Volume 4 Chapter 61

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

Volume 4 Chapter 61: News

A month later, Xu Qingfan was enjoying the respect of a senior at the "Qinghan Gate" while quietly waiting for news from the "Qingxu Gate."

Fortunately, "Qinghan Gate" and "Qingxu Gate" had close ties, and Venerable Xuhan was an honorary disciple of "Qingxu Gate." His descendants became inner or even direct disciples of various elders at "Qingxu Gate," so Xu Qingfan wasn’t worried about being completely cut off from news of "Qingxu Gate" while staying at "Qinghan Gate."

During this month, there were two noteworthy events.

First, someone, either Iron Old Man or Venerable Xuhan, had spread word about Xu Qingfan’s preaching at Qingxu, resulting in sect leaders from small sects, whom Xu Qingfan had met at "Qingxu Dojo," arriving in droves with their disciples at "Niufu Mountain" to listen to Xu Qingfan’s teachings alongside "Qinghan Gate." This left Xu Qingfan feeling both amused and helpless.

The second incident was even more amusing for Xu Qingfan. On the seventh day after Xu Qingfan arrived at "Qinghan Gate," sect leaders of small sects and several rogue cultivators, including Iron Old Man, came to Xu Qingfan’s room to congratulate him.

Puzzled, Xu Qingfan asked the reason and discovered that news of his preaching at Qingxu had spread throughout the cultivation world. Due to the renowned history of "Qingxu Preach," the name "Southern Wasteland rogue cultivator Xu Fan" became famous within just a few days. Moreover, the divine skill Xu Qingfan demonstrated before his teaching earned him the title "Palm Spring and Autumn." Xu Qingfan found this both funny and bewildering, unsure whether it was a good or bad thing to achieve such fame in the cultivation world.

During this month, Xu Qingfan also fulfilled his promise to Venerable Xuhan by preaching to several small sects, including "Qinghan Gate," about the "Shriveled Glory Way of Life and Death" he had previously taught at "Qingxu Gate." Again, he showcased his divine skills, leaving the audience in awe and explaining the true meaning of "Palm Spring and Autumn." After his teachings, the respect for Xu Qingfan only increased, with several rogue cultivators and sect leaders hinting they wanted Xu Qingfan to take their disciples as his own. Xu Qingfan politely declined; he planned to take disciples on this journey, but not randomly, as it concerned Liu Huaxiang’s last wish.

Despite these events, Xu Qingfan remained most attentive to news from "Qingxu Gate." According to Venerable Xuhan, everything at "Qingxu Gate" was normal this month, except for the intensified conflict between Huanlingzi and Xuan Ling.

On this day, as usual, Xu Qingfan finished his meditation after the first sunlight rose above the horizon. He pushed open the door and walked towards the main hall of "Xuhuan Gate," knowing that Venerable Xuhan, Iron Old Man, and others would still be there discussing their spiritual practices and sharing their insights.

Thanks to Xu Qingfan’s consistent guidance over the past month, when Xu Qingfan joined the discussions, it wasn’t just him speaking while others nodded in agreement. Instead, it had become more of a mutual discussion like it initially was. This made Xu Qingfan feel much more comfortable.

Although Xu Qingfan was a disciple of the Holy Land, with countless seniors’ experiences to draw from when facing challenges, he still greatly benefited from occasionally listening to the self-exploration pathways shared by Venerable Xuhan and Iron Old Man.

However, on this particular day, when Xu Qingfan arrived at the main hall, he noticed that the atmosphere among everyone was different from usual, with a heavy sense of seriousness. Whether it was Venerable Xuhan, Iron Old Man, or other rogue cultivators or sect leaders from small factions, all had furrowed brows, and some even showed a hint of nervousness in their eyes.

Xu Qingfan instinctively felt that something likely happened at "Qingxu Gate," as only this reason could make these cultivators closely tied to "Qingxu Gate" look so solemn.

"Dear Taoist friends, why is the mood so heavy? Has something happened?" Xu Qingfan entered the main hall, pretending to be unaware, and asked with a smile.

