Volume 1 Volume 7 Chapter 101

Volume 7 Chapter 101: Darkness and Choices

After unknown moments, Xu Qingfan, under the continuous attack of another "Xu Qingfan," was finally struck hard in the chest by a black and white demon dragon.

Suddenly, Xu Qingfan’s mind went blank; there was no pain, no fear. He vaguely felt as if his body was turning to dust and drifting away into the world around him…

"Am I dead?"

At that moment, Xu Qingfan surprisingly still had time to sigh alone.

"Even though I gave it my all, it turns out that the hardest battle is against myself, especially when I have reached my limits… I didn’t expect to die here. However, I had to come to this ‘Shura Training Realm.’ If I can’t leave the ‘Azure Crystal Treasure House,’ then all the plans I set outside the ‘Azure Crystal Treasure House’ are pointless. It’s a pity; I still have so many plans I didn’t get to carry out…"

After sighing, Xu Qingfan began to wait quietly, waiting for the disappearance of his mind.

However, after a moment of silent waiting, Xu Qingfan was astonished to find that his mind had not faded away; he was still awake.

With surprise, Xu Qingfan opened his eyes, and he saw Liu Ziqing, Wang Zegang, and Zhang Xusheng. He didn’t know when he had left the "Shura Training Realm" and returned near the entrance of the "Azure Crystal Treasure House."

Liu Ziqing and Wang Zegang, standing in front of Xu Qingfan, looked pale as if they had faced a great shock. Xu Qingfan was unsure of how his own face looked at that moment, but he guessed it was similar to Liu Ziqing and Wang Zegang’s.

Anyone who has been killed once and still feels regret will have such a face.

However, despite this, the two continued to look at Xu Qingfan with concern, while Zhang Xusheng’s gaze held a mix of mockery, curiosity, and mystery.

As Xu Qingfan looked around, his eyes passed over Zhang Xusheng, Liu Ziqing, and Wang Zegang, searching the surroundings, and he noticed that the more than twenty masters who had entered the "Azure Crystal Treasure House" were all back, except for Immortal Zizhen and Mr. Liu. They all looked pale, just like Liu Ziqing and the others, showing that their defeat had come even earlier than Xu Qingfan’s.

"Don’t worry, I’m fine."

Xu Qingfan shook his head gently at Liu Ziqing and Wang Zegang and spoke slowly.

At the same time, Xu Qingfan began to check his body and found that he had no injuries, just some fatigue.

Clearly, the "Xu Qingfan" he had seen before existed only in his mind, a kind of mystical technique that affected the spirit, which Xu Qingfan had not noticed at all.

"The ‘Shura Training Realm’ aims to help Shura Clan experts surpass themselves. When those experts enter the ‘Shura Training Realm,’ their strength is already at their imagined limits. Even so, it often leads to mutual destruction, with only three victors in over a hundred thousand years. So, there is no need to be too upset about your defeat… Overcoming oneself is one of the hardest things to achieve in this world."

Beside him, Zhang Xusheng suddenly said with a smile.

Xu Qingfan shook his head and said, "I am not feeling down. I am just thinking that even though we lost to the ‘Shura Training Realm’, at least we understood the nature of this ‘Shura Training Realm’. Clearly, it is a place similar to an illusion. Since we know it is like an illusion, can we try using methods to break illusions and see if we can shatter it?"

Zhang Xusheng shook his head and said, "You are overthinking it."

"Please give me your advice, senior."

Although Xu Qingfan was trying every way to deal with Zhang Xusheng in the Shenzhou Continent, at this moment, he showed the respect that Zhang Xusheng deserved. After all, this was a time for everyone to unite as one, and Zhang Xusheng’s knowledge was worthy of Xu Qingfan’s respect.

As for the scheming against each other, that would be something to consider after returning to the "Shenzhou Continent."

At this moment, Zhang Xusheng seemed willing to act as a mentor, smiling gently as he said, "This is not an illusion, but a ‘state of mind’ that is many times more advanced than an illusion!"

"State of mind?"

Even Liu Ziqing, who hated Zhang Xusheng the most, showed a listening expression on his face upon hearing this unfamiliar term.

"The illusion is just a way to use magic to affect the strength, smell, hearing, touch, and awareness of all living beings. Not only are there many flaws that can be easily broken, but it is also useless against cultivators above the master level. However, the state of mind is different; it directly affects the opponent’s spirit. Once you enter this state, your senses will automatically close, and what you see and hear will be only what you think in your heart. Anyone with a conscious mind can be controlled by it."

"Is there no way to break it?"

"There is only one way: overcome your own heart. In the end, it means to conquer yourself. Specifically, in the ‘Shura Training Realm’… it means defeating the version of yourself within the ‘Shura Training Realm.’"

As Zhang Xusheng explained, Xu Qingfan’s expression twisted a little. If he hadn’t known he was not Zhang Xusheng’s opponent, Xu Qingfan would have already sent a ‘Life and Death Grinding Wheel’ at him.

Zhang Xusheng said so much, but it was basically like saying nothing.

If I can defeat that ultimate Xu Qingfan, would I still return here?

Thinking of this, Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but sigh. He remembered the battle with the ultimate version of Xu Qingfan and, after countless times of replaying it in his mind, he still concluded that he had no chance of winning.

Even if Xu Qingfan practiced the ‘Sword of Life and Death,’ ‘Heaven and Earth Chess,’ and the new ‘Five Spirit Bell’ like the Xu Qingfan in the ‘Shura Training Realm,’ and reached the middle stage of the Soul Splitting Stage, Xu Qingfan still felt no certainty of victory.

