Volume 1 Volume 6 Chapter 117

Volume 6 Chapter 117: Breaking Apart (Part 2)

The person who suddenly appeared was Xu Qingfan, who had finally arrived at Ronghua Mountain.

With the power of the Mahayana Stage, Xu Qingfan was now able to open the protective mountain formation himself, instead of needing help from others.

When Xu Qingfan reached Ronghua Mountain, he noticed something was wrong; it was too quiet. The ordinary people around Ronghua Mountain were gathered together, unable to move, while the cultivators on Ronghua Mountain were hiding their presence and didn’t dare to come out of their courtyards.

Then, Xu Qingfan sensed strange waves coming from the foot of Ronghua Mountain. He felt a familiar sensation from these waves, and after a moment, he finally remembered that this was the unique wave produced by Jiuhua’s supreme skill, "Substitute for Heaven."

Realizing this, Xu Qingfan was shocked and hurried toward the source of the waves, just in time to rescue Old Beggar and the others.

From the time Xu Qingfan emerged from his meditation to when he arrived, about ten days had passed. At this moment, half of the magic pearl had completely merged with Xu Qingfan’s body. The power of the "Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic" and the magic pearl was equal; however, the degree of Xu Qingfan’s integration with the "Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic" was only about thirty percent and was already suppressed by the magic pearl. At that moment, the black demonic energy surrounding Xu Qingfan grew stronger, completely enveloping his body and face, making him unrecognizable. Even Old Beggar, who was familiar with Xu Qingfan, could not recognize him and thought he was Zhang Hualing’s helper, feeling even more despair. With just Zhang Hualing, they were already at a disadvantage.

Wait, Zhang Hualing?! Isn’t he the Master of Jiuhua?

Old Beggar and the others, realizing this, turned their heads to look at Zhang Hualing. However, since Zhang Hualing had kept a low profile after joining the Righteous Alliance and rarely showed himself, they couldn’t tell if it was really him.

However, what came next surprised Old Beggar and the others even more.

Looking at Xu Qingfan, who suddenly appeared before him, Zhang Hualing’s eyes showed surprise. After a long time, he said, "Xu Qingfan, you are late. According to the agreement between you and Zhang Hualing, you should have killed him at the moment he completely turned to darkness. Now, my soul is whole, and the Soul Bead in your hand can no longer harm me."

"There was an unexpected situation, so I arrived late. I didn’t expect you to suddenly turn to darkness like this. As for your Soul Bead…"

Xu Qingfan explained, and their conversation felt like that of elder and younger.

"An unexpected situation, you say? Yes, it was a bit unexpected; I can see that," Zhang Hualing remarked, observing the demonic energy swirling around Xu Qingfan, with a hint of sarcasm in his tone. "And the turn to darkness was not sudden. To resist me, he has been struggling for over a hundred years, and he has already reached his limits. Any collapse wouldn’t be surprising."

"It’s still not too late," Xu Qingfan said, ignoring Zhang Hualing’s sarcasm. He continued slowly, "Although many people have been sacrificed, killing you now would be the same. I just didn’t expect that you would recognize me in this state."

Zhang Hualing sighed softly and said, "I understand you much better than you think. After all, you are considered my successor in my plans."

Xu Qingfan remained silent.

Continuing to look at Xu Qingfan, Zhang Hualing suddenly smiled slightly, "But now, you are indeed my successor. I, the Master of Jiuhua, have turned to darkness, while you, the future sect leader of Jiuhua, have taken an even deeper step into the demon path. What’s your plan? Do you intend to join forces with me? I’d welcome that."

Although he said this, strangely, there was a hint of blame in his tone, as if Xu Qingfan’s change had let him down.

Xu Qingfan slowly said, "I am not like you. Even though my body is taken over by demonic energy, my mind is still clear. But you have already started to harm the innocent."

"I see," Zhang Hualing said with a smile. "When I saw your demonic energy swirling just now, I thought you were going to work with me. So, are you here to kill me?"

