Volume 1 Volume 6 Chapter 17

Volume 6 Chapter 17: A Thousand Miles Away (Part 1)

"When a cultivator divines, there is a small chance they can enter the ‘Entering Xuan’ state, which allows them to see a scene of events that will happen at some moment in the future. This scene is both real and illusory. The real aspect means that what is shown in the scene will indeed happen at some moment in the future, while the illusory aspect means that certain events in the scene may not actually occur at the moment shown; they are merely metaphors relating to the future development of the divined matter. Whether one can understand it depends on the diviner’s insight and fortune."

The words above were spoken during a discussion between Xu Qingfan and Mr. Liu—mainly Mr. Liu speaking while Xu Qingfan listened.

What parts of the images seen during the fortune-telling are real, and what parts are illusions? Xu Qingfan has been thinking about this for days. Does the tall, dark shadow that completely surrounds him represent an opponent he cannot resist? And what does the middle-aged scholar, who appears vaguely in the images with a smile, represent?

The answer seems to be revealed at this moment.

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The dark energy can corrode everything and is one of the most primitive forces of nature from the beginning of the world. Although Xu Qingfan practices "Withered qi" and his spirit pet Little Black can directly control the dark energy, Xu Qingfan still has no effective way to defend against it. Perhaps refining it into "Withered qi" is one method, but if a large amount of dark energy suddenly invades his body, Xu Qingfan would not have time to refine and merge it before he turns into a mere skeleton.

For others, the situation is even worse.

In fact, not only Xu Qingfan and his group, but throughout the cultivation world for thousands of years, no one has developed a way to resist the dark energy.

Because of this, when Jin Qinghan, Wang Zegang, and the others discovered that the sudden appearance surrounding them was the legendary dark energy, shock and despair showed on their faces. Even the usually calm Jin Qinghan was no exception. Although Xu Qingfan quickly protected everyone with the "Five Spirit Bell," they did not hold much hope in it, as the power of the dark energy was deeply feared.

And indeed, this is the truth. Although Xu Qingfan’s "Five Spirit Bell" is a heavenly-level high-grade magic tool and a strong defense treasure, it still cannot withstand the corrosion of the dark energy, especially when facing such a powerful force.

Controlling the "Five Spirit Bell," Xu Qingfan could even clearly feel the energy inside the "Five Spirit Bell" being corroded and assimilated by the endless death energy, and its internal structure began to gradually collapse, unable to hold on for much longer.

"Who exactly is able to wield such powerful death energy? Although it is not pure, it should not belong to a human. Could it be a demon beast? But when did the Southern Wasteland have such a strange demon beast? And why didn’t it leave with the nine-tailed demon fox?"

Xu Qingfan felt anxious inside, and silently guessed.

Faintly, Xu Qingfan seemed to hear Little Black happily calling outside the protective shield formed by the "Five Spirit Bell," flying in this sea of death energy. For Little Black, it was truly a paradise, and it hadn’t absorbed death energy so freely in a long time.

However, Xu Qingfan couldn’t be cheered by Little Black’s joy; the Cloud of Death contained such vast amounts of death energy that even if Little Black had two or three years, it still might not be able to absorb it all.

"This won’t do." With the death energy eroding, the "Five Spirit Bell" was about to collapse, while the others could do nothing but watch anxiously. Xu Qingfan quietly made up his mind, "It has to be this way."

In a moment of urgency, Xu Qingfan suddenly stepped forward, placing his hand on the protective shield of the "Five Spirit Bell." The "Flourish Qi" within him spread out swiftly into the "Five Spirit Bell." Suddenly, the "Five Spirit Bell," which had been losing its shine, emitted pure white Holy Spirit light. Under this radiant glow, the surrounding Cloud of Death was instantly pushed back several feet, giving Xu Qingfan a much-needed moment to breathe.

"Oh?"

A soft "oh" suddenly sounded from the Cloud of Death. Although it was a voice of confusion, it still sounded incredibly gloomy. Xu Qingfan’s body shivered; the intruder turned out to be a human. Can a human really wield death energy?

Unavoidably, Xu Qingfan remembered a long time ago when he had dealt with a member of the "Ming" organization called "Number Two." That person could also use death energy, but compared to this one, it was like a drop of water compared to the ocean.

"To control so much death energy, could this person be a master of death energy?"

