Volume 1 Volume 7 Chapter 38

Volume 7 Chapter 38: The Dust Settles (Part 3)

The person in the black cloak was Xu Qingfan’s closed-door disciple, Chou.

After absorbing two Fish Dragon Beasts, Chou’s strength greatly increased and he was close to reaching the mid-stage of separation. Compared to Little Black, who had been evolving for forty years, he was even stronger.

However, Chou still held enough respect for both Xu Qingfan and Little Black, standing a distance away from the circle of three thousand Dark Crows, respectfully hovering in the air with hands down, showing no intention to act without Xu Qingfan’s command.

As the battle situation was determined, more and more cultivators from Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands flew out of the circle, either joining forces to chase the fleeing East Sea Demon Monster, or helping the injured, or coming towards Xu Qingfan and the others.

To hide his strange appearance, Chou put on a black cloak again, remaining as mysterious and gloomy as ever, yet his terrifying aura grew even stronger.

Inside the circle of Dark Crows, Xu Qingfan and Little Black kept their eyes closed, communicating silently. At this moment, Little Black had already reached the mid-level of heavenly strength, which was an unprecedented height for the Dark Crow clan, and his intelligence had far surpassed that of ordinary humans. The noble demeanor he displayed was more akin to a human noble who had inherited their position for hundreds of years than a demon beast.

Dongfang Qingling, Liu Ziqing, Shen Gang, and the others approached Xu Qingfan and, upon seeing so many Dark Crows around, realized that the lowest rank among them was middle-class earth level, and there were countless others at high-level earth level. Little Black’s strength was so overwhelming that it filled them with awe, and even though Dongfang Qingling was already aware of the Dark Crows’ existence, he could hardly believe their power was so formidable. Overwhelmed with respect, he stayed at a distance, not daring to approach.

Under Xu Qingfan’s control, just how astonishing would the strength of these Dark Crows be?

Even though the group was usually confident in their own intelligence, they felt a sense of uncertainty at that moment.

At this moment, Liu Ziqing’s eyes flickered as he recalled Xu Qingfan’s bet from years ago about completely destroying the Zhong family within ten years. Now, with just over half a year left, it seemed that as long as they dealt with the ancestral figure of the Zhong family, it wouldn’t be a problem anymore.

However, the ancestor of the Zhong family is someone even Zhang Xusheng would not dare to say he could defeat. According to Liu Ziqing, the ancestor of the Zhong family has created seven extraordinary corpses over the past thousand years, each one as powerful as him. To oppose the ancestor of the Zhong family is like facing eight Grandmasters at the Soul Splitting Stage, not to mention that the ancestor wields the "Purgatory Staff," which enhances his own power and that of his extraordinary corpses, along with countless other types of created corpses, making them limitless…

This is also why, although the Zhong family is clearly gaining strength during the battle between the Human Alliance and the Shura Clan, and has only one top-tier expert, the Human Alliance and the Shura Clan would not easily turn their attention to the Zhong family. It is truly because the ancestor of the Zhong family is incredibly strong. In some ways, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the ancestor of the Zhong family is the best among all power wielders in the world.

To deal with the ancestor of the Zhong family…

Wait, in half a year, it should be the day the Azure Crystal Treasure House opens, right?

If that’s the case…

Although there was still a dragon and a flood dragon in front of him, as well as a large number of mid to high-level Earth-rank creatures yet to be resolved, Liu Ziqing’s mind was already far away, imagining what Xu Qingfan would do at that moment.

…

No one knows what Xu Qingfan and Little Black are communicating at this moment.

All that is known is that half an hour later, Xu Qingfan and Little Black opened their eyes at the same time. Xu Qingfan still had a hint of a smile on his lips, but behind his gentle expression was a trace of regret.

Xu Qingfan had two regrets, but in the end, they came from one true reason.

