Volume 5 Chapter 70
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Volume 5 Chapter 70: Observations
After reuniting with Zhang Ningmei and Bai Yu, Xu Qingfan and his three disciples flew toward the southwest, where the headquarters of the Righteous Alliance, "Ronghua Mountain," was located. During the journey, Xu Qingfan could also observe how much the cultivation world had suffered and how far the disaster had developed.
Along the way, Bai Yu appeared extremely excited, constantly using the "Wind Banner" that Xu Qingfan had given him, flying back and forth in front of the other three.
Since Bai Yu reached the Inedia Stage and could fly on his flying device, he had been dreaming of soaring in the sky. However, Xu Qingfan, to keep other Jiuhua cultivators from discovering his and Zhang Ningmei’s existence, forbade him from leaving Xu Qingfan’s cave. Unable to do anything else, Bai Yu could only occasionally fly around in Xu Qingfan’s cave to satisfy his craving. At first, it was alright, but over time it became boring.
Moreover, one day, just before leaving the cave, Xu Qingfan suddenly knocked him unconscious. When Bai Yu woke up, he found himself in a dim tunnel with Zhang Ningmei, who told him that Xu Qingfan and Ting’er would come to get them soon. However, they waited for several hours before finally seeing the light again.
At that moment, he finally saw the outside world he had longed for so much, feeling like a bird escaping its cage, occasionally letting out an excited shout while looking at Xu Qingfan, who shook his head in response.
"Bai Yu, stop it."
Bai Yu was full of energy. After Xu Qingfan took him out of the tunnel, he flew around wildly for over an hour and howled for more than half an hour, yet he still looked tireless.
At first, Xu Qingfan just watched with a smile, occasionally chatting with Zhang Ningmei and Ting’er about some scenes from outside the mountain while spreading his Divine Sense to sense everything within several miles.
But then, Xu Qingfan suddenly paused, as if he had noticed something. He stopped Bai Yu’s antics and quickly flew south at a faster pace.
Moments later, Xu Qingfan landed in a village, or what used to be a village.
Before him, the village had already turned into ruins. The originally tidy houses had all collapsed from powerful spells, and some corners of the village were still engulfed in tiny flames, remnants of the fire spells’ might.
In other places, there might be layers of frost, patches of burnt marks, or even bodies cut in half by sharp blades, all caused by the Five Elements Taoist Method.
More importantly, the original residents of this village have now turned into lifeless bodies, lying across the ruins. Many of them are unrecognizable, and under the powerful magical methods, their deaths are extremely cruel.
After Xu Qingfan carefully studied the traces left by these magical methods, his frown deepened. He discovered that the techniques that destroyed the village had a balanced energy, which surprisingly were all methods of righteous cultivators!
Xu Qingfan initially thought that the destruction of this village was caused by the Righteous Alliance fighting against the cultivators who instigated the calamity, but given the scene, it seemed that only the cultivators of the Righteous Alliance had acted, and the situation was not as simple as he had imagined.
Just as Xu Qingfan was lost in thought, Ting’er arrived at his side with Zhang Ningmei and Bai Yu.
At that moment, the entire village was filled with the bodies of its residents, many of them with their insides exploded and brains splattered. Seeing the three disciples arrive, Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but frown slightly. He thought that this scene should not be shown to these disciples who had never experienced any calamity, as it could traumatize them and possibly leave a shadow in their hearts.
However, he soon reconsidered. The calamity in the cultivation world had already started, and although he did not know which force had caused it, it was certainly extraordinary. His three disciples could easily get involved, and since the battle was fierce, they would eventually see such scenes. It was better for them to witness it earlier rather than later, so he dismissed the idea of stopping them.
Indeed, when Zhang Ningmei and Bai Yu followed Ting’er to Xu Qingfan’s side, they were taken aback by the sight of the broken ruins and the bodies that were no longer human.
Zhang Ningmei’s usually calm expression turned pale in an instant, and her body trembled uncontrollably. She felt a wave of weakness; if Ting’er had not been there to support her, she might have collapsed to the ground.
