The Regressor of Mount Hua-Chapter 328. A Declaration of War (1)

It wasn't that Jing Bai was wrong.

Zhou Xuchuan had repeated his words countless times—because the elder's arguments were valid. And Zhou had no intention of denying that.

The organization known as the Black Shadow Division had been a necessary evil. Still, its very existence was wrong, and the upper leadership of the Martial Alliance who had created it deserved to be held accountable.

However, as he had said before, he believed taking action at that time would be immature.

It wasn't a desirable result, but it couldn't be helped.

It couldn't be helped, but the result wasn't desirable.

It was a difficult problem.

However, being in the right isn't enough. Juvenile Fist Emperor, your way is simply just being in the "right".

An ideal was just that, an ideal. Ideals alone couldn't fix reality.

If reality really could be resolved with the action that was most in the 'right', the world would have enjoyed peace and prosperity a long time ago.

But the countless lives lost during the decades-long war couldn't be brought back with righteousness.

Martial artists weren't the only victims. Even those only slightly involved were caught up in the chaos. Innocent people suffered.

So many lives lost. So many tragedies that could never be undone.

"I also have no intention of... justifying it."

Although Zhou Xuchuan had known about the darkness of the Righteous Faction, he had left it alone.

Don't let it shake you. Don't stop moving. Think of the next plan, he murmured to himself, as if repeating a mantra.

"Senior Brother? Senior Brother!"

As soon as he stepped out of the bamboo forest, Luo Xiaoyue rushed over. Her eyes widened when she saw the blood on his forehead.

She quickly raised her sleeve to wipe the blood away.

"Are you okay? What happened?"

"I'm okay. I just fell," Zhou Xuchuan answered with a faint smile.

Unlike his chaotic appearance, his mind was filled with a single thought.

Destroy the Dark Heavens Association.

Looking at Luo Xiaoyue's face, an old memory came to mind.

A scene that would never be forgotten no matter how much time had passed.

In the era of war, he had seen the backs of the heroes.

It really seems as though I'm not the kind of person who can stand side by side with you all.

Leaving the bitterness in his heart behind, he strengthened his resolve.

***

The aftermath of the Martial Alliance's chaos went smoothly.

To sum it up, the Martial Alliance didn't split.

"Nangong Weiwu!"

"You evil bastard!"

The scattered hearts were united under public rage.

The lost honor was restored, and the doubts were dispelled.

A few people doubted the current situation, but they were only a minority and didn't have much influence.

"We offer our deepest apologies."

The Nangong Family stepped forward to apologize.

"Aren't they a family of sinners?!"

"Hmph! To think you knew and pretended you didn't!"

Though tensions had begun to ease following Nangong Weiwu's death, some lingering resentment found its way toward the Family.

However, that was only a small faction. Most of the martial artists felt sorry for the Nangong Family and sympathized with them.

"To be fair, wasn't all of this Nangong Weiwu's fault?"

"Exactly. They're victims too. I don't think they should be blamed."

"Same here. Didn't they publicly admit their mistake, apologize, and invite the victims' families to compensate them?"

"That's right, that's the attitude you should have when apologizing!"

"Besides, unlike the Shaolin Temple, didn't the Nangong Family directly handle their shame?"

The murim placed immense value on relationships and favor.

About four hundred years ago, the Shaolin Temple had been criticized for producing the worst evil and Great Demon Head, the Blood Monk.

The Shaolin Temple, which had once stood at the heart of these ties of favor, had pursued the Blood Monk to take responsibility—but in the end, they failed to kill him and let him escape.

As a result, the reputation of the Shaolin Temple, which had been called the Highest Peak, was greatly damaged. The number of incoming disciples dropped sharply in the aftermath.

Even their lay disciples, who had always been plentiful, declined significantly for a time. Their finances also took a considerable hit in various ways.

Thinking about the hardships the temple had endured while trying to restore their damaged reputation was dizzying.

In the end, a sect's reputation often hinged on whether it took responsibility for its dark history.

