Volume 4 Chapter 42

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Volume 4 Chapter 42: Down the Mountain

Three days later. On the seventh day of the misty month, dragons and phoenixes gather, it is advantageous to travel afar but be cautious with rituals.

Prosperous Middle-earth, although known for its boundless prosperity and fertile land, every grand thing has its decline. Even in the flourishing Middle-earth, there are bound to be a few barren lands and desolate mountains. Niuzhan Mountain is one such place.

Niuzhan Mountain, located three hundred miles south of Jiuhua Mountain, covers about a thousand acres and rises to about a hundred feet. Its barren landscape is devoid of grass, making it an inconspicuous desolate hill. The surrounding hundred miles are sparsely populated, as the original residents have long moved to prosperous areas. At the top of Jiuhua Mountain, it’s even more desolate.

Just at this moment, the once tranquil summit of Niuzhan Mountain suddenly erupted with a series of booming sounds. Amidst the roar, the seemingly solid ground on the mountaintop rapidly split open, revealing a deep, dark hole.

Then, a fierce gray whirlwind suddenly burst forth from the darkness, swiftly spreading across the summit of Niuzhan Mountain, sweeping wildly.

Suddenly, the gray winds on the summit began to gradually condense, slowly taking on a human shape. When the human form emerged, the whirlwind vanished, leaving behind a young man in white, silently gazing into the distance, his face full of contemplation.

This man in white had a striking jade pendant surrounded by a purple aura hanging from his waist. His long hair was tied back, his face was delicate, and his expression calm and scholarly. Yet, a faint scar on his right cheek and a phoenix tattoo under his left eye added an air of mystery and experience. This was Xu Qingfan, who had recently slipped away from Jiuhua Mountain under the guise of seclusion.

In the sunlight, looking out over the land below, Xu Qingfan murmured to himself, "Finally, I have descended the mountain. How long has it been since I last saw the outside world?"

It must be said that after living on Jiuhua Mountain for fifty years, aside from training in solitude or handling the mountain’s affairs, Xu Qingfan only occasionally taught Ting’er about cultivation or conversed leisurely with Jin Qinghan and others. Even with a calm demeanor, he felt the monotony. Now, after fifty years of seclusion, he had transformed from a novice barely at the Lingji Stage to a master at the middle stage of the Fake Golden Core Stage, one of the top figures of Jiuhua Mountain. Although his mindset had shifted, and he no longer yearned for worldly excitement, gazing at the endless expanse below, Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but feel his heart open.

Suddenly, Xu Qingfan recalled his initial wishes when he first began cultivating: to use his strength to defeat the Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast, to attain the Condensed Core Stage and comprehend the elusive Heavenly Way, and to use the long life of a cultivator to explore the sights across the Shenzhou Continent.

When Xu Qingfan first had these three wishes, he felt hopeful yet dared not expect too much. Given his abilities, achieving them seemed slim, and he only imagined them occasionally. He wasn’t confident if they could be realized.

But now, as time flowed silently and a hundred years of cultivation had passed, Xu Qingfan had unwittingly accomplished two of his wishes. Looking back, even Xu Qingfan felt as if it was all a dream.

"When all the current troubles are over, I’ll lay down all my burdens and, just as I once imagined, wander the world."

Xu Qingfan murmured.

Living among the elements, roaming in the morning and returning at dusk, carefree and unrestrained, the so-called immortal.

With Xu Qingfan’s current abilities, in the eyes of ordinary people and even lower-level cultivators, he could be considered an immortal, but to Xu Qingfan, this is what an immortal truly is.

In the sunlight, amidst the gentle breeze, Xu Qingfan quietly gazed at the scenery outside Jiuhua Mountain, breathing in the air, and after a long while, he sighed contentedly. Suddenly, a cloud rose beneath his feet, carrying Xu Qingfan swiftly away from the peak of Niuzhan Mountain.

With a cloud underfoot and colorful rays of light, flowing sleeves, he seemed like an immortal.

Since mastering the "Wind of Desolation" technique, Xu Qingfan rarely flew on clouds unless necessary, often choosing to use the extraordinary Transform into the Wind ability for flight. Firstly, it offered speed, agility, and secrecy, making it harder to incur injury. Secondly, it allowed Xu Qingfan to feel a sense of freedom and unrestrained joy within the wind.

At this moment, however, Xu Qingfan chose to ride the clouds because, in the form of the wind, he could only use Divine Sense to explore his surroundings, whereas now, he wished to stand atop the clouds and take a closer look at the scenery and charm of the Shenzhou Continent. After all, he had long yearned for this place.

Unfortunately, the Shenzhou Continent now was no longer the one Xu Qingfan once held in his heart.

