Volume 1 Volume 7 Chapter 76

Volume 7 Chapter 76: The Eerie Treasure Hunt (7)

The earth suddenly began to tremble violently, and even from three thousand miles away, Bai Qingfu and the others could still feel the clear wave of Spirit Qi, twisting the space around them.

Clouds gathered and dispersed; as Xuan made his move, the endless spirit mist in the sky condensed into beams of spirit light, linking together to form the Eight Doors Lock Palace formation, floating in the sky, covering an area of hundreds of miles and blocking the horizon.

With the appearance of this Eight Doors Lock Palace Map, countless sword lights suddenly soared into the sky from below. Inside the Shura Clan’s headquarters, the overwhelming aura produced from the battle between ‘Xuan’ and the Shura Clan masters caused ‘Xuan’s power to suddenly rise, while the aura of the Shura Clan masters was forcefully pressed down. When ‘Xuan’ pushed his strength to the limit, he could indeed compare with many Shura Clan masters.

"Let’s begin."

Three thousand miles away from the battlefield, Bai Qingfu closed his eyes, sensing the distant momentum rise and fall. His face was full of admiration; truly, beings at the peak of humanity are not easy to deal with at all.

When the aura of ‘Xuan’ reached its peak, Bai Qingfu’s eyes suddenly opened wide, a gleam shining in them, and he waved his hand, saying, "Attack!"

As Bai Qingfu spoke, the Tian family brothers bowed slightly to him. Then, the "Mao Liang" under Tian Zhenling leaped above their heads, stretching its body into a transparent water curtain, completely wrapping around the Tian family brothers. With a ripple in space, the Tian family brothers vanished from everyone’s sight.

Next, the cultivators from Tianzuo Camp also bowed to Bai Qingfu, but in an instant, they transformed into wisps of white smoke, silently flying towards the Shura Clan’s stronghold along with the Bai family brothers.

Meanwhile, Chou and his subordinates from Tianyou Camp paid no attention to Bai Qingfu. All the cultivators from Tianyou Camp focused their gaze on Chou. As Chou leaped into the air, a group of Tianyou Camp cultivators quickly followed him, flying towards the Shura Clan’s stronghold, showing no intention to hide their forms. They showed no concern for the raging and chaotic battlefield or the terrifyingly powerful Shura Clan.

"Sigh…"

Looking around and seeing that eight or nine out of ten people had vanished, all the elite forces of Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands rushed towards the Shura Clan’s stronghold. Zhang Ningmei slowly closed her eyes, letting out a sigh.

"What’s wrong?"

Bai Qingfu asked.

"Master’s move is a bit risky. Although Junior Martial Brother Tian Zhenxian’s spirit pet ‘Xuanye’ can help them find the ‘Shura Holy Pearl’ of the Shura Clan, we only know their general location after all these years of effort. We have no idea what arrangements they have inside. If we rush in recklessly, and get discovered, our camps Tian Zuo and Tian You, which we have worked so hard to build, may suffer greatly. As for finding the ‘Shura Holy Pearl,’ that will be even harder."

Zhang Ningmei opened her eyes wide, and softly said, her voice gentle like a refined lady, clear and pleasant, but her gaze was steady and her expression serious, showing a calmness and competence rare among women in the world.

Bai Qingfu said slowly, "What if we find it? What if we don’t? What if we come away unscathed? What if we suffer huge losses? This time, as long as we can enter the Shura Clan’s main camp, we will have achieved all our goals."

Zhang Ningmei was silent for a moment, sighed softly, and said, "Let’s wait here for the results."

Those who achieve great things do not sweat the small stuff. Xu Qingfan is no longer the Xu Qingfan of the past. Mr. Liu said that Xu Qingfan always cares too much about the lives of his subordinates. However, if he knew that Xu Qingfan had put all his elite forces, cultivated over so many years, into a dangerous situation all at once, he would be shocked. Changing one’s perspective and heart does not mean one has such determination to take such risks.

Xu Qingfan made all his future plans while in a demonic state, with no emotional fluctuations or human feelings. At that moment, he would not care about sacrificing his elite forces, nor even himself.

After going through so much, how could he not understand that sacrifices may be necessary at times? Xu Qingfan only makes sacrifices when absolutely necessary. It is not that he is heartless, but often, without sacrifice, one cannot achieve the goals in one’s heart.