Demon beasts are wild and untamed. They are among the first living beings born from the Spirit Qi and essence of the world. After cultivators found a way to control demon beasts, many began to tame them as spirit pets to enhance their own powers. Some spirit pets are even stronger than their owners, yet they remain fiercely loyal. For example, Little Black always stayed stronger than Xu Qingfan in the beginning, but it never thought of rebelling against him. It even blocked dangerous attacks aimed at Xu Qingfan with its own body many times.

However, for thousands of years, no cultivator has ever had a spirit pet with strength at the heavenly level, even if that cultivator reached the Soul Splitting Stage.

Once a cultivator’s spirit pet reaches heavenly level, the bond between them automatically breaks. Although the bloodline and spirit still have a faint connection, the cultivator can no longer control their spirit pet. These spirit pets long for freedom and refuse to be bound, so they often leave their previous owners.

Little Black is no exception.

After forty years of continuous evolution, Little Black and its three Dark Crows reached the intermediate and initial heavenly levels. This also means the time for Little Black to leave Xu Qingfan is approaching.

However, Little Black’s situation is a bit special. Little Black could break through to the intermediate heavenly level entirely because Xu Qingfan provided it with an endless source of death energy. Little Black became the king of Dark Crows because of this connection with Xu Qingfan. This is very different from how other cultivators’ spirit pets evolve on their own.

It can be said that even though Little Black saved Xu Qingfan’s life many times, the gratitude it owes to him is even greater.

So just now, Xu Qingfan and Little Black made an agreement: Little Black will still stay with Xu Qingfan and its followers for one hundred years. After that, Little Black will return to freedom. They can still be friends, but they will be independent from each other.

The three Dark Crows that evolved to the heavenly level were still on Yaoguang Island. Heavenly level demon beasts were not bound in any way. Once they regained their senses, their first instinct was to break free from Little Black’s control, but they were defeated by Little Black one by one. Now, they were resting on Yaoguang Island to heal. It could be said that these three Dark Crows owed a debt of gratitude to Xu Qingfan, but they had no feelings for him, nor did they want Little Black to be so reasonable. How to control them depended on the methods of Little Black and Xu Qingfan.

"One hundred years should be enough for my plan."

Having gotten used to Little Black being by his side, Xu Qingfan felt a bit sad thinking that Little Black would leave after a hundred years. However, the nature of a demon beast is to live freely. Unlike other cultivators who had a different attitude towards their demon beasts, Xu Qingfan truly cared for Little Black but did not want to force anything. He simply thought quietly to himself.

"One hundred years is only enough if everything goes smoothly. It might not be enough; there are too many surprises in this world."

Just as Xu Qingfan was lost in thought, a cold and detached voice echoed in his mind. There was no hint of emotion in the voice, and although he knew there was no malice, it still sent a chill down his spine.

When Xu Qingfan turned to look, he saw Little Black standing on his shoulder. A rare thoughtful expression appeared in Little Black’s indifferent eyes, as if it was pondering something.

Xu Qingfan trusted Little Black completely and had nothing to hide. During their earlier discussion, he had shared his plans from all these years, and now Little Black was thinking about those plans.

After reaching the heavenly level, Little Black was no longer just a spirit pet for Xu Qingfan; it had become a trustworthy partner.

When Little Black noticed Xu Qingfan turning to look at it, it also slightly turned its head to meet Xu Qingfan’s gaze. Perhaps it was just Xu Qingfan’s imagination, but there seemed to be a flicker of a faint smile in Little Black’s indifferent eyes.

Then, the voice of Little Black rang out again in Xu Qingfan’s heart.

"We demon beasts judge a year by the changes of the four seasons, but here in the East Sea, the change of seasons can hardly be felt. So how long counts as a year is up to you."

Xu Qingfan was slightly taken aback, looking at Little Black with surprise, but more warmth. Little Black had willingly given up some of its own freedom for him, and for a demon beast, freedom, survival, and strength were the most important. Especially for Little Black, which was not only a mid-level heavenly demon beast but also a king among demon beasts; it valued these three aspects greatly.