Seeing Xu Qingfan arrive, the seven elderly people in the hall quickly stood up, bowed respectfully towards him, but upon hearing his question, their faces showed a hint of hesitation.

Because it concerned "Qingxu Gate," everyone felt it was inappropriate to let Xu Qingfan know. However, given Xu Qingfan’s good relationship with them over the recent days, when he had questions, they couldn’t avoid answering him.

In the end, it was Venerable Xuhan who sighed and said to Xu Qingfan, "’Qingxu Gate’ seems to have encountered some trouble recently."

"Oh? What’s going on? Could you let me know? After all, I have many friends in the ‘Qingxu Gate,’ and I can’t help but be concerned." Xu Qingfan asked urgently, his face showing genuine anxiety. His words were sincere, like his worry for Mo Ziliang’s safety.

Hearing Xu Qingfan, everyone exchanged glances. Finally, Venerable Xuhan explained to Xu Qingfan, "Taoist Friend Xu, we don’t know the full details. But from what a descendant at ‘Qingxu Gate’ said three days ago, the Immortal Zizhen, who had been in seclusion for centuries, suddenly appeared and gathered all the elders in ‘Qingxu Hall.’ However, for the next three days, no further messages came from my descendant. Yet during these days, there were rumbling sounds in ‘Ronghua Mountain,’ as if many experts were fighting, and even the mountain’s protective array couldn’t hide them. Rumor has it that the night before, the long-closed Qingxu protective array suddenly opened, allowing over a hundred Qingxu cultivators to escape, pursued by even more Qingxu cultivators. We don’t know exactly what happened in Qingxu; it seems like internal chaos, but with Immortal Zizhen in charge, it seems unlikely. Overall, it’s very worrying."

As he spoke, the worry in the seven elders’ eyes grew heavier.

But upon hearing Venerable Xuhan, Xu Qingfan felt enlightened, knowing that with the help of the "Death Spirit Pearl," Immortal Zizhen had broken free.

"Now we just don’t know who the victor is in the struggle between Immortal Zizhen and Liu Ziqing. Although it seems Immortal Zizhen has the upper hand, considering his reputation, Liu Ziqing’s schemes would be hard to escape from defeat. But with Liu Ziqing’s intelligence, nothing is absolutely certain. However, whether Immortal Zizhen wins or loses, I am safe, so I shall wait here for news. If no news comes after three days, it means Immortal Zizhen ultimately lost."

Xu Qingfan thought silently.

As Xu Qingfan and the others discussed what might happen to the "Qingxu Gate," a gentle yet clear voice suddenly came from outside the mountain, reaching everyone’s ears.

"I, Qingxu Mo Ziliang, have come to pay my respects."

Hearing Mo Ziliang’s voice, Xu Qingfan knew Immortal Zizhen had won.

…

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, in another place.

It was still the vast and empty mountain interior, with sixteen ominous Demonic Figurines, and that pool of blood emitting an evil aura. The space still echoed with an inexplicable, mysterious ancient music. Above the demons stood a dozen core members of the "Ming" organization, dressed in purple.

"’Xuan’ and ‘Huang’ still haven’t come. This is the third time in a row."

After a long silence, "Yu" said coldly, his voice echoing throughout the mountain.

"Zhou" said lazily, "Yu, why do you keep worrying about them? As far as we’re concerned, as long as Xuan and Huang complete the tasks the organization gives them, that’s enough."

"Yu" snorted coldly and did not say anything more.

Suddenly, "Tian," who had been silent all this time, spoke up, "The time has come. We don’t need to wait for Xuan and Huang. ‘Yu,’ why have you gathered us here this time? Go ahead and tell us."

"Yu" remained silent for a while, then spoke in an icy tone, "My mission has failed. The piece I buried in the ‘Qingxu Gate’ has suddenly lost contact in these past few days. Moreover, it is rumored that Immortal Zizhen has broken free and now has regained control of the situation at the ‘Qingxu Gate.’"

As soon as Yu’s voice fell, Huang mocked, "I just heard you complaining about Xuan and Huang not arriving. I thought you had some good news to announce, but it turns out your task has failed. I really don’t understand why you wanted Xuan and Huang to come; did you want them to come just to laugh at you?"

