Volume 1 Volume 6 Chapter 62

Volume 6 Chapter 62: The Road Ahead, Old Scenes, and the Battle With Monsters

"This must be the place."

In the deepest part of the Southern Wasteland, outside the black giant mountain where the kylin was, a middle-aged scholar floated in the air, gazing at the scene before him, quietly murmuring with a smile.

This middle-aged scholar had no imposing presence, yet he gave off a feeling of great danger. He was handsome, with a delicate aura, and his narrow eyes revealed he was Zhang Xusheng.

It was unclear why Zhang Xusheng, who should have been in seclusion refining the "Four Spirit Sky Map," appeared here at this moment.

"Sigh, the sky map was supposed to represent the Five Spirits, but that kylin is simply too powerful, and there are two of them. Even if the Righteous Alliance combined all their masters, victory wouldn’t be assured. They are indeed clever; unable to find the kylin, they managed to change the ‘Five Spirit Sky Map’ to ‘Four Spirit Sky Map.’ Although its power is weakened, it is still enough to handle everything."

"Unfortunately, it is still a flawed map. There will always be some imperfections in its operation. If I had known, I would not have given that little kylin to Xu Qingfan."

While murmuring to himself, Zhang Xusheng’s figure flashed, and in the next moment, he had already entered the cave beneath the black giant mountain.

The cave was deep and dark, stretching for hundreds of miles, but Zhang Xusheng moved swiftly, and in no time, he had flown nearly a hundred miles.

But when Zhang Xusheng flew to the center of the cave, his face showed surprise, and his quick movements suddenly paused.

With his eyes closed for a moment, Zhang Xusheng revealed a mysterious smile and whispered, "Oh? I didn’t expect that Xu Qingfan and Feng Qingtian had also been here and even fought each other. Xu Qingfan is surprising me more and more. I initially had the highest hopes for Feng Qingtian, but now it seems Xu Qingfan can stand on equal ground with Feng Qingtian… It looks like I need to change my strategy regarding Xu Qingfan and Feng Qingtian. But Feng Qingtian is not bad either. I have no idea where he has been all these years or what he has been doing. My expectations for these two have truly deepened. However, if Xu Qingfan came here because of that little kylin, what could Feng Qingtian be here for?"

Just by closing his eyes for a moment, Zhang Xusheng already understood the small details of the fight between Xu Qingfan and Feng Qingtian.

While speaking, a thoughtful expression flickered in Zhang Xusheng’s long eyes, but after a moment, he stopped thinking and suddenly disappeared, continuing to flash deeper into the cave.

The cave that took Xu Qingfan more than a day to cross, Zhang Xusheng managed to pass through in only about half an hour, reaching the depths of the cave.

Looking at the empty cave, Zhang Xusheng laughed and said, "I’m lucky; both kylins are not here. I thought I would have to put in a lot of effort."

While speaking, Zhang Xusheng took out a snow-white bottle from his sleeve. As he made hand gestures, the top of the bottle began to glow with a blood-red light and slowly flew up into the high cave. Then a strange energy wave started to ripple throughout the cave, and the sandy stones suddenly floated into the air without wind, rippling continuously.

Next, many invisible blood-red tiny lights began to appear from the sandy stones, gathering towards the snow-white bottle in the air.

The two kylins that had been gathered here by the nine-tailed demon fox for thousands of years had suffered humiliation from ancient wild beasts and were often devoured for their flesh and blood. During that time, some blood had seeped into the ground, gradually drying up. Even though it had evaporated, the blood still existed, and Zhang Xusheng’s purpose was to collect this blood.

After a long time, the Spirit Qi waves in the heart of the mountain gradually calmed down, dust settled, and the white bottle returned to Zhang Xusheng’s hands.

Zhang Xusheng weighed the bottle in his hands and nodded slightly. Although the amount of blood collected was small, it was enough for him to improve the "Four Spirit Sky Map."

