Volume 4 Chapter 29

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Volume 4 Chapter 29: Relics

The back mountain of Jiuhua remains tranquil at this moment. As far as the eye can see, it’s a sea of green, with patches of colorful flowers interspersed, making the scene externally calm and soothing.

However, Xu Qingfan cannot feel this peace; his heart is still at the snow-covered, chilly summit of Jiuhua Mountain, where the air is dry and cold yet his heart was always incredibly warm.

At least it was this way when the old man was still alive.

When Zhang Hualing announced the reclamation of the Herb Garden at the top of Jiuhua Mountain, Xu Qingfan couldn’t describe his feelings. Was it anger, helplessness, or perhaps a slight sense of relief?

A relief that can only appear after leaving the past behind.

At this moment, Xu Qingfan is flying towards that familiar yet nearly forgotten place in the back mountain, accompanied by Ting’er and Little Green, steering the "Nimbus Cloud."

Under Xu Qingfan’s control, the "Nimbus Cloud" turned into a large area of several dozens of yards, allowing even the large-bodied Little Green to ride on it. However, a massive cloud emitting a colorful glow, carrying a large demon beast, always seemed somewhat outlandish.

Since Liu Huaxiang passed away, Little Green has seemed listless, perhaps realizing that the elder who often fed it Spiritual Herb would never appear again.

And Ting’er remains calm, silently watching Xu Qingfan beside her, as if there’s something deep within her eyes.

However, Xu Qingfan was not in the mood to enjoy the scenery of Jiuhua’s back mountain, nor did he have the heart to observe Ting’er and Little Green’s reactions. He was quietly fiddling with the two relics left to him by Zhang Hualing from Liu Huaxiang.

One item was a crystal stone glowing with a strange light, about the size of a fist, but it was missing a corner at the top, as if someone had deliberately broken it off. Xu Qingfan noticed that although this crystal stone appeared unremarkable, it was extremely hard. He wondered how someone managed to break it and for what purpose, since he couldn’t detect any energy fluctuations from it. He didn’t know the name of this crystal stone or its use, nor why Liu Huaxiang passed it on to him.

When looking at the crystal stone, Xu Qingfan had a sense of familiarity as if he had seen it somewhere before, likely described in some book. Yet, he couldn’t recall. After a long time of pondering, he decided he would thoroughly search through his books once he returned to his cave.

The other relic was an ordinary letter. According to Zhang Hualing, after Xu Qingfan left Jiuhua Mountain for Linghua Hall to receive his position, Liu Huaxiang, just like usual, was teaching Ting’er about immortality. Suddenly, his expression changed, and he silently went into his room, wrote this letter, and then lay on his bed, never to get up again. It could be said that this letter was Liu Huaxiang’s final instruction to Xu Qingfan.

On the envelope of the letter, five large words stood out, "To Kid Xu". The handwriting was shaky, as if Liu Huaxiang had lost all his strength while writing the letter.

Looking at the letter in his hand, it was as if he didn’t want to face it. Xu Qingfan hesitated slightly but eventually slowly opened the letter and started to read it carefully.

The letter contained just a few rows of the same messy writing, with no farewell or heartfelt words—only a few things that Liu Huaxiang wanted Xu Qingfan to know and a few tasks for him to do.

After slowly reading the contents, Xu Qingfan folded the letter, tucked it into his chest, and then murmured to himself, "Is that so? Since that’s the case, I’ll consider these tasks as your last wish and fulfill them."

Although Xu Qingfan hadn’t deliberately steered himself, while he was muttering, the scenery around him had already changed to resemble his dwelling from nearly thirty years ago, now enveloped in mist—the very defensive barrier he had set for his cave before he left.

With a twist of his fingers, he opened the sealed cavern. Inside, the scenery was just as it had been. Walking with Ting’er Little Green into this now unfamiliar place, Xu Qingfan sighed softly, bowed deeply to Yue Qingru’s grave in the courtyard, and whispered, "Elder brother, I’ve been busy with my training for years and haven’t visited you in so long. Please don’t blame me."

