Volume 3 Chapter 75

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Volume 3 Chapter 75: The End (Part 1)

Following Zhang Xusheng’s inexplicable sentiment, the atmosphere among the people quickly turned heavy, and a suffocating feeling seemed to be expanding constantly in the space.

Under the watchful eyes of the Jiuhua elders and high-level demons in the sky, Zhang Xusheng smiled gently, looking softly at Li Xuhan, and spoke slowly, "Senior brother, thank you for taking care of me all these years. Now, rest in peace."

As Zhang Xusheng’s words faded, the situation on the field suddenly changed dramatically!

The high-level demons who had been silently standing behind Zhang Xusheng suddenly launched a fierce attack on the Jiuhua elders, showing a reckless intent to fight to the death, as if their own lives were worthless as long as they could kill the Jiuhua elders. As a result of this unexpected turn of events, the Jiuhua elders were thrown into a fluster, with some elders even getting injured.

The Jiuhua sky, which had calmed down at Zhang Xusheng’s suggestion, returned to the chaotic fighting it had been before. Even Zhang Hualing, Xiao Huazhe, and Elder Weichi were forced into the fray under the attack.

Amidst the chaos, the area around Zhang Xusheng, Li Xuhan, and the Venerable Deaf Mute Blind remained peaceful, with no demon or Jiuhua elder daring to make a move against these masters.

Seeing the unexpected turn of events and hearing Zhang Xusheng’s arrogant words, Li Xuhan did not become angry; instead, a deep look of caution flickered in his eyes, and he scoffed, "Hmph, I knew your bet was not out of good intentions. What are your true motives?"

As he spoke, Li Xuhan’s body once again split into nine, reforming the "Nine Palaces Formation," surrounding Zhang Xusheng in the center, watching him warily, seemingly ready to strike at any moment.

The "Blood Coagulation Method" is a unique technique Li Xuhan created by combining Zhang Xusheng’s experimental insights left in Jiuhua with various Jiuhua Taoist arts, using a special method to catalyze a cultivator’s vital blood, transforming it into human form, becoming an external embodiment of the user. These "Blood Clones" possess cultivation not inferior to the blood provider themselves, truly remarkable indeed.

Moreover, once transformed, the "Blood Clones" often share a mental connection with the user, and the power they generate when combined is far greater than several times the original. If they form a formation like the "Nine Palaces Formation," their power increases even more.

After Li Xuhan failed to possess a new body, he knew his current form was no match for Zhang Xusheng. So he dedicated himself to training and finally developed a cultivation method that even Zhang Xusheng thought was impossible, and this was his greatest reliance when facing Zhang Xusheng again.

Compared to Bai Qingfu in front of Linghua Hall, although both shared the characteristic of creating avatars, one relied on understanding the way of cultivation, while the other purely on instinct. The superiority is clear without further explanation.

Upon seeing Li Xuhan’s actions, Venerable Deaf Mute Blind seemed to sigh softly and silently raised the "Skyscanner Sword" once more, aiming it at Zhang Xusheng.

Venerable Deaf Mute Blind knew that as long as Li Xuhan’s heart was set on killing Zhang Xusheng, he would stop at nothing. The main reason he agreed to the bet Zhang Xusheng proposed earlier was to consider his own thoughts. Therefore, Venerable Deaf Mute Blind could not allow the situation to change, or else Penance Valley would owe Jiuhua Mountain a great debt. Although he was eager to know who from Penance Valley sided with Zhang Xusheng, he had no choice but to act.

With this in mind, Venerable Deaf Mute Blind applied his mystical skills, and under the influence of spirit energy, the sky over Jiuhua Mountain became covered with dark clouds. Lightning flashed continuously, striking the "Skyscanner Sword" in his hand, greatly enhancing its spirit energy fluctuations. Thus, the power generated by just the "Skyscanner Sword" was comparable to the "Nine Palaces Formation" that Li Xuhan and his eight Blood Clones formed.

