Volume 1 Volume 5 Chapter 138

Volume 5 Chapter 138: The Four Spirits Gathered, Instantaneous Travel of Thousands of Miles

The battle between the strongest could not be described with words.

Cultivators were seen as acting against nature, but at that moment, the masters seemed to merge with the heavens and act on behalf of the skies. "Xuanwu" was revered as a divine being by many cultivators, yet at this time, it appeared more like a defiant God of War, opposing heaven and earth with its own strength.

Xu Qingfan finally understood why the "Ice Giant Elephant," and the other six demon beasts of the North Iceland Seven Beasts, who had once terrified them to the point of fleeing, were considered the closest to heavenly level among Earth level demon beasts, rather than true heavenly level demon beasts.

These seven demon beasts, although they appeared imposing before Xu Qingfan and the others, with any one of them able to contend against Xu Qingfan and his companions and gain the upper hand, were no different from ordinary beasts in front of the masters. Xu Qingfan witnessed with his own eyes how the ice-colored aura of the "Ice Giant Elephant," which had once instilled panic in them, vanished without a trace with just a wave of a master’s hand.

The seven demon beasts struggled in the battle against the twelve masters and the "Xuanwu." They were not able to help "Xuanwu" much and instead, had a hard time avoiding the powerful forces caused by the twelve masters. This made Xu Qingfan doubt that "Xuanwu" summoned these seven demon beasts just to create chaos and slow it down.

It is important to know that these seven demon beasts, working together, could hardly hold back even the weakest of the twelve masters.

This shows the difference in their levels; they are very close to heavenly level, but they are not heavenly level.

Compared to these seven strong but ineffective demon beasts in front of the masters, the most mysterious of the Four Mythical Beasts, "Xuanwu," seemed particularly strong. It alone was able to challenge the twelve masters, although it was slightly at a disadvantage. Dongfang Qingling had seen the might of the heavenly level demon beast, the three-headed green wolf, and Lv Qingshang had caught a distant glance at the leading heavenly level demon beast, the nine-tailed demon fox, attacking "Ronghua Mountain." However, these legendary heavenly level demon beasts seemed insignificant compared to "Xuanwu," as if they belonged to two different realms.

After all, "Xuanwu" is one of the Four Mythical Beasts, considered a god-like existence.

In comparison to "Xuanwu," Xu Qingfan and the others were more focused on the performance of the masters. Although "Xuanwu" was stronger, the masters were the true targets in everyone’s hearts.

Among the group of masters, Immortal Zizhen, Mr. Liu, and a robust master named Li Fulu stood out the most. Even though there were twelve masters in total, more than half of the attacks were launched by these three. Additionally, two-thirds of "Xuanwu’s" attacks were also deflected by them.

Among all the skilled fighters Xu Qingfan had seen before, even Zhang Xusheng, who once single-handedly attacked Jiuhua, could not compare to these three.

Of course, back then Zhang Xusheng had not yet mastered his powers, but now it was unclear who was stronger between him and these three.

The movements of these three masters were graceful and natural. Every gesture seemed to bring forth the might of the universe. Although they floated quietly in the air, their figures appeared as large as half the world compared to the "Black Turtle" and the seven demon beasts, which looked like mere dust.

Xu Qingfan and the others watched the three masters from a distance, captivated by their every move. They tried to understand the Heavenly Way that these masters had grasped, their expressions filled with awe, as if a book lover had suddenly entered a vast library filled with remarkable books they had never seen before, pondering the books they had not understood before.

Among them, the most skilled Xu Qingfan and Jin Qinghan kept whispering in awe, following the masters’ gestures with their hands, trying to grasp and absorb every detail.

By observing this unprecedented battle of strong beings in the cultivation world, in less than an hour, Xu Qingfan and the others understood the Heavenly Way much better, looking enlightened as if they had realized, "So that’s how it is."

Gradually, after a while, Xu Qingfan suddenly shook violently and coughed up a mouthful of blood. He finally came back to his senses from his frenzied studying and checked his body, only to discover that he had been seriously injured in such a short time.