Hearing Huang’s sarcasm, a trace of murderous intent flashed in Yu’s eyes, as he retorted, "Indeed, I failed, but my men controlled Qingxu Gate for a whole forty years and sealed the Sky Light Pearl, keeping our Tian Sha Plan hidden. Although I failed this time, it has still left Qingxu Gate severely weakened. Unlike someone, who personally infiltrated Mercy Cloud Temple and was defeated even before the plan was carried out, ultimately having to escape in disgrace."

Yu did not know that his subordinates had already been removed by Liu Ziqing, and it was Liu Ziqing who had been in contact with him all these years.

After hearing Yu’s mockery, Huang let out a cold huff and said nothing more.

Then Hong suddenly spoke softly, "It’s too late to blame each other now. What we should consider is that once Immortal Zizhen regains control of Qingxu Gate, they will surely discover the anomaly with the Sky Light Pearl. Our Tian Sha Plan will be exposed, and we must think about what to do then."

At Hong’s words, all the members of Ming fell silent.

Tian suddenly asked, "Lie, Zhang, how much of the shared blood and unjust souls have been collected?"

Lie respectfully answered, "Only seventy percent has been collected."

Tian nodded silently and said, "Seventy percent is nearly enough. Although it’s unfortunate if the Tian Sha Plan gets exposed, since we only need thirty percent more, we can use other means to gather it."

Hearing "Tian" say that, everyone silently nodded.

Then "Tian" suddenly turned to "Yu" and asked, "Do you know how Zizhen managed to escape? The technique I provided should have completely trapped him at only thirty percent of his strength."

"Yu" shook his head and said, "I don’t know, this Zizhen seemed to escape all of a sudden, without any signs of trouble beforehand."

"Hong" frowned in thought for a moment, then asked, "Was there really no sign before Zizhen escaped?"

"Yu" thought for a moment and said, "If we are to speak of something unusual, it is that ‘Qingxu Gate’ once invited an unknown rogue cultivator to give a sermon, but that rogue cultivator was only at the middle stage of the Fake Golden Core Stage. Immortal Zizhen escaped on the very night after that rogue cultivator left. Based on the abilities and timing of that rogue cultivator, it should not be him."

After hearing "Yu’s" words, "Zhang" said indifferently, "You mean that Southern Wasteland rogue cultivator Xu Fan, right? After this Qingxu Preach, he actually gained the title ‘Palm Spring and Autumn,’ and overnight, he became famous across the world."

As "Zhang" finished speaking, the empty mountain cave fell silent again.

After a long pause, "Tian" suddenly said, "Whether or not this Xu Fan is involved, to be safe, ‘Zhang,’ while collecting the blood and vengeful souls, send someone to kill him."

"Yes," Zhang replied respectfully.

Then Tian continued to say, "As for collecting the remaining thirty percent of the essence blood and vengeful souls, let’s carry out Plan Number Two."

"Yes," everyone responded.

…

Just as Xu Qingfan had predicted before, Immortal Zizhen ended up winning this time. Mo Ziliang’s visit to the "Qinghan Gate" was actually to escort Xu Qingfan to the "Qingxu Gate" to meet Immortal Zizhen. The reason Mo Ziliang, who was familiar with Xu Qingfan, was sent was likely because Immortal Zizhen wanted to reassure him.

With Venerable Xuhan, Iron Old Man, and others bidding them farewell, Xu Qingfan and Mo Ziliang rode on auspicious clouds, swiftly flying in the direction of "Ronghua Mountain."

Above the sky, seeing the worried look on Mo Ziliang’s face, Xu Qingfan sighed silently and asked, "Friend Mo Ziliang, what is the current situation at the ‘Qingxu Gate’?"

Mo Ziliang smiled bitterly and said, "This time, our ‘Qingxu Gate’ almost got erased from the cultivation world."

"What?" Even Xu Qingfan didn’t expect that the internal turmoil at Qingxu Gate would be so severe, almost to the point of being wiped out.

Then, Mo Ziliang detailed the situation of Immortal Zizhen’s quelling of the chaos to Xu Qingfan, leaving Xu Qingfan quietly astonished.