Volume 5 Chapter 105

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Volume 5 Chapter 105: The Stumbling Young Beast, the Change in the Valley

Fantasies, whether they are completely unfounded or have a chance of coming true, often appear in human minds.

No matter the age, it seems one cannot live without fantasies. However, as one matures slowly and experiences more, the frequency of fantasies decreases, and they become more hidden. Yet, fantasies still exist.

After all, fantasies represent a beautiful future and human desires; even if they cannot be realized, thinking about them is always pleasant.

Thus, generation after generation, fantasies continue, and gradually, they seem to have become one of humanity’s instincts. Whether ordinary people or cultivators, during times of frustration, thoughts like "someday I will…" inevitably arise.

Alternatively, those with weaker self-control might let some mysterious, sparkling liquid dribble from the corners of their mouths, shining oddly in the sunlight.

While Xu Qingfan may not drool over fantasies, he too would occasionally think about things that will never happen during his free time, after battles, or after retreating for meditation.

For instance, one day, if his skills suddenly grew immensely, he could better survive in troubled times and protect those people or things he should guard. Or one day, a treasured artifact might fall from the sky without hitting him, for the same reason.

Yet, Xu Qingfan never expected that this fantasy would actually come true.

Looking at the "Dragon Summoning Order" and the three "Immortal Ascending Pills" in front of him, Xu Qingfan was sure it wasn’t an illusion. After the dreamlike feeling faded away, his expression still showed uncertainty, and he didn’t put the treasures into his sleeve.

The "Immortal Ascending Pill" could help him reach the Golden Core Stage in the shortest time, while the "Dragon Summoning Order" would allow Xu Qingfan to match the strength of an ordinary Mahayana Stage master for a limited time, just as he had always hoped in his fantasies.

But after his initial excitement and disbelief wore off, what Xu Qingfan thought about more was the purpose of the mysterious, sword-bearing strong man leaving these four treasures and how he should respond in the future.

It had been a whole incense stick’s worth of time since the strong man left, yet these four treasures were still not taken away. It seemed unlikely that he simply forgot about them.

Undoubtedly, judging by the strong man’s displayed power and presence, his cultivation level was quite rare, even among Mahayana Stage masters. At least among the Righteous Alliance masters Xu Qingfan had seen, only two or three could compare to him.

Given the strong man’s level of cultivation, the "Dragon Summoning Order" and "Immortal Ascending Pill" would be useless to him, but he wouldn’t just throw them away. Leaving these behind would be very useful for his future disciples.

Was it a reward for Xu Qingfan that could help him defeat the strong man to some extent? Or was it just because the strong man found Xu Qingfan likable?

He thought of many reasons but dismissed them one by one. He didn’t believe his popularity had reached such a level, nor did he think the mysterious sword-bearing strong man was such a boring person.

But what was the strong man’s purpose for leaving these four treasures? Xu Qingfan couldn’t figure it out.

The treasure was right in front of him. Xu Qingfan said it would be a lie to claim he wasn’t tempted, but he still hesitated to take the four treasures. One reason was that he couldn’t guess the strong man’s purpose for leaving the treasures behind, and a sense of unease lingered in his heart. The second reason was that cultivators, although they defy the heavens, still value cause and effect. If he took the four treasures, it would mean he owed a huge favor to the strong man. The next time they met, if the strong man asked for the "World Defying Sword," would he give it or not?

For a moment, Xu Qingfan’s expression was conflicted.

Staring at the four treasures that radiated Spirit Qi, after a moment, Xu Qingfan let out a wry smile, raised his right hand, and still took the treasures into his possession, having already made a decision in his heart.

"The ‘World Defying Sword’ must never be given away casually, but since the strong man left these four treasures here, I cannot refuse them. After all, I am still too weak in this catastrophe, and these four treasures can greatly enhance my strength."

"Among these four treasures, the most precious one is the ‘Dragon Summoning Order’. The three ‘Immortal Ascending Pills’ can hardly compare; they can help me reach the Golden Core Stage quickly. I should take them first, as opportunities like this are rare. At my current speed, I don’t know how long it will take to reach the Golden Core Stage, especially since I haven’t had the chance to cultivate in seclusion for many years, slowing my progress even more."

