Volcanic Age

"Impressive…"

Jie Da, the Allied Forces Thousand-Man Commander, was impressed.

What he was looking at were the Central Plains martial artists, especially Zhou Xuchuan, who was running wild with overwhelming force.

When he had first heard the news about the Cannibal Tribe, he could hardly believe it.

He had been fighting as the Commander of the Qinghua region for quite some time. This meant that he had experience in waging wars against the Major Tribes.

Jie Da knew exactly how terrifying the Cannibal Tribe was.

The mere mention of their name sent shivers down his spine. He couldn't bring himself to believe that Zhou Xuchuan and the others had completely annihilated the fearsome monsters with only sixty people and without a single casualty.

The advisor must have lied to gather strength.

News of one's victory was usually exaggerated. It was always done in such a way to boost the morale of the Allied Forces and lower the morale of the enemy.

It wasn't strange for the victor to exaggerate their achievements. He thought that this was just a part of that. If they said that they had won an overwhelming victory, the number of forces participating in the war would increase.

That thought didn't change when he first saw Zhou Xuchuan at the strategy meeting. No, he even doubted it.

Could the Cannibal Tribe really have lost to this child?

He was too young. To be frank, he wouldn't have believed it even if a thirty-year-old warrior was said to have been the main contributor to the victory.

However, even if they were from the Central Plains, it was near impossible to believe that someone who looked so young could have defeated the High Priest of the Southern Jungles.

After sending scouts to confirm, he was sure that the Cannibal Tribe had disappeared from the map. Yet, he still had many questions.

Of course, it wasn't proper for him to go to the benefactor who had saved the life of his Toho, Lord Ye Li, and ask such rude questions.

He had no choice but to come to the temple, uneasiness weighing heavily on him. However, he was left speechless after witnessing such strength firsthand.

How could he be so strong at such a young age?

A swordsman who ran wild across the battlefield. Nothing could stand in his way or before his sword. Everyone was cut down with a single stroke.

The tanned beast's leather armor split apart along with the flesh beneath, spraying blood in all directions, while the heads of charging wolves shattered with a single punch or two. It didn't matter who or how many attacked.

All were helpless in front of him.

The Beast Tribe warriors fell like autumn leaves.

It was shocking to think that just one person was defeating them.

While the other martial artists were also quite strong, Zhou Xuchuan was on a different level. It was like thunder rumbled inside Jie Da's head.

We can win.

When Jie Da came to his senses, he realized that a smile was spreading across his lips.

The Major Tribes!

He hadn't been able to shake off his anxiety even as he went into battle. Although their difference in power was overwhelming, his morale had still been low. ṝ

Anyone from the Great Forest would get frightened when they heard that name.

Even Jie Da, who was a master, was tense.

Anxiety and a lingering sense of defeat resided deep within his heart, etched so deeply that it couldn't be erased.

But not anymore.

We can win!

Thump! Thump!

His heart raced. His hands, holding the Jungle Blade, felt strong.

Victory was almost certain. Jie Da's nostrils flared as he, immersed in that feeling, shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Now, advance!"

He swung his Jungle Blade. The Beast Tribe warrior in front of him, so close that they could touch each other's noses, was unable to stop him from cleaving his chest open.

Squelch!

Blood gushed out like a fountain from the wound. He pushed past the corpse and gave orders to the soldiers around him.

"This is it! Let's use this momentum to punish these barbarians!"

Jie Da looked at Zhou Xuchuan's back and felt hope. Even though the martial artist was far away, strangely, he could see him well.

Like a child who was the winner of the neighborhood brawl, he couldn't control his excitement.

I can finally get my revenge.

He had fought countless battles against the Major Tribes. Most of them ended in defeat. There were times when he had been forced to flee while being openly mocked and times when his subordinates, who were like his brothers, had been brutally murdered.

Each time he was forced to retreat, shedding tears of blood over his weakness, Jie Da never let go of that grudge.

"So that those who died before us can rest in peace, today is the day where I will fulfill my long-held wish…"

Squelch!

"...huh?"

His words were cut short.

It happened so quickly that Jie Da's mind couldn't process it.

He blinked, turning to look at his side.

"My arm…"

There was nothing there.

