Chapter Twenty-Six: Ascending to the Azure Clouds

  "He's dead!"

  Zhang Yufan felt a strong killing intent emanating from Gui Li, and his heart couldn't help but feel a chill. Given his friendship with Qing Long, if he really misunderstood and harmed Qing Long, he would definitely not hesitate to take his own life. Once he entered a demonic state, even his mouth would be unable to speak clearly. "Brother Zhang, don't misunderstand! When I met him in the southern border, he was already on his last breath!"

  The demon's eyes had already turned red, but he suppressed his excitement and slowly said: "Speak quickly!"

  Zhang Yu Fan slightly calmed down and hastily said: "Didn't you ask him to escort the remains of the great witch back to Qili Valley earlier? Who knew that they would encounter a beast demon, Elder Qing Long fought hard to rescue the Miao people, fighting against countless beast demons, including Tian Gou and the White Bone Flying Snake. They explained that their Tao was profound, but Elder Qing Long was no match for them and finally fell into a deep ravine..."

  The ghost slapped himself fiercely, filled with regret and remorse, shouting: "Elder Qing Long, it's all my fault! I shouldn't have... I didn't want you to escort the Grand Wizard for me, what I really wanted was for you to die in my place!"

  Zhang Yufan felt a pang in his heart, and tears welled up in his eyes as he continued: "When I found him, the lower half of his body was already gone. He struggled to hold on, just wanting to wait for one person, and finally, I appeared!"

  "What did he say?" The ghost's voice was low and dull, his face pale as if he were a dying man with no spirit.

  Zhang Yu Fan paused for a moment, looking very tense inside, and said, "He said Xiaofan, that before he died, being able to see you one last time would make his life worthwhile!"

  He let out a cold, mirthless laugh and said: "This is indeed his character. He's always treated me as Zhang Xiaofan. But isn't it this very Zhang Xiaofan who had him go to his death? I'm not worthy of being his friend!"

  Pain, guilt and self-blame simultaneously appeared on his face, Zhang Yufan's heart became even more sour, continuing to say: "Before he died, he asked me to persuade the Ghost King not to launch the Four Spirits Blood Array. The Fulong Cauldron is an ancient object for sealing demons. Gathering four ancient spiritual beasts can obtain the power of Shura, but at the same time it will also release the evil god Ashura sealed in the cauldron, controlling its mind and becoming a puppet. At that time, the world will be plunged into another catastrophe!"

  "What business is it of yours?" The ghost let out a cold hum and said: "I suppose you've agreed as well!"

  Zhang Yu Fan nodded, but was still shocked in his heart. The Zhang Xiao Fan who had taken it upon himself to slay demons and evil spirits back then, how could he have become like this? But thinking again, could he be blamed for this? What had the world done to him? The vow he had kept for ten years to protect Pu Zhi ended up being a ridiculous contract of murder. What exactly did he do wrong? Just because he held the Soul Devouring sword, he was struck down by Qing Yun's Zhēn Xiān Sword. The first person who made him feel warmth was still lying in the cold stone room. He had gone through countless hardships to find the great witch doctor, only to have all his efforts go down the drain because of a fight. Was the world really that important?

  "Yes, I agreed!" Zhang Yufan shook his head and tried to regain his composure, looking at the completely changed Zhang Xiaofan and shouting: "But I want to declare that it was as Zhang Xiaofan's identity that I agreed, not Gui Lie. Zhang Xiaofan has tears and blood, but you don't. You're already dead. Otherwise, Qinglong would have shouted 'Gui Lie' instead of 'Xiaofan' before he died. You keep saying what the world owes you, let me answer you once and for all: it gave you Bi Yao, it gave you Lu Xueqi, it also gave you today's achievements, it gave you Qinglong and countless friends. When Daoxuan wanted to kill you, so many fellow disciples in the Yuqing Hall begged for mercy on your behalf. Lu Xueqi was willing to bear the crime of betraying her sect, Bi Yao was willing to die for you... what more do you want? What else are you seeking? Is the world really unfair to you? You're going to abandon the world because of one or two people's evil behavior? How are you different from the Beast King who caused the beast calamity? Can you justify yourself to them?"

  Guilei didn't say a word and stood there in a daze, even Xiaohui was silent.

  Zhang Yu Fang let out a long sigh, took a look at Gui Li who was as pale as a dead man, "What's there to be sad about? I've said what I wanted to say, now I'm going to ascend to the heavens! May we meet again someday!" With that, he turned around and left the town.

  The road was empty, with no one in sight. Zhang Yu Fan walked swiftly, his footsteps flying. From time to time, he thought about the words he had spoken earlier and couldn't believe they were his own. Although Gui Li was depressed at this moment, he didn't know what would happen if those things happened to him. His heart knot was actually still Cao Miao Village and Bi Yao. If these two matters could be figured out, maybe he would become the original Zhang Xiao Fan again.

  He thought to himself that a red light burst into the sky, heading in the direction of Qingyun. Zhang Yu Fan was overjoyed, thinking that Gui Li had returned to Qingyun. He wondered if he would go see Lu Xue Qi or return to Dazhu Peak. That old yellow dog would be thrilled to death if it saw Xiao Hui too, haha.

  Under the Azure Cloud Mountain.

  A fierce battle has just ended, and the city of Hei Yang is now occupied by countless demonic beasts. The orthodox sects have suffered heavy casualties, and their last stronghold is now the Qing Yun Mountains. As soon as the people at the foot of the mountain retreated, the Sheng Li Army, which was originally stationed on the mountain, quickly prepared for battle. With the mountain's height and danger, they can still hold out until tomorrow.

