Volume 5 Chapter 13

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Volume 5 Chapter 13: The Secret Path

Just as Feng Qingtian took steps toward Jiuhua Mountain in the distance, on Jiuhua Mountain, Xu Qingfan and the others were searching tirelessly in the Feng family’s old residence, yet no trace of Feng Qingtian was found.

"Deacon Xu, have you captured Feng Qingtian?"

Just as Xu Qingfan was pondering his next move and guessing where Feng Qingtian had gone, Gongsun Huasa’s voice suddenly came from behind. Turning his head, he saw Gongsun Huasa bringing three elder Jiuhua members toward the old Feng family residence, likely because Zhang Hualing wasn’t confident about Xu Qingfan and the others, and sent Gongsun Huasa to support them.

This shows how much Zhang Hualing values Feng Qingtian. With Feng Qingtian’s talent, if he harbors a grudge against Jiuhua, the threat to Jiuhua in the future could be deadly.

Moments later, Gongsun Huasa and the others finally landed in front of everyone. Once on the ground, Gongsun Huasa urgently asked, "Deacon Xu, where’s Feng Qingtian? Have you caught him?"

From Gongsun Huasa’s anxious expression, it was clear that Zhang Hualing had also informed him about everything concerning Feng Qingtian.

Xu Qingfan shook his head slightly and slowly said, "Feng Qingtian is not at the old Feng family residence?"

"What? Didn’t the sect leader instruct him to remain at the Feng family residence for ten years to reflect on his actions?"

"Even the ancestral tablets of the Feng family are missing," Xu Qingfan said with a slight sigh.

"What?"

Gongsun Huasa exclaimed in surprise. By this point, he also realized the severity of the situation.

However, Gongsun Huasa, being experienced and resilient, quickly regained his composure after a moment of shock and told the three Jiuhua elders behind him, "Immediately have people search Jiuhua Mountain thoroughly. We must find Feng Qingtian."

After speaking, Gongsun Huasa watched as the three Jiuhua elders swiftly departed on their clouds, and seemingly remembered something. He then turned to glance at Xu Qingfan, a complicated expression flashing in his eyes.

Xu Qingfan immediately understood Gongsun Huasa’s intentions, sighed softly in his heart, and turned to Li Yuhan behind him, saying, "You should go and inform them too."

Li Yuhan nodded and followed the three Jiuhua elders to announce Gongsun Huasa’s message.

At this time, although the younger generation of elders on Jiuhua Mountain was not as advanced in skills and cultivation level as the older generation, most of the roughly thirty Jiuhua disciples who had entered "Jiuji Cave" back then had now reached the Condensed Core Stage. In terms of numbers, they exceeded the older generation of elders.

Due to the conflict between the two generations of elders, Gongsun Huasa’s orders were not well received among the younger generation, especially when Gongsun Huasa tasked them with finding one of their own representatives, Feng Qingtian.

But Jiuhua Mountain is vast, and without the combined search efforts of the younger elders, the efficiency would be much lower. Therefore, Gongsun Huasa reluctantly sought Xu Qingfan’s help, as he was the only one among the younger generation whose reputation surpassed Feng Qingtian’s. Nonetheless, Gongsun Huasa felt a sense of humiliation, being the Supreme Protector second only to the Sect Master, needing Xu Qingfan’s approval to give orders…

Naturally, Xu Qingfan was aware of Gongsun Huasa’s resentment but had no time to dwell on it. He merely turned to Jin Qinghan and the others behind him, saying, "You also go find Feng Qingtian. We must detain him, even if it leads to a fight."

As matters stood, observing the grave expressions on the faces of Gongsun Huasa and the other older elders, along with Xu Qingfan’s sense of urgency, it became apparent that the issue might not be as simple as Feng Qingtian attempting to harm Xu Qingfan during their match. However, they also knew that this matter was likely not something they ought to know just yet. After this search, there would surely be an explanation from Liu Huaxiang. So, they did not ask much and, after hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, nodded slightly before flying off on their clouds in different directions to find Feng Qingtian.

Meanwhile, in the front hills of Jiuhua, as Xu Qingfan and Gongsun Huasa’s orders spread, Jiuhua elders continually soared from their secluded abodes, either through the sky or underground, searching throughout Jiuhua Mountain.

After only Xu Qingfan and Gongsun Huasa were left in the Feng family’s old house, Gongsun Huasa said to Xu Qingfan, "Deacon Xu, let’s go to Linghua Hall and report to the Sect Master."

Xu Qingfan replied, "Martial Uncle Gongsun, you can report to the sect leader on your own, while I search for Feng Qingtian’s trace with the other elders."