More than an hour later, Zhang Xusheng had traveled thousands of miles away from the black giant mountain.

His purpose for coming to the Southern Wasteland had been fulfilled, and now Zhang Xusheng was returning to his main base.

But suddenly, a wild and dangerous presence came from afar. Even Zhang Xusheng felt a shiver of fear. He turned to look in the direction of the presence, and the scene hundreds of miles away appeared crystal clear in his eyes.

There, he saw a monstrous creature slaughtering the surrounding demon beasts.

The monster stood more than ten feet tall, covered in scars. Its entire body looked as if it had been torn apart and stitched back together. Its eyes gleamed with a dark red light, and it radiated a sense of death. The mouth on its face was enormous, taking up two-thirds of its face. Additionally, various features of demon beasts appeared all over its body: snake-like skin with a sword tail, wolf paws, and eagle claws. Most terrifying of all, its body was covered with countless eyes—some human, some demon beast, red, green, whole, and broken—all filled with expressions of hatred and fear, blinking terrifyingly.

Surrounding this monster, over a hundred demon beasts were helplessly wailing, and regardless of their strength, they offered no resistance.

"Interesting."

Zhang Xusheng murmured.

This monster’s origin was unknown even to Zhang Xusheng. Although its power was almost at the Mahayana Stage level, it was still far from Zhang Xusheng. Despite this big difference in strength, the monster still gave Xu Qingfan an incredibly dangerous feeling.

This was the first time Zhang Xusheng encountered such a situation. Before his cultivation reached the Mahayana Stage, he often made others feel this way.

In the next moment, Zhang Xusheng suddenly appeared behind the monster.

Zhang Xusheng had no noticeable aura, but after absorbing countless demon beasts, this monster had become as keen as a demon beast. Its sense of smell was like that of a Bloodhound, its eyesight like that of a Golden Feather Eagle, and its hearing as sharp as a mighty elephant. It even had a sixth sense that was more acute than that of any demon beast, allowing it to instantly detect Zhang Xusheng’s presence.

Turning suddenly, the monster saw Zhang Xusheng. Although Zhang Xusheng seemed like an ordinary human with no aura and was just standing there smiling, for some reason, a wave of panic filled the monster’s heart at that moment.

"Awooo…"

Finally, the monster could no longer bear the panic in its heart and pounced fiercely at Zhang Xusheng.

"Come on, let me see what kind of being you really are."

Zhang Xusheng said with a smile, "Even though the monster seems terrifying, to me it is just a subject for study, as if I could dissect it at will."

…

The Southern Wasteland has changing weather. Just a while ago, the sun was shining brightly, and it was dry, but now it is drizzling softly, and the light rain has been falling steadily for two whole days.

However, at this moment, Xu Qingfan has regained his strength, so he would not feel helpless under the heavy rain. Both he and Dongfang Qingling are surrounded by a faint glow, and when the raindrops fall near them, they automatically part to the sides.

Because the monster Zhong Ling is still wandering in the Southern Wasteland, Xu Qingfan and Dongfang Qingling need to return to the Shenzhou Continent, but they must be very careful along the way.

"By the way, it has been almost half a year since we left ‘Ronghua Mountain’ to come to the Southern Wasteland. With such a long time without news, people in the Righteous Alliance might think something happened to me."

Xu Qingfan said with a laugh as he flew through the air.

Remembering their previous two experiences, one of which was recounted by Xu Qingfan, Dongfang Qingling couldn’t help but smile slightly. She glanced at Xu Qingfan and said, "I just hope when we get back, we won’t see a big crowd worshiping your spirit tablet."

Xu Qingfan laughed heartily but then shook his head, saying, "After what happened before, those people in the Righteous Alliance wouldn’t dare to announce my death freely. Even if they did, no one would believe them. Furthermore, now all the strength of the Righteous Alliance is focused on searching for the ‘Underworld’ organization and Zhang Xusheng’s whereabouts. They wouldn’t pay attention to someone like me on the fringes."

