Volume 1 Volume 7 Chapter 105

Volume 7 Chapter 105: Chaotic Chess

When Ting’er, Jin Qinghan, Wang Zegang, Liu Ziqing, and Chou entered the already prepared formation and took their positions to sit down, the cultivators of Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands anxiously stepped back to Tianquan Island.

The spirit vial containing Xu Qingfan’s Original Life Essence Blood and Original Soul had already been placed in the center of the formation.

Everyone knew that the success or failure of these five masters would directly affect the future of Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands.

Xu Qingfan’s importance to Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands was not just that of a founder and a top master.

Liu Ziqing had already explained all the important details about reshaping Xu Qingfan’s body to Ting’er, and she firmly remembered everything.

At this moment, Ting’er was lost in thought, staring at the jade vial in the center of the formation, her expression dreamy, as if recalling something.

The first time Xu Qingfan met her—back then, Xu Qingfan had just killed her biological father, covered in blood, yet he knelt before the masters of Penance Valley, pleading for her, risking his life just for her freedom; it was one of the only three times Xu Qingfan had ever knelt.

The first time they talked for a long time—Xu Qingfan had taken her back to Jiuhua; she spoke little but Xu Qingfan shared his ideals and the past of the Xu family… At that time, Xu Qingfan’s face still showed signs of youth and innocence, but over the years, only indifference and rationality remained in his eyes.

Xu Qingfan got angry with her for the first time-at that moment, she was focused on her training, hoping to kill Xu Qingfan soon to take revenge for her father. She almost risked her life for this. Xu Qingfan’s roar, "You can take my life anytime; you don’t have to wear out your body like this," seemed to still echo in her ears, just like the pained and angry look on Xu Qingfan’s face.

Xu Qingfan’s embrace – this was before Ting’er broke through to the Condensed Core Stage, and it was that embrace that completely untangled the hatred and resentment between Xu Qingfan and her. For the first time, she felt warmth, but it also created a bigger emotional knot for her.

Xu Qingfan patted her head with a gentle smile on his face—this seemed like a long time ago. As she grew taller, almost reaching Xu Qingfan’s eyebrows, he rarely did such affectionate gestures. As Ting’er grew up and improved her abilities, there seemed to be some distance between her and Xu Qingfan. It seemed that Xu Qingfan also noticed the feelings in her heart that shouldn’t be there and acted intentionally, but she still clung to this affection.

Over the years, when she lost her senses, Xu Qingfan never grew tired of caring for her—every time Xu Qingfan finished his retreat, the first thing he did was to meet Ting’er and ask about her well-being. Whenever he had a moment, he would explain things to her again and again, never weary. Sometimes she felt that the reason she continued to pretend to be lost in her senses for all these years, besides not knowing how to face Xu Qingfan and Dongfang Qingling, was also because she didn’t want to give up on Xu Qingfan’s care and attention for her.

Unknowingly, as the images in her mind changed, Ting’er’s gaze became dreamy, as if this was the most precious thing in the world.

In fact, it truly was for Ting’er.

Suddenly, another face flashed in Ting’er’s mind, Dongfang Qingling, who had taken care of her all these years. Even when Ting’er lost her senses and went wild, Dongfang Qingling chose to bear scars rather than harm her. The way Dongfang Qingling’s eyes flickered when Xu Qingfan was mentioned…

In an instant, the light in Ting’er’s eyes shifted from infatuation to complexity, just like the worry in Dongfang Qingling’s eyes when she occasionally saw Ting’er surrounded by black magic flames outside Tianji Island.

…

"Let’s begin."

Jin Qinghan’s voice suddenly echoed, filled with an unprecedented seriousness.

As Jin Qinghan’s words settled, Ting’er also pulled back her complex thoughts, becoming extremely solemn.

Rebuilding the body of a master is incredibly complex; a small mistake could lead to failure, and failure would cost that master their soul, something Ting’er would never allow.

As the five master-level experts murmured, a large amount of Spirit Qi flowed into the formation before them. Around everyone, numerous high-level complex formations like "Concentration Formation," "Spirit Gathering Formation," and "Evil-Dispelling Formation" lit up with mysterious light. Countless beams of light merged into a colorful torrent, like rivers returning to the sea, flowing into the especially complex formation in front of them.

Suddenly, the sky turned extremely dark, the earth shook, fierce winds rose, and dark clouds gathered as countless lightning bolts rained down on the five.

Rebuilding the body of a dead person is an act against nature, a provocation to the rules of Heaven, far stronger than a cultivator extending their life, thus attracting Heavenly Tribulation in response.

As the fierce winds rushed in and the earth cracked, the lightning struck from the sky. The countless defensive formations that were set up before finally activated, shining brightly, creating a halo that blocked the attacks of Heavenly Tribulation.

Just as Heavenly Tribulation appeared, the jade bottle in front of the five suddenly exploded. Inside the bottle, Xu Qingfan’s Original Life Essence Blood transformed into a thick mist of blood, continuously swirling and rolling, and faint waves of life started to appear in everyone’s consciousness.

