Volume 1 Volume 6 Chapter 126

Volume 6 Chapter 126: Gathering at Black Emperor Cliff (Part 7)

"Now, please assist us, white martial uncle, in searching for my uncle’s location."

Ting’er stared straight at Bai Qingfu; although she called him "martial uncle," her gaze was extremely dangerous. Clearly, if Bai Qingfu suddenly said he couldn’t help find Xu Qingfan, the outcome would be very unfortunate. It’s important to note that even though Bai Qingfu is technically Ting’er’s martial uncle, due to his years of imprisonment, he is not as powerful as Ting’er.

Knowing that Ting’er still doesn’t really believe he can find Xu Qingfan, Bai Qingfu smiled sadly and shook his head.

"Martial uncle, please don’t be angry. Ting’er, my elder martial sister, is not usually like this. After a sudden incident with our master, she became a bit confused. I believe that once our master is well, Ting’er will personally apologize to you."

At that moment, Bai Qingfu heard Zhang Ningmei’s voice beside him.

Bai Qingfu smiled and nodded at Zhang Ningmei, showing that he didn’t mind, then walked over to Ting’er, placed his hand on the back of her body, and sensed Ting’er’s body tremble. It seemed she was very unaccustomed to such contact, and was about to pull away when Bai Qingfu said, "Don’t move. I need to use the demonic energy within you to find Junior Brother Xu’s whereabouts."

Except for Xu Qingfan, no one else in the world had touched her body, even just a light touch like Bai Qingfu’s. For a moment, Ting’er felt very unaccustomed and had a strange expression, but upon hearing Bai Qingfu’s words, for the sake of Xu Qingfan, she forced herself to keep calm and suppress her emotions.

Then, everyone saw Bai Qingfu slowly close his eyes, and a mysterious wave began to spread from him. The range of this wave was very small, confined to the area around him and Ting’er. Gradually, this strange wave started to change, adjusting slightly until it became more and more similar to the energy fluctuations coming from Ting’er.

When the energy fluctuations from both individuals completely matched, the onlookers suddenly felt a strange illusion, as if Bai Qingfu and Ting’er had become one at that moment.

Meanwhile, as Bai Qingfu became more familiar with and mimicked the demonic energy, using his skills, he felt his mind becoming empty and calm. His sensitivity to the Spirit Qi of the world gradually weakened until it disappeared, while his sensitivity to the demonic energy increased by hundreds of times.

As his sensitivity to the demonic energy greatly enhanced, Bai Qingfu felt a jolt in his body and noticed a faint presence of demonic energy constantly surrounding them. Following the trail of this demonic energy, he saw that nearly a thousand miles west of "Ronghua Mountain," a powerful and unmatched demonic energy was violently fluctuating, seemingly competing with another force for something, gaining the upper hand.

Bai Qingfu sighed in relief; he had finally found Xu Qingfan’s whereabouts.

However, just as Bai Qingfu was about to regain his focus, his body suddenly shook again. He felt a surge of demonic energy, more powerful than Xu Qingfan’s, appear not far from him. It flashed in and out in an instant. Bai Qingfu searched again but couldn’t find even a trace of it. This powerful demonic energy came quickly and vanished just as fast. If it weren’t for its strength, Bai Qingfu would have thought it was just his imagination.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Bai Qingfu’s hands left Ting’er’s back, and he slowly opened his eyes, filled with shock and disbelief.

At this moment, Xu Qingfan was a master. What kind of being would have demonic energy more than ten times stronger than Xu Qingfan’s?

"Did you find Uncle?"

Sensing Bai Qingfu’s hands leaving her back, Ting’er quickly turned to him and asked. Others, like Dongfang Qingling, also watched Bai Qingfu nervously, their eyes full of hope and worry.

"I found him," Bai Qingfu said slowly, gazing at Xu Qingfan’s location. "But things are probably not that simple."

"What do you mean?" Zhang Ningmei asked.