In the case of the Nangong Family, they were successful.

Moreover, they were also greatly supported by Zhuge Xiang's coordination and the lack of obstruction by the Nine Sects and One Gang or the Five Great Ancient Families.

"Honestly, I'm more concerned about who will become the Martial Alliance Leader than the Nangong Family."

"Oh! I was just about to say that!"

The leader of the Righteous Faction, the Martial Alliance Leader.

That was the position that any Righteous Faction member, or any martial artist, dreamed of.

There was no need to mention its authority.

"The Martial Alliance Leader? Even so, he is just a puppet of the Nine Sects and One Gang or the Five Great Ancient Families!"

"In the past, I would have agreed with you, but it seems that isn't the case. Can't you see what happened with the Demon Sword?"

"Hmph, to put it another way, this incident will be the reason why they will lower the authority of the Martial Alliance Leader in order to prevent the same situation from happening again."

The position of Martial Alliance Leader became vacant.

People were eager to know who would take the vacant position. The role of Martial Alliance Leader had quickly become the center of attention.

As a side note, Zhuge Xiang, who was currently serving as proxy for the Alliance Leader, held no permanent claim to the title.

Becoming the Alliance Leader required more than just insight and character.

As expected from the world of the murim, a strong cultivation was also required.

"In this situation, isn't the Sword God the only real choice?"

"While the Sword God is certainly great, honestly, isn't he too young?"

"What does age matter? Judging from the achievements Zhou Xuchuan has made so far, it shouldn't matter."

"I admit that the Sword God is great, but that's only when it comes to martial arts. It's like the difference between being good at something and teaching others something. He may be a hero, but if you ask if he's a good leader..."

And it wasn't just the Righteous Faction watching. The entire murim had turned its attention to the Martial Alliance.

Martial Alliance, Conference Room.

As the world of the murim was filled with commotion, the mood inside the Martial Alliance's summit was anything but lively.

A heavy silence filled the room. No one spoke.

What complicated feelings.

The Alliance Leader...

To think the Completion Sword would go so far!

Few people knew the full truth about Nangong Weiwu, but those tied closely to the Black Shadow Division—particularly the elders of the Righteous Faction—knew it well. The elders of the Martial Alliance, in particular, were fully aware.

They hadn't just known the truth, they had also taken part in it.

The feelings that the current elders had toward Nangong Weiwu were nothing but regret and guilt.

New n𝙤vel chapters are published on novelbuddy.cσ๓.

Although they all usually fought invisible battles of control to sway each faction, they still respected the man as an expert who had been active in the previous generation.

However, that great man had taken it upon himself to become a Great Demon Head and the enemy of the murim, shouldering all of the blame.

While Nangong Weiwu had been the one to reorganize the Black Shadow Division and condoned it, his intentions had been good. In taking responsibility for their sins, he left those around him feeling uncomfortable and ashamed.

"Namu Amitabha..." Hui Lu chanted as everyone stayed silent. The mutterings of the elder of the Shaolin Temple made their hearts even heavier.

"Is there anyone you would like to recommend as a candidate for Alliance Leader?" Zhuge Xiang, who was sitting in the Alliance Leader position, asked.

No one was willing to step forward. Normally, they would have all recommended their sects to lead without hesitation.

However, due to recent events, they couldn't bring themselves to do so.

How well must the next person do?

It's burdensome.

If we do something wrong, we might end up in trouble instead of hitting a goldmine.

Could we really do well?

That was the burden.

The Martial Alliance Leader was the highest position a member of the Righteous Faction could attain.

Being the Martial Alliance Leader was practically the same as being recognized as the best within the Righteous Faction. Naturally, their sect would also be elevated.

In any generation, the sect or family that the Martial Alliance Leader belongs to enjoyed the highest honor of the era and would receive all kinds of benefits.

However, the Martial Alliance Leader had to produce results and fulfill his duties in a manner consistent with the privilege granted.