As before, Zhang Xusheng ignored the threats around him and looked with interest at the "Skyscanner Sword" held by Venerable Deaf Mute Blind. Without acknowledging Li Xuhan’s question, he asked Venerable Deaf Mute Blind with a smile, "Venerable One, if we were to duel one-on-one, who do you think would win?"

Venerable Deaf Mute Blind was silent for a moment, then the old voice echoed through the heavens and earth again, "You are gifted and have mastered both righteous and evil cultivation methods, your research in dark arts is also superior, far surpassing someone like me who only knows hard work. If I faced you alone, I’d likely be at a disadvantage. But if I were to join forces with Layman Li, you would have no chance of winning."

Zhang Xusheng nodded with a smile, then looked at Li Xuhan and slowly said, "You and your disciple will stall for time to wait for help, but won’t I do the same?"

As he spoke, Zhang Xusheng’s expression suddenly became serious, and he softly advised, "Brother, one last piece of advice: don’t misuse what isn’t yours. Remember this in your next life."

As Zhang Xusheng spoke, a powerful and mysterious wave of Spirit Qi suddenly erupted from him, so intense that it seemed to reach the farthest edges of Shenzhou Continent in an instant. The scene around Zhang Xusheng distorted slightly under the strong Spirit Qi, causing the elders of Jiuhua, who had never seen Zhang Xusheng in action, to change their expressions drastically. Even Venerable Deaf Mute Blind furrowed his brows. Although he had long known that Zhang Xusheng’s strength was rare in the cultivation world, he hadn’t expected it to be so immense.

Throughout Shenzhou Continent, nearly all experts in the Mahayana Stage felt a slight tremor in their bodies. Even those in seclusion were startled awake and looked towards Jiuhua Mountain with wide eyes. Many hesitated for a moment before swiftly flying towards Jiuhua Mountain.

In a quiet valley, a mysterious figure enveloped in a purple robe, with the word "冥(Ming)" written on it, and a ring engraved with the word "玄(Xuan)" on his right hand, paused slightly upon sensing Zhang Xusheng’s Spirit Qi. After a long silence, he sighed softly and suddenly vanished without a trace.

In the air, only a weathered voice was left behind.

"Huang, that guy, is too reckless. What if the old monsters in the cultivation world discover this? Now is not the time to start a war with them."

…

Meanwhile, at Jiuhua Mountain, as Zhang Xusheng’s aura surged, blood-red light flickered in his eyes, transforming into two substantial blood beams directed at Li Xuhan. In a deep voice, he slowly uttered, "All things have a measure, beginning from chaos. Return!"

The moment Zhang Xusheng’s voice fell, Li Xuhan, who was just about to use the "Nine Palaces Formation" to attack Zhang Xusheng, suddenly trembled violently. His perpetually solemn expression changed dramatically, as though he had discovered something terrifying. His brows knitted tightly, as if a surge of soul-deep pain coursed through his entire body.

"Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!"

A noticeable heartbeat suddenly echoed from within Zhang Xusheng, and with the strange changes in Zhang Xusheng and Li Xuhan, the situation became even more mysterious.

"You shouldn’t have admitted that my heart is inside you, and you certainly shouldn’t have used the ‘Blood Coagulation Method’ at this moment. Brother Li, you were one of the most talented and brilliant in Jiuhua Sect’s history after me. It’s really a shame to see you die like this." Zhang Xusheng gently said, looking at Li Xuhan, whose expression was beginning to twist in pain.

Then, Zhang Xusheng smiled slightly and added, "However, I already felt it was a pity three hundred years ago, so if it happens again, what’s the harm?"

Zhang Xusheng knew that once he found out his heart was placed inside Li Xuhan’s new body, it became extremely difficult to reclaim it. Even if he could defeat both Li Xuhan and Venerable Deaf Mute Blind, he might accidentally damage his own heart, which would be a great loss. On the other hand, if he held back to avoid hurting his heart, he would be killed by Li Xuhan and Venerable Deaf Mute Blind, achieving nothing.