It was unclear how much time had passed, but finally, figures began to appear in the blood mist. The mist gradually thinned, as if being absorbed by the newly appeared bodies, and the figures became clearer and more complete as the mist faded.

At that moment, a chilling wind swept through the area around Tianquan Island, and the cries of ghosts echoed; although Xu Qingfan’s body had been remade, it had no consciousness or soul yet. This soulless body attracted all the lonely spirits within a radius of hundreds of miles.

At this time, various "soul-restraining formations" and "evil-expelling formations" began to take effect. The light from the formations rose like golden flames, blocking countless lonely spirits outside, but these spirits bravely charged forward regardless.

At this moment, the foreheads of the five masters glistened with faint beads of sweat. Even though they had reached a high level, trying to control so many formations at once was still a huge burden.

Sweat dripped into their eyes, making it difficult to see clearly, but the five did not dare to wipe it away. At this moment, any distraction could ruin everything; even Xu Qingfan would be in danger.

Meanwhile, around Xu Qingfan’s newly remade body, there was a faint white mist swirling, which was Xu Qingfan’s Original Soul.

After Xu Qingfan’s Original Soul reunited with his body, ten days had passed. Suddenly, Wang Zegang pulled out a crystal ball from his pocket, inside which sat a greatly shrunk Xu Qingfan, eyes closed and without spirit; it was Xu Qingfan’s Nascent Soul.

If Xu Qingfan’s Original Life Essence Blood and Original Soul represented his rebirth, then the fusion of Nascent Soul with his body and spirit was crucial for Xu Qingfan’s recovery of strength.

…

I do not know how much time has passed, maybe a month, maybe three months, or even longer. When the five masters were about to be exhausted, Xu Qingfan at the center of the formation slowly opened his eyes.

As a faint gleam flashed in Xu Qingfan’s eyes, the dark clouds and fierce winds around Tianquan Island suddenly disappeared, and all the wandering spirits vanished in an instant. The sky became clear and bright in that moment, and the world returned to peace.

Xu Qingfan was finally reborn.

This time, the process of rebuilding his body was very successful. Xu Qingfan not only was reborn but also retained about eighty to ninety percent of his previous strength, and in some time, he would completely recover.

Slowly getting up, Xu Qingfan looked down and examined his body, his eyes flickering with thoughtfulness.

This time, the rebuilding of his body greatly affected Xu Qingfan beyond his previous imagination. Xu Qingfan had two major hidden dangers within him: one was the imbalance of life and death energy, and the second was the "Beast Madness" power that was sealed inside him years ago. During the rebuilding process, under Xu Qingfan’s careful control, the "Beast Madness" power that was contained in the Original Life Essence Blood and his soul seemed to be controllable by Xu Qingfan.

The meridians and dantian are supposed to be the most mysterious parts of the human body and are also an important part of the Original Life Essence Blood. The stubborn illness that Xu Qingfan created when the life and death energies were at odds remained intact after the rebuilding of his body and seemed to have become even more serious.

It was both a joy and a worry.

At that moment, all the cultivators of Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands were heading toward Tianquan Island.

Remembering his own bare body, Xu Qingfan shook his head. The black and white mist around him flickered and disappeared. In the next moment, he suddenly recalled that when he was still in Jiuhua, he had also come back to life after the duel with Feng Qingtian before their escape, thanks to "Phoenix Nirvana." He had appeared before countless cultivators, naked. The embarrassment from that time was now like a gentle breeze in Xu Qingfan’s heart; he simply shook his head and smiled.

After going through so much, Xu Qingfan had long passed the stage of feeling awkward.

Looking at the people of Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands, who surrounded him with concern, Xu Qingfan bowed slightly and said to them, "I acted recklessly and caused trouble for you all these days."

The cultivators of Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands hurriedly returned the respect. Then, Xu Qingfan helped the five exhausted people to their feet. When he reached Ting’er, the two shared a deep gaze, and for Ting’er, time seemed to slow down at that moment.

Seeing that Ting’er had not only regained her senses but had also become a master, Xu Qingfan did not seem surprised; he quietly helped Ting’er up and patted her shoulder.

Ting’er saw a knowing look in Xu Qingfan’s eyes, as if all her thoughts over the years were already understood by him.

"Uncle…"

Ting’er said softly, unsure how to face Xu Qingfan at that moment.

"If you have something on your mind in the future, you can tell me. It’s not good to keep it all inside. Let’s not talk about the past; what matters is you are back."

Xu Qingfan nodded and smiled lightly, as if all the awkwardness faded a lot in those four words.

It’s good to be back…

"I’m back, Uncle."

Xu Qingfan was the last to support Jin Qinghan, and he was the only one who didn’t speak while helping.

No need for thanks, no need for comfort; their shared history over hundreds of years could be expressed with just one glance.

