Volume 5 Chapter 73

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Volume 5 Chapter 73: The Interception

"Dear four Taoist friends ahead, please wait."

Just as Xu Qingfan noticed there were more than ten cultivators, a soft voice suddenly came.

The person who spoke was the first to talk when Xu Qingfan noticed them, proving that this person’s strength was even greater than Xu Qingfan’s. Although the voice was clear and did not seem like that of a cultivator infected by ‘Beast Madness’ who had lost their mind, the sudden appearance of such a powerful person during this calamity made Xu Qingfan feel wary.

But since someone was calling, Xu Qingfan could not ignore it, so he stopped where he was, remaining in the sky and waiting for the speaker to approach. He also wanted to ask a cultivator about the situation in the cultivation world over the years.

Although the voice reached Xu Qingfan and the others, the speaker was still several dozen miles away. However, these more than ten cultivators had very high cultivation levels, and in just a moment, they arrived before Xu Qingfan.

Among these ten or so people, the weakest had the Lingji Stage cultivation level, while the three strongest had reached the Condensed Core Stage. The leader was a refined middle-aged scholar whose cultivation level was slightly higher than Xu Qingfan’s, having reached the peak of the Real Golden Core Stage.

"I am Hu Guangshan, the protector of the ‘Five Elements Sect.’ Greetings, Taoist friend." The highest-ranked middle-aged scholar, known as Hu Guangshan, approached Xu Qingfan and first looked at him with some curiosity in his eyes. Then he clasped his hands and said, "I wonder where Taoist friend practices immortality, as I feel I have seen you before. Your face seems quite familiar."

This person spoke with a gentle attitude, making one feel a sense of goodwill. However, his expression was too dark and seemed too deep, making it hard for others to get close.

What puzzled Xu Qingfan was that, besides Hu Guangshan, the other cultivators were all staring closely at Xu Qingfan and his three companions, their eyes showing signs of caution, as if they would attack at the slightest disagreement.

Moreover, although the more than ten people had good skills, their faces were filled with deep signs of exhaustion, and their clothes were in disarray, as if they had not rested for a long time.

While Xu Qingfan was observing this group, they were also looking at him and his friends. Among them, there were a few Lingji Stage disciples with weak will, who, upon arriving in front of Xu Qingfan, stared blankly at Ting’er and Zhang Ningmei with looks of astonishment and admiration.

Seeing such impolite behavior, Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but slightly furrow his brow. Although the common people he had met earlier in the town behaved even worse than these individuals, they did not know Xu Qingfan’s status and were of weak character, so that was understandable. However, these cultivators clearly saw Xu Qingfan was present and still acted this way; it was no wonder Xu Qingfan was so angry.

Speaking of which, without realizing it, both Zhang Ningmei and Ting’er had grown into rare beauties. The frail little girl Zhang Ningmei had become comparable to Ting’er, her serene demeanor hiding an astonishing inner beauty that captivated people. Not to mention Ting’er’s mysterious and cool charm; even in Jiuhua Mountain, since the grand competition at Jiuhua Gate years ago, many Jiuhua disciples had still been infatuated with her.

Although admiration is common, seeing the amazed and entranced looks in these people’s eyes, along with reflecting on the earlier infatuated behavior of some Jiuhua disciples, Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but shake his head slightly in anger. Such behavior could only be described as weak-minded; if they could not overcome this, their highest achievement in life would likely only reach the Lingji Stage.

Generally speaking, out of one hundred cultivators, only about one will reach the Condensed Core Stage. In Xu Qingfan’s view, while talent is part of the reason, the more important factor is willpower. Lack of talent can be supplemented with pills, cultivation methods, and hard work, but if the willpower is weak, there is nothing anyone can do except for the person themselves to overcome it.

Hu Guangshan was also a flexible-minded person. When he noticed Xu Qingfan did not answer his question but rather looked at the disciples behind him with a slight frown and shake of his head, he first looked back in confusion, following Xu Qingfan’s gaze. Upon seeing the strange looks from those disciples, he quickly understood Xu Qingfan’s thoughts. He then coldly snorted at the disciples who were staring at Ting’er and Zhang Ningmei, causing them to tremble and glance fearfully at Hu Guangshan before quickly lowering their heads, not daring to look up again.

"I have not disciplined them well, making my Taoist friend laugh at me," Hu Guangshan said to Xu Qingfan with a respectful gesture, expressing his apology.

"It’s nothing," Xu Qingfan replied with a smile. He changed his opinion of Hu Guangshan when he noticed the terrified attitude of those disciples. He hadn’t expected that Hu Guangshan, who seemed gentle, could command such respect from them. It seemed he must be a very capable person in regular times as well.