"And I can use the ‘Dragon Summoning Order’ for now. If that mysterious strong man comes to find me again, I can return the ‘Dragon Summoning Order’ to him. This way, I would owe him less, and the favor for just three ‘Immortal Ascending Pills’ is not worth giving him the ‘World Defying Sword’. At worst, I can make amends in other ways."

Thinking of this, Xu Qingfan’s heart felt a little more at ease, though he felt that this approach seemed a bit shameless. But compared to the catastrophe the ‘World Defying Sword’ could cause, Xu Qingfan felt he had to be a bit shameless.

As he carefully played with the ‘Dragon Summoning Order’ and the ‘Immortal Ascending Pills’ in his hand, Xu Qingfan constantly thought about how this strange encounter would affect him. In the end, he made a decision: the matter of meeting the strong man must remain a secret, as he couldn’t speak of it to others. If he did, his ‘Dragon Summoning Order’ and ‘Immortal Ascending Pills’ would be at risk, and it could also involve the ‘World Defying Sword’. In this way, Xu Qingfan and Xu Fan’s affairs would be exposed, and he couldn’t allow that.

In fact, Xu Qingfan had underestimated the situation back then. When Xu Fan traveled the Shenzhou Continent, he never imagined he would make such a big name for himself, so he didn’t think to disguise himself further. Later, when Jiuhua emerged, he naively believed that after his powers increased, others would doubt him but wouldn’t be sure. However, Xu Qingfan overlooked one important thing: the people of Jiuhua Gate.

Over the years, the cultivators of Jiuhua gradually learned about the happenings in the cultivation world after Jiuhua shut down. They naturally knew about a person named Xu Fan, and Xu Fan’s appearance, cultivation level, and abilities were exactly like Xu Qingfan’s from years ago. Furthermore, Xu Fan appeared at the same time Xu Qingfan was in seclusion at Jiuhua, so the answer became clear.

However, the result surprised Xu Qingfan. Aside from a few old elders who were unhappy that Jiuhua had secret matters kept from them and that Xu Qingfan descended the mountain on his own, most elders and disciples, especially the younger generation, began to admire and respect Xu Qingfan even more. After all, being able to preach in Qingxu and being a second-generation disciple, Xu Qingfan was the only one in the entire cultivation world in countless years, not to mention the other things Xu Qingfan did under the name Xu Fan.

Yet, there is no wall that does not let the wind through. Since Jiuhua disciples could think of it, some who had seen Xu Fan and were doubtful of Xu Qingfan’s identity, like Qinglingzi, guessed it after asking a few naïve Jiuhua disciples about Xu Qingfan.

Still, although Xu Fan was famous in the cultivation world back then, only a few had seen him. So, among those who saw Xu Qingfan, only a few had such suspicions, and even fewer confirmed it. Moreover, considering this matter concerned the faces of Jiuhua and Qingxu, the idea that Xu Qingfan was Xu Fan circulated only among a few.

However, having a vague suspicion is one thing, and having a few individuals who know yet keep it unspoken is another. Having everyone know was a completely different matter. For Xu Qingfan, letting everyone know he was Xu Fan would have too great an impact, so he decided to keep this matter a secret, hidden in his heart.

Or perhaps, he could tell that mysterious Mr. Liu?

Xu Qingfan thought to himself. He had to admit that even though this Mr. Liu often belittled Liu Huaxiang, whom Xu Qingfan respected, causing them to bicker, Xu Qingfan had unknowingly begun to trust Mr. Liu a bit.

Shaking his head, he put away the "Dragon Summoning Order" and "Immortal Ascending Pill," deciding not to overthink it. After hesitating for a moment, he flew towards the place the strong man mentioned before he left.

Before leaving, the strong man had told Xu Qingfan to take a trip to "Ronghua Mountain," four hundred miles south, saying there was something interesting there and to try his luck. Although Xu Qingfan felt puzzled and did not understand the strong man’s meaning, he still decided to follow the suggestion and check it out. With the strong man’s level of cultivation, he would not use such a means to harm him.

Xu Qingfan had just fought with a strong man. It had only been a short time, about as long as it takes for an incense stick to burn, but it had nearly used up all of Xu Qingfan’s Spirit Qi. Afterward, using the special ability "Three Body Unity" made him feel a painful pressure in his meridians. So, even though he had made up his mind, his speed was very slow as he flew towards the location the strong man had mentioned.

