Volume 1 Volume 5 Chapter 129

Volume 5 Chapter 129: The Dust Has Settled (Part 2)

After being trapped inside the cave, just like last time, Xu Qingfan began to use the method of "Life and Death Reincarnation." From top to bottom, he started to slowly suppress the Beast Madness Energy filling his body.

This situation is not as urgent as before, and there is no "Ri" lurking around. So even though Xu Qingfan is using the "Cycle of Life and Death" technique to suppress the "Beast Madness Energy," he is being very careful, and his progress is slow.

Moreover, after the previous series of battles, Xu Qingfan’s Spirit Qi is mostly used up. The "Cycle of Life and Death" is not as powerful as it was before, and it cannot speed up the process.

Last time, if "Ri" had not suddenly attacked, Xu Qingfan managed to suppress the "Beast Madness" energy in just fifteen minutes. But this time, based on Xu Qingfan’s estimation, it will likely take at least a month to finish this.

Last time, he was in a hurry to get rid of the "Beast Madness Energy," so while suppressing it, Xu Qingfan did not consider his body’s limits. As a result, the veins and flesh in Xu Qingfan’s body were shattered during the struggle between the "Cycle of Life and Death" and the "Beast Madness Energy." Now, Xu Qingfan cannot act like last time, or his body would surely break apart.

Not only that, but Xu Qingfan also has to suppress the "Beast Madness Energy" while using the "Way of Life and Death" to heal his shattered veins and flesh, making his progress even slower.

Furthermore, when he used the "Cycle of Life and Death" last time, his body was heavily injured from battling the "Beast Madness Energy," and he destroyed the balance of the life and death energies inside him. This is not something Xu Qingfan can recover now. In fact, since the balance of life and death energies was disrupted, Xu Qingfan has not looked at his reflection; he might have become very old by now.

So, Xu Qingfan slowly suppresses the "Beast Madness Energy" inside him while healing his body. Although his speed is slow, he continues to move forward.

Before he knew it, two months had passed…

※※※※

"The lives of the six of you left, plus Jin Qinghan’s, are recorded here with me, and I can take them at any time."

Feng Qingtian’s voice was sharp and full of menace, with an undeniable tone, as if he would do whatever he said. Although Feng Qingtian had already disappeared like a thunderbolt, his words still echoed in the valley for a long time, lingering in everyone’s hearts. Even though they knew Feng Qingtian was gone, they still felt terrified, and their hearts were unknowingly covered with a shadow.

In front of everyone, the three charred bodies continued to emit a repulsive burnt smell.

After Feng Qingtian’s surprise attack, both Zhang Yi and Dongfang Qingling, as well as Xu Xiurong, were somewhat shaken and remained in a daze, unable to continue digging the already sealed cave.

Only the remaining three puppet-like cultivators continued to mechanically carry out Zhang Yi’s orders. Golden light flashed, stone debris flew, boulders moved, the ground shook, flames filled the sky, and the stone and lava appeared petrified, seemingly undistracted by the recent deaths of their three companions.

However, the collapsed blood-red rocks were made of an unknown material, extremely solid and hard to break. Although the three kept trying to open the cave, their progress was very slow.

About a joss stick’s time later, the stubborn Zhang Yi was the first to react. Unwilling to let others see her fear of Feng Qingtian, she silently joined the digging team. Soon after, Dongfang Qingling and Xu Xiurong also caught on, worried about Xu Qingfan’s safety, and hurried to help dig through the cave. However, their abilities, either being low in destructive power or focused on mental skills, did not greatly aid the progress.

But if they continued digging like this, it was likely that Zhang Yi would find them before Xu Qingfan could completely suppress the "Beast Madness Energy" inside him, and by that time, they would not know whether the outcome would be good or bad.

The interesting part of life lies in its constant surprises. Amidst the unexpected, one door opens, while another closes. Within the doors, there is no choice but for those inside to continue searching for the next door in this maze, waiting for the next decision or surprise, not knowing where the intersections and exits are.

