Volume 1 Volume 6 Chapter 65

Volume 6 Chapter 65: Old Scenes, Old Things, Old Friends

Looking at the majestic and steep Jiuhua Mountain, Xu Qingfan’s emotions couldn’t help but sway.

Although the Southern Wasteland was the place where he was born and raised, Xu Qingfan had a deeper impression of this place. His memories of the Southern Wasteland were almost entirely filled with battles, death, and tragedy, with nothing good about them. Yet the memories here, while they also contained some of those things, were more about his master’s sternness, his senior brother’s care, Liu Huaxiang’s teachings, the affection with Ting’er, and the friendship with Jin Qinghan…

The disaster of Jiuhua and Feng Qingtian’s betrayal were certainly shocking and left a strong impression at the time, but compared to these warm memories, they seemed so plain and insignificant.

"We’re back."

Xu Qingfan gazed at the shape of Jiuhua and whispered softly.

Although he had traveled many years and lived in many places, to Xu Qingfan, the only place he could truly call home was the little wooden cabin on the back mountain, especially when Ting’er and the others were with him.

Beside Xu Qingfan, Dongfang Qingling also felt a wave of emotion; Jiuhua held many memories for Xu Qingfan, and it was the same for her.

The moment of reflection seemed brief, but before they knew it, the two had quietly floated in front of Jiuhua Mountain for over a stick of incense’s time.

After the ups and downs in their hearts finally settled, Dongfang Qingling asked, "So, Senior Brother Xu, how do we get inside?"

Xu Qingfan hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided not to hide anything from Dongfang Qingling. After all, he had grown to trust her greatly, and more importantly, he felt uneasy about the secret of Jiuhua’s hidden path being known by so few people. In these chaotic times, no one knew if they would survive the next battle; if everyone who knew the secret of the hidden path happened to die, then the secret would remain hidden forever.

"Follow me."

As Xu Qingfan spoke, he flew toward a small, unremarkable hill to the south of Jiuhua Mountain.

Dongfang Qingling quickly followed Xu Qingfan, her eyes reflecting a thoughtful look as if she had just realized something. During Jiuhua’s shutdown, Xu Qingfan had built a great reputation outside Jiuhua Mountain, and it had become an open secret.

"Please keep what we see today a secret, Junior Martial Sister Dongfang."

About half an hour later, the two flew to the top of the hill, and Xu Qingfan turned to Dongfang Qingling and smiled.

Dongfang Qingling frowned and asked, "Senior Brother Xu, is this really appropriate?"

Xu Qingfan smiled and said, "It’s okay, I trust you."

Hearing Xu Qingfan say this, Dongfang Qingling felt a warmth in her heart and didn’t object anymore. She simply followed quietly behind Xu Qingfan.

Xu Qingfan walked to a lush area on the hill, then began to make hand signs. His fingers moved in a blur, creating numerous illusions. In just a few breaths, he changed hundreds of different signs, his expression serious.

Xu Qingfan intended to show Dongfang Qingling the hand signs so she could remember them, but she could only remember about sixty to seventy percent of what he demonstrated.

As Xu Qingfan controlled the hand signs, the hill began to shake, and the dense area slowly opened up, moving to the sides. The ground shifted, but the flowers and grass remained unharmed.

After a moment, a large, deep hole appeared in front of the two.

"Let’s go down."

Xu Qingfan thought that Dongfang Qingling had remembered the hand signs, but he had no intention of demonstrating them again and jumped into the depths of the cave first.

Dongfang Qingling did not understand the deeper meaning of the hand signs that Xu Qingfan taught her and was not eager to learn, so she did not say much and followed Xu Qingfan down.

As Dongfang Qingling entered the cave, the opening sealed shut silently again. On the hill above, the flowers and grass swayed in the wind, showing no signs of anything unusual.

"Add ‘Falling Feather Technique’ to yourself."

The cave was dark and very deep. After Dongfang Qingling jumped down, she felt herself constantly descending. All she could see was pitch black, with no bottom in sight. She felt a bit anxious, and just then, Xu Qingfan’s voice echoed from the depths of the darkness.

Hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Dongfang Qingling felt certain and quickly added ‘Falling Feather Technique’ to herself, which suddenly slowed her descent.

After what seemed like a long time, Dongfang Qingling felt her feet land firmly; she had finally reached solid ground.

Then, she saw several flames suddenly light up in the air, as Xu Qingfan had summoned the Phoenix Spirit Fire. The light of the flames dispelled the darkness, and the scene deep in the cave finally appeared before Dongfang Qingling’s eyes.

At first glance, it looked like an ordinary tunnel with nothing unusual about it. The bottom of the tunnel had passages leading in all directions. Xu Qingfan, leading the way with several groups of Phoenix Spirit Fire above him, moved forward, but not toward Jiuhua; instead, he headed in the opposite direction.

