Volume 5 Chapter 107
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Volume 5 Chapter 107: The Butterfly Flutters, Journey to Blood Mountain
He gently pushed open the door of the courtyard, which had not been opened for a long time, making a loud and noticeable squeaking sound.
In the courtyard, dust covered everything, making it appear lonely and gloomy. This was because, for many years, Zhang Hualing had forbidden anyone from entering his yard. Other sect leaders and cultivators had lower-level cultivators cleaning their yards regularly, but Zhang Hualing’s was not.
Xu Qingfan sighed softly, understanding the pain Zhang Hualing had endured over the years from resisting the invasion of dark energy into his mind after being transformed by secret methods. Long ago, Zhang Hualing had arranged an escape plan for himself by giving his Soul Bead to Xu Qingfan. This way, Xu Qingfan could not only tell how much dark energy had invaded Zhang Hualing by observing the Soul Bead’s changes, but when things became irreversible, he could also use the Soul Bead to restrain Zhang Hualing and then eliminate him.
Because of this decision, Xu Qingfan began to truly trust Zhang Hualing and understand the sacrifices he had made for Jiuhua.
Over the years, Xu Qingfan frequently observed the condition of Zhang Hualing’s Soul Bead. The blue Soul Bead had already been infiltrated by faint red threads, indicating that Zhang Hualing’s situation was not promising. However, with Zhang Hualing’s strong resistance, it had not yet reached an irreversible state.
It must be said that Zhang Hualing’s resistance to dark energy was surprising for Xu Qingfan. Zhang Hualing had been under attack from dark energy for almost sixty years, yet he continued to fight against its invasion. Even now, the dark energy that would make ordinary cultivators pale in fear had not caused any particularly obvious effects on Zhang Hualing.
It was not that the invasion of dark energy into the mind was as troublesome as Xu Qingfan had imagined, but rather that beneath Zhang Hualing’s seemingly normal exterior lay unimaginable pain and effort in resisting it. The great perseverance he displayed made Xu Qingfan think that he could not achieve the same.
Because of this, Xu Qingfan admired Zhang Hualing even more. He admired his determination and the sacrifices he made for Jiuhua.
With heartfelt thoughts, Xu Qingfan strolled to the small house in the courtyard and was just about to knock on the door again when Zhang Hualing’s voice sounded from within.
"No need for so many formalities, come in."
Pushing the door open, the "creak" sound remained.
Inside the room, in the shadows on the bed, Zhang Hualing sat cross-legged. His eyes looked through the darkness, and Xu Qingfan seemed to see the deep exhaustion in Zhang Hualing, who had been fighting against dark forces for an entire generation. This weariness had seeped into his soul.
Speaking of which, the last time Xu Qingfan saw Zhang Hualing was a year ago. At that time, Xu Qingfan looked at Zhang Hualing’s tired face and wondered if he could keep holding on. A year later, Zhang Hualing had endured, the dark forces still could not control him, but his fatigue had deepened. Undoubtedly, the attack of the dark forces had become more intense.
And Xu Qingfan, looking at Zhang Hualing’s aged face, thought quietly, just as he did a year and a half ago, "Zhang Hualing, how much longer can he hold on?"
Perhaps faith and determination represented his strength and resilience against the invasion of dark forces, but, in the end, faith and determination have their limits.
Years ago, Zhang Hualing had used a secret method to change his body to save his life, and for a while, he regained his youth. However, this also allowed the dark forces to invade him, causing him a generation of suffering. His body had only returned to youth for less than a decade before aging faster again due to pain.
Is it gain? Is it loss?
Xu Qingfan only knew that Jiuhua had remained stable because of Zhang Hualing for all these years. Perhaps that was enough for Zhang Hualing? Or whether it’s worth it is a question known only to the person involved. If Zhang Hualing believes that his survival and suffering are worthwhile, then, for him, it truly is worth it.
Xu Qingfan looked at Zhang Hualing in the shadows with a mixed expression, while Zhang Hualing seemed unaware. Perhaps in front of Xu Qingfan, he did not want to show his pain; the dignity of a sect leader and elder still needed to be maintained.
Xu Qingfan also understood this point. After entering the house, he did not ask about Zhang Hualing’s situation. Instead, he carefully told Zhang Hualing about his own and Jiuhua’s circumstances over the years. He did not know if Zhang Hualing had paid any attention to these matters while he had been focusing on fighting against evil.
After listening to Xu Qingfan’s words, Zhang Hualing fell silent for a moment and then said slowly, "You have done very well. If it were me, I might not have done better. Although you have shown some brilliance, it is beneficial for your future leadership of Jiuhua. It cannot be said to be wrong."
Then, Zhang Hualing seemed to remember something and asked, "Has there been much movement from the ‘Xingyin Sect’ in the past two years?"
