Volume 1 Volume 6 Chapter 120

Volume 6 Chapter 120: Gathering at Black Emperor Cliff (Part 1)

"Wait a moment."

Just as Immortal Zizhen was about to reveal the scene inside the "Shadow Tear" to everyone, Zhang Xusheng suddenly stopped him.

Immortal Zizhen looked at Zhang Xusheng in confusion, but saw Zhang Xusheng slowly smile and say, "In this world, things can be true or false, false or true, or a mix of both. Even what we see with our own eyes may not be real, let alone the scene inside the ‘Shadow Tear.’ It is important to look at the ‘Shadow Tear,’ but we do not need to do so in front of everyone. If the scene inside is true, that is fine, but if it turns out to be false or if there is some misunderstanding later, it may not be good for Xu Qingfan."

Hearing Zhang Xusheng’s words, Immortal Zizhen and Mr. Liu exchanged glances and nodded slightly at each other. They then said to the people of the Righteous Alliance who had gathered around, "Before we clarify the matter, let the few of us investigate the scene inside the Shadow Tear first. To prevent any hidden issues, do not jump to other conclusions. Once we have fully investigated everything, we will explain to everyone. For now, please, each of you, disperse."

Upon hearing Zhang Xusheng and Immortal Zizhen’s words, Gongsun Huasa felt a flash of helplessness and hatred in his eyes. The reason he disregarded Jiuhua’s reputation and revealed this matter in front of everyone was to gain an advantage. First impressions are very powerful; if everyone believes Xu Qingfan killed Zhang Hualing with bad intentions, then even if Xu Qingfan defends himself or presents helpful evidence later, it will be very hard to change people’s minds about him. Additionally, because of his ongoing efforts to shape the narrative, Xu Qingfan had almost no chance to turn things around. Even if he was not evil, he would be forced onto that path.

However, he never expected that his carefully thought-out plan for many years would be ruined by Zhang Xusheng’s few casual words.

However, in an instant, Gongsun Huasa seemed to have thought of something, and after a quick flash in his eyes, he surprisingly did not voice any objections.

After the cultivators of the Righteous Alliance dispersed, Immortal Zizhen waved his hand, and immediately, strands of purple mist wrapped around him and the masters around him, making it impossible for anyone to see in or out. Originally, Immortal Zizhen intended to keep Zhang Xusheng outside, but unexpectedly, Zhang Xusheng took a step forward and entered the purple mist as well.

Noticing Immortal Zizhen’s somewhat stern gaze, Zhang Xusheng smiled and showed no intention of leaving. Immortal Zizhen sighed softly but did not try to chase him away.

Looking at the "Shadow Tear" in his hand, Immortal Zizhen seemed to think of something and couldn’t help but snort coldly.

"What’s wrong?" Mr. Liu asked.

"That Gongsun Huasa really can’t make a big impact. Even at this time, he causes such troubles. We can’t ignore it; the reputation accumulated by Jiuhua over a thousand years would be ruined, not to mention delaying the formalities. His short-sightedness only focuses on a temporary power struggle, and he will never achieve anything great in the future."

Mr. Liu silently sighed and said, "Let’s first take a look at the scene inside the ‘Shadow Tear’."

Immortal Zizhen nodded and injected a stream of Spirit Qi into the "Shadow Tear." Immediately, a soft glow burst forth from it, casting light beneath everyone’s feet. Inside the light, there seemed to be a miniature world, with every plant and tree clearly visible, presenting the scenery of the Alchemy Area in "Ronghua Mountain."

In the picture, there is a person surrounded by dark energy who thrust a sword into Zhang Hualing’s chest, and Zhang Hualing’s form began to quickly wither and age.

"Demon Master?!"

"The dark path has returned?!"

"World Defying Sword?!"

Seeing this scene, the masters around couldn’t help but shudder, then blurted out. The dark path had not appeared for ten thousand years, so it was no surprise that these masters were so astonished.

For those in power, humanity’s greatest enemy always comes from within. "To fight external threats, we must first secure our own" has always been their most shouted slogan. After all, external threats only concern survival, while internal threats are about the leadership of all humanity and the principles they have upheld for their entire lives. To most people, survival seems more important, but to those involved, until the last moment, the latter is of greater significance. In some ways, those in power believe that the dark path is a greater threat than the Shura Clan.

Furthermore, when the dark path rises, humanity is not far from destruction. For cultivators, demon cultivators are devils, not humans, and they are no longer of the same race.

Just as the masters were still shocked by the return of the dark path, the scene below astonished them even more.

They saw petals of golden lotus flowers falling from the sky, and amidst the dazzling golden light, Jin Qinghan wore an imposing expression, standing on the golden lotus, with thousands of Buddha shadows faintly appearing behind him, slowly descending before the Demon Master and Zhang Hualing’s body.