Dongfang Qingling felt confused but, trusting Xu Qingfan, she didn’t ask anything and quietly followed behind him.

Sure enough, after walking about a mile or two, the tunnel began to twist and turn. After many turns, there were countless forks in the road. Dongfang Qingling could no longer tell which way was which, but looking at the long tunnel ahead that seemed endless, she was certain that she and Xu Qingfan were gradually getting closer to Jiuhua.

"Where do the other passages lead?"

Walking in the dark for a long time was boring, so Dongfang Qingling casually picked a topic to break the silence.

"I don’t know," Xu Qingfan explained. "But I strongly advise you not to try, or you won’t be able to come back."

Dongfang Qingling giggled, showing she understood.

While chatting, the two entered a large cave. Inside the cave, there were still several tunnels leading in different directions. Just when Dongfang Qingling thought they would keep going, Xu Qingfan stopped. He made a hand gesture, and then they heard a faint rumbling from the stone wall above them. Looking up, they saw a tunnel leading up from the cave that was long and dimly lit, with a faint white spot drawing their attention.

"We’re here," Xu Qingfan said with a smile. "Let’s go up."

Dongfang Qingling nodded and flew with Xu Qingfan towards the sky above the tunnel.

This straight tunnel was thousands of feet long. When the two finally reached the top, the scene before them suddenly opened up. The sunlight was extremely bright, and the cold wind howled, covering everything in snow and ice.

"Where is this…?"

Dongfang Qingling looked at the scene in front of her and asked in confusion.

"The top of Jiuhua Mountain," Xu Qingfan replied, his voice filled with deep nostalgia. "This was the home of Martial Uncle Liu Huaxiang. He had a somewhat solitary personality, so not only his disciples, but even the elders of Jiuhua, who have practiced here for hundreds of years, may not have come here."

As he spoke, Xu Qingfan looked around at the surroundings, still remembering the place where he and Liu Huaxiang often debated, played chess, and enjoyed tea. However, that place was now overgrown with weeds. After many years of neglect, most of the unique flowers and plants in the yard had died, and the few that survived looked half-dead. Without Liu Huaxiang, this yard had lost its former glory, and the simple cottage had become even more worn down, swaying in the howling cold wind.

"After everything is settled, I should come back to Jiuhua, or at least visit here every now and then to take care of the plants and fix the house, after all, this is Martial Uncle Liu’s former home."

Xu Qingfan thought quietly to himself, though he didn’t know when he would finally have the chance to relax. Over the years, troubles and disasters had been endless, and Xu Qingfan felt that his remaining life would continue to be filled with battles and schemes.

While Xu Qingfan was lost in thought, Dongfang Qingling walked to the edge of the mountain, gazing out at the familiar scenery of Jiuhua. Even though she hadn’t seen it for many years, it felt both familiar and a little strange, yet within the strangeness, there was a hint of warmth.

"Let’s go," Xu Qingfan’s voice suddenly echoed, filled with endless sorrow. "I want to visit my old home. What about you? Don’t you want to check your place? After all, it has been many years since you last came back. How about we meet at ‘Detention Cliff’ in half an hour?"

"Detention Cliff" is the place where Jiuhua has kept Bai Qingfu for many years.

Hearing Xu Qingfan’s words that hinted he didn’t want her to follow, Dongfang Qingling felt a bit disappointed. After all, Xu Qingfan wasn’t completely honest with her about everything. Despite this, Dongfang Qingling understood and didn’t ask more questions; she just nodded and flew towards her old home.

Meanwhile, Xu Qingfan looked back at the run-down courtyard behind him with a silent sigh. After Dongfang Qingling left, he also flew towards the back mountain to his home.

…

While flying, Xu Qingfan quietly observed the familiar yet strange Jiuhua below him.

It felt familiar because everything in Jiuhua—the grass, trees, courtyards, and sculptures—had not changed much; but it felt strange because there was no sign of life on Jiuhua Mountain, unlike the bustling and lively scene from the past. Now he thought about it, many familiar faces who left Jiuhua with him, like Wang Qingfeng, Sheng Yushan, and some elders of Jiuhua, were no longer around, along with many unfamiliar Jiuhua disciples.

After everything ends, how many familiar faces will still exist in Jiuhua?

Thinking this, Xu Qingfan’s heart suddenly felt uneasy.

For many years, no one had taken care of or cleaned this place. Now, looking at Jiuhua, it was overgrown with weeds and covered in dust, making it seem even more desolate and lonely.

In a moment of deep thought, Xu Qingfan finally flew to the cave where he had lived for hundreds of years, on the back mountain of Jiuhua.

