Volume 2 Chapter 10

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Volume 2 Chapter 10: Southern Wasteland

The so-called immortals breathe the wind and drink the dew, wandering in the morning to the North Sea and returning to the mountains by evening. This description of a cultivator was something Xu Qingfan saw in a book while studying with the Second Elder as a child.

These words describe a cultivator’s abilities as incredibly mysterious, but in fact, it is just the imagination of ordinary people. Humans can become exhausted, and although a cultivator’s abilities are wondrous, they are essentially just stronger humans. How could they possibly achieve the feat of "wandering the North Sea in the morning and returning to the mountains by night"? Perhaps masters who reach the Mahayana Stage can do this, but counting the history of the Immortal Realm, how many masters have truly reached the Mahayana Stage?

The path of cultivation is long and arduous, and progress is increasingly difficult as one advances. Reaching the rare Mahayana Stage requires exceptional talent, diligent effort, and rare opportunities, all of which are essential. But how many cultivators can possess all three?

When Lu Huayan took Xu Qingfan from the Southern Wasteland to Jiuhua Mountain, it took him an entire day and night, and Xu Qingfan’s current power cannot be compared to Lu Huayan’s then. Even with the help of the "Three Meters Green Silk," it took him a full seven days to reach the edge of the Southern Wasteland.

Although after reaching the Lingji Stage, Xu Qingfan’s Spirit Qi within has become substantial, thick and pure, constantly resonating and replenishing with the elements of the world, traveling nonstop for seven days left him feeling as if his Spirit Qi was depleted, and his mental fatigue was worse than physical.

However, Xu Qingfan cannot worry about these things now. He stands quietly on the "Three Meters Green Silk," hovering over the edge of the Southern Wasteland, his gaze filled with complex emotions as he looks out towards the wasteland.

People say that when you stand high, you see farther. But even though Xu Qingfan stands hundreds of feet in the air, the Southern Wasteland still seems boundless, with layer upon layer of barren mountains stretching to the horizon.

Heaven seems to have showered all its blessings on the flourishing Middle-earth, where the climate is mild and the land fertile, filled with plains and hills. In contrast, the Southern Wasteland appears to have received none of heaven’s favors; the land is barren, with swamps, poisonous insects, mist, and wild beasts, a desolate and inhospitable land. Traveling from the prosperous Middle-earth, the contrast with the Southern Wasteland is even more stark.

Yet strangely, upon seeing the Southern Wasteland, Xu Qingfan feels a deep sense of closeness. Perhaps because it was once his home, or maybe because it holds the memories of his childhood.

After hovering silently in mid-air for a long time, Xu Qingfan sighed with a complex mix of emotions. He guided the "Three Meters Green Silk" to slowly descend, landing on a patch of land where only a few sparse weeds grew, looking even more desolate under the autumn sunset.

Xu Qingfan resisted the urge to bend down and touch the ground. Instead, he carefully placed several spirit stones in a specific order to create a basic protective array for security. He then stepped inside the array and activated it, causing a soft white light to appear, surrounding him within a three-foot radius. Afterward, he sat down cross-legged to meditate and restore the excessively consumed Spirit Qi within him.

The Southern Wasteland is fraught with danger, teeming with demon beasts and other creatures. Even though Xu Qingfan was only at the edge of the Southern Wasteland, he dared not let his guard down, especially during meditation when one’s mind is empty, leaving no means of defense against approaching threats. Despite the limitations of his skills and the number of spirit stones, Xu Qingfan could only set up a most basic protective array, but it would still give him enough time to prepare should danger arise, particularly since he was only on the periphery of the Southern Wasteland, where no extremely powerful demon beasts would appear.

Before entering a meditative state, Xu Qingfan carefully checked the array he had set up one more time. Once he was sure there were no issues, he finally closed his eyes slowly and began to meditate.

Cultivators lose all sense of time while meditating, and because Xu Qingfan had traveled non-stop to get here, his Spirit Qi had been heavily depleted. As a result, this session of meditation unknowingly lasted three days.

Three days later, Xu Qingfan felt that his Spirit Qi had completely recovered, so he ended his meditation and slowly opened his eyes. Before him lay the scene of another sunset, with the entire Southern Wasteland bathed in the golden glow of twilight, adding an aura of mystery.

