Volume 1 Volume 7 Chapter 47

Volume 7 Chapter 47: Feng Qingtian and the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox (Part 1)

Thinking about Zhang Xusheng’s seemingly casual yet unstoppable plan, Xu Qingfan’s carefully made plans were completely disrupted. A sudden sense of urgency filled his heart as he flew deeper into the Southern Wasteland, pushing himself to his utmost speed.

Back when Xu Qingfan was still at the Golden Core Stage, it took him nearly half a year to travel from the edge of the Southern Wasteland to the deep, dark mountain.

Traveling far away during the day and returning at night is how mortals describe cultivators. Xu Qingfan had now reached the Astral Projection Stage, moving much faster than he could back then. While he hadn’t yet reached the heights mortals imagined, he was not far from it.

Xu Qingfan took less than five days to go from the edge of the Southern Wasteland to the dark, giant mountain in the deep Southern Wasteland.

Watching Xu Qingfan’s furrowed brow, the usually quiet Little Black began to speak to him.

"Don’t rush. It’s like our Dark Crow clan waiting to absorb the death energy from a dying creature. Being impatient will only let that dying creature sense your presence, igniting a strong will to survive. In the end, we Dark Crow would gain nothing, and you would too. If you hurry, you can only confuse yourself. To achieve great things, you must learn to be calm and steady like a mountain."

The voice that echoed in Xu Qingfan’s heart, though indifferent, carried a hint of concern.

Xu Qingfan turned to look at Little Black flying beside him, only to find Little Black staring intently at him.

After a brief moment of eye contact, Xu Qingfan suddenly sighed and said, "Do you think I’m still thinking about Zhang Xusheng’s plan? I’m not; I stopped thinking about it after I left Black Emperor Cliff. Zhang Xusheng always does his own thing, no matter what others do. Even when the situation is dire, he never lets anyone disturb his focus; he just follows his plan, quietly gaining a huge advantage. Although we are on different sides, I can learn something from his way of doing things. Since we can’t stop him, let’s just follow our own plan. No matter how things turn out in the future, building up enough strength now is always good."

"Then why do you still look so worried? Are you afraid those two kylin won’t let you use the Divine Plate of Inheritance? We can just catch Little Gold; those two kylin are attached to him. Why would they refuse us?"

Little Black suggested again.

Xu Qingfan was momentarily unsure of how to respond to Little Black’s criminal mindset. The thought of the two kylin hunting him across the Shenzhou Continent made him shiver.

Xu Qingfan smiled faintly and said, "Little Black, don’t you notice? We’ve flown a hundred thousand miles in five days, yet we haven’t seen a single demon beast. Years ago, the Southern Wasteland lost many demon beasts, but there should still be around hundreds of thousands. And the breeding speed of Southern Wasteland demon beasts is no less than that of humans. It’s strange that we haven’t seen a single one on our way."

As he spoke, Xu Qingfan’s expression grew serious, and he slowly said, "If I’m not mistaken, something big must have happened in the Southern Wasteland."

"Has the Shura Clan attacked the Southern Wasteland?"

Little Black guessed that…

"Impossible," Xu Qingfan shook his head. "The Shura Clan is currently eager to eliminate humans and grow their kind. They don’t even provoke the Zhong family, so how could they possibly mess with the Southern Wasteland demon beast? You should know that after the great battle years ago, the Southern Wasteland demon beast suffered greatly. Those two kylin have already begun to value the protection of the Southern Wasteland demon beast’s heritage. Under the threat of those two kylin, how could the Shura Clan dare to provoke them again before recovering their strength?"

"What could that mean? Is there another existence like the nine-tailed demon fox in the Southern Wasteland?"

"For there to be another nine-tailed demon fox among demon beasts is even more difficult than finding another Zhang Xusheng among humans. If that truly happens, it would spell doom for the Southern Wasteland demon beast. However, even if there were another existence like the nine-tailed demon fox, it couldn’t cause such harm in just forty years. Those two kylin are no pushovers."

There was also a flicker of doubt in Xu Qingfan’s eyes as he spoke.

"Let’s go to that black giant mountain and ask the two kylin. Then we will know."

Little Black suggested.

"I actually hope those two kylin are not there, like the other Southern Wasteland demon beasts. That way, I can freely use the ‘Divine Plate of Inheritance’ without worrying about them."

Xu Qingfan smiled slightly and said.

After another two hours, the towering, steep black mountain where the Kylin tribe lived finally appeared in front of Xu Qingfan and Little Black.

However, the sight before them made the usually indifferent man and beast gasp in shock.

They saw that under the black mountain, the ground was covered in bodies, including various Southern Wasteland demon beasts, members of the fox tribe, and also… the Shura Clan.

What surprised Xu Qingfan even more was that within the black mountain, there were faint but familiar energy waves pulsating continuously.

