Volume 1 Volume 5 Chapter 128

Volume 5 Chapter 128: The Dust Has Settled (Part 1)

Just like the question Xu Qingfan asked before came from his heart, "Ri"’s question also came from a sincere place. He truly could not understand why Xu Qingfan could repeatedly suppress the "Beast Madness," which made both the righteous and the evil in the cultivation world turn pale, especially during the second time when his mind was out of control.

Xu Qingfan had already predicted that "Ri" would ask this question. He guided "Ri" with his gaze to look down at Xu Qingfan’s feet, where, without him noticing, there was a pile of purple powder that had no Spirit Qi, and the "Oshine Jade Pendant" at Xu Qingfan’s waist was nowhere to be found.

"Oshine Jade Pendant?"

"Ri," who was quite knowledgeable, guessed the origin of the purple powder just from seeing it, but even so, he still didn’t understand and asked in confusion.

"Exactly," Xu Qingfan replied slowly. "The preciousness of the Oshine Jade Pendant lies not only in its ability to gather the Spirit Qi of the world but also in its inherent calming power. My Jiuhua possesses a method that can draw upon the energy of this heavenly treasure, increasing its effectiveness, but it also causes great damage to the treasure."

In fact, the method Xu Qingfan mentioned was not the Jiuhua method but a technique from his own creation called the "Formula of Life and Death." However, he didn’t need to explain it that clearly at the moment.

"I see," "Ri" nodded and said. "So you used this method to restore the clarity of your Divine Sense?"

"It’s naturally not that simple," Xu Qingfan said calmly. "The cultivation method I’m practicing includes a supreme technique called ‘Cycle of Life and Death,’ which has the power to seal heaven and earth and can counter the energy of ‘Beast Madness.’ Initially, I relied on this technique to suppress the energy of ‘Beast Madness.’"

Saying this, Xu Qingfan seemed to remember something, smiled at "Ri," and said, "I relied on this move to defeat your brother back then."

"Ri" smiled and nodded, seeming unconcerned, just signaling for Xu Qingfan to keep speaking.

"Earlier, affected by your Divine Sense, the ‘Cycle of Life and Death’ was initially gaining the upper hand in its battle against the ‘Beast Madness’ energy. However, the situation suddenly reversed, allowing the ‘Beast Madness’ energy to take control of my entire body, even reaching my brain. But the ‘Cycle of Life and Death’ did not vanish; it was only pushed back. In the end, even though my body was fully occupied by the ‘Beast Madness’ energy, the ‘Cycle of Life and Death’ still protected my brain. Yet, the ‘Beast Madness’ energy was too strange. Even with the protection of the ‘Cycle of Life and Death,’ it still managed to invade parts of my brain, causing my mind to lose control for a while. Luckily, I had earlier used my powers to draw out the calming energy from the ‘Oshine Jade Pendant’; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

"I see."

"Ri" nodded but did not ask Xu Qingfan why the ‘Cycle of Life and Death’ could resist the ‘Beast Madness’ energy. It was Xu Qingfan’s secret, and even if asked, he clearly would not share, so he simply said, "Now it’s your turn to ask."

In fact, there was another crucial reason why Xu Qingfan could remain clear-headed despite the ‘Beast Madness’ energy invading his whole body, but he did not mention it as it involved many details and life and death matters.

After hearing "Ri’s" words, Xu Qingfan suddenly became serious, even more so than when he was questioning himself for any weakness. He stared intently into "Ri’s" eyes and slowly asked, "So here’s my next question, Feng Qingtian. Is he with you? And where is he now?"

"Ri" was slightly taken aback, not knowing how Xu Qingfan learned of Feng Qingtian’s existence, but still smiled and nodded, saying, "Feng Qingtian is now a ‘Lie’ in the ‘Ming’ organization. He’s been with me for this mission, but he went to chase after Jin Qinghan who just escaped. If nothing unexpected happens, outside the mountain, Jin Qinghan and your teammates are probably all dead at his hands by now."

