The Regressor of Mount Hua-Chapter 274. Empyrean Overlord (2)

"R..."

The very air itself seemed to boil.

Then, a deafening cheer erupted from the Martial Alliance.

"Rah!!!!"

"Wooooo hooo!"

The ground trembled so violently under the roar that it felt as though the entire world shook on its axis.

Over a thousand voices echoed, not just in the immediate surroundings, but across the entire Central Plains.

A whirlwind of emotions swept through the crowd. Some laughed in sheer joy, others wept in excitement, while some clenched their fists, their mouths shut tight. And then, there were those who screamed so loudly that their vocal cords tore.

"Wow..."

Zhi Yiguang exhaled in disbelief.

"To think, he actually won..."

It was already surprising enough that the dead had come back to life.

However, what followed was beyond anyone’s expectations. Even with the return of the Sword Dragon, no one truly believed he could stand against the Heavenly Demon. Yes, he had a companion by his side, but the newcomer's unfamiliar name suggested he was nothing extraordinary.

Zhi Yiguang had merely hoped they would offer some assistance in the battle. But before he could even process the situation, the Heavenly Demon and Zhou Xuchuan had already clashed.

Just moments ago, it wasn't just Zhi Yiguang, but all the Righteous Faction members had screamed inwardly. They had all assumed—no, accepted—that their long-lost hero would be torn apart like brittle wood after only just returning.

But that expectation had been utterly shattered.

The Heavenly Demon had swung his sword—a blade that brought nightmares to those who faced it. It was the very technique that had once left the Martial Alliance’s strongest warriors utterly helpless.

Even at a glance, it contained a force that would make one's body tremble.

Yet, Zhou Xuchuan had not backed down.

Not only had he blocked the attack, but he had countered.

Even after witnessing it firsthand, it was simply unbelievable.

"He's on equal footing with that Heavenly Demon?"

Even though Zhou Xuchuan was a great Righteous Faction hero and the Sword Dragon, the Heavenly Demon was one of the Seven Empyrean Overlords. He was one of the murim's Absolute Masters.

It would have been even stranger for them not to be surprised when Zhou Xuchuan started fighting such a monster on equal footing.

The sheer force of their battle made it impossible to approach, yet the onlookers watched from a distance, barely able to follow their movements with their eyes.

When Zhou Xuchuan was hit by the Heavenly Demon with a blow that was so powerful that it was enough to reshape the very terrain, their hearts sank.

The onlookers all assumed that it was really over this time. Yet, surprisingly, Zhou Xuchuan got up unscathed.

The Martial Alliance warriors, along with Zhi Yiguang, were just as stunned as the Heavenly Demon himself. In the blink of an eye, the battle was over.

The Heavenly Demon had lost.

This wasn’t just any opponent—this was the leader of the Demon Cult, that Heavenly Demon. That Heavenly Demon was defeated in a one-on-one match.

By the time the battle reached its conclusion, all other possibilities had been thrown out the window. They had placed everything on this one desperate hope.

All they had prayed for was more time.

But...

"This is truly a miracle..." Zhi Yiguang muttered with a smile on his face.

At the end of his gaze was Zhou Xuchuan’s back.

"Look!"

Zhou Xuchuan kicked the Heavenly Demon’s head. The head rolled down the hill and arrived at the Demon Cult’s feet.

"The Great Demon Head of the Hundred Thousand Mountains, the Demon Cult's leader, the Heavenly Demon, has lost to me, Fourth Generation Disciple of Mount Hua, Zhou Xuchuan!"

"Ha..."

The Vice Cult Leader, War Tiger Demon, sighed when he saw the Heavenly Demon’s head.

The demon cultists behind him also showed a similar reaction.

The Demon Cult was just as dumbfounded as the Martial Alliance.

"So, don’t waste your time resisting needlessly," Zhou Xuchuan declared. "It would be wiser to return to your lands!"

The Great War of Good and Demonic had caused considerable damage. It was best to minimize it as much as possible. The Dark Heavens Association still remained behind them.

