The Regressor of Mount Hua-Chapter 288. Six Directions Divine Spear (1)

"How arrogant, Zhou Xuchuan."

Clank.

Someone emerged from the cave. Every time he moved, the black iron armor all over him would make a clanking sound.

Armor...?

It wasn't chainmail, nor was it Locking Child Armor, or even leather armor with embedded links of metal.[1]

Zhou Xuchuan was a layman when it came to armor; he was also a martial artist focused on evasion, emphasizing footwork techniques rather than defense.

Despite all that, he still knew that the armor in front of him right now went beyond common sense.

Unlike ordinary armor, the man before him was covered in full plate armor from head to toe, and his helmet seemed to be integrated with the armor itself.[2]

The plates seemed sharp and keen, as if they would cut one if touched carelessly, and while there were openings for the eyes, the holes beyond the metal weren't visible.

Just what is that? Zhou Xuchuan searched through the memories in his head, but nothing came up. He doesn't seem weak.

Not to mention his "dangerous" appearance, he also emanated a thick, ominous aura.

"Are you Destructive Soldier?"

While he couldn't see the man's face, Zhou Xuchuan could guess his identity.

There was no way that the brain of the Dark Heavens, Blessed Existence, would come forward. Meanwhile, Tang Mingren, Avaricious Wolf, wasn't suited for a direct battle due to the nature of his martial arts.

While it was possible that the man before him was the Dark Heavens Association Lord, it was highly unlikely, as there was little chance that the center of the Association would come forward now, with the final battle on the horizon.

The black armored man nodded his head in agreement.

Clank, clank, clank!

Something surprising abruptly happened. Without the man even touching it, the helmet suddenly folded in all directions and disappeared.[3]

"While I've heard stories about you before, this is the first time we're meeting face to face," Destructive Soldier said with an indifferent expression.

Destructive Soldier, Po Jun.

The leader of the Dark Heavens Association's Soldier Division.

Is he at the Harmony Realm?

Zhou Xuchuan tried to gauge the man's realm, but it was difficult.

At first glance, the man seemed as though he was in the Harmony Realm. However, his aura was hazy and felt a bit out of place, as if there were fog before Zhou Xuchuan's eyes.

It was a bit different from the haziness of seeing a stronger master's cultivation as the weaker party. The man before him was definitely of a lower realm, but still, Zhou Xuchuan felt uneasy.

The situation isn't that great.

He made a rough count of the surrounding enemies. There were around fifty of them. Moreover, there were most likely more large spiders nearby, and Destructive Soldier was in front of him, too.

There wasn't much time, so he made a quick decision.

"Wave Sword Phoenix."

"...?"

"When I give the signal, run into the cave to rescue the members and wake them up. If that's not possible, just leave them and hide. If everyone dies here right now, retreat on your own."

Duan Lihua nodded.

"Then, I'll be off." Zhou Xuchuan lifted his right foot.

"Heup!" He exhaled the deep breath he had taken in from his lungs with all his might. The qi that had been spinning around his legs reached his Yongchuan acupoint.

His weight, which had grown incredibly heavy by utilizing his qi through the Ten-Thousand Jin Sword, burst out as soon as he exhaled.

BOOM!

The ground beneath his feet collapsed—no, the ground within a one-zhang radius split open and sank.

BOOM!

Zhou Xuchuan's stomp produced a wave of overwhelming energy that rippled into an explosion that was so loud it could easily rupture eardrums.

The weeds that had grown up to his ankles were uprooted in clumps, and the rocks below them soared upward as well, unable to withstand the impact.

A cloud of yellow dust rose, and a shadow jumped out. It was Duan Lihua.

"Hmph!"

The Destructive Soldier stretched out his arm haughtily as if her efforts were ridiculous. In his hand was a spear that had appeared all of a sudden. It was a long spear made of a combination of red and gold that looked like it would catch on fire at any moment.

"You dare!" Zhou Xuchuan flicked his fingers as if he had expected it, sending out purple rays. Three bolts of Violet Haze Finger struck Destructive Soldier's spear.

Clang!

The spearhead bent upon getting hit by Violet Haze Finger.

However, it didn't end with just bending.

Flicker!

The spearhead shone red and spat flames.

The heat it produced was enough to burn skin with even the slightest of contact.

"...!"

Duan Lihua threw herself forward and swung her sword in the air.

Thoom!

The gust of wind—no, the sword wind, reversed the direction of the flames, so she managed to avoid getting roasted.

"Is that, it can't be..."

Zhou Xuchuan, with Destructive Soldier in the middle, was shocked.

"Is that the Flame Point Spear?"

"You have good eyes."

The Flame Point Spear.

It was a legendary divine weapon that was only spoken about in myths, and it was a powerful artifact in its own right. According to legend, the length of the spear could be freely extended and contracted like the Ruyi Jingu Bang, and it was said to be capable of breathing out fire.[4]

"It's real?"

It was a weapon that had literally only appeared in legends or myths. Although there were records of its existence in the past of the murim, by this point, it was considered a myth.