Upon hearing "Ri’s" answer, Xu Qingfan was shocked, not because Feng Qingtian was chasing Jin Qinghan—he had anticipated that—but because he didn’t expect Feng Qingtian to join the "Ming" organization. This meant that if they encountered each other again, it would truly become a fight to the death.

Feng Qingtian, do you really believe that the hatred in your heart can make you unstoppable? The "Ming" organization is an enemy of all humanity.

To be honest, even though there are many connections between Xu Qingfan and Feng Qingtian, their feelings for each other are not deep. Before Feng Qingtian betrayed Jiuhua, he and Xu Qingfan were not even ordinary friends, and now, with Feng Qingtian’s betrayal, the bond they once had is gone.

However, when Xu Qingfan heard that Feng Qingtian had joined the "Ming" organization, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness.

That remarkably talented Feng Qingtian should not exist as a threat to the world; his rare gifts should not be used in such a way.

"Fate is cruel."

Xu Qingfan was silent, quietly sighing within himself.

Seeing Xu Qingfan looking a bit down, "Ri" smiled slightly, not meaning anything special, and simply said, "Now it’s my turn to ask questions."

Xu Qingfan lifted his head and looked deeply at "Ri," suddenly saying, "No need to ask anymore; my arrangements are complete, and you are a bit late."

"Ri" did not show any regret or panic; though surprised, he remained calm, still smiling, and said lightly, "Oh? Then I will see what your arrangements are that you want to keep me here."

As she spoke, "Ri" glanced at Little Black but found that after absorbing the dead energy for some time, Little Black had healed from its injuries. Its wings moved silently, floating in the air, with a greenish skeleton gripped in its claws, watching her coldly.

Xu Qingfan shook his head and said slowly, "From the beginning, I never meant to keep you here. Even if you temporarily lost your ability to control people’s hearts, I didn’t have the strength to stop you with your unpredictable moves. All I wanted was to escape before you regained your power. What I said about capturing you was just to make you think twice before attacking."

Hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, "Ri" finally showed a look of surprise, carefully examining Xu Qingfan, as if trying to understand his true thoughts. She suddenly noticed that Xu Ying, who had been guarding Xu Qingfan, was missing and had appeared beneath the mountain walls.

Then, Xu Qingfan’s voice came softly.

"You shouldn’t have wasted time just now; you should have kept fighting me. Although it would have been hard, with your skills and close combat, you would still be the winner in the end. Do you know why I didn’t let everyone in our group enter the mountain area before? It’s because I was worried that this area might collapse under a strong attack."

"You are crazy!"

While Xu Qingfan was speaking, Xu Ying, now beneath the mountain wall, suddenly swung his fist and struck the already damaged wall from the recent battle.

Xu Ying’s entire body was made of earthy Spirit Qi, giving him immense strength. He chose the weakest spot on the wall, and after one powerful punch, the consequences were obvious.

With a loud roar, the mountain area collapsed…

Inside the mountain, the ground kept cracking and collapsing, and stones were falling from the top of the mountain with great force. The insides of the mountain shook, and even the Spirit Qi became chaotic. The loud rumbling made it hard for people to hear.

Although a cultivator was very powerful, being trapped inside the mountain was like being buried under a huge rock, leaving no chance to survive. Even a master at the Mahayana Stage would be in great danger.

After Xu Ying punched the mountain wall and caused it to collapse, he hesitated for no moment and rushed toward the exit. On the way, he picked up Bo Guangyan, who seemed to be in a daze, to escape together. Meanwhile, Xu Zhiyuan, moving even faster, had already picked up Xu Qingfan, who was completely paralyzed by the "Beast Madness" energy, and rushed ahead toward the exit.

Only one side of the mountain wall had collapsed, so there was still time to escape.

Just as "Ri" was about to dash toward the exit, a dark flash appeared in front of him, and Little Black suddenly blocked his way.

In that instant, "Ri" finally understood why Xu Qingfan insisted on waiting for Little Black to recover before using this method.

Only Little Black had enough speed to follow "Ri’s" strange movements. Only Little Black’s beastly instincts could defend against "Ri’s" unpredictable attacks. And only an Earth-level advanced demon beast like Little Black could withstand the Golden Core Stage "Ri."

