Volume 4 Chapter 70

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Volume 4 Chapter 70: Tigers and Wolves

"Art of Annihilation?"

After Divine Sense separated from the green slip, Xu Qingfan stared intently at this green slip in front of him, murmuring to himself.

Although he only gained a little information from the green slip earlier, Xu Qingfan was already certain that the "Art of Annihilation" recorded in the green slip was the same magic that Number 4 used to injure his Original Soul.

Strangely, the green slip recording the "Art of Annihilation" fell out of Number 5’s robes, who never displayed that technique. It seemed that although Number 5 couldn’t master the "Art of Annihilation," he still harbored resentment and practiced it secretly.

Based on what was learned from the green slip, the so-called "Art of Annihilation" transforms the cultivator’s Original Soul into a blade to directly attack the opponent. It sounds simple, but solidifying the Original Soul into a blade-like form takes a lot of effort. At least for Xu Qingfan’s current Original Soul, even with a specific cultivation method, it would take hundreds of years to achieve this, let alone turning it into a distant blade to attack opponents.

Xu Qingfan deduced that although Number 4 could use the "Art of Annihilation," he likely did not achieve it through normal channels. Otherwise, spending hundreds of years to solidify the Original Soul and another hundred years to shape it into a blade would easily advance him to the Real Golden Core Stage, even without practicing other cultivation methods. Furthermore, without reaching the Real Golden Core Stage, his Original Soul could not be solidified. Number 4’s demonstrated Original Soul strength far exceeded his cultivation level, indicating another secret technique.

Judging from the information revealed in the green slip, Xu Qingfan discovered that Number 4 had only mastered the basics of the "Art of Annihilation." When fully mastered, the Original Soul becomes incredibly stable and can transform into any weapon to freely attack the opponent.

More terrifying was the final piece of information in the green slip, which made Xu Qingfan feel deeply unsettled.

"After mastering the ‘Art of Annihilation,’ one can practice the ‘Puppet Technique.’ Remember this well."

Since the cultivation world began, a calamity appears every 2,800 years, often due to a sect’s sudden rise. These sects all share a common trait: their cultivation methods, though mysterious, are invariably self-serving at the expense of others.

For instance, during the first great calamity, there appeared a demon cultivator who absorbed the essence of all living things to strengthen themselves. Similarly, in the last calamity, the rise of the "Spirit Purging Cult" occurred, whose cultivation method involved merging with the world’s essence. The mysterious and astounding nature of their cultivation method ensured their power, but its harmful and selfish nature also destined them to be outcasts, eventually leading to their expulsion and even annihilation by the cultivation world.

Two thousand eight hundred years after the demon cultivator calamity, the second great calamity appeared in the cultivation world. This time, the calamity involved cultivators known as "Puppet Masters," whose cultivation method involved using unique powers to destroy a cultivator’s Original Soul and then controlling the soulless cultivator as their puppet.

Compared to the demon cultivator calamity, this one caused less harm to the cultivation world. Due to limitations in the cultivation method, although Puppet Masters were powerful, they rarely reached the Mahayana Stage of mastery and never produced figures as formidable as the Demon Ancestor. Therefore, their stories are less circulated in the cultivation world. As time passed, these events slowly faded from memory.

However, Xu Qingfan learned some details about this calamity from an ancient book.

How similar are "Art of Annihilation" and the "Puppet Technique" mentioned later to the Puppet Masters from ten thousand years ago?

Thinking carefully, Xu Qingfan realized that the powers of the "Lie Three" he previously encountered, which transformed into a demon beast, bore some resemblance to the "demon cultivators" from eight thousand years ago.

"What connection does this ‘Ming’ organization have with the various calamities in the cultivation world?" Reflecting on Liu Ziqing’s earlier mention of the "Ming" organization causing calamities in the cultivation world, Xu Qingfan thought silently to himself.

