Volcanic Age

This is bad. Zhou Xuchuan frowned.

The Blood Cult had been quiet all this time, only to move immediately when the rearguard arrived. While he hadn't put any sway into the rumors of reorganization, he was curious as to why they had been quiet all this while.

"What do you think?"

"There's nothing to think about," answered a middle-aged man with a goatee and a scholar's ​​robe.

"Since we arrived during the making of their jiangshi, don't you think they're quite cute being in such a hurry?" the Goatbeard Scholar Zhuge Xiao said.

He was the uncle of the three genius siblings of the Zhuge Family and the younger brother of the Family Head. Zhou Xuchuan had met him during his time at the Lotus Pavilion.

Perhaps because of the passage of time, but the elder had more wrinkles than when Zhou Xuchuan had last seen him.

"The Blood Demon isn't someone who has muscles for brains."

"Ahem. Even so, isn't that a little too much?"

"Uncle," Zhuge Xiuluan, the beautiful young woman next to Zhuge Xiao, asked, "Is it okay if I speak for a moment?"

"Ahem. The adults are—no, fine. Go ahead and speak."

Under normal circumstances, he would scold her for daring to interfere in a conversation between adults, but he couldn't do that at the moment, as Zhou Xuchuan was around.

"Your words make sense, Uncle, but Zhou Xuchuan has seen and heard many things from the front lines, so why not listen to what he has to say?

"After all, didn't your grandson say that the general is the most important figure in war and that the tactic of the general is the first factor that determines either victory or defeat?"

"ITactician Phoenix is right, Goatbeard Scholar. Or are you trying to say that the opinions of the vanguard aren't important?"

The Milky Way Sage pressured him slightly.

"Hmph!"

Zhuge Xiao looked down in an effort to hide the bulging veins on his neck. He was furious, but he had to concede, even though he wasn't sure about the plan.

Zhou Xuchuan nodded as a gesture of gratitude toward the Milky Way Sage.

It's nothing. It's just a reward for your help a while ago.

Zhou Xuchuan's warning about the mole cultists' ambush had prevented many casualties. Compared to that, the Milky Way Sage believed that this much help was nothing.

"Okay, tell me what you think," You Riwen said, casting a gentle gaze at Zhou Xuchuan. He had been deliberately maintaining his silence, afraid that if he stepped forward, rumors would spread that he was siding with his fellow disciples.

"Qí Yòng Zhàn Yě Shèng, Jiǔ Zé Dùn Bīng Cuò Ruì," Zhou Xuchuan said.

"Even if one is winning the war, if it is prolonged, the soldiers will become weary and lose their edge. It's a strategy from the Art of War," Zhuge Xiuluan explained.

"That's right. It refers to the exhaustion of the troops and the depletion of supplies. While it's not exactly the same, the strategy still applies to the ongoing situation," Zhou Xuchuan said.

"Aren't we talking about how the Blood Cult hasn't moved for a long time, only to react the moment we arrived? That's completely irrelevant," Zhuge Xiao replied, sounding confused upon hearing Zhou Xuchuan's remark.

"If the Blood Cult and the Martial Alliance clash with even numbers, the Martial Alliance is bound to lose. That's because they can resurrect our corpses as jiangshi to supplement their forces. The longer the battle drags on, the more serious the situation will become," Zhou Xuchuan added.

"Are you saying that they're waiting for our supplementary troops?" Zhuge Xiao asked. He was an old-fashioned and stubborn individual, but he was not dumb.

"There are probably some traps, so we must be careful and alert. If not—"

"We'll end up like my Eldest Brother?"

Someone interrupted Zhou Xuchuan's words.

Everyone's eyes focused on one place. He was a slender, fifty-year-old Daoist.

"I didn't mean it that way," said Zhou Xuchuan before politely greeting the Daoist.

One Sword Seven Kills—Zhi Yiguang!

He was famous in Zhou Xuchuan's past lifetime as well. At the moment, he was just a Transcendent Realm expert on the cusp of becoming a Harmony Realm expert, but he would later play a major role in the war against the Demonic Path.

He would then become one of the One Hundred Experts Under Heaven. He would also become a hero by surviving until the end of the war against the Dark Heavens Association.

Zhou Xuchuan could still vividly remember the story of a certain hero swinging his sword to kill his enemies and save his allies until his very last breath.

"Listen, One Sword Seven Kills. I understand how you feel, but calm down. You're already so old, so why are you taking out your anger on an innocent child?"