There was no blade to cut through the enemy's windpipe. His hand that had been holding his Jungle Blade, his arm, was gone. It had been cleanly severed all the way to his shoulder.

The cut was so clean that not a single drop of blood flowed from the stump. It was so clean, in fact, that his shoulder was slippery.

BOOM!

Then, a loud explosion followed belatedly.

"Ugh!"

"Agh!"

"AGK!"

He heard his subordinates screaming from behind him. That scream jarred Jie Da back to reality and made him realize what had happened.

He could see a double-edged ax flying through the air, spinning so fiercely that it made a whirring sound.

The ax sliced through his arm effortlessly, landing amidst his troops and turning them into a bloody mess.

"Black…"

Jie Da's breath caught. He recognized that weapon instantly.

He had seen it before—back when he had stared death in the face. His body froze as the memory clawed its way back to him, a nightmare he had long buried.

Jie Da remembered something he had forgotten.

Of the chief of the Beast Tribe.

"Buffalo!"

"GUOOOOOO!"

The cry of the ax's owner, Black Buffalo, echoed through the battlefield. It was enough to stop the fierce fighting taking place everywhere.

Chatter, chatter!

His jaw chattered uncontrollably and his hair stood on end, his body trembling like an aspen tree.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop the trembling. He couldn't reason properly, and primal fear seized control, his instincts screaming for him to flee.

Before him stood a giant nearly nine chi tall, his form appearing almost inhuman. The force of his presence felt like an unstoppable storm.

One versus a hundred.

No, it was the spirit of one against a thousand. Jie Da was left shivering at that spirit, unable to move a fingertip.

"I let you live, to think you'd crawl back up without knowing your place. There's nothing left to see."

Thump, thump.

The ground shook with each step Black Buffalo took. Jie Da couldn't tell if it was an illusion created by his fear or if it was real.

He could see beast-like pupils blazing through Black Buffalo's bone mask.

Like a mouse in front of a cat, he couldn't move.

Leaving things as they were would be far too dangerous.

Most of the Beast Tribe didn't think, leaving everything to their primal instincts. However, Black Buffalo was different.

To become the leader of a tribe, intelligence was required in addition to strength.

If things continue like this, we'll be left at a disadvantage in the battle against the other tribes later.

Even though there were twice as many troops on the other side, he was not afraid at all. Everyone on that side was useless, so there hadn't been any need to be wary.

However, as time passed, his tribe seemed to suffer more damage than he had expected.

While they wouldn't be defeated outright, if their numbers continued to dwindle, the Poison Insect Tribe or the Au Co Tribe would probably look down on them.

Black Buffalo decided he'd seen enough. It was time to stop observing and take matters into his own hands.

Playtime was over. It was time for him to show them the power of the Beast Tribe.

"It's the end…"

"We're all dead…"

Despair spilled from the mouths of the soldiers while the Thousand-Man Commander, who had lost his arm, also lost hope.

The forgotten fear. The overwhelming power. Even the roar he had just heard—Jie Da's head, his heart, his soul wouldn't listen to him.

He didn't bother about the Central Plains martial artists who were fighting far away. Not only would it take time for them to get through this melee, he doubted whether they would be of any help.

"Now, I'll sweep you all away."

A black haze began to emanate from Black Buffalo's body. The swaying threads became thicker as they condensed into one.

It gradually formed a massive buffalo's horn. It almost felt like it belonged to a demon or a dokkaebi.[1]

This was the end. The moment that horn fully formed, no one would survive.

It was clear, Jie Da knew he would die at Black Buffalo's hands.

"GUOOOOO!"

RUMBLE!

With a deafening roar, Black Buffalo kicked off the ground. He was like a wild boar, no, a Water Buffalo.[2] A cloud of dust billowed behind him, turning the ground into a wasteland.

It felt as though a wall of air had been torn apart, unleashing a gust of wind that blew everyone away.[3]

"Ah…"

Jie Da closed his eyes, his body frozen in place.

Around him, his subordinates did the same. While they wanted to avoid it, it was unavoidable. This would be their deaths.

People couldn't avoid death. He had to accept it. His life flashed before his eyes.

BOOM!

The noise was loud enough to rupture his eardrums.

The aftermath of the impact was unusual. The ground shook violently, and the surrounding bushes were ripped from their roots, as though a typhoon had swept through.

