Volume 1 Volume 5 Chapter 143

Volume 5 Chapter 143: Driving Beasts for Miles (Part 2)

Outside "Ronghua Mountain," countless demon beasts surged in waves against the defenses of "Ronghua Mountain." Despite the fierce resistance from numerous formations and skilled fighters outside, there were still countless casualties.

Deep in the herd of beasts, six different demon beasts coldly watched the fierce battle before them, showing no concern for the numerous deaths of their kind.

As they observed the many demon beasts dying with little change in the situation, it seemed that some of these six demon beasts became increasingly anxious. Suddenly, a demon beast resembling a black tiger approached the nine-tailed demon fox and quietly growled twice, its roar surprisingly filled with great respect.

Clearly, the nine-tailed demon fox held the highest position among the demon beasts.

Hearing the black tiger’s voice, the nine-tailed demon fox slowly shook its head. For it, the important item might be in "Ronghua Mountain," and it did not wish to pressure the humans too much. At the same time, it had some concerns about the formations set up by the masters.

But at that moment, the nine-tailed demon fox suddenly displayed a look of human-like surprise and turned to gaze towards the distant Wolf Howling Mountain.

At that moment, a cold snort echoed from Wolf Howling Mountain, causing the expressions of everyone there to change.

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Just a single cold snort could carry such immense power; who could this newcomer be?

After all, although cultivators claim to be pure and focused on the Heavenly Way or the path to immortality, in the cultivation world, power speaks above all, at any time and in any place.

After discovering that the person who made the "hum" sound was much more powerful than anyone else there, the noisy "Wolf Howling Mountain" suddenly fell silent. Especially the few people who had been making the most noise looked around in a panic, searching for the source of the sound.

Those who had mocked Xu Qingfan the most in the past few days now realized someone seemed angry, and this angry person was much stronger than they were, so they quickly shrank back into the crowd, afraid to say even a polite word.

I really wonder how these people will lead others to fight against the demon beasts after leaving Xu Qingfan and Li Yuhan. Or perhaps they only thought about the glory of leading others against the demon beasts and the praise they would receive after driving them away.

While everyone was nervously looking around, two figures gradually appeared above their heads, becoming clearer until everyone could see their faces completely.

The newcomers were Xu Qingfan and Mr. Liu, and it was Mr. Liu whose "hum" sound silenced everyone.

After Xu Qingfan appeared, he transformed into the cold and distant "Venerable Diyang" familiar to outsiders, looking completely different from when he interacted with Jin Qinghan or Mr. Liu. Although he didn’t speak, his indifferent gaze carried great power, and no one dared to meet his eyes, except for a few who remained unchanged in expression.

He coldly glanced at the few individuals who had made the most noise before and then changed their expressions upon seeing Xu Qingfan and Mr. Liu. Showing a look of disdain, he let out a cold hum, causing the faces of those individuals to turn even paler.

Clearly, these people suddenly remembered Xu Qingfan’s various methods over the years, and the reasons for the decline of the "Xingyin Sect" were still fresh in their minds.

Only opponents who pose a real threat are true opponents, and for Xu Qingfan, those noisy people were obviously not such threats.

Then, Xu Qingfan’s gaze stopped on the few people who dared to meet his eyes without changing their expressions. These people had not participated in the commotion earlier, yet among the more than a thousand people, they were the ones Xu Qingfan valued the most. If they turned against Xu Qingfan, they would be true adversaries.

He slightly nodded and then, as if he did not notice what had happened before, Xu Qingfan turned to point at Mr. Liu and said, "This is Mr. Liu, one of the masters of my Righteous Alliance."

The twelve masters of the Righteous Alliance usually kept to themselves. Except for the sect leaders and the leaders of small teams, many people knew them, but they still wanted Xu Qingfan to introduce them again.

Although it was already expected, when they heard Xu Qingfan’s words, the crowd of over a thousand people still changed their expressions drastically, some going pale while others looked relieved, all bowing to Mr. Liu in greeting.

After Mr. Liu allowed people to rise, he no longer paid attention to the crowd and flew to a corner where no one was around to rest his eyes. Venerable Xuan Mie, the leader of "Penance Valley," who was one of the few cultivators who had not turned pale, hesitated for a moment and then walked up to Xu Qingfan to ask, "Taoist Friend Xu, why is there only one master? Where are the other eleven seniors?"

