The Regressor of Mount Hua-Chapter 339. Zhuge Shengji (2)

Zhou Xuchuan's shout was the signal.

The troops serving as bait quickly turned and formed an iron wall, while the ambush troops hidden in the east and south moved in, blocking the Dark Heavens Army’s retreat.

The hundreds, if not thousands, of lamas from the Potala Palace showed their might and pushed back the Dark Heavens Army.

"W-what the hell?"

"Monks? Are they the Shaolin Temple?"

"Are they the enemy's support?"

The Dark Heavens Army was bewildered.

While the surrounding siege was alarming enough, it was the sudden appearance of an unidentified force, numbering in the thousands, that truly sent the Dark Heavens Army into panic.

"Restructure!" Zhou Xuchuan shouted.

"Restructure!"

Shen Daoyun, the commander of the Guizhou Front, echoed the order sharply.

"Reinforce the east!"

A thousand reinforcements quickly moved up from the south.

With only about five hundred defenders left in the east, it was a natural decision to strengthen that side.

Having spent over ten years on the front lines, Shen Daoyun’s experience and quick judgment were outstanding—and Zhou Xuchuan couldn't help but be quietly impressed.

The Guizhou Army was also amazing. Despite no detailed prior discussion, they moved like a single organism.

As it had been since ancient times, battlefields rarely followed the script.

Adaptation was survival.

Strategies were always shifting mid-battle.

“Ahem!”

Among the crowd of a thousand people, an old man stood in front.

His bald head gleamed in the sun, and his face was lined with deep wrinkles, carved by time.

His long, white eyebrows weren't grown haphazardly, but were neatly maintained.

His physique was small, but strangely, he didn't feel small.

"My name is Tsongkhapa, and I have come running from the Potala Palace to repay the debt of life owed to Great Hero Zhou Xuchuan of the Six Empyrean Overlords."

While the voice of Tsongkhapa, the old monk, wasn't loud, he was heard by everyone on the battlefield.

It was simply incredible.

“Potala Palace?”

“Did he just say the Potala Palace?”

Both the Guizhou Army and the Dark Heavens Army stared in shock, their mouths agape.

The Potala Palace was the representative force of the Western Highlands murim that had great influence in the Central Plains during the Yuan Dynasty.

Just hearing the name left them stunned.

"Wait a minute, what did that lama monk just say now?"

"Who did he come to repay a debt to?"

The Guizhou Army’s face lit up with hope.

“Guizhou Army, listen up!”

Zhou Xuchuan stepped forward to clear up the confusion.

"The Potala Palace is not an enemy, but an ally! The Western Highlands’s Potala Palace has come to help the Righteous and Evil Alliance! I’ll say it again! The Potala Palace is not an enemy, they're allies!”

A moment of silence.

Then...

"Rah!!!!”

A roar that was so loud that it felt like the Heavens and the Earth were collapsing erupted.

You can tell at a glance that their fighting spirit isn't ordinary. As expected, that old monk is no ordinary person.

Zhou Xuchuan was also surprised by the group of lamas.

This conversation had happened before he had left for Guizhou.

As soon as he heard from Zhuge Xiang that something was bound to happen in Guizhou, he immediately thought of an old relationship.

It was about four years ago, when he was eighteen years old and had been on a cultivation journey throughout the gangho.

At that time, Zhou Xuchuan had successfully hunted the Millennia Fire Carp and the Seven Horned Serpent, which had been secretly cultivated by the Dark Heavens Association’s Archive.

After refining his physique with the Extreme Temperature Immunity and Thousand Poisons Immunity constitutions, he had left for the Great Snowy Mountains in search of the Millennium Snow Ginseng that would be discovered in the future.

It was during this journey that he had met that monk, Tsongkhapa, in the middle of his cultivation.

Because of variables, Zhou Xuchuan hadn't wanted to get involved with the murim frontier, but somehow, he had ended up helping them and fighting the other lamas.

Right before he left for Guizhou, he had remembered that Tsongkhapa owed him a debt of life and promised to help him later. So, he had asked for help.

Just in case, he had also explained about the Lake and Earth Formation.

Regardless, at the time, he had thought of the monk as an unusually capable person when he had seen the group of lamas, who were essentially experts of their own, chasing and attacking him. However, he never could have expected that he would be able to mobilize this many people.

He had thought that it would have been a blessing if Tsongkhapa was able to bring around three hundred people, but to think a thousand of them had come.

He couldn’t help but laugh at the unexpected power.

The Dark Heavens Association doesn’t let their guard down.

Zhou Xuchuan knew how scary the Dark Heavens Association was.

Even if an enemy was young, if they were seen as a nuisance or a barrier, their name would be added to the Slaughter List and they would be eliminated.

However, I, too, don't let my guard down. I also know how great and terrifying you are.

He had a good reason for hiding his strength when he was young.

