The Regressor of Mount Hua-Chapter 350. To Die for A Cause (3)

“Shit!”

Huang Gou swore and scrunched up his face.

“Long time no see, Elder Huang.”

Tang Mingren looked at Huang Gou coldly.

“Long time no see? It seems you not only betrayed us, you bastard, but you've also forgotten the etiquette between seniors and juniors in the murim!”

It looked like Huang Gou’s head might roll from the rage on his face. He had no idea what was happening at headquarters, but at the very least, their side had been caught.

The Martial Alliance’s retreat force of three thousand had tried to slip quietly through the back gate of the headquarters in Hefei, into the bamboo forest.

The bamboo forest was larger than expected, and the nature formation was complex. It had taken time to find the right path, but up to that point, there were no problems.

The retreat had gone smoothly until they reached the midpoint, where they were supposed to split into three groups of one thousand each to confuse any pursuit.

No, what happened after that was the problem.

During the retreat, a strange presence was felt, and suddenly, a group of people blocked their path.

It was the Black Shadow Division Leader, the Poison Dragon Tang Mingren, and the Dark Heavens Association.

"You bastards of the Righteous Faction murim really do seem to like hiding things since the old days."

Tang Mingren looked around with displeasure, then made a disgusted face.

“You found this place well.”

Huang Gou snorted and tried to swagger.

How many people are there? How many people have we been surrounded by?

But inside, he was filled with dread.

“The Black Shadow Division, which is connected to the Martial Alliance's underground prison, had also prepared a separate passage outside just in case, so how could there not be a separate escape route for the headquarters?”

It was exactly what Zhuge Xiang had feared. The retreat party had walked into a trap.

Blessed Existence had always been wary of Zhuge Xiang, the Heavenly Strategist.

Zhuge Xiang is different from other Righteous Faction members. Remember that he knew about the Black Shadow Division in the past, and he used it to his advantage. He is not only stubborn but also wicked. If there is no chance of victory, he will definitely retreat regardless of his pride or his integrity. The Association Lord will take charge of the Eight War Formation Seals, so we will take charge of the retreat.

Thus, the main force and the pursuit squads were organized.

The pursuit squads led by Blessed Existence and Avaricious Wolf split into several groups to search the surrounding area for the retreat.

Fortunately for the Martial Alliance, the Dark Heavens Association didn't know the exact route of retreat, so they had no choice but to spread out as much as possible.

Based on the sound alone, there seemed to be only around four or five hundred warriors around them.

Pew!

A dark cloud crossed Huang Gou’s face.

In Tang Mingren’s hand was a bamboo tube that was spewing out red smoke.

"If you're thinking about finding a way out, you should give up now.”

Crack!

With a firm grip, the bamboo tube shattered. No, it would be more accurate to say it dissolved.

It was swallowed by the poison and scattered like burnt ash.

***

“What are you doing?”

Jing Bai’s voice broke Zhuge Xiang’s train of thought.

“Quickly.”

There was no need for further explanation. He could tell what the Empyrean Overlord meant.

“But..."

Even though Jing Bai was of the Six Empyrean Overlords, it would be impossible for him to stop the Dark Heavens Association Lord and the large army behind him on his own.

In other words, leaving the Juvenile Fist Emperor behind would mean he was sacrificing himself for the retreat.

But there was no other option.

Zhuge Xiang weighed the worth of the five thousand troops against the Juvenile Fist Emperor.

He leaned toward the troops.

It was not just five thousand. The core of the Righteous Faction's main force was also among them.

He couldn't lose them meaninglessly.

Even now, too much time was slipping away. Thinking about the three thousand who had already retreated and were now surrounded made his head spin.

If those three thousand were defeated, there would be no point in keeping the remaining two thousand to block the pursuers.

Moreover...

He turned his head to the side and checked the Eight War Formation Seals.

Even if the Juvenile Fist Emperor takes on the Dark Heavens Association Lord, I still have to maintain the Eight War Formation Seals so their main army can't cross over.

The Eight War Formation Seals was operated by sixty-four people, with eight strategists and fifty-six Second Class warriors.

If it was fully decided that they would retreat, he wouldn't be able to take these formation specialists with him.

I have to make a decision.

In the short space of time, many thoughts collided, entangled, and disappeared. Responsibility, duty, conscience. All sorts of emotions swirled around before he finally came up with an answer.

"Understood. Everyone except for the Strategist Troops commanding the Eight War Formation Seals, including me, and the Juvenile Fist Emperor, will withdraw with the main force and..."

"Everyone commanding the Eight War Formation Seals except for the Strategist himself will remain. The rest of you, retreat as quickly as possible and join the retreating force.”

As Zhuge Xiang was speaking, an old and worn-out voice interrupted him.

