The Search for Immortality

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Volume 5 Chapter 116: Blood Battle, Heart Battle (Part 2)

"It’s very lively in there! The fight inside is much more interesting than outside the cave!"

At some point, "Ri" and Feng Qingtian suddenly appeared in a corner of the mountain, watching the battle in front of them with great interest, smiling slightly.

As always, it was unknown what means the two had; neither Xu Qingfan, Jin Qinghan, nor Master Bo Guangyan noticed their arrival.

"The battle scene is just average; after all, these three are afraid of the cave collapsing and don’t dare to use any mysterious cultivation methods." Feng Qingtian glanced at the three different fighters, his gaze lingering slightly longer on Xu Qingfan and Jin Qinghan, and said calmly, "It’s just that these three are more interesting than the people outside."

The smile on "Ri"’s face deepened, and he said meaningfully, "Indeed, these three are interesting, but the battle scene is quite average; however, I can make their fight a bit more exciting."

As he spoke, the smile on "Ri"’s face faded, and his expression became slightly serious, while a remarkable change suddenly appeared in his eyes.

As "Ri" looked at Xu Qingfan and the others, his left eye suddenly turned fiery red, as if a great fire was burning within, and simultaneously, his right eye became pale, as if it contained endless ice and snow from the north.

At the same time that "Ri" changed, even though it was not aimed at Feng Qingtian, he still felt a moment of confusion. Deep down, his suppressed emotions seemed to burst out at that instant. He was shocked to realize that "Ri" was indeed much more powerful than him, and the mystery of the cultivation method was not weaker than his own.

After a moment, "Ri’s" eyes quietly returned to their original black and white appearance. He glanced at Feng Qingtian with a half-smile, which made Feng Qingtian feel a surge of anger inside.

With "Ri’s" level of cultivation, there would naturally be no situation where the cultivation method could endanger those nearby. It was likely that the force Feng Qingtian felt when "Ri" cast his spell was intentional, either as pressure or a test.

However, in this situation, Feng Qingtian could not say anything. With his pride, he would never say something weak like, "You almost harmed me just now…" to "Ri," so he simply snorted coldly and said nothing more.

Just looking at the inside of the mountain, where there was no change, Xu Qingfan and the others were still fighting the "Beast Madness cultivator," seemingly unaffected. He wondered what kind of power "Ri" had just used.

Seeming to sense Feng Qingtian’s confusion, "Ri" smiled as he watched the ongoing battle. With a sigh, he murmured softly, "People say disasters are terrifying, but they do not know that since the cultivation world was established, the number of cultivators who have died from internal demons is several times more than from disasters. People think they must surpass those in front of them, yet they do not realize that as long as those ahead put in effort, there is hope to surpass them. But when one is high up and it is cold, it is difficult to surpass oneself and one’s own heart."

After a pause, "Ri" smiled more broadly and continued, "While facing life and death, one must also fight against oneself. This is the truly interesting battle. If they can survive here, it would be worth my personal involvement."

Saying this, "Ri" slowly closed his eyes, seeming to sense something, while Feng Qingtian continued to look at the scene in confusion.

Meanwhile, while the two were talking, the situation on the battlefield had already changed dramatically.

※※※※

Over the years, Xu Qingfan learned and grew stronger. While he could not say he was completely unshaken in the face of danger or that his heart was as hard as iron, he had definitely become more stable. But when he looked at the bite marks and wounds on his ankle and felt a strange, powerful force seeping from his ankle to his entire body, he sensed a rising madness in his mind. The clarity and reason he once had began to fade, and deep down, Xu Qingfan felt an overwhelming feeling of terror.

This feeling of terror had never appeared in Xu Qingfan’s life before.

The calmness and rationality he had experienced were washed away in an instant by this sudden panic.

