Volume 5 Chapter 118

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Volume 5 Chapter 118: The Battle Begins, Old Grudges Settled (Part 1)

With a roar, Jin Qinghan’s body shone with golden light, dazzling like a sun that radiated golden rays, so bright that it was hard to look at. When the golden light reached its brightest, it quickly condensed into a single spot, powerful and overwhelming.

Then, with a movement of his hands, the golden light shot out, turning into thousands of golden short swords that flew towards the countless "Beast Madness cultivators" around him. Cries of anguish filled the air, and blood splattered everywhere. In one strike, over a hundred "Beast Madness cultivators" met their end. The once crowded group of "Beast Madness cultivators" in front of Jin Qinghan suddenly created a large empty space.

Even though the "Beast Madness cultivators" had completely lost their reason and only knew how to kill, they still experienced a moment of shock at the tremendous force that Jin Qinghan unleashed.

Although most of the over a hundred killed "Beast Madness cultivators" were below the Condensed Core Stage level, their strength was still shocking.

After taking a deep look at Xu Qingfan, Jin Qinghan, taking advantage of the moment when the "Beast Madness cultivators" were stunned, quickly rushed out of the mountain’s heart, following Xu Qingfan’s advice to help the two small teams outside the mountain.

From far away, a voice said "Take care," floating into Xu Qingfan’s ears.

Seeing that Jin Qinghan followed his orders but before leaving used a lot of Spirit Qi to perform his previous move, Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but smile wryly. He knew Jin Qinghan wanted to lighten his burden before leaving, but Xu Qingfan actually wanted Jin Qinghan to save his strength at this moment. Although Jin Qinghan had good intentions, he was doing the opposite of what Xu Qingfan wanted.

But Jin Qinghan had already disappeared in an instant, and Xu Qingfan couldn’t say anything more.

Watching Jin Qinghan leave, Xu Qingfan’s expression suddenly changed, and he turned abruptly to look in another direction.

The direction Xu Qingfan was looking at was where "Ri" had stood before, but now only "Ri" remained.

"Ri" and Feng Qingtian, it was unclear what kind of cultivation method they practiced or what treasure they possessed. They stood there clearly, yet neither the "Beast Madness cultivator," Xu Qingfan, Jin Qinghan, nor Master Bo Guangyan noticed anything strange. Still, this cultivation method or treasure didn’t seem perfect, as Xu Qingfan noticed something odd when Feng Qingtian left to chase Jin Qinghan.

"His alertness is not bad. Although there are big flaws in his heart, Xu Qingfan’s reputation over the years is not without reason. Unfortunately, he has met me…"

When Xu Qingfan looked in his direction, his eyes showed a bit of caution, but "Ri" was not at all flustered. He knew that as long as he stayed still, Xu Qingfan wouldn’t discover him. Instead, his eyes revealed a sense of "it’s not so bad after all." He murmured to himself.

Xu Qingfan looked at the spot where "Ri" was for a moment, but didn’t find anything unusual. It seemed that the familiar wave he sensed just now was just his illusion.

"Is it my illusion? Or have they already left?"

While "Ri" murmured to themselves, Xu Qingfan also whispered.

The strange feeling at his ankle grew stronger. Looking down, he saw that Little Black was breathing more out than in. Around them, countless "Beast Madness cultivators" were howling and attacking wildly. Xu Zhiyuan and Xu Ying struggled to fight back, and thoughts of Feng Qingtian’s presence and the mysterious expert who had just harmed a controllable target filled Xu Qingfan’s mind with worry. He furrowed his brow, uncertain which situation was more urgent.

With time running out, Xu Qingfan stopped checking the location of "Ri" and forced himself to use his Spirit Qi to suppress the increasing strange movements at his ankle. He looked down at Little Black, keeping part of his mind focused on the surroundings. Whether it was the "Beast Madness cultivators," Feng Qingtian, or that unknown expert, they all posed great danger.

The "Beast Madness" attack takes time to build up, and it seemed that Feng Qingtian and the mysterious expert wouldn’t strike right away. Under the combined efforts of Xu Zhiyuan and Xu Ying, although there were countless "Beast Madness cultivators," they couldn’t threaten Xu Qingfan in the short term. In contrast, healing Little Black, who could die at any moment, was the most urgent matter.