As he spoke, Xu Qingfan suddenly turned to look at Ting’er, who was silently watching him. Their eyes met, and Xu Qingfan unexpectedly smiled, patted Ting’er on the shoulder, and said gently, "You’ve been kneeling before the coffin for seven days, keeping watch. Although your body won’t tire easily, your heart must feel weary, right?"

Ting’er shook her head and said softly, "You’re even more tired."

Xu Qingfan was slightly surprised, not expecting the usually quiet Ting’er to speak at this moment. However, with Liu Huaxiang’s recent passing, he wasn’t inclined to feel either happy or puzzled, but rather, he felt a little comforted. Smiling again, he suddenly waved his right sleeve, and two glowing artifacts appeared before Ting’er.

These were the "Nimbus Cloud" and "Green Spirit Arm Protector" that Xu Qingfan had previously used.

Xu Qingfan said to Ting’er, "You are about to enter the Lingji Stage, much earlier than I anticipated by about ten years. So neither I nor your Grandpa Liu had time to prepare artifacts for you. These two artifacts were what I used before my Core Formation. The ‘Nimbus Cloud’ is for flying, and the ‘Green Spirit Arm Protector’ is for defense. I don’t need them anymore, so you can use them."

Indeed, Xu Qingfan has now reached the Condensed Core Stage and can perform the "Cloud Control Technique," which is no less effective than the "Nimbus Cloud." With the "Five Spirit Bell," whose defense surpasses heavenly artifacts, the "Green Spirit Arm Protector" is no longer necessary for him. It’s perfect to give to Ting’er, who has no artifacts yet.

Ting’er nodded and, without any resistance, waved her right sleeve and took in the "Nimbus Cloud" and "Green Spirit Arm Protector."

Xu Qingfan nodded again and said, "You’re familiar with this place. Go back to your room now and refine these two artifacts. In the future, if you encounter any questions in your cultivation with Grandpa Liu gone, come to me."

Ting’er nodded slightly, giving Xu Qingfan a deep look filled with a hint of concern, then silently turned around and went back inside to refine the magical instrument.

As for Little Green, suddenly returning to the place of its childhood seemed to have filled it with excitement. It rolled around the courtyard, crushing countless flowers and plants, shaking off its earlier listlessness.

Xu Qingfan, however, was not in the mood to stop Little Green’s antics. He bowed again to Yue Qingru’s tombstone and then turned to walk back to his own room.

Xu Qingfan’s mountain cave was in a serene and tranquil setting, exuding a sense of ethereal beauty. The house he lived in was a tidy and exquisite wooden cabin, not quite elegant but organized. It was at least ten times better than the shabby thatched hut he had lived in for the past two or three decades.

Yet, Xu Qingfan found that he preferred and was more accustomed to that old, run-down hut.

Suddenly, Xu Qingfan seemed to remember something, and a faint, bitter smile appeared on his lips.

It turned out, Xu Qingfan suddenly realized that if the dilapidated thatched hut at the peak of Jiuhua Mountain represented his memories of Liu Huaxiang, then perhaps the wooden cabin at the mountain’s rear also symbolized his reminiscences of Senior Brother Yue Qingru.

But now, Xu Qingfan found himself more attached to the old thatched hut that represented Liu Huaxiang. Could it be because his feelings for Liu Huaxiang were deeper than those for Yue Qingru?

No, regardless of whether it was Senior Brother Yue Qingru who had carefully taken care of him or Liu Huaxiang, who was both a mentor and a friend, in Xu Qingfan’s eyes, they both held significant importance as elders, even akin to parental figures, with feelings of gratitude and affection intertwined.

Yet at this moment, Xu Qingfan found himself more nostalgic for Liu Huaxiang’s cottage. There was only one reason for this: Yue Qingru had been gone for nearly fifty years, while Liu Huaxiang had only passed away seven days ago.

When Yue Qingru first passed, Xu Qingfan’s heart was filled with sorrow. Back then, Xu Qingfan’s experiences were few, and his heart had not been numbed by continuous misfortunes, making his grief much deeper than it is now. But over the past forty years, any pain or longing has been gradually washed away by time until it disappeared. Just as Xu Qingfan feels now about Yue Qingru, or as he might feel about Liu Huaxiang forty years later.