"E-elder Strategist?" Jingren Shitai called out, flustered.

She wasn't referring to the current Strategist, but the former one, Zhuge Zhonghao.

“Grandfather?”

Zhuge Xiang was also flustered, as he blurted out a different title than usual.

"I mean, why is this old geezer, who should have retreated ages ago, suddenly here..." Peng Junping muttered.

“I didn’t come here to chat, so step aside.”

Zhuge Zhonghao took the seat where the core of the Eight War Formation Seals, Zhuge Xiang, had been sitting, and took out a fan from his bosom.

It was worn, just like the body of the former strategist.

“Grandfather...”

But Zhuge Xiang’s voice did not reach him.

BOOM!

A sword and a fist clashed, exploding like condensed gunpowder detonating all at once.

It was not just sound. A fierce gust of wind swept across the battlefield, forcing Zhuge Xiang to shield his face.

When he finally opened his eyes, he saw the Juvenile Fist Emperor facing the Dark Heavens Association Lord.

“What are you doing?!"

Zhuge Zhonghao’s voice thundered in his ears.

“Keep in mind that the moment a Strategist hesitates, many will die because of his inaction!”

“...!”

Zhuge Xiang’s eyebrows twitched.

“Zhuge Xiang!”

“Retreat!”

Zhuge Xiang gave the order as soon as his name was called.

“Retreat! Retreat!”

About two thousand warriors turned their backs.

Grandfather...

Zhuge Xiang bit his lip so hard, blood dripped down his chin.

“Full speed ahead, join the retreating party!”

Once he had made a decision, he had to move as quickly as possible.

There was no time to look back. There was no need for explanation.

There wasn't even a moment to say goodbye to his grandfather.

“Damn it!”

Peng Junping held Zhuge Xiang by his side, face twisted in frustration as he muttered curses under his breath.

“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! At least a goodbye...!”

He also began to turn back to the core of the formation.

“Elder Peng!”

“Damn it!”

While Peng Junping may not have been the smartest, he wasn't stupid. He knew full well that this wasn't the time to be stubborn.

He only cursed at his inability to do anything and continued to retreat at full speed, leaving Zhuge Zhonghao behind.

"Heavenly Strategist!"

The Dark Heavens Association Lord moved.

He didn't even leave behind an afterimage. It was as if space itself had folded to let him through.

This was not something like disappearing and reappearing. No, he was moving so fast that no person, not even a martial artist, could actually see him move.

Woosh!

A hole was made in the layered space. As the sword strike passed, the void split in two and opened up a path.

The sword strike was headed toward Peng Junping’s side, where Zhuge Xiang was.

It was truly moving at a divine speed. The word ‘fast’ was not enough to describe it.

"How audacious!"

Woosh!!

But the sword strike did not reach its target. From the side, Yun Guang stretched out his arm and swung his sword.

Thrum.

Oho.

The dark eyes of the Dark Heavens Association Lord gleamed with admiration. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

Before the sword even made contact, an unusual phenomenon occurred.

The sword, no... did he bend and return the space imbued with qi?

The sword before him was imbued with Formless Aura. However, the compressed and hardened aura was currently bent like a stick of taffy.

The direction of the power was changed, and the force that was pushed back was reversed.

This wasn't a display of strength, as space itself was distorted.

There was only one ability that could change the laws of nature with human will alone.

Is this his Manifestation of One's Path?

It was just as the Dark Heavens Association Lord had expected.

The Taiji Sword's Manifestation of One's Path, Grafting Flowers onto Branches.

Grafting Flowers onto Branches was a type of technique that used the power of an opponent's movements to attack.

However, the Grafting Flowers onto Branches that unfolded from the Taiji Sword's hands was on a completely different level.

The Dark Heavens Association Lord secretly admired and stepped back.

He didn’t just retreat.

He flicked his wrist as if he was twisting it to make the sword make a half-turn, then quickly pulled back and immediately thrust the sword out like lightning.

Crack!

The blade turned into a streak of black.

Clang!!

Sparks flew.

BOOM!

It exploded again.

The amount of energy released was immeasurable. It was so intense that the surrounding area shook as if an earthquake had struck.

"What?!"

A scream of astonishment burst from Yun Guang’s lips.

"So, is this the Divine Sword Art of the Wudang Sect, the Taiji Prajna Sword? As expected, it is indeed a sword that's achieved the extremes of the mysteriousness of the polarity of existence."

The Dark Heavens Association Lord laughed coldly.

In the Wudang Sect, there was a collection of divine arts called the Three Divine Cultivation Arts.

Among them was the Taiji Divine Art that was only passed down to the Sect Master, and its accompanying technique, the Taiji Prajna Sword.

“How...”

The reason that Yun Guang was surprised wasn't because the Dark Heavens Association Lord had recognized the Taiji Prajna Sword. No, it was because of the attack he had done just now.

