Volume 1 Volume 5 Chapter 142

Volume 5 Chapter 142: Driving Beasts for Miles (Part 1)

"How can this be? These demon beasts were all killed by you, Sir, and these treasures were all collected by you. I only helped clean, so I can’t accept them."

Hearing that Mr. Liu wanted to give him some of the treasures, Xu Qingfan was shocked and quickly waved his hands to refuse.

After hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Mr. Liu couldn’t help but curl his lip. Although Xu Qingfan had matured greatly in character over the years, he sometimes still had a stubbornness rooted deep within him, which was related to his childhood environment and upbringing, and it was not easy to change.

However, to be fair, Xu Qingfan’s refusal was truly heartfelt, much better than a false and hypocritical denial while drooling at the same time, or immediately rushing toward those treasures after hearing Mr. Liu’s words.

"Forget it, it seems Xu Qingfan is just like this. Liu Xiang hasn’t changed him, so I won’t waste my effort. Besides, Xu Qingfan isn’t always so stubborn, and compared to greed, this ‘stubbornness’ might keep him safer in the future."

Mr. Liu shook his head, rejecting the idea of changing Xu Qingfan in his mind. After all, in some ways, stubbornness can also be seen as keeping to principles.

Seeing that Xu Qingfan was tempted by those treasures yet genuine in his refusal, Mr. Liu understood that if he simply let Xu Qingfan take some, Xu Qingfan would likely refuse and it would be hard to persuade him. So he changed his approach and said, "Since you say that, let it be. But now you know my relationship with Liu Xiang, which means you can consider yourself my junior. I haven’t given you anything over the years, and it would make me seem stingy as an elder. So, take some of these treasures as a gift from me."

He still wanted Xu Qingfan to take some of those treasures, just the reason had changed; it was a new excuse but the same outcome. With this reason, Xu Qingfan found it hard to refuse.

After hearing Mr. Liu’s words, Xu Qingfan nodded helplessly and walked towards the pile of treasures.

Under Mr. Liu’s influence, the seven demon beast corpses, which were as big as hills, had turned into seven small piles of meat. In contrast, the collected treasures piled up together like a small hill. Xu Qingfan had to look up to see the top of the stacked treasures, which emitted strong waves of Spirit Qi and shimmered brightly, dazzling anyone who looked at them.

Apart from Lu Huayan and Liu Huaxiang, who were like masters to him, Xu Qingfan had not received any gifts from other elders. So as he looked at the large amount of treasures in front of him, he felt overwhelmed. Each treasure was so precious that it was difficult for Xu Qingfan to find one that was slightly less valuable, and he was reluctant to take anything too precious. Thus, even before reaching the pile, he felt unsure about what to take.

After all, although Mr. Liu claimed to be Liu Huaxiang’s older brother, in Xu Qingfan’s heart, Mr. Liu was still a stranger. Xu Qingfan didn’t want to owe too much favors to a "stranger." Even though it was just Mr. Liu helping him refine "the cycle of life and death," he already owed Mr. Liu enough.

"This is it."

After a long time of choosing, Xu Qingfan picked up a sharp claw that was six feet long and six inches wide, looking like one of the ten claws of the seal among the Seven Beasts of North Iceland. He turned to Mr. Liu and said.

Seeing that Xu Qingfan took a long time to make a choice and finally picked such an item, Mr. Liu shook his head again and walked past Xu Qingfan towards the pile of treasures.

"This is the fur of the ‘Blizzard Magic Bear,’ the best defender among the North Iceland Seven Beasts. Here, you can use it to make a ‘Tianyu Robe.’ Once worn, it can directly resist attacks from all Fake Golden Core Stage cultivators, reducing the power of attacks from Real Golden Core Stage cultivators by half, and to one-fifth from Golden Core cultivators. It contains a large amount of water and fire Spirit Qi, making it very effective against water and fire magic attacks and also helpful against internal demons."

While speaking, Mr. Liu threw a large white fur, about ten feet square, directly to Xu Qingfan. He fumbled to catch it, but the fur was too big, so Xu Qingfan helplessly used the "Sleeve Space" technique to store it.