It’s common for experts and geniuses to be proud, but the Dark Heavens Association had no room for that. Zhou Xuchuan had always been cautious in this regard.

That’s why he had reached out to the Potala Palace, just in case his plan failed.

He had reached out to them whenever he could—and fortunately, they arrived at the critical moment.

I’m going to get scolded by Young Lady Zhuge.

He didn't tell the other commanders or even the Tactician Phoenix about the Potala Palace.

It wasn't because he thought the information would leak out, but because he wasn't sure how much help they would give.

There's nothing more disturbing than uncertain information and hope. He kept it a secret for fear of making them expect too much and disappointing them.

"What are you panicking about?!" Zhongli Daojun shouted in the midst of the confusion.

"Don't be discouraged by some outdated fools from the murim frontier!"

Even the Dark Heavens Association couldn't touch the Western Highlands murim.

It wasn't because they were afraid of its power, but because, unlike the murim of the Central Plains, the Potala Palace, the representative force of the Western Highlands murim, was a murim sect that also had the characteristics of an imperial government.

Before the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, the Mongols had subdued the murim and made Lama Buddhism the national religion by making religious leaders their proxy rulers.[1]

After that, the Mongols spread the influence of Lama Buddhism and the Potala Palace throughout the Yuan Dynasty while they committed all sorts of evil deeds using its power as its backing.

After the fall of the Yuan Dynasty, the Potala Palace's authority still remained, and its influence on a national scale was unchanged.

What the Dark Heavens Association was truly uncomfortable with was getting involved with Lama Buddhism and ending up catching the Central Plains emperor's attention.

Even after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Lama Buddhism remained a sensitive issue. This was natural, as it had been the state religion of the Northern Yuan, the mortal enemies of the Central Plains.

Because of this, the Dark Heavens Association lacked information regarding the Western Highlands murim and the Potala Palace, and thus made a critical misjudgment.

The rear guard of the Dark Heavens Army tried to move and break through to open a retreat route, but they were blocked by the group of lamas from the Potala Palace.

"Agh!!!!”

“Ugh!”

A Seven Stars Division soldier from the rear guard rushed at the lamas, only to suffer a devastating defeat.

A yellow-robed monk stretched out his palm, which swelled like a fan, blasting out a massive force.

The moment it struck the soldier's chest, he vomited blood and collapsed, his internal organs crushed to pieces.

"Great Palm Seal!”

It was a teaching of Lama Buddhism and a foundational technique of the Potala Palace.

"Ugh!"

"Agh!"

The Potala Palace's force was strong. After all, it would be strange if they were weak since they had come to help.

"Now!"

“Push forward!”

The Guizhou Army moved with the help of strong support.

Their movements were as swift as a whirlwind, radiating a fierce momentum, like a fire spreading uncontrollably.

The bait troops that had been running away with their tails turned just a moment ago, and the main force that had been lying in wait, joined together and participated in the fierce battle.

“Zhou Xuchuan!”

Destructive Soldier's angry roar echoed across the battlefield.

“Heup!"

In the middle of the fierce battlefield, Zhou Xuchuan moved swiftly, executing the Twenty-four Sword Forms of the Plum Blossom.

Before engaging the Destructive Soldier, he needed to conserve his strength, so he refrained from using the Violet Haze Sword Sutra or any other advanced techniques.

Each time the purple aura shimmered along his sword’s blade, a thick plum fragrance filled the air.

"Ha!"

Zhou Xuchuan wasn’t the only one who stood out on the battlefield—other masters were making their presence known too.

"It's Zhou Xuchuan's junior sister!"

"Luo Xiaoyue, kill that bitch first!"

Everyone associated with Zhou Xuchuan ranked high on the Slaughter List, and Luo Xiaoyue was no exception.

As the renowned beauty of Mount Hua Sect, she attracted a lot of attention—and enemies. The moment she appeared on the battlefield as part of the ambush unit, many enemies charged at her, eyes gleaming with bloodlust.

Squelch!

Flutter!

"Agh! My arm!"

"Damn it, you dare, bitch?!"

However, they were no match for her.

After absorbing the Human-faced Spider's neidan, Luo Xiaoyue gained enlightenment, something that not even Zhou Xuchuan could have expected to happen, and ascended to the Harmony Realm.

She had grown into a master worthy of succeeding the Wave Sword Phoenix, a young master in her own right who had shaken the murim as she ascended to the Harmony Realm at the age of twenty-nine.

Although her cultivation was impressive enough, her sword skills were no joke, either.

Normally, she was gentle and graceful. But on the battlefield, she fought like a ghost. Even when blood splattered across her face, she didn’t flinch. Silently, she swung her sword again and again, cutting down soldiers from the Seven Stars Division with chilling calm.

"Youngest, your head!" Plum Blossom Swordsman, Meng Ge, shouted as he swung his sword horizontally toward Luo Xiaoyue’s head.

