Volume 3 Chapter 62: Surprising Appearance

The sunset cast a blood-red glow over Jiuhua land. It was uncertain whether the red was from the sunset’s glow or the blood from both sides of the battle.

Gazing at the brutal scene ahead, Xu Qingfan sighed slightly and conjured a long sword formed by intertwining blades of grass in his hands, preparing to join the battle in person.

Just as Xu Qingfan was about to take action, a sudden change occurred.

The hole in the "Nine Pole Array," which was guarded by most of the elders of Jiuhua Mountain, suddenly became incredibly calm. The booming sounds ceased, and the flashing lights disappeared, as if the powerful spells cast by the elders had stopped because they were stunned by something, making them forget to continue their efforts.

But this calm did not last long. Suddenly, a multicolored orb flew out of the hole and exploded right in front of the elders of Jiuhua at the Nine Pole Array.

The explosion was extremely powerful, causing strong winds that blew trees and rocks across Jiuhua Mountain. Accompanying the explosion was a deafening roar and a bright flash that outshone the sun, as if all the previously paused sounds and lights had burst out at once.

The sound wave from the explosion was so intense that it seemed to spread across the entire Shenzhou Continent. Many nearby humans, demons, and spirit beasts were left deaf or dead, and countless others went blind from the glare.

Even though Xu Qingfan was far from the blast, the sound and light shook him deeply, making it hard to stand, with his eyes and ears briefly rendered useless. The other Jiuhua cultivators and demons weren’t faring much better, and the ten elders who were attacking demons were taken aback, their faces pale from the shock waves and intense light.

It seemed like a long time passed, or perhaps just an instant, before Xu Qingfan and his companions recovered from the shock. They quickly looked towards the explosion site in horror. The sheer impact of the sounds and lights suggested the real explosion’s power was immense, leaving them puzzled as to who could have created such a terrifying attack.

Zhang Hualing’s earlier "Substitute for Heaven" didn’t astonish everyone as much as this did. It was beyond the realm of what a Condensed Core Stage cultivator could achieve.

In the sky, over twenty elders who had been guarding the hole were now scattered far apart, supporting each other with pale faces. Some had even passed out, illustrating that even the rare Condensed Core Stage masters in the cultivation world were vulnerable to such a powerful explosion, highlighting its immense strength.

At this moment, the elders who narrowly escaped the explosion ignored their injuries and stared in fear at the hole in the "Nine Pole Array," their faces full of disbelief, as if they had just witnessed something terrifying.

Seeing the elders in this state, everyone present also turned to look at the hole in the "Nine Pole Array."

Without the protection of the elders, hundreds of demons swiftly emerged from the hole. Unlike before when they frantically attacked the cultivators of Jiuhua Mountain, these demons now formed orderly lines and stood quietly outside the hole, as if waiting for someone.

Seizing the opportunity, Xu Qingfan moved next to Jin Qinghan, joining the younger disciples of Jiuhua. When Jin Qinghan and Lv Qingshang glanced at his injured leg, Xu Qingfan shook his head slightly and signaled them to watch what would happen next.

After all the demons had entered Jiuhua Mountain, over ten people with different appearances and demeanors suddenly appeared in the sky. Even with Xu Qingfan’s skills, he couldn’t discern how they appeared.

Among these people were ordinary-looking humans, both ugly and handsome, and others who resembled the strange and terrifying demons. Despite their varied appearances, everyone first noticed the refined middle-aged scholar at the center.

People noticed this middle-aged scholar not because he seemed to lead the group or his exceptional looks, not even for the dangerous aura he exuded, but because he naturally drew everyone’s attention, regardless of his status or power.

As soon as this scholar appeared, the demons ignored the potential threat from the cultivators of Jiuhua and knelt to him in reverence, adding to his aura of mystery and authority.

The elders of Jiuhua, regardless of having met this scholar before or not, all appeared terrified, as if they understood his terrifying nature.

The middle-aged scholar did not pay any attention to the reverence shown by the demons kneeling before him, nor the shock and fear of the Jiuhua elders. He simply scanned the Jiuhua Mountain cultivators with his eyes that glowed with an otherworldly light, and then softly asked, "Excuse me, is it possible that neither Zhang Hualing nor Zhou Huahai are present?"

The voice of this middle-aged scholar sounded even younger than his appearance, yet everyone felt a sense of time’s sediment mixed within it. His tone was courteous and gentle, but the people inexplicably sensed a stronger aura of danger emanating from him. However, when Xu Qingfan heard the scholar’s words, a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes, because he suddenly felt that he had heard this voice somewhere before, though he couldn’t recall the exact time or place.

"Martial Uncle, it’s been two hundred years since you last returned to Jiuhua Mountain. Please forgive our lack of proper welcome."

As the middle-aged scholar’s voice faded, Zhang Hualing’s voice suddenly came from within Linghua Hall. Although his voice was mighty, it seemed to lack a bit of energy.

Then, Zhang Hualing appeared at the front of Linghua Hall, flanked by Xiao Huazhe and Elder Weichi on either side. Riding a cloud, they soared towards the middle-aged scholar in the sky. When they reached him, they bowed respectfully with expressions of reverence mingled with cautious fear.

At this moment, the entire front of Jiuhua Mountain had only one complete building left, Linghua Hall.

Upon hearing Zhang Hualing’s words, the lower-level disciples of Jiuhua Mountain couldn’t help but start whispering among themselves. They hadn’t expected the seemingly youthful middle-aged scholar to have such a senior status, yet were puzzled as to why he had a connection with Jiuhua Mountain and commanded demons to attack it.

