Volume 1 Volume 6 Chapter 115

Volume 6 Chapter 115: Disaster (Part 3)

Thus, under the bright sunny sky and among the fluffy white clouds, Xu Qingfan and the ancestor of the Zhong family, both surrounded by dark mist, stood out clearly. However, the dark mist around the ancestor of the Zhong family was a protective shield made of death energy from his own cultivation, while the dark mist around Xu Qingfan was caused by the demonic energy leaking out from the "magic pearl" that had merged with him.

The two stood facing each other in the sky, carefully observing one another. From a distance, Xu Qingfan looked like a Demon Lord reappearing in the world, while the ancestor of the Zhong family appeared as if he were a Death God emerging from hell. The originally bright sky seemed to darken quickly under their shadowy presence.

Since the ancestor of the Zhong family appeared out of nowhere, the two continued to face off, each cautious and reluctant to speak first.

Compared to Xu Qingfan’s shock at seeing the ancestor of the Zhong family, the ancestor’s surprise at Xu Qingfan was no less. At that moment, the demonic energy surrounding Xu Qingfan bore a striking resemblance to demon cultivators who had disappeared from the cultivation world thousands of years ago. Even the ancestor of the Zhong family could not realize that the person before him was the Xu Qingfan he had been searching for.

The demon cultivators had been wiped out by righteous cultivators thousands of years ago. Over the years, only a few minor characters, who accidentally stumbled upon demonic cultivation methods, had appeared. Now suddenly, a Mahayana Stage demon cultivator had emerged. Although his strength was still far less than the ancestor of the Zhong family, the intensity of his demonic energy was enough to surprise the ancestor.

When had the long-fallen path of the demons given rise to such a powerful figure?

The ancestor of the Zhong family scrutinized Xu Qingfan carefully. After a moment, he seemed to recall something suddenly, his eyes flickering. He cupped his hands towards Xu Qingfan and, surprisingly, spoke first with an unexpectedly polite tone given his status and strength.

"Please forgive me, Taoist friend. It has been over ten thousand years since the cultivation world last saw a Demon Master. I was curious when I happened to see you, and that is why I followed you for a little while. I hope you can understand."

Hearing the words of the ancestor of the Zhong family, Xu Qingfan was taken aback. He lowered his head to look at his current appearance, realizing he looked just like a Demon Master. As he bitterly smiled, he let out a long sigh. Although the ancestor of the Zhong family didn’t intentionally unleash his power, just floating there quietly made Xu Qingfan feel like he couldn’t breathe. Such strength, Xu Qingfan had only experienced occasionally with Immortal Zizhen and others, but now, compared to the ancestor of the Zhong family, he felt even weaker.

Watching the ancestor of the Zhong family and his cautious demeanor, Xu Qingfan’s heart stirred. He adopted a tone that sounded arrogant and unrestrained like a demon, coldly replying, "A while? You have been following me for a full two days, haven’t you?"

Upon hearing Xu Qingfan’s impolite response, a flicker of anger crossed the ancestor of the Zhong family’s eyes. However, thinking about the person possibly behind Xu Qingfan, and recalling that practitioners of the demonic path were indeed characterized by arrogance and bloodthirstiness, he suppressed his anger. The suppressed aura began to slowly emanate from him as a form of warning while he asked, "I came to the Western Desert in search of something important. After three whole days without a trace, I suddenly sensed the presence of that important item nearby when my Taoist friend appeared. Out of curiosity, I followed you to find out more."

It turned out that after sensing the aura of the "Purgatory Staff," the ancestor of the Zhong family rushed to the Western Desert but arrived too late. The aura of the "Purgatory Staff" had vanished again. After days of fruitless searching in the Western Desert, he saw Xu Qingfan appear suddenly. Unsure if Xu Qingfan had acquired the "Purgatory Staff," he decided to follow from a distance to see where Xu Qingfan would go.

