Volume 1 Volume 7 Chapter 71

Volume 7 Chapter 71: The Eerie Treasure Hunt (2)

During this time when the "Azure Crystal Treasure House" opened, the land of Lingzhou State was unstable, but inside the "Azure Crystal Treasure House," everything was very stable. In these days, countless earth-shattering battles erupted within, including the Shura Clan hunting and ambushing human cultivators, the tangled hatred among human cultivators, and battles and fights arising over a certain precious treasure.

Rather than a treasure hunt, it was more like a bloody journey. Although everyone knew that the Shura Clan was lurking nearby, posing a threat to humans, the hatred drove them on, and treasures beckoned. After a hundred days, when the "Azure Crystal Treasure House" closed, it was uncertain how many masters would live to tell the tale.

At the same time that Zhang Xusheng, the ancestor of the Zhong family, and these two extraordinary figures sparked a shocking battle near the exit of the "Azure Crystal Treasure House," Xu Qingfan had just gone through a life-and-death ordeal.

Inside the "Azure Crystal Treasure House" was a vast and mysterious world like a beautiful starry river. Once you entered, you would find yourself in a magnificent starry sky, surrounded by darkness, with lights shining like countless stars. These lights were the legendary "Azure Crystal Dust." However, although it seemed the "Azure Crystal Dust" was everywhere and within reach, in reality, they were extremely far apart, with each grain of "Azure Crystal Dust" at least a hundred miles away from one another.

Furthermore, among the countless stars, there were lots of clouds and colorful lights drifting around, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, occasionally appearing suddenly, catching people off guard, and sometimes disappearing without a trace. They often blocked everyone’s path.

Those things that looked like clouds were the muddy air from when the world first opened, and those things that looked like colorful ribbons were the pure energy, which was dangerous to touch. If touched, one could either turn to stone or vanish into nothingness. Compared to the pure energy and muddy air, the tiny bit of Spirit Qi trapped in the "Azure Crystal Treasure House" from the beginning of the world was even more dangerous. A slight contact would confuse one’s senses, and this spiritual energy was formless and intangible, making it difficult to detect. Additionally, cultivators entering the "Azure Crystal Treasure House" would have their senses severely suppressed, and their ability to detect spiritual energy could only extend less than a hundred feet. A single encounter was undoubtedly a life-and-death situation.

Shortly after entering the "Azure Crystal Treasure House," Xu Qingfan found the first piece of "Azure Crystal Dust," which gave off dazzling spiritual light, quietly floating a hundred feet above him. Just as Xu Qingfan was about to collect it, he was stopped by Mr. Liu. Confused, Xu Qingfan asked Mr. Liu for an explanation, but Mr. Liu didn’t explain, only continued to lead Xu Qingfan deeper into the "Azure Crystal Treasure House."

For Xu Qingfan, what impressed him most about the "Azure Crystal Treasure House" was the distortion of time and space. What appeared to be a short distance often required a long flight, as if the space was stretched. Yet sometimes, a long distance could be crossed in an instant, as if the space was compressed. Moreover, Xu Qingfan encountered maze-like spaces multiple times, where after flying for a long time, he suddenly found himself back at the original position, facing a completely different scenery.

If it weren’t for following Mr. Liu, Xu Qingfan feared he would soon get lost in this mysterious world.

The "Azure Crystal Treasure House" is both beautiful and extremely dangerous, like a natural barrier, but the danger from humans is even worse.

For example, the ambushes, sneak attacks, and hunts from the Shura Clan.

As Xu Qingfan followed Mr. Liu with Liu Ziqing and Wang Zegang deeper into the "Azure Crystal Treasure House," less than a thousand miles in, a powerful Shura Clan warrior suddenly appeared, attacking the four. If it weren’t for Mr. Liu’s quick thinking, Wang Zegang might have been killed on the spot, and Xu Qingfan would have been badly hurt as well.

The suddenness of the attack, the clever timing, the dark cunning, and the sharpness of the strikes are all worth mentioning. If not for Xu Qingfan’s significant improvement in skills with the help of the "Divine Plate of Inheritance," he would likely lose more than he would win against this Shura Clan expert.

However, since Mr. Liu had discovered the Shura Clan warrior in advance, even a powerful opponent could not succeed against four, especially with Mr. Liu and Xu Qingfan, whose skills far exceeded his. The outcome was already set for a terrible defeat.

Even though this Shura Clan warrior was at a disadvantage and the outcome was clear, his fighting power was truly impressive. The battle lasted a full three days. Although Xu Qingfan and the others stabilized after an initial flurry of activity and gradually gained the upper hand, Wang Zegang still sustained some injuries. At that moment, the power of this Shura Clan warrior’s Immortal Body was fully displayed; every time Xu Qingfan or Mr. Liu defeated him, he would reform from the scattered pieces and charge at them again, causing great trouble.

