Volume 3 Chapter 54

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Volume 3 Chapter 54: The Duel

In the room, the scent of wine still lingered.

One table, a pot of wine, two cups, two former brothers.

Seeing this sentence, seeing this scene, what would you think of?

Reminiscing? Drinking? Intimacy? Tacit understanding?

Or perhaps, between Xu Qingfan and Nangong Qingshan, there is still some understanding. For example, Nangong Qingshan clearly knows Xu Qingfan’s resentment towards him, and Xu Qingfan is also well aware that Nangong Qingshan wants to kill him.

In such a way, could it also be considered a kind of understanding?

"Originally, I planned to leave with this little girl immediately, but then I suddenly thought that it has been a long time since we brothers met, so I stayed here waiting for you to reminisce properly."

Nangong Qingshan’s deep eyes gazed at Xu Qingfan as he spoke softly.

Though his eyes were once calm, there now lingered a hidden killing intent.

"It seems that the grievances between Nangong Qingshan and me will be resolved today," Xu Qingfan thought silently as he looked at the suddenly changed Nangong Qingshan, "Brother, a person may have no intention to harm the tiger, but the tiger has the intention to kill him. The promise I made to you back then, I fear today I might break it again."

Thinking of this, Xu Qingfan’s gaze at Nangong Qingshan also took on a murderous intent, just like Nangong Qingshan’s, and his heart became colder than ever.

First, it was my senior brother, and now it’s Ting’er. Does Nangong Qingshan only know how to hurt my loved ones? It seems I can no longer keep him around.

Although his mindset was changing, Xu Qingfan’s expression showed no sign of disturbance. He merely glanced at Nangong Qingshan again and then asked, "That ‘master’ of yours, he was the one who healed your injuries, right? With your pride, I never imagined you would become someone’s servant."

Hearing Xu Qingfan say this, a flash of anger appeared on Nangong Qingshan’s face, but it quickly faded as he returned to his calm demeanor, quietly answering, "Yes, he healed my injuries and granted me unimaginable power. His wisdom is beyond my reach, so he became my master, and I became his servant."

A hint of a disdainful smile appeared on Xu Qingfan’s lips as he sarcastically said, "This so-called unimaginable power, is it just the Lingji Stage of cultivation? Your ambition is too small."

Now, Xu Qingfan was certain that the one who broke the formation was Nangong Qingshan.

Even though he spoke these words, his heart grew heavier. When Nangong Qingshan spoke, there was no hint of regret in his expression. Clearly, even with Nangong Qingshan’s pride, his master made him incapable of rebellion. Not even Lu Huayan could achieve this.

As far as Xu Qingfan knew, only the legendary "Heaven Mending Pill" could heal a cultivator’s spiritual sea, but this kind of elixir had been lost for a long time. Even if the master Nangong Qingshan spoke of had such an elixir, it wouldn’t be wasted on someone as insignificant as Nangong Qingshan.

This implies that the master Nangong Qingshan mentioned has an unimaginable understanding of a cultivator’s body, allowing him to heal Nangong Qingshan’s spiritual sea with his own power. Such an extraordinary ability is truly astounding and should not be underestimated. Not to mention, this person managed to elevate Nangong Qingshan’s cultivation to the Lingji Stage in a short time.

A flicker of surprise passed through Nangong Qingshan’s eyes as he slowly said, "You can actually see through my current level of cultivation?" But in the next moment, a look of realization crossed his face as he continued, "Did you figure it out from the way I broke the formation? No wonder that old fellow valued you so much back in the day; you do have some cleverness."

Seeing that Xu Qingfan had no intention of replying, Nangong Qingshan wasn’t upset and calmly said, "I know you’ve already reached the middle stage of the Lingji Stage, and with your profound magic and excellent artifacts, you no longer regard Lingji Stage cultivation as significant. I also know that if I use my first form against you, my chances of winning are indeed slim."

"First form?" Xu Qingfan asked with a slight frown, puzzled by Nangong Qingshan’s words.

Nangong Qingshan smiled slightly and said, "You’ll find out soon."

As he spoke, Nangong Qingshan’s previously calm body suddenly erupted with a powerful surge of Spirit Qi. To Xu Qingfan’s astonishment, Nangong Qingshan’s body began to elongate, his skin taking on a greenish hue, and the previously subtle aura of danger around him became overwhelmingly powerful.

Could Nangong Qingshan actually undergo such a transformation? Could he become something neither human nor demon? What modifications had his master made to him?

By this point, Xu Qingfan already understood what Nangong Qingshan meant by "first form." Clearly, Nangong Qingshan was transforming into his "second form," but it was unclear what his strength would be in this state.