People cannot always live in the past, and forgetfulness is inevitable. Time can make one forget everything, even the grief of losing loved ones. It’s human nature, yet this nature left Xu Qingfan somewhat unsettled.

This nature made him feel a sense of guilt. No one wants to be forgotten, yet he found he was gradually forgetting Yue Qingru, and perhaps forty years later, he would also gradually forget Liu Huaxiang. In this cycle of forgetting and being forgotten, Xu Qingfan suddenly felt that perhaps human nature is indeed loneliness. First, constantly forgetting the people around us, and then being forgotten by them.

Shaking his head slightly to dismiss these scattered, idle thoughts, Xu Qingfan walked toward the bookshelf in the room. The crystal stone, Xu Qingfan always felt, was not so simple.

Searching through books was something Xu Qingfan hadn’t done in decades, because previously, he’d discovered that rather than searching through books for the same questions, it was better to ask Liu Huaxiang. Liu Huaxiang’s mind held vast amounts of information; answers from him were always more accurate and detailed than from any book.

Unfortunately, Liu Huaxiang was no longer there. In the letters Liu Huaxiang left for Xu Qingfan, there was no mention of the crystal stone at all.

Yue Qingru left many books behind. Over the years, Xu Qingfan had collected some as well, making the collection even larger. Although Xu Qingfan was sure he’d seen the information about the crystal stone in some book by chance, exactly which book it was had been forgotten. It was unclear when or even if he would ever find it.

But with plenty of time on his hands, Xu Qingfan wasn’t in a rush. He leisurely turned the pages, temporarily forgetting everything else as time flowed by silently.

…

Three days later.

Xu Qingfan was holding a book titled "Miscellanies of the Cultivation World," flipping through its pages continuously. Suddenly, his expression froze as he stumbled upon a certain piece of information.

This passage described the battles between cultivators and demon cultivators that occurred over ten thousand years ago.

"The ‘Nine Demon Bead’ forged by Demon Ancestor harnesses the souls and blood of countless people, along with the evil energy of heaven and earth, giving it immense power. When unleashed, it caused countless deaths and injuries among those who cultivate in the path of immortality. However, the Heavenly Way operates with fairness and justice. An unnamed cultivator happened upon a crystal, seemingly unremarkable, but it could easily dispel the invasion of evil spirits, thus becoming the bane of the demon bead. Unfortunately, only seven such stones were found across the Shenzhou Continent, and with them, the ‘Sword of the Holy Spirit’ was forged to counter the ‘Nine Demon Bead’ so that the demonic tribulation could be overcome. This rare crystal stone became known as the ‘Holy Spirit Stone.’"

Reading this passage, Xu Qingfan took out the crystal stone Liu Huaxiang had left him and examined it closely, pondering, "Could this crystal stone be the legendary ‘Holy Spirit Stone’? No wonder I couldn’t place its origin; it’s not featured in books about extraordinary treasures, but rather in the historical texts of the cultivation world."

Despite these thoughts, Xu Qingfan couldn’t confidently ascertain that this spirit stone was indeed the "Holy Spirit Stone." He continued to muse, "Even with the collective efforts of the entire cultivation world searching the Shenzhou Continent, only seven ‘Holy Spirit Stones’ were ever found. In over ten thousand years, they have rarely appeared, their rarity is beyond imagine. This ‘Holy Spirit Stone’ could very well be Martial Uncle Liu’s most precious possession. Yet, why did Martial Uncle Liu bequeath it to me instead of passing it to the sect, treating it as a relic? Could there be a deeper meaning?"

As Xu Qingfan pondered this, a thought suddenly crossed his mind, and he murmured, "Could it be for the mutated Wither Qi inside me? Did Martial Uncle Liu intend for me to use this ‘Holy Spirit Stone’ to suppress or even resolve the disaster of the mutated Wither Qi within me?"

With this thought, Xu Qingfan hesitated slightly, then began to gather the mutated Wither Qi within him, slowly channeling it into the crystal stone.