Xu Qingfan remained silent for a while before saying, "This was our agreement before."

Zhang Hualing sighed softly and said, "If that’s the case, you shouldn’t have revealed my identity. If others know who I am, even if you can kill me, it will have a great negative effect on Jiuhua. You can imagine how many people I killed in the two days before you arrived to restore my soul."

Xu Qingfan’s eyes flickered, and he softly said, "I know that. And because you have killed too many, things cannot be hidden anymore. Rather than being exposed by others, it’s better if I say it myself. However, I didn’t expect you to still care about Jiuhua’s impact in your current state."

"How can I not care about Jiuhua? Zhang Hualing and I are two sides of the same coin. I am just his dark side, magnified infinitely. Although he has disappeared, his obsessions and wishes are also mine. It’s just that our methods are different."

Zhang Hualing sighed.

"Is it just the methods that are different?" Xu Qingfan looked at the nearly unrecognizable Zhang Hualing and murmured. "Or is it because the methods are different that you are not him? And now, it’s time for me to fulfill the promise I made with him long ago."

"Over the years, you have become more decisive. I thought you would hesitate before killing me."

Zhang Hualing’s tone had a touch of comfort.

"After going through so many years and experiences, I have long passed the stage of indecision."

"Yes, you have indeed grown quite a bit."

As the two spoke, the pressure between Zhang Hualing and Xu Qingfan continued to rise. With their overwhelming presence, a loud boom sounded, and the houses around them collapsed. The Old Beggar and others caught in the middle felt their insides tremble violently, spitting blood. The protective charms they wore flickered with light before shattering. Just the mere hint of their power had already dealt them great harm.

"Aren’t you going to leave here quickly!?"

At that moment, Xu Qingfan’s voice reached the ears of the Old Beggar and the others. Still in shock, they finally reacted and began to run into the distance, no longer daring to hesitate. If this continued, the pressure from the two of them could crush them to pieces.

Although they were fleeing in a panic, the expressions on the faces of the Old Beggar and the others were filled with disbelief, clearly still unable to grasp the information they had just received. From their conversation, they inferred that the one who had previously tried to kill them was indeed Master of Jiuhua Zhang Hualing, and the person surrounded by demonic energy was actually the next sect leader of Jiuhua, someone they knew well, Xu Qingfan! The sect leader had fallen into evil, and now the next sect leader had turned to darkness as well, aiming to attack the current sect leader of the evil path.

Jiuhua, once a powerful sect and one of the six Holy Lands in the cultivation world, what has happened to it now?

In the quiet "Ronghua Mountain," there was finally some sound. The low-level cultivators of the Righteous Alliance, who had been scared for the past few days, finally let out a sigh of relief. They were just about to leave their houses to check what was happening, but when Xu Qingfan and Zhang Hualing’s powerful presence was felt, the immense pressure made all the cultivators on "Ronghua Mountain" struggle to breathe. They quickly gave up the idea of going out to investigate and continued to hide in their rooms, secretly praying that disaster would not fall upon them.

Among these cultivators, there were certainly brave individuals, but as the weaker ones, all they could do was pray.

Thus, in the moment of fear and unease among all the cultivators of "Ronghua Mountain," Zhang Hualing and Xu Qingfan finally took action.

…

Xu Qingfan suddenly broke through to the Great Ascension realm, and his rapid progress took Zhang Hualing by surprise. However, Zhang Hualing remained calm. As the two men’s power steadily rose to its peak, and Xu Qingfan still held a slight advantage, Zhang Hualing suddenly smiled faintly and pointed at Xu Qingfan.

Xu Qingfan knew that Zhang Hualing was going to use "Substitute for Heaven," so he quickly dodged, moving out of Zhang Hualing’s attack range and behind him, preparing to strike first.

He used the familiar "Life and Death Finger" again, but now that his cultivation had reached the Master realm, its power was vastly different.

