The Regressor of Mount Hua

Chapter 240. The Southern Yang Guardian (1)

The Southern Yang Guardian, Fang Fotong. The execution of the Great Demon Head also known as the Iron Fist Demon forty years ago was decreed, and Shanxi was the last place he was seen.

Focusing on the Demon Cult's invasion, the Martial Alliance sent only minimal support. They sent word to the small and medium-sized sects in Shanxi, Hebei, Liaoning, and Shandong in the northeast.

The rest of their forces were all sent to Qinghai.

"Fang Fotong..." Zhou Xuchuan muttered as he left Hefei.

"It seems as though he hadn't appeared in the Central Plains since what had happened forty years ago," Luo Xiaoyue explained with a slight smile on her face.

Then, she met his gaze, and her face looked like she was saying, "How was it? I did my research, right?"

Her slightly impish smile made her look cute.

When Zhou Xuchuan asked how she knew that, she responded that once she asked the members of the Beggar Gang for information, they spilled all the details as if they were the ones who approached her instead of the other way around.

How awe-inspiring you are, the Most Beautiful Woman in Shaanxi! Zhou Xuchuan could imagine the Beggar Gang beggars answering all her questions as if they were possessed.

It's a familiar name...

As the enemy of the Shaolin Temple and one of the Four Great Guardians, Fang Fotong was bound to be notorious. He was also a Great Demon Head in Zhou Xuchuan's previous lifetime, but he knew little about the cultist's actions.

Wasn't he the old Demon Head who was active around the same time as the Hui Generation monks?

Zhou Xuchuan estimated that the cultist was around seventy by now. Moreover, it was on a conservative scale, so there was a chance that he was older than Zhou Xuchuan's estimates.

Of course, there was no way for him to know for sure at the moment.

According to the original timeline, Fang Fotong was supposed to die during the Demonic Path War or shortly after it.

During Zhou Xuchuan's previous lifetime, Fang Fotong had never suddenly appeared in Shanxi while surrounded by the members of the Righteous Faction.

If an incident as special as that had truly happened, then he would have been aware of it.

Really, why did he appear by himself here?

Zhou Xuchuan couldn't understand why the Great Demon Head was wandering around the Righteous Faction's territory alone when the Central Plains invasion was just around the corner.

This is exactly why I hate these crazy bastards. Zhou Xuchuan didn't actually have any knowledge of the future. If history had gone just the way it had in his previous lifetime, he would have been able to foresee the future somewhat, but things had gone in a completely different way, so he could no longer do that.

They were all a bunch of lunatics, and he couldn't predict where they would go.

He couldn't foresee everything from start to finish.

"Thanks to that old Demon Head, I feel like I'm finally getting some fresh air," Tang Mingren said with a peaceful face.

However, Zhou Xuchuan couldn't say anything in response. Thinking about the sacrifices that the young man had made for his family, he felt nothing but sorry for him.

Meanwhile, Tang Hui looked at her brother with mixed feelings upon recalling their conversation before she left Hefei.

"There's no such thing as pride within the Tang Family anymore. Everyone who remains is nothing more than a loser who has given up on reality."

It was ironic.

The Tang Family would feel insulted and would express that feeling if someone were to call them the second-most prideful force in the murim, but they actually no longer had any pride left deep inside.

No, perhaps that was the reason they were so outspoken about their pride.

Perhaps they wanted to be compensated for the sacrifices that they had to make to become hypocrites in the place of the Righteous Faction and take it upon themselves to conduct the necessary evil.

"So..." At the time, Tang Hui couldn't continue speaking, but she felt determined.

Tang Hui's eyes always overflowed with venom, and Zhou Xuchuan finally knew a bit about where that venom had come from.

Instead of talking about Tang Mingren, Zhou Xuchuan asked Tang Hui if the Tang Family knew how she felt inside.

Of course not, Zhou Xuchuan mused. Tang Hui's back looked lonely, and the sight couldn't help but make him think, maybe she isn't as vicious as I thought.

A family that takes away freedom and forces one to sacrifice for its power. She knows that what they are doing is wrong, and she detests it, but she can't say anything to the person who has sacrificed the most for the family.

That's like saying that everything she had done so far was meaningless and wrong.

Just what was Tang Hui's ending in his previous lifetime? Had she resisted the Tang Family's fate to the very end? Or was she left with no choice but to accept it?

