Volume 1 Volume 6 Chapter 103

Volume 6 Chapter 103: Fate and Choice (11)

It was said that when several earth-shattering battles had ended in the Western Desert, at the moment when the head and body of the "Purgatory Staff" merged, on the distant shores of the Eastern Sea, the mysterious ancestor of the Zhong family, Zhong Kui, who was originally speaking with his eyes half-closed to the Zhong family disciples, suddenly opened his eyes wide, and a terrifying light flashed in them.

At this moment, the ancestor of the Zhong family was sitting cross-legged in a grand mansion by the East Sea, with two rows of Zhong family descendants quietly listening to his teachings.

As for the original mortals within, they had long been transformed by the Zhong family disciples into zombies that obeyed their commands.

"Has Fourth Brother and the others… not brought back that useless Zhong Ling yet?"

Suddenly, the ancestor of the Zhong family asked after a moment of contemplation.

Hearing the ancestor’s question, a Zhong family disciple on the left hurriedly stepped forward and replied, "Reporting to the ancestor, they have not returned yet."

"It has already been half a year…"

The ancestor of the Zhong family looked pensive, and no one could understand what he was thinking at that moment.

After a moment, the ancestor of the Zhong family gently waved his hand, and the Zhong family disciples before him quickly bowed and withdrew.

Once all the Zhong family disciples had left, the ancestor of the Zhong family appeared to waver for a moment, and the next instant, he had vanished from the grand mansion.

The battle between the fourteen masters of the Righteous Alliance and Zhang Xusheng was tremendous. He had sensed it long ago, but he did not wish to get involved. However, at this moment, the "Purgatory Staff" had reappeared in the world, and his descendants were too useless, so the ancestor of the Zhong family decided to take action personally.

Although a new "Purgatory Staff" was made using Hong’s body, in the heart of the ancestor of the Zhong family, the true "Purgatory Staff" was still the one in Xu Qingfan’s hands. Not only because that staff was made from the body and soul of his father, but also because that staff was much more powerful than the one he held now. After all, the strength of the ancestor of the Zhong family was greater than that of Hong, and the amount of death energy absorbed was many times more…

"It seems that the storm brewing in the Shenzhou Continent has forced the Zhong family to get involved earlier…"

Before his figure disappeared, a deep sigh could be heard from the ancestor of the Zhong family in the room.

…

On the other side, as Xu Qingfan savored the feeling of death approaching, Zhang Xusheng’s Nascent Soul, carrying his Original Life Essence Blood, quickly flew toward Xu Qingfan’s location.

Although Zhang Xusheng was severely injured this time, he already had a plan. However, under the arrangement of the Heavenly Way, he unexpectedly encountered Xu Qingfan ahead of time, which was truly difficult to predict.

Zhang Xusheng’s Nascent Soul looked like a smaller version of Zhang Xusheng, although he had practiced countless dark arts, the Nascent Soul shone with a pure white light, without any trace of evil.

Surrounding the Nascent Soul was a red light, which was Zhang Xusheng’s Original Life Essence Blood.

Although he lost his body and was left with only his Nascent Soul and Original Life Essence Blood, Zhang Xusheng’s speed of escape was even faster. Xu Qingfan, trying to avoid the monsters, spent over ten days catching up slowly, but Zhang Xusheng managed to fly over the distance in less than a day. Not only did he evade the pursuit of Immortal Zizhen and others, but the gap between them grew even wider.

However, traveling with the Nascent Soul is very quick but also very dangerous, as the Nascent Soul is extremely fragile and can collapse with even the slightest mistake.

After Zhang Xusheng’s Nascent Soul and Original Life Essence Blood flew dozens of miles away from Xu Qingfan, the Original Life Essence Blood turned into a thick blood mist, wrapping around the Nascent Soul. As the blood mist swirled, it gradually condensed together. Moments later, a mysterious wave of energy emerged from the mist, and slowly, a shadow began to appear within the blood mist. At first, it was small, with incomplete limbs and features, but as the blood mist faded, the shadow grew taller, and its limbs gradually took shape. Once the blood mist completely disappeared, Zhang Xusheng reappeared in the world.

It was not the Nascent Soul but Zhang Xusheng’s real body, looking exactly the same as before.

For others, if their bodies were destroyed, even if the Original Life Essence Blood was preserved, it would take countless rare materials and many years, sometimes even decades, with help from others to restore their body. However, Zhang Xusheng managed to reshape his Original Life Essence Blood into a new body with such ease.

After carefully examining his newly reshaped body, Zhang Xusheng sighed quietly for a long time and suddenly laughed at himself, saying, "How clever I thought I was! Zhang Xusheng, did you ever imagine that you would have such a wretched day?"

Zhang Xusheng knew that although his body had been reshaped, restoring his original power would take at least a hundred years. The grudges and essence he had collected over a thousand years were exhausted in this battle. At this moment, he still had the strength of a top Grandmaster at the Soul Splitting Stage, but he was no longer the Zhang Xusheng with endless magical power and an Immortal Body.

