Volume 4 Chapter 66

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Volume 4 Chapter 66: Bloody Battle

In the sunlight, about a hundred feet to Xu Qingfan’s side, two figures in purple hovered silently in the air. For some reason, the sunlight around them seemed dimmer, as if they carried an aura of darkness that didn’t allow the light to touch them.

The two men in purple, one tall and thin, was now using his tongue to repeatedly lick the long, green nails on his hands, which were covered with blood and flesh, a satisfied and gruesome expression on his face.

Xu Qingfan knew that it was this man who had suddenly appeared and attacked him.

But next to the tall, thin man in purple, the slightly shorter man in purple appeared calm and relaxed, yet Xu Qingfan could clearly sense that the pressure emanating from him was much stronger than the first.

At the sight of these two men in purple, Xu Qingfan was taken aback and couldn’t help recalling the man in purple he had previously killed. He speculated, "Could it be that the ‘Underworld’ organization found out I killed that man and now they’re seeking revenge? But that can’t be, I didn’t leave any trace. Or could Old Beggar have been caught by them?"

For a moment, Xu Qingfan’s mind raced, considering many possibilities.

Although the two men in purple before him were only at the middle stage of the Fake Golden Core Stage, slightly weaker than Xu Qingfan, he knew that the people under the "Ming" organization were all highly skilled and could not be judged solely by their cultivation level. For example, the way the tall, thin man had ambushed Xu Qingfan was something he couldn’t understand. However, Xu Qingfan himself also possessed exceptional skills and would not be afraid of these two.

No matter what, Xu Qingfan understood that once targeted by these men in purple, it meant a fight to the death. So he forced himself to calm down, suppressing the anger within him and Little Black, who wanted to retaliate after being attacked. He circulated his Spirit Qi to reach his best state, carefully observing the two men in purple.

"Why did you ambush me?" Xu Qingfan asked coldly.

Because Xu Qingfan was unsure if the two men in purple were there for revenge after having killed another man in purple, he pretended to be completely unaware of the situation regarding "Ming." He acted like a cultivator who had been attacked unexpectedly, feeling angry but trying to keep his feelings in check.

The two people in purple clothes showed no awareness that their skills were below Xu Qingfan’s level, acting as if they had already defeated him, like a cat eyeing a mouse.

After a moment, the tall and thin person in purple did not answer Xu Qingfan’s question but turned to another in purple and said, "Number 4, your information is wrong again. This Xu Fan is not at the middle stage but at the late stage of the Fake Golden Core, and he’s not just any ordinary cultivator since he dodged my sneak attack just now."

The voice was icy, like a proclamation before a duel, even though it was directed at a companion.

Number 4 lazily replied, "Number 5, my data came directly from ‘Soul Searching Technique’ from Iron Old Man’s soul. If the info is wrong, don’t blame me. Blame Iron Old Man for not judging people’s skill levels correctly."

After a pause, a mysterious smile flitted across Number 4’s face, and he said softly, "But isn’t it better for you if the opponent is stronger?"

Hearing this, Number 5’s aura became even more violent as he calmly said, "True."

As he spoke, Number 5 turned his gaze back to Xu Qingfan, his eyes somehow turning blood-red.

Meanwhile, upon hearing the conversation of the two people in purple, a chill ran through Xu Qingfan’s heart. From what they said, he learned that Iron Old Man had been killed because of him, and killing Iron Old Man, the top martial artist near Ronghua Mountain aside from Qingxu Gate, seemed effortless for them. Moreover, these two weren’t after Xu Qingfan for killing one of their companions; otherwise, they wouldn’t need information about Xu Qingfan from Iron Old Man.

Thinking of his past friendship with Iron Old Man, Xu Qingfan felt anger brewing in his chest because the old man was killed due to his involvement.

But at this moment, Xu Qingfan still couldn’t figure out the purpose of these two men in purple, nor did he know if more would attack after he dealt with them. The two men seemed casual but were on guard, so Xu Qingfan abandoned the idea of a sudden attack and instead asked coldly, "You two haven’t answered yet, why did you ambush me?"

Upon hearing Xu Qingfan’s question again, Number Five finally stopped ignoring him, focused intently on Xu Qingfan’s vital areas, and said coldly, "Because my family master wants you dead, it’s that simple."

As Number Five said the word "simple," Xu Qingfan’s eyes suddenly narrowed, for he saw Number Five’s figure become blurry. When Number Five finished speaking, his body vanished from its spot and reappeared beside Xu Qingfan, with ten sharp green nails extending like ten swords, slashing towards Xu Qingfan’s heart and throat.

