The Search for Immortality

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Volume 5 Chapter 119: The Battle Begins, Old Grudges Settled (Part 2)

Screams of despair, severed limbs, flowing blood, and a scene resembling a hell on earth appeared right before Jin Qinghan’s eyes.

Countless "Beast Madness cultivators" filled the valley, fighting each other to claim the few remaining scraps of flesh and organs, while many corpses had already been completely torn apart, turning into bare white bones, trampled by countless "Beast Madness cultivators" in the blood-soaked valley.

The sounds of battle echoed continuously in the valley, proving that there were still survivors from Xu Qingfan’s team and the ‘Mercy Cloud Temple’ team. Looking around, Jin Qinghan saw a large group of "Beast Madness cultivators" gathered in one corner of the blood-red valley, howling with excitement, relentlessly attacking the remaining members of the two teams, their eyes gleaming with a bloodthirsty madness, drooling at the corners of their mouths, looking fierce and terrifying.

At a quick glance, there were still about ten cultivators in that corner, working together to create a defensive barrier to fend off the attacks of the "Beast Madness cultivators." However, the barrier was wobbling and seemed like it could break at any moment. The clash of magical powers roared continuously, and the lights flickered, but even Jin Qinghan couldn’t clearly see who was in that corner.

Although Jin Qinghan could vaguely see that more than ten people were still alive, he knew that both Xu Qingfan’s team and the "Mercy Cloud Temple" team were now finished. Originally, the two teams had a total of sixty people, but now, even with Xu Qingfan and others still in the mountain, there were fewer than twenty left.

Little did he know how Xu Qingfan would feel seeing the scene before Jin Qinghan now. He and Master Bo Guangyan were fighting desperately in the mountain while the situation in the valley had turned out like this.

Although Jin Qinghan had suspected that the two teams outside the cave would also be attacked after hearing Xu Qingfan’s analysis, neither he nor Xu Qingfan expected it to be this severe. While Xu Qingfan and the team took on the most dangerous tasks, those left in the valley encountered an even more devastating disaster. It truly was unpredictable fate, and fortunes were hard to determine. Looking at the severed limbs and bones beneath his feet, even though Jin Qinghan usually remained calm, he felt a wave of shock and coldness upon seeing such a tragic sight.

The only comforting thought was that over the past seven years, Xu Qingfan had continually reprimanded and punished various "unqualified" team members from Jiuhua Mountain, requiring them to meditate and reflect in "Ronghua Mountain," ensuring that "Jiuhua Team" became one of the most critically reduced non-combat teams in the Righteous Alliance. Later, to preserve Jiuhua’s strength as much as possible, Xu Qingfan kept gathering cultivators from various smaller sects or rogue cultivators to join the team, and some members of "Jiuhua Team" were dispersed into weaker teams with lower-risk missions. As a result, now there were very few true Jiuhua Gate people left in "Jiuhua Team," and most insiders now referred to it as "Xu Qingfan’s team."

It must be said that while Xu Qingfan’s methods may not have been above board, they were extremely beneficial for Jiuhua. For instance, this time, even though "Jiuhua Team" seemed to suffer heavy losses on the surface, Jiuhua’s overall strength did not take a significant hit.

Little did he know how Xu Qingfan would react after seeing this situation.

A flicker of confusion passed through Jin Qinghan’s eyes; he didn’t understand why, at that moment, he was still thinking of these useless things. Perhaps, unknowingly, since the start of the Newcomer Competition, or even earlier, the moment he called Xu Qingfan his senior, he had already gotten used to relying on Xu Qingfan’s judgment.

Thoughts raced through his mind, but in reality, it all happened in just a moment. Right when Jin Qinghan entered the valley and was stunned by the scene before him, the "Beast Madness cultivators," whose senses became extremely sharp, had already discovered his presence. Jin Qinghan’s strong aura and pressure did not intimidate them at all; instead, their bloodthirst and madness intensified. The dozens of "Beast Madness cultivators" closest to Jin Qinghan showed no hesitation and roared as they charged at him.

"Given the current situation, this task is definitely not simple. The team members left outside have likely encountered serious trouble as well. Your task this time is to preserve the strength of our Jiuhua from the two teams as much as possible. If the situation becomes too dangerous, ignore everything and flee back to ‘Ronghua Mountain,’ following the plans recorded in the green slip I’ve given you."

Jin Qinghan silently recalled Xu Qingfan’s advice before he left, completely disregarding the charging "Beast Madness cultivators." He pushed his speed to the limit and rushed towards the location where the "Beast Madness cultivators" were attacking.