Wudang's Second Absolute—Yun He!

Yun He was one of the One Hundred Experts Under Heaven, and he was a Harmony Realm Daoist.

He was one of the greatest masters of the Wudang Sect, which was known for being male-dominated. He was one of the Second Generation Disciples of the Wudang Sect, learning under the same master as the Wudang Sect Master.

He was also known as a genius who had successfully cultivated the Duality Divine Art rumored to be the most difficult among the three great divine arts of the Wudang Sect.

Yun He was from the Wudang Sect's Martial Dragon Pavilion. The Martial Dragon Pavilion was known to be a gathering place of only the most talented disciples and geniuses, just like the Lotus Pavilion of the Mount Hua Sect. Yun He had grown up as a promising star in such an environment.

Although he hadn't made it to the Ten Empyrean Overlords, he had ascended to the Harmony Realm at the age of forty and made his fame.

He had consumed elixirs and other valuable resources during his childhood, and it allowed him to accumulate a sexagenary cycle's worth of cultivation. He could easily use the Duality Divine Art, making him a monster capable of wielding both the Liangyi Sword and the Liangyi Fist at a high level.

As expected of the Great War of Good and Blood. The Blood Demon has appeared, so every sect has decided to send their best masters.

The One Sword Seven Kills and the Wudang's Second Absolute. These two were famous masters who would become even more famous in the future.

In Zhou Xuchuan's past lifetime, those two were whose names could only be heard and whose activities could only be shared in stories. Thus, he felt strange standing in the same place as them.

The One Sword Seven Kills' cultivation was a bit lacking at the moment, but it appeared as though he'd soon attain enlightenment and ascend to the same realm as the others.

"You're right. I lost myself for a moment and acted shamefully. I apologize, Plum Blossom Order Sword."

Whew. Zhi Yiguang sighed deeply, seemingly calming down at Yun He's words. At least Zhi Yiguang is someone who can actually communicate.

Fortunately, he didn't go crazy, and his eyes didn't become like a Demon Slayer, unlike Zhi Yunbo. If Yun He hadn't been here, things would have become difficult, but it was a good thing that the man himself was aware of his mistake.

"It's okay. I understand," Zhou Xuchuan said. He had no plans of causing unnecessary trouble by needlessly scratching One Sword Seven Kills, who would later be remembered as a hero.

"Ahem!" Zhuge Xiao cleared his throat and decided to change the mood of the room by saying, "It's nice to see you all admitting your mistakes and apologizing, but I think we should put that off until later."

"So, what should we do?"

"While it's embarrassing even to call it a tactic, there's only one option."

To prevent an extended battle, they had to end things with an all-out war.

It was also imperative that they refrained from making any hasty judgments and advancing without thinking. Just like the mole cultists, there could be another hidden trap, and they had to prepare accordingly against it.

"In short, the answer is to wage an all-out war and end it quickly by chopping off the enemy general's head. That's something anyone can figure out. Why are you talking about it as if it were such a big deal?" Zhuge Xiao grumbled and pouted.

He disliked the fact that his role as the strategist had been taken away.

However, Zhou Xuchuan had the backing of the Sect Master of the Mount Hua Sect and one of the Ten Empyrean Overlords, so Zhuge Xiao dared not grumble loudly.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"...I guess we should form separate forces," Zhuge Xiao tugged at his goatee and muttered.

What a relief. Zhou Xuchuan was worried that the strategist would continue to oppose him.

If war broke out, the Zhuge Family would hold strategic command. Considering the man before him was the younger brother of the Zhuge Family Head, it wasn't strange for him to command the battle.

However, the custom of murim said that even if one held overall command of one's forces, one couldn't make hasty decisions if a strategist was around.

The reason that custom was established was that there were many times when the Zhuge Family's role as strategists was ignored, resulting in great trouble.

Fortunately, the strategist hadn't continued to argue for the sake of his pride.

"It would be best for you to stay put, Sword Immortal. The Violet Haze Divine Art is too noticeable. More than anything, if someone as powerful as the Ten Empyrean Overlords makes a move, the Blood Demon will notice it and flee.

"The best strategy is to stay as close as possible and wait until the special forces have tied up the enemy before going out to fight."

"Is there anything else?"

"The only one who can take the Blood Demon's life is you, Sword Immortal, so focus all of your energy on that. Above all, moving quickly is important. If the Blood Demon runs behind his army, the battle will drag on, and things will become complicated."