"About a thousand miles west from here is where Junior Brother Xu is. But…"

Before Bai Qingfu could finish, several beams of spiritual light flashed in front of him, flying towards Xu Qingfan’s location based on Bai Qingfu’s words. Bai Qingfu looked around again but found that only Zhang Ningmei was left beside him.

Bai Qingfu gave a wry smile and said to Zhang Ningmei, "Let’s talk while we hurry along."

Saying this, Bai Qingfu and Zhang Ningmei also leaped up, flying onto the yellow bird, chasing after Ting’er, Dongfang Qingling, and the others.

While flying, Bai Qingfu shared everything he felt when using his secret technique with Zhang Ningmei. Hearing that there might be a powerful master hiding nearby, Zhang Ningmei was startled, and worry appeared in her eyes.

"Didn’t they say that the dark forces were already destroyed? Master is now a Mahayana Stage master. If there is someone even stronger than him, they must be as powerful as Immortal Zizhen and the others. Could it be… could Master have fallen into darkness because of this person?"

Zhang Ningmei said with concern.

Bai Qingfu admired Zhang Ningmei, who kept her calm while others were anxious; with her nature, she would likely achieve greater heights in the future than the others.

But Bai Qingfu shook his head and said, "I don’t know if the hidden person caused Junior Brother Xu to fall into darkness. Even if this person is very powerful, we don’t need to worry. With his skills, he shouldn’t care about us. However, when I accidentally sensed his presence, he immediately concealed his demonic energy. He probably doesn’t want anyone to notice him, so we should pretend we don’t know he exists. I believe he won’t act against us."

Zhang Ningmei nodded.

"What I truly worry about is Junior Brother Xu," Bai Qingfu said with a frown. "According to my detection, Junior Brother Xu hasn’t completely fallen into darkness. For some reason, a very strong demonic energy has suddenly appeared in him, and it is fiercely taking over Junior Brother Xu’s body. Although Junior Brother Xu is resisting with all his might, he won’t be able to hold out much longer. What concerns me is, even if we find Junior Brother Xu, how can we help him break free from the control of the demonic energy?"

Upon hearing Bai Qingfu’s words, Zhang Ningmei frowned as well.

In the midst of their conversation, the two finally arrived at the spot where Xu Qingfan was, only to see that everyone had already found him and was gathered in a circle, watching over his condition.

What they called Xu Qingfan was actually just a thick, swirling mass of black mist surrounding a faint human shape. However, from the previous scene in "Shadow Tear," it was clear to everyone that this was indeed Xu Qingfan.

The demonic energy had a radius of about ten feet, completely enclosing Xu Qingfan’s body. It was churning violently, as if battling something. Meanwhile, the flowers and plants within the range of the demonic energy had grown several times larger, with thick and strangely dangerous stems, their color turning to deep purple. They seemed to have gained the ability to move, gnawing at each other within the demonic energy. Clearly, they had been corrupted by the demonic energy leaking from Xu Qingfan.

Although everyone wanted to find Xu Qingfan, seeing this scene left them unsure of what to do.

It was clear that Xu Qingfan was being corrupted by the demonic energy. Despite his fierce resistance, he showed almost no strength to fight back. While everyone wanted to help him escape the control of the demonic energy, they were too afraid to even get close to it.

"What should we do?" Dongfang Qingling wanted to approach Xu Qingfan but was stopped by Zhang Ningmei. Looking at the increasingly powerful demonic energy, she urgently asked the others.

The group looked serious, their eyes fixed on the vast demonic energy, but no one had a solution.

Tian Zhenxian and Tian Zhenling exchanged anxious glances, filled with worry and panic. Bai Yu held Little Gray and mumbled to himself, though no one knew what he was saying. Since learning of Xu Qingfan’s trouble, Dongfang Qingling had become flustered, lacking her usual strength and grace, and was now on the verge of tears. Bai Qingfu and Zhang Ningmei frowned deeply, their eyes showing more urgency and helplessness than anyone else.