Dongfang Qingling was originally listening with a smile. Over the past few days, Xu Qingfan and her had clearly grown much closer. Their conversations had less of the previous formalities and more of an easy closeness. But after a moment, she seemed to think of something and straightened her face, asking, "So, Senior Brother Xu, although we are going back to Jiuhua, the mountain is already closed. How can we enter? Also, even if we find Bai Qingfu and get Zhang Xusheng’s whereabouts from him, what can we do with our strength?"

Xu Qingfan pondered for a moment and explained, "I only remembered Bai Qingfu by chance. If we can really get Zhang Xusheng’s whereabouts from him, Zhang Xusheng is one of the strongest people in the cultivation world. What can we do? Naturally, we will report to the masters and let them handle it. At that time, I will also ask Junior Martial Sister Dongfang to take him to the Righteous Alliance. Over the years, you have improved greatly, and I believe that even if Bai Qingfu has become stronger, he is no match for you."

Then, Xu Qingfan smiled mysteriously and said, "As for how to enter Jiuhua, I have my own methods."

Dongfang Qingling asked curiously, "Aren’t you going to take Bai Qingfu to ‘Ronghua Mountain’ with me, Senior Brother?"

Xu Qingfan looked off to the northern sky and said softly, "I have a three-year promise. I think some months have passed already. I wonder if Zhang Yi is still waiting, she must be quite anxious by now."

The three-year promise Xu Qingfan mentioned was an agreement with Zhang Yi. At the Battle of Blood Valley, Zhang Yi suddenly appeared and caused trouble, and in a moment of surprise, Xu Qingfan was poisoned with the ‘Poison of Ice Lotus.’ Zhang Yi made him promise to return in three years with the ‘World Defying Sword’ to trade for the antidote.

Hearing this, Dongfang Qingling clearly remembered and her expression changed. She asked, "Didn’t you say the poison was already cured? Why do you still need to go?"

Xu Qingfan sighed lightly and explained, "Yes, it was cured, and I have managed to cure it three times, but it hasn’t been completely removed."

Seeing the confused look on Dongfang Qingling’s face, Xu Qingfan explained in detail, "After I was poisoned with the ‘Poison of Ice Lotus,’ I didn’t panic. Later, I even told you that the poison was cured because my cultivation of the ‘Formula of Life and Death’ has a strong effect against poisons. I closed myself off for a while, and after my Spirit Qi circulated for two weeks, the poison in my body was driven out. But later, I discovered that my ‘Formula of Life and Death’ couldn’t completely eliminate the poison, and not long after, the ‘Poison of Ice Lotus’ spread in my body again. Later, I obtained some precious antidotes made from the liver of a heavenly-level demon beast, but they could only suppress the poison for a while and not eliminate it. Previously, when I used the ‘Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic’ to heal, I borrowed its power to drive away the ‘Poison of Ice Lotus,’ and I thought it was finally cured, but these past few days, I have found that the poison has started to spread in my body again."

Hearing Xu Qingfan say this, Dongfang Qingling showed a look of worry on her face and slowly asked, "So, does this mean we have to go get the antidote?"

Xu Qingfan shook his head and smiled, "You don’t need to worry about the poisoning. Although it can’t be completely cured, whenever it spreads, either the ‘Formula of Life and Death,’ or the ‘Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic,’ or those detoxifying holy medicines can drive it away. Basically, it doesn’t threaten me. Otherwise, after three years, how could I be safe? It’s just that the ‘Poison of Ice Lotus’ cannot be completely removed and keeps coming back, which is always a hidden danger. This time, the reason I want to find a way to get the antidote is just to avoid future troubles."

Dongfang Qingling was silent for a moment but said nothing more, only nodding slightly.

She really wanted to go with Xu Qingfan, but she knew her strength couldn’t help him and would only be a burden, so she could only carefully hide her worry deep in her heart.

"At that time, Senior Brother Xu, you must be careful. Since Zhang Yi has agreed to a three-year pact, she must have her own confidence."