Although Xu Qingfan was questioning them earlier, he remained vigilant. At the moment he noticed the unusual behavior of Number Five, the Spirit Qi within him whirled rapidly. When Number Five appeared next to Xu Qingfan, a "Five Spirit Bell" appeared above Xu Qingfan’s head, expanding in an instant until it formed a colorful bell-shaped shadow that covered Xu Qingfan entirely.

At the same moment, Little Black on Xu Qingfan’s shoulder transformed into a black flash, darting behind Number Five, and pecked fiercely at him.

"Dong…"

When Number Five’s ten sharp green nails struck Xu Qingfan, the "Five Spirit Bell" narrowly blocked them. As Number Five’s nails clashed with the bell, an ancient and melodious bell chime rang out, resonating into the distance.

Number Five’s ten sharp green nails were his greatest weapon, refined over centuries to be as powerful as a top-grade Earth-level attack tool. However, the "Five Spirit Bell" was extraordinary, despite being an Earth-level tool, its defense was comparable to a heavenly level tool. When the green nails struck the bell, Number Five felt intense pain, as if his fingers were cut off.

Meanwhile, as the bell tolled, Number Five was shaken, his internal organs churning, nearly causing him to cough up blood.

The most alarming thing was that Xu Qingfan’s Little Black also attacked him from behind at that moment. Although Little Black looked like an ordinary crow, Number 5 instinctively sensed danger. The space around him rippled once again, and just as Little Black attacked, Number 5 suddenly vanished from where he stood.

In the next instant, Number 5 reappeared beside Number 4. However, he looked much more disheveled than before, his face pale, and a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth.

The arrogant Number 5 had finally paid the price for underestimating Xu Qingfan.

But Xu Qingfan, looking at Number 5’s disheveled figure, couldn’t help but furrow his brows because he still couldn’t figure out how Number 5 had managed to teleport suddenly. It’s known that controlling space is an ability only Mahayana cultivators should have, and Number 5 clearly wasn’t one.

As for Number 5, after appearing, he angrily shouted at Number 4, "Why didn’t you step in earlier?"

His voice no longer held its previous icy tone, as the setback he suffered with Xu Qingfan seemed to have enraged him greatly.

Number 4 had looked slightly more serious after Xu Qingfan used the "Five Spirit Bell," but upon hearing Number 5’s question, his expression reverted to its usual nonchalance. With a hint of sarcasm in his tone, he casually said, "Didn’t you always forbid me from interfering when you make a move?"

Hearing Number 4’s words, Number 5’s face showed a mix of shame and anger, his voice turning even colder as he exclaimed, "If you can’t kill him, the master won’t spare you either."

Hearing Number 5’s statement, Number 4 nodded reluctantly and said, "Alright…"

Just as Number 4 was about to say something else, Xu Qingfan made a quick hand gesture. The "Rainbow Ruler" suddenly appeared beside him, turning into a rainbow beam of light and attacking Number 5. Xu Qingfan instinctively sensed danger from Number 4, deciding not to let them team up against him, so he took the initiative to attack first.

Meanwhile, Little Black also transformed into a stripe of black light, attacking Number 4. Xu Qingfan decided to deal with the weaker Number 5 first and let Little Black distract Number 4.

Seeing Xu Qingfan take the initiative to attack, Number 5 snorted coldly and moved his ten fingers rapidly. The ten green nails on his hands suddenly turned into ten streaks of green light, like powerful green flying swords, striking towards Xu Qingfan’s rainbow light. Then, he vanished and reappeared beside Xu Qingfan, attacking fiercely with his ten green nails.

This time, Number 5 was much more cautious, focusing his power into a single point and continuously attacking the "Five Spirit Bell" surrounding Xu Qingfan. He would strike and retreat immediately, reducing the impact noise. Additionally, by keeping his mind focused while attacking, the bell’s sound no longer harmed him significantly. Number 5 had clearly realized that Xu Qingfan’s desire to maintain the "Five Spirit Bell" required a massive amount of Spirit Qi, so he planned to wear down Xu Qingfan’s Spirit Qi through this method.

Although Xu Qingfan saw through Number 5’s plan, he couldn’t stop him for a while. Number 5’s form constantly shifted, and Xu Qingfan’s Rainbow Ruler was tangled with the ten green nails, unable to counterattack for the moment. So, Number 5 kept appearing around Xu Qingfan, while Xu Qingfan could only maintain a passive defense with the "Five Spirit Bell."

