Volume 1 Volume 7 Chapter 25

Volume 7 Chapter 25: The Return of the Demons (Part 3)

As Wang Li silently approached Xu Qingfan, Xu Qingfan closely watched every move of Wang Li, especially Wang Li’s eyes, as if trying to see the true feelings hidden inside Wang Li’s heart.

However, although Wang Li relied on the hatred in his heart to control his strength, at that moment, his eyes were clearer than ever, like a young master who seemed to care about nothing.

Seeing this, Xu Qingfan furrowed his brow; it was not that Wang Li had let go of his hatred, but rather that he had hidden his hatred even deeper. The hatred hidden within him, under the influence of that glistening sphere, became even stronger. When revenge became his life and purpose, the hatred became invisible because he himself had become the embodiment of hatred.

In the past, Wang Li seemed patient and reserved, with various emotions not visible on his face, but that gloom and hatred were still clearly sensed. Now, however, there was no emotion visible on Wang Li’s face.

Thinking of all this, Xu Qingfan sighed quietly, unsure if his decision was right or wrong.

"Thank you, Master, for granting me this power. In the future, while seeking revenge, I will do my best to assist you and focus completely on your grand plan."

After Wang Li reached Xu Qingfan, his gaze avoided meeting Xu Qingfan’s eyes. He knelt before Xu Qingfan, his expression filled with great respect. Wang Li’s voice, likely from too much shouting earlier, now sounded hoarse and low, with a hint of something eerie.

Xu Qingfan looked at Wang Li for a long time and then said, "Get up."

As Wang Li stood, Xu Qingfan took out a large black cloak from his sleeve and handed it to Wang Li, saying, "Put this on."

Wang Li nodded and took the cloak. His old clothes had completely torn apart during the transformation, and if anyone saw him now, they would surely be shocked. But after putting on the cloak that Xu Qingfan gave him, not only were his unusual features hidden, but also his face covered in strange blue scales, his snake-like eyes, the third eye, and the sharp horns on his head were all concealed in the dark under the hood.

From the outside, Wang Li, wearing the cloak, appeared just to be a tall ordinary person.

Xu Qingfan said, "This cloak was specially crafted for you by Senior Old Beggar, and I have further enhanced it. As long as you are not facing someone stronger than me, they will not be able to see your true appearance. From now on, wear it when you go out."

"Thank you, Master."

After putting on the cloak, Wang Li thanked him once again.

"Let’s go."

Xu Qingfan stood up and said.

Wang Li asked curiously, "Where to?"

Xu Qingfan replied, "You are my closed-door disciple and the future heir of Yaoguang Island in the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands, so I naturally need to introduce you to everyone."

After a pause, Xu Qingfan said, "Since you are unwilling to reveal your identity to Shen Gang and the others, then you should give yourself a name."

After a moment of silence, Wang Li suddenly looked up and laughed, "In that case, I will call myself Chou."

Xu Qingfan nodded and said, "Later, after I introduce you to everyone, you will return here. The stillness here is the foundation of your evolution, and I will often come here to teach you how to control your power. When you feel you have enough ability, you can leave Yaoguang Island and look for some demon beasts in the nearby seas to absorb. In the East Sea, whether in the sky or the depths of the ocean, there are many demon beasts, and absorbing beings from the world is also one way to grow strong… but don’t go too far."

"I will obey, Master."

A quarter of an hour later, in the "Clear Heart Hall" of Tianshu Island, the sound of a bell spread across the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands. All the cultivators within the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands gathered in the "Clear Heart Hall" to hear Xu Qingfan carefully introduce Chou to them.

Regarding Xu Qingfan, the reclusive disciple, everyone except for a few felt very confused. Firstly, there wasn’t such a person in the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands; no one knew where Xu Qingfan found him or why he took him as a disciple. Secondly, this Chou was completely cloaked, making it impossible to see his face or limbs, which made him even more mysterious. Finally, it was because Xu Qingfan had designated Chou to inherit the most mysterious Yaoguang Island within the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands…

For a moment, the speculations about Chou were more numerous than the mist in the East Sea; however, neither Xu Qingfan nor Chou had any intention of explaining. After the announcement was complete, Xu Qingfan took Chou back to Yaoguang Island.

※※※※

Three years, three years, three years and three more years.

In the blink of an eye, Shen Gang had been at Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands for nine years.

During these nine years, Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands changed a lot.

