Volume 2 Chapter 29
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Volume 2 Chapter 29: Right or Wrong
"Should I call you Naxiu now, or should I call you Xu Lin?"
Hearing Xu Qingfan’s question, Naxiu’s stumbling steps suddenly halted, then he slowly turned to stare at Xu Qingfan. The madness in his eyes withdrew, leaving his expression uncertain and questioning, as he asked, "Who are you? How do you know my former name?"
Hearing Naxiu’s words, Xu Qingfan’s heart sank, as if he had fallen into an endless abyss. Naxiu’s acknowledgment was a confirmation that he was indeed Xu Lin. Xu Qingfan felt a faint heaviness in his chest, as if a dream in his heart had suddenly shattered, and a long-held hope had vanished.
However, Xu Qingfan also noticed a hint of deep fear in Naxiu’s words, as if he was also afraid of facing his past.
"Logically, after becoming a cultivator, my appearance hasn’t changed much. Could it be that the magical pearl not only altered your demeanor but also changed your memory?" Xu Qingfan quietly gazed into Naxiu’s eyes and slowly spoke.
Upon hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Naxiu’s body trembled. The eyes that were once full of doubt turned wild again when Xu Qingfan mentioned the "magic pearl." Ignoring Xu Qingfan, he turned and continued to pounce on Xuan Xian.
Seeing Naxiu’s state, Xu Qingfan sighed slightly, feeling more disheartened. He hadn’t expected the magic pearl to be so important to Naxiu. If a person cannot maintain their true nature, then what is the use of gaining great power? Would they still be themselves?
"Do not oppress because of strength, do not kneel because of low status. Seek only freedom and peace of mind, that’s all." Xu Qingfan sighed softly, ignoring Naxiu’s continued rush forward, and began to recite with a hint of nostalgia.
This line was the creed of the Xu family. The ancestors of the Xu family couldn’t bear the chaos and disputes of Middle-earth, nor could they tolerate its strict hierarchy and oppression. Knowing they couldn’t change it, they led their people to the edge of the Southern Wasteland to establish Xu Family Village. Though far from the bustling world, they lived contentedly and freely. They inscribed this vow and hung it in the main hall of Xu Family Village. The descendants of the Xu family would recite it three times each morning before practicing martial arts. Thus, all Xu family members were deeply impressed by these words.
Xu Qingfan knew that even if Naxiu was changed by the magic pearl or lost his sanity, he could not possibly forget this sentence.
Sure enough, as Xu Qingfan’s voice resonated, Naxiu’s body immediately halted again as he rushed towards Xuan Xian. He slowly turned to look at Xu Qingfan, his expression filled with pain, veins visibly pulsing. He was clearly struggling between sanity and madness.
Finally, Naxiu’s expression began to calm down, and his demeanor returned to the initial gloom, though his eyes remained full of suspicion, fixedly staring at Xu Qingfan. Slowly, he spoke, "Who are you?"
Upon hearing Naxiu’s words, Xu Qingfan felt disheartened. His appearance had not changed much in the past twenty-seven years, but although Naxiu still remembered the Xu family creed, he had forgotten him.
Perhaps, in Xu Lin’s eyes back then, he was just an unworthy cousin, eye-catching yet insignificant.
Just when Xu Qingfan thought that Naxiu had forgotten him, Naxiu’s eyes suddenly lit up, and he pointed at Xu Qingfan, slowly saying, "Old Nine! You are Old Nine! You’re not dead?"
After carefully examining him, Naxiu finally recognized Xu Qingfan. However, Naxiu’s eyes were filled with hatred as he spoke, showing no joy at the reunion of long-lost kin.
"Yes, it’s me, Cousin Xu Lin," Xu Qingfan admitted quietly. Back in the Xu Family Village, Xu Qingfan was ranked ninth, so the Xu family called him Old Nine.
Naxiu scrutinized Xu Qingfan for a few moments and laughed bitterly, "Very well, very well, the most useless Old Nine didn’t die and even became a cultivator. And as soon as he appears, he joins other cultivators to ruin my plans."
Hearing the hatred-filled words from Naxiu, Xu Qingfan didn’t know what to say and remained silent.
