The Regressor of Mount Hua

Chapter 214. A Mountain Of Corpses And a Sea Of Blood (2)

Can we really endure it?

Zhou Xuchuan knew the horrors of the Blood Demon well.

In his previous life, during the Era of War and Chaos, he had fought in the Invasion of the Blood Cult. Even now, the memory of that living nightmare sent shivers down his spine.

The more you fought, the more the monsters grew!

The true horror of the Blood Cult was their fearless madness and their limitless numbers.

No matter how many they killed, their numbers never seemed to dwindle. In fact, they only increased. What was even more shocking was that among their reanimated enemies were their own allies—those they had once fought beside in life.

The Blood Demon, a one-man army!

The Blood Demon wasn’t on the frontlines without reason. He was there to obtain the freshest corpses, which he would turn into jiangshi.

Though he was one of the Ten Empyrean Overlords, the Blood Demon was more of a sorcerer than a warrior. That was why he had often been underestimated before he appeared on the frontlines.

As a sorcerer, not a martial artist, most believed he wouldn’t be much of a threat.

But this carelessness turned into bitter regret. The number of people who lost their lives to his blood-stained hands had reached the thousands, and each one swore loyalty to him after death.

What the martial artists truly feared was that they would end up on the Blood Cult's side after death and take the lives of their family and friends.

We can't do this alone.

They could no longer rely on the same strategies.

Zhou Xuchuan also sent letters to places that could help, such as the Gold Will Sword Sect, before leaving Mount Hua Sect, asking for reinforcements.

A war could not be fought alone. They had to join forces and try to hold the line before the rearguard arrived.

Lanzhou Martial Alliance barracks.

Since this was a war among martial artists, fighting in the middle of Lanzhou wasn’t an option. Instead, they set up barracks a little further away and made it their base.

The Martial Alliance flag fluttered in the middle of the desert.

In the command barracks, key figures from the Righteous Faction's Martial Alliance took their seats and continued their conversation.

“The Blood Cult’s forces haven’t decreased, but at least they haven’t grown either. They’re still at five thousand," the Lanzhou Branch Manager, Tou Zhong, said.[1]

"The Blood Cult shouldn't have so few members, though..." said the First Demon Subduing Sword Zhi Yunbo, a renowned expert of the Kongtong Sect.

The expert of the Mount Hua Sect, the Fourteenth Sword Hero Qiu Feng, frowned.

The Blood Cult rarely revealed themselves publicly, but their numbers had always been large and consistent—typically eight to ten thousand members. Yet, for the Central Plains invasion, only half their forces had shown up, which should have required their full strength. It didn’t add up.

Qiu Feng suspected there might be a trap waiting in the shadows.

"No matter their numbers, it doesn’t change anything. We just need to kill them all."

The expert of the Kongtong Sect, the First Demon Subduing Sword Zhi Yunbo (伏魔一劍), had a cold glint in his eyes.

“That’s right.”

The old nun of the Mount Heng Sect agreed with Zhi Yunbo’s words. She was the Absolute Transformations Plum Sword (絶梅劍變), Shui Jing.

“Hmm...”

Finally, the junior brother of the Sect Master and greatest expert of the Zhongnan Sect, the Milky Way Sage (銀河老師), let out a heavy sigh.

Lanzhou was now filled with famed experts. It was only natural, as the forces had sent their elites first to provide urgent support.

Most were renowned masters of their sects and well-known within the murim.

"According to the intelligence that just came in, they're about a day's journey away."

Tou Zhong, a middle-aged man with a face tanned from living in a desert like Lanzhou, explained the current situation.

"Even better! No need to wait another four days, I’ll teach the Blood Cult a lesson myself!"

Zhi Yunbo’s eyes gleamed with murderous intent. As the First Demon Slaying Sword, it was no surprise—any mention of the Demonic Path’s Two Lineages was enough to make him tremble with rage and grit his teeth.

While most of the Righteous Faction disliked cultists, the Kongtong Sect was a sect that had many clashes with the Demonic Path. Their hatred ran deep.

"We'll get in big trouble if we act rashly."

All eyes turned toward the speaker.