"Don’t worry. With my current strength, I can still escape if needed. After all, the antidote isn’t something I must have."

Xu Qingfan said with a reassuring smile.

In fact, the reason Xu Qingfan was going to find Zhang Yi was not just to get the antidote; Zhang Yi was extremely strong, even among the skilled members of the Righteous Alliance, she was just below the master level, which meant she was equal to Xu Qingfan. Since the Righteous Alliance was now starting to deal with Zhang Xusheng, which aligned with her purpose, previous enemies might not be enemies anymore, and with a future enemy this strong, every bit of strength counts for more chances of victory and self-protection.

More importantly, Zhang Yi seemed very confident about dealing with Zhang Xusheng, as if she had some detailed plans and winning strategies, and Xu Qingfan also wanted to know what her methods and plans were.

Just as Xu Qingfan was lost in thought, he accidentally looked up at his surroundings and his body suddenly shook, showing an expression of disbelief on his face.

"Senior Brother Xu, what’s wrong?"

Dongfang Qingling had been quietly observing Xu Qingfan and, seeing the look on his face, asked in surprise.

"I can’t believe we are passing through here," Xu Qingfan murmured in disbelief. After a moment, he straightened his face and said to Dongfang Qingling, "Let’s leave quickly!"

As he spoke, a yellow light flickered beneath Xu Qingfan’s feet, and "Flying Satin" appeared. He pulled Dongfang Qingling and pushed their speed to the limit to leave.

At this moment, Dongfang Qingling finally understood why Xu Qingfan’s expression changed. It turned out that the place they were in was exactly where everyone had just met Zhong Ling when they brought Little Gold to the Southern Wasteland.

For Xu Qingfan, this scene had another meaning. In his earlier vision, the scene of their journey through the Southern Wasteland was in this same place, where he faced a tall black shadow without any power to resist, while a middle-aged scholar beside him smiled as he watched.

Xu Qingfan suddenly remembered that the vision he had was about his fate after going to the Southern Wasteland but did not specify which time it would be; it could have been the last time or this time…

Thinking of this, Xu Qingfan’s expression changed slightly as he grabbed Dongfang Qingling and quickly fled toward the distance, their speed increasing even more.

But just then, a terrifying roar filled with anger suddenly echoed from the edge of the sky. The roar was so familiar because the two had endured it for a long time recently.

Their faces changed greatly, and when they turned to look, they saw Zhong Ling, transformed into a monster, charging quickly towards them.

However, that monster now looked ragged, covered in scars. Although it had lost all sense of reason, its face still showed deep panic, as if it was trying to escape.

What could make such a terrifying monster so afraid? Could it be the Kylin?

But in the next moment, as the monster looked up, it spotted Xu Qingfan and Dongfang Qingling, who were caught off guard and unable to dodge in time. Its eyes erupted with a horrifying black-red light, and the panic on its face vanished, replaced by an even stronger madness. It no longer cared about the mysterious pursuer behind it and lunged quickly at Xu Qingfan.

"What a tough fate…"

Xu Qingfan thought to himself with a bitter smile. After hiding for nearly ten days and being careful along the way, he never expected to encounter it in the end.

After being discovered, it was too late to escape at the speed of the monster. Xu Qingfan turned to Dongfang Qingling and shouted, "You go first!"

Seeing the monster charging from afar and then looking at Xu Qingfan, who had a determined look, she realized she could not help at all and would only be a burden. With a helpless stomp of her foot, Dongfang Qingling said, "Be careful," and turned to fly away into the distance.

On the other side, Xu Qingfan turned around, his hands forming a series of gestures, while a powerful energy burst forth from him. Black and white mist began to spread as he prepared to fight against the terrifying monster all by himself.

When the monster finally pounced in front of Xu Qingfan, the strong presence that had been chasing the monster still did not show itself. Yet, in a daze, Xu Qingfan seemed to hear a soft, gentle sound.