In a daze, it seemed like Xu Qingfan could see a vision of his future life. He could vividly imagine that after transforming into a "Beast Madness cultivator," he would lose all rationality and only know killing. In just a moment, his hands would be covered in blood, as the cultivation world erupted in chaos beneath his wrath. The blood on his hands would belong to helpless mortals and cultivators of equal strength, including many familiar faces such as Jin Qinghan, Lv Qingshang, Li Yuhan, Dongfang Qingling, and Xu Xiurong…

As he caused more suffering, the cultivation world began to hunt him down, and he would escape time and again, but the bloodshed only grew heavier. Eventually, Zhang Hualing also joined the hunt, looking at Xu Qingfan with sorrow and disappointment in his eyes.

And Ting’er? Ting’er would never join the other cultivators in attacking him. She cared only for Xu Qingfan, whether he was the kind-hearted Xu Qingfan or the blood-soaked Xu Qingfan.

During one of the cultivation world’s attempts to capture Xu Qingfan, just as he was about to be overwhelmed by righteous fighters, Ting’er suddenly appeared, spreading her arms to stand between Xu Qingfan and the righteous fighters, her gaze filled with both sorrow and determination.

However, just when the righteous fighters were taken aback by Ting’er’s arrival, the bloodthirsty Xu Qingfan suddenly erupted in rage and struck Ting’er down with a single blow.

Before she died, Ting’er slowly turned her head to look at Xu Qingfan. Her eyes were beautiful and her expression calm. There was even a hint of a smile on her lips, as if dying by Xu Qingfan’s hand was a happy thing. Or maybe she felt finally free, no longer needing to worry about Xu Qingfan.

Then, there was continuous fighting, breaking through, fighting again, and breaking through again… Zhang Hualing, Lv Ziqing, Shang Nianyao… More and more familiar faces were killed by him one after another, and the blood on Xu Qingfan’s hands became heavier, the smell sticking around him.

Even though it was just a thought, the image was so clear. He imagined the next hundred years of his life vividly, yet time slipped by so quickly.

When Xu Qingfan woke from his thoughts, he couldn’t tell if what he saw was a dream or reality. His face turned paler as fear filled him from the images in his mind. Even the strange energy spreading from his ankle to his whole body was ignored, as he kept replaying the scenes in his head, as if he wanted to change them. But he was lost in the sudden fear and illusions.

On the other side, the two avatars, Xu Ying and Xu Zhiyuan, who originally fought alongside Xu Qingfan against the "Beast Madness cultivator," relied on Xu Qingfan’s Divine Sense for control. Though they had fighting instincts, they were not very useful.

After Xu Qingfan fell into unexplained panic, Xu Ying and Xu Zhiyuan’s actions became slower. They had the upper hand against the "Beast Madness cultivator," but now they were in a dangerous situation. Several times, the "Beast Madness cultivator" nearly broke through their defense and tore Xu Qingfan apart.

Yet Xu Qingfan remained pale, sweating, and dazed, ignoring the crisis before him. He could die at any moment before he truly transformed into a "Beast Madness cultivator."

Little Black on Xu Qingfan’s shoulder noticed something was wrong with him. It kept pecking at Xu Qingfan’s head, but Xu Qingfan seemed unaware. Although he saw the dangerous situation around them, with the "Beast Madness cultivator" ready to attack, Little Black instinctively felt that Xu Qingfan’s state was more frightening than the attacks. So it became more urgent, trying many ways to wake him up, but Xu Qingfan remained dazed.

※※※※

Before, Xu Qingfan, Jin Qinghan, Bo Guangyan, and Bo Hui were searching in four different directions in this strange, blood-colored mountain. At this moment, the distance between the four of them was quite far, and among them, the battle was fiercest around Jin Qinghan. For some unknown reason, there were also the most "Beast Madness cultivators" attacking Jin Qinghan.

However, Jin Qinghan did not feel any panic. At some point, he had already used his unique technique, the "Eight Evil Consciousness King," which combined Buddhist powers with the gold-type cultivation method.

At that moment, Jin Qinghan was covered in golden armor, with tight defense. He wielded two golden swords, each about a yard long, which seemed weightless as he swung them. They were incredibly sharp, and the "Beast Madness cultivators" attacking him could not harm Jin Qinghan at all; instead, he sliced them in half.

