Volume 4 Chapter 84

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Volume 4 Chapter 84: Shadows

"As far as I know, this military flag was passed down by the old general. Do you know where he got it from?"

Sensing the bursts of malice within the military flag, Chou Xuan was secretly alarmed. This malice, though powerful, was hidden, silently altering people’s nature over time. No wonder the armies led by the Bai family had become infamous for their bloodthirstiness. Beyond the Bai family becoming fierce in battle and influencing their soldiers, the malice contained within the flag also played a significant role.

Seeing the blood mist rising from the military flag, Counsellor Liu felt a surge of murderous thoughts filling his mind. Hidden desires in his heart rapidly increased. He didn’t answer Chou Xuan but stood in a daze, slowly reaching for the sword at his waist.

The other soldiers in the courtyard reacted similarly to Counsellor Liu, causing Ninglingzi and the other cultivators to frown discreetly.

At that moment, Xu Qingfan suddenly shouted, "Calm!"

With Xu Qingfan’s shout, his inner "Flourish Qi" burst forth, filling the entire courtyard with a holy and vibrant aura. Enveloped by the "Flourish Qi," Counsellor Liu and the others regained their clarity, but their strength seemed to drain away, leaving them weak on the ground.

Seeing Counsellor Liu finally return to normal, Chou Xuan sighed softly and repeated his earlier question to Counsellor Liu.

After the earlier incident, recalling the sudden madness that had filled his heart, Counsellor Liu looked at the military flag with fear. Hearing Chou Xuan’s question, he quickly replied, "This flag was personally made by the old general himself, not obtained from anyone else."

Hearing Counsellor Liu’s words, everyone was slightly taken aback. Ninglingzi had already sealed the flag in his sleeve and turned to ask, "Has the flag been tampered with, like being taken away for a period of time?"

Hearing Ninglingzi’s question, Counsellor Liu’s eyes showed a look of recollection. After a moment, he suddenly seemed to remember something and quickly said, "Twenty years ago, it was blessed by immortals on Ningyun Mountain. They said that with their blessing, the general would have greater luck in battles with this flag."

"Immortals from Ningyun Mountain?" Xiao Bieshan asked, frowning.

Chou Xuan frowned and said, "I do know a bit about the cultivators of ‘Ningyun Mountain.’ Located three thousand miles east of Fencheng City, ‘Ningyun Mountain’ is known in the area for helping the sick and controlling the rain for the mortal world."

Xiao Bieshan asked, "Do you have more detailed information?"

Chou Xuan shook his head, saying, "I always thought that the cultivators there were part of an unknown small sect in the cultivation world, so I didn’t pay much attention."

After hearing Chou Xuan’s words, everyone turned their eyes to Counsellor Liu.

Seeing everyone’s gaze, Counsellor Liu hastily said, "The immortals of ‘Ningyun Mountain’ usually keep a low profile; I don’t know much. However, they have always helped people a lot, so they shouldn’t be bad people, right?"

Master Guanghui of the "Mercy Cloud Temple," who had been silent, suddenly spoke, "I have heard a bit about the cultivators of ‘Ningyun Mountain.’"

"Oh? Please enlighten us, Master." Ninglingzi’s tone was much more respectful towards Master Guanghui.

Master Guanghui frowned and said, "It is said that ‘Ningyun Mountain’ is home to more than twenty rogue cultivators. Though these rogue cultivators often come down the mountain to help people, their talents are lacking, with the highest being at the Lingji Stage."

Chou Xuan, who had been frowning and pondering, suddenly spoke up, "Hearing what the master said, it occurs to me that for the past twenty years, the cultivators of ‘Ningyun Mountain’ haven’t been involved in aiding the world. Instead, they have been heavily paid to bless items for powerful mortals, supposedly granting wealth and success. For example, fifteen years ago, the cultivators of ‘Ningyun Mountain’ blessed a Nine Dragon Cauldron for the fallen royal family, claiming it could ensure long-lasting fortune, but at the cost of half the Yunluo Country’s treasury. If these rogue cultivators were truly as virtuous as the master said, then their behavior over the past twenty years is rather strange."

