as it was now.

Then the new generation—those who rose up fifty years ago, overthrew them, saying they would eliminate hypocrisy and corruption.

In the process, all those who could do the so-called ‘dirty work’ died, and even though the Black Shadow Division was revived after the Juvenile Fist Emperor left, there weren't enough people to run it anymore.

Moreover, the new generation was made up of people who were tired of or had been harmed by the hypocrisy and corruption of the previous generation, making it strange for the new leaders to request their aid.

Coincidentally, the clan that had continued the darkness of the Righteous Faction throughout its long history had survived, able to take charge properly now.

That was the current Tang Family.

“Tsk...”

To Tang Youqi, the Juvenile Fist Emperor was the one who had given his family great power, so he didn’t really feel like an enemy.

“They say that the axe you trust will get you killed, but I gave birth to a lunatic of a son and now I'm in a tight spot."

No, his enemy wasn’t the Juvenile Fist Emperor, but his son, Tang Mingren.

If Tang Mingren hadn’t joined the Dark Heavens Association, the Black Shadow Division controversy wouldn’t have happened in the first place.

As time passed, his resentment toward his son grew stronger.

If it were up to him, he would have brought the brat in immediately and tortured him for days.

“Tang Hui... I should have appointed that child as the Little Patriarch. That was my poor judgement."

To Tang Youqi, the matter of who was the eldest child, or whether they were a man or a woman, was a trivial matter.

His eldest son had turned out to be a genius beyond imagination, and was also extremely strong mentally and had great cultivation talent, which was why he had been appointed the Little Patriarch.

Tang Youqi could never have imagined that he would be stabbed in the back like this.

"It would have been great if she had just gotten pregnant with the Sword God's child, but..."

He had never expected that they would end up meeting the legendary spiritual beast, the Human-faced Spider.

What was even more surprising was that they succeeded in negotiating with the Human-faced Spider and were able to obtain the materials for poisons on a regular basis.

In addition, as if that wasn't enough, his daughter had absorbed part of the Human-faced Spider's neidan and had reached the peak of her realm.

Although she may not have reached the pinnacle of cultivation, those around her were just too monstrous. Her current cultivation was by no means low.

Considering her age, it was more than possible for her to reach the Coruscant Realm before she turned forty.

“The Tang family is about to soar, and we cannot allow the ghosts of the past to interfere. The Juvenile Fist Emperor must die.”

Tang Youqi’s eyes glowed sinisterly.

“Dark Heavens Association? It's absurd to say that those who've only been around for thirty or forty years are the Dark Heavens.”

The Black Shadow Division was under the jurisdiction of the Tang Family. Although Tang Youqi had retired from active duty, his skills hadn't yet disappeared.

Even though Tang Mingren, who had been the active Division Head, was an outstanding genius, he had still needed the advice of the former person in charge.

Thus, even though Tang Youqi had stepped down from the front lines, he still watched from the shadows.

Regardless, the Black Shadow Division in question was currently being operated by the former person in charge, Tang Youqi, in place of the missing Tang Mingren.

Naturally, Tang Youqi also learned confidential information related to the Dark Heavens Association.

Tang Youqi was a cold-blooded person who would even abandon his own daughter for power. He was far from a righteous person.

However, his skills were undeniable, and he was one of the people who supported the current regime of the Martial Alliance more than anyone else.

For him, the Dark Heavens Association and the Juvenile Fist Emperor were ships that could never be reconciled with his own existence—which was why he worked together with Zhou Xuchuan.

Even though he didn't like it.

***

Dark Heavens Association.

“Kehehehe!”

A sinister laugh escaped the corner of Blessed Existence's mouth.

Finally, finally things are going as expected!

Aside from small, trivial matters, he couldn't remember the last time any part of the grand plan had gone smoothly. Whenever something truly important was at stake, that bastard nemesis—Zhou Xuchuan, who wouldn’t have satisfied him even if torn to shreds—would interfere and ruin everything.

However, this time was different. As if the god of luck was blessing him, Zhou Xuchuan had left for Hainan Island, and Blessed Existence was able to begin his preparations in peace.

“Well done, Blessed Existence.”

The Dark Heavens Association Lord praised him from high above.

It was praise he hadn’t heard since getting involved with Zhou Xuchuan. He truly couldn’t remember the last time those words had been spoken to him.

Though his body trembled with joy, Blessed Existence barely managed to suppress his emotion as he responded.

“No, Your Majesty. I just did what was right for the task I was given.”

“Are the preparations for the invasion of the murim going well?"

“Of course. Currently, the entire Seven Stars Division is preparing with all their heart and soul. Traitors recruited through wealth, power, or force await orders from across the murim, and both Destructive Soldier and Avaricious Wolf are helping me with my work.”

“Good. At last, we can bring this long preparation to an end.”

The Dark Heavens Association Lord’s eyes shone brightly.

Blessed Existence trembled at the overwhelming and majestic gaze.

Even Warped Valor, the Heavenly Demon, surrendered to the Lord. Zhou Xuchuan, no matter how much you fly and crawl about, you're still nothing more than an ant in front of the Lord. The same goes for the rest of the murim.

The time had come for the Dark Heavens to rule the murim.

“The day when the Righteous Faction, or rather the Martial Alliance, splits because of the Juvenile Fist Emperor will be the day the Dark Heavens will rise.”

A few days later, the Martial Alliance.

Zhou Xuchuan exited the building that housed the Martial Alliance Leader’s office.

Though the sun had already set, it was still winter, and the sky remained filled with drifting snow.

He stared at the freshly fallen snow as it gathered across the ground.

Then, he heard the soft crunch of footsteps in the snow beside him.

“Senior Brother!”

“Oh ho!”

The corners of his mouth lifted involuntarily at the familiar, soft sensation.

“Junior Sister.”

“It’s been a while.”

His one and only Junior Sister, Luo Xiaoyue smiled.[1]

“Are you okay? You're not hurt anywhere?”

After a brief greeting, Luo Xiaoyue anxiously scanned Zhou Xuchuan’s body, looking him over for injuries.

“Of course. What do you think of me as?”

"A Senior Brother who flies off to the middle of nowhere and disappears in the blink of an eye."

Luo Xiaoyue’s face turned stern as she glared at him.

“Junior Sister Luo, you seem to have gotten prettier since I last saw you.”

“I-is that so?”

Actually, it was just empty talk. She had always been beautiful, no matter when he saw her.

Luo Xiaoyue blushed in embarrassment, but she didn’t seem to dislike it, as she stroked her silky black hair.

“Oh, are you done talking to the Alliance Leader?”

“...Well, it’s mostly over. By the way, what are you doing here?”

1. There's a (?) next to one and only in the raws LMAO. ☜