"Golden Lotus Avenue!"

"Pure Land Sect?"

This time, the ones who were amazed were only Master Tianhan and Master Bo Guangyan from "Mercy Cloud Temple." Back when the "Pure Land Sect" unified the teachings of Buddhism and Daoism, their "Mercy Cloud Temple" was a small temple that faced severe suppression due to differing beliefs. Concerned about the transmission of Buddhist teachings, the two looked increasingly serious.

Although Buddhism emphasizes compassion, its teachings are profound, and everyone understands them differently. Practitioners usually appear humble and non-confrontational, but when it comes to the core beliefs they spend their lives practicing, they can behave like fanatics. The conflicts between different Buddhist ideologies over thousands of years have been as brutal, if not more so, than the battle between righteousness and evil. Major sects like "Mercy Cloud Temple" and "Pure Land Sect," once prestigious, have faced complete destruction due to differing beliefs, with no one left standing.

Just then, the most shocking scene finally appeared.

From somewhere, Jin Qinghan struck out with a hand, sending out a golden light that dispersed the demonic mist surrounding the demon cultivator. His face was revealed to everyone. Although there were dark patterns on his face, it was undoubtedly the familiar figure of Xu Qingfan!

The scene within the light screen froze, and everyone’s expressions did too.

When the masters had previously heard Gongsun Huasa say that Xu Qingfan had killed Zhang Hualing, they understood the seriousness of the matter but felt no tension, as they believed that Xu Qingfan, given his character, would not kill Zhang Hualing without it being an accident or due to some unavoidable circumstances. Even if the situation was true, there would still be a way to negotiate.

But now, whether Xu Qingfan killed Zhang Hualing out of intention or circumstance was no longer important; what mattered was that Xu Qingfan was actually the Demon Master!

The return of the dark magic is the most important thing.

"This scene is just a small part; it does not explain the causes and effects. We should not jump to conclusions. It is better to investigate thoroughly after we battle the ‘Dark’ organization. Moreover, Xu Qingfan suddenly becoming the Demon Master caught us all by surprise. There was not even a hint of it beforehand, and we have not noticed anything unusual for a hundred years. Something seems off, and there may be hidden truths."

Mr. Liu finally regained his composure from the shock and, with a serious expression, spoke slowly.

Immortal Zizhen, however, merely glanced at Mr. Liu with a deep gaze, remaining silent, with neither agreement nor disagreement.

Mr. Liu looked at Immortal Zizhen and then at the other masters who were also silent. He felt a heavy weight in his heart. It would have been better if Zizhen and the others had argued, but now everyone was speechless…

Meanwhile, Zhang Xusheng watched the scene in "Shadow Tear" with an admiring expression, his eyes filled with anticipation and excitement. Master Tianhan and Master Bo Guangyan were fixated on Xu Qingfan and Jin Qinghan, glancing at Xu Qingfan, then at Jin Qinghan, but ultimately their gazes lingered on Jin Qinghan, their eyes flickering, unsure of what they were thinking.

"Jiuhua has truly produced some remarkable talents."

Li Fulu broke the silence with a calm remark.

Zhang Xusheng looked deeply at Li Fulu, then spoke to bring everyone back from their worries about dark magic to reality.

"Everyone, should we go find the ‘Underworld’ organization or not? If you don’t plan to do that and instead want to deal with the dark path or something else first, then I’m afraid I can’t join you, as my time is very precious."

Immortal Zizhen’s face was calm, and no one could tell what he was thinking at that moment. He glanced at Zhang Xusheng, who was watching with amusement, and said softly, "The bigger picture is important, so we should first deal with the ‘Underworld’ organization. However, just in case, the plan will need to be adjusted a bit…"

However, before Immortal Zizhen could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the loud noises from the large Righteous Alliance group outside the purple barrier. He frowned slightly, waved his hand, and the purple barrier disappeared, revealing countless experts from the Righteous Alliance who were gathered together, all showing looks of disbelief.

At the center of these Righteous Alliance experts was Gongsun Huasa, wearing a slightly proud smile, holding a ‘Shadow Tear’ that looked exactly like the one in Immortal Zizhen’s hand. The scene displayed under the ‘Shadow Tear’ was also identical to the one held by Immortal Zizhen.

Since it was about whether they could completely defeat Xu Qingfan, Gongsun Huasa naturally prepared more than just one ‘Shadow Tear Worm’ for monitoring. At this moment, Gongsun Huasa was showcasing the other ‘Shadow Tear Worm’s’ ‘Shadow Tear’, revealing the scene of Xu Qingfan killing Zhang Hualing to countless experts of the Righteous Alliance.

A killing intent flashed like lightning, coming from the pale-faced Mr. Liu.