radicalducati Chapter 117 When Fate Changes
Chapter 117 When Fate Changes
Chapter 117 When Fate Changes
Only a fraction of a second later, Zhang Xiaofan moved. Without any hesitation, he transformed into a black afterimage and pounced towards the location of the monks of Tianyin Temple.
The Soul-Devouring Staff gleamed with a sharp blue light in his hand. The light was no longer the gentle and restrained color of before, but carried an almost insane ferocity. There was no need for the cloak to cover it up. At this moment, Zhang Xiaofan's eyes were bloodshot and his face was ferocious, like a demon crawling out of the depths of hell.
His movements were so fast that even Tian Ling'er and Lu Xueqi, who had been closely watching him, couldn't react in time. They didn't even have time to reach out or speak before his figure swept past them, the gust of wind causing their clothes to flutter high.
By the time they came to their senses, Zhang Xiaofan had already charged into the group of bald men.
"Xiao Fan—!"
Tian Ling'er's exclamation was immediately drowned out by a chorus of screams.
Lin Jingyu stood not far away, watching helplessly as his brother, who had come from Grass Temple Village with him, charged towards the group of monks. His pupils suddenly contracted, and his breath stopped for a moment. The next moment, he roared and finally could not hold back any longer. He drew his Dragon Slayer Sword, and the sword's cry, like a dragon's roar, resounded through the sky. The emerald green sword light shot into the sky.
Lin Jingyu's eyes were bloodshot as he drew his sword to strike the Dharma Image. Yun Yi Daoist, who was prepared, couldn't just stand by and watch. He couldn't stop Zhang Xiaofan, the reincarnation of the Patriarch, but he could stop Lin Jingyu. In an instant, he appeared beside Lin Jingyu, snatching the Dragon-Slaying Sword from his grasp. Simultaneously, his other hand reached out, grabbing Lin Jingyu's shoulder and pinning him to the spot.
"Let me go! Let me go!" Lin Jingyu cried, tears streaming down his face, struggling desperately against Yun Yi Daoren's grip, veins bulging on his forehead: "I'll kill them all! Kill them all!"
Daoist Yunyi did not let go, but held him firmly, his lips pressed tightly together, and he did not utter a word.
Meanwhile, on the other side, killing intent, engulfing Zhang Xiaofan, swept out like a raging tide.
The Blood-Devouring Bead and Soul-Capturing Staff on his Soul-Devouring Staff simultaneously erupted with dazzling light, the dark blood light intertwined with the pitch-black death light, transforming into a black sword light that reached the heavens and the earth.
The sword light was as black as ink, yet faintly tinged with blood. Wherever it passed, even the air was torn apart with visible cracks.
"Not good!" Faxiang's expression changed drastically. He realized something was wrong and formed a mudra with his hands while chanting a low hymn. He instantly activated the Great Brahma Prajna to its limit.
"Buzz!"
With a deafening roar, like the sound of morning bells and evening drums, the golden Buddhist light surged forth from his body, vast and boundless, condensing into a giant swastika symbol.
The black sword light and the golden Buddhist light collided, and a shockwave visible to the naked eye swept out from the two of them.
Wherever the shockwave passed, the ground within a radius of ten zhang sank three chi. The rubble, barely kicked up and before it could scatter, was crushed into dust by the two enormous forces, turning into a ring of grayish-white air waves that rolled outwards, swallowing everything around it.
"Bang!"
A muffled thud.
The swastika seal shattered with a crash, and the Dharma image was thrown back three steps, each step leaving a footprint about an inch deep on the rock. The edges of the footprints cracked, extending into countless fine cracks.
His face was pale, a trickle of blood escaped from the corner of his mouth, and his monk's robe was torn open by the sword energy.
Zhang Xiaofan watched this scene without any expression on his face. He spun the Soul-Devouring Staff in his hand, and a second sword light followed closely behind.
Upon seeing this scene at Qingyun Sect's location, Tian Buyi raised his foot to step forward and stop it.
The moment he moved, a hand pressed down on his shoulder. The hand wasn't heavy, but it felt like a mountain, pinning him firmly to the spot.
Tian Buyi turned around in surprise, only to be met with Russell's expressionless face.
"you--"
Before Tian Buyi could finish speaking, a loud roar came from afar.
Zhang Xiaofan's second sword strike came crashing down. On the Dharma Image's wrist, the Samsara Pearl suddenly shone brightly, and golden Buddhist light surged out like a tide, transforming into a barrier in front of him.
The sword light struck the Buddha's light, unleashing a deafening clang of metal against metal. The barrier trembled violently, but ultimately managed to block the sword.
Without hesitation, Faxiang immediately retreated, staring intently at Zhang Xiaofan as he went, his brows furrowed. His usually compassionate face was now filled with a complex expression.