"Let me give it a try."

After hesitating for a moment, a look of determination suddenly appeared on Wang Zegang’s face, and he spoke up.

Wang Zegang’s abilities were the highest among everyone, and at this moment, he seemed to be the only one who might have a solution. After hearing Wang Zegang’s words, everyone looked at him with eager expressions.

"If I die, then I die. After all, I owe Xu Qingfan three lives."

Wang Zegang wasn’t entirely sure but sighed quietly in his heart and walked slowly towards the edge of the vast demonic energy.

With each step forward, everyone felt that Wang Zegang was slowly radiating two completely opposing waves of energy. One was extremely strong and bright, while the other was very soft and dark. Although these two kinds of Spirit Qi were very different, they blended together harmoniously, gradually merging into one. There was softness within the strength and brightness within the darkness. Then, the two energies slowly formed a clear yet formless Taiji symbol in front of him!

"Huh?" Dongfang Qingling, Zhang Ningmei, and Bai Yu gasped in disbelief. The use of Spirit Qi was so similar to Xu Qingfan’s ultimate skill, "Cycle of Life and Death." It was just a change from Xu Qingfan’s life and death energies to the yin and yang energies.

Wang Zegang came from a third-rate sect in the cultivation world. Although the "Xuanyin Technique" in the sect was also considered a decent skill, it could not last long in isolation. Though its power was amazing, it was hard to achieve great success. In fact, Wang Zegang was the first in the sect’s history to use this cultivation method to elevate his strength to the peak of the Real Golden Core Stage.

Later, Xu Qingfan handed a yang property cultivation method he had taken from a member of an organization called "Ming" to Wang Zegang. With the blending of yin and yang, Wang Zegang’s cultivation, which had been stagnant for many years, surged forward in an instant. Not only did he reach the Golden Core Stage in a short time, but within just a few years, he was also nearing the late stage of the Golden Core Stage. After being suppressed for so long, Wang Zegang’s progress was truly astonishing.

At that time, besides giving the newly developed cultivation method to Wang Zegang, Xu Qingfan also shared his experiences gained from years of using life and death energy with Wang Zegang, including the method of "life and death reincarnation." Although the Yin-Yang energy and the life and death energy are different, they have some similarities. Wang Zegang proved to be an extraordinary talent and actually created a cultivation method very close to "life and death reincarnation" based on Xu Qingfan’s ideas. It is worth noting that Xu Qingfan had also developed this amazing ability with Mr. Liu’s help back then.

In fact, for Wang Zegang, Xu Qingfan had saved him three times, but that was still not enough for him to be completely loyal to Xu Qingfan. The reason he continued to follow Xu Qingfan even when he fell into darkness was largely due to Xu Qingfan’s selfless teaching. For a cultivator, nothing is more important than improving one’s own skills.

And this "Yin-Yang Cycle" method was the only way Wang Zegang thought could help Xu Qingfan.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Wang Zegang continuously changed his hand movements. The "Yin-Yang Cycle" spun and slowly entered the black magical fog before them. The demonic energy was incredibly powerful, yet under the fusion of yin and yang, it seemed to be temporarily unable to retaliate.

Then, a spark flashed in Wang Zegang’s eyes, and he let out a low shout. The "Yin-Yang Cycle" he controlled began to spin quickly within the magical fog.

The rapidly spinning "Yin-Yang Cycle" was like a millstone, refining the surrounding demonic energy into nothingness, causing it to disappear without a trace.

Although it was only a small amount of demonic energy leaking from Xu Qingfan, seeing the magical fog dissipate so quickly still brought surprise to everyone. If it weren’t for their concern for Xu Qingfan, they would have cheered.