After digging for several hours, they had only created a tunnel that was just over ten meters long. As the sky gradually grew dark, Zhang Yi’s mood began to turn anxious, while Dongfang Qingling and Xu Xiurong had already exhausted their Spirit Qi. At that moment, they were resting nearby, taking care of the still unconscious Jin Qinghan.

Suddenly, Zhang Yi stopped his movements, turned around, and asked, "What’s going on?!"

His face looked serious, as if something important was about to happen.

Dongfang Qingling and Xu Xiurong were taken aback by Zhang Yi’s puzzling question and did not know what was happening.

But a moment later, their expressions changed too as they suddenly turned to look in the direction Zhang Yi had been watching.

At this time, the ground was shaking noticeably, and the direction they were looking was the source of the tremors.

Then, a chaotic and overwhelming force gradually came from that direction, as if countless crazed cultivators were rushing toward them. Under such pressure, even though Zhang Yi, Dongfang Qingling, and Xu Xiurong were powerful individuals, they felt breathless, their bodies trembling, unable to resist.

Shocked and frightened, Zhang Yi, Dongfang Qingling, and Xu Xiurong flew up into the sky, using the "Sky Eye Skill" to look toward where the vibrations were coming from. They saw a dark line and a mass of black clouds swiftly approaching them in the dim sky. In the blink of an eye, the black line and clouds had grown countless times larger, and as they drew closer, the three finally saw what was coming.

Demon beasts! Countless demon beasts!

The black lines on the ground are demon beasts, and the shaking of the earth at this moment is caused by these demon beasts marching together. The dark clouds in the sky are made up of countless flying demon beasts, whose wings cover the sky, casting shadows wherever they go.

The leader of these demon beasts is a large blue wolf-like creature with three heads and sharp fangs, standing several meters tall. Although there are countless demon beasts rushing forward, half of the overwhelming power comes from this wolf.

Such a terrifying presence reveals the true nature of this wolf—it is a heavenly level demon beast!

With so many demon beasts, and a heavenly level demon beast that is only found in legends, how could they appear here?

Shocked and frightened, the three people felt their hands and feet go numb. They did not know how much time passed before they finally reacted to the shock. At that moment, while the swarm of demon beasts was still several miles away, it felt alarmingly close. The leading three-headed green wolf seemed to have spotted Zhang Yi and the others from miles away, its eyes glowing with a ghostly green light, looking directly at their position.

The instant they were gazed upon by the three-headed green wolf, Zhang Yi and the others felt as if their hearts had stopped beating.

"Awooo…"

A distant wolf howl echoed, and suddenly, some of the dark clouds in the sky separated, revealing several enormous and powerful flying creatures, quickly heading toward the three. While their mighty presence was nowhere near that of the three-headed wolf, it was still astonishing; they were several rare Earth level high flying demon beasts!

"Hide quickly!"

Staring blankly at the three approaching flying creatures, Zhang Yi and Dongfang Qingling finally reacted. Zhang Yi flew down towards the valley first, while Dongfang Qingling quickly pulled Xu Xiurong to follow behind him.

However, even though they landed in the valley, there was nowhere to hide in this empty place.

But if they tried to escape, they wouldn’t be able to match those flying demon beasts.

"Over there! We can go there."

Looking around, Dongfang Qingling suddenly pointed at the cave that had been opened for several meters and shouted.

Without any good options, Zhang Yi helplessly followed Dongfang Qingling and Xu Xiurong into the cave that had been opened for several meters. After arranging for Xu Xiurong to hide inside, Dongfang Qingling rushed back outside to carry the still unconscious Jin Qinghan into the cave.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yi first set up several layers of concealment barriers outside the cave to hide their presence, hoping to avoid the search of the pursuing flying demon beasts. Then he directed the three puppet cultivators outside the cave to move a large rock to cover the entrance.

After finishing all of this, Zhang Yi hesitated for a moment, but then gritted his teeth and directed the three puppet cultivators still outside the cave to fly away quickly, hoping to divert the attention of the pursuing flying demon beasts.

Once everything was done, the few pursuing flying demon beasts flew into the valley, looking around the empty blood-red valley. They glanced at the three puppet cultivators flying away into the distance, their eyes showing a hint of confusion.