"The other two tasks that Martial Uncle Liu instructed are too dangerous for me to accomplish even with my current abilities. It’s better to first visit that market, find the Old Beggar, and ask him to help me reforge and upgrade my magical artifact. That way, it would be a bit more secure."

As Xu Qingfan left and his figure gradually disappeared, only a gentle sentence was left on Niuzhan Mountain, carrying a hint of longing in contemplation.

…

Xu Qingfan stood quietly beneath the auspicious clouds, silently observing the chaos beneath his feet.

Along the mountain path, fighting, roaring, weeping, madness, trembling—countless negative emotions spread amidst the noise.

It was indeed a group of bandits attacking several people who looked like refugees.

Before Xu Qingfan accepted Liu Huaxiang’s secret method of transformation, he had already learned from Liu Huaxiang, who once descended the mountain to collect the souls of the wronged, some of the current scenes outside Jiuhua Mountain. In Liu Huaxiang’s words, the cultivation world was in chaos, and the mortal realm was filled with endless despair. Wars prevailed, banditry spread, and order was chaotic. Even in those big cities, people were killed in broad daylight with the culprits walking away unhindered. After years of war, young and strong people on Shenzhou Continent became increasingly scarce, armies grew weak, and many were forced to take to robbery. Even a local official had no sense of security, let alone control.

At that time, Liu Huaxiang had predicted that if such chaos continued for a hundred years, the human population in the mortal realm might be reduced to less than one-tenth.

And now, nearly fifty years have passed since Liu Huaxiang made that prediction.

While cultivating his spiritual abilities, he also protected the mortal world. However, due to the chaos in the cultivation world, he had no time to care for the consecutive wars and disorder in the mortal realm.

This was the seventeenth time Xu Qingfan encountered such a scene since he descended from the mountain not long ago. Initially, he was very angry and swiftly killed the murderous bandits, villains, and even the out-of-control soldiers. But after repeatedly facing such situations, he now only felt a deep sense of helplessness.

Even if he could save some people, other places were still in chaos, with people constantly being killed. The entire Shenzhou Continent had gone mad, and human life seemed so worthless. Even if Xu Qingfan rushed around doing nothing else, how many people’s destinies could he change? Even if Xu Qingfan could kill thousands by himself, what change could he bring to the Shenzhou Continent?

Every time he realized this problem, Xu Qingfan felt overwhelmed with a profound sense of helplessness. It was a longing for peace, encountering chaos, yet unable to change, leaving him frustrated and powerless.

At that moment, some of the strong men among the refugees were fiercely fighting against the bandits. Despite their smaller numbers and only holding wooden sticks, they fought with determination to protect their families, and in a short time, they managed to hold their ground against the weapon-wielding bandits.

Suddenly, a bandit struck down the refugee blocking his way with an axe, his face twisted with a ferocious expression, and lunged towards the trembling old and weak nearby. The nearest was a village woman holding a baby, screaming loudly but unable to stop the bandit’s advance towards her.

Seeing the village woman and her baby in imminent danger, Xu Qingfan frowned and prepared to intervene.

But just as Xu Qingfan took out the "Rainbow Ruler" and was about to act, he suddenly heard a thunderous shout from afar, "How dare you!"

The voice was imbued with incredibly powerful Spirit Qi, causing the bandits’ ears to ring, and some even felt as if their bodies were shaken apart, collapsing weakly to the ground. Strangely, the refugees were unaffected by the shout, continuing to fiercely swing their sticks at the bandits, resulting in numerous injuries and deaths among their foes, who had previously held the upper hand.

In the madness sweeping across the Shenzhou Continent, even refugees, these poor souls without homes, were forced to become ruthless to survive and protect their families.

Xu Qingfan, however, had no time to ponder these matters as he looked towards the horizon where the sound originated. Suddenly, a black dot appeared in the sky, faintly human-like, rapidly flying towards them. In the blink of an eye, a figure in green appeared before the gathered refugees.

The man in green seemed middle-aged, and by Xu Qingfan’s judgment, he possessed an early stage of the Lingji Stage cultivation. Standing on a white jade disc floating in mid-air, his face was weathered and stern. He looked coldly at the trembling robbers below, who pleaded for mercy, let out a disdainful snort, and with a wave of his right hand, a flash of green light ensued. When the light faded, the robbers were mysteriously dead, with no visible signs of harm.

"The ‘Green Spirit Soul Thrust’ technique? This means the young man is a disciple of ‘Qingxu Gate’? Well, that saves me some investigation."

Xu Qingfan murmured.

