Volume 2 Chapter 33

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Volume 2 Chapter 33: Aftermath

"Taoist Friend Xu, we must leave now."

As Xu Qingfan watched Bao Wei and the others leave, slightly dazed, Xuan Xian suddenly spoke up beside him.

"Take care, esteemed ones, until we meet again," Xu Qingfan said hurriedly, bowing after hearing Xuan Xian’s words.

Xuan Xian nodded and smiled, "You must be careful too, that Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast is not to be underestimated."

"Thank you for your concern, Venerable Xuan Xian," Xu Qingfan said, bowing once more.

Beside them, Xuan Xiu, who had been silent since his arrival, quietly watched Xu Qingfan, his expression subtly changing, and said, "Taoist Friend Xu, before we part, I have some words to share, deep words despite our shallow acquaintance, please do not mind."

"Please go ahead, Venerable Xuan Xiu," Xu Qingfan said respectfully, a bit surprised by Xuan Xiu’s words.

"The Taoist friend has a kind nature, is clever and brave, and has cultivated remarkable skills for someone of this age. Among the young generation in the cultivation world, he is truly outstanding." At this point, Naxiu paused slightly, then continued, "However, from observing the Taoist friend’s actions over the past three days, I find them lacking in decisiveness, and his nature seems somewhat soft. He is overly cautious about unnecessary matters and often holds back during battles. Such a character is very disadvantageous to the Taoist friend, whether in dealings or cultivation. One must understand that the world is full of dangers, and the cultivation world is not peaceful or safe. If the Taoist friend’s heart is too gentle, even without a desire for conflict, he may still fall victim to those who do seek it."

"The same holds true for cultivation. Cultivating immortality is essentially about cultivating the heart. The path to eternal life is elusive, and without a determined and decisive nature, and a focused mind unwavering in its dedication to practice, significant progress is hard to achieve. I have observed that, although the Taoist friend’s aptitude is not particularly outstanding, he has reached this level of cultivation likely through a fortunate encounter. But if his mindset remains indecisive and overly cautious, the slim chance of achieving the great path due to fortuitous opportunities will become even harder to grasp. That’s all I have to say; it is up to the Taoist friend to consider further."

Hearing Xuan Xiu’s words, Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but feel a jolt in his heart. Reflecting on his years of cultivating immortality, he indeed realized that he had been distracted by various concerns and emotions. Many times that should have been spent on training were instead used for reading or idle thoughts. Whether it was the sect’s grand competition seven years ago or the battles in the Southern Wasteland in recent days, he had often nearly gotten hurt due to his gentle nature and reluctance to cause more harm. Hence, Xuan Xiu’s words truly resonated with Xu Qingfan.

However, Xu Qingfan couldn’t fully agree with Xuan Xiu’s view. According to Xuan Xiu, in pursuit of the eternal path, one must set aside everything and focus solely on cultivation. While the eternal path is what Xu Qingfan desires, he hopes to do things he enjoys within the scope of his life rather than give up everything for an elusive eternity. For Xu Qingfan, cultivation is a means to challenge himself and gain more lifespan, but gaining more lifespan isn’t solely to continue cultivating. Giving up everything for immortality seems too unimpressive given the long life of a cultivator. His master Lu Huayan’s experiences spoke volumes; despite exhausting efforts for immortality and suffering mentally, it ended in vain. Although he lived nearly a thousand years longer than ordinary people, his happiness was considerably less.

As for Xuan Xiu’s comment on his overly soft nature, Xu Qingfan had no retort. He had vaguely realized this aspect earlier, though not as clearly as Xuan Xiu stated. He had learned many lessons due to this flaw. But even being aware of his weakness, changing a personality formed over decades is not something one can do in a few words. He could only be more mindful in the future.

While Xu Qingfan did not entirely agree with some of Xuan Xiu’s statements, he still felt deeply moved by them. Since entering the Lingji Stage, perhaps due to Lu Huayan’s remark that his highest achievement this lifetime could only reach the late stage of the Lingji Stage, Xu Qingfan had indeed become more lax in his practice compared to the past. Thus, Xu Qingfan decided that after resolving worldly affairs and returning to the mountain, he would spend more time on cultivation. One should not declare defeat without having tried. He still wanted to see if he could break through to the Condensed Core Stage.

So, Xu Qingfan respectfully bowed to Xuan Xiu and said, "Thank you, Venerable One, for your guidance, which greatly moves the younger generation."

Xuan Xiu waved his hand and said plainly, "There is no need for the Taoist friend to blame this humble monk for speaking bluntly."

"I wouldn’t dare."

At this moment, Xuan Xian interjected, saying, "Taoist Friend Xuan Xiu, it’s time for us to return now."