"Brother Xiao Fan! Quickly throw away that evil staff! You've already been corrupted by evil power. Let bygones be bygones! The future is long, why bother?"
"Go to hell with your past!"
A harsh voice interrupted Faxiang's long speech. The voice was hoarse and violent, filled with deep-seated hatred. Zhang Xiaofan's true form had already rushed in front of Faxiang, moving so fast that it left a trail of afterimages. The Soul-Devouring Staff was snatched down from his hand in mid-air. In that instant, the staff grew three times larger, carrying an extremely pure killing intent, and smashed straight down on Faxiang's crown!
He didn't want to think about the righteous path or the demonic path right now; he only had one thought in his mind: kill!
Leave no one alive among these hypocritical bastards!
Facing the blow, Faxiang's hands moved wildly, forming a series of hand seals. He summoned an ancient bronze bell, its body entirely dark gold, which he kept hidden away and rarely used. But now, he couldn't care less about such things.
The copper bell flew out, growing longer in the wind, instantly turning into a three-foot-long object that blocked his way.
Then, the stick fell, and the bell shattered.
The copper bell lasted for less than a moment before it shattered into countless fragments under the force of the staff.
The staff's beam struck the Buddha's crown chakra.
"puff."
A soft sound.
Faxiang's head, along with his body and soul, exploded on the spot, splattering blood and staining the surrounding air red.
"Senior brother!" The monks of Tianyin Temple watched this scene with wide eyes and let out a heart-wrenching cry.
The color drained from the faces of Fadu, Fayan, and the others instantly, their eyes filled with disbelief.
They grew up together, practiced cultivation together, and entered the world together. Now, their senior brother is dying right in front of them.
"Kill him! Avenge my senior brother!"
Someone shouted first, and the remaining monks could no longer hold back. Their eyes turned red, and they activated their magical treasures. Golden Buddhist light shone brightly one after another, rushing towards Zhang Xiaofan.
"Heh—" Hearing the shouts and killing sounds around him, Zhang Xiaofan couldn't help but laugh. He swept out with his Soul-Devouring Staff, and terrifying sword energy swept around. The sword energy was as black as ink, and everything in its path was torn to pieces.
The golden light emanating from Fadu, Fayan, and the others was destroyed in less than a moment in the face of the sword energy.
The sounds of limbs being cut off rang out one after another.
Blood splattered, and severed limbs flew off.
Everything fell silent in an instant.
Coincidentally, in the illusion, Puzhi also killed the last household in Caomiao Village at that very moment.
The elderly monk, standing at the village entrance littered with corpses and covered in blood, finally regained his senses.
He looked at the corpses scattered on the ground, at the old, weak, women and children he had killed with his own hands, his face filled with pity and despair.
Zhang Xiaofan walked silently to him, looking at the monk who he once regarded as his benefactor but was now the instigator of all the tragedies, his eyes filled with only cold, lifeless desolation.
Without the slightest hesitation, he raised his staff and slashed down.
A black sword light sliced across Puzhi's body, from his head to his feet.
Puzhi's figure froze, then shattered into countless points of light and vanished.
The entire illusion shattered along with it.
The onlookers felt the scenery change, and the piercing sunlight pierced their eyes again; they had finally returned to Liubo Mountain.
The sea breeze remains the same, the waves remain the same, but the Kui Niu has vanished without a trace.
"Why are you stopping me?!" Tian Buyi flung Russell's hand away, shouting at him in an unfriendly tone. His face was ashen, and his chest heaved violently, clearly enraged. "Are you trying to condemn Xiao Fan to eternal damnation by letting him slaughter righteous cultivators like this?!"
"Utter ruin?" Russell scoffed. "With this bunch of hypocritical monks?"
He paused, his gaze gradually turning cold as he stared at Tian Buyi, uttering each word slowly and deliberately: "They don't deserve it!"
"You!" Tian Buyi felt a chill run down his spine under his gaze. He was about to say something when Russell didn't give him the chance. He stepped forward, looking down at Tian Buyi with a serious tone: "Xiao Fan wants revenge. Don't meddle in his business anymore. Just pretend Xiao Fan doesn't exist. Just like you treated Xiao Fan before. You've done a good job all these years. Please continue to do so in the future."
Upon hearing this, Tian Buyi's face flushed red and then turned pale. He wanted to refute and question, but he couldn't utter a single word. His usually dignified face was now filled with a look of bravado and utter embarrassment.
"What—what do you mean by this?!"
He questioned him, but his voice sounded weak.
Russell didn't answer. He simply reached out and patted Tian Buyi on the shoulder, calmly saying, "Go back and tell Daoxuan that even if Qingyun Sect wants to side with Tianyin Temple, it doesn't matter. Xiaofan will always have us behind him."
