Volume 1 Volume 5 Chapter 160

Volume 5 Chapter 160: The Beginning

In the east of the Eastern Sea, there is Spirit Corpse Island where the Zhong family lives.

The black mist that had surrounded Spirit Corpse Island for over ten years suddenly disappeared on this day. At the same time, a powerful force erupted from the center of Spirit Corpse Island. This force was so strong that it created towering waves of a hundred feet on the sea outside the island. The terrifying waves spread outward, causing great trouble for the many ordinary people living by the sea, as they faced continuous tsunamis for several days, resulting in countless injuries and deaths.

Finally, this terrifying pressure, which seemed to challenge the heavens and the earth, began to slowly fade away. On Spirit Corpse Island, countless disciples of the Zhong family knelt on the ground, continuously bowing their heads towards the center of the island.

At the center of Spirit Corpse Island, the ancestor of the Zhong family stood silently. Although he appeared old and hunched, he gave off a feeling of overwhelming presence. Under the sunlight, the entire Spirit Corpse Island was shrouded in his shadow, resembling an ancient demon returning to the world.

The black mist that once surrounded the ancestor of the Zhong family was now completely gone. In his hand, he held a curved blue staff, which had a green skull on it. The eyes of the skull glimmered with a faint green light, coldly gazing at everything in the world with indifference or mockery.

The legendary "Purgatory Staff" has finally been forged!

The ancestor of the Zhong family, holding the blue staff, paid no attention to the disciples kneeling around him. Instead, he kept caressing and examining the staff in his hand with a look of nostalgia mixed with a deep ambition that, although he tried to suppress it, still felt terrifying.

After a long while, the ancestor finally returned his gaze from the "Purgatory Staff" and slowly looked around at the kneeling disciples. Although they did not dare to look up, each disciple felt a chilling sensation sweep through their bodies, which quickly faded away once his gaze moved on. They involuntarily shivered, causing them to bow even more frequently.

After years of refining the "Purgatory Staff," the power of the Zhong family’s ancestor seems deeper and more mysterious than ever.

After looking around, the Zhong family’s ancestor suddenly turned serious and coldly asked, "Where is that guy, Zhong Ling?"

Zhong Ling is the name of the Zhong family master, and in the world today, only the Zhong family’s ancestor dares to call him that.

Among the Zhong family disciples, the highest-ranking members trembled even more when they heard the ancestor’s question. They exchanged glances, seemingly hoping someone else would speak first. Finally, a thin man stepped forward under the pressure of the others and bowed, saying to the ancestor, "Reporting to the ancestor, the family master, since he left ‘Spirit Corpse Island’ on your order four and a half years ago, has not returned."

The Zhong family ancestor snorted coldly and muttered, "Useless thing."

The Zhong family ancestor knew that the family master had not returned yet probably because he had not retrieved that sacred item, and the ancestor had told him that if he could not get it back, he should not come back. The ancestor certainly could not take this as just a simple threat.

As the Zhong family ancestor knew, that sacred item was in the hands of a Condensed Core Stage cultivator, and it was no wonder the ancestor called him useless since it had taken the proud family master four years to fail to retrieve it.

However, it was also understandable that the family master was in such a plight. After he left "Spirit Corpse Island," he was blocked by Zhang Xusheng. When he finally escaped from that crazy guy with the help of the Zhong family ancestor and rushed to the Blood Valley, he found that Xu Qingfan had already disappeared. The unfortunate family master did not give up; he used secret techniques to track Xu Qingfan’s footsteps all the way to North Iceland. In the raging ice storm, he raced against the "Ice Giant Elephant" for a whole month. When he finally caught up with Xu Qingfan, he hadn’t even had the chance to act before being terrified into submission, because Xu Qingfan was surrounded by twelve masters. He struggled to hide his presence and dared not attack Xu Qingfan. Even Mr. Liu alone could easily destroy him.

Even now, the Zhong family still lingers near "Ronghua Mountain," hoping that Xu Qingfan will come out for a stroll. Under the ancestor’s orders, they do not dare to go back. Although he is called the family master, he is virtually homeless, and his pitiful appearance brings tears to anyone who sees him.

The elder of the Zhong family snorted coldly and decided not to pay attention to the situation of the Zhong family. Instead, he asked, "What has changed in the Shenzhou Continent now?"

"Reporting to the elder, the Righteous Alliance is very powerful, beyond our expectations. The ‘Eight Wilderness Hall’ and ‘Beast Madness cultivator’ have been destroyed by them over the years. However, the Southern Wasteland demon beast has suddenly begun to wreak havoc on the Shenzhou Continent for an unknown reason. The disaster continues, and they are still at a disadvantage against the Righteous Alliance. The final battle between them is about to begin."

