Volume 1 Volume 7 Chapter 55

Volume 7 Chapter 55: The Gap, Seeking the Sword

Since that first meeting, the Demon Ancestor has not appeared in all these years. Neither the Human Alliance, which frequently checks for news about the Shura Clan, nor the Shura Clan, which hunts human cultivators everywhere, have seen any sign of the Demon Ancestor.

Hidden in a chaotic world, with no one noticing, this alone shows the extraordinary strength of the Demon Ancestor.

Xu Qingfan did not know where the Demon Ancestor was at that moment, just like anyone else in the world. However, Xu Qingfan was the only person in the world, besides the Demon Ancestor, who possessed demonic energy. Even in the age when dark powers were thriving, the strength of the demonic energy within Xu Qingfan could rank among the top twenty.

Although the demonic energy inside Xu Qingfan was no longer pure, it was called the "Qi of Demonic Death."

So, as one of the only two people in the world with deep demonic energy, Xu Qingfan and the Demon Ancestor had a faint connection, completely free from any other distractions, and their levels of skill greatly strengthened this connection.

Therefore, Xu Qingfan’s plan on how to find the Demon Ancestor was simply a few irresponsible words— "follow the feeling."

However, in fact, this seemingly careless attitude turned out to be very effective.

Xu Qingfan let his instincts and feelings guide him, aimlessly leading Niu Wenxing toward the Western Desert. As they ventured deeper into the Western Desert, the feeling in his heart grew stronger.

Basically, Xu Qingfan was already certain that the Demon Ancestor must be somewhere in the Western Desert.

What made Xu Qingfan happy was that another person he was looking for— "Ri," based on the information gathered over the years, was also in the Western Desert, in a long-lost kingdom inside a palace.

Niu Wenxing looked at Xu Qingfan with confusion, as if he were a fly buzzing around aimlessly after entering the Western Desert.

Occasionally, they would travel thousands of miles in a certain direction, suddenly pause in surprise, and then turn back to fly in the original direction. After flying for a long time like this, Xu Qingfan would frown and then fly in another direction.

Niu Wenxing asked Xu Qingfan what he was doing, and Xu Qingfan replied, "It feels wrong." This made Niu Wenxing feel very confused.

After flying around chaotically for a month, one day, Xu Qingfan flew to a place in the Western Desert but stopped once again.

Just when Niu Wenxing thought Xu Qingfan would turn and fly in another direction like many times before, Xu Qingfan quietly stayed suspended there, eyes closed as if sensing something.

For a long time, from the blazing sun to the setting sun, Xu Qingfan remained still, sensing something without moving.

When night fell, Xu Qingfan seemed to finally understand something. A look of surprise appeared on his face as he turned and bowed respectfully to the space beside him, saying, "Esteemed elder, your abilities are mysterious, and your cultivation methods are profound. I am ashamed to be beneath you."

"Hehe, it is impressive that you have raised your strength to this level in such a short time. Although it relies heavily on external help, it is not worse than my progress back then."

A faint, ancient voice began to echo through the world, as if it carried the weight of time and countless experiences, traveling through many ages since the beginning of time to arrive here.

The meaning of the words seemed to express approval, but the tone was steady without any fluctuation, lacking any feeling. In front of the two kylins and Xu Qingfan, Niu Wenxing felt a chill run through his body at that moment for reasons he could not understand.

Xu Qingfan did not respond, still bowing in that direction. Without an answer from the Demon Ancestor, he didn’t stand upright.

"It’s not simple; he actually noticed my presence."

A faint voice echoed again in the world. Then, the space in front of Xu Qingfan rippled, and the next moment, an elderly man dressed in black, with an extremely aged face and eyes that seemed to hold countless stars from the universe, silently appeared before Xu Qingfan.

There was not the slightest breath escaping from him. At first glance, he looked like an ordinary old man floating in the air, but Niu Wenxing’s body involuntarily became stiff, too scared to move.

What shocked Niu Wenxing even more was that with Xu Qingfan’s abilities, the Demon Ancestor was less than three feet away, yet it took Xu Qingfan several hours to notice him. With such power, could it be that the Demon Ancestor had reached the legendary Soul Changing Stage?

In fact, this was because Niu Wenxing did not understand the strength of cultivators above the Soul Splitting Stage.

When a cultivator reaches the peak of the Soul Splitting Stage, the Spirit Qi within them has reached its limit, and the only difference lies in each person’s understanding of the Heavenly Way.

If understanding the Heavenly Way is one hundred to break through to the Soul Splitting Stage, then once a cultivator’s comprehension of the Heavenly Way reaches one hundred, they automatically enter a state called Unity of Sky and Earth. During the breakthrough in this state, the cultivator can further comprehend an additional one hundred of the Heavenly Way, allowing them to officially break through to the Soul Splitting Stage, with an understanding of two hundred at the early stage of spirit separation.

To reach the peak of the Soul Splitting Stage, the understanding of the Heavenly Way must reach about three hundred, at which point all the more basic Heavenly Ways have already been comprehended by that cultivator.

To attain the realm of the Soul Changing Stage, one needs to comprehend one thousand of the Heavenly Way. After breaking through, they will not comprehend new Heavenly Ways but can permanently achieve the state of Unity of Sky and Earth, acting on behalf of Heaven.

However, after understanding the Heavenly Way reaches three hundred, not to mention grasping the Heavenly Way itself, even discovering a new Heavenly Way becomes incredibly difficult. The understanding of the Heavenly Way from three hundred to three hundred and one shows no obvious improvement in strength, but it generally takes at least a hundred years. So, overall, the current top experts, like Mr. Liu and Zhang Xusheng, understand the Heavenly Way at about three hundred and ten. The differences in their strengths are not significant due to the long time required to comprehend a new Heavenly Way. The founders of the six Holy Lands understand the Heavenly Way at around three hundred and thirty, while at the peak of his power, the Demon Ancestor understood it at around five hundred or even more!