But what Xu Qingfan saw startled him. Surrounding the outside of his protective array, a dense group of strange-looking beasts had gathered, filling the space without him knowing. There were black wolves, black tigers, and black pythons, while many black eagles soared overhead. The land around him seemed enveloped in blackness, encircling Xu Qingfan tightly, with eyes emitting eerie lights fixed intently on him.

Strangely enough, Xu Qingfan, who had grown up in the Southern Wasteland, had never seen these black beasts before. Moreover, after surrounding Xu Qingfan, these strange beasts didn’t attack directly as they typically would; instead, they just encircled him tightly. Different kinds of beasts, though varying in type, coexisted harmoniously, subtly forming formations as if controlled by an invisible hand.

"Could it be… the Blood Wolves?" Xu Qingfan peered through the protective array, examining the various beasts around him, finally identifying the creature closest to him. The black wolf he saw, if reduced to half its size, with its black fur turned green and the purple-blue flame mark on its forehead removed, was the very image of the Blood Wolves that once roamed the Southern Wasteland when Xu Qingfan was a child.

"Fierce Tiger, Horn Python, Iron Feathered Eagle, how have they all changed like this?" After recognizing the Blood Wolf, Xu Qingfan quickly identified the other beasts and was shocked by their startling transformation. These creatures, once feared predators, now had black fur, doubled in size, and a strange purple-blue flame mark on their foreheads.

"What on earth happened here after I left the Southern Wasteland?" Xu Qingfan wondered in alarm.

When Xu Qingfan stood up, the animals surrounding him stirred with unease but soon calmed down. The beasts parted to create a path, and a tall, dark-skinned man appeared, walking slowly toward Xu Qingfan. The fierce beasts seemed as tame as house cats in the man’s presence, bowing down in reverence as he approached.

Seeing this, Xu Qingfan understood that these strange animals were under the control of this mysterious man.

As the man drew near, Xu Qingfan noticed he too had a vibrant purple-blue flame mark on his forehead, more vivid than those on the beasts, as if a real flame flickered there. Despite lacking any Spirit Qi, the man exuded a menacing aura that inspired fear.

The mysterious man stopped in front of Xu Qingfan, staring coldly without introducing himself. Left with no choice, Xu Qingfan spoke first, "I am Xu Qingfan, a cultivator from Jiuhua Mountain. May I ask who you are and why you command these beasts to surround me?"

Unsure whether this man was friend or foe and sensing no overt hostility, Xu Qingfan hesitated to dismiss his protective barrier.

"Leave here. The Southern Wasteland is the Holy Land of the Jiuli tribe," the man finally spoke, his voice low and rasping, with an unsettling yet captivating tone, as if unused to speaking for a long time.

Hearing this, Xu Qingfan frowned slightly and said, "I grew up in the Southern Wasteland. Although I haven’t come back for nearly thirty years, my impression was that the Southern Wasteland did not belong to any single tribe or family."

"Leave this place, the Southern Wasteland is the Holy Land of the Jiuli tribe," the mysterious figure said stubbornly, ignoring Xu Qingfan’s words entirely.

"I have urgent matters in the Southern Wasteland and cannot return now," Xu Qingfan replied, frowning at the figure’s indifferent and cold eyes.

"Leave this place, the Southern Wasteland is the Holy Land of the Jiuli tribe," the voice remained deep and hoarse, but now carried a hint of anger, making Xu Qingfan feel that perhaps the person in front of him had feelings after all.

Listening to the mysterious figure’s repeated commands, even someone as patient as Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but feel a little angry. Though this person was incredibly strange and could control countless bizarre beasts, Xu Qingfan was not afraid. So he said calmly, "I have some ties to settle in the Southern Wasteland, so I will not change my mind and leave. However, maybe you will change your mind."

Just when Xu Qingfan thought the mysterious figure would repeat themselves again, the figure merely shot Xu Qingfan a cold glance. Xu Qingfan felt a flash of purple-blue light from the figure’s eyes. Then, without saying anything further, the figure turned and silently retraced their steps.

As the mysterious figure vanished into the vast herd of beasts, a cold voice lingered in the air.

"Obey! Or, die!"

As the voice faded, the strange beasts that had been lying quietly around all stood up, roaring as they leaped towards the protective formation Xu Qingfan had set up.