Volume 5 Chapter 48
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Volume 5 Chapter 48: Trouble
In the "Ming" organization, or in the entire cultivation world, "Xuan" had a very special appearance. He always wore the unique purple robe of the "Ming" organization, but it was quite wrinkled and messy, leading people to wonder if he kept wearing it because it was his only piece of clothing. Tall and imposing, even with the high collar of the purple robe, one could still faintly see the thick beard covering his face, giving an overall wild impression.
Additionally, "Xuan" lacked the mysterious aura typical of cultivators and the sinister gloom of demon cultivators or evil cultivators. His presence was deeply restrained, and he appeared, at first glance, to be just a common man of the world.
The most striking feature was the six distinctively different long swords on this person’s back, all radiating a strong wave of Spirit Qi. Looking at these swords, they were likely top-level heavenly artifacts or famous treasures from the cultivation world, but it was unclear why "Xuan" had collected so many famous swords.
Among them was the "Skyscanner Sword" that Zhang Xusheng had once taken from the Venerable Deaf Mute Blind, prominently displayed on "Xuan’s" back.
Seeing several grandmaster-level experts appear, the black-clad members of the Zhong family were somewhat nervous, seemingly fearing Zhang Xusheng and "Xuan" might pose a threat to the Zhong family patriarch. They couldn’t help but gather their Spirit Qi, but Zhang Xusheng, while remaining calm, unintentionally exuded a dangerous aura that instantly made these black-clothed individuals afraid to move easily, forcing them to stand stiffly in place.
As for the Zhong family patriarch, he stood quietly like a zombie whose presence had been there for thousands of years, and his terrifying aura slowly suppressed Zhang Xusheng’s, allowing the Zhong family members to breathe a sigh of relief as they retreated several steps, not daring to stand among the four grandmasters present.
Zhang Xusheng, sensing his aura being suppressed by the Zhong family patriarch, did not get angry. Instead, he nodded and smiled at the Zhong family patriarch as a gesture of respect.
On the field, although "Hong" was also a Mahayana Stage grandmaster, his cultivation level was far lesser than the other three. Zhang Xusheng’s danger and inscrutability, the Zhong family patriarch’s terror and unfathomable depth, and even "Xuan’s" calmness and authority all made him feel quite uncomfortable.
Zhang Xusheng was the type who acted unpredictably and decided matters of life and death at will. As soon as Zhang Xusheng appeared, "Hong" was a bit tense, especially after Zhang Xusheng admitted that he was the one who annihilated the "Treasure Pavilion," because this meant the Zhong family’s sacred item might have fallen into Zhang Xusheng’s hands. If Zhang Xusheng was willing to return it, it would be good; if not, then Zhang Xusheng would inevitably have to face the Zhong family patriarch in battle.
However, what puzzled "Hong" was that, although Zhang Xusheng admitted to destroying the "Treasure Pavilion," neither Zhang Xusheng nor the Zhong family patriarch mentioned the whereabouts of the Zhong family’s sacred item, as if this critical artifact for the Zhong family’s future had been forgotten at that moment.
Yet while watching Zhang Xusheng and the Zhong family patriarch converse, "Hong," although tense, was not afraid. With the combined strength of himself and the Zhong family patriarch, they could easily repel Zhang Xusheng…
Just then, "Xuan" appeared, and "Hong" finally understood why the Zhong family’s ancestor hadn’t pressured Zhang Xusheng for answers. The combined strength of "Xuan" and Zhang Xusheng was enough to hold the Zhong family’s ancestor in check.
As the Zhong family’s ancestor had previously mentioned, it’s best to leave some room for maneuver when dealing with Zhang Xusheng and plan for the long term.
After "Xuan" appeared, instead of acknowledging Zhang Xusheng, he first bowed to the Zhong family’s ancestor, who returned the gesture. Though the Zhong family’s ancestor seemed aloof and mysterious in front of "Hong," he still showed basic respect to masters of the same rank like "Xuan" and "Huang."
"You clearly agreed to handle this, yet here I am doing it, while you show up here," he remarked.
After greeting the Zhong family’s ancestor, "Xuan" turned to Zhang Xusheng and said gently, with no trace of blame, as if simply stating a fact, which seemed at odds with his rugged image.
Zhang Xusheng smiled lightly and said, "Didn’t you manage everything on your own? A Real Golden Core Stage cultivator is hardly worth both of us taking action."
Hearing this, "Xuan" let out a soft hum, leaving it unclear whether he agreed or disagreed.