Seeing Xu Qingfan’s silence, the resentment in Naxiu’s eyes flared even more intensely, "Do you think becoming a cultivator is so impressive? Do you think becoming a cultivator allows you to seek revenge on me?"
Watching Naxiu’s expression grow more menacing, Xu Qingfan finally spoke slowly, "Cousin Xu Lin, although you used to push me to train and often scolded me in public, I don’t hate you, I really don’t. I know you were trying to help me. You were also one of the people I respected the most. Your decisiveness and courage are qualities I still can’t measure up to, even today."
At this point, Xu Qingfan paused, then continued sadly, "This time, I truly didn’t know in advance that you were the one who obtained the Magic Pearl. I didn’t intend to oppose you. But even if I had known, I would have still stopped you. You were wrong this time. You shouldn’t harm the Southern Wasteland with the Magic Pearl. So, I must stop you. But I don’t blame you. I know the Magic Pearl has changed you."
"I was wrong? How was I wrong?" Naxiu’s eyes filled with even more hatred at Xu Qingfan’s words. "You got lucky, you must have been taken as a disciple by some cultivator shortly after we parted, right? But do you know how we fled? Do you know how we had to stay on edge every night to prevent wild beasts from attacking? Do you know we had to share only three wild fruits among over ten brothers every day? Do you know what the other clans of the Southern Wasteland did when they discovered the Xu Family Village was destroyed? They coveted the Xu family’s martial arts, banded together to hunt us down. Half of our brothers were killed by them, the other half starved, fell ill, or were eaten by beasts, watching our brothers die in front of our eyes, have you experienced that? You know nothing! In the end, I was the only one left, surviving only because the Jiuli tribe took me in. From birth till now, what has the Southern Wasteland given me besides fear and despair? Why shouldn’t I ruin it?" Naxiu became more and more emotional as he spoke, eventually shouting his words.
Upon hearing Naxiu’s words, Xu Qingfan remained silent, feeling even more sorrowful in his heart. Naxiu’s words not only startled him but also filled him with sadness. According to Naxiu, now the entire Xu family consisted of only the two of them. Soon, it would likely be just him alone.
"I’m telling you, I seek revenge. I want to kill all living things at the edge of the Southern Wasteland. I’ve had this thought long before obtaining the Eye of the Demon God! Why should the Southern Wasteland harm me while I cannot harm the Southern Wasteland? Even without the Eye of the Demon God, as long as I have the power, I will surely pay back the suffering I endured twice over to the Southern Wasteland!" Naxiu’s expression grew more ferocious, his eyes were faintly red with resentment, and he roared at Xu Qingfan.
Hearing Naxiu’s roar, sighs echoed from the sky.
So it was, Naxiu stood before Xu Qingfan, continually shouting while Xu Qingfan remained silent, quietly listening to Naxiu’s outburst. Everything seemed to return to twenty-seven years ago when Naxiu was called Xu Lin, and Xu Qingfan was called Xu Fan. Back then, Xu Lin would also shout at Xu Fan like this, frustrated at his lack of progress, while Xu Fan would bow his head and quietly accept the lesson.
But now, Xu Qingfan was no longer the Xu Fan of twenty-seven years ago, and he had his own convictions.
"You are still wrong." After Naxiu finished roaring, Xu Qingfan said softly, "Back then, only a few clans from the Southern Wasteland decided to hunt you down, while many others were innocent, and many weren’t even born at the time. Why do you want to wipe them out? The numerous cultivators who come to the Southern Wasteland for training owe you nothing, so why do you want to use the demon pearl to turn them into your demon soldiers? And after wreaking havoc in the Southern Wasteland, what do you plan to do next? Judging by what you said about conquering the world, are you planning to wreak havoc in Middle-earth too? Do you intend to harm even more people?" After asking all this, Xu Qingfan slowly said, "Cousin, a person’s life cannot be full of resentment alone. Your words earlier were just excuses you made for yourself, you merely want to vent the hatred in your heart."
Hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Naxiu was slightly taken aback, as if his thoughts had been seen through by Xu Qingfan. Then he laughed in anger, saying, "Very well, Old Nine, you’ve grown up enough to lecture me now. Let’s see if you have what it takes to teach me a lesson."