Under the pressure from the ancestor of the Zhong family, Xu Qingfan’s body trembled, and the balance of his righteous and demonic energies was nearly disrupted. He felt increasingly terrified. However, it was said that practitioners of the demonic path were indeed like this: arrogant, self-centered, and showing no respect for any powerful beings, except for the ancient Demon Ancestor. So, Xu Qingfan reluctantly continued to pretend, hoping to be seen as a demon practitioner to find some leeway. But if his true identity were discovered…

Upon this thought, Xu Qingfan suppressed his astonishment and coldly asked, "I haven’t taken what you’re looking for. The reason I went to the Western Desert this time is for another matter. But you, you followed me for two days and now press me with your strength. Do you really think there is no one in the demonic path that you can intimidate?"

Since he was lying, Xu Qingfan decided to make his deception even bigger, mentioning the already vanished demonic path to show he had surprising forces behind him.

Upon hearing Xu Qingfan mention the "demonic path," the ancestor of the Zhong family became even more convinced of his judgment. He smiled coldly to himself, thinking, "I’ve suspected for a long time that this person, who single-handedly established the demonic path, wouldn’t be content to remain beneath ‘heaven’ for thousands of years. As expected, without anyone noticing, this person has already reestablished the demonic path from back then."

Although his thoughts becoming certain made him more wary of Xu Qingfan, Xu Qingfan’s repeated impoliteness only fueled his anger. With his status, he would not tolerate such provocation.

The old ancestor of the Zhong family slowly lost his initial politeness. Instead, an air of endless authority and seriousness took over his face as he spoke slowly, "It is precisely because you are the Demon Master and I am old friends with one of your predecessors that I treat you this way. Otherwise, with my character, I would not have tracked you; I would have simply killed you and searched your body for convenience. Hmph, your demonic path was destroyed because everyone was like this. I didn’t expect that after ten thousand years, you have not changed at all. No one ever dares to treat me this way. If it weren’t for ‘Di’… Hmph!"

The final cold hum was filled with a tremendous amount of Spirit Qi from the old ancestor of the Zhong family. When this sound echoed in Xu Qingfan’s ears, he felt a shock in his heart, and a wave of turmoil crashed inside him. Both his own life energy and the energies of righteousness and evil became chaotic. He couldn’t help but be pushed back several dozen steps before he managed to stop. Blood oozed from his seven orifices.

"Speaking of which, I am an old friend of ‘Di’. Even if he sees me, he wouldn’t act so arrogantly. This time, teaching you a lesson might be seen as using strength against the weak, but it is also a lesson for ‘Di’s’ junior, to prevent the scene of the demon path’s destruction from repeating. Because of my respect for ‘Di’, I used only thirty percent of my strength this time. If you dare to disrespect me again, it won’t be so simple."

The old ancestor of the Zhong family said coldly.

Xu Qingfan wiped the blood from his face and sighed silently. Although he had already reached the realm of a grandmaster, there were still vast differences among the various stages of mastery. In front of the old ancestor of the Zhong family, Xu Qingfan felt as powerless as before he achieved enlightenment.

At the same time, the meaning behind the old ancestor’s words astonished Xu Qingfan. Wasn’t "Di" the one who ranked just below "Tian" in the "Ming" organization? Could it be that he was also a master of the demonic path? Judging by the old ancestor’s attitude, this person must be stronger than him, no wonder the old ancestor treated him so politely, viewing him as a disciple of "Di".

Just as Xu Qingfan contemplated these thoughts, the old ancestor of the Zhong family spoke again.

"Now, I will ask a question, and you will answer. If you dare to act disrespectfully as you did before, I will strip you of your power. Do you understand?"

"You speak," Xu Qingfan replied with a reluctant tone.

The elder of the Zhong family nodded in satisfaction and asked, "You arrived at the Western Desert before me. Have you seen a staff that looks like the one in my hand?"

"No."

Xu Qingfan shook his head.