Behind Jin Qinghan, there was an almost solid golden Vajra phantom with three heads and six arms. Each of the six arms held various Buddhist items like a staff, sword, golden bell, golden fish drum, and Sharira. As he used these, not only did he slay many "Beast Madness cultivators," but he also greatly weakened the strength of all surrounding "Beast Madness cultivators."

Thus, although there were the most "Beast Madness cultivators" attacking Jin Qinghan, he killed the most as well. In just a short time, there were already broken bodies all around his feet.

However, the "Beast Madness cultivators" in the mountain seemed endless, constantly appearing from the walls and ground, far exceeding the four or five hundred Xu Qingfan had detected earlier. Jin Qinghan had already killed at least two or three hundred of them by this point.

Nevertheless, Jin Qinghan was not worried. Although the total number of "Beast Madness cultivators" was inaccurate, the ones at the Condensed Core Stage, as Xu Qingfan’s information stated, were only about forty or fifty, and they were all only at the Fake Golden Core Stage, much weaker than the three of them. Most of them had already been killed when they ambushed the four. Bo Guangyan alone had killed nearly half, which startled Jin Qinghan.

"Senior Brother Xu is being overly cautious. The strength of these ‘Beast Madness cultivators’ is not that great. Even though Master Bo Hui died in the ambush, the remaining three of us can eliminate all these ‘Beast Madness cultivators.’ The concerns we had before were indeed somewhat unnecessary. Now the only worry is that there seem to be too many ‘Beast Madness cultivators’; it feels like there’s no end."

While eliminating the "Beast Madness cultivators" attacking him, Jin Qinghan even had the spare time to use his Divine Sense to check other areas of the mountain. He learned about Master Bo Hui’s death but thought that Master Bo Hui, who had turned into a "Beast Madness cultivator" to attack Master Bo Guangyan, was a powerful "Beast Madness cultivator" due to a sudden change in aura, and he didn’t realize it was actually Master Bo Hui. However, with Master Bo Guangyan’s strength, Jin Qinghan was not worried about anything unexpected happening.

Although an accident is called an accident because it can happen and cannot be predicted.

But when Jin Qinghan’s Divine Sense detected Xu Qingfan’s location, he was greatly shocked.

At some unknown time, Xu Qingfan was suddenly floating quietly in midair, completely still. He neither attacked nor defended himself, allowing the surrounding "Beast Madness cultivators" to strike at him. Meanwhile, Xu Qingfan’s two avatars, Xu Ying and Xu Zhiyuan, seemed slow and unresponsive for some reason. Xu Qingfan’s spirit pet, Little Black, ignored the attacks from the "Beast Madness cultivators" and kept flapping on Xu Qingfan’s shoulder. The situation was critical, with Xu Qingfan at risk of being harmed by the "Beast Madness cultivators" who could break through Xu Ying and Xu Zhiyuan’s defenses at any moment.

Although Jin Qinghan did not know why Xu Qingfan and his spirit pet were in such a state, seeing Xu Qingfan in danger made him feel very anxious. A deep sense of unease filled his mind, and he could not think about fighting the "Beast Madness cultivators" attacking him, so he rushed toward Xu Qingfan’s location.

However, even though everyone knew about the deep bond between Jin Qinghan and Xu Qingfan, it seemed strange that after seeing Xu Qingfan in danger, Jin Qinghan appeared almost irrational, very different from his usual calm demeanor.

Jin Qinghan was protected by golden armor made of Golden Spirit Qi and received help from the "Eight Evil Consciousness King," so even while rushing towards Xu Qingfan without hesitation, he was still safe from the attacks of the "Beast Madness cultivators."

Finally, Jin Qinghan reached Xu Qingfan’s side and called out to him urgently, but he found that Xu Qingfan ignored him, staring blankly at his right foot.

Jin Qinghan was puzzled and looked in the direction of Xu Qingfan’s gaze, only to be horrified to discover that Xu Qingfan’s right foot was covered in blood, soaking his shoes and socks. The most important thing was that the wound constantly seeping blood had two bite marks, as if it had been bitten by someone.