Although Xu Qingfan had tried his best to hide Jiuhua’s strength over the years, to silence other people’s gossip, he still kept the most promising young elders from Jiuhua by his side. This also allowed these future hopes of Jiuhua to gain more experience to pave the way for his future control of Jiuhua, like Li Yuhan, Lv Qingshang, Sheng Yushan, and Dongfang Qingling. Jin Qinghan had to save them.

The strongest "Beast Madness cultivators" were currently attacking the cultivators in the corner of the valley. The ones guarding the cave were the weakest, even below the Lingji Stage. Although they saw Jin Qinghan trying to break out, they had no power to stop him.

Suddenly, in a flash of golden light, Jin Qinghan had already dashed to a spot not far from the corner of the valley where a battle was happening. Without any visible movement or spells, the dozens of "Beast Madness cultivators" who were attacking him, as well as those who blocked his escape, instantly shattered, their bodies breaking apart as if wounded by some sharp weapon.

When Jin Qinghan appeared again, it was among the group of "Beast Madness cultivators" attacking the cultivators, right in the most intense spot of the battle.

At this moment, Jin Qinghan had already returned to his previous form in the belly of the mountain. His body was covered in golden armor, with no flaws visible except for his eyes. Behind him was a shadow of a giant with six arms and three heads, each holding different Buddhist artifacts, each with unique powers. In Jin Qinghan’s hands was a long golden thread, which was the treasured possession of his master, Elder Weichi. It was unknown when it had been gifted to Jin Qinghan. The "Beast Madness cultivators" that had blocked his way and died mysteriously earlier were likely victims of this golden thread.

At this point, Jin Qinghan finally stopped hiding his true strength. He unleashed all his special abilities.

Jin Qinghan’s shadow behind him, known as the "Six Evil Mind Kings," continuously wielded six Buddhist artifacts, showering golden light and Buddhist sounds everywhere. As Jin Qinghan charged into the group of "Beast Madness cultivators," they quickly noticed him, but under the influence of the golden light and sounds, their movements became incredibly slow. Then, with a wave of the Buddhist sword and staff, the sky filled with golden weapons that flew and pierced through, splattering blood and cries of agony. The golden thread in Jin Qinghan’s hands attacked silently, and within moments, the "Beast Madness cultivators" within a ten-zhang radius of Jin Qinghan were cut into several pieces, dying quietly and inexplicably.

Although the "Beast Madness cultivators" attacking the other cultivators had reached the Condensed Core Stage, Jin Qinghan’s sudden attack and abilities led to the swift defeat of more than ten of them in just a few moments, creating a wide open space around him.

Even so, Jin Qinghan did not take the opportunity to join the cultists surrounded by the "Beast Madness cultivators," as that would only trap him among them. He had already suffered greatly in the last chaotic battle with numerous "Beast Madness cultivators."

Therefore, instead of joining the cultivators, Jin Qinghan continued to charge at the "Beast Madness cultivators" around him.

Jin Qinghan believed that if there were still rational individuals among the surrounded cultivators, they would know what to do at that moment. If these cultivators only waited there for him to rescue them, then Jin Qinghan would have to follow Xu Qingfan’s advice and flee immediately. First, such people are weak and unaware of the situation, so rescuing them would not be very useful; second, it was clear that Xu Qingfan had more important tasks for him.

At that moment, the "Beast Madness cultivators" who were attacking finally realized what was happening and divided part of their group to charge at Jin Qinghan, reducing the various wind, fire, thunder, and stone attacks they were unleashing on the other cultivators. However, Jin Qinghan did not engage in direct combat with those "Beast Madness cultivators" coming after him but continued to rush towards those who were still attacking the other cultivators.

However, the "Beast Madness cultivators" that were attacking were all extremely powerful, including some of the Real Golden Core Stage and even the rare Golden Core Stage Beast Madness cultivators mixed among them. They were not like the many but weak "Beast Madness cultivators" Jin Qinghan had killed before. The reason he could kill over ten in one go was due to his surprise attack and the fact that the "Beast Madness cultivators" were unfamiliar with his abilities and artifacts.

