Volcanic Age

Chapter 212: Opening the Yumen Pass (2)

Previously, near the Yumen Pass in Gansu.

The Yumen Pass was a border gate and a passage that connected the Western Regions of the Central Plains. There were no roads in this area, not to mention flowers, as the Gobi Desert stretched out widely with its rugged, rocky terrain.

Moving through the Yumen Pass was called the Crossing, as the Pass was the border between the Central Plains and the Frontier[1].

"What?!" shouted the Crescent Lake Gate Master, You Xiaofeng.

Mount Mingsha[2], located about 250 li northwest of Yumen Pass, was a narrow sand mountain.

The Crescent Lake Gate was one of the more famous forces around; it was located in a green valley called the Crescent Lake, between the sand dunes.

While it wasn't as renowned as the Nine Sects and One Gang or the Five Great Ancient Families, it was still highly respected in its own right. Its gate master, You Xiaofeng, was even ranked among the One Hundred Experts Under Heaven.

"To think that the Blood Cult's forces have come all the way to Yumen Pass..."

You Xiaofeng's face turned pale as he received intelligence confirming the arrival of the Blood Cult's forces. Even worse, their numbers were far from ordinary.

By rough estimates, they had over five thousand troops—and their forces were still growing.

"Hmph. Is it because Dan Libai's rebellion weakened the Evil Valley? The balance of the Three Major Factions must have shifted, which is why this problem has arisen."

Righteous Faction, Evil Faction, and Demonic Path's Two Lineages.

Up until now, the peace of the murim had been maintained because the Three Major Factions had relatively similar strengths.

For example, if the Righteous Faction waged war against the Evil Faction, both sides would get weakened, regardless of who won or lost.

In that case, the remaining force, the Demonic Path's Two Lineages, would automatically gain the upper hand and devour the winner of the Great War of Good and Evil.

The same was true vice versa, meaning that none of the three factions could move recklessly. However, Dan Libai's rebellion had ruined everything.

The Eight Gates of the Evil Dao ended up half destroyed by the civil war, significantly reducing their military power.

It was not surprising that the Blood Cult wanted to invade the Central Plains.

"Send a letter to the Martial Alliance and the Kongtong Sect immediately."

Homing pigeons arrived at the Martial Alliance's Lanzhou Branch in Gansu and the Kongtong Sect. Through them, it spread to the entire Martial Alliance.

The Blood Cult's uprising!

The peace that had lasted for a long time was broken. Compared to this incident, the Seven Swords War was child's play.

In the face of the possibility of a massacre, the murim held its breath and focused on the Blood Cult's movements.

***

Hefei, the Martial Alliance.

"Ugh, so it's finally happening." Nangong Weiwu muttered, frowning deeply.

This wasn't completely unexpected. He had assumed that something like this would happen as the Evil Valley's power weakened.

"We can finally teach those annoying Blood Cult bastards a lesson!" Peng Junping said, grinning with excitement.

"Are you that eager for war?" Huang Jian asked, clicking his tongue in disapproval.

"Hmph. The Peng Family doesn't fear Blood Cult bastards," Peng Junping snorted.

"Are there any movements from the Demon Cult?" Nangong Weiwu asked Zhuge Zhonghao.

"Not yet."

"Hmm, I'm worried."

Although the Demon Cult and the Blood Cult were collectively called the Demonic Path's Two Lineages, they weren't actually that close.

While the Demon Cult and the Blood Cult sometimes worked together out of necessity, they generally had little to do with each other. Their differences in beliefs and what they worshipped often led to conflict. However, their similar dispositions meant they were still on better terms with each other than with the rest of the Central Plains.

Though there was no specific reason for the Demon Cult to join the Blood Cult in battle, an invasion of the Central Plains could be reason enough for them to cooperate, at least temporarily.

However, since there was no news, the Martial Alliance began to worry that there may be something going on behind the scenes.

"Elder Huang, investigate the Demon Cult's movements."

"I will do so."

"First, we will begin preparing for the Great War of Good and Blood."

The Great War of Good and Blood!

Over five thousand troops were gathering at Yumen Pass—that much was certain.

As soon as the Martial Alliance heard the news, they sent letters to key figures declaring a mobilization order to dispatch troops.

The Nine Sects and One Gang, as well as the Five Great Ancient Families, had already been informed and quietly began preparations for war.

Smaller and medium-sized sects of the Righteous Faction also scrambled to muster what forces they could, gritting their teeth as they said, "It's finally happening."