The elder of the Zhong family thought for a moment and then asked, "Have you seen anyone who appeared in the depths of the Western Desert, about thirty thousand miles away?"

When the elder of the Zhong family said this, Xu Qingfan felt a small stir in his heart, but a look of hesitation appeared on his face.

"Speak!"

Seeing Xu Qingfan like this, the elder of the Zhong family felt happy in his heart, but his tone became a bit more urgent.

Xu Qingfan hesitated and said, "I saw Zhang Xusheng wandering around there for a while, but he didn’t pay attention to me."

"Zhang Xusheng…" The elder of the Zhong family pondered. When he entered the Western Desert, he sensed that Zhang Xusheng was having a fierce battle deeper in the desert with Zizhen and two other Grandmasters. He had thought about the possibility of these Grandmasters obtaining the "Purgatory Staff," but out of concern, he did not rashly join the fight.

However, according to Xu Qingfan, it is very suspicious that Zhang Xusheng had stayed there while being hunted by Zizhen and others.

Thinking of this, the elder of the Zhong family’s eyes flickered. If there was anyone in the cultivation world that he cared about, it would definitely be Zhang Xusheng. He really did not want to get involved unless absolutely necessary, but if Zhang Xusheng acquired the "Purgatory Staff," it would be a different matter.

With this thought, the elder of the Zhong family no longer hesitated and quickly flew towards the Western Desert.

In the blink of an eye, the elder of the Zhong family vanished into the distant sky, but his voice still echoed in the air.

"I have remembered the aura on you. If you dare to deceive me, even if I have to chase you to the ‘ground’, I will definitely kill you. Also, after I greet the ‘ground’, since he has rebuilt the devil path, it may be that my Zhong family will need to cooperate with him in the future…"

…

Until the elder of the Zhong family’s aura completely disappeared, Xu Qingfan let out a long sigh. This master, who had reached the peak of the Soul Splitting Stage, truly had unfathomable strength. In front of him, even though Xu Qingfan had already become a master, he felt so powerless.

At the same time, a bitter smile grew stronger on his face as he lamented his own luck. Why was it that every time he made a breakthrough, before he even had the chance to showcase his mastery, he would encounter someone with even greater cultivation who would harshly suppress him? Setting aside the Shura clan, Xu Qingfan’s strength in the cultivation world was also solidly among the top thirty, but in the two hundred years of cultivation, he had almost never had the chance to show off his power.

However, if Xu Qingfan had not always encountered stronger masters than himself, constantly feeling his own shortcomings, and if his opportunities hadn’t been so favorable, his easygoing nature would not have allowed him to break through to the master level so quickly.

"There are always stronger people out there, and there are always more powerful heavens. My own strength is still too weak."

Xu Qingfan murmured to himself. Without hesitation, he quickly headed towards "Ronghua Mountain," as time was running out.

However, Xu Qingfan was still a step too late. Just as he escaped from the ancestor of the Zhong family and rushed towards "Ronghua Mountain," in a remote and quiet little house on the mountainside of "Ronghua Mountain," Master of Jiuhua Zhang Hualing was sitting quietly on his bed. His breath was sometimes dark and sometimes evil, but with the passing time, the frequency and strength of the evil energy were increasing.

Finally, when the sun set and the light completely faded into the darkness of the room, a powerful dark and evil aura suddenly erupted from Zhang Hualing. As this evil energy completely took over his body, his aura surged, and although Zhang Hualing was originally at the peak of the Golden Core Stage, at this moment, his strength was almost unmatched by any grandmaster.

After practicing Zhang Xusheng’s secret method, Zhang Hualing not only extended his lifespan but also saw a remarkable improvement in his strength. However, because he intentionally suppressed the evil thoughts in his heart, his power could not fully match his state of mind. At this moment, the evil thoughts officially took over Zhang Hualing’s consciousness, and the repressed power finally erupted, which was astonishing.

Slowly opening his eyes, two blood-red lights suddenly appeared in the dim room, strange and terrifying.