Xu Qingfan respectfully replied, "No, there are not many cultivators at the Condensed Core Stage in the ‘Xingyin Sect.’ After the small team from ‘Xingyin Sect’ was destroyed, their strength has greatly weakened, and they are gradually losing their place in the Righteous Alliance. They no longer pose a threat to us."
During the years when the Jiuhua Team suffered heavy losses, one reason for the tragedy was that a few older elders ignored Xu Qingfan’s command and acted on their own. Another big reason was that the team from ‘Xingyin Sect,’ who should have supported Jiuhua, stood by and did nothing.
Normally, given Xu Qingfan’s temperament, he would have been angry about the ‘Xingyin Sect’s’ actions and might have sought revenge, but it would not be extreme. The real problem was that the members of ‘Xingyin Sect’ delighted in Jiuhua’s misfortune after their heavy losses. They even made sarcastic remarks, such as, "Jiuhua, as a Holy Land, is so weak that half of them can die in one action. They truly do not deserve to remain a Holy Land. A real Holy Land should be powerful sects like my ‘Xingyin Sect.’"
Because of this, Xu Qingfan planted the seeds of hatred towards ‘Xingyin Sect,’ and soon after, during the operation to eliminate ‘Ying,’ he designed to use the ‘Xingyin Sect’ team as cannon fodder, allowing him to successfully complete the task. However, this greatly offended ‘Xingyin Sect,’ which is why Zhang Hualing asked this question.
Seeing Xu Qingfan’s calm expression, as if he did not take ‘Xingyin Sect’ seriously, Zhang Hualing fell silent again. To better train Xu Qingfan, or perhaps due to concern about the hidden evil within him, Zhang Hualing had already stopped intervening in many matters, allowing Xu Qingfan to act on his own. Sometimes, even if he felt it was inappropriate, he would not argue. For example, this time, after a silence, Zhang Hualing simply said, "Hatred can make one terrifying; it is better to be cautious."
Xu Qingfan bowed respectfully and said, "Disciple understands. For these years, I have been sending people to monitor the ‘Xingyin Sect.’"
Zhang Hualing nodded. When he spoke again, there was confusion in his voice as he asked, "Since everything is going well, what brings you here this time?"
Indeed, whether it was to avoid seeing Zhang Hualing’s tired face or to help him resist the invasion of evil, for seven years, unless something big happened, like planning to strike against the ‘Xingyin Sect’ or punishing the elder generation of the sect, Xu Qingfan had never returned to this courtyard.
Sometimes, Xu Qingfan wondered if he was doing this because he subconsciously wanted to control Jiuhua alone, to shake off Zhang Hualing’s influence and let Jiuhua follow the path he envisioned.
Of course, this thought was just a fleeting one in his free time, a subconscious idea; who could truly understand it?
However, after hearing Zhang Hualing’s words, Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but feel a twinge of shame, but he did not show this shame. Instead, his voice became even more respectful as he furrowed his brow and said softly, "It’s true that I have encountered some strange things in the past few days."
Saying this, Xu Qingfan slowly recounted to Zhang Hualing the encounter and separation with the strong man, and later the meeting with the little beast. These matters were too strange, and only Zhang Hualing could give him advice now.
During this, Xu Qingfan hesitated slightly and referred to the "World Defying Sword" as "an important item I accidentally obtained years ago; if the evil path gets it, it will cause great disaster." Zhang Hualing understood Xu Qingfan’s concerns; it seemed he also had little confidence in being able to resist the evil energy, so he did not press for details. He listened closely as Xu Qingfan described what happened, his eyes flashing with uncertainty and surprise, seemingly astonished by Xu Qingfan’s experiences over the past few days.
"Generally speaking, with the pride and nature of a Mahayana Stage master, the reason those four treasures were left behind cannot be to make you owe someone a favor, as this would surely mean trying to win you over. It seems to me that he simply wants to help you grow, but I cannot guess what the true purpose is."
Zhang Hualing said with a frown.
"Are you saying that I can use these four treasures without worry?"
Xu Qingfan asked.
Zhang Hualing nodded and said, "Just as you think, you can definitely take those three ‘Immortal Ascending Pills.’ Although they are precious, Jiuhua can still afford this favor. The ‘Dragon Summoning Order’ can also be used. With it, Jiuhua will have a great master to help for a while; that’s a huge advantage. In the end, I can always repay him."
It seemed that Zhang Hualing greatly agreed with Xu Qingfan’s shameless idea, or perhaps, as a sect leader, he had to learn a bit of shamelessness.
After a slight pause, Zhang Hualing added, "Just you and I should know about this. Don’t let Gongsun Huasa find out."
Xu Qingfan replied, "I understand, Master."
Over the years, Xu Qingfan’s reputation had grown, but Gongsun Huasa’s attitude had become strange. He now supported Xu Qingfan even more than Zhang Hualing did, earning him the trust and fondness of many young elders. With Zhang Hualing seldom appearing and Gongsun Huasa behaving as if he were leading alongside Xu Qingfan, Jiuhua had been following Xu Qingfan’s decisions in the Righteous Alliance for many years.