Indeed, soon after, the control of the "Eight Evil Consciousness King" behind Jin Qinghan remained mysterious. Although the golden armor on Jin Qinghan was still strong, and the golden threads in his hand were still powerful and hard to defend against, no matter how he attacked left and right, his efforts had little effect. For a whole tea’s time, with lights flickering and dust rising, Jin Qinghan used all his abilities but only managed to kill three or four "Beast Madness cultivators." Instead, under the counterattacks of these "Beast Madness cultivators," Jin Qinghan’s golden armor and the golden beings behind him showed small cracks, and his chest and abdomen shook continuously, forcing him to hold back the blood from spilling out of his mouth.

With Jin Qinghan’s strength, he could easily defeat fewer than five Condensed Core Stage "Beast Madness cultivators," and he could barely win against ten, but if there were twenty, he would only be able to escape.

However, at this moment, Jin Qinghan was facing a total of sixty to seventy, including one or two whose power was not at all beneath his own. For a whole tea’s time, although Jin Qinghan killed many "Beast Madness cultivators," his golden armor also suffered over a hundred strikes from various techniques and the claws of the "Beast Madness cultivators." For example, the crack on the golden armor on Jin Qinghan’s left rib was caused by a "Beast Madness cultivator" who had reached the Golden Core Stage, also breaking two of Jin Qinghan’s ribs on that side, causing him great pain.

If those "Beast Madness cultivators" had not been distracted by continuing to attack other cultivators, Jin Qinghan would have already met his end.

Earlier, deep in the mountain, Jin Qinghan had already killed nearly ten Condensed Core Stage "Beast Madness cultivators" and countless ordinary ones. The strike before he left Xu Qingfan was his full effort; now, facing a large number of Condensed Core Stage "Beast Madness cultivators," Jin Qinghan became extremely cautious, and his Spirit Qi poured out like flowing water.

In just a short tea’s time, during the chaotic battle, Jin Qinghan not only suffered many serious internal injuries but also felt that the Spirit Qi within him was running low.

However, although the subsequent chaos after the initial surprise attack had little effect, the formation of the "Beast Madness cultivators" attacking the other cultivators also fell into confusion.

Sensing that the surrounded cultivators were still only focused on resisting the attacks from the "Beast Madness cultivators," Jin Qinghan sighed lightly, realizing he could only break out on his own. If this continued, he feared he would also die among the "Beast Madness cultivators."

At the same time, a touch of sadness crossed Jin Qinghan’s mind. With the knowledge of people like Li Yuhan and Lv Qingshang from the Jiuhua Team, they couldn’t possibly be unaware of his purpose in doing this. The fact that these cultivators had still not moved could only mean one thing: these elites from Jiuhua had likely already met their end.

Because those cultivators joined together to create a colorful barrier to protect themselves, and Jin Qinghan was busy dealing with the "Beast Madness cultivators" attacking him, he had no time to recognize which cultivators were trapped in the surrounding "Beast Madness cultivators," even though they were not far away.

Just when Jin Qinghan was about to break free, the cultivators surrounded by their enemies did not let him down and finally took action.

The colorful barrier that had protected the cultivators suddenly disappeared during a pause in the "Beast Madness cultivators’" attack. Then, the more than ten cultivators who were being attacked gathered together, boldly using their powerful techniques to unleash a torrent of energy at the surrounding "Beast Madness cultivators," creating even more chaos among them.

Next, these cultivators quickly gathered together, but instead of joining Jin Qinghan, they charged in another direction. Jin Qinghan’s position was the most chaotic, but it also had the largest number of "Beast Madness cultivators." The direction they chose to flee was the weakest point, where only eight or nine "Beast Madness cultivators" were guarding. Under the full attack of this small team, many were instantly injured or killed.

Seeing the small team’s movements, it seemed they could break free at any moment. The "Beast Madness cultivators" around that direction roared in anger and rushed toward it, unknowingly widening the gaps in their encirclement.

Just as the other "Beast Madness cultivators" were about to surround this small team again, they suddenly changed their direction. This time, they chose a spot guarded by even fewer "Beast Madness cultivators," only four or five.

Under the influence of this small team, besides those pursuing Jin Qinghan, all other "Beast Madness cultivators" joined in chasing this team. However, the leader of the small team was very skilled, guiding the "Beast Madness cultivators" to chase in circles. Although the distance between them and the chasing "Beast Madness cultivators" decreased, the encirclement had many gaps.

Eventually, many of the "Beast Madness cultivators" that had been pursuing Jin Qinghan gave up and joined in surrounding this small team, relieving some of Jin Qinghan’s pressure.

If there were any clear-minded "Beast Madness cultivators," they would be shocked to find that both Jin Qinghan and the small team, although they seemed to be aimlessly charging left and right to evade the encirclement, were actually getting closer to each other without realizing it.