However, even though Zhang Xusheng mocked himself, his tone held no feelings of regret or resentment, as if he found his current condition more interesting.

Whether evil, selfish, or carefree, provoking hatred and panic among people, there was no one else in the world who could compare to such nonchalance.

Zhang Xusheng shook his head slightly, and with a wave of his hand, dark light swirled around him. When the darkness faded, a long black robe appeared on his bare body, swaying gently in the fierce winds of the Western Desert, giving a sense of calm.

After doing all this, Zhang Xusheng was about to continue fleeing into the distance.

However, as he moved slightly, he seemed to suddenly notice something, letting out a soft gasp and looking toward Xu Qingfan’s location.

Zhang Xusheng did not see Xu Qingfan; he was just curious why so many "Dark Crows" were suddenly gathered there.

Since he had to flee in some direction anyway, out of curiosity, Zhang Xusheng changed his course and quickly flew towards Xu Qingfan’s location.

…

Meanwhile, Xu Qingfan, with Little Black’s help, had struggled to sit up from the ground. He hugged his knees and quietly looked at the sunset slowly sinking in the distance. The golden sunlight fell over the desolate and dangerous Western Desert, which now seemed so beautiful.

Facing death, no one can truly be calm, at least Xu Qingfan could not. However, after the initial panic, his mind became peaceful.

It was an unprecedented peace; in this moment close to death, Xu Qingfan realized that with his life, all his burdens were also fading away.

The revival of Jiuhua, the future battles of the Righteous Alliance, the return of the Shura Clan, and the situation of humanity, what has happened to Jin Qinghan? When will Ting’er truly open her heart? Will Zhang Ningmei’s unique body affect her future? When will Bai Yu truly understand?

All the worries, anxieties, and pressures faded away as death approached. Xu Qingfan’s heavy heart, burdened for many years, was now unusually relaxed.

Or perhaps he still worried, but it was beyond his control. If that is the case, why not let go? Everyone has their own path, and even without help, they will still be fine.

Xu Qingfan comforted himself in this way.

He savored the calm and peace in his heart, feeling his body slowly breaking down and growing cold. His eyes quietly watched the sunset that seemed to suddenly grow much larger, instinctively calculating if his death would come before or after the sun disappeared beyond the horizon.

Little Black looked a bit sad. Over the years with Xu Qingfan, it seemed to have picked up some human emotions.

At this moment, it clearly sensed the life force within Xu Qingfan quickly fading, gradually weakening. His skin lost its shine and turned a dull gray, his eyes gradually lost their sparkle. Although his expression was calm, beneath the crumbling body, blood flowed continuously from his seven orifices, revealing a unique sense of desolation within the tranquility.

"Caw caw…"

Little Black called out, its crow-like harsh cry now filled with deep sadness.

"Old friend, don’t worry." Xu Qingfan turned his eyes away from the setting sun and looked at Little Black, who was snuggled beside him. Little Black was used to sitting on Xu Qingfan’s shoulder and would often peck at his hair when unhappy, but now Xu Qingfan couldn’t even bear the weight of Little Black.

Because blood kept flowing from his mouth, Xu Qingfan spoke a bit unclearly, but he didn’t care if Little Black understood; he continued to speak.

"Over the years, you have helped me so much. How many times have you protected me from attacks? I, your master, feel useless, always putting you in danger. As a demon beast, you should be free in this world. By taking you as my spirit pet, I have limited your freedom. Also, after you consumed Little Gold’s flesh and blood, our connection isn’t as strong as before. You don’t have to die with me, and that is my only comfort before I go…"

His tone was calm, but there was a faint hint of despair.

"Old friend, do you know? When a demon beast evolves to heavenly level, it gains wisdom like a human, and you are not far from that now. You are already very clever, so when you truly gain consciousness, you will be even smarter. I often think about what I should say to you when you reach heavenly level and have human thoughts and feelings. But, obviously, I may not live to see that day. What worries me now is how you will see me, your former master, when you reach heavenly level? Will you remember me fondly or resent me for taking away your freedom for two hundred years?"

"After I’m gone, the ‘Purgatory Staff’ will be for you. It can make you powerful and strengthen your kind."

"But, old friend, can I ask you one last thing? I am close to death, and the troubles of the cultivation world are no longer my concern. So many are stronger than me, and I do not need to worry about the future anymore. The only thing I can’t let go of is my three disciples, especially the safety of Ting’er. After I die, can you take them to the two kylins? Just tell the kylins to protect them for a while until Shenzhou Continent returns to peace, or until they can protect themselves. Besides, those two kylins owe me a favor…"

"After I die, all my savings will go to Ting’er and the others, but there are two exceptions: the ‘World Defying Sword’ and the ‘Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic.’ If you can find Junior Brother Jin, please give these two items to him. He practices Buddhism, and the ‘Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic’ will be very useful to him. And the ‘World Defying Sword,’ only he has the determination to overcome its killing intent…"

Xu Qingfan was already making plans for Little Black’s future. Little Black kept croaking sadly, not sure if he understood anything.