On the other side, Bai Yu, who always bragged about being a "real man," showed even more weakness than the frail girl Zhang Ningmei. The moment he landed and saw the horrifying scene in front of him, he didn’t hesitate for a second and ran to a slightly cleaner corner away from the bodies, where he began to vomit.
Instead, Ting’er, who Xu Qingfan was most worried about, looked at the hellish scene before her with only a brief change in expression. She quickly returned to her normal self and looked at Xu Qingfan with confusion, as if asking what was happening.
Seeing Ting’er remain calm, Xu Qingfan was slightly taken aback, but then he remembered the bitter battle he had in the Southern Wasteland against the corrupted Barbarian tribe, which was far more terrifying and brutal than what lay before him now. Thousands of members of the Southern Wasteland Barbarian tribe died in that battle, leaving no intact bodies. At that time, Ting’er had simply watched quietly without changing her expression, so she certainly wouldn’t show any panic now.
Thinking about this, Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but shake his head slightly, unsure whether this was good or bad for Ting’er.
After an unknown amount of time, Zhang Ningmei finally adjusted, her face still pale but she had enough strength to stand up on her own. However, she still dared not look at the corpses surrounding her. Meanwhile, Bai Yu finished vomiting and quietly returned to Xu Qingfan’s side, his face pale and lacking the energy he had before. Xu Qingfan wondered if he hadn’t thrown up because he had gotten used to it or because there was nothing left to bring up.
"Master, what is happening?"
Zhang Ningmei seemed to be struggling to hold back the turmoil in her stomach as she forced herself to ask.
"Catastrophe."
Xu Qingfan explained simply and clearly. Those two words seemed to sum everything up but said nothing at all.
In fact, about the scene before them, even Xu Qingfan could not explain it, because these ruins and dead bodies clearly used proper methods, but Xu Qingfan could not understand which upright person would do such a thing.
After a moment of silence, Xu Qingfan slowly said to Zhang Ningmei and Bai Yu, "Every great disaster in the cultivation world has caused immense destruction to the Shenzhou Continent, and no cultivator can escape it. You are unfortunate; you have just started your journey of cultivation and already faced a disaster. But because of this, you must bravely confront it. If you cannot bear such a scene, then you might as well run to some wild mountain and pray not to be swept into the disaster."
Xu Qingfan’s words were quite blunt, but they were indeed what he thought. In a disaster, no one can escape. Xu Qingfan’s cultivation in the cultivation world is not exceptional; even if he can protect the two of them for a moment, he cannot protect them for a lifetime. With how the two are acting now, they might freeze in fear when facing an enemy, likely unable to move when danger appears. It is better to wake them up with words now than let them suffer later.
After a pause, Xu Qingfan continued, "Your fear comes from your own weakness. For example, these bodies—though their deaths look cruel and terrifying—cannot harm you. Why should you be afraid of them? When you face an enemy in the future, fear will not earn you their mercy, only a quicker death. Instead, if you face it bravely and calmly, you will have a chance to win."
Indeed, after hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Zhang Ningmei and Bai Yu first looked even more terrified, clearly overwhelmed by the disaster that might befall them. But slowly, their expressions began to calm, as if they understood the meaning of Xu Qingfan’s words.
Seeing that his two disciples were finally no longer so weak, Xu Qingfan nodded slightly, but suddenly thought that if during the Southern Wasteland battle, he had not been so busy saving his own life and had seen the countless broken bodies scattered everywhere, he might have reacted even worse than these two disciples.
Though he thought this, Xu Qingfan’s face remained calm, and he simply said, "Ting’er, burn all the bodies and ruins here, and then let’s leave right away. Our main task now is to find a cultivator to understand the current situation in the cultivation world; we should not stay here long. Seeing how these people were killed gives me a strange feeling."
After that, Xu Qingfan flew into the sky with Zhang Ningmei and Bai Yu, while Ting’er waved her hand, and instantly, black flames erupted in the air, engulfing the entire ruins. Then Ting’er did not look at the burned ruins again and quickly chased after Xu Qingfan in the sky.