It wasn’t that someone had attacked them; rather, the clash between the masters and the "Black Turtle" caused a shockwave of Spirit Qi and immense pressure that unknowingly harmed everyone. They were so focused on watching the masters that they forgot about their own condition, only realizing how serious their injuries were when Xu Qingfan finally couldn’t hold on and coughed up blood.

Even though Xu Qingfan and the others were nearly a hundred miles away from the battlefield, the power and waves generated still spread over a thousand miles, and they remained in the area that was harmed.

At the same time as Xu Qingfan, Jin Qinghan also coughed up blood. When he turned to look, he saw Dongfang Qingling and Lv Qingshang collapsed on the ground, their eyes still fixated on the masters’ every movement. The weakest among them, Xu Xiurong, had already fallen into a deep unconsciousness.

Surprisingly, those who paid no attention to this rare battle of magic, like the dazed Master Bo Guangyan, were naturally protected by their Buddhist powers and suffered little harm. Little Gold and Little Black watched the "Black Turtle" in a similar daze as Xu Qingfan and the others watched the masters, but because of their special body structure, they weren’t seriously hurt either.

Sensing the injuries in his body, and seeing the others wounded yet still staring at the battlefield, Xu Qingfan suddenly woke up. If this continued, everyone would surely die from their serious wounds without realizing it.

"Hold on to Divine Sense; stop looking! First, heal your injuries!"

Xu Qingfan suppressed his urge to keep watching and shouted at everyone. When he saw that they were ignoring him, he went to each person, waking them up one by one, then fed them healing elixirs. After helping everyone sit down to heal, he finally sat down to heal himself.

After an unknown amount of time, maybe two or three days, or maybe even ten days, Xu Qingfan finally awakened from his healing. His body had recovered about seventy to eighty percent. Meanwhile, a hundred miles away, twelve masters continued to battle the "Tortoise." The only difference from before was that the seven demon beasts that had come to help were now all dead.

Then it became a cycle. Xu Qingfan continued to watch the masters fight, forgetting everything around him as he crazily absorbed and understood the ways of the Heavenly Path and cultivation methods. Although he reminded himself to pay attention to the pressure and energy waves from the battlefield that could worsen his injuries, he still fell deep into the ocean of cultivation and the Heavenly Way, only waking up when his injuries became too severe and he spat out blood. He then took care of the others who were also injured and began to heal again.

In the following days, Xu Qingfan’s life was both rich and monotonous, going through the four steps of observing, getting injured, taking care of others, and healing over and over again, three times in a row.

After these three rounds of observations, Xu Qingfan saved five hundred years of understanding of the Heavenly Way. Although he was currently at the early stage of the Golden Core, his comprehension of the Heavenly Way had already reached the late stage of the Golden Core, nearing the peak of the Golden Core stage. The only thing he lacked compared to the peak of the Golden Core was Spirit Qi.

It can be said that the only difference between Xu Qingfan’s current level and the peak of the Golden Core is the lack of Spirit Qi. The biggest barrier to breaking through—understanding the Heavenly Way—was no longer a problem for Xu Qingfan.

The other four—Jin Qinghan, Lv Qingshang, Dongfang Qingling, and Xu Xiurong—also gained a lot, greatly increasing their understanding of the Heavenly Way, and they were not much inferior to Xu Qingfan.

But unlike the other four, during this time, Xu Qingfan’s body was transformed by the "Beast Madness Energy." His meridians and dantian became wider and more resilient, greatly increasing his ability to absorb Spirit Qi. At this moment, his understanding of the Heavenly Way reached a level only attainable at the peak of the Golden Core Stage. Because of this increased understanding, the speed of absorbing Spirit Qi became even faster.

All of this meant that Xu Qingfan would soon achieve a level of improvement in cultivation that would leave everyone astonished. Only when Xu Qingfan reached the peak of the Golden Core Stage would this incredible speed become ordinary.

Of course, Xu Qingfan was currently in the healing stage after his third time of spitting blood and was not aware of this. Similarly, he did not see that, after more than a month of battle, the "Xuanwu" was finally overwhelmed by the combined efforts of twelve masters and was captured by a master named Li Fulu with a golden flag marked with the patterns of the Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, and White Tiger.