Upon hearing Chou Xuan’s words, Ninglingzi and Master Guanghui exchanged a silent glance, then turned to everyone and said, "It seems that this time we not only found a ‘Tian Sha Leaf,’ but we might have also discovered one of the ‘Tian Sha Seed’ locations."

Xu Qingfan was slightly taken aback. He only knew a bit about the "Tian Sha" from an ancient scroll, understanding that once the "Art of Tian Sha" is completed, it can greatly influence mortal minds, infinitely amplifying all desires and making them bloodthirsty and cruel. However, he had never heard of the "Tian Sha Leaf" or "Tian Sha Seed" before, so he quickly asked Ninglingzi for an explanation.

Ninglingzi slowly explained, "We heard about these things from Master Uncle Zizhen before we left the mountain. Once the ‘Art of Tian Sha’ is completed, it forms a ‘Tian Sha Seed.’ This ‘Tian Sha Seed’ contains potent energy beneficial for evil cultivators to practice dark arts but does not change others’ minds and can’t even be detected by the ‘Sky Light Pearl.’ However, it can transmit part of its energy into another object, creating a ‘Tian Sha Leaf.’ Though it still keeps its energy in check, it silently influences the minds around it. As long as the ‘Tian Sha Seed’ retains its energy, the ‘Tian Sha Leaf’ will continue to release it. Our mission is to use the ‘Tian Sha Leaf’ to locate the ‘Tian Sha Seeds.’"

After Ninglingzi’s explanation, Xu Qingfan and Chou Xuan understood. Chou Xuan frowned and said, "So, the cultivator on ‘Ningyun Mountain’ is using the ‘Tian Sha Seed’ to cause chaos in the world?"

Ninglingzi shook his head, "We believe there is more than one ‘Tian Sha Seed.’ Following the principle of dispersing five leaves, the ‘Sky Light Pearl’ indicates that there are nearly two hundred ‘Tian Sha Leaves’ in the Shenzhou Continent, meaning there are at least forty ‘Tian Sha Seeds.’ We divided into teams to investigate all the ‘Tian Sha Leaves’ to simultaneously wipe out all the ‘Tian Sha Seeds.’ As for the cultivator on ‘Ningyun Mountain,’ they may have been eliminated, and someone else could be assuming their identity."

Hearing Ninglingzi’s words, everyone nodded slightly.

Master Guanghui suddenly spoke, "Taoist friend Chou, we don’t know this area well. Taoist Friend Xu mentioned that you’ve lived here for over ten years, so you should be quite familiar with the surroundings of Fencheng City. It seems likely that the ‘Tian Sha Seed’ is on ‘Ningyun Mountain.’ Can you guide us there?"

Everyone understood Master Guanghui’s intentions. Xu Qingfan and Chou Xuan inadvertently uncovered the plan to eradicate the "Tian Sha." Xu Qingfan, trusted by Immortal Zizhen and the entire "Qingxu Gate," was surely not a villain. However, Chou Xuan, whose background was unclear, claimed to be a Golden Core Stage cultivator, yet had lived in the palace where the "Tian Sha Leaf" appeared for over a decade, arousing suspicion. Master Guanghui’s words were ostensibly asking Chou Xuan to lead the way but were actually aimed at keeping an eye on him.

"Of course, I will follow. The ‘Art of Tian Sha’ causes chaos, and I should do my part to help."

To Xu Qingfan’s surprise, Chou Xuan eagerly agreed to face the unknown danger. But soon Xu Qingfan realized that Chou Xuan did this perhaps to create a good impression in front of experienced masters like Immortal Zizhen in the near future.

Seeing Master Guanghui turn his gaze towards him, while Ninglingzi seemed eager to explain something to Master Guanghui, Xu Qingfan knew that although he had gained some prestige at the "Qingxu Gate" and inadvertently got the title of "Palm Spring and Autumn," to Master Guanghui, he was still an unknown person like Chou Xuan. So, before Ninglingzi could find it awkward, Xu Qingfan spoke up first, "Such a task of eliminating evil is everyone’s responsibility, and I will naturally not lag behind."

With Xu Qingfan’s words, Ninglingzi’s gaze at Master Guanghui darkened, but Master Guanghui didn’t seem to mind.