Furthermore, Little Black had been by Xu Qingfan’s side for decades… Though they were one human and one beast, their bond had grown deep and unbreakable.

Looking at the severely injured Little Black, the wounds on its abdomen were horrifying, exposing its intestines. The entire right wing was barely hanging on, looking extremely pitiful, as if it could die at any moment. This filled Xu Qingfan with anxiety.

Xu Qingfan reached out and held Little Black in his arms, not caring that its blood soaked his clothes. His eyes showed deep sorrow and guilt.

This was already the second time Little Black had nearly died protecting him. Little Black was his spirit pet, and for most cultivators, it seemed natural for spirit pets to die for their owners. But at that moment, Xu Qingfan only felt like a useless master.

Silently following by his side, riskily standing up for him time and time again without fearing death, even though it was just a spirit pet, Xu Qingfan felt deeply touched in his heart.

While he felt emotional inside, Xu Qingfan didn’t hesitate at all; after holding Little Black in his arms, he hurriedly took out the healing treasure "Blood Spirit Pill" from his sleeve. He didn’t care about the preciousness of the "Blood Spirit Pill" and poured half a bottle into his hand in one breath, quickly feeding it to Little Black, while attentively watching for any changes in Little Black.

Each "Blood Spirit Pill" contains the essence and vitality of countless living beings and has great healing effects, capable of even bringing the dead back to life. However, it was made specifically for humans. Plus, because of Little Black’s unique nature, even though he had given Little Black half a bottle at once, the effect was not very strong.

The injury was still shockingly severe. Little Black’s eyes were slightly closed and still in a deep coma, but the blood finally stopped flowing like before. The pulse, though still weak, gradually became stable. Although he still looked like he could die at any moment, Xu Qingfan felt a bit relieved.

However, even though the injury was no longer getting worse, Xu Qingfan was still very worried.

After calming down, Xu Qingfan suddenly realized his earlier mistake and couldn’t help but smile bitterly to himself.

"Little Black’s body can hold a lot of death energy, and its body structure is very different from a human’s. Moreover, the powerful vitality contained in the ‘Blood Spirit Pill’ is not compatible with the death energy inside Little Black. This means that the effect of the ‘Blood Spirit Pill’ is not very significant. In my rush, I gave Little Black half a bottle all at once. Although it stabilized the injury, having so much vitality suddenly appear in Little Black’s body raises the question of whether that’s more of a benefit or a drawback."

Xu Qingfan thought silently, suddenly feeling a slight movement in his heart as if he had thought of something. After hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth, showing a determined expression, and with a flick of his right sleeve, a green jade box suddenly appeared in Xu Qingfan’s hand.

Xu Qingfan suddenly thought that perhaps for someone as unusual as Little Black, absorbing the death energy might help more with its injuries.

In Xu Qingfan’s hands was a green jade box, inside of which was the mysterious green skeleton that Xu Qingfan had accidentally obtained before.

Over the years, although Little Black had asked many times, Xu Qingfan had never taken out the skeleton to help Little Black with training. Previously, in Jiuhua Mountain, there was a protective array blocking him, and his cave was hidden, so he wasn’t worried about anyone discovering the skeleton, or the strange fluctuations produced when Little Black absorbed the skeleton’s death energy. But over the years, Xu Qingfan had been in the "Ronghua Mountain" where the Righteous Alliance was located, a place filled with people and eyes. The powerful death energy in the green skeleton was strange, and it would not be appropriate to be discovered.

However, at this moment, Little Black’s injuries made Xu Qingfan forget about everything else.

He opened the jade box and placed the skull beside Little Black, but even though the powerful death energy that Little Black longed for was right in front of him, Little Black’s body remained still.

After a moment, Xu Qingfan frowned slightly, just as he was about to do something, Little Black’s body suddenly moved a bit. Then Xu Qingfan clearly felt that although Little Black was already unconscious, he instinctively started to absorb the death energy from the skull. At first, the absorption was slow, just a little, but gradually, the amount of death energy absorbed grew larger, until finally, Little Black was surrounded by a faint black mist, just like the last time he absorbed the death energy from the skull, making it hard to see what was happening inside.

Through the mental connection with Little Black, Xu Qingfan knew that Little Black was awake, and his injuries were healing quickly as Xu Qingfan had guessed, thanks to the absorption of the death energy. Xu Qingfan finally felt relieved.