This fur, about ten feet in size, was only about one-fifth of the entire fur of the "Blizzard Magic Bear," but Xu Qingfan noticed that Mr. Liu gave him the most precious part—the fur from its back.

Just as Xu Qingfan was putting the "Blizzard Magic Bear" fur into his sleeve, Mr. Liu tossed him several more items. Xu Qingfan looked and saw that it was nineteen sharp claws, belonging to the "Furious Ice Seal" among the North Iceland Seven Beasts, and together with the one he had, made a complete set.

"I remember you have a magic weapon called ‘Rainbow Ruler,’ which can transform into seven colorful rainbows for attack. It can change form and is quite mysterious. But I rarely see you use it, probably because although the ‘Rainbow Ruler’ changes cleverly, its attack power is lacking. Among the Seven Beasts, the ‘Furious Ice Seal’ is the fastest and has the sharpest attacks, and most of its magic power is in its four claws. These twenty sharp claws are the essence of it. After you return, fuse these twenty sharp claws into the ‘Rainbow Ruler.’ This will not only solve the problem of the ‘Rainbow Ruler’s’ weak attack power but also greatly increase its attack speed."

While Mr. Liu was speaking, Xu Qingfan hurriedly stored the twenty sharp claws, which were almost as tall as himself, in the "Sleeve Space."

Then, a jade bottle and a snow-white turtle shell, even larger than the one before, were thrown at Xu Qingfan’s feet. Xu Qingfan only caught the jade bottle, while the turtle shell fell to the ground because it was too heavy and big. He didn’t have the confidence to catch it and couldn’t understand how Mr. Liu, so old and thin, could easily lift this nearly a thousand-pound turtle shell and throw it into the sky.

Sure enough, when the turtle shell hit the ground, there was a loud rumble, and the hard ice beneath Xu Qingfan shattered.

This turtle shell was still part of the whole shell, but it was also the most precious part in the center.

"The jade bottle holds a part of the blood essence of the ‘Snow Jade Spirit Turtle,’ which can extend life, heal injuries, and increase your internal energy. When refined into a potion, its effects are even better. As for the turtle shell, it has two uses. First, it can be made into an excellent defensive artifact, or integrated into your ‘Five Spirit Bell.’ Oh, by the way, you mentioned your ‘Five Spirit Bell’ was broken; this turtle shell can repair it and greatly enhance its defense. The second use is for divination, allowing you to catch glimpses of secrets even at the Golden Core Stage. After reaching the Mahayana Stage, your divination abilities will increase even more."

After putting the turtle shell and jade bottle into his sleeve, Xu Qingfan noticed that his "Sleeve Space" technique was nearly at its limit.

"This is the eye of the ‘Wind Summoning Eagle,’ which can strengthen your ‘Earth Mirror’ abilities. By the way, you don’t have any trapping artifacts yet, right? This is the long tendon of the ‘Azure Ice Beast,’ which can be used to create rope-like artifacts that work better on cultivators below the Golden Core Stage. Oh, and this is the liver of the ‘Ice Giant Elephant,’ which can enhance your spirit pet’s abilities and help it advance."

Mr. Liu didn’t look back; he kept introducing the functions and best future uses of various rare treasures while accurately tossing them in front of Xu Qingfan.

After throwing the liver of the "Ice Giant Elephant" to Xu Qingfan, Mr. Liu finally paused his actions, as if he understood the limit of Xu Qingfan’s "Sleeve Space" technique, just as there was only a little space left.

Just when Xu Qingfan thought it was all over, Mr. Liu walked to the other end of the pile of rare treasures and stopped, where the most precious parts among them were—seven inner elixirs of demon beasts!

"Senior, that is enough. You should keep the inner elixirs for yourself."

Seeing Mr. Liu’s movement, Xu Qingfan hurried to stop him.

Mr. Liu ignored him and carefully looked at the seven inner elixirs in front of him, but suddenly started talking about something unrelated.

"The North Iceland Seven Beasts are called the closest to heavenly level among Earth level demon beasts because, long ago, they had the potential to evolve into heavenly level demon beasts. However, they were too cruel, and if they had truly evolved, they would have caused even more harm. The cultivators at that time worked together to stop them, resulting in their failed evolution. Thus, they have been stuck between Earth level and heavenly level for generations."