I sent back that bastard's extreme quicksword technique by grafting it into space itself, but you're telling me that instead of dodging, he struck it aside?!

Although he still didn’t know what the Dark Heavens Association Lord’s cultivation realm was, he knew that the quicksword technique he had just used couldn't be underestimated.

That was why he had deliberately waited till after the principles of the quicksword technique were displayed to redirect and deflect the attack with Grafting Flowers onto Branches.

In other words, the reflected attack moved at the same speed as the Dark Heavens Association Lord's original thrust.

Normally, one would have to dodge or block such a blow by raising their sword.

Counterattacking in such a situation was impossible. The second blow was an extreme quicksword technique. Moreover, it was a quicksword thrust that didn't even have to block the first attack, either, using the first blow as the source of its thrust.

However, the result was completely against what was expected. It was something unbelievable even after seeing it for himself.

"Isn't a martial artist one who trains himself to overcome his weaknesses? How useful could one be if they couldn't even overcome themselves?"

At that moment, the whites of the Dark Heavens Association Lord’s eyes turned black.

“Isn’t that so, Taiji Sword?”

He raised his sword above his head and brought it down in a straight line.

Outwardly, it looked like a casual swing, but the power behind it was tremendous.

Riiip!

It was truly like the force of nature or heaven’s wrath.

The aura that covered his body was no longer at the level of a human.

Yun Guang’s feet sank deep into the dirt, up to his ankles, and the rocks around him shattered into pebbles and rose like dust.

He held his breath and erected his Manifestation of One’s Path once again. The Grafting Flowers onto Branches, pushed to its limit, curved the very space and redirected the Dark Heavens Association Lord’s attack.

Boom!! BANG!

The waves of sword strikes coming from the front and the returning sword strikes collided, releasing a thunderous roar.

The fierce wind surged like a storm, tossing his beard and hair in all directions.

“Heup!!”

In the midst of their exchange, with a great shout, a fist slammed in from the side.

“Hmph!”

The Dark Heavens Association Lord took a step back, pulling his chin away.

Jing Bai’s fist narrowly missed his face.

Bang!

But the attack was not over. His other fist struck at the Association Lord again.

The Dark Heavens Association Lord did not dodge. He straightened his sword and blocked the second blow.

CLANG!!

BOOM!

A metallic clang and a loud boom erupted at the same time. The resulting shockwave swept away the typhoon-like vortex of qi.

“Hahahahaha!”

The Dark Heavens Association Lord suddenly burst into laughter.

“Juvenile Fist Emperor, no, Jing Bai! What sort of state are you in now?!"

"...!”

Yun Guang’s eyes also widened.

“Senior...?”

There was no longer a boy standing there.

No, standing beside him was a young man with whom he had once traveled the gangho.

"Hyungnim, that's enough."

Instead of Jing Bai, Zhuge Zhonghao answered.

It was a nostalgic endearment.

“Zhonghao, you...!”

Zhuge Zhonghao looked unwell. Blood flowed from his mouth, soaking his chest in red.

"It hasn't been long since we lost your predecessor, we can't afford to lose our new Alliance Leader, too. So, chase after the retreating party right now. That would be better than you staying here."

“What are you talking about? If we join forces with Senior—”

"We."

Zhuge Zhonghao dismissed him.

“Will hold him back.”

“...!”

Yun Guang’s expression shifted. It seemed he had realized something.

“The Eight War Formation Seals formation experts will also retreat, other than the central formation master."

The formation experts of the Eight War Formation Seals flinched in surprise.

The eight strategists hesitated for a moment, but then gave their farewells to Zhuge Zhonghao with their eyes and stood up.

Zhuge Zhonghao wiped the blood from his mouth with his sleeve. His eyes burned with determination as he held his fan.

"How foolish."

The Dark Heavens Association Lord sneered while staring at Jing Bai.

"Having a problem with your Path is the same as losing your foundation and regressing. It wouldn't have been enough if you had attacked together with the Taiji Sword, but to think you’re trying to block it alone, you must have lost your mind..."

The smile on the corner of the Dark Heavens Association Lord’s mouth disappeared.

In his deep and dark eyes, like an endless abyss, was the sight of Jing Bai’s hair turning white.

The change wasn’t just the color of his hair. An incongruous and pure aura flowed from his body.

"So, your innate true qi..."[1]

The vitality of one's lifespan filled the eight gates.

At the center of the storm, the previous strategist gave an order.

“Member of the Martial Alliance, Jing Bai.”

Rustle!

He spread his fan wide.

“Die for the murim.”

“I have received your order.”

Jing Bai flew forward.

1. This is the Xiantian in the Chinese cultivation stages, Houtian and Xiantian. ☜