After a while, Xu Qingfan felt a significant drain on his Spirit Qi and decided not to continue the stalemate. With a hand gesture change, the Rainbow Ruler, entangled with Number 5’s green nails, suddenly transformed into seven rays of rainbow light in Xu Qingfan’s direction, ignoring the green nails. With the "Five Spirit Bell" for protection, Xu Qingfan wasn’t afraid of them.

Indeed, after the rainbow lights circled around Xu Qingfan a few times and occasionally chased Number 5, Number 5’s attacks decreased greatly, only striking when he found a gap in the rainbow lights or when his green nails disrupted them, appearing suddenly to attack Xu Qingfan.

No matter what, due to his caution around the rainbow lights circling Xu Qingfan, Number 5’s attack frequency was much lower, and Xu Qingfan finally had time to observe how Number 5 managed to teleport so quickly.

After careful observation, Xu Qingfan finally discovered the trick behind Number 5’s teleportation. Somehow, Number 5 could shrink his body to an incredible degree in an instant, increasing his speed tremendously, combined with advanced illusions, giving the appearance of teleportation.

Although Xu Qingfan figured out how Number 5 teleported, he still couldn’t harm Number 5 because Number 5 was too fast, and Xu Qingfan couldn’t predict where Number 5 would move next.

The battle between Xu Qingfan and Number 5 reached a standstill, waiting for either Xu Qingfan to be unable to keep the "Five Spirit Bell" going, or for Number 5 to make a mistake.

As soon as one of these happens, the fight will be over.

"Quack… quack…"

Just as Xu Qingfan was thinking of a plan and preparing to use his power to become wind to deal with Number 5, he suddenly heard Little Black’s unpleasant cry. He was surprised because Little Black always obeyed Xu Qingfan’s orders and never made a sound. Why would it cry out now?

Curious, Xu Qingfan looked towards where Little Black was fighting Number 4, and what he saw startled him.

Little Black was incredibly strong, moving as fast as lightning, with a mysterious and powerful aura that was almost impossible to withstand. Yet against Number 4, it was at a disadvantage, struggling even more than Xu Qingfan.

Number 4 stood still, and whenever Little Black attacked, he would casually point a finger at it. The air of ease suggested the battle was just child’s play for him. This simple finger point, without any light or energy movement, was terrifying for Little Black. Each time Number 4 raised a finger, Little Black would immediately withdraw. If the finger connected from a distance, Little Black would look like it was in excruciating pain and would even cry out. Even though Little Black stumbled against Number 4, it stubbornly obeyed Xu Qingfan’s command, continuing to harass Number 4 to prevent him and Number 5 from attacking Xu Qingfan together.

But Number 4’s seemingly simple finger point was a mystery, and even Little Black couldn’t endure it. Despite having no visible injuries, Little Black slowed down significantly. Through their bond, Xu Qingfan realized Little Black was starting to become disoriented.

It seemed as though Number 4 noticed Xu Qingfan’s gaze, for he suddenly turned his head, nodding slightly at Xu Qingfan with a strange, unreadable smile on his face.

Then, after repelling Little Black’s attack once again, Number 4 turned around and pointed directly at Xu Qingfan.

There were no flashes of light, no earth-shaking momentum, and not even the slightest ripple of Spirit Qi.

Yet at the very moment Number 4’s finger pointed at Xu Qingfan, he felt a soul-wrenching pain shoot through his entire body, as if his very spirit was being torn apart. He lost control of his mind, causing the Spirit Qi within him to become chaotic, and the wound on his chest, which had just begun to heal, suddenly burst open. With Spirit Qi in disarray, Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but cough up a mouthful of blood.

To Xu Qingfan’s shock, the defensive treasure "Five Spirit Bell," did not react at all to Number 4’s attack.

In that moment, Xu Qingfan finally understood why Little Black was so terrified of Number 4’s simple gesture—it wasn’t a normal attack but one that directly targeted the Original Soul.

When Number 4’s finger touched him, Xu Qingfan felt a soul-shredding agony as his spirit was violently struck.

More crucially, as his spirit was attacked, Xu Qingfan could no longer maintain the operation of the "Five Spirit Bell," and in that brief instant, its protective barrier vanished.

At the same time, Number 5 suddenly appeared in front of Xu Qingfan, a vicious grin on his face, swinging ten sharp green nails toward him with ferocity!