Zhou Xuchuan raised his sword, its blade coated in a brilliant purple aura, and turned it toward the Demon Cult.

This isn't good.

This isn’t good. Despite his majestic appearance, the situation was dire. Now that he was trying to take a breath, he became overcome by fatigue.

His body felt drained, and his vision blurred. His eyelids felt heavy as if they weighed a thousand pounds.

This was the side effect of using Regression.

I'm begging you... just leave.

Wasn't this the Demon Cult, where strength was king? Since he had defeated their leader, he wanted them to admit defeat and step down.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

However, nothing in this world ever went as planned.

"Kahahaha!"

The War Tiger Demon laughed, arching his back. His eyes gleamed with excitement as he licked his lips.

"What are you scared of, you idiots! He just fought the Cult Leader. There's no way that he's okay!"

In normal cases, seeing the death of their leader and their strongest combatant would shock or demoralize a force.

However, demoralization did not exist within the Demon Cult. There was no respect or loyalty to their so-called leader. All this time, they had simply followed the absolute principles passed down for generations.

Yes, it certainly was shocking enough that their strongest expert and leader, the Heavenly Demon, was defeated by some young brat who wasn't even thirty years old. However, that was all there was to it.

What mattered more was the fact that their bodies had begun to tremble—an involuntary reaction to the demonic qi that had been distorting the atmosphere for a while now.

Tsk!

Zhou Xuchuan clicked his tongue inwardly as he watched the Demon Cult start to stir again.

"Prepare for battle!"

Behind him, Zhi Yiguang barely had time to bask in the joy of victory before snapping back to reality. His voice rang out as he swiftly reorganized the Martial Alliance formation.

"I’ll tear you to pieces and chew you up right here and now!" The War Tiger Demon sneered. "Then, I’ll return to Xinjiang and become the next Cult Leader!"

A dark aura rose from his fingertips.

"I will make you the first sacrifice!"

Bang!

The War Tiger Demon shouted excitedly and pounced on Zhou Xuchuan.

"No!"

Cries of alarm erupted. Several people behind Zhou Xuchuan rushed forward, but it was already too late. The War Tiger Demon was too fast.

However, Zhou Xuchuan, who was in danger, stood there calmly without blinking an eye.

The War Tiger Demon smiled in satisfaction upon seeing that.

He's in worse shape than I thought!

After all, the brat had received the full force of that monster, the Heavenly Demon. Not even an immortal would be fine after that. Judging from the boy's emotionless expression, he seemed to have given up.

"I'll leave the rest to you," Zhou Xuchuan muttered.

"Hahaha! To think you have to leave the rest to those fools, how pitiful your—"

The War Tiger Demon’s words were cut short as a shadow loomed over him.

"Understood."

It was Wu Qu.

When did he get here?

A chill ran down the War Tiger Demon’s spine.

The War Tiger Demon had entered the battle with confidence, certain of his victory. But even in his excitement, his instincts had screamed at him, warning him to stay vigilant. After all, he hadn’t become an Extreme Demon Stage Master for nothing.

However, even with his keen senses, he hadn't been able to detect Wu Qu's movements. It was almost as though the man had simply appeared out of thin air.

Shing!

A sharp whistle cut through the air as a sword that the unfamiliar man had drawn was aimed at his head.

It's dangerous!

The War Tiger Demon’s body reacted instinctively. He knew that sword wasn’t ordinary. He concentrated everything on defense as he imbued his claws with claw aura.

Raising his arms and drawing strength from his abdomen, he drew on all of his body's qi.

However...

Huh?

Something strange happened. Everything before his eyes split vertically and moved in opposite directions, almost as if it was sliding.

The left side went up, and the right side went down.

For a brief moment, he felt as though reality itself had fractured. But it wasn’t the world that was wrong.

It was his body.

The War Tiger Demon had been split in two.

He couldn't understand what was going on.

He had definitely seen his claws make contact with the blade. He should have blocked it.

He hadn't made a mistake and had imbued all ten of his claws with aura. Moreover, after blocking this attack, he should have been able to counterattack.

However, he couldn't. Let alone counterattack, he wasn't even able to block the damn blow.

