Volume 5 Chapter 71
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Volume 5 Chapter 71: Intent to Kill
Xu Qingfan frowned as he looked at the ruins before him, his eyes showing a serious and thoughtful expression.
This was the sixth ruin Xu Qingfan had seen since he came out seven days ago. Unlike the previous five ruins, this one was not just a village but a town. However, just like the earlier villages, it was eerily silent. Inside, there were broken bodies everywhere, and the method of killing was still the righteous way.
"Could it be that this disaster was caused by the righteous?"
Xu Qingfan thought quietly as he stared at the ruins before him.
Over the past few days, Xu Qingfan had been traveling from Jiuhua Mountain to Ronghua Mountain, covering over ten thousand miles in seven days. Yet, he still had not seen a single living person, let alone a cultivator. There were plenty of ruins and bodies, leading Xu Qingfan to a dreadful guess that almost everyone in the Shenzhou Continent might be dead.
Of course, this guess was only a thought. But the lack of any signs of life over such a vast distance was too horrifying for Xu Qingfan.
Behind Xu Qingfan, Ting’er, Zhang Ningmei, and Bai Yu stood quietly, looking at the bodies scattered around. Although their faces were still pale, they appeared much steadier than when they first saw it.
No matter how cruel the scene, seeing it often can lead one to become accustomed.
Xu Qingfan sighed softly again and said to Ting’er, "Burn it."
This was the sixth time Xu Qingfan had told Ting’er the same thing in seven days.
Facing the bodies scattered all around, Xu Qingfan couldn’t bear to let these souls face the wind and sun after death, but he didn’t have time to bury them himself. So he could only let Ting’er burn them, which would also stop the source of any disease.
As Ting’er waved her hand, great black flames instantly enveloped the entire town. Meanwhile, Zhang Ningmei and Bai Yu exchanged a glance, then hesitantly walked toward Xu Qingfan, seeming to want to ask him something, but found it hard to speak.
Xu Qingfan had noticed their hesitation long before. Seeing them silent, he asked first, "What’s the matter? Just say it."
As he spoke, Xu Qingfan closed his eyes and slowly rubbed his temples with his fingertips. The events of the past few days had been too strange, and even with his wide reading, he couldn’t figure out what had really happened. After many guesses that led to self-doubt, he felt mentally exhausted.
Seeing Xu Qingfan like this, Zhang Ningmei and Bai Yu exchanged another glance, but it was Zhang Ningmei who softly said to Xu Qingfan, "Master, I know you came down to handle something important, but could you take me and Yu back home for a while? After seeing all this, we’ve been worried about Grandpa and Uncle Bai…"
If the term "catastrophe" had once felt distant to Zhang Ningmei and Bai Yu, now, experiencing it firsthand left them with only endless worries about their family in the midst of the disaster. Even the usually calm Zhang Ningmei had lost her composure.
Zhang Ningmei’s voice grew quieter, feeling that her request might be too much. Xu Qingfan came down to investigate the situation in the cultivation world and to connect with the Righteous Alliance, matters that were crucial for Jiuhua’s survival. How could he delay for personal reasons?
Zhang Ningmei thought to herself and even began to consider how she and Bai Yu could return alone to General Bai’s Mansion after Xu Qingfan declined.
But Zhang Ningmei did not expect that Xu Qingfan would smile upon hearing her words, his smile filled with appreciation.
"It’s good that you both thought of your families first at this time; that is very nice."
Saying this, Xu Qingfan slowly opened his eyes and looked at Zhang Ningmei and Bai Yu with admiration.
"Master, do you agree?" Bai Yu asked in surprise.
Xu Qingfan smiled slightly and said, "After all, my task this time is to explore the situation in the cultivation world. Exploring there is the same as visiting General Bai’s Mansion. Besides, I also want to see if the scene of ruins and dead bodies is only within this area or if it is all over the Shenzhou Continent."
As he spoke, Xu Qingfan’s expression grew serious. If it is the latter, then it would be truly bad because it would mean the Righteous Alliance is losing control over the Shenzhou Continent in its battle against their opponents.