"However, once your plan is fully realized, I must leave. The Western Desert is the suitable land for my Dark Crow clan to thrive. The East Sea is too moist. But after everything is finished, I doubt you will stay in the Human Alliance. You can come find me in the Western Desert, after all, you hatched me and helped me grow; you are like a parent to me."

Hearing Little Black’s words, Xu Qingfan’s eyes filled with even more warmth and joy, but in an instant, he became reserved, simply nodding at the Dark Crow.

After Little Black evolved to the heavenly level, it gained intelligence like a human, allowing for communication between them. Xu Qingfan initially thought he would feel some discomfort for a while, but now it felt incredibly familiar and natural, as if he and Little Black had been communicating for countless years.

Watching Xu Qingfan and Little Black either lock eyes or nod at each other, it seemed they were sharing something; outside the circle of Dark Crows, all the arriving cultivators felt it was strange. Although it had become common knowledge in the cultivation world that heavenly level demon beasts have intelligence, cultivators still subconsciously viewed heavenly level demon beasts as mere powerful beasts. Cultivators with experiences of communicating with heavenly level demon beasts were rare, so seeing the interaction between Xu Qingfan and the Dark Crow was unimaginable for every cultivator present.

After finishing his conversation with Little Black, Xu Qingfan turned to look at the Dragon Transformation and the Flood Dragon not far away, his gaze instantly becoming icy.

Seeing Xu Qingfan and Little Black interact without acknowledging them made the Dragon Transformation and the Flood Dragon extremely angry, feeling ignored, but they were also affected by the unintentional display of power from Xu Qingfan and Little Black.

When Xu Qingfan’s attention shifted to them, the Quasi-Dragon and the Transforming Dragon were slightly startled and instinctively stepped back.

Unfortunately, these two proud heavenly-level demon beasts were surrounded by countless Dark Crows, and although they wanted to retreat, they could not go far.

However, Xu Qingfan’s focus was still not on the Quasi-Dragon and the Transforming Dragon.

"Chou, you and your followers are badly injured and have fought all night; it’s better to return to Yaoguang Island to rest."

Xu Qingfan’s eyes were fixed on the Quasi-Dragon and the Transforming Dragon, but he spoke calmly, his voice echoing throughout the scene.

Upon hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, everyone’s gaze turned to Chou, their expressions a mix of surprise and admiration. Eliminating two Fish Dragon Beasts and countless Earth-level demon beasts, Chou’s performance that night was nothing short of incredible. After this battle, Chou’s status in Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands would be equal to Liu Ziqing.

Of course, this was the view of the cultivators of Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands without having seen Chou’s true form. If Chou had not worn that large cloak to hide his monstrous appearance and revealed himself to everyone, how the cultivators of Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands would perceive him would be a different matter.

After hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, two red lights flashed under the cloak, then Chou silently bowed to Xu Qingfan and quickly flew away with the remaining Yaoguang Camp cultivators.

The reason Chou stayed was that he valued the powers and essence of the Quasi-Dragon and the Transforming Dragon. Unfortunately, as he expected, Xu Qingfan decided to personally deal with these two heavenly-level demon beasts while keeping Chou at a distance.

Once Chou absorbs and devours the two heavenly level demon beasts, the Flood Dragon and the Transformation Dragon, then even Xu Qingfan may not be able to control him anymore.

The reason Chou is still here is mainly to test Xu Qingfan, but Xu Qingfan’s reaction tells Chou that he will start to limit his power growth from now on.

As Chou walked away, Little Black suddenly showed a bright glimmer in its eyes. Keenly, it sensed Xu Qingfan’s concerns about Chou and stared closely at Chou’s retreating figure. In that moment, Little Black’s gaze at Chou was surprisingly similar to Ting’er’s gaze.

It was a mix of concern and murderous intent.