Zhang Xusheng, deserving of being one of the most gifted successors from Jiuhua Mountain, quickly devised a countermeasure. The heart is closely connected to one’s soul, and Zhang Xusheng had previously altered his heart in many ways. While recalling it with Divine Sense was difficult, it wasn’t impossible, though it would take considerable time. Thus, Zhang Xusheng proposed the bet to buy time and reconnect with his heart.

Li Xuhan, being careless and with less deep understanding of the body and soul than Zhang Xusheng, didn’t pay enough attention to the heart’s importance and uniqueness. If hearts could be easily swapped, why would Zhang Xusheng go to such lengths after eight hundred years to reclaim his original heart?

Additionally, after using the "Blood Coagulation Method," Li Xuhan divided his mind to control eight avatars, greatly reducing his defense over his own body. Unbeknownst to him, Zhang Xusheng gradually gained control over his heart, leading to a sudden reversal of blood flow when Zhang Xusheng struck, leaving Li Xuhan defenseless.

However, Li Xuhan was also a person of high intellect and exceptional skill. The moment he noticed the heart’s anomaly within, he quickly grasped the cause and effect. In an instant, he mobilized all his Spirit Qi and Divine Sense to suppress the body’s changes. Even though he was at a disadvantage in the confrontation with Zhang Xusheng, he managed to keep the heart from bursting out, buying precious time to catch his breath. Yet, under the reversal of blood flow and the heart’s fierce unrest, he was overwhelmed with pain.

"Master!" Zhang Hualing cried out in shock upon witnessing Li Xuhan’s transformation.

Knowing that all of this was caused by Zhang Xusheng, he ignored the demon attacking him and with all his remaining strength, charged at Zhang Xusheng. But around Zhang Xusheng was an invisible barrier that completely blocked Zhang Hualing’s attack, keeping him three meters away, and throughout it all, Zhang Xusheng never turned to look at him.

"Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!"

With each heartbeat sounding, the eight "Blood Clones" that Li Xuhan had created exploded one after another, turning into a mist of blood that vanished into the air. The "Nine Palaces Formation" that surrounded Zhang Xusheng collapsed on its own. Li Xuhan’s skin took on a noticeable red hue, even with blood faintly seeping out.

The intense pain made it difficult for Li Xuhan to maintain his position in the sky, almost causing him to fall, but fortunately, Venerable Deaf Mute Blind caught him just in time.

"Layman Li, what’s happening to you?"

Venerable Deaf Mute Blind was shocked by these sudden changes and quickly called out. Meanwhile, to guard against Zhang Xusheng’s surprise attack, he swung the "Skyscanner Sword," unleashing countless bolts of lightning from the sky at Zhang Xusheng. But despite their formidable appearance, the lightning vanished with a mere wave of Zhang Xusheng’s hand.

"Ah…"

Finally, unable to withstand the intense pain any longer, Li Xuhan opened his mouth and let out a loud scream. The entire Jiuhua Mountain, from the lowest disciples and demons to the highest elders and creatures, all shook violently, some even coughing up blood, showing the power within the scream.

The agony Li Xuhan endured while unable to restrain his howl was beyond comprehension.

Seeing Li Xuhan in such a state, Venerable Deaf Mute Blind became very anxious and quickly channeled a stream of Spirit Qi into Li Xuhan’s body. However, what he discovered shocked him. Inside Li Xuhan, his blood was flowing backward, and his heart, radiating a strange aura, was throbbing powerfully as if it was trying to burst out.

Without considering the reason, Venerable Deaf Mute Blind gathered a large amount of Spirit Qi from within himself and transferred it into Li Xuhan, trying to help calm the turmoil in Li Xuhan’s blood and heart.

Finally, with the assistance of Venerable Deaf Mute Blind, Li Xuhan gradually began to gain enough strength to faintly contend with Zhang Xusheng. The heart, which was previously restless, slowly began to calm down under their combined effort.

Noticing the situation was turning unfavorable, Zhang Xusheng furrowed his brow slightly, but he showed no signs of worry. Instead, he changed the position of his fingers, and his oppressive aura surged again. Meanwhile, he began chanting a mysterious, ancient song, echoing like a primal ritual through the world.

