Volume 1 Volume 7 Chapter 13

Volume 7 Chapter 13: Secret Discussion (Part 2)

Where is Yaoguang Island?

Everyone felt puzzled. Why could they only see six small islands of the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands? Looking around, no matter how hard they searched, the seventh small island could not be found.

Liu Ziqing seemed to think of something. His gaze became serious, and then he smiled and said, "Since the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands are all named after Bei Dou, it is clear that these seven small islands should be arranged like Bei Dou. If that’s the case, then Yaoguang Island should be in… this position."

As he spoke, Liu Ziqing pointed, directing his finger to the spot where Yaoguang Island used to be among the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands.

And there, a thick sea mist swirled, making it impossible to see what was inside. It seemed to be shrouded by some kind of illusionary barrier.

Seeing this scene, everyone looked at Xu Qingfan with confused expressions, thinking that there seemed to be a secret hidden within Yaoguang Island, unsure whether they should ask Xu Qingfan about it.

Only the Old Beggar was straightforward and asked, "Kid Xu, is there a lot of materials on Yaoguang Island?"

After a slight hesitation, Xu Qingfan said, "Yaoguang Island is now being used for another purpose and has been closed off by me for thirty years. If you, my Taoist friends, are interested, you will need to wait ten more years to enter."

Hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, aside from Old Beggar complaining that there might be special materials on Yaoguang Island, everyone understood and did not say more. Under Xu Qingfan’s leadership, they returned to Tianshu Island and gathered at "Clear Heart Hall" to discuss where they would live in the future.

Basically, Old Beggar and the seven Alchemy Masters, along with Scholar Beihai and the five Medicine Pill Masters, had already decided to live long-term on Tianquan Island. They would occasionally go to Tianxuan Island and Tianji Island to gather materials for crafting and alchemy. So, not long after, they bid farewell to Xu Qingfan, as they needed to organize the various materials, discuss what kind of spiritual pills and magical tools could be made from the materials in Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands, and transform the volcano on Tianquan Island into a suitable furnace for alchemy and crafting.

Dongfang Quan and the five rogue cultivators decided to live on Tianshu Island with Wang Zegang, while Wang Yuxian and the twelve Jiuhua cultivators wished to stay on Tianji Island, reasoning that they could cultivate faster there.

However, Xu Qingfan advised against this decision. While the rich Spirit Qi could help with their cultivation, living there long-term would put more pressure and strain on their bodies, potentially leading to Qi deviation. In fact, over the past thirty years, among everyone on Rainbow Spirit Island, even Wang Zegang, who had the second-highest cultivation level after Xu Qingfan, only occasionally went to Tianji Island for closed-door cultivation but never dared to live there regularly. Ultimately, with Xu Qingfan’s advice, Wang Yuxian and the others decided to live on Tianshu Island like everyone else.

After everyone made their decisions, Xu Qingfan looked at Liu Ziqing and Zhang Yi. Liu Ziqing smiled slightly at Xu Qingfan and said, "I wish to live with Taoist Friend Xu for a long time, to talk about immortality and seek longevity together. I wonder if Taoist Friend agrees?"

Xu Qingfan’s eyes flickered slightly, and then he smiled, saying, "I also want to live next to Taoist Friend Liu for a long time. However, I am currently at a crucial stage in my cultivation and need a quiet environment, so, although I like this idea, I will have to postpone it for a few years."

Liu Ziqing did not mind; he just smiled and said, "In that case, I will stay on Tianshu Island with Taoist Friend Zhang Yi. It will be livelier with more people."

Xu Qingfan turned to look at Zhang Yi. Since coming to Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands, Zhang Yi had not spoken a word and had only closely followed Liu Ziqing like a shadow. Noticing Xu Qingfan’s gaze, she reluctantly nodded, indicating her agreement with Liu Ziqing’s idea.

Seeing Zhang Yi agree, Xu Qingfan nodded and said, "That’s great, let’s settle it this way."

After the decision was made, everyone said their goodbyes. Tianshu Island is beautiful and the weather is pleasant. They could not wait to build their own home. Xu Qingfan also sent his four disciples, Zhang Ningmei, Bai Yu, Tian Zhenxian, and Tian Zhenling, to help, leaving only Bai Qingfu and Wang Zegang with him.

Xu Qingfan personally saw them off outside "Clear Heart Hall." Once everyone had happily left, he noticed that Liu Ziqing and Zhang Yi stayed behind. After everyone had gone, Liu Ziqing turned to Xu Qingfan and smiled, saying, "By the way, I remember that Taoist Friend Xu’s spirit pet is a ‘Dark Crow,’ always by his side. Why is it not here now?"

Xu Qingfan was slightly taken aback and replied, "It is on the verge of a breakthrough and is resting to gather energy."

Liu Ziqing nodded but then said, "Oh, I remembered something. Taoist Friend Xu deceived the ancestor of the Zhong family, and he has found out. For many years, he has been frantically looking for you. Although you are far away in the East Sea, that Zhong family elder is very powerful, so be careful in the future."

Saying this, without waiting for Xu Qingfan to respond, Liu Ziqing left with Zhang Yi.

After thanking them, Xu Qingfan watched as Liu Ziqing and Zhang Yi gradually walked away, his expression becoming serious. Little Black had been on the hidden Yaoguang Island for thirty years, continuously absorbing the dead energy from the "Purgatory Staff." From Liu Ziqing’s words, he had clearly guessed something.

