Volume 1 Volume 6 Chapter 43

Volume 6 Chapter 43: Reunion (Part 1)

"Sometimes, I easily mistake you for Zhang Xusheng. You two are very alike."

The elder of the Zhong family said slowly.

This middle-aged scholar was none other than Liu Ziqing, who had disappeared for a long time, and the girl behind him was Zhang Yi.

Upon hearing the words of the elder of the Zhong family, Liu Ziqing’s deep gaze suddenly flickered. After a moment, he smiled slightly and said, "Eight hundred years ago, when that Zhang Xusheng killed me, he seemed to say the same thing. Why is it that only I think he looks like me, and not the other way around?"

The elder of the Zhong family turned away their gaze and looked towards the endless ocean, asking, "Are you still here for that matter?"

Liu Ziqing smiled and asked, "What’s wrong? Didn’t you also want to eliminate Zhang Xusheng? If it weren’t for him, the sacred item of your family would have been retrieved long ago. Why must you sacrifice your strongest disciple to create another one? Furthermore, as I understand, the Righteous Alliance worked hard to create the ‘Four Spirit Sky Map,’ only for it to be taken by him. Now, he faces no restrictions in the cultivation world. You only think about guarding your territory to give the Zhong family some breathing room, but you know Zhang Xusheng’s nature. If you don’t provoke him, he will come to provoke you. So why don’t we join forces and take action first? I’ve already shared my plan with you. Under this plan, no matter how powerful Zhang Xusheng is, he would only have one way—permanent sealing. It’s a sure thing and will also help strengthen the Zhong family. What are you still hesitating for?"

The elder of the Zhong family remained silent, seemingly pondering Liu Ziqing’s words, though they appeared to not have registered completely. However, Liu Ziqing was not in a hurry, sitting there with a smile while waiting.

After a long while, the elder of the Zhong family slowly spoke, asking, "How do you know that Zhang Xusheng’s next moves will be as you said?"

Liu Ziqing replied with a smile, "You just mentioned that I am very much like Zhang Xusheng. If there is only one person in this world who can vaguely guess his next step, that person would be me."

After hearing Liu Ziqing’s words, there was another long silence. Finally, the elder of the Zhong family said, "If Zhang Xusheng’s next actions truly align with your predictions, then I will cooperate with you… not just in dealing with Zhang Xusheng."

"In that case, I will take my leave now."

Seeing that he had achieved his goal, Liu Ziqing stood up and bowed.

…

Watching Liu Ziqing fly away in the distance, the elder of the Zhong family couldn’t hide the confusion that had been inside him for a long time. He fixed his gaze on Liu Ziqing’s fading figure and began to ponder.

"What is going on? Liu Ziqing’s form is so unreal, like an illusion, yet it feels as real as anything. What kind of cultivation method can make one’s body exist between reality and illusion? Why have I never heard of this before? Could it be a method that Liu Ziqing created himself? Also, even before Zhang Xusheng killed him, Liu Ziqing was only at the Astral Projection Stage, which is a whole level below me. After being killed by Zhang Xusheng, he merely attached to another’s body and just barely reached the Golden Core Stage. But why do I feel a sense of threat just seeing him?"

The elder of the Zhong family thought about his experiences with Liu Ziqing and muttered to himself in confusion.

After a long time, the elder stopped thinking too much and lowered his head to look at the chessboard beside him. After a while, he suddenly smiled slightly and softly said, "Yes, why give up when I could have greater benefits?"

After a pause, the elder suddenly called out, "Come here."

As the elder’s aged voice echoed, four or five people in black swiftly stepped forward, but they didn’t dare come any closer. They stopped a distance away, kneeling and bowing before the elder.

"You four, bring that useless Zhong Ling back. If he dares not return, tell him if he doesn’t come back this time, he should never come back at all."

"Yes."

The four black-clothed individuals bowed in response, and in the next moment, they had vanished without a trace.

…

At the same time that a series of events affecting the fate of the whole Shenzhou Continent were happening, Xu Qingfan finally reached the black giant mountain where "Ominous," "Auspicious," and Little Gold lived after flying for more than ten days with all his strength.

However, after entering the enormous mountain belly of the black giant mountain, the three kylins were not there; they probably went to deal with the nine-tailed demon fox.