Zhou Xuchuan wondered.

***

In Shanxi, there was Henan to the south, Hebei to the east, Shaanxi to the west, and the Mongols to the north.[1]

Since Mount Heng was in Shanxi, the members of the Righteous Faction in this area were mainly comprised of the Mount Heng Sect and the Hebei Peng Family.

However, this region wasn't entirely within the Righteous Faction's sphere of influence.

Perhaps because the northern barbarians were directly in front of them, but the influence of the imperial government's forces was so strong that the activities of the murim's forces were restricted.

The bandits dared not intrude, and the boisterous martial artists were careful not to cause any unnecessary trouble.[2]

It was different in other provinces, but this was the northernmost region where there were frequent battles with the Mongols, so the imperial government troops were sensitive around here.

However, the execution of the Great Demon Head would actually be carried out here.

The imperial government's troops had heard some vague rumors about it, but they kept quiet as the murim was taking care of a Great Demon Head, whose name alone instilled fear in the people.

Most importantly, hadn't the Shaolin Temple said that they would step up for this?

Thus, they left it alone and moved on, expecting them to handle it properly.

***

Taiyuan Branch of the Martial Alliance, Shanxi...

"What?" The face of the Taiyuan Branch Manager hardened. He asked once more, seemingly confirming the news that the beggar had relayed. "Repeat what you just said."

"A Demon Cult unit was discovered near Hengxian. They are about fifty strong. Moreover, all of them are elites, at least at the Peak Realm."

"Just what bullshit are you saying right now?!" The Taiyuan Branch Manager's face turned ashen. "Why are those who should have been heading to Qinghai here all of a sudden?"

The Demon Cult's elites had appeared, and there were about fifty of them. Their numbers were enough to devastate Shanxi in an instant.

Shanxi was actually the farthest province from the Central Plains' front lines. Since the imperial government's influence was so great, there wasn't much fighting going on, so the Taiyuan Branch was the last of the branches among the murim's outposts.

There was no way that it would be manned by any real power. To make matters worse, the Righteous Faction's forces in the surrounding area had already left for Qinghai.

Wait, could this be a diversion? An ominous thought popped up in his head, but the Taiyuan Branch Manager immediately shook his head, throwing the idea away.

Even though they are insane cultists, there's no way that they'll attack us through Shanxi when the Capital is right in front of them. The Mongols are directly next to us as well.

Considering that, more questions popped up in his head.

More than anything, what can they even do with only fifty or so experts? No, this can't be a diversion. He racked his brain but couldn't come up with a solid answer. Could they be trying to join up with Fang Fotong?

The Iron Fist Demon and the Southern Yang Guardian Fang Fotong. There had to be a reason why one of the Demon Cult's Four Great Guardians had shown up by himself. The same went for the presence of the fifty or so experts.

This was too coincidental to be called a coincidence. He was convinced that there was some unknown reason involved.

"Send a homing pigeon—no, a carrier falcon!" the Taiyuan Branch Manager shouted urgently.

***

Screech!

The sky was clear without a single cloud. A falcon with a letter tied to its ankle flew across the vast sky and landed on someone.

"Things are developing in a strange way." Zhou Xuchuan frowned.

"Just what in the heavens is going on?" Luo Xiaoyue was also lost in thought.

"There are too few of them to be called a diversion," Meng Ge muttered, finding it strange as well.

"I agree. Just what's going on with Fang Fotong?" Tan Xiang also racked her brain, looking puzzled.

Fang Fotong was too big of a figure to be used for mere reconnaissance. It didn't make any sense for one of the Four Great Guardians to show up somewhere by himself.

While the bizarre situation was unfolding, the Demon Cult's troops appeared. As Meng Ge had just said, there were too few of them to be considered a diversion.

"Something doesn't feel right. I think we need to move faster."

Since Zhou Xuchuan's party had set off from Anhui, they were slower than the group from the Shaolin Temple, which had set off from the closer Henan.

However, Zhou Xuchuan's party had fewer people, so they could move faster.

The qi consumption would increase considerably, but they felt something amiss and decided to use their lightness techniques to the extreme. The group moved at breakneck speeds, making a beeline for Taiyuan.

Maybe... Zhou Xuchuan came up with one conclusion.

***

While the forces of the Righteous Faction and the Demon Cult were gathering in Qinghai, a small but mighty number of Righteous Faction forces gathered in Shanxi.