As he spoke, a look of pity appeared in Mr. Liu’s eyes. He continued, "Because they didn’t fully evolve, they are much stronger than all other Earth level demon beasts, but they are still not heavenly level demon beasts. The difference between them and heavenly level demon beasts lies in two points: first, they lack the intelligence and spirit comparable to humans; second, the Spirit Qi in their inner elixirs is not as vast and pure as that of heavenly level demon beasts. Yet their bodies have already reached the strength and standards of heavenly level demon beasts."

As he spoke, Mr. Liu glanced at Xu Qingfan with a half-smile.

"In other words, these seven inner elixirs are not as precious as you think; they only contain slightly more Spirit Qi than those of ordinary Earth level high-level demon beasts. The treasures I just gave you are worth much more than any materials from heavenly level demon beasts. So why are you starting to back away now?"

Xu Qingfan did not understand what Mr. Liu was saying and felt a bit awkward. However, he also realized that given the strength of the North Iceland Seven Beasts, their inner elixirs were still essentially from Earth level demon beasts, but surely not just with a little extra Spirit Qi as Mr. Liu mentioned. Xu Qingfan estimated that the Spirit Qi in these seven inner elixirs was at least double that of ordinary Earth level demon beasts. But since Mr. Liu said so, Xu Qingfan could no longer refuse.

Seeing that Xu Qingfan no longer refused, Mr. Liu threw him two more inner elixirs. These two were the smallest among the seven, only the size of a human head, but they might not necessarily be the least ordinary or the most precious.

"These two inner cores are from the ‘Azure Ice Beast’ and the ‘Snow Jade Turtle.’ The pure white one is from the ‘Snow Jade Turtle,’ and the slightly transparent one is from the ‘Azure Ice Beast.’ It’s a pity that your ‘Oshine Jade Pendant’ was destroyed. After you return, you can use the inner core of the ‘Azure Ice Beast’ to create another pendant. This will not only increase your ability to absorb Spirit Qi but also help deal with internal demons. It can even reduce or even make you immune to the damage from certain magical techniques. Its effect is similar to the ‘Tianyu Robe’ made from the fur of that ice bear. As for the inner core of the ‘Snow Jade Turtle,’ it can be refined into about twenty ‘Snow Jade Pills,’ which can significantly increase the Spirit Qi in a cultivator’s body. This won’t be much use to you personally, but it will be very helpful to your disciples."

Listening to the value of these materials, Xu Qingfan felt a mix of joy and helplessness. He was happy because this meant that the power of his magical tools would definitely increase, and his own strength would greatly improve. However, he also owed Mr. Liu a huge favor. Even though Mr. Liu’s status and power did not require repayment, Xu Qingfan still felt a sense of discomfort.

After putting the two inner cores into his sleeve, Xu Qingfan inwardly sighed, "As expected." Once he had collected the two inner cores, the "Sleeve Space" technique reached its limit, and Mr. Liu had seen through everything Xu Qingfan had.

Although Mr. Liu gifted Xu Qingfan a large amount of precious materials, the pile of treasures was still as high as a hill. Xu Qingfan roughly estimated that he had taken about one-thirtieth of it.

It sounded like a small amount, but in reality, what Xu Qingfan received was the essence of the materials. Just with these, Xu Qingfan was now wealthier than many small sects combined.

Xu Qingfan thought to himself that now he could trade some of the magical tools or elixirs he had collected for spirit stones. After years of battles, he had indeed taken a lot of magical items and spirit pills from his enemies. He once thought they were incredibly precious, but now, they seemed rather insignificant.

Mr. Liu waved his right sleeve, and the entire hill of precious materials in front of Xu Qingfan suddenly vanished. No wonder he was a Mahayana Stage master; his "Sleeve Space" technique had reached a level where it could hold an entire hill, with no limit in sight.

It was clear that Mr. Liu was satisfied with this haul. The spiritual herbs and treasures sacrificed for capturing the Four Mythical Beasts not only made up for the losses but also earned a considerable profit.