Xu Qingfan was worried about Jin Qinghan and Dongfang Qingling’s safety and whereabouts, so he waited patiently in the mountain belly for ten days, but still did not see the three kylins return. Finally unable to wait any longer, he decided to leave the black giant mountain to continue searching for Jin Qinghan and Dongfang Qingling in the Southern Wasteland.

Just as Xu Qingfan entered the deep, long cave to prepare to leave, he suddenly sensed something and his body shook violently.

"Feng Qingtian… how did he end up here?"

Years ago, due to a twist of fate, a mysterious connection formed between Xu Qingfan and Feng Qingtian. Even though they were miles apart, they could still sense each other’s presence and even clearly feel each other’s emotions.

However, after that, Xu Qingfan had transformed his body countless times, and his physical and spiritual state had changed greatly from before, yet he could still clearly sense Feng Qingtian’s presence, while Feng Qingtian’s ability to sense him had greatly weakened.

At that moment, Xu Qingfan noticed Feng Qingtian’s aura, appearing suddenly before the black giant mountain, but Feng Qingtian did not sense Xu Qingfan’s presence.

After a fierce battle many years ago, Feng Qingtian betrayed Jiuhua, and Xu Qingfan had not seen Feng Qingtian for a hundred years. The last time they were in the Blood Valley, even though they both knew the other was close, they did not meet by chance. Now, feeling Feng Qingtian’s presence suddenly, Xu Qingfan was shocked and felt a mix of emotions.

In Xu Qingfan’s heart, for some reason, he could not view Feng Qingtian as a traitor to Jiuhua. Perhaps it was because when Xu Qingfan first met Feng Qingtian, his proud and aloof image left a deep impression, making Xu Qingfan unwilling to believe that such a person could really be a traitor.

In front of the cave, Feng Qingtian seemed to hesitate for a moment, but after a short while, he entered the mountain with great caution, moving very slowly as if he understood the dangers inside.

Xu Qingfan wondered about the purpose of Feng Qingtian’s sudden appearance and, after hesitating for a moment, decided to walk outward, gradually closing the distance between them.

The cave was long and deep; although Xu Qingfan and Feng Qingtian were not walking slowly, after three or four hours, they still had not met.

However, at that moment, the distance between them was only about two or three thousand feet.

Just as Xu Qingfan considered whether to speak kindly to Feng Qingtian or draw his sword when they met, he suddenly noticed that Feng Qingtian had inexplicably stopped moving.

"Has Feng Qingtian discovered my presence?"

Xu Qingfan thought to himself but quickly dismissed that possibility. He was hidden very well, his aura tightly contained, and the winding cave made it difficult for his spirit to spread, so Feng Qingtian should not have noticed him so quickly.

Moreover, at this moment, although Feng Qingtian’s thoughts were careful, there was no hostility in his heart.

In his confusion, Xu Qingfan suddenly remembered something, waved his right sleeve, and the "Earth Mirror" appeared right in front of him.

Then, Xu Qingfan made a gesture with his fingers, and the "Earth Mirror" suddenly sparkled with light, growing many times larger, from the size of a palm to as tall as a person. On the mirror’s surface, waves like those on a lake appeared, and more than two thousand feet away, the scene where Feng Qingtian was located became clear to Xu Qingfan.

After not seeing him for a hundred years, Feng Qingtian’s face was still so beautiful, with an expression that remained cold and proud. Everything seemed just like it was back then, but upon closer inspection, there were significant differences. His handsome face still looked great, but now it had a hint of weariness. Although his expression remained proud and indifferent, there was a sense of sharpness and gloom brewing behind that coldness.

Xu Qingfan had often wondered how their next meeting would be, but he never imagined that upon seeing Feng Qingtian, he would feel a chill in his heart.

This was indeed the case. Although Feng Qingtian did not see him, and Xu Qingfan did not think that Feng Qingtian was much taller than him, when he saw Feng Qingtian and noticed the hidden gloom and sharpness in his eyes—so different from the proud but pure and clear gaze he remembered—a sudden chill ran through Xu Qingfan’s heart. It felt like he was not looking at Feng Qingtian, but at a snake lying in wait for its prey.

When did Feng Qingtian become like this?

But before Xu Qingfan could be surprised by Feng Qingtian’s change, what Feng Qingtian did next shocked Xu Qingfan even more.