Volume 5 Chapter 123
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Volume 5 Chapter 123: Between Good and Evil, Only a Thought (Part 3)
At this moment, the "Beast Madness" energy had almost completely invaded Xu Qingfan’s body. While continuing to invade his brain, it was also slowly transforming his whole body. Xu Qingfan could clearly feel that wherever the "Beast Madness" energy reached, his meridians became stronger and sturdier. The Spirit Qi left within his meridians rapidly grew, his senses became sharper, and the life force within him became more vibrant.
After using "Cycle of Life and Death," a small Taiji Bagua pattern made of "Flourish Qi" and "Withered Qi" slowly formed inside Xu Qingfan where the "Beast Madness" energy had not yet invaded. Under Xu Qingfan’s control, this Taiji Bagua pattern gradually transformed into countless smaller Taiji Bagua patterns, pressing down along the veins in Xu Qingfan’s body against the invading "Beast Madness" energy.
The mysterious Mr. Liu had said before that although the "Cycle of Life and Death" technique was not fully complete, its sealing and suppressing abilities were the strongest he had ever seen.
Just as Xu Qingfan hoped for the best outcome, it was even easier than he imagined. The small Taiji Bagua patterns made of "Flourish Qi" and "Withered Qi" slowly pressed down the invading "Beast Madness" energy along the veins. The once powerful "Beast Madness" energy found itself at a disadvantage under the unprecedented magical technique of "Cycle of Life and Death," slowly retreating inch by inch towards the ankle wound where Xu Qingfan had been bitten by the "Beast Madness cultivator."
After the "Beast Madness" energy was pushed back, Xu Qingfan was pleasantly surprised to find that his body not only regained control but also kept all the benefits he had gained from the "Beast Madness" energy transformation!
His Spirit Qi had greatly increased, his senses were sharper, and he had powerful healing abilities and vitality. The changes Xu Qingfan had longed for had come true.
If everything went smoothly, this time, Xu Qingfan turned misfortune into good luck.
However, at that moment, Xu Qingfan was too preoccupied to feel happy about these changes. One reason was that he needed to concentrate on using "Cycle of Life and Death" to counter the "Beast Madness" energy, and the other was that Xu Qingfan was close to passing out from pain.
The "Cycle of Life and Death" technique was unprecedented in the cultivation world and had enormous power. While it was meant for sealing and suppression, Xu Qingfan had only used it against opponents before and never on himself. Since this was his first time using it, it naturally felt a bit awkward.
Often, due to improper control of force, although the "Cycle of Life and Death" suppressed some of the "Beast Madness" energy, it also severely damaged that area of the veins. The "Cycle of Life and Death" is essentially about the interaction between "Flourish Qi" and "Withered Qi." In battling the "Beast Madness" energy, Xu Qingfan frequently disrupted the balance of life and death within his body because the timing of his technique was off.
Most importantly, at this time, the energy of "Beast Madness" had grown extremely powerful. Although it was constantly being pushed back by Xu Qingfan’s "Cycle of Life and Death," with each inch it retreated, the "Beast Madness" energy became denser, creating an even stronger rebound. As time went on, the speed at which "Cycle of Life and Death" pushed back the "Beast Madness" energy slowed down. Every inch of territory fought for turned Xu Qingfan’s body, the battlefield, into something that felt like it was being crushed by enormous stones, causing his veins and flesh to shatter.
At this moment, although Xu Qingfan seemed to be meditating with his eyes closed, his body twitched uncontrollably due to intense pain. Because the balance of life and death energy within him was continually disrupted, Xu Qingfan’s appearance fluctuated between wrinkled with white hair and youthful with smooth skin like a baby’s. He seemed to alternate between being in his teenage years to being elderly.
No matter what the cost was or how serious his injuries were, and despite the immense pain he felt, Xu Qingfan still managed to concentrate, albeit with a hazy mind, and continued to suppress the "Beast Madness" energy. No matter how great the rebound force of the "Beast Madness" energy was, it still retreated little by little.
If he could seal or drive away the "Beast Madness" energy in the end, Xu Qingfan felt any price paid would be worth it.
However, this time, Xu Qingfan’s meditation was indeed a risky act, as he entrusted his life uncertainly to fate and to the thoughts of a hidden master, rather than controlling it himself.
Unfortunately, according to "Ri," Xu Qingfan was supposed to become a "Beast Madness cultivator" completely under his control, crazily slaughtering his former friends and mentors to satisfy his thirst for revenge.
While observing Master Bo Guangyan’s weaknesses, "Ri" also divided his Divine Sense to check on Xu Qingfan’s condition, and every change in Xu Qingfan was under his watch.
When he sensed that Xu Qingfan was slowly beginning to push back the "Beast Madness" energy, "Ri" was filled with shock. Even he could not understand how Xu Qingfan accomplished this.
However, this did not prevent him from trying to destroy it.