The group consisted of the Mount Heng Sect, the Hebei Peng Family from Shanxi, and the Shaolin Temple.

At Shanxi, near Taiyuan, a monk was staring at a black blob beyond a hill.

"It's the cultists!" the monk from the Shaolin Temple shouted. Then, his demon-purifying qi churned, and his navel throbbed as someone whom they found physiologically repulsive appeared before their eyes.

"...Namu Amitabha." Hui Mian chanted with narrowed eyes.

"Just what is going on?"

Two days ago, he received a carrier falcon from the Taiyuan Branch Manager. As soon as he learned that a Demon Cult force was sighted nearby, he picked up the pace.

The Divine Monk was curious about what was going on, but he decided to put his curiosity aside for now. If those cultists were to join forces with Fang Fotong, things would become troublesome.

Since he, the Divine Monk of the Eight Empyrean Overlords was present, they wouldn't be defeated. However, if they weren't careful, their target could escape amidst the chaos.

Most importantly, If the Southern Yang Guardian and the Demon Cult's force were allowed to join together and consolidate their power, the Divine Monk knew that his troops would suffer unnecessary damage.

"What reason do we have to worry? It's okay." Hong Gao seemed unconcerned. He even displayed a belligerent attitude, as if expressing that this was a good thing.

It was better than being scared in front of an enemy, but his eyes, which flashed with bloodlust, didn't resemble a monk's gaze at all.

Just as Hui Mian was about to warn Hong Gao, a nun from the Mount Heng Sect, shouted, "The Southern Yang Guardian!"

"...!" Hui Mian's head turned around as fast as a lightning bolt. Fang Fotong!

The demon's wrinkles had increased over the many years, but his appearance remained the same. Even after forty years, the Divine Monk recognized him immediately. At the same time, the face of someone who had long become a cold corpse—Junior Brother Hui Xiao's face came to his mind.

"I'm already so old, but I'm still useless. I'm so useless..." Hui Mian smiled bitterly.

He had come all this way for the sake of revenge, and he could feel his heart darkening at the thought of it. The Buddha had told him to bestow upon mercy and forgiveness, but he couldn't bring himself to do so.

Was this Dvesha? Or was it Moha?[3]

Even though he had manifested his Path and had ascended to the Coruscant Realm, there were still many things unknown to him. I still have a long way to go.

"Oh, wicked and vicious cultists!" Hong Gao shouted at the throng of cultists. He hadn't even used Lion Roar, but his voice was incredibly loud. "And the Great Demon Head who had indiscriminately slaughtered innocents forty years ago..."

"Help!" someone cried for help, cutting off Hong Gao. The Righteous Faction members were shocked when they saw exactly who had asked for their help.

Even the Divine Monk was so surprised that he doubted his own ears and eyes as he recited Buddhist sutras.

"Please help me!"

The person asking for help was the Great Demon Head and the enemy of the Shaolin Temple, Fang Fotong, whom they had been chasing for almost two weeks now. They were so shocked that the warriors about to fly forward froze instantly.

Instead of joining the group of cultists, Fang Fotong turned around and ran toward the Righteous Faction forces without looking back.

Behind him, the throng of cultists let out a shocking cry. "Kill the apostate!"

Apostate...

The mystery was finally solved. They finally knew why a Great Demon Head, who was considered one of the Four Great Guardians, had come all the way to the distant Shanxi.

Moreover, they also learned the identity and the motive of the small group of cultists consisting of only fifty people.

A Demon Head on the level of the Four Great Guardians has actually betrayed the cult?

Hui Mian racked his brain, but he really couldn't wrap his head around it. He repeated the question several times during this brief moment of contemplation, but he still couldn't figure out the answer.

His common sense about the cultists was suddenly upended.

Just what in the world is going on?!

1. I know it looks like I made a mistake, but Shanxi and Shaanxi are two different provinces in China. Shanxi means to be west of the mountains, while Shaanxi means to be west of the County of Shan (not the same thing as Shanxi). I know—it's confusing, but just remember they're two different places. (Please note that I may have gotten them wrong earlier bc I, too, was confused and had to spend an hour going back and fixing it through like 15 chapters ooof. ☜

2. Technically reads quick to fight. ☜

3. We talked about this a little in a previous chapter with Hong Gao, but he's referring to the three poisons of Buddhism again. See chapter 140. ☜