"The treasures I gave you, if merged into your magical tools, will be enough for you to forge several heavenly-level magical tools. You also need to speed up your cultivation, as heavenly-level magical tools are not easy to control. Additionally, with the recent attack of demon beasts in the Southern Wasteland, there will likely be many demon beast corpses after the battle, and you’ll collect quite a bit of things like inner cores, blood, and claws from them. However, those will mostly be materials from Earth-level demon beasts, far inferior to what you’ve received now. After the battle, you’ll likely receive many rewards due to your contributions, but you might consider sharing those rewards with your disciples and teammates to gain their trust. Having a few magical tools is enough; it’s better to have fewer rather than many, especially since those materials won’t be much use to you."

Mr. Liu taught patiently and truly thought of Xu Qingfan, who quickly agreed.

Seeing the gratitude on Xu Qingfan’s face, Mr. Liu smiled gently and said, "You don’t need to think too much about this. Although this information is very helpful for you, it is not of much use to me. If you really feel you owe me a favor, then when you reach the Mahayana Stage, I will take you to the ‘Xuantian Treasure Vault,’ and you can help me collect some ‘Micro Crystals’ then."

"’Xuantian Treasure Vault’? ‘Micro Crystals’?"

Hearing these two terms he had never heard before, Xu Qingfan was slightly stunned and looked at Mr. Liu with curiosity.

"The cultivation world has passed down many secrets for thousands of years; when you reach the Mahayana Stage or officially take over as sect leader, you will understand."

Mr. Liu seemed not to want to talk much about this, smiling as he said.

"If I am lucky enough to reach the Mahayana Stage, I will definitely do my best to help you."

Although he said this, Xu Qingfan thought quietly to himself that reaching the Mahayana Stage was not something so easy to achieve.

Mr. Liu smiled slightly but did not say more, simply saying, "Let’s hurry back. We have already delayed long enough."

While they were speaking, Mr. Liu raised his hand, and Xu Qingfan suddenly noticed a large cloud appearing under their feet, wrapping both of them up.

Then, Xu Qingfan felt a jolt in his body. He looked down and saw that the scene beneath him had changed greatly; the place where they had been cleaning treasures was now thousands of miles away, faintly visible but unclear.

※※※※

Three days later, three hundred miles south of Jiuhua, at Wolf Howling Mountain, many people were gathered. About a thousand cultivators were assembled at the mountaintop, all with serious expressions, looking far towards "Ronghua Mountain." Although the roars of beasts and demon beasts were hundreds of miles away, they could still be faintly heard and seen.

These cultivators had come together under Xu Qingfan’s orders, representing the strength of the Righteous Alliance from all over the Shenzhou Continent. Each of these more than a thousand cultivators had reached the Condensed Core Stage, with around thirty or forty even at the Golden Core Stage. Excluding the masters, these cultivators made up about sixty to seventy percent of the entire Righteous Alliance’s strength.

"Xu Qingfan asked us to gather here, and even though the two-month deadline has passed, he still hasn’t shown up. What a big deal he is making."

Zhao Ziwei, one of the top experts among the younger generation of the Five Elements Sect, had always been respected there but felt inferior to Xu Qingfan, Hua Xian, and Bo Guangyan in the Righteous Alliance. He already held a grudge against Xu Qingfan, and now, waiting a long time without seeing him only fueled his dissatisfaction.

In the Righteous Alliance, except for a few individuals, most smaller teams considered themselves elite and already did not respect Xu Qingfan. Following Zhao Ziwei’s lead, the crowd suddenly became noisy, and the clamor grew.

"We should not delay any longer. Shouldn’t we take action without Taoist Friend Xu? After all, Taoist Friend Xu is only at the Real Golden Core Stage. Although he has gained much fame over the years, he is not essential to us."

An elder from Liuhe Gate spoke.

As soon as this was said, a chorus of agreement erupted.

"Dear Taoist friends, it takes time for my Martial Uncle Xu to find all the masters. Perhaps he has already found them and is on his way back. Let us wait a little longer."

Li Yuhan spoke up loudly, but unfortunately, due to his reputation and status, no one paid him any attention.

"Hmph!"

Amidst the noise, suddenly, a cold snort was heard, clear and sharp, shaking the hearts of everyone present. The spirit energy around surged wildly, causing many cultivators to take a step back, and some of the weakest even fell to the ground.

The noisy mountain top fell silent immediately.