During the chase, Jin Qinghan tried very hard to avoid the attacks from the "Beast Madness cultivators," but he was still hit many times by various long-range powers. His wounds got worse, and the shadow of the "Eight Evil Consciousness King" behind him had already shattered and disappeared. The small team had lost a third of its members, leaving only eleven people. They were on the verge of being completely destroyed.

But as the two of them moved around, the "Beast Madness cultivators" changed from surrounding them to splitting into two groups to chase after Jin Qinghan and the small team. Without realizing it, they saw a clear path ahead. Most of the "Beast Madness cultivators," however, did not have enough strength to join the chase against this Condensed Core Stage level.

When Jin Qinghan and the small team saw that there were no more obstacles in front of them, they noticed the distance between them was not far. They suddenly accelerated, finally coming together and quickly escaping towards the edge of the blood-colored valley.

The "Beast Madness cultivators" were extremely angry that their prey was escaping right before them. They recklessly chased after Jin Qinghan and the others, unleashing all kinds of powers at them, but when Jin Qinghan and the others suddenly turned, their attacks all missed.

After enduring many difficulties and dangers, everyone finally escaped to the other side of the valley. They originally planned to run further away, but when they noticed that the "Beast Madness cultivators" had unexpectedly stopped at the edge of the blood-colored valley, roaring in anger but showing no signs of continuing the chase, they decided to rest not far outside the valley.

To be honest, everyone was already at their limit after that difficult escape.

It was only at this time that Jin Qinghan finally saw the remaining members of the small team. Among the eleven left, there were six ordinary cultivators and five from the "Mercy Cloud Temple."

In fact, during the breakout, Jin Qinghan had acted without any plan, just escaping from the enemies. The reason he was able to finally join the small team and break through the "Beast Madness cultivators" encirclement was due to the team’s ability to assess the situation while coordinating with Jin Qinghan. The leader of this small team was Li Yuhan, whom Jin Qinghan thought was dead. Jin Qinghan believed that only Li Yuhan, besides Xu Qingfan, had the ability to lead the team in their escape.

At the same time, Lv Qingshang, Lv Ziqing, and others whom Jin Qinghan was familiar with were beside Li Yuhan, but Dongfang Qingling, Xu Xiurong, and Sheng Yushan were still missing, likely in great danger.

"What happened?"

After landing from the sky, Jin Qinghan and Li Yuhan asked at the same time.

In the end, Li Yuhan was the first to answer Jin Qinghan’s question. While Xu Qingfan and the others entered the cave to look for the "Beast Madness cultivator," they did not know that more "Beast Madness cultivators" were hiding underground in the blood-red valley, nor did they understand what the bloody soil and rocks were that could hide the presence of the "Beast Madness cultivators," making it impossible for everyone to notice.

Just after Xu Qingfan and the others entered the cave, these "Beast Madness cultivators" suddenly attacked. Xu Qingfan’s team and the "Mercy Cloud Temple" team suffered heavy losses due to their carelessness. With the leaders of both teams, Xu Qingfan, Jin Qinghan, Bo Guangyan, and Bo Hui, absent, they couldn’t organize a strong defense. Li Yuhan, having insufficient reputation, could not gain the people’s trust. Although he tried hard to organize, he only gathered less than twenty people.

"Where are Junior Martial Sister Dongfang and Master Sheng?" Jin Qinghan asked.

Li Yuhan’s face showed a deep sadness, and he slowly said, "Senior Brother Sheng was killed by the ‘Beast Madness cultivator’ while trying to protect me. Junior Martial Sister Dongfang and Martial Sister Xu from Qingxu went after a spirit pet that broke free before the ‘Beast Madness cultivators’ appeared, and we don’t know their whereabouts now."

Sheng Yushan had always been close to Li Yuhan, so his death was a huge blow to Li Yuhan. Yet, in such a situation, Li Yuhan was still able to handle things, showing his strength.

After Jin Qinghan told Li Yuhan about what happened inside the mountain, he thought of Xu Qingfan, who was in danger, and felt anxious to go back and help him. However, since he couldn’t neglect the task Xu Qingfan had given him, he looked at Li Yuhan and Lv Qingshang for a moment and suddenly made a decision.

"Senior Brother Lv, Master Li’s nephew, Junior Brother Xu has a mission for both of you."

Saying this, Jin Qinghan took out the green slip and Soul Bead that Xu Qingfan had given him.

But at that moment, in the blood-red valley, a strange event occurred.