However, while everything seemed to be going smoothly on the outside, only Wang Zegang truly understood the difficulty of the situation. Although this magical fog was merely due to the leakage of demonic energy from Xu Qingfan’s body, compared to the demonic energy within him, it was less than one percent. Nevertheless, it was seemingly endless. Every time Wang Zegang dissolved and refined some demonic energy, the same amount would leak out from Xu Qingfan’s body. Although the fusion of yin and yang made the "Yin-Yang Cycle" incredibly stable, being surrounded by endless demonic energy began to gradually penetrate his being.

The reason demonic energy is terrifying lies in two points: first, its immense destructive power, and second, its unparalleled ability to infiltrate and transform. Any living thing, stone, wood, or Spirit Qi in the world can be turned into a terrifying demon under the influence of demonic energy.

The "Yin-yang Cycle" was formed from all of Wang Zegang’s Spirit Qi. At this moment, he felt his entire Spirit Qi gradually being infiltrated and transformed by the demonic energy in the mist. Wang Zegang’s heart slowly filled with fear, but remembering that what he was doing was also helping Xu Qingfan, he endured the panic inside, gritting his teeth to hold on.

And so, in the battle between Wang Zegang and the demonic energy, two hours passed without anyone noticing. Wang Zegang’s expression was determined, while the others watched anxiously beside him.

During those two hours, Wang Zegang dispelled an unknown amount of demonic energy. At first, the leaking demonic energy was completely suppressed by him, but gradually, the situation began to change.

At first, as they saw the black mist around Xu Qingfan gradually dissolve and fade, Xu Qingfan’s figure became visible before them, and everyone felt joy in their hearts.

But soon, everyone sensed that something was wrong. As time passed, the spinning of the "Yin-yang Cycle" slowed down more and more, and the mist became thick again. Wang Zegang’s body began to tremble, his face turned pale, and cold sweat poured down his brow. Everyone started to feel a sense of unease.

Suddenly, a deep rumbling sound echoed from within the mist. The mist shook for a moment, then immediately returned to calm. But Wang Zegang suddenly collapsed to the ground, blood streaming from his seven orifices, injured by the backlash of his own power.

Bai Qingfu was shocked and quickly ran to Wang Zegang’s side, helping him up to prepare for treatment. To his horror, he discovered that Wang Zegang’s body was not only injured by the backlash of his power, but there was also a trace of demonic energy that had appeared in Wang Zegang’s body, quickly moving through his meridians as if it wanted to transform him.

Looking down, Wang Zegang’s eyes were filled with despair. He had used up all his Spirit Qi to dispel the demonic energy around Xu Qingfan, and now he could no longer resist the invasion of the demonic energy.

Seeing this scene, Bai Qingfu was greatly alarmed and shouted to the people nearby, "Taoist Friend Wang’s body is invaded by demonic energy! Everyone, come and help me drive it out of Taoist Friend Wang’s body!"

Although everyone was worried about Xu Qingfan’s safety at that moment, Wang Zegang was still their companion, and it was to save Xu Qingfan that he had fallen into danger. So, they gathered behind Wang Zegang, supporting each other’s backs, uniting their strength to drive away the trace of demonic energy inside Wang Zegang.

The demonic energy was incredibly powerful. Although it was far fewer in number compared to everyone working together, as it moved within Wang Zegang’s body, it was not dispersed by the others. Instead, it absorbed Wang Zegang’s strength and grew even stronger.

Seeing this scene, everyone felt extremely anxious. Could it be that not only were they unable to help Xu Qingfan escape the control of the demonic energy, but they would also lose Wang Zegang?

"Eek, eek…"

A sound like a squirrel echoed as the little creature named Bai on Ting’er’s shoulder suddenly squeaked loudly. This creature, also known as the "Pixiu" or "Tianlu," naturally had a strong aversion to demonic energy. The presence of this energy around Ting’er had troubled it for quite some time, and now, seeing the overwhelming amount of demonic energy, it could no longer hold back its cries and was eager to act.

Bai’s squealing brought Ting’er out of her confusion.