However, Xu Qingfan seemed completely unaware. Once Chou had departed, Xu Qingfan slowly raised the World Defying Sword in his hand again, pointing directly at the Flood Dragon and Transformation Dragon in front of him. Suddenly, he vanished in a flash and lunged toward them like lightning.

Little Black did not join Xu Qingfan in the attack. Instead, it flew away to a distance because Little Black knew that the situation was set. All the cultivators were focused not on anything else, but on the battle between Xu Qingfan and the Flood Dragon and Transformation Dragon.

This was a great opportunity for Xu Qingfan to showcase his strength and build the confidence of the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands cultivators in him. Only when Xu Qingfan showed enough power to return to the Shenzhou Continent and compete could the cultivators of Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands feel confident and determined to follow him back to the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands.

The strength of the Flood Dragon and Transformation Dragon was already far inferior to Xu Qingfan’s. Under the pressure of countless Dark Crows and Little Black, they were even more restricted. From the moment Xu Qingfan attacked, he had already gained the upper hand.

Although the battle had just begun, the outcome was already determined.

The "World Defying Sword" emanated a fierce energy, while the "Qixia Sword" shone so brightly it dazzled the eyes. As it swayed, its power changed the colors of the world. Xu Qingfan and the two heavenly-level demon beasts fought, filled with the essence of various Heavenly Way rules, mesmerizing all the cultivators around them.

After a short while, Xu Qingfan drove the "World Defying Sword" into the head of the flood dragon. Its body fell helplessly next to the dragon’s corpse, and all the cultivators from Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands couldn’t help but cheer in joy.

Everyone had witnessed how the flood dragon had previously withstood the "Sunglow Formation" and "Disaster Cloud Formation" on its own and gained the upper hand. Now, seeing it easily defeated by Xu Qingfan only highlighted Xu Qingfan’s growing power.

Just then, two massive waves surged towards the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands, bringing with them numerous corpses of Earth-level demon beasts. Behind the waves were two cultivators who looked just like Xu Qingfan. They were his two avatars, Xu Ying and Xu Zhiyuan, returning after chasing the fleeing East Sea Demon Monsters. At this point, none of the demon beasts attacking the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands survived, except for the Azure Dragon.

Xu Qingfan single-handedly dealt a heavy blow to the strongest Azure Dragon, killed the dragon and flood dragon who were the next strongest, and another fish dragon fell under the attack of his spirit pet Little Black and countless Dark Crows. The mid to high-level Earth demon beasts were mostly defeated by the two avatars of Xu Ying.

As Xu Ying and Xu Zhiyuan turned into two shadows and entered Xu Qingfan’s body, the cheers of the cultivators from Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands grew even louder.

When they first joined Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands, they had heard many stories about how powerful Xu Qingfan was, being one of the top experts in the world. However, to be honest, both the cultivators from the Seven Star Camp and others who joined later were somewhat skeptical. After all, Xu Qingfan was just a rising star at the Golden Core Stage forty years ago. Most of them chose to follow Xu Qingfan, not only because a few had received his kindness but mainly because the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands were far from the chaos of Shenzhou Continent and could help them grow stronger.

But at this moment, all the cultivators truly believed in Xu Qingfan’s strength.

Yet amid the cheers and admiration of countless cultivators, Xu Qingfan turned to look towards the direction of Shenzhou Continent.

The hearts of the people have been won, and strength has built up to the limit. It is time to return to the Shenzhou Continent.

But little did he know, what awaited Xu Qingfan upon returning to the Shenzhou Continent? At this moment, although Xu Qingfan’s strength has reached its peak, he is still weak compared to the three major forces of the Shenzhou Continent. In this situation, how much help can Xu Qingfan really provide?

"Human Alliance, Zhang Xusheng, Shura Clan, Zhong family…"

Xu Qingfan murmured softly, with complex emotions flashing in his eyes, as if he was hopeful, excited, yet also helpless and tired.