Zhuge Xiao frowned, seemingly recalling the Death Yin Staff.

"Then what should we do?" Zhi Yiguang asked.

Zhuge Xiao seemed to be lost in thought for a few moments before finally speaking up, saying, "First, we must carve open a path that will lead the Sword Immortal to the Blood Demon. Secondly, we must respond to any threats."

Zhuge Xiao rolled his eyes and glanced at Zhou Xuchuan.

"And lastly?"

"We'll take care of everything other than the Blood Demon. Each of you will command at least eight hundred to a thousand men, but this may change depending on the situation of the battlefield, so keep that in mind."

"Listen here, Goatbeard Scholar. Who is going to be the Blood Demon's enemy until the Sword Immortal arrives?"

"That's…" Zhuge Xiao trailed off as his gaze turned to one side.

"Are you serious?" Qiu Feng asked, looking quite flustered. That was understandable, as Zhou Xuchuan was at the end of the strategist's gaze.

"Your judgement is correct, Uncle," Zhuge Xiuluan said with an unwavering face.

"If we need to call the attention of the Blood Demon and prevent him from retreating, it'll be best to form a group of young people.

"Moreover, his opponent has to be strong enough to contend against him without dying so that we can actually tie him down," Zhuge Xiuluan mumbled and closed her eyes. Finally, she opened them slowly and spoke loudly so that everyone would hear her. "There's no other choice but us—the members of the younger generation."

***

The Martial Alliance forces gathered in Gansu were divided into five.

The Mount Hua Sect, the Shaolin Temple, the Wudang Sect, the Kongtong Sect, and the Martial Alliance.

The five groups each had about a thousand men.

The Zhuge Family had a hundred men, but most of them were guards for the camp and weren't that powerful. Rather than going to the front lines, they either stood in the center, became part of the rearguards, or acted as messengers.

In other words, the Martial Alliance forces' real strength was five thousand men.

A special task force was also made to hold the Blood Demon down.

The leader of the special task force was Zhou Xuchuan, while Zhuge Xiuluan was the tactician, plotting plans according to the ongoing situation on the battlefield.

When Zhuge Xiuluan said that she'd participate, the Zhan Family members fiercely opposed her.

"Are you out of your mind? Do you even know where you're going?" Zhuge Xiao asked, looking displeased.

"The Blood Demon—one of the ten Absolute Masters in murim—is there. To reach him, you need to go through a group of blood cultists. Just where do you think you're going?"

"Uncle, have you forgotten that my title is 'Tactician Phoenix'? My martial skills are sufficient for me to protect myself, so don't worry."

Strategems alone were not enough for one to become one of the Five Dragons and Three Phoenixes; one had to have sufficient martial skills as well. Zhuge Xiuluan was the weakest among them in terms of cultivation, but she was a First Class Realm expert, at the very least.

"Moreover, the members of the special task force are the ones who are going to confront the Blood Demon, anyway, so you don't have to worry about that," Zhuge Xiuluan replied. It wasn't like she was going deep behind enemy lines.

In addition, the special task force members wouldn't be the ones carving open a path, as it would be the other members of the allied forces. Those around her would certainly protect her, so she believed that she would be okay.

"On the contrary, if something unexpected happens in the middle of the battle and something goes wrong, things will quickly become uncontrollable."

"There's no need for you to have to go personally…" Zhuge Xiao remarked, his voice sounding softer as they were in a private setting.

"I'm not throwing a tantrum for nothing. I'm sure you know that if we send someone else, they won't be as good as me when it comes to reacting to any sudden turn of events; their strategy won't also be as good as mine, right?

"Please let me go. I have to make sure that there won't be any mistakes that will result in casualties among the allied forces. I can't just stay in the background to ensure my survival."

Although Zhuge Xiuluan had received help from the Zhuge Family, she still had a lot of experience in the gangho. She had been through many hardships in life as well. While it was her first time experiencing something like this, this wasn't her first time dancing with danger.

For example, when she first appeared in the gangho back in Guizhou…

"Hmph!" Zhuge Xiao snorted coldly, but he still raised the white flag after much persuasion. Instead of attempting to convince Zhuge Xiuluan, he went to Zhou Xuchuan and threatened him, saying that Zhou Xuchuan had to protect Zhuge Xiuluan or he would be held accountable for any harm that could come her way.

Just as the full-scale operation was about to start, Zhou Xuchuan stumbled upon an unexpected individual among the younger generation talents who had decided to join the special task force.

"You…"