As Xu Qingfan spoke, he suddenly felt his heart race, as if something bad was about to happen.

He paused for a moment, closed his eyes to sense, but then his face changed dramatically. He took out a pearl from his sleeve. The pearl, which was once blue, was now filled with red, with only a tiny bit of blue remaining, fighting a last stand.

This pearl was the Soul Bead that Master of Jiuhua Zhang Hualing had given to Xu Qingfan before!

At that moment, the Soul Bead had almost completely turned red, which meant that after struggling for over a hundred years, Zhang Hualing’s mind was finally under the control of evil.

After the initial shock, Xu Qingfan quickly calmed down.

"When it rains, it pours," Xu Qingfan shook his head with a bitter smile. "But unfortunately, I can do nothing now. I just hope that Li Yuhan will act according to my plan and stop the Sect Master before he does harm. But without this Soul Bead…"

Xu Qingfan pondered, but after a moment, he shook his head and pushed away the sudden worry in his heart. In his current state, worrying would not help.

However, just as Xu Qingfan sighed, a gentle voice with a hint of softness suddenly whispered in his ear.

"So it was you who killed that monster. No wonder you look so messy…"

Upon hearing the sound, Xu Qingfan’s body trembled slightly. He turned to look towards the source of the sound and saw a middle-aged scholar in a long black robe, barefoot, silently hovering three inches above the ground, curiously observing him.

This person had quietly appeared not far behind him at some unknown time, yet not a single one of the nearly three thousand "Dark Crows" around Xu Qingfan noticed his arrival!

The middle-aged scholar in black appeared harmless, but Little Black, the demon beast, instinctively sensed the hidden danger beneath the calmness of the person before him, a danger far greater than the demon they had just barely managed to defeat.

Little Black’s body started to tremble, and suddenly there were sharp cries. Under Little Black’s control, countless "Dark Crows" in the sky rushed towards the newcomer.

How great would be the force created by nearly three thousand "Dark Crows" rushing together? Perhaps a slightly weaker sect would be instantly wiped out by this "Dark Crow" swarm. However, the middle-aged scholar looked at the dark clouds approaching him without the slightest hint of tension. Instead, he smiled slightly and whispered, "Overflowing Night!"

As the middle-aged scholar’s words fell, the sky above everyone suddenly turned into a dark night. The dark night extended only a few hundred feet above their heads, while the area outside still basked in the glow of dusk. The countless "Dark Crows," at the moment the darkness appeared, lost their direction, continuously making panicked cries, flying aimlessly in the dark. No matter how they flew, they could not escape the boundaries of the night.

To easily trap nearly three thousand "Dark Crows" in an instant was astonishing, yet the newcomer seemed to treat it as a trivial matter. He nodded and smiled at Xu Qingfan, then disregarding Little Black’s threat, strolled over to Xu Qingfan’s side, sat down in a manner similar to Xu Qingfan, hugged his knees, and moved with a sense of carefree ease.

After calming down Little Black, who was about to lash out or be harmed, Xu Qingfan quietly asked the middle-aged scholar, "Who are you?"

The newcomer was Zhang Xusheng, a name that had thundered in Xu Qingfan’s ears over the years. However, apart from catching a distant glimpse during the chaotic Jiuhua disaster years ago, this was Xu Qingfan’s first time seeing Zhang Xusheng up close. Additionally, after Zhang Xusheng reclaimed his heart, his demeanor had greatly changed, and Xu Qingfan did not recognize him.

Zhang Xusheng did not answer Xu Qingfan’s question. Instead, he asked with great interest, "Hmm, your body is collapsing, your soul is fading, but you used the ‘Disintegration Method’?"

After Xu Qingfan nodded, Zhang Xusheng nodded back and said, "Yes, that demon is too strong for you. Now that you are close to death, what do you feel inside?"

As he spoke, curiosity appeared on Zhang Xusheng’s face, as if he was very interested in this topic.

"Did you suddenly appear here just to ask me this question?"

Xu Qingfan asked back.

Normally, if such a mysterious person with unfathomable power appeared, Xu Qingfan would be very cautious and scared. But at this moment, with death so near, he felt that no matter how mysterious or powerful the person was, it no longer mattered to him.

Zhang Xusheng was not angry at all; he smiled and shook his head, saying, "No, it’s just that I nearly died twice not long ago. I want to know if everyone feels the same before they die."

Nearly died twice not long ago?

Xu Qingfan seemed to remember something; he stared closely at the stranger and asked slowly, "Are you Zhang Xusheng?"