Volcanic Age

Zhou Xuchuan steadied his breathing. He used a considerable amount of energy to reach this place.

"What, Xuchuan, why are you…" Qiu Feng looked at Zhou Xuchuan, flustered. His expression was a mix of confusion and puzzlement.

"I understand your concern, but now isn't the time. We don't know what those guys up there might do."

Zhou Xuchuan cast a glance at the observation soldiers on top of the cliff.

"Cultivators! Why didn't you stop Xuchuan?" Qiu Feng's voice rose. To him, Zhou Xuchuan's safety was a sensitive matter.

"Th-the thing is…"

The cultivators of the Martial Alliance appeared to be at a loss. In fact, they were at a loss, because they didn't understand either.

When no one spoke, Zhuge Xiuluan spoke up, breaking the silence.

"It might be hard to believe, but Young Hero Zhou over there wiped out most of the river bandits."

Zhuge Xiang shielded Zhuge Xiuluan behind him. It was a reasonable decision.

"He did what?" Qiu Feng's disbelief was evident on his face. However, from the look of things, she didn't seem to be lying.

"You didn't know either?" Lu Dalang looked at Qiu Feng, equally puzzled by the situation.

"...Is that true?" Qiu Feng turned to Zhou Xuchuan standing beside him.

"Yes, Senior Uncle."

"Just how… nevermind."

Qiu Feng had a lot to say, but he decided to save it for the time being. This wasn't the time to casually ask questions.

"We'll discuss this later once we're out of danger."

"I'll assist you," Zhou Xuchuan offered.

"No, you'd only be a hindrance," Qiu Feng flatly refused. "I understand that you have hidden your skills, but the opponent is not someone you can help me with. Honestly, your involvement might obstruct me instead of providing assistance."

Only someone in the Peak Realm would be helpful in this battle. Anyone below that level, not so much. Besides, Zhou Xuchuan was someone Qiu Feng had to protect. He wouldn't be able to fight properly with that concern weighing on him.

"So leave this place to me an—"

"You're a talkative bunch!"

Lu Dalang interrupted Qiu Feng's words and charged. As his large body moved, the ship shook. Qiu Feng pushed Zhou Xuchuan behind him and charged forward as well.

"Haah!"

Lu Dalang's powerful thrust created a fierce gale as it aimed at Qiu Feng.

Reacting swiftly, Qiu Feng spun on his heel, narrowly avoiding the spear's tip grazing his waist. Simultaneously, he countered with a swift sword strike.

That worked!

Although the tip of his sword was still shaking, he was assured that he would be able to attack Lu Dalang's neck.

"Not happening!"

Lu Dalang channeled his qi into his Dragon Heaven Acupoint and stomped on the ground.

Boom-!

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"Uaaack!"

Due to the force applied to the head of the ship, the tail of the ship rose. Water from the river flowed into the ship. The few remaining bandits on the deck, as well as the rest of the people from the Martial Alliance, were thrown into a panic by the sudden shaking of the boat.

The one who panicked the most was Qiu Feng. His already unstable sword trajectory had completely lost its drive. He tried to retreat, but it was too late.

While everyone else struggled to regain balance, Lu Dalang remained composed and thrust his spear once more.

"Die!"

Qiu Feng clenched his eyes shut, feeling his death coming.

"You're not touching anyone!"

Zhou Xuchuan, who was waiting behind Qiu Feng, stepped forward and executed his sword arts against Lu Dalang.

"Plum Blossom Rays?"

Qiu Feng was shocked after seeing Zhou Xuchuan execute the fifth form of the Fourteen Forms of the Plum Blossom Sword.

"You impudent brat!"

Lu Dalang felt offended when Zhou Xuchuan blocked one of his trusted moves. Fury contorted his expression.

"You're ugly enough to make me lose appetite as you are, so don't make it even uglier!"

Zhou Xuchuan quipped, executing the next art. When he did, the sword in his hand became blurry before striking from above. It was the sixth form, the Plum Blossom Plunge.

"Urgh!"

Lu Dalang strained to block with his spear raised above his head. Zhou Xuchuan didn't stop there and followed up with the next move. This time, a barrage of sword strikes all attacked Lu Dalang.

"Even Plum Blossom Flurry!"

Qiu Feng's shock deepened.

"The Fourteen Forms of the Plum Blossom Sword?" Lu Dalang's face stiffened.

He also realized that these were the same sword arts that Qiu Feng had been using against him while defending. Well, to be precise, they were the sword arts of Mount Hua.

Now!

Qiu Feng noticed that Lu Dalang was distracted. Although the sword art displayed by Zhou Xuchuan was shocking, he was not foolish enough to miss a golden opportunity like this. He immediately aimed for Lu Dalang's flank, striking like a thunderbolt.

"Gosh, fuck!"

Lu Dalang activated his qi, swiftly rotating his body. The abrupt change in his qi manipulation made his insides feel as though they were being scraped.

Psh-!

Qiu Feng's sword tore through Lu Dalang's flesh, revealing fat and muscle being pulled out by the blade's tip.

"Urgh!" Lu Dalang groaned, feeling the fiery pain sear through his flank. However, he had no time to lament.

In a fight among experts, an unexpected change in body movements could be critical. Especially if there were two enemies. Zhou Xuchuan once again executed the Plum Blossom Flurry. It was a chaotic sword attack that disoriented Lu Dalang's.