The high-level demon beast at the Earth stage already possesses very high intelligence and spiritual senses, but it clearly recognized that the three cultivators flying into the distance were not the ones it was tracking.

Among the seven flying demon beasts, the one at the front looked the most unusual. Although it had the body of an eagle, it had three pairs of wings and a tiger head on its neck, radiating an impressive presence.

The demon beast sniffed repeatedly, completely ignoring the three puppet cultivators flying far away, and instead followed the scent of Zhang Yi and the others towards the cave.

But when the seven demon beasts reached outside the cave, they lost the scent of Zhang Yi and the others, and their confusion grew.

Finally, the leading demon beast let out a roar, its voice reminiscent of a snake hissing, sending chills down the spine. It then spread its wings and quickly flew towards the direction where the three puppet cultivators had gone, along with the other six demon beasts.

Soon after, three piercing screams echoed in the air.

Inside the cave, upon hearing those three screams come so swiftly, Zhang Yi and the others felt alarmed, but they also let out a sigh of relief, knowing that their various arrangements had finally helped them evade the demon beasts’ pursuit.

Zhang Yi was especially grateful that he had set up so many hidden barriers outside the cave; otherwise, the exploration by those demon beasts would have surely exposed the four of them.

However, what Zhang Yi did not know was that the barriers he had set up did not completely conceal everyone’s presence. The key factor that played a crucial role was the large blood-red boulder outside the cave. Previously, this blood-red earth had masked the scent of the "Beast Madness cultivators," resulting in heavy losses for many cultivators, but this time it saved Zhang Yi and the others’ lives.

After a moment of terrible screams, the sound of flapping wings followed, clearly indicating that those demon beasts had returned to their group.

Then, the ground shook even more strongly, as if the very heavens were trembling and doomsday was coming. Countless demon beasts finally rushed into the valley, climbing over the steep cliffs surrounding it, moving in a straight line towards the distance.

However, the herd of beasts seemed endless. After Zhang Yi and the others hid in the valley for three or four days, the shaking of the ground finally stopped.

Three days later…

Inside the cave, it was dim. The unconscious Jin Qinghan lay in the center, while Zhang Yi, Dongfang Qingling, and Xu Xiurong sat around with their knees hugged. Xu Xiurong looked worried, while Dongfang Qingling and Zhang Yi frowned in deep thought. Little Gold, who had been extremely quiet since the many demon beasts appeared, was now restless, crawling around in the small space, looking clumsy and adorable. Even Zhang Yi, who usually seemed indifferent, felt his gaze soften a bit when he looked at Little Gold.

Finally, after thinking hard for a while without finding an answer, Zhang Yi spoke up and asked, "What do you think caused these demon beasts to suddenly appear here? Where are they heading?"

Dongfang Qingling shook her head, a hint of bitterness in her eyes, and slowly said, "They must have come from the south, likely from the Southern Wasteland. Only there could there be so many powerful demon beasts. It seems these demon beasts are part of this great disaster. But where they are headed is unimaginable."

At the same time, Dongfang Qingling thought even more. If these demon beasts came from the south, they would likely pass through "Ronghua Mountain." Right now, there are many experts in "Ronghua Mountain" on missions throughout the Shenzhou Continent. How should they defend against the demon beasts?

Dongfang Qingling did not know that many masters were not currently at "Ronghua Mountain," so she thought it would be easy to defend against the demon beasts with many masters stationed there. The key issue, however, was the small teams out on missions. If the demon beasts actually rampaged across the entire Shenzhou Continent, those teams would only be defeated one by one. And these teams were the backbone of the Righteous Alliance, which would suffer greatly as a result.

Moreover, if the others in the team had already left and returned to "Ronghua Mountain," they would likely encounter those demon beasts, and their lives would be in danger.

Zhang Yi did not share Dongfang Qingling’s worries. She simply nodded slightly; Dongfang Qingling’s words echoed her thoughts. Though it did not provide her much help, it did bring her some comfort.

Previously, Zhang Yi had always appeared very strong, speaking in a way that left no room for doubt. She would give orders without asking the two about anything, as they were in a relationship of victor and captive. However, at that moment, the three had gone through so much in a short time, feeling helpless in front of countless demon beasts, and their relationship had quietly changed.

