Volume 5 Chapter 33

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Volume 5 Chapter 33: Shocking Change

Seeing this scene, everyone was shocked. Not to mention whether Xu Qingfan survived the explosion, the fact that he was falling from a great height meant certain death. They hurried as fast as they could to reach the falling Xu Qingfan.

Although some in the Righteous Alliance had begun to suspect Xu Qingfan’s connection to the Southern Wasteland rogue cultivator Xu Fan, Xu Qingfan had been a friend, not an enemy, and he had saved some of their lives, so they could not just watch him die.

Venerable Xuan Yuan was the fastest, just managing to catch Xu Qingfan before he hit the ground. Right before Venerable Xuan Yuan grabbed him, Xu Qingfan was barely three feet from the earth, truly a heart-stopping moment.

Moments later, Layman Nanshan and Master Guanghui arrived beside Venerable Xuan Yuan. Seeing Xu Qingfan’s condition, even though they were knowledgeable and experienced, they gasped in shock.

Xu Qingfan was covered in wounds from the terrible explosion, with blood pouring from everywhere, staining Venerable Xuan Yuan’s clothes red. The gaping wound in his chest and abdomen was particularly frightening, as his heart could be seen faintly beating through it.

However, this heartbeat was slowing down, about to stop.

"Ding dong…"

Suddenly, a clear but ancient-sounding voice echoed, bringing everyone back to their senses and making them realize that Xu Qingfan’s heart was still faintly beating, meaning he was not entirely dead yet.

Even though Xu Qingfan’s chances looked grim, and he seemed unlikely to survive even with their best efforts, they could not simply do nothing.

The scene was chaotic as everyone rushed to stop Xu Qingfan’s bleeding and tend to his wounds, feeding him all sorts of healing elixirs. Venerable Xuan Yuan propped up Xu Qingfan’s body and pressed his hands on two acupuncture points on Xu Qingfan’s back, channeling Spirit Qi into him to sustain his life and aid his recovery.

Venerable Xuan Yuan practiced a wood-type cultivation method, using the vitality of Wood-type Spirit Qi to heal Xu Qingfan, which was most suitable for the task. After feeding Xu Qingfan healing elixirs and stopping his bleeding, Master Guanghui and Layman Nanshan found themselves with nothing more to do.

It was only then that the junior disciples, who had been following the three, arrived. They stood there, dumbfounded by the scene before them.

"Master Guanghui, is this the Taoist Friend Xu you mentioned?" Layman Nanshan asked.

Master Guanghui nodded slightly, his expression heavy. Xu Qingfan, after all, had once been his comrade-in-arms and had saved his life. Seeing Xu Qingfan’s current condition, despite everyone’s best efforts to save him, his survival seemed bleak, and the thought of him dying before his eyes weighed heavily on his heart.

At that moment, they turned towards the source of the earlier sound, seeing an elegant small bell fallen not far from Xu Qingfan’s body. It was Xu Qingfan’s magic artifact—the "Five Spirit Bell."

Earlier, when Xu Qingfan realized that the puppet intended to self-destruct, he retreated while activating the "Five Spirit Bell" to shield himself. However, the explosion occurred too quickly for the bell to fully deploy, and Xu Qingfan was caught in the blast almost instantly. Yet, the "Five Spirit Bell," though not fully activated, managed to block some of the explosion’s force. Otherwise, Xu Qingfan would have been reduced to ashes, without Venerable Xuan Yuan and the others needing to intervene. Ultimately, Xu Qingfan was gravely injured in the explosion and lost consciousness, unable to control the "Five Spirit Bell" any longer, which then fell from the sky alongside him.

Spotting the small, ancient bell, Master Guanghui quietly said to Layman Nanshan, "This is Taoist Friend Xu’s treasure. Its defensive power is strong, and it was likely the reason Taoist Friend Xu wasn’t shattered in the explosion."

Layman Nanshan nodded slightly, recalling the haunting sound the ancient bell made as it fell. His curiosity piqued, he approached the "Five Spirit Bell" to investigate. However, just as he was about to reach it, a shock ran through him, and he hurriedly stepped back, retreating three zhang before regaining his composure. Looking ahead, he saw a flash of black light atop the "Five Spirit Bell," where a crow-like demon beast had unexpectedly perched. Despite being merely a demon beast, its gaze was chillingly cold, first fixing intently on Layman Nanshan and then glancing at the healing Xu Qingfan, evoking a shiver in those who saw it.

Seeing Layman Nanshan about to take action, Master Guanghui quickly stopped him and said, "Taoist Friend Nanshan, this is Taoist Friend Xu’s spirit beast. It was just guarding its master’s belongings with no ill intent."