Although the energy fluctuations from the skull were very subtle, Master Bo Guangyan was right beside him, and there was also that mysterious master who could control people’s hearts. Knowing that he had something precious, Xu Qingfan felt a bit worried. Looking at the black mist floating in front of him, he hesitated for a moment and then quickly formed several layers of barriers to wrap around Little Black and the skull.

After doing all this, Xu Qingfan looked around and noticed that the "Beast Madness cultivators" hidden in the mountain were all appearing. They were now divided into two groups, one attacking him while his two avatars were struggling to resist, and the other group, which was slightly larger, was attacking Master Bo Guangyan, led by the strongest "Beast Madness cultivator."

The leader of that group, to Xu Qingfan’s surprise, was Master Bo Hui, who had entered the mountain with everyone before. However, at this moment, Master Bo Hui’s eyes were red, and he was acting wildly, attacking Master Bo Guangyan with all his might, showing none of the grace of a wise monk from before.

When Xu Qingfan saw Master Bo Hui had become a "Beast Madness cultivator," he did not seem shocked at all. He only let out a faint sigh. He had encountered too many of these events over the years, and besides, perhaps in a moment, he would also turn into a "Beast Madness cultivator," joining the attack on Master Bo Guangyan.

Master Bo Guangyan, however, seemed unwilling to kill Bo Hui. Even though his power far exceeded Bo Hui’s, he was stuck. Meanwhile, under the siege, many other "Beast Madness cultivators" had already been killed by Bo Guangyan, but he was still being chased by Bo Hui, running everywhere.

Although Master Bo Guangyan’s actions clearly did not follow the Righteous Alliance’s rules, Xu Qingfan could not help but let out a slight sigh of relief. Given his current state, it really wasn’t the right time to meet Bo Guangyan. Perhaps the first thing Bo Guangyan would do upon meeting him was to try to kill him, after all, Xu Qingfan was not Bo Hui.

With Xu Zhiyuan and Xu Ying blocking him, the "Beast Madness cultivator" could not threaten Xu Qingfan for the moment, and Master Bo Guangyan was too busy dealing with his own problems. The mysterious expert also showed no sign of attacking immediately. Finally, Xu Qingfan relaxed a bit, sitting cross-legged and closing his eyes to sense the unusual feeling in his ankle, trying to prevent himself from being infected by the "Beast Madness."

Now, the only thing Xu Qingfan worried about was whether that skilled person, who could control people’s emotions, would strike again. But to stop himself from becoming a "Beast Madness cultivator," who lost all reason and only knew how to kill, he had to bravely take the risk once.

So, in the bloody mountains, amidst the chaotic battlefield, Xu Qingfan sat with his eyes closed, looking peaceful. Surrounded by Xu Zhiyuan and Xu Ying, a calm area extended around him, creating a strangely contrasting scene.

※※※※

Watching Xu Qingfan calmly meditate in the dangerous battlefield, "Ri" had a strange glint in his eyes. He couldn’t decide whether to think of Xu Qingfan as reckless or decisive. However, in "Ri’s" view, no matter how hard Xu Qingfan tried, it was just a matter of dying sooner or later.

At the same time, he also looked at Little Black and the green skeleton encircled by a barrier. Till now, Xu Qingfan’s every move had not escaped his eyes. He had guessed the significance of that skull, but he was not surprised; instead, the smile on his face became even more mysterious.

"Or, let this Xu Qingfan become a ‘Beast Madness cultivator’ under my control, killing the Righteous Alliance warriors, which would be even more interesting."

After a slight smile, "Ri"’s expression suddenly became serious, and his eyes changed in a strange way. The left eye blazed with bright red like fire, while the right eye was as white as ice from the northern lands, glowing with a mysterious light as he looked at Bo Guangyan, who was teaching Bo Hui. He decided to focus his strength on Bo Guangyan first.

For Xu Qingfan, who was affected by "Beast Madness," the weakness in his heart was so great that he felt no threat. He could take Xu Qingfan’s life at any moment. Moreover, Xu Qingfan had killed his younger brother, so "Ri" had no intention of letting Xu Qingfan die easily.

At the same time, Master Bo Guangyan realized, like Xu Qingfan, that there might be other skilled fighters hiding nearby, yet no matter what, he could not let go of his feelings for Bo Hui.