"You're surprised by the oddest things," Destructive Soldier said calmly. "There are those who reached the Coruscant Realm, surpassing the Harmony Realm, at the mere age of twenty-one, so what's so great about a single spear?"

Destructive Soldier didn't know much about the conditions of reaching the Coruscant Realm. However, as a warrior, he knew how far away it was.[5]

Zhou Xuchuan was active as the Sword God of the Seven Empyrean Overlords, but there were still people who couldn't believe his existence.

Zhou Xuchuan's achievement of reaching the Coruscant Realm at his age was simply that ridiculous.

"..."

Clatter!

Meanwhile, the Seven Stars Division Soldiers had finally surrounded Zhou Xuchuan.

While they weren't as strong as the soldiers of Warped Valor, as Destructive Soldier's personal guards, their auras were extraordinary.

"I'd like to fight you one-on-one, but, regrettably, I can't do that due to Blessed Existence's orders," Destructive Soldier said, sounding rather disappointed.

"Don't worry." Zhou Xuchuan raised his left hand. "That'll happen anyway."

Woosh!

Behind the Seven Stars Division Soldiers, the shadows of ten men appeared.

"Little Ghost."

"Yes," answered Little Ghost. She had grown into an adult woman thanks to her sorcery.

"Take care of the Seven Stars Division Warriors."

"I have received your orders."

Amidst their conversation, ten Phantoms, including Little Ghost, made their move. Screams would erupt from all directions whenever a Phantom flickered into the scene.

The Phantoms whom Zhou Xuchuan had brought along just in case were proving to be helpful. He hadn't brought many of them, however, as he thought that the boat wouldn't be able to accommodate them.

"Destructive Soldier." Zhou Xuchuan looked at the leader of the Destructive Soldier Star, Po Jun, with a cold gaze. "This will be your grave."

Bang!

Zhou Xuchuan became a meteor as he moved as fast as a lightning bolt.

Heup!

He disappeared, leaving an afterimage in his wake, before reappearing right before Destructive Soldier's eyes. His speed was exactly like the phrase, "in the blink of an eye."

Shing!

Even the sound of his swing was brief. The air before him split in two as his sword smoothly cleaved outward, aiming for Destructive Soldier's arm.

Crunch!

Destructive Soldier slid his right foot back. His foot dragged across the ground, making a long track, and the spear in his right hand moved alongside his foot. It was a stance meant for a thrust, but he was too late.

The swordsman's sword had already come within a stone's throw from him, and the sword was making a beeline for his left shoulder.

Is he not going to dodge?

Zhou Xuchuan's eyes betrayed his confusion. What was reflected in his gaze wasn't a dodging Destructive Soldier, but one who was raising his left arm instead of dodging the oncoming attack.

CLANG!

The treasure-grade sword, Longyuan, struck Destructive Soldier's left vambrace, eliciting a metallic clamor. The noise was loud enough to send a tremor through his eardrums.

The cave behind him amplified the sound, and Duan Lihua, who was dragging her comrades out, covered her ears in pain.

He blocked it. Zhou Xuchuan's face hardened like a stone statue. He just blocked a Formless Aura imbued with my full strength.

The sword strike just now wasn't a quick swing. It was imbued with Formless Aura and boasted an absolute cutting power. It also had considerable force behind it, but the man before him had blocked it directly without any defensive qi barrier.

He also hadn't deflected it to disperse the force.

Even Zhou Xuchuan was momentarily taken aback by the astonishing fact. Before he could even compose himself, Destructive Soldier's attack flew toward him.

"Ha!" Destructive Soldier laughed fiercely. The tip of the spear in his right hand was engulfed in flames.

Shing.

The length of the spear instantly shortened to the length of a sword.

It became the perfect weapon to thrust toward an enemy at close range.

"HA!" A roar burst out from Destructive Soldier's mouth. It was a sound comparable to a Lion Roar.

Bang!

Destructive Soldier thrust his spear powerfully, and it made a hole in the space before it. At the same time, the shortened spear instantly grew in length.

Flicker!

The flames wrapped around the tip of the spear spread out as if it were a blooming flower. Its momentum was as fierce as the flickering tongue of a devil.

The burning spear tore through the air and made a beeline for Zhou Xuchuan's chest.

This is dangerous!

However, it was too late to dodge. Left with no choice, Zhou Xuchuan erected his defensive qi barrier to create a thick wall.

BOOM!

"What the...!" Zhou Xuchuan couldn't help but panic. The speed and destructive power of the spear were above the Harmony Realm. He finally understood why the man's realm had seemed so strange.

"Argh!"

Zhou Xuchuan let out a groan and was pushed back. Deep footprints appeared on the ground in his wake. On top of it all, the ground before him became red hot from the heat of the Flame Point Spear.

"To think you can block and stay unscathed in the face of the First Direction of the Six Directions Spear performed with the Flame Point Spear. As expected of one of the Seven Empyrean Overlords," Destructive Soldier remarked with astonishment.

"The Six Directions Spear?" Zhou Xuchuan's eyes widened in surprise. "The Six Directions Spear of the Spear God"

"That's right."