Among Liu Huaxiang’s three last wishes, one involved the ‘Qingxu Gate.’ Years ago, when Liu Huaxiang descended the mountain to collect the grudging souls and essence for a secret technique for Xu Qingfan, he heard that the sect leaders of ‘Qingxu Gate’ and ‘Liuhe Gate,’ Qinglingzi and Taoist Jiuze, had been overthrown and replaced. This left Liu Huaxiang puzzled. Xu Qingfan didn’t know much about Taoist Jiuze, but Qinglingzi was known for his wisdom and impeccable deeds, so his sudden overthrow was surprising. At the same time, Liu Huaxiang’s old friend, Qinglingzi’s master, Immortal Zizhen, a cultivator of the Mahayana Stage, showed no reaction, which made Liu Huaxiang uneasy. Pressed for time and feeling watched, he couldn’t investigate, but left a dying wish for Xu Qingfan to infiltrate ‘Qingxu Gate,’ find Immortal Zizhen, and deliver a letter.

However, Xu Qingfan had been on Jiuhua Mountain for fifty years and was unfamiliar with the situation outside. Recently, he saved some innocent mortals, gaining some knowledge of the mortal world, but remained clueless about the changes in the cultivation world. Since this green-clad person was a cultivator and member of ‘Qingxu Gate,’ it would save Xu Qingfan an inquiry.

By this time, the man in green had reassured the refugees, and amid their thankful cries, turned and flew away on his artifact.

Feeling a slight stir in his heart, Xu Qingfan also began to follow from a distance. Once he was sure the refugees could no longer see them, Xu Qingfan revealed himself and called out to the flying figure, "Taoist friend, please wait."

Upon hearing Xu Qingfan’s voice, the person in the green robe reacted far more intensely than Xu Qingfan had anticipated. The moment Xu Qingfan spoke, the person in the green robe trembled violently, then swiftly turned around, drew a green spirit sword, and with spirit energy swirling around them and a green light flashing, stared warily at Xu Qingfan.

Seeing such a reaction from the person in the green robe, Xu Qingfan paused slightly and respectfully said, "Taoist friend, there’s no need to be alarmed. I mean no harm."

At this point, the person in the green robe carefully looked at Xu Qingfan and suddenly paused, quickly retracting the magical tool and their imposing manner, then bowed to Xu Qingfan and said, "So, it’s a senior from the cultivation world. Given the current state of the cultivation world, my reaction was excessive. I am Wan Yusheng, may I ask the respected senior’s name?"

Seeing the drastic change in demeanor from the person in the green robe, Xu Qingfan paused slightly but then understood their thoughts. The person initially thought Xu Qingfan meant harm, but upon realizing they couldn’t see through Xu Qingfan’s cultivation level, they knew he was at least at the Condensed Core Stage. If he had ill intentions, he could act directly without a word. Though the notion didn’t bother him, being addressed as a senior for the first time felt strange. Nevertheless, he smiled and said, "I am rogue cultivator Xu Fan. I noticed you used the ‘Green Spirit Soul Piercing’ technique earlier. Are you a disciple of the ‘Qingxu Gate’?"

Thinking about how Jiuhua Mountain was currently closed off, Xu Qingfan realized claiming to be a Jiuhua elder might provoke an unforeseen reaction. Thus, he opted to call himself a rogue cultivator and used the name "Xu Fan," which he had used before.

Wan Yusheng’s eyes flashed with a hint of doubt upon hearing Xu Qingfan’s words. After all, there were few rogue cultivators at the Condensed Core Stage in today’s cultivation world, and those who reached this stage were widely known figures, yet he had never heard of "Xu Fan." Moreover, given the current situation in the cultivation world, was there still a rogue cultivator bold enough to roam freely?

Although puzzled, Wan Yusheng kept a calm exterior and bowed once more to Xu Qingfan, saying, "So it’s Senior Xu. I apologize for my earlier rudeness, and I ask for your forgiveness, senior."

Xu Qingfan smiled and said, "You haven’t answered my question. Are you a cultivator from the ‘Qingxu Gate’?"

Upon hearing Xu Qingfan’s question, a look of sadness and hesitation appeared on Wan Yusheng’s face. After a long pause, he reluctantly said, "I was indeed a disciple of the ‘Qingxu Gate,’ but now, according to the cultivation world, I am a traitor of the ‘Qingxu Gate’."

Xu Qingfan was slightly taken aback and asked, "According to the cultivation world’s way of saying it? What does that mean?"

Hearing Xu Qingfan’s question, Wan Yusheng was instead surprised and asked in return, "Could it be that you, senior, are unaware of the changes in our ‘Qingxu Gate’?"

Xu Qingfan felt a slight stir in his heart but calmly said, "I have been in secluded cultivation for many years, and now it seems a century has passed. Therefore, I am not very familiar with the current events in the cultivation world. I hope this esteemed Taoist friend can enlighten me."

Hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, a look of realization flashed in Wan Yusheng’s eyes. However, he did not answer Xu Qingfan’s question and instead said, "Senior, your timing for coming out of seclusion is unfortunate. The current cultivation world is truly in chaos. According to some seniors, it’s a sign of catastrophic times ahead."

Under Xu Qingfan’s persistent questioning, Wan Yusheng slowly explained to Xu Qingfan the changes in the cultivation world over the years, leaving Xu Qingfan secretly shocked.

It turns out that over the years, many significant changes have occurred in the cultivation world. First, Jiuhua Mountain closed its doors, then the "White Lady Palace" was destroyed overnight. Subsequently, "Liuhe Gate" took over "White Lady Palace" and became one of the new six Holy Lands. But soon after, the sect leader of "Liuhe Gate," Taoist Jiuze, was overthrown by his own disciples, with his senior disciple Deng Tianao becoming the new sect leader. Almost simultaneously, the sect leader of "Qingxu Gate," Qinglingzi, was also overthrown by some self-serving elders. Wan Yusheng, as Qinglingzi’s direct disciple, fled "Qingxu Gate" during the chaos with some elders and fellow disciples, only to be declared traitors by "Qingxu Gate." Although the entire cultivation world knew Wan Yusheng and others were innocent, they were helpless. Over the years, they have been continually hunted by "Qingxu Gate" and some unknown cultivators. This is why Wan Yusheng was so tense when he met Xu Qingfan and referred to himself as a "Qingxu Gate" traitor.

According to rumors in the cultivation world, at the same time as the upheaval in "Qingxu Gate" and "Five Elements Sect," the other two of the six Holy Lands, "Mercy Cloud Temple" and "Five Elements Sect," also faced situations where some elders attempted to overthrow the current sect leaders. However, both Master Xu Heng of "Mercy Cloud Temple" and sect master Zeng Lianxian of "Five Elements Sect" barely managed to suppress these changes due to their power and prestige.

With events reaching this point, combined with the previous catastrophe at Jiuhua Mountain and the chaos at White Lady Palace, even the dullest of the cultivation world could sense the undercurrents surging throughout. For a time, people were in a state of panic.

Meanwhile, the strongest sect outside the six Holy Lands, "Eight Wilderness Hall," suddenly saw a surge in power, faintly surpassing the six Holy Lands. Over the years, it has been continuously annexing smaller sects. "Mercy Cloud Temple" and "Five Elements Sect" wish to stop this, but the prowess displayed by "Eight Wilderness Hall" is too strong. Moreover, after the power shifts in "Qingxu Gate" and "Liuhe Gate," their attitudes remain ambiguous. Helplessly, they can only struggle to balance against "Eight Wilderness Hall," slightly slowing its expansion.

Just forty years ago, in the cultivation world, rogue cultivators and those from various sects who ventured out on journeys kept disappearing, with the number reaching over a thousand, including some at the Condensed Core Stage. Despite the major sects teaming up to investigate everywhere, no clues were found. Now, cultivators don’t dare to descend the mountain alone; even for shopping, they must travel in groups of dozens.

After listening to Wan Yusheng’s description, Xu Qingfan was secretly alarmed, not expecting the situation in the cultivation world to be so volatile and dangerous. He became more cautious, and the ease he felt when first descending the mountain had long vanished.

After speaking, Wan Yusheng said to Xu Qingfan, "The situation in the entire cultivation world is indeed like this—chaotic and filled with unrest. Senior, the rogue cultivators have all gone into seclusion. I advise you to do likewise. Otherwise, if someone targets you, it would be very troublesome. Although your skills are profound, there is no guarantee you won’t get harmed if surrounded."

Seeing the frowning Wan Yusheng, Xu Qingfan recalled Liu Huaxiang’s last wish, and his heart was slightly moved. He asked, "Does this mean you are a direct disciple of Senior Qinglingzi?"

Wan Yusheng replied, "That’s correct."

Xu Qingfan asked, "As far as I know, Qinglingzi’s teacher, Immortal Zizhen, has reached a major breakthrough. Won’t he do anything about the rebels at Qingxu Gate?"

Wan Yusheng shook his head sorrowfully and said, "The founder went into seclusion two hundred years ago and hasn’t emerged since. Otherwise, those rebels wouldn’t be tolerated."

Hearing this, Xu Qingfan felt something was amiss regarding Immortal Zizhen’s situation, suspecting it wasn’t so simple. However, he said nothing more and simply clasped his hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you for informing me, my taoist friend. I have other matters to attend to and must take my leave now."