Finally, with a single strike from Mr. Liu, the Shura Clan warrior fell into a colorful aura and instantly dissipated into shimmering lights, disappearing in this dangerous and mysterious world. He was turned into nothingness by the pure spirit energy; otherwise, with the Immortal Body of the Shura Clan, Mr. Liu and Xu Qingfan could at most seal him but not completely kill him.

Seeing this scene, Mr. Liu, Xu Qingfan, Liu Ziqing, and Wang Zegang all wore solemn expressions.

First, it is because the "Azure Crystal Treasure House" is dangerous; even the Immortal Body of the Shura Clan can be easily destroyed by the "Pure Spirit Energy."

Second, it is because of the fighting power of the Shura Clan. The "Azure Crystal Treasure House" is mysterious and strange, and cultivators cannot show their full spirit. This is the best battlefield for the people of the Shura Clan. This is just a not-so-top-tier expert from the Shura Clan, yet they can create such trouble. What if one of the ten greatest experts from the Shura Clan takes action, or if several Shura Clan members team up to ambush?

This time, how many human masters can survive the journey to the "Azure Crystal Treasure House"? Xu Qingfan felt uncertain.

Seeing Xu Qingfan’s serious expression, Mr. Liu understood what Xu Qingfan was thinking. He patted Xu Qingfan’s shoulder and said with a faint smile, "You don’t need to worry. It will be fine."

However, Xu Qingfan frowned and said, "I suddenly feel that gathering human masters at the ‘Azure Crystal Treasure House’ is not a good idea. It is too dangerous here, and there are not many top human experts. We cannot afford to fight the Shura Clan head-on."

Mr. Liu shook his head and said, "You are wrong. Although this journey to the ‘Azure Crystal Treasure House’ is indeed full of danger, it is also our best opportunity for a counterattack."

"How so?"

Xu Qingfan asked.

"Do you know how much we, the Human Alliance, have paid over the years in the battle against the older generation of the Shura Clan? The Immortal Body of the Shura Clan is truly terrifying. We can only kill them by turning them into nothingness, into invisible flesh dust, or by sealing all their internal functions. This means that to kill a member of the Shura Clan, we must have at least three times the power they possess. This ‘Azure Crystal Treasure House’ is very dangerous for us, but what about for the Shura Clan? You saw it just now; that almost invincible Shura Clan expert had no resistance whatsoever when they came into contact with the ‘Pure Spirit Energy.’"

Mr. Liu slowly explained.

Hearing Mr. Liu say this, Xu Qingfan showed a thoughtful expression and smiled, saying, "I see, the Shura Clan regards the ‘Azure Crystal Treasure House’ as a hunting ground to catch us, while we intend to use it to turn the tables on the Shura Clan."

Mr. Liu nodded with a smile and said, "Only in this way can we kill many Shura Clan members and close the gap between our humans and the Shura Clan in terms of top fighters. In the future, our humans may have a chance to win. We have long expected that the Shura Clan would come to take advantage of the chaos. Don’t worry, this time, the Shura Clan will suffer even more."

However, Xu Qingfan frowned again and said, "But I still have to say, while being cautious and more familiar with this environment, the Shura Clan may suffer greater losses and casualties, but you also saw the bravery of that Shura Clan member just now. Our human race will likely also face heavy losses, but compared to the Shura Clan, we cannot afford it."

Mr. Liu turned to look deeply at Xu Qingfan and suddenly said, "Speaking of which, I also want to thank you. The spies you placed in the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands, Zhang Xusheng’s people and Zizhen’s people, you could either kill or capture, but you have never touched my people. Instead, you raised their status, allowing me to learn more about your activities over the years."

"You’ve said it before, the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands belong not only to me but also to you. The effort you have put into it is no less than mine, and you have no bad intentions, so why would I harm your people? Moreover, without you, I wouldn’t be able to bring those talented cultivators into the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands. In the Tian Zuo and Tian Xin camps, half of them are probably your people, right? Harming them would also hurt me greatly. Why would I do that?"

Xu Qingfan remained calm and replied mildly.

On the other side, Liu Ziqing and Wang Zegang looked at each other in shock, surprised that Mr. Liu had so much hidden power in the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands, while Xu Qingfan, knowing the truth, endured it quietly.

Mr. Liu sighed and said, "Precisely because of this, I found your two most critical weaknesses among all the plans you have designed over the years, or rather, two advantages that could lead to your failure."

"Please speak, senior."

Hearing Mr. Liu’s words, Xu Qingfan’s expression changed, and he bowed to Mr. Liu and said.