…

The Tian family brothers, although Xu Qingfan’s direct disciples, only knew one part of Xu Qingfan’s plan, and they learned it through Bai Qingfu. This time, Bai Qingfu is the leader and Zhang Ningmei is the assistant; the two of them are just carrying out the plan.

However, what the two were responsible for was the most important part of the plan. They brought all the cultivators from Tianzuo Camp to hide their presence using "Wangliang" and to locate them using "Xuanye," trying every way to steal it and cut off the roots of the Shura Clan.

This action was harder than climbing to the sky, but Tian Zhenxian and Tian Zhenling, out of admiration and love for Xu Qingfan, felt no fear this time, even though it was their first task assigned by Xu Qingfan. Instead, they were full of confidence, only thinking about how satisfied Xu Qingfan would be after their success. They were no longer like Bai Yu, who only caused trouble without achieving anything.

They covered three thousand miles in just half an hour. As they, the brothers, led the cultivators of Tianzuo Camp deep into the heart of the Shura Clan’s base, they sensed the increasingly powerful waves of Spirit Qi and the rising momentum. Looking up at the sky, where the Eight Door Lock Palace Map obstructed the horizon, and the thunderous clash of countless sword lights and magical powers, they felt astonished but restrained the impulse to sneak a peek at the battlefield, choosing to bypass it and arrive at the other side of the Shura Clan’s base.

Though the Shura Clan was naturally aggressive and bloodthirsty, in recent years, under the leadership of Grand Tantian and Asura, they have become somewhat disciplined. At this moment, although more than ninety percent of the Shura Clan’s strength was engaged in battles at the ‘Azure Crystal Treasure House,’ with You State and the Zhong family, as well as the siege against ‘Xuan’ on the other side of the base, there were still Shura Clan members guarding this side with serious expressions.

There were a total of eight Shura Clan members, four in the open and four hidden. With Tian Zhenxian’s spirit pet "Xuanye," those hidden Shura Clan members couldn’t escape the eyes of the Tian family brothers.

However, the strongest among these Shura Clan members was only equivalent to a human cultivator who had just reached the Real Golden Core Stage. They were likely new Shura Clan members born through the "Shura Holy Pearl" in recent years.

Through a secret method of mental connection, Tian Zhenling gave orders to the cultivators of Tianzuo Camp. Immediately, dozens of wisps of smoke silently floated towards the hidden Shura Clan members without their awareness.

As the wisps of smoke surrounded the Shura Clan members, the enchanting aura contained in the smoke was released. In a breath, the Shura Clan members inhaled it into their bodies.

The bodies of the Shura Clan members were very different from those of humans, extremely strong, immune to fire and water, and resistant to all poisons. For this day, Xu Qingfan specifically spent a large amount of resources to borrow one of the only three Shura Clan masters captured by the Human Alliance in the years of battle from Mr. Liu. After three years of tormenting the Shura Clan master, Scholar Beihai and the other Medicine Pill Masters finally created a mist that could make Shura Clan members faint for a short time, and today it was finally ready to be used.

Not long after, the four Shura Clan members hiding in the dark suddenly wavered and silently fell to the ground.

These four Shura Clan members were hiding so well that the four Shura Clan members in the open had no idea they had fainted.

Then, over thirty wisps of light smoke floated towards the four Shura Clan members in the open, repeating the same method, and soon, those four Shura Clan members also fainted.

Under the cover of the "Wraith," the Tian family brothers arrived at the place where the eight Shura Clan members were fainted, took out eight "Spirit Sealing Talismans" given to them by Xu Qingfan, and sealed each of the eight Shura Clan members one by one. Then, they took out a golden bottle, which glimmered with golden light, just the size of a palm, yet could easily hold eight creatures that were over ten feet tall.

Next, the body of the "Wraith" suddenly expanded again, covering an area of dozens of yards, and the Tianzuo Camp cultivators entered it one after another, revealing their forms and standing in several rows, waiting for the next command from the Tian family brothers.

"Hey, brother, you said the ancestor of the Zhong family collects dead Shura Clan members to refine their corpses, but what is Zhang Xusheng doing with the living Shura Clan members? Isn’t it enough that this guy created a new human race? Is he trying to create some new thing?"

Tian Zhenxian asked, and although he was smiling while speaking, his naturally serious face still showed signs of solemnity.

"Who knows? In any case, taking this chance to gather a large number of captured Shura Clan members is one of our terms for cooperating with Zhang Xusheng. Since Master agreed, we should just follow, as Master can’t be wrong."