Meanwhile, Bo Guangyan observed Bo Hui, who grew increasingly desperate as he failed to harm Bo Guangyan, appearing like a completely different person. A glint of determination and sorrow flashed in his eyes as he evaded Bo Hui’s assaults, and a "卐" symbol gradually formed in his hand.

A tale of grudges and a bond of feelings was on the edge of being cut off.

※※※※

While Xu Qingfan took out the green skull to heal Little Black, another unexpected trouble arose for Xu Qingfan.

Far to the east, on a vast yet mysterious and deserted island, zombies roamed, and poisonous gas was everywhere.

In the middle valley of the island, a mysterious ritual was taking place. A thick black mist, spanning dozens of miles, was swirling continuously. This deadly mist was made up of pure and powerful energy, making it too dangerous for anyone to approach. Those who were brave enough to try had already turned into a few dry bones at the edge of the black mist.

Outside the black mist, countless people dressed in black robes were busily directing numerous corpses and even a Corpse King. Some were moving precious materials, while others kept walking into the endless black mist. As more skilled corpse refiners entered the mist, it grew more vast and terrifying.

This scene had been going on for eight full years since a Mahayana cultivator known as "Hong" from the Zhong family suddenly disappeared.

This was the Zhong family, performing the ritual to refine the new "Purgatory Staff," a hope for their revival and dominance in the cultivation world.

Suddenly, for some unknown reason, the once stable black mist began to ripple. Faced with this sudden change, the black-robed individuals outside the mist, who had previously looked as stiff and cold as zombies, showed fear and confusion, not knowing the cause of this disturbance.

Refining the new "Purgatory Staff" was extremely important to the Zhong family, and there could be no accidents.

Though the Zhong family descendants were frightened, they still dared not approach the black mist, merely looking anxiously at a black-robed man who was originally directing the actions of the Zhong family.

This black-robed man was the current family master of the Zhong family. Besides "Ming," who had already become a part of the new "Purgatory Staff," he was the only Mahayana Stage master.

However, the usually dignified and calm Zhong family master now looked as surprised and alarmed as the ordinary members of the Zhong family, yet he too dared not come close to the endless black mist.

Just like the way the Zhong family disciples looked at him with hopeful and trusting eyes, he now looked into the depths of the black mist with the same gaze.

"Second Brother."

After a moment, the endless black mist finally settled down again, and then, the old voice of the Zhong family ancestor suddenly emerged.

"Ancestor, I am here."

The Zhong family master quickly took a few steps closer, bowed, and replied.

"The sacred item has appeared."

The Zhong family ancestor said slowly, his voice seeming to carry a hint of excitement.

Upon hearing the ancestor’s words, the Zhong family master couldn’t help but be surprised. Although the ancestor had decided to refine the "Purgatory Staff" again, and the new "Purgatory Staff" would soon be completed, for the people of the Zhong family, the so-called "sacred item" would always be the original "Purgatory Staff," because that staff was crafted from the body of the first Zhong family master.

Just as the Zhong family master was surprised, a slight ripple suddenly appeared in the black mist before him, and then, a jade staff, resembling a human spine, flew out from the mist, stopping in front of the Zhong family master.

"Take this sacred object and rush to the Shenzhou Continent to bring it back to me. Go to the bustling border between Middle-earth and the North, where the sacred object will appear. Through this sacred object, you can find the exact location of another sacred object. This task is for you to handle personally."

It was clear that although the ancestor of the Zhong family spoke calmly, he was indeed a bit excited at that moment, even losing his usual way of speaking.

"Yes."

The master of the Zhong family reached out with hands that were already shaking to grab the floating bone staff in front of him and quickly replied.

At the same time, the master of the Zhong family thought of even more. If the sacred object from the clan could be retrieved, then the Zhong family would have two "Purgatory Staffs." The newly refined one would undoubtedly belong to him. In this way, although his cultivation had only reached the Nascent Soul Stage, his power would certainly not be weaker than the Soul Splitting Stage, which was of great importance.

However, the master of the Zhong family did not dare to show any signs of joy; who knew if the ancestor of the Zhong family would think he had other ideas? He quickly took the green bone staff and flew swiftly toward the Shenzhou Continent.

※※※※

On the other side, almost at the same time, Jin Qinghan finally emerged from the long and winding cave, returning to the blood-red valley, but what he saw before him left him horrified.