When Jin Qinghan faced this situation, Xu Qingfan would do the same; that was enough.

…

After settling the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands cultivators a bit, Xu Qingfan quickly got to work without delay.

There was no time to waste.

Tian Zhenling’s injury was the most important thing. Luckily, Scholar Beihai was an excellent healer and had stabilized his condition. Then Xu Qingfan used "Way of Life and Death" to adjust Tian Zhenling’s body once more and gave Scholar Beihai the various precious herbs collected from the "Azure Crystal Treasure House" to refine into medicine. Essentially, Tian Zhenling’s life was saved.

Next, it was time to say goodbye to Jin Qinghan and to help Xu Qingfan rebuild his body. It took half a year, and through their connection, the battle between the Human Alliance and the Shura Clan had also lasted for six months and was still ongoing. Jin Qinghan was eager to return and support, without wasting any time.

Xu Qingfan did not stop him. After a quarter of an hour of gathering information, he handed over the various treasures collected during the "Azure Crystal Treasure House" trip to Jin Qinghan. Before Jin Qinghan left, Xu Qingfan asked him to keep his resurrection a secret from everyone else.

Jin Qinghan was surprised to find that the treasures Xu Qingfan gave him were far beyond his imagination. However, he did not engage in formalities with Xu Qingfan and simply nodded in agreement to his request, accepted the treasures, and hurried away.

It had been over a hundred years, and the two brothers, Xu Qingfan and Jin Qinghan, had not spoken even a hundred words together, yet their bond remained strong.

Then, Xu Qingfan quickly gathered Liu Ziqing, Wang Zegang, Bai Qingfu, Zhang Yi, Dongfang Qingling, Zhang Ningmei, Bai Yu, and Chou Qi to the Yuheng Island to discuss matters, review the successes and failures of their recent actions, and plan for future developments.

…

"This game of chess is in disarray…"

After Xu Qingfan and everyone shared their experiences, there was a long silence. Then Xu Qingfan suddenly sighed.

Hearing Xu Qingfan’s sigh, apart from Liu Ziqing and Bai Qingfu who looked serious, Chou remained silent, while the others showed looks of confusion.

"Why do you say that? In this plan, we took down the Zhong family, heavily injured the Shura Clan, and even involved Zhang Xusheng, who always keeps his power, in the battle, showing our strength. Although we didn’t get the ‘Shura Holy Pearl’, we still achieved most of our plan, right?"

Wang Zegang asked in confusion.

"It’s not that simple. Our moves have been played correctly, and we have reached our goals, but the overall layout is not complete. Zhang Xusheng’s layout was completed, yet it was accidentally disrupted by Taoist Friend Xu. Unknowingly, neither we nor Zhang Xusheng can control the flow of this game now."

Liu Ziqing sighed as well.

"What do you mean?"

Wang Zegang asked again.

Xu Qingfan slowly explained, "While our basic plan was indeed achieved—we took down the Zhong family, heavily injured the Shura Clan, involved Zhang Xusheng in the battle, and showed our power—I never expected that the ‘Shura Holy Pearl’ would eventually fall into ‘Xuan’s’ hands. This is no different from it falling into Zhang Xusheng’s hands. At this step, while we gained half of the ‘momentum’ and completed most of the layout, Zhang Xusheng obtained the other half of the momentum without any effort. At this point, we and Zhang Xusheng countered each other, each with gains and losses. In comparison, the Shura Clan was merely a pawn sacrificed. At this stage, this game is still under our control, until the matter of the ‘Azure Crystal Treasure House’…"

"What matter?"

"Don’t you find it strange? When Zhang Xusheng was sealed by the Shura Clan in the ‘Azure Crystal Treasure House’, he could easily have escaped. After he returned alone to the ‘Shenzhou Continent’, he would have been able to fully control the power of the Human Alliance, and all his plans would have been greatly advanced. But faced with such temptation, he chose to return to the ‘Azure Crystal Treasure House’, willingly allowing himself to be imprisoned by the Shura Clan for six hundred years, plotting for the masters inside the ‘Azure Crystal Treasure House’ to turn against each other… Have you ever thought about why?"

Seeing everyone in silence, Xu Qingfan answered himself, "Because Zhang Xusheng’s plans on the ‘Shenzhou Continent’ had already been set in motion and would trigger some very terrible consequences. He preferred to be imprisoned for six hundred years rather than return to the Shenzhou Continent… What do you think his plans are? And I unintentionally brought all the masters back to the Shenzhou Continent, breaking his plans, forcing him and us to face the various troubles that even he wished to avoid. From now on, this game is completely out of our and Zhang Xusheng’s control."

…

They discussed for a long time, but still had no results.

Yet, while Xu Qingfan thought about Zhang Xusheng’s plans, he felt an ominous premonition, but he could not find any clues.

In his solitary thoughts, Xu Qingfan suddenly remembered his divination tortoise shell, which seemed to still be usable one more time.