Although Xu Qingfan felt shocked, the situation did not allow him to think much. "Flourish Qi" could counter death energy, but the incoming death energy was too powerful. After just a moment, the Cloud of Death once again drew near, and the light given off by "Flourish Qi" quickly compressed into a thin layer. The Spirit Qi within Xu Qingfan was clashing directly with the death energy and was being consumed at an alarming rate.

The death energy surged like an ocean, while Xu Qingfan’s "Flourish Qi" and "Five Spirit Bell" were merely a lonely boat in a raging sea, about to capsize at any moment. He did not know how long it had been, but Xu Qingfan’s face gradually turned pale, sweat soaked his clothes, and his body began to tremble from exhaustion. Just when it seemed he could not hold on any longer, the Cloud of Death surrounding the "Five Spirit Bell" suddenly began to withdraw slowly.

Before, Xu Qingfan had focused entirely on resisting the incoming death energy and could not spare any thoughts. Now he finally had a chance to breathe. Without considering why the person had suddenly held back, he turned to the still bewildered group and whispered, "The situation has changed. We cannot wait for those heavenly level demon beasts to appear. You all need to activate the ‘Sky Escaping Talisman’ right now and run as far as you can. The person is beyond our ability to resist."

In the face of the terrifying death energy, Jin Qinghan was the first to regain his calm. Upon hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, he frowned and asked, "What do you mean? Aren’t you coming with us?"

Xu Qingfan replied with a bitter smile, "I must stay behind to buy some time, and besides, I need to deal with the matter of Little Gold."

A flash of anger crossed Jin Qinghan’s eyes, either because Xu Qingfan was leaving him to face danger alone for the second time or because he felt that no matter how much he improved, he was always powerless at critical times. As soon as Xu Qingfan’s words fell, Jin Qinghan firmly said, "If we go, we go together."

While Xu Qingfan and Jin Qinghan were talking in low voices, the others finally recovered from their shock and panic. After hearing Jin Qinghan’s words, they nodded one after another. Some showed hesitation, but it was sincere, including Li Yuhan, who had gradually grown distant from Xu Qingfan in recent days.

Xu Qingfan felt a slight stir in his heart, but harshly said, "This is the only choice. You must stay with me. Do you have a way to fight the Death Qi? No? Then are you asking me to waste my Spirit Qi to protect you? What good will it do for you to stay? Just to die? I have a way to fight the Death Qi and a glimmer of hope, and yet you want to drag me down with you?"

As the Death Qi outside the "Five Spirit Bell" was about to fade away and the enemy was about to appear, Xu Qingfan felt anxious. In order to make everyone leave quickly, he no longer cared about being polite and did not mind how others would feel after hearing him. He used sarcasm, provocation, and insults all at once.

Xu Qingfan was not truly selfless, willing to sacrifice himself for the safety of others; it was just as he had said before, if he dragged the newcomers with him, the others could escape. Moreover, these people came to the Southern Wasteland because of him, and he didn’t want them to die just like that.

Seeing the hesitation on everyone’s faces, Xu Qingfan shouted, "Do as I say! Stop hesitating!"

Xu Qingfan usually spoke softly and slowly; even when he was angry, his tone only became cold and serious. But now with a sudden loud shout, everyone’s bodies shook, and they instinctively took out the "Sky Escaping Talisman" he gave them. Nine strange waves of Spirit Qi spread out from the nine people, but their faces held a look of unwillingness.

It takes a stick of incense’s time to activate the "Sky Escaping Talisman" and officially use it.

Xu Qingfan silently counted the time in his heart.

In his anxiousness, time seemed to flow so slowly, while the Cloud of Death that had been closing in was already gone.

When the scene finally became clear again, Xu Qingfan and the others saw a dark-robed, ominous cultivator standing silently about ten feet in front of them, with faintly green eyes staring intently at Xu Qingfan and the others.

The man in black had no air of threat about him, yet he gave off an endless feeling of bleak death. Just one glance was enough for Xu Qingfan to feel an unexplainable chill rising from his heart, unstoppable.

Behind the black-clad cultivator stood countless Southern Wasteland demon beasts, seemingly the same ones that had been chasing Xu Qingfan and his friends for days. However, the light of life was completely absent from their eyes, and their bodies were faintly oozing a greenish hue. They had all died, turning into beast-like zombies!

"Where is the sacred object?"

After looking over Xu Qingfan and the others for a moment, the black-clad cultivator locked his gaze on Xu Qingfan and asked in a deep, eerie voice.