Meanwhile, Xu Qingfan and the other direct disciples of the Jiuhua elders, who were more familiar with the history of Jiuhua Mountain, were all taken aback. They couldn’t help but think of the grandmaster Zhang Xusheng, who had defected from Jiuhua Mountain eight hundred years ago after being discovered studying dark arts.

Five hundred years ago, the last master of the "Xu" generation, Li Xuhan, passed away. Now, the only one from that generation who might still be alive is Zhang Xusheng, who once brought great misfortune to Jiuhua Mountain.

Could it be that this Zhang Xusheng is the middle-aged scholar we see before us? But you must know, Zhang Xusheng is nearly three thousand years old, and yet he appears so young now, it’s unbelievable.

In the sky, the middle-aged scholar carefully examined Zhang Hualing, a look of admiration flashed in his eyes, and he said with a faint smile, "I didn’t expect you to be able to perform ‘Substitute for Heaven.’ Truly, youth is formidable. However, it’s a pity that you used a method that consumes life for a temporary advantage to use it; not only is its power greatly reduced, but it also cannot last long, otherwise, you might have really been able to restrain me."

Although the middle-aged scholar’s words were full of regret, they implied that even using "Substitute for Heaven," Zhang Hualing was unable to defeat him.

Zhang Hualing chuckled lightly and said slowly, "If I remember correctly, Martial Uncle, you are already three thousand years old, aren’t you? Yet you look much younger than us juniors, suggesting that your studies in the mysteries have made significant progress. However, Martial Uncle, with your impairments, I wonder if those mysteries are effective on you."

When Xu Qingfan and the others heard Zhang Hualing’s words, they were all shocked; they didn’t expect this middle-aged scholar to actually be Zhang Xusheng. But looking at Zhang Xusheng, whose features are complete and limbs intact, they couldn’t understand why Zhang Hualing said Zhang Xusheng had any impairments.

The dozen or so people beside Zhang Xusheng glared angrily at Zhang Hualing upon hearing his words, and the other demon beasts roared at Zhang Hualing, clearly indicating that Zhang Hualing’s previous words had touched upon a taboo in their hearts.

Thousands of demon beasts roared together with tremendous might, but Zhang Hualing’s face remained unchanged; he quietly looked at Zhang Xusheng and said, "I just wonder, Martial Uncle, for the sake of your experiments, how many innocent lives have you harmed? Wasn’t the lesson from back then enough?"

Zhang Xusheng was not angered by Zhang Hualing’s words; he continued in a calm tone, "Over the years, I’ve indeed used some materials in live experiments for my research. As cultivators, we defy heaven’s path and take the essence of the world for our benefit. The human body is the collection of nature’s essence; using it as material is the right path. Only you old-fashioned individuals care about the sacrifices involved."

Upon hearing Zhang Xusheng’s words, Xu Qingfan, mixed in with the group of low-level disciples on Jiuhua Mountain, was shocked. He was reminded of three years ago, when he sought permission from the cultivators of Penance Valley to adopt Ting’er, facing opposition from everyone except for a mysterious elder who told him, "As cultivators, we defy heaven’s path and take the essence of the world for our benefit, committing enormous sins. How dare we prevent a young Taoist friend like you from adopting your kin, thus creating more obstacles?"

Compared to Zhang Xusheng’s words at this moment, the choice of words, the tone, and the voice are remarkably similar.

Seeing Xu Qingfan’s face suddenly turn extremely pale, Jin Qinghan felt puzzled and asked, "Senior Brother Xu, what happened?"

Xu Qingfan turned to glance at Jin Qinghan and Lv Qingshang, murmuring softly, "He is Xuanmoda, his other identity is Xuanmoda from Penance Valley. I have spoken to him before."

By connecting Zhang Xusheng’s other identities, Xu Qingfan suddenly understood many previously confusing questions.

Zhang Xusheng is indeed Xuanmoda from Penance Valley, the mastermind behind the Huandao Island incident, Zhou Huahai’s collaborator, and the master Nangong Qingshan referred to.

Because Zhang Xusheng is Xuanmoda from Penance Valley, he was able to know the details of the Cultivation World Newcomer Competition in advance. Because Zhang Xusheng is Xuanmoda from Penance Valley, he could control the changes on Huandao Island single-handedly. The entire Huandao Island was under the control of cultivators from Penance Valley at that time, and as one of the two Mahayana Stage experts in Penance Valley, Xuanmoda naturally had many Penance Valley cultivators following his orders.

It was precisely because he was Zhou Huahai’s collaborator that Zhou Huahai had such clear knowledge about the Huandao Island affair and managed to control Jiuhua Mountain during the incident, pushing all the blame, just like the schemer of Huandao Island, onto Zhang Hualing. It was also because Zhang Xusheng knew what made Ting’er different from others that he instructed Nangong Qingshan to capture Ting’er.

All of this was entirely under Zhang Xusheng’s control.

Although no one ever told Xu Qingfan exactly what Zhang Xusheng’s dark arts research was, by looking at the demons before him, the flawless corpses discovered on Huandao Island, and the conversation between Zhang Hualing and Zhang Xusheng just now, Xu Qingfan could already guess the gist of it.

It seems that Zhang Xusheng has been studying the human body for many years and has developed the ability to modify it at will, which is why he was able to create those flawless bodies and make a creature like Nangong Qingshan. Perhaps even his youthful appearance is a result of his body-altering skills.

As if hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Zhang Xusheng glanced deeply in his direction with a faint smile and then said to Zhang Hualing, "Since you know about my disability, you should also know what I seek this time, right?"