"Fuck off!" Lu Dalang swung his spear widely, infusing the spear blade with qi that transformed into wind, effectively blocking the flurry of swords.

"Well done!" Qiu Feng praised Zhou Xuchuan before immediately resuming his attack on Lu Dalang. He stirred the qi within his body to create a sword qi on his blade.

Lu Dalang quickly turned around to deflect Qiu Feng's sword qi. However, his movements weren't as agile as before. A substantial chunk of flesh was torn from his flank, intensifying the pain.

"Urrgh!"

Lu Dalang couldn't hide his anger. The fact that he was injured like this hurt his pride and annoyed him. Moreover, he couldn't stand the fact that his subordinates were watching all this. If rumors about today's battle spread within the Nine Water Gang, the other gang lords would mock him for being defeated by a mere boy.

"Die!"

Lu Dalang swung his spear with a shout. The destructive force, intent on wiping out everything around him, could be felt everywhere around the ship. The energy in the spear exerted some pressure, spreading out with him at the epicenter and causing ripples on the river.

The attack, containing his full power, was directed squarely at Zhou Xuchuan.

No!

Qiu Feng lunged. While impressed by Zhou Xuchuan's skill, Qiu Feng doubted his ability to withstand such an attack.

"Whoa!"

Zhou Xuchuan, feeling the pressure of the spear across his body, was taken aback by its intensity.

But… this is also an opportunity!

A confident smile spread across Zhou Xuchuan's lips. He raised his sword and turned it slightly. Pressing on the flat of the blade with his palm, he infused all his nearly sixty years worth of internal qi into the sword.

"You fool!" Lu Dalang mocked Zhou Xuchuan, fully convinced that Zhou Xuchuan would not be able to block this attack.

BANG!

The spear and the sword collided.

"Wh-what?!"

However, Lu Dalang's expectations were completely off the mark as Zhou Xuchuan, a boy several times smaller than him, managed to block the spear with his sword.

Zhou Xuchuan was pushed back by about five steps, leaving behind a trail with his feet.

"Cough!"

However, he couldn't block it completely and spurted out blood. Though he wished he could form his own sword qi, he hadn't reached that level yet.

What he did instead was to block the attack by crazily infusing his sword with qi. The nearly sixty years of internal qi wasn't just for show.

"Well done, Xuchuan!"

Qiu Feng swiftly moved, using his full strength to stab Lu Dalang in the back.

Psh!

The sword's tip sliced through flesh, entering Lu Dalang's body, before being pushed out the chest on the other side.

"Kergh!" Lu Dalang's eyes widened. "N-no way…"

He bent down, trembling.

"You let your guard down, Watertop Spearman."

Qiu Feng pulled out his sword and stepped back.

"L-let my guard down?" Lu Dalang had on an expression of disbelief. "Urgh, don't be fucking kidding me."

Who would've expected someone like Zhou Xuchuan? Someone just as proficient in the Fourteen Forms of the Plum Blossom Sword as the Fourteenth Sword Hero, who even managed to block a full-power strike from him.

Even the almighty Zhuge Liang wouldn't have taken into account such a possibility.

"The gang lord was defeated!"

"Aack!"

Splash-!

The few surviving river bandits threw themselves off the ship, hoping to increase their chances of survival.

"Fuck…" Lu Dalang resentfully mumbled.

"I'm… not dying… alone!" he shouted, gripping his spear in reverse.

"No!"

Qiu Feng shouted, but it was too late. Lu Dalang was already striking downward with his spear.

Boom-!

The head of the ship, which was already battered as a result of Lu Dalang's previous stomp, couldn't withstand the blow. Cracks spread from the front, eventually shattering the entire ship into pieces.

"Ack!"

"Wah!"

Splash-

With the ship breaking, both the living and dead on the deck fell into the water. Lu Dalang, one of the longest-living experts of the Hundred Experts Under Heaven, sank to the bottom of the Yangtze River and disappeared into history.

"Huff-puh, Huff-puh!" Zhuge Xiao struggled in the water.

"Please, grab onto this!"

A nearby cultivator from the Martial Alliance snatched a wooden board and gave it to Zhuge Xiao. It was one of the remnants of the ship.

"Thankfully, the current isn't that fast!" Zhuge Xiang shouted, also grabbing onto a debris.

"Everyone, head to the rock over there!" Qiu Feng directed, pointing to a spot with house-sized rocks connected to the land, which was fortunate.

At Qiu Feng's command, everyone helped each other climb onto the large rocks.

"Cough, cough! Are you all okay? Is anyone injured?" Qiu Feng raised his voice while coughing. He immediately started looking for the members of the Lotus Pavilion.

The first person he spotted was Zhang Xuen.

"Senior Uncle!" Zhang Xuen shouted, her face pale, but not from the coldness of the river.

"I-I don't see junior brother anywhere!''

"What?"

Qiu Feng looked around, unable to find the youngest member, despite seeing Zhang Hong and Zhang Xuen. He searched everywhere on the rocks, but he couldn't find a sign of him.

"Shengji!"

Another anxious voice echoed nearby. The man's eyes searched frantically, his complexion ashen.

"Shengji, if you're nearby, respond! Shengji!"

Zhuge Xiang's mournful voice filled the air.

"How could this happen…" Qiu Feng exclaimed.

Two individuals, Zhou Xuchuan and Zhuge Shengji, were nowhere to be seen.