Volume 1 Volume 7 Chapter 17

Volume 7 Chapter 17: Wang Li (Part 1)

"Become a god?" Xu Qingfan had thought of countless possibilities, but this was one he had never imagined. He asked in disbelief, "Aren’t gods supposed to be nonexistent? That’s just a fantasy of mortals about us cultivators."

Liu Ziqing shook his head and said, "What did not exist before does not mean it will not exist in the future. We may be cultivators, but that does not mean Zhang Xusheng cannot become a god."

Xu Qingfan asked, "How so?"

Liu Ziqing explained, "Over the years, I have also been guessing the purpose of Zhang Xusheng’s actions. However, his actions are too chaotic for me to see their true nature. It wasn’t until one day when I passed by a ruin and saw some murals on the walls there, which depicted the lives of gods in the hearts of mortals and their contributions to humanity."

Xu Qingfan listened quietly and did not interrupt.

"In those murals, humans were created by the gods. The gods had great powers and lived above the clouds with Immortal Bodies. Anyone who dared to go against the will of the gods would face Heavenly Tribulation, which came in the form of ‘Calamity Clouds’ as a punishment…"

Listening to Liu Ziqing’s story, Xu Qingfan’s expression gradually became serious.

"Have you noticed? This is very similar to what Zhang Xusheng has done. Thirty years ago, during the great battle, Zhang Xusheng was already able to perfectly create an independent human and used that human to hide in the ‘Underworld’ organization. I guess that human likely had an independent soul; otherwise, it would be impossible to learn Zhang Xusheng’s magical ways. Like the gods imagined by mortals, Zhang Xusheng could control a part of the world and had an Immortal Body. While mortals imagined gods having ‘Calamity Clouds’, Zhang Xusheng created a ‘Disaster Cloud’…"

After a pause, Liu Ziqing continued, "For the past thirty years, I’ve found it very strange. All groups are formed out of interests, so how could the members of Zhang Xusheng’s ‘Dark’ organization be so loyal to him, letting him control them? Before, it could be explained as revenge against the ‘Underworld’ organization, but what about these thirty years?"

Saying this, Liu Ziqing mocked with a smile, "Looking back now, these ‘Dark’ organization members probably hoped to become little gods themselves once Zhang Xusheng ascended to godhood."

Xu Qingfan, after a moment of silence, shook his head and said, "Although what you say does match Zhang Xusheng’s actions, it is too far-fetched. Becoming a god… how could a cultivator think like that?"

Liu Ziqing scoffed, "But is Zhang Xusheng an average cultivator? Think about it, Zhang Xusheng is now at the peak of the cultivation world. The Soul Changing Stage is still just a legend among human cultivators. Moreover, as long as he has endless vital blood and resentful souls to sustain his body, he is already immortal. In the world, he can easily obtain everything. With Zhang Xusheng’s personality, what would he do? From a madman’s perspective, he has only one thing to do: destroy the world, create a new one, and then control it!"

Xu Qingfan slowly said, "Are you saying that everything Zhang Xusheng does now is to make humans and the Shura Clan kill each other, exhausting their powers until both are badly injured, while he takes the chance to eliminate all intelligent beings in this world, then recreate the human race and become the god of the Shenzhou Continent?"

Liu Ziqing coldly replied, "At first, I also found this idea unbelievable, too crazy. But in recent years, Zhang Xusheng’s actions have only confirmed this idea, and it has become the only explanation for what he has done over the years."

To Liu Ziqing’s surprise, Xu Qingfan did not show any more signs of surprise after hearing him say that. Instead, a mysterious and deep smile appeared on his face as he murmured, "Is that so… Zhang Xusheng really surprised everyone, didn’t he…"

At that moment, no one knew what Xu Qingfan was truly thinking, but Liu Ziqing noticed that Xu Qingfan, who had just been gentle and casual, now had a look on his face that made Liu Ziqing’s heart feel cold.

※※※※

After chatting for a little while longer, Liu Ziqing took his leave.

After personally seeing Liu Ziqing out, Xu Qingfan quietly returned to his room, sitting by the window and silently watching the outside. The dark clouds slowly covered the bright moon, and the world suddenly grew dim.

Meanwhile, at some unknown time, the dark patterns that had faded from Xu Qingfan’s face returned and crawled up again, and his eyes were even darker than the deepest night.

Over the years, whenever Xu Qingfan needed to think deeply about something, he would let that coldness in his heart take control of his mind. Only in this way could he remain calm and sharp while considering things and think of all possible solutions without being tied down by emotions or worries that could limit his thinking.

To be honest, although this method made Xu Qingfan’s thinking sharper, frequent use of it would gradually let coldness invade and control his heart. However, many times when faced with difficult situations, he still unconsciously did this, unknowingly becoming dependent on this way of thinking.

Xu Qingfan remained in this almost magical state for over two hours, and only when the edge of the sky began to brighten did he finally return to normal.

"Zhang Xusheng… It seems that the battle between us has to be brought forward…"

Whispering to himself, Xu Qingfan sat cross-legged on the bed and continued his meditation.

※※※※

In the following days, after bringing Old Beggar and the others to the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands, life in the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands officially began to get on track after three days of adjustment.

After settling in, Dongfang Quan and the five rogue cultivators, along with Wang Yuxian and the twelve Jiuhua disciples, couldn’t wait to enter Tianji Island to practice. However, after just two or three months, they returned to Tianshu Island feeling exhausted.

The Spirit Qi inside Tianji Island was too dense. While they made rapid progress in their cultivation there, the overwhelming Spirit Qi continuously flowing into their bodies was also a huge burden. In fact, besides Wang Zegang, Zhang Yi, and Liu Ziqing, no one in Rainbow Spirit Island could stay in Tianji Island for more than a year.

After two months of hard work, Old Beggar and the seven Alchemy Masters, along with Scholar Beihai and the five Medicine Pill Masters, finally transformed the volcano on Tianquan Island into a powerful natural furnace for refining pills and weapons. Scholar Beihai and the Medicine Pill Masters eagerly began using the volcano to create spirit pills with materials from Rainbow Spirit Island, while Old Beggar and the Alchemy Masters started to redesign the defenses of Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands at Xu Qingfan’s request.

Generally speaking, those skilled in crafting are also proficient in arranging formations. After criticizing Xu Qingfan’s defensive formations and arrays around Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands, Old Beggar began to redesign the defenses. Although it was the same formation, under the guidance of Old Beggar and the others, Xu Qingfan’s new arrangement resulted in a thirty percent increase in power. At the same time, Old Beggar and the others also started to create array discs and cores for these formations, doubling their effectiveness. Finally, Xu Qingfan felt reassured about the defenses of Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands.

However, it is worth mentioning that after studying the structure of the "Disaster Cloud," Old Beggar and the others began developing a new type of Disaster Cloud to place around Rainbow Spirit Island. Although it was not as silent as Zhang Xusheng’s Disaster Cloud, it was actually more powerful.