She leaned back so smoothly it looked like she had predicted the attack, the blade barely missing her.

Behind her, a soldier who had been aiming for her back suddenly realized his vision had split—his head had been severed clean in two.

"Move."

Another Plum Blossom Swordsman, Tan Xiang, grabbed Meng Ge’s arm and spun him around before stabbing the Seven Stars Division soldier who was trying to attack him from the side.

Since the Plum Blossom Swordsmen always traveled in groups, there was no way that Luo Xiaoyue would have come alone. Her senior disciple swordsmen also came with her.

Unfortunately, Zhang Hong and Zhang Xuen were still lacking in skill, so they weren't deployed to the front line and were assigned to other areas.

Luo Xiaoyue hadn't been selected for this battle because she was the Sword God's beloved junior sister. It was possible for her to stand in this battle because she had sufficient skills.

"Damn it, you damned Mount Hua Sect!"

Plum blossoms were in full bloom both above and beside him.

It was annoying that their mortal enemy, Zhou Xuchuan, seemed to appear everywhere.

Of course, the grumbling was only about the Mount Hua Sect. The actual damage wasn't just limited to the hands of the Mount Hua Sect.

The Harmony Realm Master, Duan Lihua, was a given, while Tang Hui also trampled the enemies with her outstanding poison and hidden weapon techniques.

“Are you really only going to give credit to the Righteous Faction?!” Zhou Meng shouted as he cut a Seven Stars Division soldier in two.

The expert of Guizhou, Zhou Meng, was also a master at the Peak Realm.

Although his cultivation was only at the Peak Realm, he showcased extraordinary skill—not just in one-on-one battles, but in full-scale melees like this.

He used the corpses of his enemies or even his allies as shields or used vicious strategies to take advantage of any openings. Although it was wrong, he had sent several Transcendent Realm experts to the underworld using this method. Zhou Meng was a master of fighting.

That was why his title was the Fighting Ghost Saber.

He was also skilled in tactics and held command for quite a long time within the Evil Valley's Guizhou Branch. His ability was worthy of recognition.

After all, just knowing when to step in and when to retreat is what made him a great commander.

He was great at staying competitive with the Righteous Faction while not crossing the line and moving with cool judgment.

The main force in the north, the ambush squad in the east, and the Potala Palace in the south.

The Dark Heavens Army's troops gradually became denser as they were driven into a corner.

"Isn't this different from what you told us, Destructive Soldier! You never said anything about the Potala Palace!"

Among the Dark Heavens Army's support forces, a large man with disheveled hair and a bushy beard protested while spitting out curses.

There was no escape, even if they tried. There were no enemies to the west, but the lake was the problem.

These people were of the Nine Forest Gangs, not the Water Forest Gangs. They couldn't even swim, let alone know any water immersion arts.

There was nothing they could do.

In the meantime, more than half of the three thousand five hundred had gathered together.

Although he was in the rear, Destructive Soldier was also included in that number.

Something is strange.

Destructive Soldier, hidden behind his helmet, scanned the battlefield.

His instincts screamed danger.

The newly formed Guizhou Army was keeping a certain distance and didn't move. It seemed as though they were trying to surround them, but the distance they were keeping was too considerable for that. There was a sense of alertness in their footsteps.

Destructive Soldier sensed that they had fallen into a trap with his uniquely keen senses, but it was already too late.

“Now!”

ROAR!!!!

Zhou Xuchuan paralyzed the enemy’s movements with Dragon Roar.

That was the signal.

“Show the Dark Heavens Association the power of the Lake and Earth Formation!”

Rattle!

The sound of some gears turning resonated.

Click!

Rumble!

The ground that the Dark Heavens Army was standing on collapsed.

"Agh!!"

“Save me!”

“Ugh!"

"T-the ground is falling..."

About two thousand of the three thousand five hundred screamed and fell into the pit.

If they had spread out even a little, they wouldn't have been caught up in the trap. However, unfortunately, they were in a dense formation and couldn't move freely. Because of that, they couldn't dodge and were sucked in.

Even the Guizhou Army, joined by the Potala Palace, couldn’t close their mouths at the terrifying sight.

It was like falling into the maw of hell.

“Who... did you say made this?”

Zhou Meng, who was looking down, muttered in a dazed voice.

“Zhuge... Zhuge Shengji.”

Someone else said a name that would later be remembered in history.

1. The official term here is Lama Buddhism (the doctrine of the Lamas). However, the term Lama Buddhism itself is derogatory, but at the same time, we're hesitant to use Tibetan Buddhism due to the fact that Tibet doesn't exist in the novel (technically no country does). Thus, we're using a middle ground of Lama Buddhism, but please let me know if I've made a mistake in nomenclature and we'll change it right away. Definitely don't want to be derogatory. ☜