Then Zhang Xusheng, "Xuan," and the Zhong family’s ancestor exchanged a few pleasantries and arrangements before departing. Throughout, the Zhong family’s ancestor never asked about the whereabouts of the Zhong family artifact, and Zhang Xusheng never mentioned it.
…
Watching Zhang Xusheng and "Xuan" quickly fly away with "Zhang Yi" into the distance, vanishing in an instant, the Zhong family elder returned to his usual silence. "Hong" couldn’t hold back his curiosity any longer and hesitantly asked, "Elder, why didn’t you ask Zhang Xusheng about our clan’s sacred artifact just now?"
There was another question "Hong" dared not ask – "Is it because you are concerned about the combined strength of Zhang Xusheng and ‘Xuan’?"
The Zhong family elder slowly replied, "If Zhang Xusheng didn’t mention it, it means the sacred artifact isn’t with him."
Upon hearing the elder’s profound words, "Hong" was momentarily puzzled, but quickly understood. Given Zhang Xusheng’s personality and pride, if the Zhong family sacred artifact was with him, he might use it to trade with Zhong family or reach some agreement, or he might even return it directly. He might even utter something crazy like "The artifact is with me, but I don’t want to give it to you. Let’s fight." But he would never deny it with a lie. And if he truly didn’t have it, his pride wouldn’t allow him to explain anything to the Zhong family elder, as if he were afraid the elder would cause trouble. Therefore, not mentioning the artifact indicates it indeed isn’t with him.
Seeing the fleeting realization on "Hong’s" face, the Zhong family elder asked again, "Although that artifact is powerful, its energy is concealed. It’s very possible Zhang Xusheng’s men, disguised as ‘Ming,’ attacked the ‘Treasure Pavilion’ and left in haste, not realizing it. And if the artifact isn’t with Zhang Xusheng, it might be with the Righteous Alliance cultivators who arrived later. Do you know which Righteous Alliance cultivators came to inspect this ‘Treasure Pavilion’?"
"Hong" respectfully replied, "Disciple knows. They are Venerable Xuan Yuan from ‘Penance Valley,’ Master Guanghui from ‘Mercy Cloud Temple,’ and Layman Nanshan from ‘Xingyin Sect.’"
After a slight hesitation, "Hong" added, "According to my sources within the Righteous Alliance, Xu Fan, the Southern Wasteland rogue cultivator who killed Little Thirteen, was also involved. After the ‘Treasure Pavilion’ was destroyed, the four of them searched inside."
Initially, "Hong" thought the Zhong family elder might have a special reaction upon hearing Xu Fan’s name, given that he had killed his cherished Little Thirteen. However, the elder merely said calmly, "Immediately send people to capture these four for thorough questioning. Even if it causes chaos in the cultivation world and disrupts ‘Ming’s’ plans, it doesn’t matter. To be safe, the second branch will leave the Valley of the Dead for the time being and come under your command."
"Yes."
"Hong" lowered his head and spoke softly, feeling the pressure growing inside. The Zhong family was divided into six branches by bloodline, and the second branch, aside from the first, was the strongest. The black-clad men searching the "Treasure Pavilion" ruins with the Zhong family ancestor were from this branch. Although "Hong" was pleased with the strength they wielded, he was aware that the patience of the Zhong family ancestor was wearing thin. They wanted to quickly recover the clan’s sacred artifact, making this his final chance.
After lowering his head for a while, "Hong" noticed the Zhong family ancestor hadn’t said anything further, which puzzled him. Unable to resist, he sneakily glanced forward but found that the Zhong family ancestor had vanished without a trace, and he hadn’t noticed at all.
Six months later, after the destruction of the "Treasure Pavilion", peace returned to the cultivation world. However, turmoil arose again as three renowned experts: Venerable Xuan Yuan of "Penance Valley", Master Guanghui of "Mercy Cloud Temple", and Layman Nanshan of "Xingyin Sect" vanished without a trace within just three days. Meanwhile, the usually calm Southern Wasteland saw the appearance of purple-robed figures from the "Ming" organization and a group of mysterious black-clad individuals, seemingly searching for something. Despite continuous confrontations with these mysterious cultivators near "Penance Valley", they did not gain any advantage. It was only when a large number of cultivators from the Righteous Alliance arrived that they finally achieved success.
Meanwhile, across the cultivation world, whether part of the Righteous Alliance or notorious figures on the dark side, everyone was searching for a rogue cultivator named Xu Fan from the Southern Wasteland…
During this time, Xu Qingfan was deeply focused on his secluded cultivation at Jiuhua Mountain, completely unaware of the situation outside. If he knew, he would certainly smile wryly.
