Volume 3 Chapter 29

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Volume 3 Chapter 29: The Next Night (Part 2) – a Night Talk

In the center of Huandao Island, the once dense forest now looked as if it had just endured a mighty storm, with snapped trees and shattered stones, and the ground was covered in cracks.

At this moment, dozens of cultivators were quietly standing amidst the ruins of the forest, silently looking at the ten bodies at their feet and the completely destroyed teleportation array. The faces of the cultivators under the shade of the trees were grim and uncertain, looking rather unpleasant.

The cool breeze on the island was chilling, making the mood of the cultivators present even colder.

A strange and fearful atmosphere began to spread among the people.

Just then, Xu Qingfan suddenly broke the silence with a bitter smile, saying, "Since no one from other clans has arrived yet, does that mean only our few groups are left on Huandao Island now?"

After hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, the faces of the cultivators present grew even more unpleasant, yet no one responded to him. For a moment, the situation remained silent.

Earlier, everyone stood there for a long while without doing anything, simply waiting to see if any cultivators from other clans would arrive.

Because they knew that if disciples from other sects noticed the Spirit Qi fluctuations and explosions at the center of Huandao Island, they would most likely come to investigate just like them.

But after a long time, no disciples from any sects had arrived. Seeing the already long-dead disciples of the "Xuantian Gate" and "Yellow Spirit Mountain" nearby, a bad conclusion seemed unavoidable.

Clearly, the Spirit Qi fluctuations and explosions happened just recently. The disciples of "Xuantian Gate" and "Yellow Spirit Mountain" had always been too afraid of the dangers of Huandao Island to leave the forest, but now they had been dead for quite some time, making it impossible for them to have been killed by the Condensed Core Stage experts in the recent clash, at least not just now.

As for the cultivators who can represent their sects in the Newcomer Competition, they are undoubtedly elite disciples of the major sects in the cultivation world. It is impossible for them to be eliminated in such a short time, and it is even more unlikely that they could complete tasks before the disciples of the Five Holy Lands and the Seven Sects of the Eight Wilderness Hall and Liuhe Gate.

Therefore, there is only one possibility left: disciples from sects other than the seven have likely been quietly eliminated, just like those from the "Xuantian Gate" and "Yellow Spirit Mountain."

Although this is the most likely conclusion, the cultivators present would rather believe that their feelings were incorrect.

Because if it wasn’t the cultivators from various sects present who took action, then with the unknown Condensed Core Stage cultivators acting earlier, it would suggest that someone is boldly provoking the Immortal Realm or a huge conspiracy is unfolding centered around Huandao Island.

"I’m afraid that’s really the case," Chou Xuan from the Liuhe Gate suddenly said. "Last night, before I meditated, there were still fifteen sects’ cultivators on Huandao Island. But this morning, after I finished meditating and checked again, only members of our seven sects were left on the island. I felt something was off at that time but didn’t expect anyone to be dead."

After hearing Chou Xuan’s words, Lv Qingshang replied sarcastically, "Is that so? Maybe it’s because someone wanted to take their Seven-colored Deer and killed them all after snatching it. How else do you know so much?"

Lv Qingshang still held some resentment towards the sneak attack from Liuhe Gate and their group earlier. He felt stifled during the confrontation, constantly being overpowered by Chou Xuan. Later, he even discovered Deng Tianao secretly practicing the evil "Purple Womb Car." Although he knew it was unlikely, he couldn’t help but make a sarcastic remark.

Upon hearing Lv Qingshang’s words, Xu Qingfan glanced at him disapprovingly. He then bowed slightly to Chou Xuan and said, "Senior Brother Lv loves to joke. I hope Brother Chou won’t mind." He paused briefly, then asked Chou Xuan, who had his eyes closed, "If I’m not mistaken, Brother Chou is practicing the ‘Great Method of Heaven and Earth,’ right?"

Xu Qingfan knew that although the disciples of Liuhe Gate made attempts to seize the Seven-colored Deer from other sects, they would never harm the lives of disciples from other sects. Under the "Mirror Technique," every move they made was watched by the sect leaders and elders on Zhantai. Recklessly taking a life could likely create animosity between Liuhe Gate and the other sects in the cultivation world. Even though Deng Tianao was not a good person, he definitely would not act so thoughtlessly.

In fact, even when Liuhe Gate attacked Xu Qingfan and the others by surprise, their initial aim was only to take the Seven-colored Deer, not to take lives. It was only later, when Xu Qingfan exposed Deng Tianao’s practice of the "Purple Womb Car" and with the "Dark Rain Barrier" providing cover, that Deng Tianao had murderous intent.

Moreover, although Liuhe Gate’s five members were powerful, they couldn’t possibly wipe out eight sect cultivators within just two days.