The two powerful and sacred auras were slightly different, one was a bit gentler, and the other was a bit harsher. They must have belonged to the two Kylin, "Ominous" and "Auspicious." There was also another aura that was much weaker but equally sacred and mysterious; it must be Little Gold.

However, these three auras were much weaker than Xu Qingfan was used to, as if they had suffered serious injuries.

The Kylin tribe had not been friendly to Little Black in the past, and with such a level of energy, even together they seemed unable to defeat Little Black. Yet, Little Black visibly tensed up, and the indifferent, cold aura became even more apparent.

"Little Black, the Kylin tribe will be very useful to me in the future; you must be patient."

Xu Qingfan’s eyes sparkled with shock because, in addition to the three Kylin auras, there were also two familiar auras he recognized well.

A hot yet cold feeling, contradictory but perfectly blended together, belonged to Feng Qingtian, who had practiced the dark and powerful cultivation method called the "Guardian Deity Technique."

The other feeling was hot and mysterious, lively and cunning, which reminded Xu Qingfan of the fearsome nine-tailed demon fox that had swung its nine tails over forty years ago. However, compared to that time, this fox felt much weaker, seeming to have only seven or eight tails.

"Feng Qingtian… the fox clan… when did they join forces?"

Xu Qingfan murmured.

However, Xu Qingfan did not hurry to fly into the black giant mountain; instead, he landed among the many bodies and began to examine them carefully.

After a long while, Xu Qingfan suddenly looked up at Little Black, who was circling above his head, and said with a smile, "Two good pieces of news and one bad piece of news."

"What are they?"

Little Black asked.

Xu Qingfan replied, "The first good piece of news is that the kylin clan seems to owe us another favor today."

"Oh, I remember now, that is the breath of Feng Qingtian and Spirit Fox. They are not our opponents. Once again, we will save the Kylin lineage; they will surely not stop you from using the Divine Plate of Inheritance. But still, it is somewhat emotional, unknowingly, your power has far surpassed Feng Qingtian’s. Look at him now, he is merely at the late stage of Nascent Soul."

"He just broke through to the Nascent Soul Stage forty years ago, and now reaching the late stage of Nascent Soul is already astonishing. If I’m not mistaken, besides the Divine Plate of Inheritance purifying his bloodline and greatly increasing his training speed and giving him an understanding of Heavenly Way far beyond the Nascent Soul Stage, he must have used other methods… To raise his power so quickly is not something a righteous cultivation method can achieve. I feel a bit saddened; Feng Qingtian is becoming more and more ruthless."

Xu Qingfan said lightly.

"What is the second good news?" Little Black asked again.

"We may have found an ally."

"Are you talking about Feng Qingtian? He is a traitor to Jiuhua."

"I am also a traitor to Jiuhua," Xu Qingfan said lightly. "I know he wants to deal with Zhang Xusheng, and that is enough. In today’s Shenzhou Continent, more power means more variables. Compared to Zhang Xusheng, we are at a disadvantage. He hopes for a stable situation, while we desire as many variables as possible."

"So, will you help Feng Qingtian and the others this time?"

"No, but I will help them leave safely and see if he has the potential to improve. If he does, I will try to help him strengthen his power and influence, letting Feng Qingtian and the others be our vanguard to test Zhang Xusheng’s arrangements; it’s worth a try."

"But don’t forget the relationship between Jin Qinghan and Feng Qingtian."

"It is because of Junior Brother Jin that I cannot harm Feng Qingtian," Xu Qingfan said seriously. "Defeating Feng Qingtian is Junior Brother Jin’s lifelong wish, and I want to keep this hope for him."

"Since you have already made your decision, just take care of it. What is the bad news?"

Little Black asked again.

However, Xu Qingfan’s expression suddenly turned serious.

He suddenly picked up a corpse of a Shura Clan member and said coldly, "The efforts of the Human Alliance over the years have been in vain. Without their knowledge, the Shura Clan has started to multiply their kind significantly using that pearl."

"How do you know?"

"Back then, only over fifty members of the Shura Clan escaped from the siege of the Righteous Alliance, and each was as strong as a human master. But look here, there are at least two thousand Shura Clan bodies, most of which are only at the Human Condensed Core Stage. They must have multiplied over the past forty years."

"But hasn’t the Human Alliance always sent people to North Iceland from time to time to disrupt the Shura Clan’s plans to multiply?"

Little Black asked.

"What if that pearl is not in North Iceland?"

As he spoke, a strange smile appeared on Xu Qingfan’s face. He said, "The Shura Clan has probably not dared to grow their numbers much in the past forty years under human investigation. They are just quietly gathering strength, waiting for the moment to strike. At that time…"

Saying this, Xu Qingfan shook his head and said, "Let’s go inside."

Then, Xu Qingfan flew ahead into the black giant mountain.