Layman Nanshan paused slightly, then slowly withdrew the breeze swirling around him and began to intently observe Little Black.

In fact, when the explosion occurred, Little Black wanted to save Xu Qingfan. However, it was too far away, and seeing that Venerable Xuan Yuan and others were not hostile but instead helping, it quietly guarded from the sky until Layman Nanshan tried to take something from its master, prompting its sudden appearance.

While Layman Nanshan was silently studying Little Black, a change finally occurred with Xu Qingfan, as Venerable Xuan Yuan continuously delivered Spirit Qi.

Xu Qingfan let out a slight groan, slowly opened his eyes, and with everyone’s assistance, finally regained consciousness.

However, seeing the abnormal flush on Xu Qingfan’s face, the expressions of Venerable Xuan Yuan and others turned grim. Xu Qingfan’s injuries were severe, and despite their best efforts, the effect was minimal.

Xu Qingfan’s current state of consciousness was nothing more than a short-lived recovery before the end.

Master Guanghui quickly approached Xu Qingfan and softly asked, "Taoist Friend Xu, who was the person that attacked?"

His tone already carried the intent to seek revenge for Xu Qingfan.

The scenery before Xu Qingfan seemed a bit blurred. Although he recognized the person in front of him as Master Guanghui, with whom he had some past acquaintance, his throat was dry, and he couldn’t speak. He just slightly shook his head and then took out a bottle of "Blood Spirit Pill" from his sleeve, barely opening it, and poured the entire contents into his mouth.

Although the "Blood Spirit Pill" has the power to heal injuries, this time Xu Qingfan was too severely hurt. Upon examining his body, he found that many of his internal organs were damaged, and one or two pills would hardly have any effect.

Then, Xu Qingfan slightly turned his body, declining Venerable Xuan Yuan’s further assistance, and sat down cross-legged, closing his eyes to begin the autonomous circulation of Spirit Qi.

Seeing Xu Qingfan’s actions, the three were slightly bewildered. Could it be that Xu Qingfan had some miraculous power that could save his own life?

Then everyone clearly felt a strange and subtle wave of Spirit Qi slowly emanating from Xu Qingfan’s body. Under their senses, it was incredibly complex, sometimes deep and dark, sometimes holy and pure, or intensely fierce. It was the third divine power that Xu Qingfan had just mastered — the "Way of Life and Death."

In fact, this time, Xu Qingfan truly walked the line between life and death. In his many years of cultivation, it was the first time he had been so close to dying.

One must know that Xu Qingfan’s "Way of Life and Death," although it has the miraculous effect of reshaping the body, previously had three prerequisites: first, there must be sufficient Spirit Qi in the body, otherwise, there is no energy to perform it; second, the Divine Sense must be clear, or else he would perish while unconscious; and third, there must be a sliver of life left in the body, or no matter how mysterious the "Way of Life and Death" is, it would be of no use.

This time, however, Xu Qingfan was lucky. If not for Master Guanghui and others’ quick arrival, Xu Qingfan would have shattered to pieces upon hitting the ground. Without the three people’s spirit pills and Spirit Qi infusion, Xu Qingfan might have remained in a coma, and the last sliver of life within him would have rapidly vanished. At that time, even with the "Way of Life and Death," he would have no choice but to succumb to the cycle of reincarnation.

Although Xu Qingfan’s earlier battle with the three puppets was thrilling, it was concluded within a short time, leaving his Spirit Qi mostly intact. With the help of Venerable Xuan Yuan and others, not only did he preserve the last fragment of life, but he also awakened from unconsciousness, providing him the opportunity to perform the "Way of Life and Death."

Then, to the amazement of Venerable Xuan Yuan and the others, Xu Qingfan’s numerous wounds began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye, his heartbeat grew stronger, and the trace of vitality left inside him gradually became abundant.

In fact, Xu Qingfan’s power of the "Way of Life and Death" alone couldn’t achieve such a result; the rapid healing was partly due to the "Blood Spirit Pills" he had taken earlier.

Despite this, seeing Xu Qingfan’s condition, Venerable Xuan Yuan and the others couldn’t help but feel the profound mystery of his powers and found Xu Qingfan unfathomable.

"Boom… Boom… Boom…"

Amidst everyone’s astonishment, terrifying explosions sounded continuously, and though the distance was far, the noise was deafening, with power not less than the previous self-destructive attack on Xu Qingfan.

The site of the explosions was precisely the location of "Treasure Pavilion," the target for Venerable Xuan Yuan and the others on this journey.

Realizing this, everyone’s faces changed drastically.