The elder of the Zhong family showed a thoughtful expression, and after a moment, he suddenly smiled and said loudly, "Send my orders. Our Zhong family has gained strength, and this is a great opportunity to return to the cultivation world. Let all Zhong family disciples prepare to come back to the Shenzhou Continent in one month."

After a pause, the elder of the Zhong family calmly said to the leaders, "But do not rush. Wait until the Righteous Alliance and the Southern Wasteland demon beast have their final battle before we act. By then, they will be weakened, and our Zhong family’s chances of success will be greater. Also, once we enter the Shenzhou Continent, do not be too eager to advance. First, occupy the coastal areas, kill some mortals and cultivators, and refine their bodies. To create this ‘Purgatory Staff,’ our Zhong family has consumed too much of the body-refinement resources we have built up over thousands of years."

"Yes."

The group of leaders bowed in response.

"Also, remember, this time we are striving for our Zhong family’s rightful place in the cultivation world, not to fully go to war with the Righteous Alliance. Let’s take this opportunity to have the Righteous Alliance recognize our Zhong family first, and we have plenty of time for revenge later. But for now, we must not go too far."

"But, isn’t it true about your agreement with ‘Ming’…?"

A man in black cautiously reminded him.

"Agreements can be broken. We are not ‘Eight Wilderness Hall’; we are neither that weak nor that foolish. Why should we sacrifice our hard-earned strength to be a pawn for ‘Ming’? First, we must achieve what we deserve. Whether we keep our promise later will depend on the situation."

"Yes."

"Also, find that useless Zhong Ling and bring him to see me."

"Yes."

After all the disciples of the Zhong family had retreated far away, the ancestral leader of the Zhong family kept stroking the "Purgatory Staff," gazing into the distance at the Shenzhou Continent thousands of miles away, and murmured, "After nearly ten thousand years, I have returned to the cultivation world."

※※※※

Meanwhile, in the headquarters of the "Ming" organization, blood filled the air and mist swirled, making the vast mountain’s interior seem like a crimson world.

If one looked closely, they would notice that the blood mist inside the mountain was growing thicker. If they flew up high above this mysterious peak and looked down carefully, they would be even more shocked to see blood mist gathering from all directions. Though it was faint and hard to detect, it was endless, as if all the bloodshed from the Shenzhou Continent over the years was gathering here.

Inside the mountain, "Tian" had lost his usual calm appearance, looking either dazed or frenzied, dancing and waving his arms. If those who knew "Tian" saw him like this, they would be greatly astonished. Is this really the same person who established the mysterious ‘Ming’?

Only ‘Heaven’ stood above his unique Demonic Figurine, laughing joyfully and filled with excitement, but his voice still sent chills down people’s spines.

"Heaven and Earth Six in One Formation? The greatest creation and wisdom of human cultivators in history? So what? It’s about to be broken by me! The ritual has already taken shape, and in three years, just three more years, everything will be over."

As "Tian" laughed loudly, which was unusual for him, "Di" remained calm, sitting quietly and watching "Tian" from a distance, his gaze filled with either anticipation, mockery, or perhaps nothing at all, just as usual.

Meanwhile, Zhang Xusheng, using some unknown method, suddenly appeared inside "Ronghua Mountain," sitting in the teahouse where Xu Qingfan often went, in the very spot he usually occupied, gazing at the towering peak of "Ronghua Mountain," smiling faintly, his thoughts a mystery.

Beside Zhang Xusheng, a group of ordinary people were discussing the war between the Righteous Alliance and the Southern Wasteland demon beasts. When talking about the many achievements of the Righteous Alliance over the years, one person couldn’t help but exclaim, "These immortals are truly good people; they have helped us so much. Without them, we wouldn’t know what to do."

"Yes, these guys are truly good people. They’ve helped me so much. Without them, we wouldn’t know what to do."

Zhang Xusheng smiled slightly and quietly spoke to himself.

At the same time, the Southern Wasteland demon beasts had finally gathered. Realizing they couldn’t pick off the Righteous Alliance cultivators one by one, the cultivators began to assemble too, preparing for a final showdown.

Amidst a loud rumble, in a hidden and desolate mountain, a strong wave of Spirit Qi caused a cave to suddenly collapse. Xuan was already outside the cave, quietly touching the seven divine swords on his back. The Eight Gate Sword Formation was nearly complete—only one sword, the "World Defying Sword," was left.

At the same time, Liu Ziqing looked at his hands in disbelief; they seemed unreal, floating between reality and illusion, unlike human hands.

"Did I succeed? I really succeeded?"

Liu Ziqing whispered to himself, while Zhang Yi coolly watched from the side, showing no desire to speak. However, the shock in her eyes was impossible to hide.

At that moment, too many things were happening; a strange and complex war had finally begun.