Based on the struggle between Xu Qingfan and the energy of "Beast Madness," "Ri" quickly calculated the time Xu Qingfan needed to completely suppress the "Beast Madness" energy and when the crucial moment would be during Xu Qingfan’s fight against it.
After figuring all this out, "Ri" turned his gaze to Master Bo Guangyan, who was battling with the "Beast Madness cultivator," and said softly to himself, "There isn’t much time left. I wanted to observe a bit longer, but it seems I must resolve you now."
Her voice carried a sigh, as if she felt sorry for Bo Guangyan’s impending fate.
While speaking, "Ri’s" eyes changed again; she looked towards a certain spot on the battlefield, one eye blazing red and the other pure white, a truly strange sight.
At this moment, the once bustling depths of the mountain felt a bit empty. The ground was covered with the remains of many "Beast Madness cultivators." The nearly one thousand "Beast Madness cultivators" that had emerged from the earth and walls were now sparse. Beyond the hundreds killed by Jin Qinghan before leaving and by Xu Ying and Xu Zhiyuan while protecting Xu Qingfan, all the rest were slain by Bo Guangyan alone, showing his great strength.
The more than two hundred "Beast Madness cultivators" that had been chasing Bo Guangyan were now reduced to only sixty or seventy, many of whom had previously been attacking Xu Qingfan but had changed targets.
Although Bo Guangyan had resolved to kill Bo Hui, after he was forced to hesitate the first time, his determination seemed to drain away in an instant. During their encounters, even though Bo Hui was always leading the chase and Bo Guangyan had multiple chances to kill him, he subconsciously chose to let him go. After all, Bo Hui had been a companion and friend for hundreds of years.
This time, surrounded by the "Beast Madness cultivators," Bo Hui caught up with Bo Guangyan again. Bo Guangyan responded as he had before, creating a "卐" symbol and sending it toward Bo Hui. Instinctively, Bo Guangyan adjusted the speed of the "卐" symbol so that Bo Hui, with his quick reflexes, could narrowly avoid it. However, the "Beast Madness cultivators" trailing right behind Bo Hui would be easily taken down. This gave Bo Guangyan the chance to break free from the circle of "Beast Madness cultivators."
But this time, something strange happened.
When Bo Guangyan hurled the "卐" symbol at Bo Hui, Bo Hui prepared to dodge as he had before. But suddenly, he stopped, his eyes lit up with a stunning red glow. Without a second thought, he let out a roar and rushed toward the "卐" symbol.
With a loud bang, flesh and blood splattered, creating a mist of blood that obscured Bo Guangyan’s view.
This time, it was Bo Hui, who had always asked Bo Guangyan to hold back, who was turned into minced meat!
Bo Hui was actually killed by his own hands? At that moment, it seemed less like Bo Guangyan had killed Bo Hui and more like Bo Hui had sought death. Did Bo Hui, in that instant, regain a bit of reason and not want to become a "Beast Madness cultivator," so he sought death on purpose?
Staring at the blood mist before him, Bo Guangyan’s expression was blank as he stood still, momentarily lost in thought.
The remaining "Beast Madness cultivators," however, for some reason suddenly stopped their attack and no longer surrounded him.
Finally, as the blood mist cleared, a handsome man in a purple robe with great authority suddenly appeared, looking quietly at Bo Guangyan. His left eye was fiery red, and his right eye was snow white, a very strange sight. The moment this purple-robed man emerged from the mist, Bo Guangyan snapped back to reality, but before he could raise his guard, he saw the man’s eerie eyes and felt himself becoming dazed again.
In that daze, he seemed to see his team from "Mercy Cloud Temple" being completely wiped out on this mission. The Mercy Cloud Temple then began to decline, and during this decline, all the elders he respected, the junior disciples he valued, and all his close Taoist friends died tragically one by one…
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It is unknown how much time has passed, but the fierce energy of "Beast Madness," which almost turned Xu Qingfan into a "Beast Madness cultivator," has finally been compressed to a point at his ankle injury.
However, Xu Qingfan does not know that not far from him, a figure in purple is coldly watching him, and at the feet of the figure, Bo Guangyan sits there, looking blank and as if he has lost his mind.
Suddenly, the eyes of the figure in purple change, filled with both fiery red and snowy white.
At the same time, a strong sense of killing and hatred rises within Xu Qingfan; all the unfairness he has faced comes flooding back, leading him to think of destroying everything.
With the sudden rush of this emotion, his control over the cycle of life and death gradually weakens, and the previously suppressed "Beast Madness" energy, which already carries a similar sinister power, suddenly increases as it resonates with this feeling, attacking Xu Qingfan’s mind once again.
He fights desperately against the sudden urge to kill that arises in his heart, enduring a fierce battle, but in the end, he cannot withstand it.
After an unknown amount of time, Xu Qingfan suddenly opens his eyes, and they are blood red, just like a "Beast Madness cultivator."