Gongsun Huasa clearly didn’t wish to travel with Xu Qingfan, so upon hearing his words, he nodded slightly and quickly flew towards Linghua Hall without any hesitation.

Observing Gongsun Huasa’s demeanor, Xu Qingfan suddenly recalled when they used to jovially visit Linghua Hall to see Zhang Hualing before he became Jiuhua’s Deacon Elder, and sighed softly. Nonetheless, he swiftly flew on a cloud towards the back hills of Jiuhua.

Arriving at his dwelling in the back hills of Jiuhua, Xu Qingfan saw that the protective formation outside his abode was intact and relaxed slightly, fearing Feng Qingtian might irrationally trouble his disciples.

Despite seeing this, Xu Qingfan didn’t enter the dwelling to find his three disciples, but immediately flew towards the summit of Jiuhua Mountain.

Based on Xu Qingfan’s understanding, Feng Qingtian wasn’t one to take futile actions. Since the ancestral tablets in the Feng family’s old house were missing, Feng Qingtian was likely determined to escape Jiuhua Mountain. If he resolved to leave, Feng Qingtian must have a reliable way to exit Jiuhua.

Since Jiuhua was now sealed, Xu Qingfan knew the only possible escape was through a secret passage at Jiuhua Mountain’s peak, which is why he chose to act alone, as not many should know of this exit.

Although Xu Qingfan knew it was unlikely that Feng Qingtian was aware of the secret passage, he still hurried towards the peak of Jiuhua Mountain. Ever since Liu Huaxiang had been caught using the secret techniques left behind by Liu Huaxiang, Xu Qingfan had become more alert to the matter of the passage. He had made some marks along the way. If Feng Qingtian did leave through that passage, Xu Qingfan was determined to find out.

But when Xu Qingfan reached the top of Jiuhua Mountain, he found no signs that the secret passage had been used, which only deepened his confusion. Where could Feng Qingtian possibly be?

As Xu Qingfan pondered the situation, he suddenly noticed Little Black silently perched on his shoulder. This made him recall how, during a previous battle, he had infused Feng Qingtian’s body with a significant amount of "Withered qi." This kind of Spirit Qi was extremely subtle, but it was very noticeable to Little Black.

Gently stroking Little Black on his shoulder, Xu Qingfan softly said, "Little Black, can you sense where there is a fluctuation of ‘Withered qi’ Spirit Qi from Feng Qingtian’s body?"

Upon hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Little Black tilted his head as if considering something. His icy, indifferent eyes scanned the surroundings constantly. A moment later, he suddenly spread his wings and transformed into a black streak of lightning, swiftly flying towards the back hills of Jiuhua.

Knowing that Little Black had found a clue, Xu Qingfan swiftly followed behind him, heading towards the back hills of Jiuhua.

In the back hills of Jiuhua, there was a very secluded spot where hardly anyone visited. The area was full of lush forests and blooming flowers, yet this particular place was covered with jagged rocks and appeared desolate.

It was here that Little Black stopped, hovering in the air while circling continuously.

Through his telepathic bond with Little Black, Xu Qingfan realized that the trace of "Withered qi" from Feng Qingtian had suddenly vanished here.

Upon hearing the message from Little Black, Xu Qingfan was slightly taken aback, unable to comprehend why Feng Qingtian’s "Withered qi" aura had suddenly vanished here.

"Could there be a hidden chamber here that masks one’s presence?"

Considering this possibility, Xu Qingfan fully extended his Divine Sense and began searching this desolate place.

After multiple searches, Xu Qingfan finally realized something was amiss. His examination revealed that this barren land was solid with no hidden chambers or illusionary barriers.

However, there was one tiny spot where, during each search, it felt like just an ordinary giant rock, but when his Divine Sense focused there, it felt a bit sluggish. This sensation was so subtle that Xu Qingfan might not have detected it if not for his repeated examinations.

After noticing the anomaly, Xu Qingfan slowly approached the giant rock, only to find it looking quite ordinary, requiring the embrace of two people, with no apparent unusualness.

Xu Qingfan pondered briefly, then suddenly unleashed his internal "Withered qi," encircling and corroding the giant rock.

With Xu Qingfan entering the Real Golden Core Stage, his "Withered qi" had increased in quantity and corrosive power. Yet, this giant rock was unexpectedly resilient, taking him a full quarter-hour to completely corrode it away.

After the rock vanished, a narrow, dark passageway, just wide enough for one person to enter, suddenly appeared before Xu Qingfan.