"Hmph! They called you a hero, but that seems to be a complete lie. Are you afraid of the Blood Cult, Plum Blossom Order Sword?” Shui Jing muttered with a disdainful snort.

Most of those present were in their thirties or forties, with the rest being older.

With age came more time to refine qi and gain experience, so it was no surprise that most of the elite forces were older members. However, there was one exception: Zhou Xuchuan.

Despite his age, no one questioned his presence. He was still one of the One Hundred Experts Under Heaven recognized by the murim, and the hero of the Righteous Faction who had a significant influence on their morale.

"Please refrain from speaking rudely, Absolute Transformations Plum Sword." Qiu Feng said with a frown, clearly disapproving of Shui Jing’s words.

"I was just telling the truth, Fourteenth Sword Hero."

The Mount Hua Sect and the Mount Heng Sect hadn't been on good terms since ancient times. So whenever they met like this, they would argue.

Ha, what a headache.

Tou Zhong, trying to mediate, found himself in a difficult position.

The rift between the two sects was deeper than he’d realized, far beyond anything his intervention could solve.

When he heard the Five Mountain Sword Sects Alliance would send reinforcements, he had prayed it wouldn’t be Mount Hua and Mount Heng. Unfortunately, his prayers had gone unanswered.

"The Plum Blossom Order Sword is right. The purpose of the forward guard is to defend, not to attack. Moreover, it's like we're going to be retreating, isn't it?"

Tou Zhong was secretly delighted to hear the Milky Way Sage supporting them.

"The Blood Cult's army still only numbers five thousand. What are you going to do if they're planning on waiting for the other five thousand to show up?" Zhi Yunbo objected.

"Maybe the army in front of us is nothing but their rabble. If that’s the case, wouldn’t this be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to defeat them all?”

“I agree with the First Demon Slaying Sword,” Shui Jing added. “Even if their numbers in Lanzhou are small, aren’t they all elites?”

“No. That is exactly what the Blood Demon wants.” Zhou Xuchuan said, flatly rejecting their plan.

“Even if it’s a trap, it doesn’t matter. There’s nothing to fear from the Blood Cult anyway. We'll just destroy them all.”

There's no reasoning with them.

He almost shouted, ‘Shut up, you reckless fool!’ He couldn't believe that there could be someone this reckless.

He knew that the Kongtong Sect was hostile to the Demonic Path, but he didn't know that they hated them to this degree.

"Please calm down. The Plum Blossom Order Sword seems to have something in mind. Let’s hear him out first.” The Milky Way Sage said, trying to calm Zhi Yunbo down.

Zhou Xuchuan gave a brief nod of thanks before addressing the room. As all eyes turned to him, he began, “Have you heard the recent rumors about the Blood Cult’s forces?”

"That you’ll be resurrected as a jiangshi if you die on the battlefield against the Blood Cult?"

Zhou Xuchuan nodded at Qiu Feng’s answer.

"That must be the delusions of people that are scared."

"Exactly. Jiangshi aren’t that easy to create,” Qiu Feng reluctantly agreed with Shui Jing’s point.

"That's right. As you all know, a jiangshi utilizes an essence that has lost its spirit and moves through the remaining qi within one's meridians."

The essence was the body.

The spirit was the mind, heart, and consciousness.

Death was the loss of one's spirit. However, the qi within the meridians lingered for a while after death.

It was only that since one's life force disappears from the body, leaving behind only death, the nature of the qi converts to death qi (死氣).

Over time the death qi escapes as the body decays before eventually disappearing completely.

However, with the Jiangshi Art, a corpse’s remaining qi could be fixed in place and controlled to reanimate the body.

If the process was performed quickly enough, fragments of the deceased’s consciousness and thoughts could remain, creating a “living jiangshi” capable of using the martial arts it had practiced in life.

“However, this process isn't,” Zhou Xuchuan continued. “The corpsemaster has to not only obtain the body, but also perform all sorts of procedures before creating the jiangshi. Only then would the jiangshi be able to move."

When did Xuchuan learn so much about sorcery arts?

Qiu Feng was impressed by the extent of Zhou Xuchuan’s knowledge.

While Mount Hua was also a Daoist Sect, most of their studies were focused on the sword.

Throughout the gangho, people often called the Mount Hua Sect 'perverts who only feel sexual desire for swords.’