Zhang Yi had never had friends. When she was under Zhang’s command, she only followed orders and gave orders herself. Later, she tracked Xu Qingfan alone for many years. The six cultivators who had been by her side were merely puppet cultivators made using her "Puppet Technique." Now, speaking with others on equal terms, she felt a strange sensation in her heart—a mix of oddity, comfort, and ease.

"What do you think Senior Brother Xu is doing now?"

Xu Xiurong, who had been silent and frozen in fear from the countless demon beasts, finally came to her senses and hesitantly asked.

"We cannot be sure if Senior Brother Xu is trapped in this cave. After all, Martial Brother Jin entered the cave with Senior Brother Xu but was found outside. Moreover, Senior Brother Xu’s skills are profound; even if the mountain collapses, he will find a way to save himself."

Dongfang Qingling said decisively; rather than trust Xu Qingfan, she was trying to convince herself.

Xu Xiurong turned her gaze to Jin Qinghan, who was still unconscious, and said softly, "If Martial Brother Jin were awake, we would know what happened here after we left. Is Senior Brother Xu still in the cave, and where are Martial Brother Lv Ziqing and the others now?"

Compared to Dongfang Qingling, Xu Xiurong was actually more worried about his fellow disciples Lv Ziqing and Shang Nianyao.

Hearing Xu Xiurong’s words, the three turned their gazes towards Jin Qinghan, but fell silent once again.

Suddenly, Dongfang Qingling looked up at Zhang Yi and asked, "You captured us and want to find Senior Brother Xu. What is it for? Do you have a grudge against Senior Brother Xu?"

Zhang Yi did not want to answer at first, but the casual conversation made her feel comfortable. After hesitating for a moment, she couldn’t help but reply, "I have no ill will towards Xu Qingfan, even though he killed two of my junior brothers. I don’t mind; I just want him to return something to me."

Upon hearing Zhang Yi’s words, Dongfang Qingling was slightly taken aback and asked, "Senior Brother Xu killed your junior brothers?"

At the same time, Dongfang Qingling thought about how she knew most of the people Xu Qingfan had killed over the years, but she had never heard of someone like Junior Martial Brother Zhang Yi. Could Zhang Yi be lying? But that seemed unnecessary.

Hearing Dongfang Qingling’s question, Zhang Yi did not want to say more. She closed her eyes for a moment, then suddenly opened them and said, "Those demon beasts have all left."

As she spoke, Zhang Yi turned to look at Dongfang Qingling and Xu Xiurong again, her gaze becoming cold and sharp. She slowly said, "You two are not my opponents and are still my captives, so you must follow my orders. Now we go out and continue to clear this cave."

Hearing Zhang Yi’s words, a trace of helplessness flashed in Dongfang Qingling and Xu Xiurong’s eyes, but fortunately, they also wanted to clear the cave, so they did not object.

The three of them worked together to push aside the rocks outside the cave. Sunshine poured in, driving away the darkness that had lingered in the cave for many days. Everything was bright. Before they left the cave, Little Gold dashed out first, as if it had been set free. It ran and tumbled joyfully in the valley, looking like the three days of confinement had taken a toll on it.

In the days that followed, Zhang Yi, Dongfang Qingling, and Xu Xiurong continued to struggle to clear the cave, but because of their different cultivation methods, they were moving very slowly. It was uncertain when they would fully open it. On top of that, they were occasionally attacked by stray demon beasts, which slowed their progress even more.

Additionally, Dongfang Qingling was deeply worried. Although Jin Qinghan’s vitality had returned, he remained in a coma, showing no signs of waking, and nobody knew why.

This situation lasted for a full thirteen days.

During these thirteen days, the three girls gave their all, but they had only managed to clear a little over twenty meters of the cave. They were still far from finding Xu Qingfan.

As for Jin Qinghan, he remained in a coma.

One day, as Dongfang Qingling was tirelessly trying to clear the cave as usual, suddenly, behind the three girls, Jin Qinghan underwent a strange change. His entire body suddenly emitted a brilliant golden light, while a powerful pressure spread out from him.

This was a sign of a breakthrough in his realm!