Although Tian Zhenling always seemed cheerful, he was much steadier than Tian Zhenxian. At this moment, he was carefully exploring the environment of the Shura Clan’s headquarters while casually saying.

In the bustling southwest of Middle-earth, it is not suitable for humans to live. There are many volcanic rocks, making it hard to grow various plants, and volcanoes often rage. Yet, the base of the Shura Clan is built right on top of the largest active volcano. Near the volcano’s mouth, flames flicker, and a towering, black castle stands next to it, almost as high as the volcano itself. Looking up at it, one feels a sense of insignificance.

Beside the castle, in the sky at the center of the Eight Door Lock Palace Map, a loud roar shakes the air, with flashes of light and flying dust—this is the place where ‘Xuan’ battles the masters of the Shura Clan.

"Hey, brother, you said such a big castle, even Niu Wenxing under Feng Qingtian knows about it, but the so-called masters of the Human Alliance still don’t know. Every time they look for a big battle with the Shura Clan, they go to North Iceland and completely miss this place. How foolish!"

Tian Zhenxian added, in this guy’s eyes, there wasn’t anyone worth respecting in the world except for their master.

"So you’re smart, and everyone else is a fool?" Tian Zhenling seemed to forget that he had asked Xu Qingfan the same question before starting their mission. Imitating Xu Qingfan’s tone when he taught him a lesson, Tian Zhenling scolded Tian Zhenxian, "Let me tell you, the true base of the Shura Clan is probably known to the elders of the Human Alliance even earlier than Niu Wenxing. But so what? They would rush here to attack? The Shura Clan has been established here for a long time, with many traps that make it easy to defend and hard to attack. If they come together to raid, they will surely suffer heavy losses and gain nothing. Moreover, once they attack, to protect the ‘Shura Holy Pearl,’ the Shura Clan will definitely move their base. By then, they would have to search again, which wastes even more time. So it’s better to pretend not to know and keep the Shura Clan members off guard, gathering strength and waiting for the right moment to achieve a great victory."

After pausing, Tian Zhenling continued, "The Shura Clan thinks the Human Alliance truly believes that the ‘Shura Holy Pearl’ is hidden deep in North Iceland. To make humans more certain, every time the Human Alliance gathers in North Iceland, the Shura Clan also gathers there to mislead their judgment, keeping the existence of the ‘Shura Holy Pearl’ safe. However, the Human Alliance also wants to destroy this ‘Shura Holy Pearl,’ but they know they currently do not have the ability. So, every time they battle with the Shura Clan in North Iceland, they are just trying to drain the energy of the Shura Clan masters and slow down their use of the ‘Shura Holy Pearl’ to create Shura Clan members, while they wait for a better time to gather power."

"I see."

After listening to Tian Zhenling’s explanation, Tian Zhenxian looked impressed, as if he hadn’t realized that his brother had such insight all along, even after living together for so many years.

"You know, little brother, it’s not that I’m saying you, but you still have a long way to go. Do you see that? Do you know why that castle is built on a volcano? I estimate that this castle has some connection with countless volcanoes within a thousand miles. At critical moments, it can draw power from these volcanoes to attack with the might of heaven and earth. Because of this, the Human Alliance has the ‘All Immortals Formation,’ but they are not guaranteed to win."

Tian Zhenling showed off Xu Qingfan’s ideas in front of his brother, feeling very proud.

Tian Zhenxian’s admiration was becoming more obvious, and he said, "Brother is just brother. You remembered everything Master told you, that’s amazing."

"Of course…" said Tian Zhenling, slightly surprised. He looked at Tian Zhenxian and asked, "How did you know these were Master’s words?"

Tian Zhenxian replied with a smirk, "It’s obvious. I was outside when Master was teaching you, and I heard everything clearly."

"Then why did you ask me like that just now?!" Tian Zhenling was very angry.

"Because I knew you would use Master’s words to show off, and I thought it would be fun to catch you off guard right now," Tian Zhenxian answered with a smile. Then he mimicked Xu Qingfan’s tone, patting his brother’s shoulder with a serious look, "Fourth Brother, you must remember, it’s better to think of your opponent as clever than to assume others are fools. If you think others are fools, then you are the biggest fool. Even if someone is old and wise, anyone famous in the cultivation world is not that simple."