"My Taoist friend, my brother Hu, you have not yet answered his question."

Just as Xu Qingfan was thinking, a cold voice came from a blue-robed cultivator behind Hu Guangshan. After Xu Qingfan shook his head and frowned, hinting at a criticism toward Hu Guangshan’s disciple, the cultivator looked at Xu Qingfan with not only caution but also a hint of hostility.

Xu Qingfan thought for a moment and quickly understood why the blue-robed cultivator suddenly felt hostile. In the cultivation world, no disciple should be criticized, no matter how unpromising they are. Xu Qingfan’s casual frown and shake of the head had crossed a line.

Xu Qingfan first gave Hu Guangshan an apologetic smile, then said, "I am Xu Qingfan, the Deacon Elder of Jiuhua Mountain. It is a pleasure to meet you, Taoist friend Hu. May I know the names of these two Taoist friends?"

Saying this, Xu Qingfan looked at the blue-robed cultivator and the old man in white behind Hu Guangshan.

For now, they were keeping the news of Jiuhua Mountain’s return secret, only quietly observing the situation in the cultivation world. It was just what Xu Qingfan and Zhang Hualing told the other elders. In reality, they had already decided that once they came out, Jiuhua would join the Righteous Alliance for protection during the calamity. The main purpose of Xu Qingfan’s descent was to discuss joining with the Righteous Alliance.

Previously, when passing through the desolate wilderness, Xu Qingfan was worried that the Righteous Alliance might have perished in the calamity. However, seeing that life in other parts of the Shenzhou Continent remained normal and that ordinary people were unaware of any danger, Xu Qingfan concluded that the "Beast Madness" had only just begun, so the Righteous Alliance should be safe.

Moreover, the cultivators before him were all disciples of the "Five Elements Sect," which was an important part of the Righteous Alliance, so Xu Qingfan did not hide his identity.

As expected, hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Hu Guangshan and the others were surprised. The blue-robed cultivator exclaimed, "Are you really the steward protector of Jiuhua? Jiuhua has finally returned?"

Compared to the impatient cultivator in blue, Hu Guangshan was much more orderly. He first shot a glance at the blue-clad cultivator, then looked at Xu Qingfan with a surprised expression, and said with a smile and a bow, "So it is Taoist Friend Xu. No wonder I felt so familiar upon seeing you. I saw you from afar during the Newcomer Comparison in the cultivation world seventy years ago. But I didn’t expect that your skills have improved so much."

By saying this, Hu Guangshan acknowledged Xu Qingfan’s identity as a disciple of Jiuhua and lightly brushed aside the rude questioning by the blue-clad cultivator.

However, while he spoke like this, Hu Guangshan could not help but feel amazed and surprised in his heart as he looked at Xu Qingfan. During the Newcomer Competition, Xu Qingfan was still an early-stage cultivator of the Lingji Stage, but now he was not far behind him. As Xu Qingfan’s cultivation increased greatly, his aura changed significantly, so much so that Hu Guangshan had not recognized him at first.

But this feeling of amazement and surprise brewed only in his heart and did not show on his face. After exchanging pleasantries with Xu Qingfan, Hu Guangshan pointed to the silent old man and introduced him, saying, "This is my second senior brother, Li Liming." Then he pointed at the blue-clad cultivator and added, "This is my third senior brother, Jiang Tao. His temper has always been a bit impatient, and I apologize if he has offended you, Taoist friend."

Xu Qingfan, seeing Hu Guangshan’s organized way of doing things, admired him and said with a smile, "No problem."

Hu Guangshan then asked, "May I know when Jiuhua was reborn? Is this Taoist friend also from Jiuhua?"

The "Taoist friend" Hu Guangshan referred to was Ting’er, whose cultivation at the Condensed Core Stage also caught his attention.

Xu Qingfan explained, "I, Jiuhua, was reborn just ten days ago. I came down this time to investigate the current situation in the cultivation world. As for this one, she is my disciple, Ting’er, along with Zhang Ningmei and Bai Yu."

At Xu Qingfan’s instruction, Ting’er, Zhang Ningmei, and Bai Yu respectfully stepped forward to greet Hu Guangshan and the others, performing the proper junior disciple gestures. This made Hu Guangshan reflect; he was surprised that not only had Xu Qingfan’s skills grown so quickly, but even his disciples had reached the Condensed Core Stage. Thinking of his own progress over the years and the earlier infatuated behavior of his disciples, he could not help but feel troubled by his own perceived uselessness.