Moreover, even though Xu Qingfan asked Little Black to stay behind and hold back "Ri," putting Little Black in danger, her small size allowed her to move more quickly and dodge the falling rocks. Even if the mountain collapsed, she would have a better chance of survival.

The most important thing was that Little Black still had the green skeleton with her. Even if she got seriously injured in the collapse, she could heal by absorbing the dead energy from it while waiting for Xu Qingfan’s rescue.

It can be said that compared to "Ri," the mountainside is about to collapse, but it is relatively safe.

However, "Ri" is trapped in a dangerous situation.

With one misstep, "Ri," who had been in a strong position, is suddenly at the mercy of Xu Qingfan. This makes "Ri" feel both ashamed and angry, and the earlier calm and proud demeanor is now completely gone.

Watching Xu Qingfan and Bo Guangyan enter the exit with the help of two clones, while he remains stuck in this mountainside that could collapse at any moment, "Ri" feels a rush of panic. He quickly unleashes his full speed towards the exit, but unfortunately, Little Black blocks his way. No matter how he changes directions, Little Black stays close and attacks him. If he stops to try and defeat Little Black, it immediately evades him, and when he prepares to leave again, it entangles him once more.

More and bigger rocks are falling from the top of the mountainside; in just a moment, the second wall of the mountain also collapses, burying half of the mountainside.

Yet "Ri" remains tightly entangled by Little Black, unable to escape at all. After some time, he has only moved a short distance. The exit is clearly just ten yards away, but for "Ri," it feels as if it is worlds apart.

Finally, the third wall of the mountain collapses, sealing off the exit completely.

"Xu Qingfan, I will never let you go."

Seeing this scene, "Ri" looks frantic; the rumbling in the mountainside is continuous, but it cannot hide "Ri’s" furious roar.

Finally, the last part of the mountain fell apart, and the entire mountain was buried under the large pile of rocks. "Ri" and Little Black were crushed beneath the blood-red valley.

※※※※

At the same time, Xu Qingfan, cursed by "Ri," looked at the stones in front of him with a bitter smile.

He had made many plans, but in the end, he never expected that the long, winding cave leading away from the mountain would be so weak and collapse so quickly. Before the mountain fell, the whole cave had already caved in.

Xu Qingfan had only walked about two-thirds of the way into the cave when the fallen stones blocked his path.

However, Xu Qingfan was somewhat lucky. At the spot where he stopped, there was still some space left, and he was not completely covered by the rocks, so he would not be buried alive.

"Well, anyway, in my current state, I can’t be of much help outside. It’s better to sit here for a while, get the ‘Beast Madness Energy’ out of my body, and then find a way to escape. After all, I have already walked more than two-thirds of this cave; clearing it should only take about a hundred meters."

"Now I just hope Little Black is safe. It has sacrificed too much for me. But with Little Black’s life force, the collapse of the mountain will at most only injure it badly. Furthermore, with the green skeleton providing death energy for healing, it should be fine. And with the strong corrosive power of Little Black’s death energy, it might leave before I do."

Thinking this way, Xu Qingfan sat down in the narrow space between the rocks. Under the protection of Xu Ying Xu Zhiyuan, he closed his eyes to meditate.

But just before closing his eyes, Xu Qingfan cast a complicated look at Bo Guangyan, who was still in a daze, as if his "Divine Sense" had been destroyed by "Ri."

The reason Xu Qingfan was not controlled by the energy of "Beast Madness" was not only because of what he told "Ri", but also due to Bo Guangyan’s reminder.

It seems that during the struggle with "Ri", Bo Guangyan saw that his own "Divine Sense" was about to be destroyed, yet instead of resisting, he used the last of his strength to perform the "Buddha’s Heart Technique" to remind Xu Qingfan.

The "Buddha’s Heart Technique" can directly convey the user’s thoughts to the target, and even if the target is meditating, they will receive the message without any disturbance, making it imperceptible to others.

It was because of Bo Guangyan’s reminder that Xu Qingfan could prepare in advance to use a secret method to draw the calming power from the "Oshine Jade Pendant," setting the stage for his later recovery.

