Volume 5 Chapter 30

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

Volume 5 Chapter 30: Surprise Attack

Gu Fulu led the three to the hidden room, gently pushed the door open, but did not enter with them, instead standing guard at the door. He knew that what would happen next was beyond his level to be involved in.

The leader of the group entered the room without hesitation, while the other two stood guard outside like Gu Fulu.

The leader walked slowly to a fearsome demon statue in the room, observing it with the curiosity of an artist appreciating a masterpiece, yet remained silent for a long time.

After a moment, the once calm statue suddenly emitted a strange and powerful energy. The eyes of the Demon Figurine glowed intensely green and projected onto the mysterious cultivator, creating an intense feeling of dread, though the cultivator’s expression remained unchanged.

"So, has the ‘Shadow’ organization begun its activities again?"

A grand and ethereal voice echoed continuously throughout the room.

The mysterious cultivator smiled slightly and spoke softly, "Aren’t you asking the obvious? If the organization wasn’t active, why would the boss call you back? And why would I be here now?"

After a brief silence, the grand voice spoke again, "How many members of ‘Shadow’ remain now? After the battle with ‘Eclipse’, weren’t there fewer than ten left? Aren’t you afraid ‘Eclipse’ will root you out as you resurface?"

A hint of anger flashed in the cultivator’s eyes but quickly returned to calm, as he asked softly, "Is that why you haven’t responded to the boss’s summons?"

"You know, I am now a part of ‘Eclipse’."

The mysterious cultivator smiled gently, his expression as calm as ever, and his tone was extremely peaceful, but his words were quite blunt.

"’Ming’ member? Do you hold a position among the sixteen core members of ‘Ming’? It seems like your existence is known only to the two elders ‘Tian’ and ‘Di’, and the leader. Among the sixty core members of ‘Ming’, who hasn’t benefited greatly after joining? And you, although you claim to be a member of ‘Ming’, what have you gained? Instead, the vast foundation of the ‘Treasure Pavilion’ has been hollowed out by ‘Ming’. Rather than calling you a member of ‘Ming’, it’s more fitting to call you a slave to those old fellows, ‘Tian’ and ‘Di’."

As these words faded, the vast and ethereal voice fell silent for a long time, while the green light in the eyes of the Demonic Figurine flickered unsteadily, only regaining stability after a while.

"The reason I’m in this current state is because ‘Darkness’ lost to ‘Ming’ back then, isn’t it? If he had acted then, how could we have been so easily defeated? If he hadn’t abandoned us to join ‘Ming’ alone, how could I have been subdued by the two elders ‘Tian’ and ‘Di’, turning our ancestral foundation into offerings for ‘Ming’? Why else would you need to hide your identities for centuries, afraid to show yourselves? If only he hadn’t been solely focused on cultivating his great skill, even though our power was far less than ‘Ming’s, with his strength and nature, he at least could have protected us enough to avoid such a disastrous defeat."

"Didn’t the war back then speak for itself? The leader you refer to might be among the top figures in this world, but he’s seen through his own cold-hearted nature. Now he wants to rebuild the ‘Darkness’ group and oppose ‘Ming’ again, how can I possibly trust him once more? What I don’t understand is, you must be aware of this too, so why are you responding to his call, rebuilding ‘Darkness’ under his leadership?"

The ethereal, vast voice seemed as calm as before when it sounded, but it was filled with a sense of agitation.

Hearing this vast voice, the mysterious cultivator fell silent, and after a long pause, he slowly said, "Perhaps back then, the leader was indeed too heartless, but he also had his own difficulties. At that time, his great skill was incomplete, and his heart had been taken away, so although his strength remained formidable, he was no match for ‘Ming’."

Pausing slightly, the mysterious cultivator continued, "To be honest, you are not the first to speak to me like this. Many of the surviving ‘Darkness’ members from those days also distrusted the leader for the reasons you mentioned. But now, as the leader calls us back, most have returned to his side. Because regardless of how the leader treated us before, we should remember that you became the master of the ‘Treasure Pavilion’ because of the leader, and I am still alive because of the leader. We all swore an oath of loyalty to him. More importantly, are you content to be perpetually oppressed by ‘Ming’? And should others keep hiding their identities forever just to escape ‘Ming’s pursuit? At this point, to fight against ‘Ming’, we can only rely on the leader."