But after learning that Ting’er is Xu Qingfan’s disciple, both Hu Guangshan and Li Liming, along with Jiang Tao, looked at Xu Qingfan with newfound respect. In the cultivation world, training a disciple to the Condensed Core Stage is just as difficult as reaching the Core Formation Stage themselves.

Hu Guangshan’s moment of doubt quickly passed, and he returned to normal. Although Ting’er is his junior, he politely cupped his hands in greeting. Then, at Xu Qingfan’s inquiry, he began to share the many changes that had happened in the cultivation world over the years.

Leaving aside what Xu Qingfan already knew, four years after he returned to the mountain, the great calamity that occurs every two thousand eight hundred years in the cultivation world finally began. The "Eight Wilderness Hall" was the first to provoke it, launching a massive invasion into the bustling Middle-earth while many sects fled to the vicinity of "Ronghua Mountain." They quickly absorbed many sects, and somehow, every cultivator captured by "Eight Wilderness Hall" steadily gained incredible strength, displaying various powers, and became devotedly loyal to "Eight Wilderness Hall." Although the Righteous Alliance tried hard to suppress them, for every individual they killed from "Eight Wilderness Hall," two more cultivators were taken to join them. They could not kill nor control them, leading to heavy losses on both sides during the battles.

However, recently, for some unknown reason, the methods of "Eight Wilderness Hall" suddenly stopped working. Under the strong suppression from the Righteous Alliance, the number of cultivators inside began to dwindle, and it seemed they would soon be unable to hold out. Hu Guangshan and his group had just returned after being ordered by the masters of the Righteous Alliance to sweep a base of the "Eight Wilderness Hall."

Hearing Hu Guangshan’s introduction, Xu Qingfan furrowed his brow. He hadn’t expected that the calamity was caused by "Eight Wilderness Hall," and he was puzzled about how "Eight Wilderness Hall" managed to make captured cultivators so fiercely loyal to them. He also couldn’t understand why their methods suddenly failed.

However, Xu Qingfan felt that this calamity was likely not as simple as just "Eight Wilderness Hall," especially considering the cultivators infected with "Beast Madness" that he had encountered before.

Thinking of this, Xu Qingfan frowned and asked Hu Guangshan, "Do you know about the events three thousand miles to the south?"

Upon hearing Xu Qingfan’s question, Hu Guangshan’s expression grew serious as he slowly responded, "Are you referring to the matter of ‘Beast Madness’?"

Xu Qingfan gently nodded.

Hu Guangshan sighed and said, "The reason I have not yet returned to ‘Ronghua Mountain’ is because of this unexpected event. After I followed the guidance of my elders and eliminated the remnants of ‘Eight Wilderness Hall’ hidden in a deserted mountain, I planned to head back to report to my seniors. However, on the way back, I suddenly discovered that several villages had been completely slaughtered, and the cultivator who was patrolling nearby suddenly disappeared as well. Then, I found many cultivators infected with ‘Beast Madness.’ To prevent those crazed cultivators from harming more innocent people, I had no choice but to send a junior brother back to ‘Ronghua Mountain’ to inform the masters here about the situation while I stayed here to guard. For the past two days, I have been running around and fighting with those insane cultivators, and it has been truly exhausting. During these days, I have lost one junior brother and eleven disciples to ‘Beast Madness.’"

As he spoke, a look of sadness appeared on Hu Guangshan’s face.

After a pause, Hu Guangshan collected his emotions and added, "Today, the taoist friend sent by the elders finally arrived to provide support, which gave us a chance to catch our breath. Just as I was about to return to the mountain to rest, I unexpectedly encountered the taoist friend and, out of curiosity, I greeted him."

Hearing Hu Guangshan’s words, Xu Qingfan comforted him a bit while slightly frowning, but many thoughts suddenly filled his mind.

Many things in this world seem like coincidences, but they must have a reason behind them, and this reason is the key to the matter. This was one of the lessons Zhang Hualing taught Xu Qingfan long ago, and Xu Qingfan has always remembered it.

The sudden appearance of ‘Beast Madness,’ especially when ‘Eight Wilderness Hall’ was about to collapse, seemed very strange.

"Does the taoist friend have any questions?" Hu Guangshan asked, noticing Xu Qingfan’s thoughtful expression.

Hearing Hu Guangshan’s question, Xu Qingfan smiled and replied, "The reason that the taoist friend suddenly stopped my three disciples and me is probably not just curiosity, but because you saw that we passed through the area ravaged by ‘Beast Madness’ and feared that we were infected, so you stopped us from checking, right?"