When he opened the outer barrier, everything inside looked the same as before, but like other places in Jiuhua, it was filled with weeds and dust, giving off a sense of desolation.

"Quack, quack…"

Little Black was not familiar with the yard at the top of Jiuhua Mountain, but this was also where it had been born and grown up. Returning to this old place made it excited, and it quacked a couple of times. Though its voice still sounded as unpleasant as a crow’s, Xu Qingfan could still hear Little Black’s excitement.

Xu Qingfan gently touched Little Black’s slightly cool feathers and walked deeper into the yard.

First, he quietly bowed three times at Yue Qingru’s grave in the yard, then walked towards his own house.

As he pushed the door open, dust fell on Xu Qingfan, but with the protection of his Spirit Qi, it quickly fell back to the ground.

Xu Qingfan had already set aside his earlier feelings and quickly walked to the bamboo bed in the room.

When Xu Qingfan created the powerful "Wind of Destruction" many years ago, he accidentally drilled a deep hole nearly ten feet long and a hundred feet wide in his home. It was not easy to fill in, so Xu Qingfan decided to hide the sealed "World Defying Sword" there.

After moving the bamboo bed aside, Xu Qingfan took a deep breath, and suddenly the space around him began to ripple. A chaotic energy was emitted from him, and in the next moment, Xu Qingfan transformed into endless "Wind of Destruction," gathering together and quickly drilling into the ground below.

At this moment, when Xu Qingfan performed "Wind of Destruction," his power and control had grown more than double since then. The hundred-foot deep hole was quickly dug out, and when he sensed the presence of the "World Defying Sword," he instantly returned to his original form. A thin layer of soil covered the "World Defying Sword," but the "Wind of Destruction" did not touch it at all.

Xu Qingfan stood at the bottom of the hole, looking at the "World Defying Sword" beneath him. He hesitated for a moment but ultimately made up his mind. He bent down and reached for the "World Defying Sword."

"Break!"

After flying out of the hole, Xu Qingfan cast a spell to make the "World Defying Sword" float in the air. He formed hand signs and then shouted softly. With a light touch of his fingers, a black-and-white glow struck toward the "World Defying Sword."

Then, a faint rumbling sound was heard as the sealing barrier surrounding the "World Defying Sword" broke apart. Although it looked ordinary at that moment, its aura changed completely. A cold and gloomy energy began to spread slowly, filling the entire room in an instant.

Xu Qingfan slowly reached out and grasped the "World Defying Sword" in his hand. He felt an evil and calm power radiating from it, spreading along his arm throughout his body. As this energy flowed, a violent and murderous thought began to grow in Xu Qingfan’s mind.

This power was the demonic energy that made cultivators turn pale with fear!

Although dark thoughts filled his mind, Xu Qingfan did not try to suppress them. Instead, he slowly closed his eyes and felt the strength and subtlety of these thoughts. After a long time, he finally pushed them down.

The reason Xu Qingfan gave up the "World Defying Sword" back then was partly because of its terrifying and evil power that drained souls. However, more importantly, whenever Xu Qingfan picked up the "World Defying Sword," he could not stop the many evil thoughts that flooded his mind under the influence of demonic energy, which affected him greatly.

At that time, Xu Qingfan had not yet reached the Real Golden Core Stage, but now he had already reached the late stage of the Golden Core Stage.

After picking up the "World Defying Sword," the desire to kill still remained, but Xu Qingfan’s mind was now much stronger than before. After going through so much, his willpower was far greater, and he could completely control the murderous evil thoughts.

However, the "World Defying Sword" had hardly grown yet. Once it had devoured countless beings’ blood and souls, the demonic energy within it would become many times stronger, and its control over the wielder would also increase. At that time, would Xu Qingfan still be able to suppress it easily?

Even though he had such worries in his heart, Xu Qingfan quietly put away the "World Defying Sword." After all, if the Shura Clan truly returned, he might not have the strength to protect himself against any random member of the Shura Clan without the "World Defying Sword."

For now, he could only pray that the Righteous Alliance could stop the "Ming" organization in time; he hoped he wouldn’t have to use the "World Defying Sword."

Once everything was done and after taking one last look at his old home, Xu Qingfan no longer hesitated. He activated the formation outside his cave to seal it, then turned and left.

…

"Detention Cliff" is a steep cliff on the back mountain of Jiuhua, and the place where Wang Qingfu and others are held is underneath "Detention Cliff."

Although "Detention Cliff" is on the back mountain of Jiuhua like Xu Qingfan’s cave, they are quite far apart. It took Xu Qingfan a long time to reach there.

Outside "Detention Cliff," Dongfang Qingling has been waiting silently for an unknown amount of time, as if she never returned to her old home, or perhaps she just paused for a moment before coming here.