But in this case, that wasn't the problem. The problem was the burden that the next Martial Alliance Leader would have to bear had increased because of the actions of the previous Martial Alliance Leader.

Fifty years ago, we succeeded in eradicating the corruption, and so we were able to gain a thick layer of trust.

However, now, it's different. Because the Martial Alliance Leader was the one who had created the corruption with absolute power, the surveillance and suspicion on us have increased. In order to recover this and build trust again, we have to at the very least achieve excellent results, even if it's not enough to overwhelm the entire generation again.

The effort would be too great compared to the loss.

Hmph!

They truly couldn't step forward. There were too many responsibilities. The duties were greater than the benefits.

Even Peng Junping, who was hot-tempered and relatively dull, kept his mouth shut and didn't move.

"Strategist, no, Deputy Alliance Leader. Has no one come forward at all?"

"There is one."

"Really? Who is that?"

The elders turned to him in surprise.

"The head of the Tang Family, Poison King Tang Youqi."

"What?!"

Bang!

Peng Junping slammed the table in anger.

The other elders also reacted violently.

"Is he in his right mind?"

"He's gone crazy!"

"Ha, seriously..."

Most of them looked dumbfounded.

"What did the message from Sichuan say?" Huang Gao asked Zhuge Xiang.

"As a father, he would make up for the betrayal of his son by becoming the Martial Alliance Leader and cleaning up his mess."

"What shit!"

Huang Gao snorted.

"As expected, he's still the same irritating bastard."

The elders quickly figured out Tang Youqi's intentions.

"Although the sins of the Black Shadow Division were borne by the former Alliance Leader, that doesn't mean the damage caused by Tang Mingren's betrayal has disappeared."

"So he wants to use the Martial Alliance Leader title to quietly bury the Tang Family's sins," Jingren Shitai said in an unpleasant tone at Wu Bai's explanation.[1]

"To think that he has such thoughts even after the world thinks the former Alliance Leader had used his power to satisfy his own greed, I don't know whether to call him bold or insane..."

Empty laughter echoed from all around, as if they were scoffing at the absurdity of it all.

Tang Youqi...

Zhuge Xiang narrowed his eyes and thought deeply.

Since the Black Shadow Division can't operate for the time being, he must be worried that the Tang Family's influence would also be weakened, which is why he's acting this way. How bold.

Since they had been doing their work for so long, the Tang Family's influence wouldn't disappear immediately.

However, if their performance wasn't good in the upcoming decisive war, it was obvious how they would be treated.

In addition, it was clear that Tang Youqi had to have been thinking about the Juvenile Fist Emperor's continued survival among other things, further giving him a reason to act in such a manner.

After all, no one else wanted the role of Martial Alliance Leader.

It can't be allowed to go the way you desire.

Sichuan, Tang Family.

"Hahahaha!"

Tang Youqi smiled happily.

He did not have his usual gloomy and tense expression. Strangely enough, he laughed cheerfully, as if he was really happy.

It was a sight that would make anyone who knew him question their own eyes.

"Heaven is helping the Tang Family!"

The Tang Family had been in crisis due to the betrayal of his trusted son, the Little Patriarch, and the appearance of the Juvenile Fist Emperor, a ghost from the past.

He hadn't been able to sleep for days, worried about the future, and had tried his best to escape his nightmare. He had even sent assassins without the Martial Alliance's knowledge, but failed miserably.

He even developed poisons for the Black Shadow Division and provided support to over a hundred First Class assassins.

However, when he heard the result that they couldn't even hurt the Empyrean Overlord, let alone kill him, he couldn't contain his anger.

After that, his resentment toward his son had gradually grown, and he was annoyed by his daughter's incompetence in not being able to bear the Sword God's child.

However, it was a blessing in disguise.

After a while, Nangong Weiwu volunteered to sacrifice himself and shouldered the blame, and the Tang Family's sins were completely erased.

"I will do anything for the Tang Family."

As always.

No matter the means or methods.

1. Not quite sure why Wu Bai is here all of a sudden, but he's the First Young Master of Diancang. ☜