Everyone says that Fatty Tian treats Zhang Xiaofan like a father, but in Russell's opinion, it's no different from the patchwork that was added later.
From beginning to end, Fatty Tian actually looked down on Zhang Xiaofan. In his mind, Zhang Xiaofan's face came first, and everything else came second.
This guy bears the main responsibility for Zhang Xiaofan developing such a dull and humble personality.
He is not qualified to be a teacher.
As night falls, the lights on Liubo Mountain are no longer as bright as they have been these past few days.
The sea breeze howled, whipping up waves that crashed against the rocks with a deep, rumbling sound.
The many cultivators who had camped on the mountain had already packed their bags and hurriedly set off after leaving the illusion in the afternoon.
The events that occurred on Liubo Mountain were so bizarre that anyone could see that the cultivation world of Shenzhou would soon undergo a major upheaval. They needed to return to their sects as soon as possible to report the matter to their masters and discuss how to deal with the impending storm. As a result, only the Blood Refining Hall and the Ghost King Sect remained on Liubo Mountain.
Inside the Ghost King Sect's main tent, candlelight flickered.
-
The Ghost King sat in the main seat, with Mr. Ghost and the Azure Dragon on either side, and You Ji stood at the door with her arms crossed.
Qinglong broke the silence first. He looked at the Ghost King and said in a deep voice, "Judging from today's situation, a battle between the Blood Refining Hall and the Heavenly Sound Temple is inevitable. Although the Blood Refining Hall has risen suddenly and is currently gaining momentum, the Heavenly Sound Temple has been established for a thousand years, and its foundation remains unfathomable. When two tigers fight, one will surely be injured. Sect Master, can we take advantage of this opportunity to let the two fight and the third party benefit?"
Mr. Ghost chimed in, "What the Azure Dragon Envoy said makes sense. The rise of the Blood Refining Hall is now unstoppable. If we don't stop it, I'm afraid we'll never find a force that can suppress them again."
To everyone's surprise, the Ghost King waved his hand dismissively and instead asked Qinglong and Mr. Ghost a seemingly unrelated question: "What do you and Brother Long think of that boy named Zhang Xiaofan?"
Qinglong was taken aback, then answered truthfully: "Resilient mind, decisive in killing, and highly skilled in cultivation."
He recalled the blood-soaked figure from earlier that day, his tone filled with heartfelt admiration: "To have such a temperament and such cultivation at this age is truly a rare talent, one in a thousand years."
Upon hearing this, Mr. Ghost's eyes flashed with understanding. He looked at the Ghost King and couldn't help but laugh, "It seems that the Sect Master has other plans."
The Ghost King remained noncommittal, a slight smile playing on his lips as he lowered his head and gently stroked the silver hairpin in his hand.
The silver hairpin was exquisitely crafted, with a small orchid carved on the head. Despite the passage of time, it remained as bright and new as ever.
"We have to find a way to ensure that the Ghost King Sect can stand firm in the future."
On the other side, at the Blood Refining Hall camp.
A lone tent stood at the very edge, its curtains tightly shut, emitting no light.
Zhang Xiaofan locked himself inside alone, and three full hours have passed since evening without making a sound.
Not far outside the tent, three figures stood silently, each guarding a spot, a distance apart from each other. No one spoke, and the moonlight cast long shadows.
Biyao leaned against the tree, her arms crossed, her gaze fixed on the tightly closed curtain, her brows slightly furrowed.
Tian Ling'er squatted on the other side, hugging her knees with both hands, her eyes still red.
Lu Xueqi stood the furthest away, with her back to the tent and facing the sea. The Tianya Sword was placed horizontally on her lap, and the cold moonlight shone on her face, revealing no expression.
The three of them stood guard, silent.
"What do you think Qingyun Sect will choose?" On the rocks by the shore, Xiaoyu stared at Yunyi Daoist, who looked conflicted, and asked curiously.
In Yunyi Daoist's view, Zhang Xiaofan's slaughter of his fellow Daoists this time can be considered as causing a great disaster.
And this idea was definitely not unique to him, as can be seen from Tian Buyi's reaction in the afternoon.
"Let them choose whichever they want; their thoughts don't matter," Han Li said indifferently, closing his eyes to rest.
Throughout the book, everyone tells Zhang Xiaofan to let go and hopes he will turn back, but no one ever tries to understand why he ended up that way.
Everyone was trying to persuade him to consider the bigger picture, but no one seemed to be putting him in the big picture.
It's only because Zhang Xiaofan is kind-hearted and only remembers kindness, not grudges. Otherwise, if he were to come back, he would have to explain himself. It's hard to say how many people would be left in the righteous and demonic paths.
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