Just as Xu Qingfan’s mutated Wither Qi entered the crystal stone, the previously energy-less crystal suddenly shone brightly. A powerful Holy Spirit Qi surged out of the stone, instantly repelling the mutated Wither Qi and rushing swiftly into Xu Qingfan’s body.

Once the Holy Spirit Qi entered Xu Qingfan, it wasted no time in charging towards the mutated Wither Qi that was nestled in his energy center. The mutated Wither Qi, sensing its doom, didn’t retreat but instead uncontrollably rushed to meet the Holy Spirit Qi, crashing into it fiercely. Despite the strength of the mutated Wither Qi, the Holy Spirit Qi matched its might and was boundless, soon gaining the upper hand.

At the moment these two different energies collided, Xu Qingfan’s body suffered as if hit by a severe blow, his face turning deathly pale as he spat out mouthfuls of blood.

When the Holy Spirit Qi and mutated Wither Qi clashed, despite the mutated Wither Qi scattering significantly, the impact severely injured Xu Qingfan’s body. His once-resilient energy channels almost shattered in an instant.

Sensing the heavy injuries, Xu Qingfan, shocked, quickly threw away the crystal stone in his hand, allowing the Holy Spirit Qi within him to slowly dissipate.

Wiping the blood from his lips, Xu Qingfan let out a bitter smile. This crystal stone was truly a "Holy Spirit Stone," as the powerful Holy Spirit Qi within it was undoubtedly real. Yet, with Xu Qingfan’s current condition, he couldn’t withstand the collision caused by the Holy Spirit Qi as it dispersed the mutated Wither Qi. The damage to his energy channels would be disastrous.

This crystal stone was actually one of the rare treasures of the cultivation world, known as the "Holy Spirit Stone." It was discovered by Li Xuhan hundreds of years ago and was considered his most precious possession. Even on Jiuhua Mountain, it was stored in the third level of the secret vault, among its most prized collections. The missing corner of the "Holy Spirit Stone" was something Li Xuhan managed to break off after numerous attempts and placed it into Zhang Xusheng’s heart as part of a calculated move against him.

Zhang Xusheng, who strengthened and transformed himself with the blood and souls of millions, was still suppressed by the "Holy Spirit Stone," albeit using different methods from the demonic cultivation of ten thousand years ago. Although the Holy Spirit Qi within the stone was extremely hidden, Li Xuhan feared Zhang Xusheng would discover it, so he only hid a fragment in Zhang Xusheng’s heart. Even so, the Holy Spirit Qi contained within was enough to keep Zhang Xusheng preoccupied for decades, illustrating the terrifying power of the Qi within the "Holy Spirit Stone."

Li Xuhan gave the "Holy Spirit Stone" to Xu Qingfan not only to suppress the mutated Wither Qi inside him but also as a precaution for something Xu Qingfan was tasked to complete according to a letter.

However, Xu Qingfan was unaware of these matters and used the wrong method while trying to suppress the mutated Wither Qi. As a result, he suffered severe injuries when the mutated Wither Qi clashed with the Holy Spirit Qi. Had Xu Qingfan delayed discarding the "Holy Spirit Stone" by even a moment, he might have suffered severe damage to his meridians.

Feeling the state of his body, Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but smile bitterly. He slowly sat down cross-legged, consumed several healing elixirs, and tried to muster his internal Spirit Qi to begin healing his severe internal injuries.

Although Xu Qingfan acted unintentionally this time, he was gravely injured. It’s unknown how much time passed as the light and darkness outside cycled continuously. It wasn’t until Ting’er had already completed refining the first tool that Xu Qingfan finally finished healing and slowly opened his eyes.

After regaining consciousness, Xu Qingfan looked at the Holy Spirit Stone he had thrown to the ground earlier and shook his head with a bitter smile.

This crystal might indeed be a "Holy Spirit Stone" and might suppress the mutated Wither Qi, but he simply couldn’t use it. A feeling of helplessness arose in his heart.

Suddenly, a thought struck Xu Qingfan, and he seemed to think of something. He picked up the crystal stone from the ground again and carefully transmitted his internal Spirit Qi into the crystal.

This time, however, unlike before, the Spirit Qi Xu Qingfan transmitted was the Wood-type Spirit Qi from within him.