Xu Qingfan agreed to join Ninglingzi and others in eliminating the "Tian Sha Seed" for his own reasons. Besides his disdain for the harm caused by "Tian Sha" to the world, Xu Qingfan noticed signs that the "Ming" organization seemed to be targeting him. Therefore, he wanted to learn more about the "Ming" organization to better prepare for the future. This was a great opportunity, as Ninglingzi and the others had two Real Golden Core Stage cultivators, two Fake Golden Core Stage cultivators, and ten Lingji Stage cultivators. Together with Xu Qingfan, Chou Xuan, and the secret treasures given by the Mahayana Stage masters that filled Ninglingzi with confidence, the mission would undoubtedly be much safer.

However, perhaps because the "Ming" organization had left such a deep impression on Xu Qingfan, even though he heard from Ninglingzi that there were nearly forty "Tian Sha Seed" locations across the Shenzhou Continent and that the core members of the "Ming" organization were unlikely to stay at ‘Ningyun Mountain,’ Xu Qingfan still felt that this journey might not be so simple.

Seeing the contemplative look in Xu Qingfan’s eyes, Ninglingzi comforted him, "Taoist Friend Xu doesn’t need to worry. Besides us, another team of cultivators is also going to ‘Ningyun Mountain,’ so we are unlikely to be in any danger."

Hearing Ninglingzi’s words, Xu Qingfan was slightly taken aback and asked, "Another team of taoist friends is also going to ‘Ningyun Mountain’?"

Ninglingzi nodded with a smile, saying, "Previously, each team of cultivators was responsible for searching for the ‘Tian Sha Leaf’ and ‘Tian Sha Seed’ across the Shenzhou Continent. The capital city of Yunluo Country, Yuncheng, is located beyond the area we are responsible for, and as Taoist Friend Chou mentioned earlier, there is a ‘Tian Sha Leaf’ from ‘Ningyun Mountain’ that has appeared there. So, in pursuit, another team of taoist friends is heading to ‘Ningyun Mountain.’ Perhaps by the time we arrive, those taoist friends will have already dealt with the evil cultivators on ‘Ningyun Mountain.’"

Hearing Ninglingzi’s explanation, Xu Qingfan nodded slightly, feeling a bit relieved in his heart.

Then, everyone met Bai Lianye once again, explaining to him about the evil magic hidden within the general’s flag and promising that once the magic was expelled, it would be returned to Chou Xuan. Xu Qingfan also agreed to take Bai Lianye’s son Bai Yu as an apprentice, but as they needed to hurry to eliminate the "Tian Sha Seed" and the evil cultivator at "Ningyun Mountain," Xu Qingfan couldn’t meet Bai Yu just yet. They decided that the apprenticeship ceremony would be held upon their return, and then they hurried towards "Ningyun Mountain" with Ninglingzi and the others.

Three thousand miles is neither too near nor too far. Among the cultivators, there were ten at the Lingji Stage, so it took them most of the day to arrive under Chou Xuan’s lead.

The "Ningyun Mountain" before them was lush and green, about two hundred zhang tall, with its scenic beauty surrounded by white clouds, making it quite a picturesque sight.

At this moment, everyone was too focused to admire the view. Xiao Bieshan was the first to ask Ninglingzi, "Senior Ninglingzi, should we sneak into ‘Ningyun Mountain’ or meet up with the other group of Taoist friends?"

Meanwhile, at the top of "Ningyun Mountain," within a dim and hidden cave, another conversation took place.

"Another group of righteous cultivators have come to meet their doom. Number Three, it seems they’re worried you won’t have enough to feast on," a sinister, ghostly voice echoed constantly inside the cave.

As these words were spoken, a terrifying laughter, like the screeching of night owls, echoed through the cave, growing louder, filled with a chilling sense of cruel anticipation.

Then, another voice spoke up.

"What a shame, the time was too short. The bodies of the previous cultivators haven’t been fully processed, otherwise, with the corpses I’ve refined, you wouldn’t need to lift a finger."

"Rest assured, I’ll leave the body for you," the initial voice sounded again.