Despite being Daoists, they were almost completely ignorant about Daoist Spells.

"Even for skilled corpsemasters, it would take a week or two at least. However, there's something that can instantly shorten this process."

"And what's that?"

“The artifact, the Death Yin Staff (死陰杖).”

Artifact!

The mention of an unexpected artifact drew groans from the group.

"Hmm, an artifact..."

Artifacts were tools imbued with mysterious powers. However, to martial artists, or more precisely, martial artists who valued martial arts that focused on the ultimate form of self-discipline, training oneself to reach the pinnacle, artifacts weren't particularly important.

Artifacts were rare and difficult to find. Even if one was usable, only a handful of people possessed them. Moreover, most martial artists believed it was better to dedicate themselves to refining their martial arts instead of relying on artifacts.

Artifacts were seen as objects that were 'good to have if you've got one, but not something worth seeking out if you don’t.'

"Wait! By the Death Yin Staff, do you mean...?!" The Milky Way Sage exclaimed as realization struck.

"You've heard of it?" Tou Zhong asked.

"According to legend, it’s a stone staff capable of freely manipulating surrounding death qi and yin qi,” the Milky Way Sage explained.

“As expected, you've heard of it.”

Zhou Xuchuan applauded the Milky Way Sage’s answer.

The Death Yin Staff was an artifact passed down to the Blood Demon by the Dark Heavens Association.

"I never could have considered it. If that's the case, it's definitely possible for them to turn into jiangshi on the spot."

The Death Yin Staff worked by preventing death qi from escaping a corpse, bypassing the usual process of binding the spirit to the body and having to adjust it so that the jiangshi could move. That meant that it was possible to instantly turn corpses into jiangshi.

Of course, the artifact wasn’t something just anyone could use.

The Death Yin Staff wasn't something that could be used without the proper strength. It required a high level of stamina and qi manipulation ability, while also consuming immense amounts of qi. One also needed to have a high cultivation or sorcery mastery. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

But for the Blood Demon, none of those conditions really mattered.

“Then, if what you’re saying is true, we’re just food for the jiangshi. Should we not fight at all, then?” Zhi Yunbo asked in an unpleasant tone.

"It’s not that extreme,” Zhou Xuchuan replied evenly. “But the idea still stands, it’s wiser to avoid fighting as much as possible.”

"If our army fights, we'll suffer losses. However, the Blood Cult is different. Even if they lose a lot, they can make up for their losses through our corpses. So it’s barely a loss to them, give or take. However, since we're already small in number, every loss is critical."

Zhou Xuchuan explained the current situation in an easy-to-understand manner.

“The good news is that the Jiangshi revived through the Death Yin Staff aren't as strong as regular Jiangshi. Thankfully, they're a bit less durable in return for being made hastily. If we hold them here without pushing too far, we shouldn't have any need to worry."

"I refuse to listen to this any longer!"

Bam!

Zhi Yunbo slammed his fist into the table, shattering it.

"The Blood Cult is right in front of us. It's already frustrating to be told to defend without advancing forward, and now you're seriously standing here telling me not to fight at all?!"

His face turned bright red with anger.

"As someone who bears the title of the Demon Slayer, do you really think I'd tolerate that, you coward?! Learn what shame is!"

“Listen, calm down.”

The Milky Way Sage tried to stop Zhi Yunbo, but it was no use.

“You’re not a hero of the Righteous Faction, you’re a coward of the Righteous Faction! Besides, if these Jiangshi are weaker than your average ones, they're just mere rabble, so why aren't we just destroying them? After we kill the Blood Demon, their corpsemaster, we can take that Death Yin Sword or whatever away from them!"

"If that were possible, I wouldn't even be having this conversation. It's impossible for us to break through that army and kill the Blood Demon."

"Toddler of the Mount Hua sect, you really are scared then! Know that you bring shame to your sect! Enough, talking is over!"

Zhi Yunbo glared at Zhou Xuchuan with disgust, then stepped outside the command barracks.

“If you’re so scared, hide or run away—do whatever you want! I, the First Demon Slaying Sword, and the Kongtong Sect will personally kill the Blood Demon!”

1. His name means Head Bell, lmao. ☜