Enduring the intense pain in his meridians from the Spirit Qi, Xu Qingfan took a whole half hour to reach the place the strong man had talked about. As soon as his feet touched the ground, Little Black, who had fainted because the "Death God Clone" was broken, finally woke up. When it woke, it shook for a moment, then suddenly opened its eyes wide. The indifference in its eyes was replaced by alarm. It quickly spread its wings and flew away from Xu Qingfan’s arms into the sky. After a while, it understood the situation and realized the strong man was gone, so it returned to rest on Xu Qingfan’s shoulder, looking tired but still a bit scared, showing that the fight with the strong man had frightened Little Black too.

Xu Qingfan sighed softly, reached out to touch the black feathers on Little Black’s back, reassuring it, then looked around. Many people had crowded into the area near "Ronghua Mountain," making the scene in front of Xu Qingfan seem desolate and quiet. As he scanned the area, he saw miles without a single person and even birds and wild animals were rare. He could not find the "interesting little things" the strong man had mentioned. Xu Qingfan pushed his Divine Sense to its limit, searching in the four hundred miles south of "Ronghua Mountain," but he could not even find a trace of Spirit Qi.

After searching three times, it was already dusk. Xu Qingfan stopped in the air and looked down at the ground, which remained silent and calm, showing no signs of anything unusual.

"The mysterious strong man with the sword said that whether I can find the so-called mysterious object depends on my fate. From the looks of it, I must not be destined for it."

Xu Qingfan murmured to himself.

After saying this, he saw it was getting late and did not hesitate any longer; he decided to turn back to the main camp at "Ronghua Mountain."

But just as Xu Qingfan turned around, Little Black, who had seemed a bit weak, suddenly moved.

Little Black suddenly perked up as if it had discovered something very exciting. With a flap of its wings, it transformed into a streak of lightning, flying quickly towards a nearby valley, completely ignoring Xu Qingfan’s call from his heart!

Xu Qingfan was slightly taken aback. Since Little Black became his spirit pet, it had always been very close to him, and such things rarely happened, leaving him feeling confused. He followed Little Black as it flew towards the valley.

"Could it be that Little Black has found something?"

As they got closer to the valley, the sounds of howling wolves and roaring tigers grew clearer, as if a group of beasts were fighting. Just moments ago, Xu Qingfan had passed through here and only saw a gathering of beasts, which was quite normal, so he didn’t pay much attention. Little did he know why it had suddenly turned into such chaos.

Speaking of which, Little Black also seemed to be acting strangely at the same time.

Thinking of this, Xu Qingfan felt even more puzzled and increased his speed, soon arriving above the valley.

At this moment, Little Black, who had arrived earlier than Xu Qingfan, was now also suspended in mid-air like Xu Qingfan, its usually indifferent eyes sparkling with an unknown light as it quietly watched the scene below.

Through his mental connection with Little Black, Xu Qingfan discovered that Little Black’s heart was filled with greed, as if a greedy person had spotted a mountain of gold within reach. This raised Xu Qingfan’s confusion to its peak. He remembered that when he had received the skull with powerful, endless death energy, Little Black had only shown extreme excitement.

Could it be that this valley is the hiding place for the thing the strong man mentioned? And this object is even more important to Little Black than the skull that could help it advance quickly?

With this thought, Xu Qingfan looked down and saw that, at some point, over a hundred wild beasts had gathered in the valley. Their red eyes were filled with greed like Little Black’s, mixed with a sense of awe. However, unlike Little Black, they could not restrain themselves and were all hungrily staring at a cave, occasionally letting out a roar. Yet, despite their numbers, not a single beast dared to enter the cave.

When Xu Qingfan turned his gaze to the cave, he was shocked again. In front of the cave were countless beast bodies. Looking at the level of decay, the oldest had been dead for more than ten days, while the newest had only died a few hours ago. Among them were a few rare low-level demon beast bodies that were seldom seen in the flourishing Middle-earth, yet he couldn’t understand why they hadn’t hidden in the deep mountains and forests; instead, they had lost their lives here.

The mass of beast bodies piled together looked like a small hill, with a few dry bones scattered about, seemingly consumed by something. It appeared that the beasts from the surrounding hundred miles had gathered in this valley, but most of them had already become corpses. The tigers and wolves roaring at the cave should be the last remaining beasts within a hundred miles.

What could be inside this cave?

Just as Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but want to go down and find out, the answer finally appeared.