As a border region, Gansu didn't have many sects. Fortunately, the Kongtong Sect—one of the Nine Sects and One Gang—was close enough to respond.

"What response did we get from the Kunlun Sect?"

Qinghai was right below Mount Mingsha, and the Kunlun Sect was in Qinghai. However, they, too, needed help.

"The Kunlun Sect can't help because they're monitoring Demon Cult in case of an emergency!"

"Damn it! Contact the Mount Hua Sect and the Zhongnan Sect in Shaanxi!"

You Xiaofeng's expression darkened.

***

Shaanxi, Mount Hua Sect.

As the sect worried about how to deal with Zhou Xuchuan, news of the Blood Cult's activities suddenly arrived.

As expected, discussions about the Violet Haze Divine Art were suspended.

While the Violet Haze Divine Art was important, it couldn't take priority over the Martial Alliance's mobilization order.

Being closer to Gansu, Mount Hua treated the situation with more urgency than other Righteous Faction sects. Preparations for war began swiftly, and disciples outside the sect were called back.

As they prepared, the Lanzhou Branch of the Martial Alliance in Gansu urgently requested support.

"Half of the Blood Cult's troops have already arrived?"

"What kind of sorcery did they use to accomplish that?!"

The Mount Hua Sect was also flustered after hearing the news.

The Blood Cult's invasion wasn't entirely unexpected. What caught everyone off guard was the speed of their troop movements.

"It seems like they bribed the officials."

"Even so, it's not like it's just one or two of them, but thousands of troops. Is that really possible?"

Ling Zhen tilted his head with a puzzled expression.

"Hmph! They must have used some sort of sorcery, then!"

Whatever the reason for the Blood Cult's rapid advance, it became clear that they had to act fast.

"No matter how I look at it, I think we need to mobilize the Plum Blossom Swordsmen." Shen Yulian said after much thought.

The other Five High Elders of Mount Hua agreed.

To mobilize the Plum Blossom Swordsmen, the elite and highest-ranking unit of Mount Hua, they needed the approval of its leader, Wei Zhijie.

Wei Zhijie was currently in a closed-off training with the Swordsmen Initiates. While his training was important and ideally shouldn't be interrupted, the urgency of the situation left them no choice.

Dark Heavens Association!

Zhou Xuchuan clenched his fists, memories of his previous life coming to mind.

In his previous life, even in the midst of the Great Era of War and Chaos, the Blood Cult had been moved by the Dark Heavens Association.

They infiltrated the Blood Cult, supplying them with artifacts and demonic techniques that enhanced their sorcery while whispering in their ears, "With this power, you can get whatever you want. Use them as sacrifices to open the Blood Cult Heavens."

Whether it was for their demonic arts or their sorcery arts, the Blood God Cult required human blood and flesh as sacrifices.

The amount of these sacrifices that were required was so large that they brazenly ignored the natural laws of humanity, going so far as to sacrifice their own children.

As a result, they targeted the Central Plains whenever they had a chance, and thanks to the Dark Heavens Association's help and support, they were able to invade again.

This was something that should have occurred much later, but it seemed the timing had been pushed forward due to changes in the timeline.

It hasn't been that long since you caused chaos in the Southern Jungles, and you're already mobilizing the Blood Cult? You damned bastards!

Zhou Xuchuan cursed inwardly, gritting his teeth.

Can't you take a break? How are you managing to plan and execute so much in less than a year?

Strictly speaking, this wasn't something that had been prepared in a short period of time. In truth, these plans had likely begun long before Zhou Xuchuan was even born.

However, unlike in his previous life, all of these things were happening in rapid succession.

"Ha... what kind of fate is this?!" Zhou Xuchuan sighed. He hadn't had a moment to rest, constantly moving to prevent what would happen in the future.

He never got cocky. He always stayed alert and moved as though his feet were on fire.

If it were the Evil Valley or the Demonic Path's Two Lineages that were the enemy, things would have ended long ago. That is, if there was no Dark Heavens Association.

"Blessed Existence, if you ever show your face in front of me..." Zhou Xuchuan growled, clenching his fists tight. "I'll beat you so hard your cheeks will peel off!"

1. These are real historical terms. The Crossing, or literally, 'To go out beyond the frontier,' was the term used when people left the confines of the dynasty and went beyond the Great Wall through the Yumen Pass. The term Frontier, or literally 'beyond the confines of the Wall,' is the term most often used to describe the Western Highlands and the accompanying barbarian lands. ☜

2. One of the Singing Sand Dunes of the world, the name literally translates to 'singing/crying sand mountain.' ☜