Looking at the "Beast Madness cultivators" attacking around them and the dazed Xu Qingfan, the answer was clear: Xu Qingfan had been bitten by a "Beast Madness cultivator" and could turn into one at any moment.

After Jin Qinghan arrived at Xu Qingfan’s side, the "Beast Madness cultivators" that were originally attacking him also turned to surround Xu Qingfan, putting double the pressure on Xu Ying and Xu Zhiyuan. The defense could break at any moment, but Jin Qinghan ignored all of this, staring blankly at Xu Qingfan with despair and disbelief on his face.

Xu Qingfan, the one who always wore a gentle smile and had a calm expression, but whose occasional sighs made one feel a deep fatigue; the one who had saved his life and was his only friend so far, who cared only for others and often neglected himself; the Xu Qingfan who valued family and friendship, and had a kind heart—was he really going to become a Beast Madness cultivator who lost all reason and only knew how to kill?

Jin Qinghan could not believe it, but looking at the scene before him, he could not help but accept the truth.

Xu Qingfan’s expression was dazed, occasionally showing signs of struggle and pain, but the struggle in Jin Qinghan’s heart brought him even more anguish.

According to the rules of the Righteous Alliance, if any cultivator discovers someone infected with the "Beast Madness," regardless of their identity or relationship, they must kill them immediately to prevent that cultivator from truly becoming a "Beast Madness cultivator" and causing greater harm.

In a previous mission, a Jiuhua cultivator was accidentally injured by a "Beast Madness cultivator" and could not be saved, so Jin Qinghan killed him himself. The number of non-Jiuhua cultivators he killed after being infected with the "Beast Madness" was even higher.

Amidst the calamity, who hasn’t done such things?

But this cultivator infected with the "Beast Madness" is Xu Qingfan!

Reflecting on all the moments he shared with Xu Qingfan over the years, Jin Qinghan could only remember Xu Qingfan’s helpless smile fading away, followed by a slight frown and a slow sigh, his tiredness evident in that moment. Xu Qingfan had accomplished many great things, but for some reason, the image that stuck most in Jin Qinghan’s mind was this unguarded moment.

With a sigh, even though Xu Qingfan had gradually become strict and indifferent over the years, there was still a purity in his eyes. Clean like a handful of clear water.

"Senior Brother Xu, although you have become a ‘Beast Madness cultivator,’ I truly cannot bring myself to kill you. However, if you have truly become a ‘Beast Madness cultivator’ who only knows killing and your hands are stained with blood, then someone as kind as you must be in great pain, right? Since that is the case, rather than letting you lose your sanity and bear that pain, I would rather take on the pain of killing you myself."

Under some inexplicable influence, a thought suddenly appeared in Jin Qinghan’s mind, growing stronger and stronger. Gradually, although the surroundings were noisy, Jin Qinghan’s world became peaceful, and in his eyes, there was only Xu Qingfan.

His eyes growing redder, the golden giant sword slowly lifted in his hands, then a look of determined pain flashed in Jin Qinghan’s eyes. With a swing, the golden giant sword transformed into a streak of lightning, quickly darting towards Xu Qingfan’s neck.

Seeing Jin Qinghan suddenly attack Xu Qingfan, Little Black, who was trying to awaken Xu Qingfan, let out a shocked cry, followed by a furious roar, rushing towards Jin Qinghan, wanting to stop the attack with a counterattack and force Jin Qinghan to abandon his attack on Xu Qingfan.

However, Jin Qinghan ignored Little Black’s attack, still moving towards Xu Qingfan, with an even stronger look of determination in his eyes.

It seemed that Jin Qinghan and Xu Qingfan, these two brothers, were about to perish together…

※※※※

With Master Bo Guangyan’s cultivation level, he naturally noticed Bo Hui’s abnormality. To be honest, although Bo Hui’s Spirit Qi and senses were greatly enhanced after being infected by ‘Beast Madness,’ along with a very abnormal healing ability, against Bo Guangyan’s power, which could instantly take down more than ten Condensed Core Stage ‘Beast Madness cultivators,’ Bo Hui still fell short.

