Volume 2 Chapter 7
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Volume 2 Chapter 7: The Origin
Just as the four large Daoist youths were about to pounce on Xu Qingfan, he swiftly moved like a shadow, slipping through a gap to avoid their attack. The four collided with each other with a dull thud, rolling on the ground and knocking over chairs. The room dimmed as most of the lights went out.
To Xu Qingfan’s surprise, the four quickly stood up again, as if they felt no pain, and leaped towards him once more.
Seeing this, Xu Qingfan furrowed his brows slightly and pointed at them, commanding softly, "Steady!"
To Xu Qingfan’s further astonishment, despite being hit by the spell meant to freeze their souls, they merely paused briefly before continuing their charge.
Could it be that the Taoist spell had no effect on them? Xu Qingfan was taken aback and pointed again, shouting, "Freeze!"
Finally, this time the "Freeze Spell" worked. The four Daoist youths were frozen in midair and then dropped heavily to the ground, unable to move.
Relieved that they were still affected by the Taoist arts, Xu Qingfan relaxed slightly. Suddenly, sensing movement behind him, he reacted with a cold snort, summoning a Blade Grass with his fingertips to swat at the unseen threat. The clash of metal resounded, yet it caused no harm to the attacker.
Turning around, Xu Qingfan saw the dark blue wolfdog that had been lying quietly at Immortal Master Li’s feet, now crouching before him with a menacing glare. It had crept up behind him while Xu Qingfan was focused on the Daoist youths, aiming for a lethal strike. Yet Xu Qingfan’s keen senses allowed him to repel it in time. However, the wolfdog seemed to be a strange breed, only marked with a white scratch from the Blade Grass.
"It seems that Immortal Master Li was able to track me not because he could see through my ‘Invisibility Spell’, but because of this wolfdog," Xu Qingfan thought silently as he eyed the unusual creature.
"Are you also someone who practices the way of immortals?" Immortal Master Li finally asked, sensing the subtle pressure that Xu Qingfan exuded, knowing that the person before him was far more powerful. His voice carried a hint of panic, quite unlike the demeanor of an esteemed immortal figure.
Xu Qingfan did not respond to Immortal Master Li’s question. Instead, he crouched down to examine the four young disciples, only to find they were not disciples at all but four zombies dressed in disciple attire! These zombies seemed to have undergone refinement, making their bodies far stronger than before.
"Spirit Control Object?" Xu Qingfan murmured softly. The technique used on these refined zombies clearly matched methods of the Spirit Purging Cult for crafting a "Spirit Control Object." Xu Qingfan found it peculiar since members of the Spirit Purging Cult usually refine a new "Spirit Control Object" only after merging with one. Controlling multiple at once was often ineffective. Why would Immortal Master Li do this? Had his master not informed him of these practices? He not only refined four zombies as "Spirit Control Objects," but even the strange wolf-dog must be one as well.
After observing the zombies, Xu Qingfan turned and coldly glared at Immortal Master Li, paying no attention to the fearsome wolf-dog behind him, and asked plainly, "Are you a disciple of the Spirit Purging Cult?"
Hearing the words "Spirit Purging," Immortal Master Li’s eyes involuntarily twitched slightly. Ignoring Zhang Hai and Zhang Hu’s bewildered expressions, he feigned a grin and said, "I am indeed Li Zongren of the Spirit Purging Cult. May I ask from which sect you are, taoist friend? It would be good to establish some friendly ties."
"Friendly ties? Practitioners of immortality should not appear in the mortal world freely, nor should they harm mortals with their powers. Don’t you know these rules?" Xu Qingfan asked softly.
Although Xu Qingfan’s voice was gentle, the faint pressure he emitted caused cold sweat to form on Immortal Master Li’s forehead, prompting him to say, "I have never harmed a mortal!"
"Then what about the former master of the Zhang family and those elders? Should I find someone to confront you?" Xu Qingfan asked with a frown.
With Xu Qingfan’s words, Immortal Master Li knew he could not hide the truth and had to admit, "Well… I’m new to the world outside the temple and not well-versed in these rules. Please, taoist friend, spare me this time for the sake of the Spirit Purging Cult. I assure you of generous gratitude in the future."
"According to the rules of the cultivation world, if one casually uses Taoist spells to harm mortals in the secular world, their powers should be revoked. Although you claim ignorance, I cannot allow a mere ‘I didn’t know’ to break the thousands of years of rules in the cultivation world," Xu Qingfan said, his expression remaining completely unchanged, speaking in a calm tone.
Hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Immortal Master Li realized things wouldn’t end peacefully. He then put away his sycophantic demeanor and said sternly yet with a hint of fear, "Taoist friend, I have some connections in the Spirit Purging Cult, and the elders are quite fond of me. If you intend to harm me today, it might strain the relationship between our factions, so I hope you’ll reconsider."
Immortal Master Li thought Xu Qingfan might show some concern after hearing his words, but to his surprise, Xu Qingfan’s expression turned into one of astonishment and amusement, as if he had heard something very funny.
Seeing the change in Xu Qingfan’s expression, Immortal Master Li grew anxious and added quickly, "I’ve collected many precious materials in the mortal world this time. If you let me go, I’m willing to share half with you."
But Xu Qingfan suddenly smiled and asked, "Is this your first offense?"
"Absolutely, it’s my first time. I’ve only been away from the mountain for a short two years," Immortal Master Li hurriedly assured.
"Well, since it’s your first offense, I’ll let it slide this time, as if nothing happened. Otherwise, it would be hard for me to explain to my sect. You know, my master Lu Huayan and your faction’s Martial Uncle Lu Songtian are quite close. But you must promise not to repeat this."
Hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Immortal Master Li breathed a small sigh of relief and smiled, "Thank you, Taoist friend. I will be sure to inform Martial Uncle Lu Songtian of your kindness once I return to the mountain."
Upon hearing Immortal Master Li’s words, a strange smile appeared on Xu Qingfan’s face, and he asked softly, "Are you really from the Spirit Purging Cult?"
"Of course, I am from the Spirit Purging Cult, how could it be false?" Upon hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Immortal Master Li’s previously relaxed expression grew tense again as he hurriedly spoke.
"It seems there are some things you are unaware of," Xu Qingfan said calmly.
"What things?" Immortal Master Li felt a sense of unease rising in his heart and quickly asked.
"The Spirit Purging Cult, due to its rampant behavior thousands of years ago, incurred the wrath of the Immortal Realm and was collectively expelled by various sects to secluded islands in the East Sea. They haven’t returned to Middle-earth for thousands of years. May I ask how you claim your connection to Jiuhua Mountain? The Spirit Purging Cult has been in hiding on those islands for three thousand years, so what mountain is this ‘descending from’ that you mentioned?" Xu Qingfan asked with a faint smile. "As for Lüt Songtian, that was a name I made up. Does such a person truly exist in your Spirit Purging Cult?"
"This…" Stunned by Xu Qingfan’s question, Immortal Master Li was at a loss for words, clearly unaware of these things.
"Who exactly are you, and how do you know the ancient ways of the Spirit Purging Cult from thousands of years ago? Please speak truthfully," Xu Qingfan said calmly.
"Since you have already seen through my lies, I can only tell the truth," Immortal Master Li said dejectedly, "In fact, I am…"
Just as Immortal Master Li was midway through his words, an unexpected change occurred.
The dark cyan wolf dog, which had been quietly subdued after being repelled by Xu Qingfan, suddenly sprang up again, lunging at Xu Qingfan from behind. At the same time, dozens of dark cyan bats swooped down from the ceiling, flapping their wings and quickly biting at Xu Qingfan, clearly controlled by Immortal Master Li’s ‘Spirit Control Objects’. In an instant, Xu Qingfan’s field of vision was filled with dark cyan. Meanwhile, Immortal Master Li, who had been behaving so obediently moments before, swiftly made his escape out the door as the bats and wolf dog attacked Xu Qingfan.
"Hmph…!" Xu Qingfan let out a cold snort. Although the sudden turn of events surprised him, his mind remained calm. He swiftly dodged the attacks of the bats and wolfhounds, then his fingers gracefully moved like blooming orchids, conjuring countless Iron Vines. The vines intertwined in the air, forming a net that captured the incoming bats, leaving none to escape. Another Iron Vine swiftly appeared beside the wolfhound, instantly binding the large, strange creature so tightly that it couldn’t move.
Immortal Master Li, who was trying to escape, was astonished to see Xu Qingfan defeat his "Spirit Control Object" so easily. Just as he was about to take further action, he was shocked to find that Xu Qingfan had silently appeared right in front of him.
"Now, can you speak?" Xu Qingfan, casually twirling a vibrant flower in his hand that had appeared from nowhere, asked as he looked at Immortal Master Li, whose face showed uncertainty.