However, both Xu Qingfan and Zhang Hualing knew that although Gongsun Huasa’s attitude had changed, he still often spoke to the older generation of elders, who did not like Xu Qingfan, about how overbearing and immature Xu Qingfan was. The reason he supported Xu Qingfan was merely to keep stability, and while gaining the favor of the younger generation, he had not lost the closeness with the older generation that was already against Xu Qingfan.
Strangely, Gongsun Huasa’s behavior of pleasing both sides, although he had hidden it from nearly all the Jiuhua elders, showed no signs of wanting to hide it from Xu Qingfan and Zhang Hualing, and they couldn’t understand what he was truly thinking.
Because of this, Xu Qingfan, who had concerns about Gongsun Huasa, and Zhang Hualing, who had decided to make it easier for Xu Qingfan to take over Jiuhua, both became even more cautious about Gongsun Huasa.
After settling Xu Qingfan, Zhang Hualing began to observe the small creature in Xu Qingfan’s arms. After listening to Xu Qingfan’s story, Zhang Hualing thought that this small creature, which seemed cute and harmless but appeared very elegant and majestic, held mysteries that were comparable to those of the master of the Mahayana Stage.
The quiet room was disrupted by the faint sounds of spirit pet roars coming from various places around "Ronghua Mountain."
After observing for a moment, Zhang Hualing suddenly frowned and asked, "Qingfan, how many layers of barriers did you set up to hide the aura of this small creature?"
Xu Qingfan was slightly taken aback and didn’t understand why Zhang Hualing was asking this, but still replied, "Thirteen layers."
As he spoke, Xu Qingfan’s gaze followed Zhang Hualing’s toward Little Gold, and he was surprised to find that the various hidden aura barriers around the small creature had somehow reduced to just two or three.
This mysterious small creature could actually unconsciously devour the barriers around it?
But hearing the increasingly noticeable roars of spirit pets outside, which seemed on the verge of getting out of control, Xu Qingfan’s face turned pale as he recalled the scene of the large group of spirit pets rushing toward him. He didn’t have time to be surprised and quickly changed his hand gestures, setting up another ten layers of barriers around the small creature. After a moment, the roars of the beasts outside gradually quieted, and Xu Qingfan let out a long sigh of relief.
After the flurry of activity, his gaze toward Little Gold was filled with even more curiosity. Just how many secrets was this small creature hiding?
Zhang Hualing sighed, "This little beast seems to have never appeared in the cultivation world. Looking back at the demon beasts I know, none are similar to it. Yet it is so magical; it truly is unbelievable."
After a pause, Zhang Hualing continued, "Although I do not know what kind it is, since it is so wondrous, it may be useful in the future. Besides, this little beast has the potential to evolve into a heavenly level demon beast. We cannot give up on it so easily. However, this little beast can drive other beasts crazy, and it is so extraordinary. It is a treasure, but it also brings trouble. Perhaps you will need to often strengthen its protective barrier."
Thinking about the barrier he had previously placed on Little Gold, which had vanished in just a short time, Xu Qingfan’s expression turned pained. Would he really need to watch over this little beast every day and reinforce the barrier many times?
Zhang Hualing also thought about the trouble ahead. He frowned and after a moment, took out a greenish-red jade pendant from his sleeve and handed it to Xu Qingfan, saying slowly, "Hide this jade pendant on this little beast; it will help conceal its presence and save you some effort."
Hearing Zhang Hualing say this, Xu Qingfan’s face brightened with joy. He quickly bowed in thanks and, after taking the pendant, tied it around Little Gold’s neck.
Little Gold seemed very interested in this decoration, constantly pawing at it.
A butterfly flapping its wings in the East Sea might stir up a terrifying storm in the Western Desert. Zhang Hualing and Xu Qingfan have no idea that their unintentional decision will bring about great disaster to the Shenzhou Continent.
After doing all this, Xu Qingfan furrowed his brow and said, "Sect Master, since I have received these three ‘Immortal Ascending Pills’, I will need some time to refine them after taking them. I cannot lead the team. I wonder if Martial Uncle can speak with the other sect leaders and ask Jiuhua Team to pause their actions for a while?"
As he spoke, a hint of guilt appeared on Xu Qingfan’s face. He continued, "Also, Junior Brother Jin should have already closed himself off to break through to the Golden Core Stage. Yet he keeps insisting on joining me, which delays him. It is time for him to go into seclusion and properly cultivate."
"Indeed, Jin Qinghan is at the time to break through to the Golden Core Stage, and under Mr. Liu’s guidance over the years, your understanding of the Heavenly Way has deepened, but you still lack some Spirit Qi power." Zhang Hualing nodded but suddenly remembered something and said, "I’m afraid that’s not enough. As far as I know, the next mission for the Jiuhua Team has already been set. If you want to meditate, you must first complete that mission."
"What mission?" Xu Qingfan asked.