Looking at the silently waiting Dongfang Qingling, Xu Qingfan smiled apologetically, but Dongfang Qingling did not seem to mind how long he had taken; she simply asked, "Senior Brother Xu, are we going to see Wang Qingfu now?"

Xu Qingfan nodded and smiled softly, saying, "Yes, after we persuade him, we must leave, as our time is limited."

Dongfang Qingling nodded and followed Xu Qingfan deeper into "Detention Cliff," saying, "Speaking of which, we haven’t seen Wang Qingfu in over a hundred years. I wonder how he is now."

After more than a hundred years, alone in a small, dim room with no one to talk to, could he be well?

Xu Qingfan thought silently and suddenly said, "Senior Brother Bai is actually a good person."

Hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Dongfang Qingling was slightly surprised. Previously, Bai Qingfu was very well-liked in Jiuhua, but after it was revealed he was Zhang Xusheng’s spy, everyone only cursed and insulted him. Xu Qingfan was the only one who still called him "Senior Brother Bai."

With a silent sigh, Dongfang Qingling did not say anything else and followed Xu Qingfan as they flew down towards "Detention Cliff."

"Detention Cliff" is the place where Jiuhua has kept traitors and the most wicked people in the cultivation world throughout the ages. It is heavily guarded, with countless traps and formations outside, but Xu Qingfan, as a Deacon Elder of Jiuhua and the next Master of Jiuhua, is very familiar with these. With a few hand gestures, the traps and formations were already deactivated, and the heavy door opened, revealing a dim path ahead.

Continuing to use several floating "Phoenix Spirit Fires" above their heads to light up the surroundings, Xu Qingfan took Dongfang Qingling deeper into the detention area.

Because it involved Zhang Xusheng, Bai Qingfu was locked away in the deepest part of "Detention Cliff." In fact, for thousands of years, "Detention Cliff" has held countless prisoners, but no one cared about them, as they were lost in life or death. As long as there are enough rooms in "Detention Cliff," they just keep locking people up; by the time the last room holds a cultivator, the person in the first room has already turned to bones. This is also the common practice of all major sects; unless a person is very important, they won’t be cared for after being detained.

Walking to the deepest part of the detention area, Xu Qingfan faced a huge, thick gate made of black iron. With a hand gesture, one of the iron doors slowly opened, revealing a small room less than ten feet wide and long in front of the two.

The Phoenix Spirit Fire slightly dispelled the endless darkness in the room, making the scene inside mostly visible.

The furnishings in the room were very simple, with only a shabby bed. Sitting cross-legged on the bed was a familiar figure—Bai Qingfu, whom they hadn’t seen for a hundred years.

Sensing the light, Bai Qingfu felt a bit uncomfortable and squinted to look at the two figures before him. His once broad and chubby body had slimmed down significantly, and his fair face was now covered with stubble, adding a hint of despair to his appearance.

Xu Qingfan and Dongfang Qingling also remained silent, quietly observing Bai Qingfu before them. Compared to their memories, he seemed like a completely different person.

After experiencing a hundred years of darkness, Bai Qingfu slowly got used to the light in front of him. When he could see who the two people outside the door were, he was momentarily surprised, then suddenly smiled and said, "Finally, someone has come to visit me."

Only when Bai Qingfu smiled could one still glimpse a bit of his past brightness; he was still so easy-going and carefree, which dispelled some of the gloom surrounding him.

"Senior Brother Bai, it has been a long time."

Xu Qingfan looked at Bai Qingfu in front of him, feeling a slight shock in his heart, surprised by Bai Qingfu’s growth in skills, which was far beyond his expectations. Back then, Bai Qingfu was only at the early stage of the Lingji Stage, but now he was very close to the Real Golden Core Stage.

It seemed that Bai Qingfu’s progress even surpassed Dongfang Qingling, not to mention Xu Qingfan Jin Qinghan. However, it is important to note that Dongfang Qingling’s achievements were due to the constant supply of spiritual herbs from her sect, and she had also trained for twenty years in the "Jiuji Cave," where a Golden Core Stage elder had bestowed enlightenment upon her. Without these advantages, neither Dongfang Qingling nor Jin Qinghan would necessarily have advanced faster than Bai Qingfu.

But in an instant, Xu Qingfan realized that over a hundred years of doing nothing and focusing entirely on cultivating had meant that he was essentially in seclusion for a century, which naturally allowed for much progress.

On the other side, Bai Qingfu was slightly taken aback upon hearing Xu Qingfan still call him Senior Brother, but after a moment, his face returned to a smile as he lightly said, "Yes, it has been a long time, but I wonder how long I have been locked up here?"