Listening to the conversation between the two young masters of the island, the surrounding Tianzuo Camp cultivators held back their laughter. They remembered the rumors on the island that Xu Qingfan wanted to pass control of Tianzuo Camp to the Tian family brothers, while Bai Qingfu and Wang Zegang stepped back to help Xu Qingfan manage the overall situation. At first, these people were worried that the Tian family brothers would play around with Bai Yu every day and might not handle important tasks, but now it seemed alright.

The tense feelings from being deep inside the Shura Clan’s base were eased by the playful banter between these two lively characters.

"Alright, alright, this is not a time for jokes. Let ‘Xuanye’ out, and quickly complete the task Master assigned us. If anything goes wrong, just wait and see how I handle you."

At this point, Tian Zhenling had no choice but to act like an older brother and scold Tian Zhenxian.

"It’s just that I was born a couple of breaths earlier than you. Why do you have to keep bringing it up? That midwife back then was really something; why didn’t she pull me out of my mother’s belly first?"

Tian Zhenxian grumbled, but his hands did not stop. He patted his shoulder, and suddenly, the golden mouse-like "Xuanye" popped out from his clothing, running around his feet in circles.

Tian Zhenxian crouched down and patted "Xuanye" on the head, saying, "Don’t be afraid of cats; find the spot nearby where the scent of the Shura Clan is the strongest. Hurry!"

Tian Zhenxian’s imagination was clearly greater than Xu Qingfan and several older martial siblings. When he hatched "Xuanye" forty years ago, he saw it looked like a mouse but wasn’t a mouse, so he named it "Not Afraid of Cats," which made Bai Yu laugh at him for a long time.

Upon hearing Tian Zhenxian’s words, "Xuanye" nodded like a human, then twitched its nose for a moment. It hesitated, looking towards the battle between ‘Xuan’ and the Shura Clan experts for a long time, but ultimately ran towards the castle near the black castle, disappearing in a flash like a streak of golden light. As it passed through ‘Wangliang’, its thin body rippled like a curtain of water.

At this moment, all the powerful experts remaining in the Shura Clan’s headquarters were fighting with ‘Xuan’, and their aura was undoubtedly much stronger than that of ordinary Shura Clan members. However, "Xuanye" ran towards a different location, indicating there was an even stronger presence of the Shura Clan; the Tian family brothers exchanged a glance and nodded, as they should have found the "Shura Holy Pearl."

Tian Zhenling turned to look at the neatly arranged Tianzuo Camp cultivators standing behind him and said in a deep voice, "Dear Taoist friends, you should all know the dangers of this task. I won’t say much; just two points: First, even though we silently dealt with eight Shura Clan members, that was just the outer defense. The next stretch will undoubtedly be much more perilous, so please be extra careful. Second, after completing the task, the reward will be double according to the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands’ reward system. There are even treasures brought out by the Island Master from the ‘Azure Crystal Treasure House.’ Perhaps after this mission, one of you will become a golden core cultivator."

After the battle with the East Sea Demon Monster, the Tianzuo Camp cultivators received countless rewards and all reached the Real Golden Core Stage. Xu Qingfan strictly limited his disciples from using many spirit pills to improve their cultivation, except for Shen Gang and Chou. In Xu Qingfan’s view, relying on spirit pills was merely a shortcut, meant for those who had reached their limits or needed help to break through a temporary bottleneck. Disciples like the Tian family brothers, who were decent in talent, could quickly increase their cultivation with pills, but it could easily lead to an unstable realm.

Because of this, the Tianzuo Camp cultivators, with the help of at least five "Immortal Ascending Pills" over the past ten years, have some who are even stronger than the Tian family brothers. Although the pills can only help to reach the peak of the Real Golden Core Stage, Xu Qingfan’s rewards include not just pills, but also better magical tools, better cultivation methods, and even personal guidance. The Tianzuo Camp cultivators are not lacking in talent; although the chance of reaching the Golden Core Stage is low, there is still a chance.

So, after hearing Tian Zhenling’s words, everyone’s eyes sparkled with excitement, and they responded in unison.

Tian Zhenxian looked at the suddenly confident Tianzuo Camp cultivator but still seemed unsatisfied. With a smile, he added, "However, although it is dangerous, it is nothing compared to Tianyou Camp. We are just sneaking in, while Tianyou Camp and Chou are directly fighting against those from the Shura Clan. If in the end, they succeed and we fail, the Tianzuo Camp will have to look down when facing Tianyou Camp in the future."