As the mysterious cultivator’s words ended, the ethereal, vast voice rose once again.

"I still don’t trust him; he’s naturally cold-hearted, and I’ve seen through him long ago. Although I owe him a favor, if I follow him, I never know when he might abandon me without hesitation. In my view, the reason he’s gathering the former members of ‘Shadow’ is merely to use them as a tactic against ‘Eclipse’; we’re still just pieces in his game, just like before."

"Besides, ‘Shadow’ was no match for ‘Eclipse’ back then, and now with our strength greatly diminished, what can we use to fight ‘Eclipse’? Maybe, as you said, I am just a slave to the two elders ‘Tian’ and ‘Di’, but this makes me more familiar with their plans. The calamity ‘Eclipse’ has repeatedly brought upon the cultivation world and the vast wealth of spirit stones they’ve amassed are not as simple as the two elders explained. So, no matter what, I will never enter ‘Shadow’ again."

Hearing this, the mysterious cultivator sighed softly and said, "Ultimately, you hate the boss too much and simply don’t believe he has the strength to overthrow ‘Eclipse’."

After a pause, the mysterious cultivator suddenly said, "I didn’t come here to persuade you; I only bring two messages from the boss."

"What messages?"

Even after saying so much earlier, when hearing the mysterious cultivator say this, the ethereal and majestic voice couldn’t help but ask.

"The boss says he already knows the true purpose of the ‘Eclipse’ organization. Also, his great technique has been perfected."

Saying this, the mysterious cultivator turned and walked towards the door, saying as he went, "That’s all I have to say, consider the rest yourself—whether to follow ‘Eclipse’ and be my enemy or to join us in avenging ‘Eclipse’."

But just then, an unexpected change occurred. As the mysterious cultivator reached out to push open the door, a sudden tremor shook the entire "Treasure Pavilion," as if someone were fiercely attacking it. The mysterious cultivator’s previously calm expression instantly changed.

※※※※

Meanwhile, Xu Qingfan, who had already distanced himself from the "Treasure Pavilion," found himself in trouble.

Initially, when Xu Qingfan realized that no one was stopping him from leaving, he thought he might have been overly cautious, or that the "Treasure Pavilion" and the three mysterious cultivators were not as complex and mysterious as he had imagined.

However, as Xu Qingfan flew towards Jiuhua, he suddenly felt a strange disturbance in his "Flourish Qi," as if it encountered a very unpleasant aura, causing a kind of backlash.

Xu Qingfan immediately knew, just like the last time he left the "Treasure Pavilion," that he was being followed.

The person following had powers that concealed them from Xu Qingfan’s Divine Sense detection, and if it weren’t for the unusual fluctuations in his "Flourish Qi," he wouldn’t have noticed at all. Even though he was now certain that someone was tailing him, and he enhanced the strength of his Divine Sense to search the surrounding dozens of miles, he still couldn’t detect the follower’s position, which made him internally cautious.

With such powers, if they launched a surprise attack, it would indeed be very difficult to defend against.

Moreover, compared to two years ago, the disturbance in Xu Qingfan’s "Flourish Qi" this time was much stronger. Clearly, either the person tracking Xu Qingfan this time was greater in number than before or possessed much stronger cultivation than the last time.

"It turns out they have come after all. So, there’s truly something between that ‘Treasure Pavilion’ and those three mysterious cultivators that they don’t want others to know about."

Xu Qingfan secretly sighed in his heart.

Meanwhile, Xu Qingfan felt a slight stir within him, and saw Little Black on his shoulder suddenly spread its wings and fly into the sky, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

But Xu Qingfan continued to fly calmly toward the distance.

About fifteen minutes later, a sudden change occurred.

Suddenly, three shadowy figures silently appeared around Xu Qingfan, each drawing a long sword and lunging at Xu Qingfan like lightning.