Volume 2 Chapter 1

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Volume 2 Chapter 1: Destiny Dust

Yesterday’s events have passed; everything drifts with the wind. In the blink of an eye, seven years have swiftly gone by.

The mountain is lovelier when clouds gather and picturesque when they drift away. The presence of clouds gives the mountain a shifting light and shadow. Underneath fluffy white clouds, the rear slopes of Jiuhua Mountain are densely forested with lush green grass. Occasionally, the chirping of birds and the buzzing of cicadas can be heard. A gentle, cool breeze blows, and the mountain scenery becomes even more ethereal and distant under the warm sunlight.

Perched on the mountainside of the rear hill are two simple and elegant wooden cabins, surrounded by verdant trees and scattered with rare flowers and plants. Not far from the cabins, a prominent grave can be seen, marking Xu Qingfan’s abode in the back mountain.

Inside one of the slightly larger cabins, Xu Qingfan sits intently on Yue Qingru’s former chair, engrossed in a book titled "Strange Tales of Mountains and Seas – The Monster Chapters." He reads with great interest.

As the pages turn, suddenly, Xu Qingfan’s body slightly trembles. The look of appreciation in his eyes vanishes, leaving him staring blankly at the pages before him.

On the page, a demon beast leaps forth vividly despite the few strokes. It appears lifelike—the very same Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast that once destroyed Xu Qingfan’s homeland. Below the illustration, a few lines of small characters succinctly describe it: Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast, ferocious in nature, fond of consuming spiritual herbs. An adult stands three zhang tall, its body covered in scales and armor, impervious to blades and spears, unafraid of water and fire. It can travel a thousand miles a day, see through demons and deities, and breathe flames and ice. Its roar can shake the spirit of those who hear it.

Gazing at the Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast’s picture and description, Xu Qingfan’s thoughts involuntarily drift back twenty-seven years. At that time, due to a nearly ripe Millennium Lingzhi, the Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast leveled the entire Xu Family Village. The screams, roars, and cries, although worn by time, still echo in his ears. The scene of the Grand Elder being decapitated by the demon beast remains vivid in his memory.

The memories are fresh, yet seem distant. Perhaps the recollections haven’t changed, but maybe his state of mind has.

Looking back now, the once invincible Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast doesn’t seem so unbeatable, and the initial fear has long disappeared. All that remains is a restless desire to fulfill an old wish.

"Run, all of you! This isn’t the time for loyalty and virtue! We’ve lived long enough. Even if we get eaten by the demon beast, it wasn’t a life wasted. But you’re still young. The hope for rebuilding Xu Family Village and continuing the Xu family line rests on your shoulders. Go quickly!"

Suddenly, the last words of Second Elder before his death echoed in his mind.

"Rebuild, the Xu family lineage…" Xu Qingfan began to murmur absentmindedly.

According to Lu Huayan, the Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast is a human-level advanced demon beast, with strength comparable to a cultivator at the Lingji Stage. Now, Xu Qingfan has the strength to face it in battle. Even if he can’t win, he should still be able to escape safely.

Are the companions who fled Xu Family Village with him still alive? Twenty-seven years have passed; has Xu Family Village been rebuilt? Or have they perished in the vast Southern Wasteland? It might be time to take revenge on that Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast. Furthermore, he should now have the strength to fulfill Second Elder’s last wish.

To eliminate the Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast and avenge his people. To find any surviving members of Xu Family Village and help them rebuild their home. This idea suddenly became overwhelming.

"It seems my years of cultivation almost made me forget why I started this journey," Xu Qingfan murmured with a bitter smile.

At this point, Xu Qingfan could no longer read calmly. He knew it was time to fulfill his old wish; otherwise, he’d never be able to continue his cultivation in peace.

Thinking this, Xu Qingfan stepped out of his room and swiftly flew towards the mountains ahead on the "Three Meters Green Silk."

Time passed quietly like water while practicing, and it had already been seven years since the last internal competition. After Xu Qingfan won third place in that competition, his status changed. He could now browse various unique mystical arts in the "Scripture Pavilion" at his leisure, and each year Jiuhua Gate provided Xu Qingfan with a certain amount of spiritual medicine and spirit stones to aid his training.

However, after achieving third place in the internal competition, Xu Qingfan did not become complacent because he knew how much more there was to learn. Instead of becoming lazy due to his success, he trained even harder, as he didn’t want to hold Jiuhua Gate back in the upcoming Newcomer Competition among the Six Holy Lands. Fortune favors the diligent, and a year ago, Xu Qingfan entered the Lingji Stage. Moreover, he had refined more than half of the thousand-year-old Wood-type Qi within him, establishing a firm footing in the path of Immortality.