Under Zhang Xusheng’s chanting, the heart within Li Xuhan, which had started to calm, became restless again. Despite Li Xuhan and Venerable Deaf Mute Blind’s combined efforts, they were unable to keep it under control.

The high-level demons fighting the Jiuhua elders were startled by the song. Without hesitation, they abandoned their opponents and rushed toward Venerable Deaf Mute Blind and Li Xuhan, their bodies suddenly swelling as they activated the "Explosive Spirit Technique"!

Seeing the high-level demons using the "Explosive Spirit Technique," the Jiuhua elders stopped their pursuit and instead fled rapidly into the distance, not daring to approach.

The demons reached Venerable Deaf Mute Blind and Li Xuhan and began to self-destruct. Though the explosion’s range was small, its power was immense. Even Venerable Deaf Mute Blind and Li Xuhan, masters of the Mahayana Stage, were shaken to their core, momentarily losing control of their Divine Sense and Spirit Qi.

Seizing this brief moment, Zhang Xusheng’s eyes snapped wide open, and two beams of blood-red light shot out from his eyes, as he shouted, "Return!"

At Zhang Xusheng’s soft call, Li Xuhan’s body trembled violently, his chest suddenly burst open, and a thick mist of blood spread from his chest.

At the same time, a red glow appeared from Li Xuhan’s chest, shooting towards Zhang Xusheng with lightning speed. Upon closer look, it was a strangely shaped heart, still beating as it flew.

This was the heart Li Xuhan had stolen from Zhang Xusheng eight hundred years ago!

Seeing the heart flying towards him, a look of wild joy flashed across Zhang Xusheng’s face as he tore open his shirt. A shocking wound was revealed on his left chest, about a foot long and three inches wide. Although Zhang Xusheng’s body was quite thin, the wound appeared like an unfathomable black hole, with thick blood mist swirling within it.

As soon as the wound appeared, the heart, like a fledgling bird finding its nest, sped up as it flew towards Zhang Xusheng.

However, no one noticed that despite losing his heart, Li Xuhan had a slight smile on his lips, as if his plan had succeeded.

Seeing this scene and recalling the conversation between Zhang Xusheng and Li Xuhan earlier, Venerable Deaf Mute Blind finally understood the cause and effect of this strange situation. He became anxious, knowing that once Zhang Xusheng reclaimed his heart, the evil arts he had studied would reach perfection, and then no one in the cultivation world might be able to stop him.

With this in mind, Venerable Deaf Mute Blind could no longer care for Li Xuhan, who was losing blood massively without his heart. He threw Li Xuhan to the quickly approaching Zhang Hualing, and then, without holding back, his presence surged, matching Zhang Xusheng’s without being weaker, and he wielded the "Skyscanner Sword" swiftly towards Zhang Xusheng.

By now, the heart was very close to Zhang Xusheng, leaving Venerable Deaf Mute Blind almost no chance to reclaim the heart in time. So he boosted his speed to the maximum, attacking Zhang Xusheng directly, forcing Zhang Xusheng to choose between two options: stay to reclaim his heart and endure Venerable Deaf Mute Blind’s full-force attack, or temporarily dodge and later find an opportunity to reclaim his heart in a strategic fight.

In Venerable Deaf Mute Blind’s mind, someone as cunning and strategic as Zhang Xusheng would surely choose the second path, so even though the attack was fierce, he secretly prepared to avoid the heart.

But suddenly, Venerable Deaf Mute Blind was stunned.

Zhang Xusheng, despite seeing Venerable Deaf Mute Blind’s powerful assault, didn’t move at all, instead reaching out towards the heart. Clearly, he chose the first path, willing to take Venerable Deaf Mute Blind’s full strike just to reclaim his heart.

"Since that’s the case, I’ll let you experience the power of my ‘Skyscanner Sword.’ No matter how strong you are, when faced with my Skyscanner Sword, you’ll only end up severely injured. Taking back your Taoist friend Li’s heart then will not be too late."

Venerable Deaf Mute Blind thought secretly.

Yet at this moment, the familiar mocking smile appeared at the corner of Zhang Xusheng’s mouth.