Suddenly, countless black and white beams of light, nearly ten feet wide, appeared in front of Xu Qingfan, filling the sky with great momentum as they surged toward Zhang Hualing.

Zhang Hualing did not expect Xu Qingfan to move so quickly. By the time she turned around, Xu Qingfan’s "Life and Death Finger" was already very close to her.

Zhang Hualing simply chuckled again and pointed to the space in front of him. Suddenly, Xu Qingfan was astonished to find that the space before him had become solid. Though "Life and Death Finger" was powerful, in that almost solidified space, it moved very slowly, not much faster than a turtle in the eyes of two skilled fighters like Zhang Hualing and himself. This gave Zhang Hualing plenty of time to escape.

However, Zhang Hualing did not run away. Instead, he pointed again at the solid space before him, and the next moment, the space where "Life and Death Finger" was placed began to ripple. The rules of the world underwent some changes, causing Xu Qingfan’s "Life and Death Finger" to lose its life-and-death essence, and it suddenly vanished into nothingness.

Then, Zhang Hualing continued his previous action and reached out to point at Xu Qingfan once more.

Seeing this, Xu Qingfan became more cautious of "Substitute for Heaven" and darted sideways to avoid it.

Just like that, Zhang Hualing stood still, constantly rotating his body, lightly pointing at Xu Qingfan without a sound, yet it was extremely dangerous. Meanwhile, Xu Qingfan circled around Zhang Hualing, avoiding Zhang Hualing’s "Substitute for Heaven," occasionally using techniques like "Life and Death Finger" to counterattack. Though his efforts were grand, they were always easily resolved by Zhang Hualing.

This seemingly mundane yet perilous battle continued for about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense.

In terms of strength, Xu Qingfan continually absorbed the positive and negative energies in his body, transforming them into life-and-death energy to nourish his Nascent Soul. Although he had only just broken through to the Mahayana Stage a little over ten days ago, his cultivation was already close to mid-Nascent Soul, giving him an edge over Zhang Hualing. However, Zhang Hualing’s "Substitute for Heaven" was so mysterious that Xu Qingfan found himself on the defensive most of the time and was falling behind.

Gradually, Xu Qingfan became familiar with Zhang Hualing’s "Substitute for Heaven." With just a light point, Zhang Hualing could control the space within a thirty-zhang radius. Once inside this controlled space, Xu Qingfan had not yet tried it, but given the power of "Substitute for Heaven," he feared it would turn him into a puppet with no chance to fight back.

Although "Substitute for Heaven" was powerful, Xu Qingfan’s own strength was still greater. Having understood its power, he became even more relaxed and confident, increasing the frequency of his counterattacks. As Zhang Hualing was distracted with defense, his attacks no longer seemed as sharp as before, and it appeared that the tide was about to turn in Xu Qingfan’s favor.

Zhang Hualing also saw that the situation was gradually turning against him. A glimmer of light flashed in his eyes, and suddenly the space around him rippled. This ripple quickly shrank down to the tip of Zhang Hualing’s finger, and then Zhang Hualing pointed at Xu Qingfan once more.

Xu Qingfan noticed that Zhang Hualing’s attack this time was different from before; he had pushed his speed to the maximum. In an instant, he dodged to a distance of sixty or seventy yards away. To be safe, this time he moved far away, farther than any previous time.

According to previous events, after dodging Zhang Hualing’s attack, it was time for Xu Qingfan to counterattack.

However, this time the situation was different.

As soon as Zhang Hualing pointed, the space where Xu Qingfan had just been quickly began to twist. When the twisting reached its peak, a black hole formed, and a tremendous pull came from the black hole. Suddenly, everything within hundreds of yards, no matter how heavy, was drawn into the black hole and was instantaneously crushed to dust.

Xu Qingfan was also affected by the terrible and powerful pull of the black hole; his fast-moving figure suddenly halted, and his speed slowed down to more than three times less.