Upon hearing Xu Qingfan’s direct question, Hu Guangshan showed no signs of embarrassment; he just smiled and said, "But I believe that with Taoist Friend Xu’s abilities, you definitely would not be affected by ‘Beast Madness.’"

Xu Qingfan nodded slightly and, after thinking for a moment, suddenly asked, "I wonder if the ‘Beast Madness’ only appeared in the place that our Taoist friend discovered, or if there are other places where it has been found?"

Hearing Xu Qingfan’s question, Hu Guangshan’s expression grew more serious as he explained, "We have not returned to our mountain yet, so we do not understand these matters well. However, from what the Taoist friends who met us said, the Taoist friends sent to assist us are not just from their team. It seems there might be other places where ‘Beast Madness’ has been found too."

Xu Qingfan sighed softly and said to himself, "’Beast Madness’ has suddenly appeared all over the Shenzhou Continent in such a short time, causing the Righteous Alliance to commit many resources to it. It seems someone does not want the ‘Eight Wilderness Hall’ to be easily destroyed by the Righteous Alliance."

A flash of admiration appeared in Hu Guangshan’s eyes as he nodded and said, "What the Taoist friend said is exactly what I was thinking. It seems that someone from the ‘Eight Wilderness Hall’ or that ‘Ming’ organization has found the corpses of cultivators who were infected with ‘Beast Madness’ and spread it across the Shenzhou Continent. However, we have experience in dealing with ‘Beast Madness.’ As long as we gather those infected cultivators together and confine them, they will naturally turn against each other, and the plans of those with ill intentions will fail."

Hearing Hu Guangshan’s words, Xu Qingfan nodded slightly, but he was not so optimistic in his heart. Since someone wanted to prolong this disaster, after the failure of ‘Beast Madness’, there would surely be other means. The enemy was hidden, while they were in the open, and without taking the initiative, the Righteous Alliance might end up exhausted from the continuing crises. Furthermore, as long as the enemy kept spreading ‘Beast Madness’ throughout the Shenzhou Continent, it would be enough to indefinitely prolong this disaster. The only thing to be thankful for was that, so far, ‘Beast Madness’ could only spread among cultivators, and at this time, most cultivators were gathered around ‘Ronghua Mountain’, which greatly reduced the threat of ‘Beast Madness’.

Thinking of this, Xu Qingfan suddenly remembered something and asked, "Earlier, when I passed through the area ravaged by ‘Beast Madness’, I fought with a group of cultivators who were infected. I noticed that although those cultivators were not very strong, their methods were all orthodox. I wonder which sect they belong to."

Hu Guangshan said sadly, "During our previous encounter, I recognized one cultivator who was a protector from a small sect. When the disaster approached, he hid away with his sect, and since then, I lost track of him. I didn’t expect that when I saw him again, he had become like a mad beast. I suppose the identities of the other cultivators are similar."

Hearing Hu Guangshan’s words, Xu Qingfan also looked somber. From this reasoning, it seemed that in order to spread ‘Beast Madness’ and prolong the disaster, the cultivators from those hidden sects before the disaster had likely been captured by ‘Ming’ or ‘Eight Wilderness Hall’. These cultivators and sects, though not high in status within the cultivation world, were numerous, and this time the cultivation world had truly suffered heavily.

After a soft sigh, Xu Qingfan asked Hu Guangshan about the changes in the cultivation world over the years, then cupped his hands in farewell.

"Now the disaster has come, and my several disciples are worried about their families. As their master, I must accompany them. Fellow Taoist friends, we, the master and disciples, must take our leave now."

"Hu Guangshan smiled and said, ‘The reason we established the Righteous Alliance is to resist the destruction caused by the disaster. Taoist Friend Xu is here on behalf of the Jiuhua lineage to investigate; it would be good for us to return to Ronghua Mountain together and meet our elders there. This way, we can prepare for our future cooperation.’"

"Xu Qingfan replied with a smile, ‘My master and I will naturally represent Jiuhua at Ronghua Mountain, but we must first visit my disciples’ homes to see their families. I hope fellow Taoist will understand.’"

"But at that moment, the old man in white, Li Liming, who had been silent, suddenly spoke coldly, ‘I advise fellow Taoist to stay with us at Ronghua Mountain for seven days. After that, you may leave as you wish.’"

Hearing Li Liming’s words, Xu Qingfan finally understood the thoughts of Hu Guangshan and the others. After a cultivator contracts ‘Beast Madness,’ it usually manifests after seven days. It seems Hu Guangshan, although claiming to be at ease, is actually worried about us.

At the same time, Jiang Tao had quietly blocked the escape route for Xu Qingfan and the others.