Seeing the brief happiness on Zhang Ningmei and Bai Yu’s faces after he agreed, quickly replaced by worry, Xu Qingfan reassured them, "Don’t worry, based on my guess, with the strength of the Righteous Alliance, they shouldn’t easily lose control over the Shenzhou Continent. These ruins are likely only within this area, and General Bai’s Mansion is far over a hundred thousand miles away, so there shouldn’t be any trouble."
After a pause, Xu Qingfan seemed to be talking to himself, murmuring, "The only thing to worry about now is what kind of force is freely causing destruction in this area? Are they truly righteous people? And what is their purpose behind such reckless killing?"
As he spoke, Xu Qingfan’s brow furrowed tighter and tighter.
Ting’er’s dark flames were extremely powerful; in the time that Xu Qingfan and Zhang Ningmei Bai Yu were talking, a large town had already been burned to the ground. After doing all this, Ting’er silently walked behind Xu Qingfan.
"Let’s go," Xu Qingfan slowly said after seeing Ting’er finish the task.
As he spoke, Xu Qingfan no longer flew separately with the other three; instead, he enlarged the cloud beneath him several times, carrying Zhang Ningmei, Bai Yu, and Ting’er on it, and then prepared to fly towards the location of the former general’s palace.
But just then, Xu Qingfan suddenly made a soft sound of surprise, retracting the cloud beneath him and gazing into the distance.
A little later, Ting’er also seemed to notice something, and coldly looked in the same direction as Xu Qingfan, her eyes full of vigilance, as if sensing a certain threat.
Seeing the actions of Xu Qingfan and Ting’er, Zhang Ningmei and Bai Yu exchanged puzzled glances, then followed their gaze to look into the distance.
Not long after, the confusion in Zhang Ningmei and Bai Yu’s hearts was answered. They saw hundreds of black dots rapidly approaching them from the horizon; each person emanated the aura of a cultivator, and they seemed quite frightening. However, for some reason, they were running on the ground instead of flying.
Through the "Sky Eye Skill," Zhang Ningmei and Bai Yu were shocked to discover that this group of cultivators was not running, or rather, not running like humans, but moving like wild beasts, on all fours, charging towards them. Their eyes glowed with a beast-like bloodthirst, filled with a murderous frenzy, and they roared loudly, saliva dripping from their mouths.
The people in front of me cannot really be called cultivators; they appear like wild beasts.
These beast-like cultivators seem to have been attracted by the black flame that Ting’er just released. They moved very quickly and in an instant, were already hundreds of feet away from the four of them.
Xu Qingfan also saw the appearance of these "cultivators." Unlike Ting’er and the others, whose faces changed to a strange expression, Xu Qingfan’s face turned ashen and serious as he slowly said, "Beast Madness!"
While saying this, Xu Qingfan suddenly raised his hand, and the "Five Spirit Bell" appeared, surrounding Zhang Ningmei and Bai Yu. He kept his eyes on the approaching group of beast-like cultivators and reminded the two, "You must not leave this place. Although these beast gods are not as strong as you, this battle is not one you can take part in."
Then, Xu Qingfan told Ting’er, "These cultivators have lost their minds. Do not hold back; kill them all, leave none behind."
After a pause, Xu Qingfan added with a serious expression, "You must not let those cultivators’ blood touch you. If their blood splashes onto you, tell me immediately, without any delay."
Ting’er nodded but did not ask any questions. Black flames rose from her hands as she charged towards the group of incoming cultivators.
Seeing Ting’er like this, Xu Qingfan also rushed towards the group of cultivators, but he silently shook his head with a bitter smile. The words about holding back or not seemed unnecessary to say to Ting’er. Although she had never formally battled anyone, she was used to life and death from an early age. Besides Xu Qingfan, she was indifferent to everyone else. Even though she had never actually fought anyone, Xu Qingfan could tell from their usual sparring that Ting’er was decisive in killing.
Rather than being a message for Ting’er, those words seemed more like a comfort for himself.
To tell the truth, Xu Qingfan did not want to kill for no reason, nor did he wish to leave no survivors.
But when he saw the group of strange cultivators rushing towards him, Xu Qingfan felt he had no choice but to fight them all.
This was because Xu Qingfan understood very well the danger of "Beast Madness." In fact, the books he had read described the horrors of "Beast Madness" in such frightening detail that even though he had a chance to escape early, he felt he had to stay and deal with these mutated cultivators.