Seeing Xuan Xiu nod, Xuan Xian turned to Xu Qingfan and said, "After parting today, who knows when we will meet again, please take good care, Taoist Friend Xu." With that, Xuan Xian glanced at Ting’er, who had been quietly standing beside Xu Qingfan, seeming to want to say something, but hesitated slightly and stayed silent.

Then, under Xu Qingfan’s gaze, over ten cultivators from Penance Valley flew northward one after another, riding clouds, standing in mid-air, or stepping on ethereal haze, with speed not inferior to Bao Wei’s earlier pace.

Watching the departing figures from Penance Valley, Xu Qingfan sighed. By now the Barbarian village lay in ruins, countless demon soldiers and mutated beasts had been slain by the cultivators, and with sunlight pouring down from the sky, the fierce battle from three nights ago felt like nothing more than a distant, surreal dream.

Turning to Ting’er, the only person remaining by his side, Xu Qingfan found her silently gazing at him. Except for the time three days ago when she called Xu Lin "father" upon his death, she hadn’t spoken a word. Ting’er obediently did whatever Xu Qingfan asked of her, but no matter what he said, she would only look at him silently, as if imprinting his image in her mind, yet uttering not a single word.

"Ting’er must surely hate me for killing her father now," thought Xu Qingfan, sighing once more, and said to her, "Ting’er, let’s go pay respects to your father, and then we shall leave."

Hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, a complex emotion flickered in Ting’er’s cool eyes—part fear, part sorrow, part anticipation, but she still said nothing, merely following Xu Qingfan silently to the place where her father had died.

In the vast open space of the Barbarian village, Xu Lin’s grave sat quietly in its center, with a tombstone inscribed "Grave of Naxiu, Chieftain of the Jiuli tribe." Xu Qingfan had initially intended to write "Xu Lin" on the tombstone, but before doing so, he remembered how Xu Lin had expelled him from the Xu family, ashamed to acknowledge his origins. Hence, he decided to use the name "Naxiu," which Xu Lin had used during his time in the Jiuli tribe. Hopefully, with this name, Xu Lin could find comfort with his tribe members in the underworld.

After paying their respects at Xu Lin’s grave, recalling his cousin’s life, Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but sigh sorrowfully once again. Collecting his emotions, he then said to Ting’er, "Ting’er, let’s go."

As he spoke, "Three Meters Green Silk" transformed into a cloud of azure light, appearing beneath Xu Qingfan and Ting’er. It then swiftly carried the two of them towards the location of Xu Family Village from twenty-seven years ago.

After leaving, Ting’er took one last, deep look at her father’s grave, and only then did a clear emotion appear in her eyes. The resolute look in Ting’er’s eyes startled Xu Qingfan, who had been observing her closely.

After Xu Qingfan and Ting’er departed, the Southern Wasteland returned to its usual desolation and quiet, with only the countless corpses and Xu Lin’s tombstone gazing silently at the sky—as if they were trying to say something, or perhaps complaining about something.

Suddenly, a swirl of black mist appeared in the sky, and as it dissipated, two figures abruptly emerged above the Barbarian village.

The two figures were indistinct because of the wide collars that obscured their faces; both wore long robes of purple with golden patterns, and a few bells hung from their shoulders, ringing enchanting sounds as they moved. The purple robes had a bold red character "Ming" written on the chest. The only difference in their appearance was that the person emerging from the small tree wore a ring with the character "Chen" engraved on it, while the other person’s ring was engraved with the character "Su."

"Hmm! We were a bit too late. It seems the magic orb has already been taken by a cultivator who appeared here. Truly a pity," a laid-back voice said, though the tone did not sound very regretful.

"Hmph! There were many high-level cultivators here. Judging by the residual energy fluctuations, there was even one from the Mahayana Stage. Coming earlier wouldn’t have helped much. Although we could have retrieved the magic orb, it would have exposed our organization, making it not worth the risk. Such a pity about that magic orb," a hoarse voice continued.

Due to the overly broad collars of their robes, which covered everything below their eyes, it was impossible to tell who was speaking.

"It seems like the magic orb is my collection piece. Why do you sound more regretful than I do? The magic orb is of no use to us," the laid-back voice asked with a teasing tone.

"Hmph! I’m not regretting the lost magic orb, but regretting that it didn’t fulfill its purpose. Originally, you threw the magic orb into the Barbarian people’s village hoping they would gain its power and use it to divert the attention of the cultivators in the Middle-earth Immortal Realm to hide our actions, right? Unfortunately, these Barbarians were reckless, revealing their power too soon and being destroyed by the united cultivators before fully mastering it. What a bunch of failures!"

"Never mind, it’s just a magic orb, right? Let’s think of another way."

"That’s all we can do."

As their voices faded, a heavy black fog appeared in the sky once more. When it cleared, the two figures had vanished completely, as if they were never there.