The Tianzuo and Tianyou Camps have always been rivals and often compare themselves to each other. Tian Zhenxian’s words undoubtedly inspired more passion than any reward could. Instantly, the spirits of the thirty-plus Tianzuo Camp cultivators rose even higher, their eyes shining with determination to not give up until the task is complete.

"Let’s go. Everyone, be careful."

Tian Zhenling saw that the panic and hesitation in the eyes of the Tianzuo Camp cultivators had finally vanished. He smiled slightly and waved his hand.

As Tian Zhenling spoke, the thirty-plus Tianzuo Camp cultivators became momentarily dazed, transforming into wisps of smoke. They passed through the "Wraith" and, guided by the Tian family brothers, flew towards the black castle atop the volcano, following "Xuanye."

Before leaving, both Tian Zhenxian and Tian Zhenling couldn’t help but glance at the battlefield between ‘Xuanye’ and the Shura Clan experts. As time passed, the battle grew more intense, and even from a hundred miles away, the Spirit Qi fluctuations made these Real Golden Core Stage cultivators’ blood surge and Spirit Qi vibrate.

"At this time, Seventh Brother should be making his move, right?"

Tian Zhenxian suddenly asked.

"Uh-huh."

"To be directly involved in such a battle is frightening to think about. Do you think Seventh Brother will be alright?"

"Whether Seventh Brother is in danger or not, both he and his soldiers in Tianyou Camp have been devastated by the Shura Clan. Their hatred for the Shura Clan surpasses everything. I believe that even if they were to perish in this great war, they wouldn’t mind. After all, fighting against the Shura Clan fulfills a wish for them."

Tian Zhenling comforted.

"I think Seventh Brother should be fine."

After a moment of silence, Tian Zhenxian suddenly said.

"Why do you say that?"

"Fighting the Shura Clan is certainly very frightening, but I always feel that Seventh Brother is even more terrifying. Every time I see him, I can’t help but shiver."

"Ha ha, you, as the senior brother, are actually afraid of the junior brother. Don’t you think it’s embarrassing?"

"Aren’t you scared?"

"… Scared? Maybe I’m even more scared than you. Once, I joked with him, and he gave me a cold look. Let me tell you, because of that look, I couldn’t sleep for several days."

"Ha ha."

"In any case, he will be fine."

"Hmm."

…

Just as the Tian family brothers took the Tianzuo Campcultivator to sneak into the Shura Clan’s main camp, Xuan was finally injured in the battle with the Shura Clan.

Of the seven swords behind him, three were given to him by Zhang Xusheng. He owed Zhang Xusheng three favors; he had exchanged two before, and this was the last one. So even though he knew coming here was a life-or-death situation, he didn’t hesitate and came anyway.

Zhang Xusheng’s request was very simple, yet very difficult.

Come near the Shura Clan’s main camp, be discovered by the Shura Clan masters, and fight here for two hours.

So ‘Xuan’ arrived, but was surprised to find that the strength within the Shura Clan’s main camp, which should have been a dragon’s lair and a tiger’s den, was so weak. There were only five Shura Clan masters at the human master level, and only two of them were at a comparable strength to him.

However, Xuan did not know that forty Shura Clan masters had reached the master level. In the past days, more than twenty had been taken to the "Azure Crystal Treasure House" by Asura and Grand Tantian, three were assassinated by Chou, and more than ten participated in the great battle against the Zhong family. At this moment, only five Shura Clan masters remained in the main camp, still because of Asura’s strict order that there must always be five masters present, with at least two being top-level masters.

Therefore, when Xuan swaggered to the vicinity of the Shura Clan’s main camp, he was not only surprised by the weakness of its power, but also astonished that the five masters, who had clearly discovered his presence, had no intention of coming out to fight.

It was not until Xuan unleashed his powers and destroyed half of the black castle that the five top Shura Clan masters could finally no longer hold back; four of them stepped out, bringing with them over a thousand ordinary Shura Clan members to join the attack against Chou.

Among them, two Shura Clan masters were of equal strength to Xuan.

Their weakness was only relative; under the assault of so many Shura Clan masters, even someone as powerful as Xuan fell into absolute disadvantage right away.

In an excellent teamwork display among the four Shura Clan masters, a golden light flashed, and Xuan immediately felt a surge of blood from his chest.

Just as Xuan was thinking about whether to use the "Spirit Locking Ring" that Zhang Xusheng had given him, his body suddenly shook.