At this moment, although Bo Guangyan looked fierce, Bo Hui found it no harder to kill him than it was to kill those "Beast Madness cultivators" before.

However, Bo Hui had followed Bo Guangyan for two hundred years, and two hundred years was enough time to build an unbreakable bond even between the two most ruthless people, let alone Bo Guangyan was not heartless.

Buddhism teaches people to look at this life and the next, but Buddhist followers do not always manage to do this; at least Bo Guangyan cannot.

As Master Bo Hui silently roared and lunged toward Master Bo Guangyan, the distance between them grew smaller, yet the struggle and hesitation in Master Bo Guangyan’s eyes became stronger. The fierce expression on Bo Hui’s face reminded Master Bo Guangyan of the respectful, timid little figure who sought knowledge years ago.

Bo Hui has grown up under Bo Guangyan’s watch!

In Master Bo Guangyan’s eyes, Bo Hui’s fierce appearance gradually overlapped with the image from years ago, becoming indistinguishable. As the two images completely merged, Master Bo Guangyan’s eyes became increasingly dazed, and the memories of two hundred years suddenly flooded into his mind with clarity.

It was as if, at this moment, Master Bo Hui was not lunging at him with a roar, but rather holding an incomprehensible Buddhist scripture or cultivation method, wearing a respectful expression, seeking his help.

Just as Master Bo Guangyan was lost in memory, Bo Hui had lunged within less than a foot of Master Bo Guangyan, and his large, bloody mouth was about to bite Master Bo Guangyan’s neck.

It seemed that Master Bo Guangyan was about to meet his end here, dying at the hands of the one he valued most.

※※※※

"The power of this ‘Sun’ can actually control people’s hearts!"

Seeing Xu Qingfan in a daze, Jin Qinghan wanted to kill Xu Qingfan but ignored Little Black’s counterattack. Master Bo Guangyan faced the attack from Bo Hui, who had turned into a "Beast Madness cultivator," and surprisingly wore a warm, reminiscent expression, unbothered. Coupled with "Ri’s" earlier actions and the strange words just spoken, Feng Qingtian finally guessed the true ability of this mysterious "Ri." He also understood why the two elders of Tian and Di valued "Ri" so highly because "Ri" truly had the power to kill a Mahayana Stage master, as long as that Mahayana Stage master had a flaw in their heart that "Ri" could discover.

Previously, Feng Qingtian knew that "Ri" and "Ying," who was killed by Xu Qingfan, practiced the same cultivation method, but at a much higher level. However, Feng Qingtian didn’t think highly of it. He had understood that "Ying’s" strength was merely in creating illusions and instilling a deep sense of fear or temptation in people’s hearts. Although he seemed incredibly powerful, as long as the opponent was a person of strong character who was not troubled by illusions and various negative emotions, "Ying" would be helpless.

Xu Qingfan had relied on his extraordinary willpower and character to resist the various illusions and negative emotions from "Ying" and then used "Cycle of Life and Death" to defeat him. Feng Qingtian was confident that his mental resilience and willpower were far superior to Xu Qingfan’s, and even if "Ri’s" strength was several times that of "Ying," Feng Qingtian believed he would not be afraid.

But Feng Qingtian did not expect that "Ri’s" ability would go even further, reaching the level of controlling people’s hearts. Seeing Xu Qingfan and the others’ behavior at this moment, it was as if some emotion in their hearts had been infinitely amplified, leaving them unable to extricate themselves, even to the point of being manipulated into self-destruction without awareness.

As long as one is human, how can there be no emotions? How can there be no flaws in the heart? And "Ri" can see through these flaws and emotions, can amplify these emotions countless times, and can easily exploit these mental vulnerabilities.

Memories, obsessions, love, hatred – all are "Ri’s" weapons against opponents. And these emotions are actually from the opponents themselves!