Initially, after reclaiming Lu Huayan’s relic, the "Three Meters Green Silk," Xu Qingfan wanted to place it beside Lu Huayan’s grave. However, since Lu Huayan was a famous guardian elder of Jiuhua Gate, he was buried in the ancestral grave, a place Xu Qingfan could not freely access. When Xu Qingfan shared his thoughts with Supreme Protector Zhou Huahai, he was reprimanded. Zhou Huahai insisted the artifact was bestowed by Jiuhua Gate for Xu Qingfan to use in the Newcomer Competition among the Six Holy Lands ten years later, not for personal use. Helpless, Xu Qingfan had to use it for now, but he secretly resolved to return the "Three Meters Green Silk" to his mentor Lu Huayan at the first opportunity.

The speed of "Three Meters Green Silk" was extremely fast, causing the scenery below to rush by. Xu Qingfan enjoyed the feeling of flying through the air, watching the vast world below, feeling free and unrestrained.

With the power of the "Three Meters Green Silk," Xu Qingfan quickly arrived at the base of the mountain ahead. He landed at a place called the "Guest Welcoming Hall."

In the moment Xu Qingfan touched down, two disciples with distinct appearances came out to greet him from the "Guest Welcoming Hall." One had a gentle and elegant demeanor, while the other was cold and serious; they were Li Yuhan and Sheng Yushan, the two "Yu" disciples. I never expected that even after all these years, they were still working here.

"Martial Uncle Xu," Li Yuhan and Sheng Yushan first looked at Xu Qingfan in surprise, amazed at his level breakthrough, and then bowed in unison to greet him.

"Nephew Li, Nephew Sheng, it’s been a long time," Xu Qingfan responded with a cupped hand salute in return.

After so many years, Xu Qingfan could now comfortably address others as "Martial Nephew." However, he knew that although the two in front of him were only "Yu" generation disciples, their strength far surpassed that of the average "Qing" generation disciples, so he did not dare to show any neglect. It had been seven years since the sect’s internal competition, and now, looking at the two of them, they had both greatly improved in skill, being only a hair’s breadth away from the Lingji Stage.

"Indeed, ever since the internal competition ended seven years ago, Martial Uncle has been secluded in the back mountain for cultivation and rarely comes to the front mountain. We wanted to seek guidance from Martial Uncle but never had the opportunity," Li Yuhan said with a smile.

"It’s not really seclusion and cultivation, just reading books and tending to flowers," Xu Qingfan replied with a gentle smile.

"Martial Uncle has refined interests, unlike us, who have to bustle about with mundane matters for the sect all day," Li Yuhan commented with a laugh.

"May I ask what brings Martial Uncle Xu to see us?" Sheng Yushan interrupted their conversation with a cool tone.

Xu Qingfan was not offended because he understood that this was just Sheng Yushan’s personality. So he said, "I intend to go down the mountain to take care of some mundane affairs. I heard from fellow sect members that these matters are under your jurisdiction, so I’ve come to register with you."

"There’s no issue with Martial Uncle Xu wanting to go down the mountain for mundane affairs, but it’s only three years until the Newcomer Comparison held by the six great Holy Lands. If Martial Uncle is away for too long, it will be hard for us to explain to the Sect Master," Li Yuhan said with a frown.

"Rest assured, I will only be away for as short as ten days or at most a year, so it won’t take too long," Xu Qingfan assured with a smile.

"Since Martial Uncle says so, then we are relieved," Li Yuhan sighed in relief.

Then, Xu Qingfan registered with Li Yuhan and Sheng Yushan and received a token representing a disciple of Jiuhua Mountain and three spiritual talismans that can summon fellow disciples in times of crisis.

After everything was settled, Xu Qingfan hesitated for a moment before flying to the back mountain. Once back in his own cave dwelling, he wrote down his whereabouts and the reason for his departure, leaving the note in his room. This was to prevent Jin Qinghan from worrying if he came looking for Xu Qingfan and found him gone. Initially, Xu Qingfan planned to inform Jin Qinghan personally at his cave, but since Jin Qinghan was in seclusion, Xu Qingfan opted to leave a note instead.

Afterward, Xu Qingfan flew to the "Herb Garden" at the front mountain to bid farewell to Martial Uncle Liu, who managed the Herb Garden. In Jiuhua Mountain, Xu Qingfan truly respected only these two people in his heart.

Having promised Martial Uncle Liu to collect seeds of rare flowers and plants after descending the mountain, Xu Qingfan finally had no more concerns and, using the "Three Meters Green Silk," flew outwards from Jiuhua Mountain.

After using a special talisman to open the great protective formation of Jiuhua Gate and flying out of Jiuhua Mountain, Xu Qingfan turned in midair to look back at Jiuhua Mountain below, feeling a mix of emotions in his heart.

Twenty-seven years ago, when Xu Qingfan had not yet started cultivating immortality, Jiuhua Mountain in his eyes was just a barren mountain. Now, Xu Qingfan was not easily deceived by such illusions. As he looked at Jiuhua Mountain again, with the great protective formation transforming into a shroud of celestial mist over the entire mountain, filled with Spirit Qi, he recalled his surprise and disappointment when he first saw Jiuhua Mountain twenty-seven years ago. Xu Qingfan suddenly felt as if a lifetime had passed.