"Huh?"

However, strangely, he felt no pain. He wondered if he had died before he could feel pain, but that wasn't the case, either. His body still felt the same.

The wind that blew through his hair, the goosebumps that dotted his skin, the pungent scent of blood—all of it remained the same.

Jie Da opened his eyes, sensing something was off.

The moment the darkness cleared and light came in, Jie Da was left speechless, his jaw hung open in disbelief.

"This, this is…"

There was a person in front of him.

He saw a young man holding onto the buffalo's horn and keeping him at bay.

The young man's back wasn't wide by any means. Compared to Black Buffalo, his back was very narrow. Yet, strangely, his back felt bigger than any of the old trees or large leaves of the Southern Jungles.

"Why'd you come all this way just to show off your strength?"

The young man, Zhou Xuchuan, said with a wry smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"You punk…!"

Black Buffalo's eyes were filled with anger.

No one had ever blocked his path. Anyone who blocked the Black Buffalo's path was flattened like rice cakes.

Black Buffalo would never forgive those who blocked his path.

"You braaaaaaaaaaaaat!"

Black Buffalo lost his composure. His calm demeanor, which was as tranquil as a lake, collapsed, and his eyes were bloodshot from anger.

His skin turned red as his blood pressure rose. He snorted as he dug his feet into the ground.

Thud, thud, thud!

He stepped forward with his left foot, then his right. Again, his right foot followed his left. He kept running, his steps relentless, pounding the same ground over and over.

"Ha-a-eup!"

Zhou Xuchuan took a deep breath, planting his feet firmly. Then, with an explosive burst of strength, he pulled upward, his muscles bulging.

Thoom.

"Huh?"

A voice of confusion came from the warriors of the Beast Tribe. Their eyes widened and their jaws dropped. Black Buffalo, who had always charged forward with unstoppable momentum, was now lifted high into the air, rising above them all.

Zhou Xuchuan had used the Thousand Catty Ballast's ability to increase his weight, using his strong legs as pillars to support himself. Then, he lifted Black Buffalo by holding onto his horns with his explosive strength.

"Wait, there's no way…" someone muttered.

His impossible guess came true.

"HA!"

Zhou Xuchuan let out a shout. The next thing he did was slam Black Buffalo into the ground.

BOOOM!

"AGH!"

Black Buffalo, the chief of the Beast Tribe, the strongest man in the Southern Jungles, was unexpectedly slammed into the ground by his horns.

The nearly nine chi tall giant was brought down to the ground with all of Zhou Xuchuan's strength. With his weight added to it, it was no ordinary force.

The vertical Black Buffalo became horizontal, crashing into the ground stomach first.

His ribs cracked, the shattered bones piercing into his internal organs and causing him to vomit blood.

Even his qi circulation was ruined. The qi contained in his horns dispersed like fog.

T-this son of a bitch—!

Black Buffalo cursed in pain. He tried to squirm to get away, but he couldn't.

"Let's go againnnn!"

Zhou Xuchuan didn't let go of Black Buffalo's horns. Although the ground may have caved in, he didn't lose his balance.

He lifted Black Buffalo's body up and slammed it down with all his strength again.

BOOOM!

"AGH!"

Black Buffalo vomited blood. It seemed like something had broken again. However, that wasn't the important part.

Even his tough skin and muscles, which normally only left him with a bruise even when struck with a knife, couldn't withstand the overwhelming force. They ruptured under the impact.

The shock rattled his brain, leaving his senses in shambles.

He couldn't muster even the slightest bit of strength.

He couldn't even form a single thought.

Finally, he realized what the problem was. But just as he was about to reach for his bone mask, his heavy body floated upward once again.

And then came the words that filled him with despair.

"Buffalo Sword Technique!"

Zhou Xuchuan grabbed the Black Buffalo and began swinging him around.

1. The Korean Dokkaebi is often translated to goblin, but is nothing like the green impish monsters you see in western fantasy. They're more akin to nature deities, visually depicted more akin to the oni of Japanese Folklore, albeit much more playful/mischievous. ☜

2. Technically Black Buffalo's name is Black Water Buffalo, but that seems less cool. ☜

3. He broke through air resistance and caused a vacuum that created a storm. ☜