However, no matter what, Liu Ziqing could not imagine that hidden on Yaoguang Island, absorbing the dead energy from the "Purgatory Staff," there were not just one, but three or four thousand Dark Crows. Once these Dark Crows have absorbed all the dead energy from the "Purgatory Staff," they would form an incredibly terrifying Dark Crow army to clear all obstacles from Xu Qingfan’s path, and these Dark Crows would be the key to Xu Qingfan’s future return!

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When Xu Qingfan’s figure completely disappeared from view, he turned and walked deeper into the "Clear Heart Hall," with Bai Qingfu and Wang Zegang silently following behind him.

At that moment, the three of them had serious expressions, far from the gentle kindness they showed when greeting everyone earlier.

Upon reaching the innermost part of the "Clear Heart Hall" and sitting down, Xu Qingfan said to Wang Zegang, "Zegang, what news did you find during your trip to ‘Ronghua Mountain’? Please tell me and Senior Brother Bai in detail."

Wang Zegang nodded and took a whole hour to recount everything that had happened on the Shenzhou Continent after Xu Qingfan and the others retreated from the world.

In the end, Wang Zegang summarized, "Now, although the Righteous Alliance has joined forces with Zhang Xusheng and is holding all their strength in Yongzhou State, the situation is not optimistic. The Shura Clan still has the upper hand. Although humans are resisting strongly, besides launching raids into North Iceland every three years, they still do not dare to venture out of Yongzhou State. In the first three years after we retreated, the Righteous Alliance gathered all the ordinary people from the Shenzhou Continent in Yongzhou State, preserving the last bit of human spirit, but their losses were also very heavy."

Xu Qingfan nodded, signaling Wang Zegang to continue.

Wang Zegang went on, "In fact, in my view, the crisis facing the Human Alliance goes far beyond the Shura Clan. The Zhong family has used the battles between the Shura Clan and the Human Alliance over the years to gather a large number of corpses, refining countless powerful zombies. The characteristics of the Zhong family’s cultivation methods mean that their power increases in chaotic times. I estimate that the strength of the Zhong family now is not much less than that of the Human Alliance; the only difference is that they have fewer top cultivators."

However, Bai Qingfu said, "Not necessarily. From what I know, the Zhong family possesses a few powerful ancestral zombies that have been continuously honed by the Zhong family’s ancestors over the years. Although they lack intelligence, their strength is likely on par with the top cultivators among humans."

Wang Zegang nodded in understanding and continued, "The greater hidden danger lies with Zhang Xusheng. From my observations, the evil path represented by Zhang Xusheng is taking advantage of the unfavorable situation against the Shura Clan. Not only has this allowed the evil path to gain recognition in the cultivation world and among ordinary people, but it has also rapidly expanded its power. The Human Alliance currently has 600,000 cultivators, nearly 6,000 of whom are Condensed Core Stage cultivators. However, about 200,000 cultivators and 2,000 Condensed Core Stage cultivators have begun to practice Zhang Xusheng’s cultivation method. Most importantly, key figures in the Human Alliance, such as Taoist Crane, Elder Dashi, and Master Wan Shi, who is about to attain enlightenment, are all getting very close to Zhang Xusheng. In short, as long as Zhang Xusheng wants, he can launch an internal conflict at any time to seize control from the righteous path over humanity. The situation has already gone beyond the control of Immortal Zizhen and Mr. Liu."

Hearing Wang Zegang’s judgment, Xu Qingfan took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and after closing his eyes for a long time, he said gently, "Zhang Xusheng… What a pity, now is not the time to confront him."

Wang Zegang frowned and said, "But, Island Master, don’t we really need to adjust our plan? Although the Zhong family is the weakest among these forces, their growth over the years has far exceeded our original expectations. Our first step after our comeback is to eliminate the entire Zhong family, which seems too difficult, even with three thousand Dark Crows helping us…"

Xu Qingfan shook his head and said, "Just as you said, the Zhong family’s strength is the weakest in the Shenzhou Continent, yet they are strengthening rapidly. If we do not act soon, we will be unable to control them in the future. Moreover, the Zhong family controls the Eastern Sea shore. With them around, we cannot advance deeply into the Shenzhou Continent. Over the years, they have only known how to expand their power by using the Shura Clan and the battles with humans, watching humans suffer with cold eyes. What use is it to keep them? It only makes the Human Alliance afraid to fully confront the Shura Clan. Rather than this, we should eliminate them sooner to prevent future trouble. Additionally, the Zhong family can greatly enhance our power; they are not just about those Dark Crows. After defeating the Zhong family, our fame will soar, and many cultivators will come to us. This step must be taken; otherwise, we will be stuck outside the Eastern Sea forever. As for the danger, you don’t need to worry. I have my own plans."

Hearing Xu Qingfan’s strong confidence, Wang Zegang stopped saying more and nodded in support.

Xu Qingfan, however, frowned and continued, "What truly worries me is neither Zhang Xusheng nor the Shura Clan, but the ‘Spirit Eater’! Do you remember the images in the Divine Plate of Inheritance?"

Bai Qingfu said, "But he is already trapped, right?"

Xu Qingfan replied solemnly, "I fear that someone might be insane enough to release this menace. Both the Shura Clan and Zhang Xusheng could do this."

Wang Zegang was slightly taken aback and asked, "So what should we do?"

Xu Qingfan’s eyes flashed with a hint of struggle, and after a long time, he said slowly, "I can create a demon whose abilities are similar to the Spirit Eater. Of course, it would be very dangerous, but if I create it, I might control it. Now it seems that to be safe, we must release this demon from the depths of hell."