From the moment she arrived here until now, watching Xu Qingfan surrounded by demonic energy, Ting’er had been lost in thought.

This scene reminded her of two similar memories buried deep in her mind, one involving her and the other her father, Xu Lin.

Ting’er vaguely realized what had happened. It seemed that the "Magic Pearl," which she thought had been sealed long ago, had returned and now harmed Xu Qingfan?

At this moment, Ting’er suddenly felt something called "destiny."

This "magic pearl" really has a connection with the Xu family; the last three descendants of the Xu family were unexpectedly affected by it one after another.

However, when thinking of the "magic pearl," she first recalled not her father, who died because of it, but the image of Xu Qingfan kneeling before many masters of "Penance Valley," desperately begging them to spare Ting’er, who had been changed by the magic pearl, after her father’s death.

Perhaps, after more than a hundred years, her father Xu Lin’s shadow had gradually faded in Ting’er’s heart, replaced by the image of Xu Qingfan gently smiling and softly patting her head. This image had become everything in Ting’er’s life.

"Ting’er, will you walk with me forever?"

Then, before she broke through to the Condensed Core Stage, Xu Qingfan gently held her and whispered in her ear; that sentence made Ting’er’s heart feel warmth for the first time, and that embrace was so memorable.

Remembering how Xu Qingfan had worked tirelessly for the victory of the righteous path and the lives of friends over the years, although he always smiled gently in front of Ting’er, she could still sense the deep exhaustion in his expression.

"Uncle has always been upright; it must be very painful for him to be forced into darkness at this time, right?"

Ting’er thought to herself, her eyes shining with strange emotions. After being startled awake by Xiao Bai’s scream, she suddenly moved.

"Uncle, you said you would walk with me, but over the years, you have always broken your promise, leaving me alone on Ronghua Mountain to fight by myself. I know you just want to protect me, but all I want is to be with you…"

As she softly whispered, Ting’er slowly walked in front of Wang Zegang, placing both hands on his chest. Everyone was shocked to see the demonic energy inside Zhang Zegang seemed to find a home and quickly entered Ting’er’s body, as if her body was the home for this energy.

Just when everyone breathed a sigh of relief, they were horrified to discover that after Ting’er took the demonic energy from Wang Zegang, she silently turned around and walked towards the demonic energy around Xu Qingfan.

When Zhang Ningmei, Bai Yu, and others saw this scene, they were all shocked and tried to stop her, but a black wall of magical fire suddenly appeared, keeping them from reaching Ting’er.

So, everyone could only watch helplessly as Ting’er’s body disappeared into the endless black magical mist.

Her figure was full of determination.

As Ting’er made contact with the mist, Xiao Bai screamed and jumped off her body, running far away and continuously calling out anxiously to Ting’er in the mist.

"No! Ting’er, elder martial sister!" Zhang Ningmei cried out in shock. "Master said you must never touch demonic energy again, or else…"

Just as everyone was shocked and screaming at this scene, Ting’er’s voice suddenly came from within the mist.

In the sound, there was a faint feeling of release and joy.

"Ningmei, I know that by doing this, I will fall into darkness forever, but please don’t worry, because by doing this, I can be with my uncle, and that makes me very happy…"

"My uncle said he wanted me to stay with him forever. I promised him I would, no matter how he changes. If he turns into a demon, then I will also turn into a demon. I want to face the world’s hatred with him. He doesn’t like being alone, but he always faces everything by himself. He is so tired, and I don’t want him to be so tired…"

"My uncle raised and taught me, and now it’s time for me to repay him. If I can help him avoid becoming a demon, then even if I become a demon and am hated by everyone, it won’t matter…"

"But if that happens, I won’t be able to be with my uncle…"

For the first time, Ting’er’s voice was so calm.

As Ting’er’s body completely sank into the mighty demonic energy, her voice gradually became vague and could not be heard. The vast demonic mist wrapping around Xu Qingfan’s body suddenly underwent a remarkable change!