How can a cultivator like this not seem frightening?

At least the fearless Feng Qingtian felt a wave of shock in his heart. He used to think that "Ri" looked at him with a curious gaze, but now he realized that careless glance seemed to have the magic of seeing into one’s soul.

"It’s over."

Seemingly unaware of Feng Qingtian’s thoughts, "Ri" slowly opened his eyes and softly said, with a hint of disappointment in his gaze, as if he was somewhat dissatisfied with having easily killed three people.

"These three people were the finest of the younger generation in the Righteous Alliance, and they were indeed strong. It’s a pity they each had their own obsessions, and they didn’t know how to hide them. I only used thirty percent of my power, yet this happened. Sigh… what a shame."

"Ri" seemed not to worry about Feng Qingtian discovering his abilities, simply smiling as he spoke.

As he said this, "Ri" looked at Feng Qingtian beside him, his eyes full of curiosity, as if he wanted to test how much of his power Feng Qingtian could withstand.

"If ‘Ri’ had a thousand years, perhaps he could become a person like Zhang Xusheng."

Suddenly, Feng Qingtian recalled what Tian had said about "Ri" before he was told to cooperate with him. That probing gaze from "Ri" now made him lower his head for the first time, his eyes flickering as if he was lost in thought.

"Oh?"

Just as Feng Qingtian was about to raise his head to say something, he heard "Ri" make a surprised sound.

"I have underestimated this younger generation; at least, this little monk is quite good."

With "Ri’s" words, there was a new change in the scene.

※※※※

From hesitation and struggle to a heart full of nostalgic memories, and then to Bo Hui, who had transformed into a "Beast Madness cultivator," attacking Master Bo Guangyan, it all happened in just a moment.

Just as Master Bo Guangyan was about to lose his life to Bo Hui, suddenly, a light flashed in Master Bo Guangyan’s eyes, followed by expressions of surprise and even fear. He quickly retreated while expanding his Divine Sense, searching for something within the mountain, his expression becoming serious and alert.

"What is happening? Why am I losing control of my thoughts and recalling those memories at this moment? So much so that I didn’t notice Bo Hui approaching me? Even though I consider Bo Hui like my own, and I wouldn’t want to harm him even if he became a ‘Beast Madness cultivator,’ I should not have lost control like this. My earlier state felt like someone very skilled was deliberately guiding the release and intensifying my emotions. If it weren’t for my unique control over the mind as a Buddhist and my cultivation method’s ability to stabilize my thoughts, I might have lost my life here. Is there still a master hidden here?"

As he retreated, Master Bo Guangyan felt alert and thought quietly to himself.

However, although Master Bo Guangyan reacted in time to retreat, Bo Hui was already too close to him, and Master Bo Guangyan’s backward movement was not fast enough.

Finally, Bo Hui managed to reach Bo Guangyan and opened his mouth to bite at the neck between Bo Guangyan’s shoulders.

But just then, Master Bo Guangyan suddenly radiated a faint golden light. The golden light was soft and gentle, yet it brought great authority and pressure to Master Bo Guangyan.

"Crash!"

Master Bo Hui bit down on Master Bo Guangyan’s neck, but the expected blood did not burst forth. Instead, his teeth, which had become incredibly strong after turning into a "Beast Madness cultivator," shattered.

"Buddha form!"

Seeing Master Bo Guangyan’s change, "Ri" let out a soft gasp. He didn’t expect that Bo Guangyan had already mastered this supreme Buddhist cultivation method, achieving a state of invincibility and being unaffected by all things.

Meanwhile, Feng Qingtian turned his gaze to Xu Qingfan and Jin Qinghan. Master Bo Guangyan had freed himself from mental control, but what about these two?

Deep down, Feng Qingtian surprisingly felt a hope that the two would not simply die.

However, the situation with Xu Qingfan and Jin Qinghan remained unchanged. Jin Qinghan’s golden sword was now less than an inch from Xu Qingfan’s neck, and Little Black’s sharp beak was about to pierce Jin Qinghan’s right eye!