After capturing the "Xuanwu" in the golden flag, alongside the Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, and White Tiger patterns, a faint image of the Xuanwu appeared.

The incredibly powerful Four Mythical Beasts, after the combined efforts of the masters, were finally gathered after years of work!

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"Mission accomplished!"

Li Fulu smiled as he patted the golden flag in his hand.

Immortal Zizhen also had a joyful expression and said, "Now, we finally have a plan to face the ‘Ming’."

Mr. Liu’s face did not look good. Although he tried his best, one of his treasures, the "Xuan Ling Grass," was still eaten by "Xuanwu," making him feel very hurt. At that moment, someone coldly splashed cold water on their hopes, saying, "The real disaster is about to begin. We only have four to five years left. Although we have gathered the Four Spirits, we still need to work together to turn it into the ‘Four Spirit Formation.’ Moreover, whether the ‘Four Spirit Formation’ can suppress the ‘Underworld’ organization’s plan with our ‘Twelve Zodiac Formation’ is just a guess. It’s better not to be too optimistic."

Understanding Mr. Liu’s character and the reason for his anger, no one was troubled. Mr. Liu had a nickname among the elders, known as "Mr. Many Treasures." One of his favorite pastimes was gathering the world’s treasures, cherishing them dearly. This time, to capture the Four Mythical Beasts, he had sacrificed three of his precious celestial fruits, so it was understandable that Mr. Liu would be upset with anyone.

Just then, Mr. Zizhen suddenly exclaimed in surprise, pointing at Xu Qingfan and the others who were sitting far away to heal, saying, "Aren’t those cultivators from my Righteous Alliance? How did they suddenly appear here?"

The masters, who had been focused on dealing with "Xuanwu," had only just now noticed Xu Qingfan and the others.

"Did something happen to the Righteous Alliance that made them come looking for us? Let’s check quickly."

Li Fulu’s expression became serious as he slowly said.

Without waiting for Li Fulu to finish, the previously sorrowful Mr. Liu had already rushed toward Xu Qingfan. This master, who supposedly had a great grudge against Li Xuhan, seemed to care greatly about Xu Qingfan, Li Xuhan’s disciple. From afar, seeing Xu Qingfan’s pale face, as if he had been badly injured, made him quickly set aside his sadness over losing the three treasures and instantly appeared by Xu Qingfan’s side.

The other masters obviously knew about Mr. Liu’s grudge with Li Xuhan. They exchanged wry smiles and hurried to follow.

※※※※

Xu Qingfan had only been meditating for three days. His previous three injuries had not fully healed, and now they had built up, making this injury particularly serious.

Xu Qingfan estimated that this time of meditation for healing would take at least twenty to thirty days before he could move freely again. So, as he began to meditate, Xu Qingfan felt regret. The previous two healing sessions had already taken a month, and on top of that, the time spent searching and traveling meant that he probably wouldn’t arrive in time for the two-month meeting agreed upon with the other teams.

But just as Xu Qingfan focused all his energy on healing, he suddenly felt a large yet gentle force enter his body from somewhere. This unknown Spirit Qi merged with Xu Qingfan’s own Spirit Qi and circulated just once inside him, making him feel significantly better. After three cycles, Xu Qingfan’s body had reached its peak state.

As this powerful energy gradually withdrew, Xu Qingfan slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Mr. Liu’s familiar old face, filled with a mix of worry and complexity, staring at him in surprise.

"Junior Jiuhua Xu Qingfan greets all the masters."

Standing up, Xu Qingfan noticed that the other twelve masters were all around him. He quickly bowed to greet them. Although he had just battled the "Xuanwu," the masters were almost one with the world, and their Spirit Qi replenished rapidly, showing no signs of exhaustion.

While Xu Qingfan was greeting, with the help of the masters, Jin Qinghan, Lv Qingshang, Dongfang Qingling, and Xu Xiurong finished healing their wounds one after another and quickly bowed to the masters just like Xu Qingfan did.