At that moment, Xu Qingfan missed Liu Huaxiang tremendously. Whenever he had doubts, Liu Huaxiang could always help Xu Qingfan find the answers.

Unfortunately, Liu Huaxiang had passed away, leaving Xu Qingfan without someone to discuss and share his concerns. Although Jin Qinghan was close to Xu Qingfan, he was single-minded in his cultivation. While Jin Qinghan appeared cold, he hadn’t experienced much, and discussing these matters with him would only make him worry. Ting’er, though related to Xu Qingfan, was naturally quiet and might be a good listener but not someone who could offer valuable advice. Moreover, in Xu Qingfan’s eyes, Ting’er was still a child who needed protection.

After careful consideration, it seemed that Master Zhang Hualing of Jiuhua was the most suitable person to discuss these matters with Xu Qingfan. Both represented the lineage of Jiuhua. Having served as Master of Jiuhua for centuries, Zhang Hualing’s experience far surpassed Xu Qingfan’s, allowing him to offer valuable advice.

However, ever since Xu Qingfan discovered that the secret techniques Liu Huaxiang left for him might have been secretly practiced by Liu Huaxiang, he unnoticeably developed some reservations towards Zhang Hualing and no longer trusted him as much as before. The information Xu Qingfan had was highly confidential, and he instinctively did not want to discuss it with Liu Huaxiang.

As a result, despite having made many friends over the years within Jiuhua Gate and the cultivation world, Xu Qingfan surprisingly found himself without a trustworthy person to discuss and share with. This thought brought a real sense of loneliness to Xu Qingfan’s heart, as he felt a vague impression of standing alone against "Ming."

In retrospect, Liu Huaxiang leaving Xu Qingfan had achieved its intended purpose, as Xu Qingfan began unknowingly getting accustomed to solitude and started learning independence within it.

Shaking his head to dismiss the feeling of loneliness, Xu Qingfan carefully stored away the green slip recording the "Art of Annihilation." Legends said that very few cultivators who practiced it reached the Mahayana Stage, possibly because it focused too much on cultivating the Original Soul. Despite its profound mysteries, Xu Qingfan decided not to train in the "Art of Annihilation," as his "Formula of Life and Death" and "Indefinite Sutra" had not yet matured. Practicing it as well would make his skills diversified but not refined.

Furthermore, although the "Art of Annihilation" was extremely powerful, it was notoriously difficult to practice, and casting it left the body stiff and immobile. For Xu Qingfan, it might not be more useful than the "Wind of Desolation."

Nevertheless, Xu Qingfan kept the "Art of Annihilation" for potential future use. Understanding it better could aid him if he encountered another cultivator like Number 4.

After putting away the green slip with the "Art of Annihilation," Xu Qingfan turned his attention to another green slip. Once his Divine Sense explored it, he found it contained the usage methods of the cruel and violent World Defying Demon Sword. Its brutality startled Xu Qingfan, but he nonetheless stored the slip away in his pocket.

Killing Number 4 and Number 5 had been highly beneficial for Xu Qingfan. He gained over three thousand spirit stones, dozens of bottles of elixirs, two bottles of "Blood Spirit Pill," the demon cultivator’s treasure "World Defying Demon Sword," and the "Art of Annihilation"-things any ordinary cultivator only dreamed of. Yet, Xu Qingfan obtained them merely from two low-level members of the "Ming" organization. However, due to various concerns, he found it inconvenient to use these items, leaving him uncertain if it was luck or misfortune.

After putting all these items into his sleeve, only two pieces of purple clothing from Number 4 and Number 5, along with two waist badges, were left at Xu Qingfan’s feet.

The two waist badges were engraved with "Zhang Si" and "Zhang Wu" respectively. Xu Qingfan knew that the attackers in purple must be subordinates of "Zhang" from the "Ming" organization.

When Xu Qingfan turned his gaze to the remains of the two bodies and the purple clothes left on the ground, his heart was stirred slightly.