"How foolish. To suppress me, you wasted over a hundred years. With that much time, your strength could have rivaled the cultivation world. We are not inferior to anyone, are we?"

With a tone full of sarcasm, Zhang Hualing, with a changed aura, looked at himself and murmured softly.

At that moment, Zhang Hualing’s appearance seemed to have become a hundred years younger; all the wrinkles and spots on his face were gone, now tight and shiny, although his hair was still somewhat gray.

"Yes, although I have wasted more than a hundred years, I am awake at just the right time. At this moment, there are no masters in ‘Ronghua Mountain,’ which allows me to act without any concerns. Yes, earlier you gave our Soul Bead to that young kid Xu Qingfan. Although I am not afraid of him with my current strength, just in case, I will complete our souls now to avoid being trapped by that Soul Bead. Yes, although there are no masters in Ronghua Mountain, the blood and souls of those low-level cultivators and ordinary people can not only help me restore my soul but can also enhance my power. Zhang Hualing, you are really too foolish."

While speaking, Zhang Hualing stood up from the bed. Just as he was about to walk outside, his body suddenly shook, and the incredible red light in his eyes flickered in and out, sometimes clear and sometimes evil. Moments later, the evil fully suppressed the clarity.

"So you have not completely faded away yet, but you will soon. Do not worry. Although we are one good and one evil, we come from the same soul. What you wish for, I wish for too. You want Jiuhua to thrive, and I do as well. I just use a different method."

After finishing his words, Zhang Hualing laughed heartily and stepped out of his dim little room. The red light in his eyes disappeared with him, but the evil glint within them did not lessen at all.

When Zhang Hualing arrived outside the courtyard, he happened to encounter several cultivators from the Righteous Alliance. Each of these cultivators possessed Lingji Stage power, making them quite elite in the current Ronghua Mountain.

Among this group of cultivators was a disciple of Jiuhua. Upon seeing Zhang Hualing, he was momentarily stunned and didn’t recognize this new version of Zhang Hualing. After a moment, he quickly reacted, ran in front of Zhang Hualing, bowed in greeting, and said, "Disciple Mo Yubai, greeting the sect leader ancestral master."

The other cultivators followed Mo Yubai in bowing and stealthily observed Zhang Hualing. Zhang Hualing’s appearance had significantly changed, yet his aura was now more contained. Could it be that he had made another breakthrough? With Zhang Hualing’s level, another breakthrough would mean reaching the Mahayana Stage! However, they had not seen any changes in the world that would signal this. The mighty presence from when Taoist Crane and Master Bo Guangyan achieved enlightenment was still fresh in their memories.

However, Zhang Hualing paid no attention to their greetings. Instead, he casually examined the few people before him as if a gourmet had found delicious food.

"Sect leader ancestral master, you, you have achieved enlightenment?"

After a long time, Mo Yubai sensed that something was strange in the atmosphere, and he felt a bit uneasy for some reason. Gathering his courage, he asked.

"Achieved enlightenment?" Zhang Hualing smiled slightly and said softly, "Yes, I have."

Hearing Zhang Hualing’s words, Mo Yubai felt a surge of joy. Just as he was about to congratulate him, he realized that the space around him seemed to have frozen. His body couldn’t move, his words were stuck in his throat, and the other cultivators were in the same situation.

"Substitute for Heaven," controlling a realm of its own!

Mo Yubai suddenly remembered the legendary cultivation method of Jiuhua.

However, before Mo Yubai could understand why Zhang Hualing wanted to use "Substitute for Heaven" against him, a thick mist of blood suddenly appeared. Mo Yubai watched in shock as his body turned into stark white bones after coming into contact with the blood mist, yet he felt no sensation in his body. He wanted to scream, but no sound came out.

In the next moment, Mo Yubai knew nothing at all.

For the next day and night, the same blood mist appeared throughout "Ronghua Mountain," with occasional terrified screams, only to vanish immediately…