For example, after Old Beggar and six other Alchemy Masters dismantled Xu Qingfan’s "Disaster Cloud" halfway, they finally created a new "Disaster Cloud" and incorporated these "Disaster Clouds" into the protective formations and mazes around Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands, doubling its defenses.

For example, the strength of cultivators in Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands grew quickly during these six years. Xu Qingfan’s disciples, Zhang Ningmei, Bai Yu, Tian Zhenxian, and Tian Zhenling, finally broke through their limits, making rapid progress in their abilities, with Zhang Ningmei reaching the mid-stage of True Dan. Meanwhile, Dongfang Quan and five other rogue cultivators who had followed Xu Qingfan for many years also broke through to the Golden Core Stage. Other cultivators, like Wang Yuxian and others, also improved in their own ways. Together, they formed the core fighting power of Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands.

For example, after years of becoming familiar with each other, Scholar Beihai and other Medicine Pill Masters, along with Old Beggar and other Alchemy Masters, increased their efficiency in making pills and forging tools. Over nine years, Scholar Beihai and others surprisingly produced nearly two hundred "Immortal Ascending Pills," along with countless valuable healing and detoxifying pills. In addition to helping Xu Qingfan set up Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands’ defenses, Old Beggar and others also forged substantial heavenly-level magical artifacts.

However, due to the Medicine Pill Masters and Alchemy Masters’ intense focus on crafting and Xu Qingfan’s eagerness to grow stronger, they consumed more than a third of the precious materials that had been collected over hundreds of thousands of years in less than ten years. With various materials nearly halved, Scholar Beihai and Old Beggar were heartbroken and finally returned to their senses. Xu Qingfan also realized that he was exhausting his potential for growth, causing his crafting to slow down.

Furthermore, after Wang Zegang entered Tianji Island to break into the Mahayana Stage and closed himself off, Bai Qingfu used the remaining half of Xu Qingfan’s "Disaster Cloud" to return to Shenzhou Continent several times. Under the keen observation and recommendations from Wang Zegang’s trusted allies in the Human Alliance, he brought back many people who had reached Lingji Stage due to their talent but could not break through to become human cultivators. Nearly two hundred cultivators who had reached this stage in the Human Alliance but had not joined Zhang Xusheng were gathered by Xu Qingfan.

The spending of Old Beggar, Scholar Beihai, and others over the years was not without value. With the help of one "Immortal Ascending Pill" each and at least Earth-level magical gear, these people’s strength greatly increased, with their abilities at least reaching Fake Golden Core Stage. Under Xu Qingfan’s direct arrangement, they formed an organization called "Seven Star Camp," named after the Bei Dou seven constellations. There were seven small teams, each with about twenty to thirty people, led by Wang Zegang as the leader and Bai Qingfu as the deputy leader, with Dongfang Quan and others as team leaders, forming the basic fighting strength of Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands.

In short, over these years, the strength of Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands has been growing at an incredible speed, forming the initial ability to return to Shenzhou Continent and compete for power.

However, besides having the strength to return to the Shenzhou Continent, it was also time to go back, because even Shen Gang realized that over the years, the power of the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands had reached a limit, and it had become very difficult to grow further.

Among all these changes, Shen Gang felt that the biggest change was within himself.

In just nine years, Shen Gang had transformed from an ordinary person into a Fake Golden Core Stage cultivator. Especially in the last three years, Wang Zegang had jumped from the late stage of the Inedia Stage directly to the Fake Golden Core Stage. Such progress was unbelievable, even among the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands, and it caught everyone’s attention.

Seeing Shen Gang steady and calm, Xu Qingfan entrusted him with the control of the defense formations around the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands and put him in charge of leading the Tianzhu Team from the Seven Star Camp. A mere mortal nine years ago had now become a core figure in the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands, a truly remarkable change.

But Shen Gang knew that his rapid progress over the years was due to the high Spirit Qi concentration in the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands and various spiritual pills, as well as Xu Qingfan’s guidance.

However, the biggest reason was his only junior apprentice, the mysterious master who had suddenly appeared more than five years ago—Chou!

At this moment, Shen Gang was quietly standing by the sea on Tianshu Island. Three years ago, after Chou finished his retreat at the mysterious Yaoguang Island, he often went out to sea for unknown purposes, and Xu Qingfan was unconcerned. Ten days ago, Chou left again, and Shen Gang guessed that Chou would be back today, so he stood there quietly waiting.