Suddenly, a roar echoed from the cave. It was very soft and weak, as if a small beast was trying its best to roar, giving no sense of threat and instead causing amusement.

However, Xu Qingfan did not laugh. Although he didn’t have the so-called beast-like instincts, when he heard that weak roar, he felt an immense sense of authority.

While this sense of authority was not fully formed, it strangely reminded Xu Qingfan of the power he felt when he had fought the strong man with the sword on his back. Could it be that this roaring young beast had the potential to become as strong as that man?

Just as Xu Qingfan was puzzled, the young beast that had roared finally appeared, but its appearance disappointed him.

It had golden fur and golden eyes, resembling a bear reduced in size by several dozen times, but with two solid golden points on its head that looked like small golden horns, which were still far from fully grown.

Clearly, this was a baby animal that had just been born. Its eyes were squinty, as if they had not fully opened yet. As it walked, its steps were a bit unsteady; calling it walking would be more accurate to say it was crawling. Its size was only as big as an adult’s palm, making it very lovable.

However, at this moment, Xu Qingfan felt no affection. Although this baby animal was small, its golden fur was covered in dried blood, and it had bits of flesh stuck between its not fully grown teeth. It was clear that all the beast corpses outside the cave were created by him, and the fierce animals that had been roaring outside instantly fell silent and took a step back as soon as this little beast appeared. Their eyes still showed greed, but now fear was even more apparent.

Through his mental connection with Little Black, Xu Qingfan discovered that Little Black felt the same way—greedy and fearful, like an ambitious servant under a powerful ruler, experiencing complex emotions before a rebellion.

Finally, ambition and greed overcame fear and hesitation. Without knowing which beast started it, the roaring began again, and the largest tiger charged forward towards the little beast.

The little beast was small, but there was a strong presence in its gaze. Although the group of animals came with great force, Xu Qingfan seemed to see disdain in its squinty little eyes, but beneath that disdain lay deep exhaustion and profound despair.

Just a strange little beast, yet it had such complex feelings like a human?

Just as he thought, in the blink of an eye, the leading tiger had pounced in front of the little beast. The little beast, however, was calm and slowly extended its tiny paw, lightly waving it at the tiger. The motion had an indescribable air of nobility; the tiny paw did not touch the tiger, yet a deep wound appeared on the tiger’s body, exposing its insides. Blood sprayed out, and the tiger could no longer continue its charge, collapsing before the little beast.

Xu Qingfan clearly saw that as the little beast looked at the tiger, there was a flash of mockery and contempt in its eyes, but beneath those complex feelings, it remained utterly exhausted and desperate.

As the tiger led the charge, the wolves, leopards, and foxes behind it all followed suit towards the little beast. Yet, the little beast seemed to possess some strange power; with just a gentle wave, the beasts that lunged at it were either severely injured or instantly killed.

However, this little beast was just born not long ago. Looking at the bodies outside the cave, it was clear that for the past ten days, this little beast had been fighting against the endless stream of wild animals and even low-level demon beasts. Its strength and energy were nearly exhausted. Although the number of beasts attacking it was decreasing under its magical claws, its own attacks were also getting weaker. At one point, it was caught off guard and was bitten by a green wolf, golden blood flowing out like its fur and eyes.

However, no matter how ragged and tired this little beast looked, it still had an air of majesty like a king. The green wolf that had bitten it did not manage to escape and was killed by a single strike to its head.

Finally, despite being battered and exhausted, covered in wounds, the group of beasts surrounding it was completely wiped out, leaving behind a landscape of corpses.

The little beast looked at the bodies in front of it, its pink tongue licking its wounds, yet despair, like that of a human, reappeared in its eyes. It did not know how much longer it could hold on.

But at that moment, Little Black, which had been quietly hovering in the air, suddenly moved.

Little Black transformed into a bolt of black lightning and charged toward the little beast. Before the little beast could react, it fiercely jabbed at its body, clearly intending to kill!

But Xu Qingfan was faster than Little Black. He reached the little beast first, scooping it up and dodging to the side.

However, the previous battle had drained Xu Qingfan’s Spirit Qi, slowing him down just a bit. Little Black still managed to tear away a piece of golden flesh from the little beast.

Seeing Little Black, who usually did not eat anything, greedily swallow that piece of flesh, Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but furrow his brows. But before he could scold it, Little Black, having devoured the golden flesh, underwent an astonishing transformation!