In addition, a monk-like master, said to be the ancestral master of the current sect leader of "Mercy Cloud Temple," was observing Bo Guangyan’s injuries along with several other masters, his expression filled with uncertainty.

"What’s going on? How did you all end up here? Did something serious happen with the Righteous Alliance?"

After finishing the greeting, Immortal Zizhen asked Xu Qingfan first.

Hearing Immortal Zizhen’s question, Xu Qingfan quickly recounted all the events that had happened during this time to the masters.

Upon hearing that Southern Wasteland demon beasts were suddenly rampaging in the prosperous Middle-earth and that a large number of demon beasts were attacking the Righteous Alliance’s headquarters, "Ronghua Mountain," even though the masters usually remained calm even in the face of danger, their faces changed, and they looked at each other with fright in their eyes.

After hearing Xu Qingfan’s various countermeasures, the masters’ expressions eased a little, knowing that the Righteous Alliance’s strength had not suffered significant losses and had been organized by this young man who had just reached the Golden Core Stage. They all looked at Xu Qingfan with approving eyes.

However, Xu Qingfan did not change like the masters; instead, he furrowed his brows deeper and said slowly, "But I made an agreement with the other teams to meet them at Wolf Howling Mountain to the north of Ronghua in two months. With only a few days left, we cannot make it back. I am worried about how those team members will act."

Upon hearing Xu Qingfan’s worries, the masters exchanged glances and smiled slightly. Seeing their smiles, Xu Qingfan was first taken aback, then his face showed a look of realization and shame as he said, "I made a mistake."

It would take Xu Qingfan and the others more than a month to reach the area around Ronghua Mountain, but for the masters, it was only a journey of two or three days.

Seeing the monk-like master carefully examining Bo Guangyan’s injury, Xu Qingfan walked over and asked with concern, "Elder, is there any hope for Master Bo Guangyan’s mental injuries?"

The monk carefully observed Bo Guangyan for a moment and then slowly said, "His opponent is very skilled. Bo Guangyan’s mental injuries are not serious; he is just trapped in his own internal demon and cannot escape. He can only fully recover once he overcomes his internal demon. There is nothing we can do."

As he spoke, the monk slowly sighed. After all, Bo Guangyan was a junior he valued very much.

Li Fulu replied, "On the contrary, once Bo Guangyan overcomes his internal demon, he will be very close to the great enlightenment. That may be a good thing."

All the masters nodded in agreement.

Immortal Zizhen saw that everything had been settled and said, "Time is tight. Let us hurry back. The matters with the Righteous Alliance cannot be delayed any longer."

After seeing all the masters nod in agreement, Zizhen turned to Xu Qingfan and the others and said, "You should come back with us. With us leading the way, it will only take two or three days to reach Wolf Howling Mountain, and you will definitely make it in time for your meeting with the other teams."

Hearing Immortal Zizhen say this, Xu Qingfan and the others naturally did not object and nodded in agreement.

But at that moment, Mr. Liu, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up, "You go ahead. I still have some things to tidy up here, and I will catch up with you soon."

As he spoke, Mr. Liu pointed to the seven demon beast corpses in the distance. These seven demon beasts were extremely rare and powerful. Although they were already dead, their bodies were filled with precious materials, and even Mr. Liu, known as "Mr. Many Treasures," would not give up on them.

This time, capturing the Four Mythical Beasts was also due to Mr. Liu’s greatest effort and sacrifice. Although the seven corpses were valuable, the other masters would not compete with Mr. Liu and all nodded in agreement.

But Mr. Liu said, "There are too many and too big bodies, I still need a helper. Hmm, Xu Qingfan, you will do. Stay here to help me. After we finish, I will take you back, it won’t be slower than these others."

When everyone heard Mr. Liu say this, they were all surprised. Xu Qingfan understood the situation in the cultivation world the best at that moment. The Righteous Alliance of Wolf Howling Mountain relied on him to gather strength, how could he easily stay behind? But Mr. Liu’s tone was full of undeniable authority, so no one could argue or risk offending him; they could only agree again.