However, as Nangong Qingshan’s body underwent its strange transformation, Xu Qingfan, after a brief moment of shock, quickly regained his composure and sternly commanded, "Wait."

Hearing Xu Qingfan’s call, Nangong Qingshan paused and reverted to his original form, mockingly asking, "What’s the matter, Senior Brother Xu? Are you scared?"

Xu Qingfan paid no attention to his taunts, instead fixing his gaze on the still-unconscious Ting’er behind Nangong Qingshan, and asked coldly, "Do you mean for us to duel right here?"

Following Xu Qingfan’s gaze, Nangong Qingshan immediately understood what Xu Qingfan was implying. Xu Qingfan was worried they might accidentally harm Ting’er if they fought here.

Normally, with Nangong Qingshan’s personality, he would be eager to do things that would bother Xu Qingfan. But this time, he didn’t want Ting’er to get hurt, as he was under orders to protect her. So, after a slight hesitation, Nangong Qingshan nodded slightly and said, "Alright, let’s find a more open space."

With that, Nangong Qingshan gave a slight nod towards Ting’er, then smiled at Xu Qingfan, signaling for him to leave the room and lead the way.

Watching Nangong Qingshan’s actions, Xu Qingfan frowned slightly but understood that Nangong Qingshan had merely placed a protective barrier on Ting’er. It would alert him immediately if anyone approached her, causing no harm to Ting’er herself. So Xu Qingfan suppressed his growing urge to fight and said nothing more.

At this moment, Xu Qingfan wanted to deal with Nangong Qingshan quickly and wasn’t inclined to waste words. So after seeing Nangong Qingshan’s gesture, he started walking towards the door.

Nangong Qingshan clearly understood Xu Qingfan’s intention and didn’t waste any more time talking. He quietly followed Xu Qingfan out of the room and flew towards the southern part of the back mountain.

After flying for a short while, Xu Qingfan landed with Nangong Qingshan in a clearing on the back mountain.

This was the very place where Jin Qinghan and Feng Qingtian had their contest decades ago, and it was also where Xu Qingfan first met Jin Qinghan. From that day on, Xu Qingfan and Jin Qinghan trained here together for many years.

At this moment, Xu Qingfan was in no mood to lament the passage of time; he merely said coldly to Nangong Qingshan, "Now, we can begin."

Nangong Qingshan smiled faintly, glanced at the serene and beautiful surroundings, and then remarked leisurely, "You’ve chosen a nice place to rest forever."

Xu Qingfan did not argue; he just continued to stare coldly at Nangong Qingshan.

Nangong Qingshan didn’t seem to mind; for him, Xu Qingfan might as well have been a dead man already, so there was no need to argue further.

This thought was surprisingly similar to Xu Qingfan’s.

Suddenly, a strong aura of danger emanated from Nangong Qingshan once more. His body elongated again, and his skin turned a bluish-green. Even though Xu Qingfan had already witnessed Nangong Qingshan’s transformation once, he was still shocked.

Yet, Nangong Qingshan’s transformation was far from over. Without Xu Qingfan interrupting, Nangong Qingshan continued to change at an astonishing speed. His bluish-green skin began to bulge, gradually turning into hard, bluish-green scales that glinted eerily in the sunlight.

At the same time, his body became much slimmer but grew over a foot taller, and his eyes transformed into something snake-like, filled with danger.

"Well, hiss… this is my second form. Do you know what my current level of mastery is? Hiss…" After the incredible transformation ended, Nangong Qingshan looked at his body with satisfaction, then raised his head and spoke to Xu Qingfan, his voice full of hissing noises. Xu Qingfan was horrified to realize that Nangong Qingshan’s tongue had become very long and forked at the tip, like a snake’s.

Standing before him, Nangong Qingshan now looked remarkably like the legendary snake demon.

After a long while, Xu Qingfan finally recovered from his shock, gazing at Nangong Qingshan with a complicated expression.

His former junior apprentice, driven by hatred, had become a monster today.

Just as Xu Qingfan was about to speak, a series of deafening rumbles erupted from the front mountain.

Xu Qingfan realized that Zhang Hualing and the others had already begun their magical battle with Zhou Huahai’s group.

Suddenly, Xu Qingfan noticed how similar his situation was to Zhang Hualing’s; the enemy before him was once his junior apprentice, each holding deep resentment towards him for various reasons. Though unwilling, he was forced to kill them.

"Will everything come to an end today?" Xu Qingfan thought silently.

Suddenly, Xu Qingfan longed for the monotonous yet peaceful days of training in the past. Back then, there was Lu Huayan, there was Yue Qingru, and his heart held innocence.