"It can't be..."

Squelch!

The last words of the Great Demon Head before his death were filled with doubt and shock.

His body was split in two, so cleanly cut that not a single drop of blood flowed, just like frozen meat.

"What?!"

"Huh?!"

Both the Martial Alliance and the Demon Cult were completely flabbergasted.

"The War Tiger Demon... cut down in a single strike?!"

Although his prowess may have been overshadowed by the Heavenly Demon, the War Tiger Demon, vice-chief of the Demonic Cult, was actually one of the world's greatest masters. In fact, he was ranked the highest among the One Hundred Experts Under Heaven.

"Could that Great Demon Head have been tired?"

"Don’t talk nonsense. I didn’t even see him appear in the battle."

"What the hell happened?"

It all happened so quickly that it felt like a dream to the onlookers. Everyone looked perplexed.

"Ha..."

Zhou Xuchuan couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

In fact, he had only heard rumors about Wu Qu's skills, and this was the first time he had actually seen them in person. As expected, he was as impressive as rumored.

He wasn't using a fancy technique, either. It was just a simple swing of a sword wrapped in Formless Aura.

No, actually, simple wasn't the right word. The sword itself contained an enlightenment that went beyond the pinnacle of martial arts.

The movement of that sword was clean and without any unnecessary details, and it was faster than the wind. It really felt like it cut through the world.

Even the Demon Cult's famed demonic aura, which was rated the best in terms of destructive power, was cut without any resistance and dissipated without a trace.

No, this isn't the time.

Zhou Xuchuan, however, didn’t have the luxury of standing in awe of the sword’s power. Shaking off his daze, he turned and shouted toward the Martial Alliance.

"This person's name is Wu Qu! I, Zhou Xuchuan, guarantee his skills and strength with my name as the Sword Dragon, so all members of the Righteous Faction, please trust and follow him!"

When Zhou Xuchuan shouted, the people’s eyes changed.

"Guarantee of Sword Dragon? Then, of course, I would trust him!"

"Wu Qu? Wait, if he's that Wu Qu of the Gold Will Merchants, then isn't he the Money Crazed Sword Ghost? That, money-crazy..."

"Shh! That must be a false rumor. After all, it's not just anyone but Great Hero Zhou Xuchuan himself who's guaranteeing it."

"There aren't many people that Great Hero Zhou Xuchuan treats so respectfully. He must be some great hero."

"Didn't you see that Vice Cult Leader get cut down by a single sword?"

To the remaining warriors of the Martial Alliance, Zhou Xuchuan was more than a hero—he was their savior.

He had led them out of a hopeless battle.

Even if he had declared a demon cultist his ally, they would have followed him without question.

"Let's go!"

"RAH!!!!"

As someone shouted and flew forward, the warriors of the Righteous Faction followed behind, shouting in unison.

The Demon Cult hesitated in surprise when their Vice Cult Leader fell. However, that only lasted for a moment. They continued forward, entering the final battle with smiles on their faces, excited by the boiling tension.

Meanwhile, he straightened his back, lifting his chin slightly in a show of strength. It was a bluff to make it seem like he was fine.

Damn it. Blessed Existence should be nearby...

That strategist must have been watching everything from nearby so that he could keep track of the constantly changing situation.

Zhou Xuchuan would have liked to search the area more thoroughly, but the problem was that he didn't have the strength to do so.

I wish I had brought the Phantoms...

Due to extenuating circumstances, the Valley of Phantoms couldn't be mobilized as they were all handling other matters. Even if he were to ask Little Ghost, it would be difficult for her to do anything alone.

Above all, Blessed Existence would almost certainly have some kind of escort.

No, if I lose consciousness...

In the end, he couldn’t stand, and his body leaned forward.

Thud.

"Huh?"

Just as he was about to fall, someone held him up and supported his body.

He barely clung to consciousness. Through his blurred vision, a familiar face came into view.

"Welcome back, Senior Brother."

Luo Xiaoyue smiled brightly.

Zhou Xuchuan blinked. Then, slowly, he smiled back.

"I’m home."