At that moment, Xu Qingfan was also filled with questions. The other eleven masters and Jin Qinghan had left with Mr. Liu and him over two days ago; how come they had not arrived yet?

Just as Xu Qingfan did not know how to answer, a faint voice suddenly emerged.

"Hmph, those guys are not as fast as me, so naturally, they returned later than you and me."

It was Mr. Liu’s voice.

Xu Qingfan thought for a moment and understood that Mr. Liu was among the top three masters. His speed was naturally very fast, while the other eleven masters had to take care of the slowest one and escort Jin Qinghan and the others. Therefore, they were not as quick as Mr. Liu and Xu Qingfan.

After realizing this, Xu Qingfan smiled and explained, "The other eleven seniors were held up by some matters, but I believe they will arrive soon."

Hearing this, everyone looked relieved. In the distance, the demon beasts filled the sky, and it was said that there were more than one heavenly-level demon beast, which put great pressure on everyone. Just having one master was not enough to make everyone feel safe.

While Xu Qingfan was talking with Venerable Xuan Mie, the people from Jiuhua Gate and those valued by Xu Qingfan gathered around him. Although the masters would arrive soon, they still wanted to discuss some strategies with Xu Qingfan, as it was he who had called everyone together.

Meanwhile, the leaders of the small teams who had previously slandered and looked down on Xu Qingfan hesitated and did not dare to approach. They only stole glances at Xu Qingfan or Mr. Liu from time to time.

The first to come close was actually a familiar face of Xu Qingfan’s, the leader of the "Liuhe Gate" team, Chou Xuan!

"Taoist friend, you have indeed arrived as promised. I didn’t expect Taoist Friend Xu to reach the Golden Core path in such a short time. It truly makes us both envious and ashamed. But anyway, I must congratulate you here. With your speed, I believe it will only be a matter of time before you break through to the Mahayana Stage."

After Chou Xuan walked up to Xu Qingfan, he bowed deeply and seemed very surprised as he spoke.

However, looking at the smiling Chou Xuan, Xu Qingfan strangely saw a resemblance to Deng Tianao. After returning to "Liuhe Gate," Chou Xuan had become more and more like Deng Tianao, which made Xu Qingfan frown slightly.

"My Taoist friend, you are too polite. It is just a coincidence. The chance for a celestial connection can be encountered but cannot be sought. How can I always break through like this?"

Xu Qingfan replied politely.

After hearing Chou Xuan’s words, everyone who had been focused on Mr. Liu suddenly noticed that Xu Qingfan had actually reached the Golden Core Stage, and the faces of the crowd showed expressions of surprise, envy, and jealousy.

However, there were some who were not concerned at all.

"Venerable Diyang, although the masters have not yet arrived, I think we should come up with some strategies for them to consider soon. After all, ‘Ronghua Mountain’ is in great danger, and we cannot afford to waste time."

The speaker was a rogue cultivator named Bo Hai, who, despite being a rogue cultivator, was recognized as a team leader, which was proof of his strength and abilities.

Following the direction Bo Hai pointed to, Xu Qingfan looked towards "Ronghua Mountain" and saw, even though it was a hundred miles away, the dark scenery around "Ronghua Mountain" and in the sky was clear; it was a gathering of demon beasts, and the sounds of roaring and fighting were faintly heard.

Xu Qingfan had been thinking about strategies for more than a day. Upon hearing someone ask, and seeing the surrounding people showing interest, he pondered for a moment and prepared to share his previously thought-out strategies with everyone.

But just as Xu Qingfan was about to speak, he saw Mr. Liu, who had been meditating nearby, suddenly change his expression and quickly fly into the air, looking towards the distant "Ronghua Mountain."

Seeing Mr. Liu’s actions, everyone was puzzled and looked again towards "Ronghua Mountain," their expressions turning to shock.

They saw a thick mass of dark shapes surrounding "Ronghua Mountain" suddenly split, rushing quickly towards where everyone stood.

Then, the ground began to shake, which everyone could start to feel. At the same time, they began to see, among the crowd of demon beasts, the leading nine-tailed demon fox!