Volume 1 Volume 6 Chapter 106

Volume 6 Chapter 106: Fate and Choice (14)

Just when the struggle between the "Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic" and the "demonic orb" for Xu Qingfan began to completely collapse, Zhang Xusheng thought Xu Qingfan was doomed to be corrupted when a mysterious wave suddenly came from Xu Qingfan and the creature relic on his forehead.

Zhang Xusheng was slightly startled; after closing his eyes to sense for a moment, his body suddenly trembled slightly. He murmured, "The ‘Spirit Purging Sutra’!"

This strange fluctuation was exactly the ultimate skill of the "Spirit Purging Cult," which could merge all treasures of the world into one’s own body through the "Spirit Purging Sutra." This was only the second time Xu Qingfan had used this cultivation method since he obtained it; the first time was against the "Wutong branch," and this time, it was against the "Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic."

The intense pain from the demonic energy invading him made Xu Qingfan incredibly alert. Zhang Xusheng’s thoughts echoed in Xu Qingfan’s mind. Although the power of the "Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic" was immense, if it could only be used from its outer layer, it would be impossible to compete with the "Demonic Orb." The power hidden within the "Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic" was a combination of Buddhist might and the Power of the Holy Spirit. Xu Qingfan couldn’t grasp it and was unable to unleash their full potential. In a flash, Xu Qingfan remembered a cultivation method he hadn’t used in a long time—the "Spirit Purging Sutra."

To completely control the "Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic" and stand against the "Demonic Orb," Xu Qingfan wasted no time and immediately began to use the "Spirit Purging Sutra," preparing to merge the "Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic" into himself and reclaim control of his body and mind from the "Demonic Orb."

In fact, since the moment he obtained the "Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic," Xu Qingfan had thought about using the "Spirit Purging Sutra" to refine it into his body. However, the energy contained in the "Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic" was overwhelming and refining it would take too much time. Xu Qingfan hadn’t had a long period for closed-door training in many years. Moreover, the "Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic" was made from the bones of Master Jiuhuan, and with Xu Qingfan’s traditional personality, he couldn’t bring himself to merge someone’s remains into himself.

However, at this moment, Xu Qingfan didn’t care about the bones anymore; defeating the "Demonic Orb" was his most urgent need.

Xu Qingfan’s skill was far superior to the time he refined and merged with the "Wutong branch," but at the same time, the "Wutong branch" was not comparable to the "Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic." Though the time needed to merge the "Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic" using the "Spirit Purging Sutra" wouldn’t be as exaggerated as the one to two years required for blending with the "Wutong branch," it would still take at least eleven or twelve months.

But the "Demonic Orb" was advancing fiercely; its spreading demonic energy had already invaded Xu Qingfan’s entire body, beginning to transform him more deeply. If he only used the conventional method to merge the "Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic," it would be absolutely too late.

Suddenly, Xu Qingfan raised his hand and struck his chest fiercely, a light red, almost transparent blood spurted out of his mouth. Then it gathered in midair and slowly merged into the "Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic" on Xu Qingfan’s forehead. As the blood flowed in, the radiance of the "Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic" surged, and Xu Qingfan felt a deep connection, as if their hearts and bodies were linked. The merging speed increased more than tenfold.

This blood was none other than Xu Qingfan’s "Original Life Essence Blood," which was more precious than even vital blood, a hundred times more valuable. Vital blood is the essence of blood, though valuable, it can be gradually restored after being lost. However, Original Life Essence Blood is inherent to one’s life, and cultivation will not increase it; sickness or injury will not decrease it. Previously, when Zhang Xusheng’s body was destroyed, he escaped with only his Nascent Soul and Original Life Essence Blood, later using the Original Life Essence Blood to reshape his body, showing how precious it was.

Xu Qingfan’s Original Life Essence Blood was almost half of all the Original Life Essence Blood in his body. Losing so much in one breath would cause endless trouble in the future, even if he could merge with the "Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic" right away.

However, to resist the attack of the "Magic Pearl," Xu Qingfan couldn’t think of anything else at that moment.

As the merging with the "Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic" sped up, the black mist and golden-white light surrounding Xu Qingfan were again in a standoff, while his eyes shifted from normal to pitch black, looking very strange.

On the other side, watching Xu Qingfan’s actions, Zhang Xusheng, who usually seemed carefree, now looked a bit blank and murmured, "Demon… Relic… ‘Spirit Purging Sutra’…"

While speaking, Zhang Xusheng suddenly laughed loudly at the sky and said, "Jiuhuan, no wonder you were willing to give your own relic to this kid Xu Qingfan back then. It turns out you already anticipated this day. I can’t compare to you in understanding the Heavenly Way…"

Zhang Xusheng seemed to combine many different personalities at once; after finishing his laugh, the carefree look on his face quickly turned gloomy as he muttered to himself, "But if that’s the case, with this Xu Qingfan merging with the relic that holds the Power of the Holy Spirit, whether he will fall into darkness while battling the ‘Magic Pearl’ is uncertain."