"I’ve got you."

Zhang Hualing said with a smile.

As he spoke, Zhang Hualing slightly pointed at Xu Qingfan, and immediately, Xu Qingfan felt the space around him freeze. At the same time, his body came to a sudden stop, and even the flow of Spirit Qi within him slowed down by several times.

Looking at the incredible power of "Substitute for Heaven," Xu Qingfan sighed inwardly. It seemed that putting aside "Indefinite Sutra" and focusing solely on "Formula of Life and Death" was indeed a mistake. Otherwise, if Xu Qingfan had engaged even a little with "Substitute for Heaven," he wouldn’t feel so helpless now.

After trapping Xu Qingfan, Zhang Hualing wasted no time and attacked again.

Zhang Hualing opened his mouth, and endless blood mist poured out, rushing toward Xu Qingfan. It seemed Zhang Hualing wanted to absorb Xu Qingfan’s blood and soul into his body.

Watching the blood mist approach, Xu Qingfan remained calm. His Spirit Qi surged powerfully, causing a disturbance in the Spirit Qi around him, slightly disrupting the balance of the world. Just at that moment of instability, Xu Qingfan swiftly broke free from Zhang Hualing’s control.

However, even though Xu Qingfan escaped Zhang Hualing’s grasp, the blood mist was already upon him, and there was no way to dodge it now.

As the blood mist closed in, it seemed this battle of masters would end with Xu Qingfan’s demise, but Xu Qingfan had new plans.

With a cold snort, Xu Qingfan decided not to let the fight drag on endlessly. With a wave of his right sleeve, the "World Defying Sword" appeared in his hand. The blood mist Zhang Hualing spewed was the essence of his blood and soul, and sensing its aura, the "World Defying Sword" was filled with a powerful demonic energy, letting out a joyful cry. Under Xu Qingfan’s command, the sword pierced through the blood mist and shot toward Zhang Hualing.

When the "World Defying Sword" struck the blood mist, it acted like a whale drinking water. The blood mist stopped attacking Xu Qingfan and was instead drawn into the sword. In less than a moment, the sky was cleared of blood mist, all absorbed by the "World Defying Sword."

Zhang Hualing did not expect Xu Qingfan still possessed the "World Defying Sword," a treasure that could counter his blood mist. He tried to recall the blood mist, but it was too late.

As the "World Defying Sword" continuously absorbed the blood mist, Zhang Hualing’s body suddenly shook and then began to tremble quickly. Blood gradually flowed from his seven orifices, and his once upright figure gradually hunches over. The tense skin also began to wrinkle, and after the "World Defying Sword" had absorbed all the blood mist, Zhang Hualing had already returned to the familiar old frail appearance that Xu Qingfan knew so well.

The "World Defying Sword," without any hesitation, transformed into a streak of black light and continued to stab towards Zhang Hualing.

A look of shock flashed in Zhang Hualing’s eyes as his fingers, entangled in a struggle, pointed at the incoming "World Defying Sword," causing its speed to suddenly slow down. When Zhang Hualing reached out, preparing to strike again to strengthen the power of "Substitute for Heaven," his body suddenly froze, and a look of struggle flashed in his eyes. As the "World Defying Sword" moved closer to him inch by inch, the original dark energy was gradually overwhelmed by clarity. It turned out that with the secret method being broken, Zhang Hualing’s good nature, which had been suppressed, regained control of his body.

However, when the dark energy in Zhang Hualing’s eyes completely faded away, Xu Qingfan’s "World Defying Sword" also pierced into Zhang Hualing’s chest!

In an instant, Zhang Hualing’s body rapidly withered away.

At the same time, an imposing and sacred pressure appeared within the area of "Ronghua Mountain." In the distance, golden light flickered, and golden lotuses fell from the sky as a figure quickly flashed toward the location of Xu Qingfan and Zhang Hualing.