  On the Rainbow Bridge, Xue Shu and Qi Huan were discussing the current situation, especially about that Beast King who had never made a move. The thirteen demon beasts under his command were enough to rival the top masters of the Upper Clear Realm's eight realms, and the person who could control them was truly terrifying in their depth of cultivation. Even the Exterminating Immortal Sword Array of our sect couldn't help but make him suspicious.

  They were talking, but Lin Jingyu's mind was elsewhere. He still held the piece of paper with the four words "Fire in the backyard" scribbled on it. Who wrote this? What did it mean? As he watched people rushing to and fro, his heart grew increasingly frustrated. He yearned to visit the old man in the ancestral hall, even though he had said he would never take an apprentice. In Lin Jingyu's mind, however, he had already called him "Master" countless times. Normally, he visited the old man every day at the back mountain temple, but due to the recent crisis, it had been six days since they last met, and he couldn't help feeling anxious.

  "Brother Qi!" Li Xun walked over from a distance, the people of Huixiang Valley at the foot of the mountain did not send anyone to fight, and the rumors in the righteous way also subsided after hearing that it was the intention of Daoxuan, the leader of the sect.

  Zeng Shu and Qi Huan looked at each other and smiled, welcoming Li Xun with a smile. Lin Jingyu laughed dryly for a while before going down the mountain alone to inspect the battle situation.

  Li Xun came before the two of them, looked around and finally couldn't help but say: "Why haven't I seen Lu Shimei for the past two days?"

  The two burst out laughing, secretly thinking that it was indeed the weasel who came to pay New Year's greetings to the chicken with ill intentions.

  It is said that a virtuous woman and a gentleman are hard to find. Lu Xueqi was originally also the secret crush of Zeng Shu's friend, Li Xun. Whenever he saw someone, he would ask Xueqi, as if afraid that everyone in the world didn't know that he had been rejected by Lu Xueqi in public. He spread it everywhere, not caring about losing face. Lu Shixiong still has to live on, but Zeng Shu felt angry in her heart and couldn't show it on her face. She still wore a smiling face to greet him, "Hehe, I don't know!"

  Li Xun's gaze fell on Qi Huan again, wearing a white long gown, unlike other fellow disciples, with an additional first seat mark. He is now the first seat of Longshou Peak, because of Qingyun's betrayal of Cangsong Daoist. For ten years, the disciples of Longshou Peak could not hold their heads up in front of others. Now, in the midst of war, it was also the disciples of Longshou Peak who were most hardworking, even Qi Huan took the lead, fighting for more credit and a share of prestige in front of others.

  Zi Hao looked at Li Xun and chuckled: "This, as a senior brother, it's impossible to care about the junior sisters' affairs every day, let alone my family already has one that is very satisfying, and my father-in-law is not someone who can be offended."

  Li Xun naturally understood the evasive meaning in Qi Huan's words, but what he said wasn't entirely unreasonable either. He could only let out a long sigh and turn to head towards the Yuqing Hall.

  Zeng Shu and Qi Huan exchanged a glance, both revealing a hint of a sly smile.

  Actually, Lu Xueqi had already gone down the mountain to inspect ahead of Lin Jingyu. On that day, Master Shuiyue not only didn't blame her but also said she had merit. However, in her heart, there was still a kind of inexplicable and strange discomfort. Today's fierce battle showed that Bai Tianhua's power was even greater. Originally, more than ten disciples couldn't take down the huge monster, but with just him and Xiao Yi, they killed two. Everyone looked at each other in shock, wondering when Lu Xueqi had become so much stronger. Especially that one move, "Divine Thunder Sword Decision", was several times stronger than usual. Even the few masters who were watching from afar were greatly shocked.

  This was Lu Xueqi's last patrol, due to the situation, she had to return to Xiaozhu Peak every night. Since learning about the Tianji Lock last time, Master Shuimeng had entrusted her with the matter of the Tianji Lock.

  The person who came running quickly from the mountain was Li Xun. For some reason, Lu Xueqi always felt afraid when she saw this person, and every time she saw him, she wanted to avoid him far away and didn't want to talk to him. But this arrogant person had an exceptionally thick face in front of Lu Xueqi, clinging to her tightly and not letting go. Especially since she publicly rejected his marriage proposal in front of the elders, according to Wen Mingshi's sister, this person often asked about her news, and she felt very disgusted in her heart.

  "Lu Shi Mei!" Li Xun shouted from afar.

  Lu Xueqi pretended not to hear and immediately flew away with Tianyue.

  Today, the Righteous Path Alliance will meet at Qingyun. Although the other six veins have settled countless fellow practitioners, Xiaozhu Peak is all female disciples. Although the place is spacious, it is a personal order from the Sect Master of Qingyun Daoxuan, but to avoid suspicion, no one is allowed to set foot on Xiaozhu Peak.

  Li Xun looked at the direction she was walking, which was exactly towards Xiao Zhu Peak. He let out a long sigh, and with a bitter smile and a shake of his head, he muttered to himself: "Li Xun, Li Xun, you who have always been so proud, what kind of evil spirit has possessed you? This woman is so cold to you, yet you are so infatuated with her. No! The more unattainable she is, the more you want to attain her, this is the true you!"

  What he said seemed to have been overheard by someone, and when he turned around, the person who had just brushed past him was Lin Jingyu. That resolute figure was so cold, this person didn't like talking to people much either, but at least some polite words were necessary, yet today he walked past his own side without saying a word more, could it be... He suddenly let out a cold laugh and turned around to head up the mountain.