Volume 4 Chapter 47

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Volume 4 Chapter 47: Strategy Set

When Xu Qingfan returned to the base of "Jingxiu Mountain" with Little Black, he saw that the cultivators who had been under the command of the man in purple were nowhere to be found. Instead, the ground was covered with bones. Xu Qingfan gazed at the glistening white bones and sighed softly, realizing it was the work of Little Black. Upon witnessing Little Black’s power for the first time, Xu Qingfan was greatly astonished. There was a thousand-year-old towering tree at the back of Jiuhua Mountain, which wilted instantly with a mere peck from Little Black. Such power was unmatched even by Xu Qingfan’s "Withered Qi."

If Xu Qingfan hadn’t been worried that the other cultivators might harm Old Beggar while he pursued the man in purple, he would never have allowed Little Black to act so freely. Little Black’s attacks left no remains—a gruesome end—and the pile of bones under Xu Qingfan’s feet was proof of this.

Besides the bones, Xu Qingfan did not see the survivor he had asked Little Black to spare. A bit puzzled, he realized that a cultivator must have escaped while Little Black left searching. However, Xu Qingfan believed that given Little Black’s strength, a Lingji Stage cultivator wouldn’t have the energy to escape far. So he turned to Little Black and asked, "Little Black, where’s the person I asked you to leave alive? Bring him to me."

A hint of doubt seemed to flash in Little Black’s eyes. The moment Xu Qingfan finished speaking, Little Black spread its wings and became a streak of black lightning, searching around "Jingxiu Mountain." Meanwhile, Xu Qingfan didn’t hesitate, transforming into a gray mist and flying towards the stone house where Old Beggar was refining a tool for him. Upon reaching the stone house, Xu Qingfan found Old Beggar just as he had left him—intently working around the copper furnace, with a serious yet somewhat crazed look, completely focused on the task. Despite the loud commotion caused by the man in purple, heard even miles away, Old Beggar seemed oblivious or chose to ignore it, fully immersed in his work. This level of dedication impressed Xu Qingfan, yet also made him slightly exasperated.

"This Old Beggar, I’m out here risking my life to save him, but he’s completely unaware of it. I guess I can’t expect any gratitude from him once he learns the details," Xu Qingfan thought to himself.

Shaking his head lightly, Xu Qingfan turned and left Old Beggar’s stone house, just in time to see Little Black flying swiftly towards him, clutching a man. Little Black, no larger than a typical crow, was carrying someone ten times its size effortlessly, and in no time, reached Xu Qingfan. Dropping the man at Xu Qingfan’s feet, Little Black then perched on Xu Qingfan’s shoulder.

The cultivator Little Black had brought was tall and fierce in appearance. According to Xu Qingfan’s earlier observations, he was the strongest among the cultivators under the man in purple. But now, there was no trace of fierceness. As Little Black carried him through the air, he had been shouting continuously and struggling wildly. After being dropped to the ground, his demeanor was pitiful, quivering more fearfully than when he faced his former leader, whispering repeatedly, "Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me!"

Xu Qingfan understood that, even though he had just defeated his leader, this cultivator’s fear was more likely due to Little Black. One could easily imagine the terror of watching comrades turn into bones before one’s eyes.

With a slight sigh, Xu Qingfan pointed with both hands and softly intoned, "Calm your mind!"

As Xu Qingfan spoke, the cultivator’s body still trembled uncontrollably, but he no longer screamed in panic. Even so, the cultivator still didn’t dare to lift his head, as if Death itself stood before him.

Xu Qingfan furrowed his brow slightly and said softly, "Raise your head."

The cultivator shuddered but remained motionless.

Just as Xu Qingfan was about to speak again, Little Black on his shoulder suddenly cawed twice.

Little Black’s call was as harsh and jarring as a normal crow’s, but to the cultivator, it felt like a death knell. His body trembled again, then he hurriedly looked up. This action made Xu Qingfan smile wryly, realizing that as a Condensed Core Stage cultivator and the fourth figure of Jiuhua Gate, his words seemed less persuasive than Little Black’s crow caws.

As the cultivator’s terror increased upon seeing Little Black on Xu Qingfan’s shoulder, Xu Qingfan was also startled by the cultivator’s appearance.

The cultivator’s left cheek, and even the left side of his body, had turned into stark white bones, spreading visibly to the right side, constantly corroded by Little Black’s deathly aura. It’s said that human eyes hold the spirit of the world, but whether this is true, Xu Qingfan did not know. Still, the left side of the cultivator was all bones except for one remaining eye, making the sight even more terrifying.

Xu Qingfan knew that although he’d told Little Black to leave someone alive, Little Black’s deathly aura was too overpowering and strange. Even as its master, it was nearly impossible to capture someone without causing harm. A single peck from Little Black could be fatal unless one had immense power to expel the invading aura quickly. Otherwise, death was inevitable, and even their soul could be consumed. Xu Qingfan had told Little Black to spare someone, but for Little Black, it meant merely injecting less deathly aura, prolonging the agony—a fate worse than death.

Xu Qingfan saw Little Black’s power against the cultivator for the first time and decided that unless absolutely necessary, he would never let Little Black attack again. This decision wasn’t about mercy but rather because the state of the cultivator attacked by Little Black was too terrifying and miserable.