"After escaping this time, I must find a way to help Master Bo Guangyan recover; I can truly say I owe him my life."

Xu Qingfan thought to himself before meditating.

※※※※

Meanwhile, outside the cave, in the blood-red valley.

After Dongfang Qingling and Xu Xiurong worked hard to save him, Jin Qinghan, who was near death, slowly began to regain his strength. His breathing became steady, and the burned skin on his body gradually started to heal.

However, the Water Spirit Qi was not as strong as the Wood-type energy. Although Jin Qinghan had regained some life, he still fainted because he had exhausted too much energy. The skin on his body had an unhealthy dark red color, covered in scars.

Meanwhile, Feng Qingtian was also badly hurt, but no one helped him. Dongfang Qingling and Xu Xiurong focused on saving Jin Qinghan and had no reason to help Feng Qingtian. With their Water Spirit Qi, trying to save the fire-type expert Feng Qingtian would only make things worse.

Most importantly, even if the two wanted to help, Zhang Yi would never allow it. Feng Qingtian’s cold gaze before made her very cautious of him. By chance, the four of them had worked together to defeat Feng Qingtian, and who knew what he would do if he had even a little strength left.

So, everyone had to watch helplessly as Feng Qingtian lay dying.

It seemed that Feng Qingtian had also given up hope and just closed his eyes in silence.

Seeing Jin Qinghan recover under her care, Dongfang Qingling sighed in relief and stood up, wanting to say something to Zhang Yi. Suddenly, the crimson valley shook and trembled, as if an earthquake had occurred. Everyone’s faces changed in shock, not knowing what was happening.

The shaking lasted for a long time and finally stopped. Just as everyone relaxed, they turned to see that the entrance of the cave had been sealed by fallen rocks. Their calm faces changed once again in fear.

"Quick! Break down this blocked cave!"

Regarding the whereabouts of the "World Defying Sword," Zhang Yi showed even more urgency than Dongfang Qingling, and after a moment of daze, he suddenly gave the order.

With Zhang Yi’s order, the six puppet cultivators, along with Dongfang Qingling and Xu Xiurong, rushed to the blocked cave and used various magical skills to try to reopen it, and in the once peaceful valley, a loud roar erupted again.

Eventually, seeing the slow progress, Zhang Yi hurried to help.

While everyone was busy clearing the cave, no one noticed that Feng Qingtian, who was on the brink of death, suddenly burst into flames silently.

And in the flames, Feng Qingtian’s injuries were healing at a visible speed.

This was the Feng family’s unique secret technique—Phoenix Nirvana!

As the flames on Feng Qingtian grew larger and the fire Spirit Qi in the air became more active, Zhang Yi was the first to sense something wrong, and shock filled him as he turned around.

When he focused his gaze, he saw that the flames around Feng Qingtian had risen several feet high, transforming into a phoenix shape, and the sound of the phoenix began to resonate in everyone’s hearts.

"Kill him!"

Zhang Yi commanded without hesitation.

But just as Zhang Yi’s words finished, the flames on Feng Qingtian suddenly shrank back. Just when everyone thought the strange event was over, Feng Qingtian suddenly transformed into a Thunderbolt Fire and rushed towards them.

"Ah!"

"Ah!"

In a moment of distraction, three puppet cultivators under Zhang Yi turned into three human-shaped fireballs and instantly became charred corpses.

But just as everyone was ready to counterattack, the Thunderbolt Fire stopped its attack and quickly fled, disappearing in an instant.

"Your six remaining lives, along with Jin Qinghan’s, I have noted down. I will come to take them whenever I want."

In the air, Feng Qingtian’s voice still echoed, causing a chill in everyone’s hearts.

※※※※

"The good show is over."

In the sky, a member of the watching "An" organization said softly.

"Feng Qingtian is indeed remarkable; no wonder he is valued so highly by the boss."

"And Xu Qingfan is not bad either; he was able to perish together with the ‘Sun.’"

"Everything has ended; we should go carry out our mission, right?"

"Yes, the Southern Wasteland demon beast will pass through here under our guidance soon. I hope these people will have left by then."

"Perhaps another good show is about to begin."