"I mean, just how many techniques have you crazy bastards hidden away?"

It was said that all the martial arts of the world were sleeping in the Imperial Repository. Looking at the Dark Heavens Association, the saying seemed to be true.

If the imperial military was said to have the Yang Family Spear Technique, then the murim was said to have the Six Directions Spear. The spear art was considered to be a peerless divine art.

Moreover, the creator of such a peerless divine spear technique was an Absolute Master once considered the Strongest Under the Heavens—the Spear God.

However, it wasn't known exactly when the Spear God was active, and above all, there hadn't been anyone capable of continuing his legacy, so the spear art was eventually lost.

"Moreover... then, that's not—" Zhou Xuchuan swallowed his words and examined the Destructive Soldier's armor piece by piece. Anxiety marred his face.

To block sword aura, one needed an equivalent form of aura.

The only other way to block sword aura was to have a famed sword like Longyuan, which could block sword aura to some extent with just sword qi.

However, it was impossible to block sword aura with a famed sword as casually as Destructive Soldier had done with his armor. It was even more so with Formless Sword Aura.

Of course, it didn't mean that there actually weren't any other methods other than the two ways mentioned above. It was just that such methods were as difficult as achieving the Harmony Realm or the Coruscant Realm.

No, depending on the case, reaching those realms could be easier.

"Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron! It's Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron!"

Above steel was Profound Iron, and above Profound Iron was the Hundred Refinements Spirit Steel.

Finally, there was Cold Iron.

Once aged for ten thousand years, Cold Iron would become the Ten Thousand-Year Cold Iron, and Ten Thousand-Year Cold Iron had another name—Aura Iron.

A sword made of Ten Thousand-Year Cold Iron could cut steel like tofu.

When used as a restraint, even an Absolute Master could do nothing about it.

It truly lived up to its name—Aura Iron.

In fact, restraints forged of Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron existed in the murim, too. One on the Underground Prison of the Martial Alliance, and one on the Shaolin Temple's Confession Cave.

The problem was that Ten Thousand-Year Cold Iron was by no means common. It was so rare that it was questionable whether there was enough to forge a sword purely out of it.

Then what the hell is that?

The absurdity rose to the point that it slapped Xuchuan across the face.

That was what it meant to be overgeared!

The Flame Point Spear and the armor forged out of Ten Thousand-Year Cold Iron allowed Destructive Soldier to fight on equal terms with a Coruscant Realm Master.

That alone was incredible.

Surely, it can't be entirely forged out of Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron, can it?!

Ten Thousand-Year Cold Iron was so rare that it was often mixed in small quantities into ore for swords or used in restraints that required relatively small amounts of it.

It had to be impossible to collect enough Ten Thousand-Year Cold Iron to create an entire armor.

Moreover, what kind of crazy bastard would do such a thing?

It would be better to turn so much Ten Thousand-Year Cold Iron into several weapons.

"I guess this is it."

Destructive Soldier withdrew his murderous intent and retreated.

Zhou Xuchuan cast a strange and confused look at Destructive Soldier.

"Blessed Existence said, 'Zhou Xuchuan is quick-witted, so stall for time and come back when you see the end.'"

"Stall for time?"

Zhou Xuchuan's face distorted, and he looked as if he was thinking, 'It can't be.'

"While I can keep fighting if you want, I want you to take note of how far away you are from your group."

"...!"

"We'll have to postpone our battle, Zhou Xuchuan."

Destructive Soldier and the Seven Stars Division Soldiers melted into the darkness.

"Tsk!" Zhou Xuchuan clicked his tongue and turned around. "Little Ghost! Prioritize rescuing and escorting the Wave Sword Phoenix and the expedition party!"

"We've received your orders."

"And arrest the Bear Fist Hero!"

Zhou Xuchuan kicked Li Chu, who was trying to gauge his reaction, before making a beeline for the others.

1. Locking Child Armor is the Chinese way of saying chainmail, and in the case of using it with the Korean 사술 갓옷, or chainmail, is a protective plate armor used only on nonmobile parts of the body. Think only having greaves for the shins, vambraces for the forearms, and a metal chestplate, but nothing else. ☜

This content is taken from fгeewebnovёl.com.

2. Remember, full plate armor in the western sense never actually existed within ancient Korea, or even ancient China. Western plate armor is technically form fitting with articulated joints, while eastern plate armor, even if it did cover the entire body, was more like chainmail with plates added on top of unmoving parts of the body. Eastern plate armor focused on mobility, giving up coverage of the joints for the flexibility to dodge, while western plate armor focused on comprehensive coverage, as western battles essentially devolved to whacking each other hoping you didn't die to a stray lance. That's why he's so confused, bc the dude is covered head to toe in articulated joinery. ☜

3. Boom, iron man. ☜

4. The Ruyi Jingu Bang is the legendary pillar staff that Son Wukong uses. ☜

5. Technically, Destructive Soldier is a soldier, not a martial artist, so even though warrior is the base term of martial artists in the warrior/expert/master tiers, I'm just going to call him a warrior here for clarity. ☜