With their minds connected, all cunning tricks and schemes were useless. They could only rely on their own strength, and with equal strength, the battle between the two Xu Qingfans could only end in mutual destruction.

To conquer oneself, one must have great wisdom and great willpower; such people are very rare, almost one in a billion. Xu Qingfan never looked down on himself, but he also never thought too highly of himself. He knew he was not that kind of rare genius. He was just an ordinary person who had stumbled along the way to reach his current situation by chance.

So, in just a moment, Xu Qingfan had already given up on the only method mentioned by Zhang Xusheng and began to look for other ways out.

Whether due to a lack of ambition or a clear understanding of reality, Xu Qingfan now only thought about leaving this place. He had carefully planned everything for Shenzhou Continent, and he knew better than anyone else what it would mean for humanity if these masters could not return to Shenzhou Continent.

"Sir, how much longer until the ‘Azure Crystal Treasure House’ closes?"

Xu Qingfan suddenly raised his head and asked Zhang Xusheng.

"Five days. We have used up five days, and we still have one more chance."

Xu Qingfan nodded but flew towards the "Shura Training Realm" again. He wanted to try once more to see if there were other methods and ways out within the "Shura Training Realm."

However, just as Xu Qingfan’s body moved, he was stopped by Zhang Xusheng.

"Think carefully. If you fail again the second time, what will that mean?"

In Zhang Xusheng’s smile, there seemed to be a hint of strange sarcasm—along with anticipation.

"Please speak clearly, Senior."

Seeing Zhang Xusheng’s expression, Xu Qingfan seemed to recall something, yet also seemed to think of nothing at all, and asked Zhang Xusheng in a low voice.

"Even though there are no real opponents in the ‘Shura Training Ground,’ when your mind is controlled, fighting against another version of yourself will still cause your Spirit Qi to flow quickly, consuming a lot of it."

Zhang Xusheng said with a cheerful smile, his eyes sparkling with an indescribable light, and the sarcasm and anticipation became even stronger.

"So what?"

"The ‘Azure Crystal Treasure House’ is a very strange world, without skies or ground, and no Spirit Qi. We can only rely on the Spirit Qi we have gathered to perform flying techniques, floating in this starry sky. The Spirit Qi used for floating is very little, and if we were on the ‘Shenzhou Continent,’ we would recover faster. But here in the ‘Azure Crystal Treasure House,’ we cannot replenish our Spirit Qi; if we can’t leave, we will be trapped here for six hundred years. Even a small amount of Spirit Qi accumulated over six hundred years can become a terrifying number. Although we are among the top experts in the world, we can only maintain this floating state for a little over a hundred years without being able to recover Spirit Qi, while others will last even less time. The only way to replenish Spirit Qi, those pills, have also been mostly used up in the past days."

As he spoke, the smile on Zhang Xusheng’s face grew even brighter.

"Tell me, in such a situation, in such desperation, what will those masters do when they realize that their Spirit Qi is constantly depleting, about to run out, and they are on the brink of dying deep inside the ‘Azure Crystal Treasure House,’ with no means of self-preservation in this dangerous ‘Azure Crystal Treasure House’… When that time comes, those masters, whether they are righteous or evil, what will they do?"

As Zhang Xusheng spoke, Xu Qingfan felt a jolt in his heart, but he still kept a calm face and slowly said, "At that time, we masters who look down from above will be like the starving people in the world, after being hungry for a long time. All principles, kindness, and friendship will no longer exist. In our eyes, there will be only food. For just a little bit of food, we could mercilessly kill our dear friends from yesterday, as long as those friends are fighting us for food, or have food that can fill our hunger."

"Then tell me, what is this so-called ‘food’?"

"The elixirs and treasures in other people’s hands that can replenish Spirit Qi, or even… the Spirit Qi and Nascent Soul inside other people."

As these words were spoken, Zhang Xusheng’s smile deepened, while Xu Qingfan grew colder. Liu Ziqing and Wang Zegang, however, turned pale, watching the masters in the distance who were discussing amongst themselves or taking pills to recover their Spirit Qi, their eyes filled with vigilance.

Zhang Xusheng said with a smile, "So, don’t go to the ‘Shura Training Realm’ anymore. Save some Spirit Qi to protect yourself when those former comrades come at you fiercely. It will be more meaningful to save the Spirit Qi we have now for that time."

The smile on Zhang Xusheng’s face was surprisingly cold.

Xu Qingfan became more silent. He exchanged a glance with Liu Ziqing and Wang Zegang, then bowed to Zhang Xusheng to say goodbye, before flying off into the distance.

Flying several miles away, Xu Qingfan looked at Liu Ziqing and Wang Zegang, whose faces were changing, and asked, "What do you think we should do?"

Wang Zegang hesitated and said, "We have the ‘World Crafting Cauldron’…"

However, before Wang Zegang could finish his words, he fell silent.

Holding on to such a treasure is a true burden, a truth that has existed throughout history. If the ‘World Crafting Cauldron’ is used to open the "Azure Crystal Treasure House," others may be saved, but those who possess the ‘World Crafting Cauldron,’ like Xu Qingfan, will only end up dying faster—unless they are willing to give the ‘World Crafting Cauldron’ to someone else, like Immortal Zizhen or Zhang Xusheng. Otherwise, they will be killed quickly by Immortal Zizhen and Mr. Liu alongside their powerful followers.

Xu Qingfan sighed and said, "Let’s wait for Mr. Liu."

As Xu Qingfan’s words faded, Mr. Liu and Immortal Zizhen silently appeared around the "Shura Training Realm," looking just as pale as the others.

Clearly, even these two top figures in the world had met with a terrible defeat in their battle.