At that moment, the cultivator raised his head under Little Black’s threat, but he didn’t dare look at Little Black and instead glanced at Xu Qingfan. Suddenly, he seemed to discover something. A hint of confusion flashed in his eyes, and he looked more closely at Xu Qingfan. After a long moment, he seemed incredulous, touched his left cheek, only to feel cold bones, and screamed again.

Little Black’s deathly aura was corroding the cultivator’s body while dulling his pain nerves. Although he knew his appearance must be terrifying, he didn’t truly see it until now in Xu Qingfan’s eyes. The half-ghost, half-human semblance shocked his already strained nerves, causing him to scream again, pleading with Xu Qingfan, "Please, kill me. Please."

Seeing himself in such a state, he lost even the courage to live. Without the strength to end his own life, he begged Xu Qingfan.

Xu Qingfan sighed quietly and said to the cultivator, "Answer my questions first, and I will grant your wish."

The cultivator asked in a trembling voice, "What question?"

Xu Qingfan asked, "What’s your relationship with that man in purple?"

The cultivator replied, "We were originally cultivators living around ‘Cold Spring Mountain,’ thirty of us, but fifty years ago, that man in purple appeared and killed ten of us effortlessly. He then placed restraints on the remaining ones, forcing us to serve him and gather information on rogue cultivators. Every year, he appears a few times and leads us to capture those cultivators."

Xu Qingfan pondered for a moment and then asked, "How does he contact you, and what does he have you call him?"

The cultivator replied, "Every year during the rainy season, he has us wait for him in Cheng Country’s Tang County, and he asks us to call him the Venerable One."

Xu Qingfan asked again, "One last question, is there anything notable about this man in purple? Think carefully."

Xu Qingfan originally thought the cultivator would take a long time to answer, but unexpectedly, the cultivator replied immediately, "Every time he leaves, he heads toward the Western Desert. That’s all I know."

Xu Qingfan raised an eyebrow, questioning, "How do you know this so clearly?"

By now, deathly energy had corroded most of the cultivator’s body, and sensing his time was near, he gasped, "Because, to escape his control, we secretly investigated his movements, but his powers are too great, and we dare not get close. So, while we know he flies toward the Western Desert after gathering the souls and spirits of cultivators, we don’t know the specifics."

After answering, the cultivator pleaded once more, "I’ve told you everything I know. Please, kill me. End my suffering."

Observing his expression, Xu Qingfan knew the cultivator was being honest. With a soft sigh, a wisp of Phoenix Spirit Fire appeared at his fingertip, which he then directed at the cultivator.

As Xu Qingfan’s finger touched him, flames engulfed the cultivator’s body. Perhaps because the deathly energy had numbed all his nerves, he did not wail in agony but instead closed his eyes in relief, awaiting his body to turn to ashes.

Once the cultivator’s body was reduced to ashes, Xu Qingfan turned and looked at Little Black, then sighed, "Little Black, it seems the troubles of the cultivation world—no, of all humanity—are only just beginning."

Little Black did not reply; he simply stared with cold, indifferent eyes at the ashes in front of Xu Qingfan, as if he had no concern for the survival of humans.

Xu Qingfan said nothing either, instead he collected the ashes at his feet, and then his body transformed into a gust of gray wind. He flew to the place where Little Black left a pile of bones outside the mountain, and just like before, he burned them to ashes, then buried the ashes of these cultivators together.

But before that, following the principle of not letting anything go to waste, Xu Qingfan broke open the Sleeve Space spells on the cultivators’ clothes. Although he didn’t find any exceptional magical tools, he still collected quite a few spirit stones and pills.

After finishing everything, Xu Qingfan returned to Jingxiu Mountain and sat in meditation to heal. The earlier battle with the person in purple, although it seemed Xu Qingfan had the upper hand throughout, was actually very dangerous. The person in purple was stronger than Xu Qingfan. If Xu Qingfan hadn’t struck him with the Five Spirit Bell when he was at a crucial moment in casting his spell and later ambushed him, he would probably have lost had he faced him directly.

But even so, this battle had consumed a lot of Xu Qingfan’s Spirit Qi. To catch up with the person in purple, Xu Qingfan had to endure several hits from him. Although he transformed into the wind at the time, he still suffered some internal injuries. So as soon as everything was settled, Xu Qingfan immediately sat down to recuperate.

While healing, Xu Qingfan quietly reflected on everything he had experienced that day, thinking to himself, "What the cultivator said should be true. The person in purple ran towards the Western Desert, perhaps deliberately, which seems to be their base. From his words, it seems it might be his master ‘Lie’s’ abode. However, it’s also possible it’s where they set up ‘Tian Sha.’ It looks like when I go down the mountain to fulfill Martial Uncle Liu’s last wish, I also need to take a look over there. Only the Western Desert is vast and finding the exact location is difficult. But since I got a ‘Greenwind Bird’ from the person in purple, there’s a good chance of finding it."

"The biggest issue now is whether it’s wise to investigate their situation with my current strength. If discovered, not to mention how strong ‘Lie’ might be, but even being surrounded by his subordinates in purple would leave me unable to escape."

Pondering over this, Xu Qingfan’s mind drifted into nothingness, completely entering a meditative state.