Number 4 and Number 5 were killed by Xu Qingfan’s "Wind of Desolation" power, which contains a strong corrosive aura. The sight of their bodies was gruesome, with both turned into bare white bones, and only a few internal organs hanging from the skeletons, devoid of any blood.

Xu Qingfan was well aware of the power of "Wind of Desolation," so he was not surprised by the terrible state of Number 4 and Number 5. What surprised him was that their two purple garments were only slightly worn and not much damaged by the power.

"Could it be that the ‘Ming’ organization members all wear this purple clothing not just for uniformity?"

With this thought, Xu Qingfan casually picked up one of the purple garments and tentatively infused a strand of Spirit Qi into it.

Then, something strange happened—a burst of purple mist emerged from the garment and swiftly entered Xu Qingfan’s body.

Startled by this turn of events, Xu Qingfan hastily checked inside his body and found that something had integrated into his skin with the purple mist, yet it caused him no harm.

Xu Qingfan felt a slight stir in his heart and circulated Spirit Qi beneath his skin. Suddenly, a flash of purple light appeared around him. When the light disappeared, he noticed his original clothes were gone, and a purple robe now adorned his body.

If one didn’t know Xu Qingfan’s true identity, merely seeing him in this purple robe would make him look like a member of the ‘Ming’ organization.

Astonished by the robe’s magic, Xu Qingfan paused, put away the other purple robe, and began to observe the one he was wearing closely.

Yet, no matter how hard he studied it, Xu Qingfan couldn’t figure out how the purple robe had attached itself to him.

After a long while, Xu Qingfan sighed slightly, deciding not to dwell on the robe’s mysteries any longer. He planned first to find a hidden place to heal his Divine Sense injuries.

But just as Xu Qingfan was about to use Spirit Qi to put the robe away again, he suddenly felt something and turned to look behind him.

Behind Xu Qingfan stood a cultivator with an elegant aura, unnoticed by him until now.

This cultivator was none other than Liu Ziqing, who had defected from the "Qingxu Gate"! Yet, it was unclear why he was suddenly here, and where Huanlingzi and the other cultivators who had defected with him were.

Xu Qingfan was startled, not expecting to face Liu Ziqing after just dealing with numbers four and five of the wolves. Liu Ziqing’s appearance and demeanor remained unchanged, playfully handling his folding fan with a calm smile. Xu Qingfan felt no joy in this reunion with an old acquaintance. Considering his Divine Sense injuries and his diminished powers, his heart grew heavy.

"I wonder if Liu Ziqing knows that the reason Immortal Zizhen could escape, and the reason his plan failed, was all due to my plotting. If he doesn’t know, everything is still fine, but if he does, that’s trouble. Even if Liu Ziqing mistakes me for Zhang Xusheng’s subordinate, he probably harbors strong intentions to harm me, right?"

While Xu Qingfan was continually thinking of a strategy as he watched Liu Ziqing, Liu Ziqing was also observing Xu Qingfan closely. His smile remained unchanged, but his eyes showed signs of contemplation. After a moment, he snapped his folding fan shut, smiled, and politely greeted Xu Qingfan, "I felt a strong wave of Divine Sense here just now, and it seemed familiar, so I rushed over. May I ask, are you under Zhang’s command?"

Upon hearing Liu Ziqing’s words, Xu Qingfan was slightly stunned but then suddenly reacted. He was currently wearing the distinctive purple robe of the "Ming" organization, and the high collar of the robe covered Xu Qingfan’s face. Liu Ziqing had mistakenly thought he was a subordinate of "Zhang" from the "Ming" organization. From Liu Ziqing’s earlier words, it seemed he had known "Zhang" for some time. He was able to determine Xu Qingfan’s identity from the Divine Sense wave generated by Number 4 when he used his powers earlier.

While Xu Qingfan was contemplating his next move, far away, a person in a purple robe was rapidly heading towards Xu Qingfan’s location. It was none other than Number One under Zhang’s command.