With that, Naxiu exhausted the remaining demonic energy in his body, conjuring a black long sword in his hand. He then lunged at Xu Qingfan, but his form staggered due to his severe injuries. His internal demonic energy had been severely depleted, so the black sword was far less sturdy and sharp than before, unable to even solidify into a tangible object, just shaping his demonic energy into the form of a sword.
Watching Naxiu charge at him in anger and shame, Xu Qingfan sighed slightly, but his gaze quickly turned resolute. He conjured a Blade Grass at his fingertips and rushed to meet Naxiu. Like Naxiu, his steps were unsteady, for his internal injuries were also severe.
Watching Naxiu charge at Xu Qingfan, Xuan Xian was about to step forward to stop it, but then he saw the determined look in Xu Qingfan’s eyes. Silently, he withdrew his half-cast spell, just preparing to step in and save him if Xu Qingfan was in danger.
After a whole night of intense fighting, the sky began to lighten slightly, and the battle in the Southern Wasteland was nearing its end. But at this moment, two people who could hardly stand, two individuals who were related by blood yet faced different fates, each held a sharp blade and rushed towards each other for their beliefs.
Strike, thrust, swing, slash, every move was martial art passed down through generations of the Xu family. Both Xu Qingfan and Naxiu didn’t use spells or magic in their duel because their Spirit Qi and demonic energy were already exhausted. Also, as members of the Xu family, they could only rely on their family’s martial techniques in battle.
The cold morning wind also became stern and chilling during this duel.
To a cultivator, martial techniques might seem trivial and insignificant. The unsteady footsteps of Xu Qingfan and Naxiu made the battle appear less impressive. Yet, all the cultivators present couldn’t help but be drawn to the battle. Accustomed to fighting from afar with spells and artifacts, they might never understand the near-death moments in martial combat, but it didn’t stop them from feeling the battle’s fierce intensity.
Both Xu Qingfan and Naxiu, drained of physical strength and spirit, could not defend effectively. Blood sprayed as they struck each other, but neither paid any heed to their wounds. Their eyes remained fixed on each other’s moves, whether attacking or defending.
And so, they fought silently, not crying out in pain from their injuries, nor shouting when their weapons struck the other. They battled fiercely and heroically. Nearly a hundred cultivators above and below watched silently, knowing they could not interfere at this moment.
The silence made the battle even more intense.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, a startled scream broke the calm of the scene. Xu Xiurong, worried because Xu Qingfan had not returned to the "Sky Melting Curtain," ran out to find him, only to see Xu Qingfan engaged in a fierce fight with Naxiu. Both Xu Qingfan and Naxiu were covered in blood, causing her to let out a scream.
Seeing the situation, Xu Xiurong instinctively prepared to use her magic to help Xu Qingfan, but Xuan Xian, standing nearby, stopped her with a hand. Seeing Xu Xiurong’s anxious and puzzled expression, Xuan Xian merely shook his head silently and continued to watch the battle between Xu Qingfan and Naxiu intently.
The fight continued quietly and brutally, with blood occasionally splattering, but Xu Qingfan and Naxiu kept their eyes locked on each other without flinching. After some time, Naxiu stumbled over the corpse of a demon soldier, giving Xu Qingfan the chance to pierce towards Naxiu’s chest with his Blade Grass.
Initially, Xu Qingfan thought Naxiu would use a move to turn defense into attack, as they had done twenty-seven years ago, but Naxiu only looked at Xu Qingfan with a complex expression, sighed softly, and silently watched as Xu Qingfan’s weapon moved toward his chest, making no attempt to block it.
Then, Xu Qingfan’s Blade Grass pierced Naxiu’s chest, splattering Xu Qingfan’s face with blood. In that moment, perhaps because the blood entered Xu Qingfan’s eyes, he saw the blood from Naxiu’s chest expanding in his vision until it seemed the whole world turned into a beautiful yet eerie red.
After Blade Grass pierced Naxiu’s heart, his face showed no resentment or despair, but instead, a hint of relief, like someone tired for a long time finally finding rest.
As the blood continually flowed from Naxiu’s chest, the black sword in his hand dissolved into dark mist and scattered into the air. Naxiu looked at Xu Qingfan, smiling weakly, and said, "If I have to die, I’d rather it be by your hand."