"Senior Brother Xu is insightful, Chou admires you," Chou Xuan replied indifferently to Lv Qingshang’s words. After hearing Xu Qingfan, he bowed slightly to him.

Hearing the conversation between Xu Qingfan and Chou Xuan, all thirty cultivators, except for the five from Liuhe Gate, couldn’t help but look at Chou Xuan with surprise and admiration in their eyes.

The "Great Method of Heaven and Earth" is considered the most powerful investigative technique in the cultivation world for thousands of years. It is said that once perfected, nothing within a radius of ten thousand miles, whether in the sky or underground, can escape the practitioner’s notice.

However, despite its profound and extraordinary nature, the conditions to practice this method are extremely difficult. The first condition is that the practitioner must willingly abandon their six senses, and the subsequent cultivation is even more demanding. Anyone who achieves even small success in practicing the "Great Method of Heaven and Earth" possesses great wisdom and determination.

Upon learning that Chou Xuan had mastered the "Great Method of Heaven and Earth," the cultivators present were filled with astonishment and admiration. Because they knew Chou Xuan practiced the "Great Method of Heaven and Earth," Xu Qingfan, although disdainful of Deng Tianao’s character, treated Chou Xuan with utmost respect.

If Chou Xuan had indeed attained partial mastery of the "Great Method of Heaven and Earth," then what he just said must be true.

"I didn’t realize Master Chou had mastered the ‘Great Method of Heaven and Earth.’ I am truly in awe," said a monk from Mercy Cloud Temple, bowing to Chou Xuan. "May I ask, Master Chou, before the intense Spirit Qi fluctuations and explosions occurred here, did you notice anything unusual? Can you track the experts who acted here earlier?"

Chou Xuan smiled faintly and said, "The ‘Great Method of Heaven and Earth’ is vast as the sea. How dare I claim mastery, but I have only grasped a trickle." Then he frowned and added, "Before the anomaly occurred here, I was sparring within the ‘Dark Rain Barrier’ with several senior brothers from Jiuhua Gate. The barrier’s interference prevented me from observing the outside world. Also, the scale of the event suggests a master at the Condensed Core Stage was involved, beyond my capability to trace."

Considering Lv Qingshang’s earlier words, everyone present understood that the so-called sparring was Liuhe Gate’s attempt to seize the Seven-colored Deer from Jiuhua Gate. However, given the uncertain situation on Huandao Island, no one pointed it out.

Hua Xian said, "Those experts at the Condensed Core Stage likely bear no ill will towards us. Otherwise, with their abilities, we would not stand a chance. Yet, I’m not sure if the destruction of the teleportation array was caused by their clash."

Hearing Xuan Xian, all the cultivators nodded silently.

Xu Qingfan, however, approached the bodies of the disciples from "Xuantian Gate" and "Yellow Spirit Mountain." After a careful examination, he asked with a frown, "Can anyone tell what caused the deaths of ‘Xuantian Gate’ and ‘Yellow Spirit Mountain’ disciples?"

Upon Xu Qingfan’s words, the cultivators present were momentarily stunned. Then they inspected the ten bodies closely, and their expressions turned peculiar.

After a long time, one person from the Five Elements Sect said, "They were killed by the water-element magic, fire-element magic, and gold-type magic."

Another person from the Five Elements Sect added, "It seems they were killed after a tough battle."

Hua Xian nodded and said seriously, "That means it probably wasn’t done by those Condensed Core Stage masters we saw here earlier."

After hearing Hua Xian’s words, the other cultivators also nodded. Then, there was a moment of silence, and they began looking at the disciples from other sects with uncertain glances.

Everyone should know that if a Condensed Core Stage cultivator had acted, the ‘Xuantian Gate’ and ‘Yellow Spirit Mountain,’ with cultivators ranging only from the Inedia Stage to the early Lingji Stage, wouldn’t have been able to resist at all, let alone have a fierce battle.

This likely means someone from the seven sects present was responsible.

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the area became strange once more.

Meanwhile, Xu Qingfan and Feng Qingtian exchanged a puzzled glance, because they sensed that the fire Spirit Qi lingering on the dead cultivators wasn’t ordinary—it was Phoenix Spirit Fire!

The Phoenix Spirit Fire was originally a technique that only the Feng family’s descendants could use in the whole cultivation world, but after Xu Qingfan obtained the Wutong branch, he could use it too. However, at this moment on Huandao Island, there was actually someone else who could use it and even participated in the battle that killed the cultivators from ‘Xuantian Gate’ and ‘Yellow Spirit Mountain.’ How could Xu Qingfan and Feng Qingtian not be surprised and suspicious?