This is also why Xu Qingfan thinks that cultivating all three paths of righteousness, demon, and evil will make it easier to reach the Soul Changing Stage. By observing the Heavenly Way from three different perspectives, the chance of discovering a new Heavenly Way is three times greater than focusing on just one path. Moreover, after cultivating all three paths, what seems extremely difficult to comprehend for the righteous path becomes much easier for the demon path, naturally increasing efficiency in progress.

However, even so, it is still very difficult, and the time spent is extremely long. Zhang Xusheng also cultivates all three paths, yet he still hasn’t separated himself from Mr. Liu and Immortal Zizhen, which shows this well.

According to Xu Qingfan’s observations, Mr. Liu is following another path. He cultivates both the righteous and demon paths while also collecting a large number of magical treasures to understand the Heavenly Way contained within them, achieving great efficiency.

In comparison, the paths taken by Immortal Zizhen, the ancestor of the Zhong family, and Xuan are undoubtedly much narrower. Although it seems that they are comparable now, slowly, Zhang Xusheng and Mr. Liu will begin to distance themselves from them one after another.

However, that is at least a thousand years away.

At this moment, the Demon Ancestor’s body is destroyed, with not a single drop of Original Life Essence Blood left, making it impossible to rebuild his body. He can only inhabit the body of a Shura Clan member. The high-level Heavenly Ways he previously understood are nearly useless, yet even so, the number of Heavenly Ways he has grasped is still around three hundred and twenty, which is simply not comparable to Xu Qingfan, who has just understood a bit over two hundred.

Let’s put aside the small talk and get to the point.

Since the Demon Ancestor appeared, Xu Qingfan did not say a word, only bowing respectfully, because he knew that the Demon Ancestor had not yet spoken, and at this moment, he was there to seek the Demon Ancestor’s help.

Sure enough, after a few words that seemed like compliments, the Demon Ancestor’s eyes were fixed on Xu Qingfan. His gaze did not change, but the pressure in the world suddenly increased greatly.

"Do you remember when I wanted to take that little girl as my disciple? You would rather fight me than agree. Why are you so respectful now? Did I not tell you that I would no longer concern myself with the rights and wrongs of the Shenzhou Continent? Why have you come to find me again?"

The Demon Ancestor’s words already showed some displeasure.

Xu Qingfan replied respectfully, "I seek to ask the elder for something."

"I have nothing else. You may leave."

After the Demon Ancestor answered, his body gradually became hazy, as if he was about to leave.

Seeing the Demon Ancestor about to depart, Xu Qingfan quickly said, "Even if you do not have that item in your possession, you must know where it is. That item defeated you long ago and vanished with you for over ten thousand years after it pierced your body."

The Demon Ancestor had already decided to leave, thinking Xu Qingfan had come to ask for his help. But after hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, his hazy form solidified once again. His eyes were deep, and he seemed lost in thought as he quietly looked at Xu Qingfan before suddenly asking, "Do you want the ‘Holy Spirit Sword’?"

"Yes."

"Though there is a balance of good and evil energy within you, and the demonic energy is not apparent, the Holy Spirit Sword was also severely damaged back then, but it is still not something you can wield."

The Demon Ancestor said softly.

However, after hearing the Demon Ancestor’s words, a hint of joy flashed in Xu Qingfan’s eyes, because he knew that since the Demon Ancestor said this, he did not care about the Holy Spirit Sword and showed no reluctance to give it to him.

But Xu Qingfan did not respond. Instead, he took out two other swords from his sleeve and handed them to the Demon Ancestor.

"World Defying Sword," with rich demonic energy, can absorb the souls and blood of those it kills. This not only maximizes the destructive power of the demonic energy but also enhances the sword’s lethal aura with the blood of vengeful spirits, truly making it the ultimate weapon in the world!

"Qixia Sword," is crafted from two pieces of coral over two hundred thousand years old and twenty pearls over a hundred thousand years old, along with one-third of heavenly treasures from Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands. According to Xu Qingfan’s plan, he will also add some important materials from the heavenly level demon beasts he kills in the future. Although it is currently a very powerful tool, once Xu Qingfan collects "Azure Crystal Dust" and other heavenly treasures from the "Azure Crystal Treasure House," he will naturally upgrade it to a magical treasure, and it will rank among the top treasures in the world.

Although the damage of the "Qixia Sword" is far less than that of the "World Defying Sword," it has fully developed the water-type treasure’s ability to harmonize and hold all things. It can easily contain large amounts of incompatible good and evil energy.

While the Demon Ancestor silently observed the "Qixia Sword" and "World Defying Sword," Xu Qingfan spoke again.

"The junior knows the ‘Great Method of Spiritual Transformation.’"

Upon hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, the Demon Ancestor’s body trembled, instantly understanding Xu Qingfan’s plan.

"What a great ambition! You actually want to combine the ‘World Defying Sword’ and the ‘Holy Spirit Sword’ using the special features of the ‘Qixia Sword’!"

The Demon Ancestor stared at Xu Qingfan and spoke each word clearly.

Although the ‘World Defying Sword’ has not yet evolved to its ultimate form, and the ‘Holy Spirit Sword’ was severely damaged in the great battle, what kind of power will they achieve when combined?

"This kind of forging, if successful, will perfectly match with my disciple’s ‘Formula of Life and Death’, so I ask for your help, senior."

Hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, the Demon Ancestor fell into a long silence.