While speaking, Zhang Xusheng looked at Xu Qingfan with a sly expression, as if he was planning to do something.

But suddenly, Zhang Xusheng’s body shook, and he turned to look at the distant horizon, where three powerful presences were quickly approaching.

"Oh no! I got too into it and let those three old fools catch up!"

After finishing his words, Zhang Xusheng turned his head, looking regretfully at Xu Qingfan, and said, "Forget it, I won’t change anything on purpose. Xu Qingfan, you are on your own now. I can’t wait to see what you’ll become by the time we meet again, merging the ‘Dark Pearl’ and the ‘Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic’, two completely opposite things. I really look forward to it…"

As he was speaking, Zhang Xusheng suddenly paused for a moment and murmured, "Wait, this situation can’t be something that old Jiuhuan has found out about, can it? Being toyed with by him, even if he’s already dead, is still hard to swallow."

While speaking, Zhang Xusheng suddenly noticed the Soul Bead of Zhang Hualing on the ground, which Xu Qingfan had tossed aside. He reached out, grabbed the Soul Bead, examined it for a moment, and softly said to himself, "Soul Bead, corruption invading… I see, this must belong to that little guy Zhang Hualing. After resisting for over a hundred years, he is on the brink of falling into darkness…"

In the middle of speaking, Zhang Xusheng suddenly had a new thought. He bent down closer to Xu Qingfan’s ear, who was focused on resisting the ‘Dark Pearl’ and merging with the ‘Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic’, and whispered, "Oh, by the way, Xu Qingfan, I need to tell you something. The main forces of the Righteous Alliance have all arrived at my base, but Zhang Hualing is likely in seclusion to resist the invasion of corruption. However, he’s about to fully enter the path of darkness… At this moment, besides him, there are no more masters on ‘Ronghua Mountain’. Your three disciples should still be on ‘Ronghua Mountain’, right? And there are countless ordinary cultivators within that area. What will happen to them once Zhang Hualing completely falls into darkness? Remember, according to the Soul Bead, Zhang Hualing has less than a month before he fully succumbs to evil. If you can’t completely rid yourself of the ‘Dark Pearl’ and get to ‘Ronghua Mountain’ within that month, then you can expect a scene of death everywhere on ‘Ronghua Mountain’, hahahaha…"

While speaking, Zhang Xusheng flipped his hand and tucked Zhang Hualing’s Soul Bead into his sleeve. Then he pointed at the sand beneath Xu Qingfan and, without hesitation, flew off into the distance. Earlier, under the influence of the "Overflowing Night" technique, Little Black had lost his senses but could still feel Xu Qingfan’s pain and his struggle between good and evil through their mental connection.

As Zhang Xusheng flew away, the "Overflowing Night" technique faded, and the trapped Little Black and nearly three thousand "Dark Crows" were instantly freed. Little Black, worried, rushed toward Xu Qingfan but hesitated when he came within ten feet of him. He saw Xu Qingfan engulfed in endless black mist, with flashes of golden white light flickering beneath it. Both the black mist and the golden white light filled Little Black with intense fear. Though he desperately wanted to fly to Xu Qingfan’s side, he could only hover nervously a few feet away, crying out in distress.

However, a stranger thing happened. As Zhang Xusheng left, the place where Xu Qingfan was standing turned into quicksand. Xu Qingfan and a few objects nearby slowly sank into the quicksand and disappeared from sight.

Seeing this, Little Black finally overcame his fear and rushed toward Xu Qingfan. Although Xu Qingfan had already sunk, Little Black did not hesitate and entered the quicksand alongside him. The other "Dark Crows," recognizing Little Black as their leader, fearlessly followed Xu Qingfan and Little Black into the quicksand.

As all the "Dark Crows" entered the quicksand, it suddenly stabilized, no longer flowing. In the pitch-black night, the yellow sand lay calm, and a fierce wind blew across, leaving no trace of what had happened before.

Not long after, three rays of light shot down from the sky and paused for a moment where Xu Qingfan had vanished. Then, one of the rays echoed with Mr. Liu’s puzzled voice.

"It seems that there was a very complex and strange energy wave here just now, mixing good and evil, which is quite puzzling."

"Let’s not worry about that for now," said Immortal Zizhen’s voice that followed. "The most important thing now is to chase Zhang Xusheng."

"Yes, Zhang Xusheng is not far from us, and at this rate, we can catch up in half an hour."

As Li Fulu’s voice faded, the three rays of light swiftly pursued the direction Zhang Xusheng had fled, completely unaware that deep in the yellow sands, Xu Qingfan was already facing a difficult choice.