Pure Yang!

Chapter 520 Zhang Fan's Phone Call! Prosperity with White, Decline with Black (5k-word Chapter)

As dusk settles, the sea of ​​clouds rises and falls.

Lao Jun Mountain is one of the ten most famous Taoist mountains in the world.

Under the afterglow of the setting sun, this ancient Taoist mountain stands like a cauldron, breathing in and out the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

The Refining Palace is built against the mountain. The huge Bagua furnace in front of the palace is ancient and mottled, engraved with the traces of time. Although there is no open flame in the furnace, it is filled with a faint fragrance of medicinal stones all year round, as if it is refining an invisible elixir.

"Nowadays, there is neither a living person nor a dead body."

Beside the stove, Fang Changle's face was shrouded in an unyielding gloom.

After the battle at Yujing River Beach, he used all the connections and resources he could to search all over the south and north of the Yangtze River, but Zhang Fan seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace in the vast world.

Left with no other choice, he passed through Nanhe Province and came to Laojun Mountain, hoping to get some clues from the Qi brothers, Qi Delong and Qi Dongqiang.

"You even went to Zhenwu Mountain!?"

Looking at Fang Changle's slightly tired face, Qi Delong couldn't help but ask.

It's clear that after the battle at Yujing River Beach, finding Zhang Fan had become a major worry for Fang Changle.

The anxiety of having a close friend in dire straits, being powerless to help, and not even knowing whether the friend was alive or dead, gnawed at his heart day and night.

So much so that even he, a dignified successor of Maoshan and a master of the Great Master realm, couldn't help but appear mentally and physically exhausted at this moment.

“I originally wanted to ask Li Miaoyin…” Fang Changle whispered.

On that day, in the Ten Thousand Mountains, Zhang Fan, Fang Changle, the Qi brothers, Xia Weisheng, and Li Miaoyin joined forces to fight against Li Changgeng and his group, achieving a major victory in that battle. They were sworn brothers who had faced life and death together.

Especially Li Miaoyin...

Fang Changle knew very well that her relationship with Zhang Fan had long been extraordinary.

In this vast world, apart from Zhang Fan's parents and his elder brother, the person he is probably closest to is Li Miaoyin.

"She didn't know either? Logically speaking, after such a big thing, she should be restless."

Qi Dongqiang's voice came from the same body.

Fang Changle shook his head and sighed, "Ever since she was taken in by the Transcendental Master, she has been in seclusion deep within the Golden Summit, and I'm afraid she knows nothing about the storms in the outside world."

"This……"

Upon hearing this, Qi Dongqiang smacked his lips and lowered his voice.

"If she knew Zhang Fan's current situation, she would probably be furious and break out of seclusion."

"You know, she's now a disciple of the Transcendent Master. Maybe she can even get the Transcendent Master to intervene," Qi Delong suggested.

"That's a story for another time." Fang Changle frowned, gazing at the churning clouds on the horizon, his eyes filled with even deeper worry.

The most urgent task now is to determine Zhang Fan's fate and where he is; all other plans should be put aside for later.

"Old Fang, actually..."

Seeing his appearance, Qi Delong moved his lips a few times, and hesitated on his face. In the end, he gritted his teeth, quietly approached, and lowered his voice as if afraid of disturbing the tranquility of the mountains.

"I did hear some rumors the other day, but I'm not sure yet."

"what?"

Fang Changle suddenly turned his head, his eyes flashing like lightning in the night, terrifyingly bright.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

“You think you’re the only one who cares about him? I’ve been through a lot these past few days, but it’s still not certain,” Qi Delong said in a deep voice.

“Don’t be fooled by our current chaotic situation. In reality, we’ve kept Old Zhang’s whereabouts very well under wraps. Even the people in charge of the arrests know very little about him,” Qi Dongqiang explained.

"So it takes time to gather information."

"Where is he now?" Fang Changle couldn't help but ask.

"They've apparently appeared in the Shanhaiguan area," Qi Delong said uncertainly.

"He ran north?" Fang Changle's eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a thoughtful expression: "It seems he's heading towards the border."

"It's not certain yet," Qi Dongqiang took over the conversation and said in a low voice, "My brother and I have already asked an elder in the sect to inquire about it."

"He holds a high position of power in Dongshan Province, and there should be definite news soon."

Fang Changle remained silent, but his tense and gloomy expression relaxed considerably. After all this trouble, he had finally seen a glimmer of hope.

"My three senior brothers..."

Just then, a young Taoist priest walked over with light steps and bowed to the three of them.

"A message has arrived from Uncle Jiang's side."

Upon hearing this, Qi Delong perked up and hurriedly said, "Quickly, bring it here!"

He turned to Fang Changle and explained, "This Uncle Jiang is the elder we just mentioned."

"He is a master of life cultivation, and serves as the honorary president of the Daoist Alliance in Dongshan Province, holding a high position and great power."

“My brother and I practiced asceticism in the mountains when we were young, and we had a very good relationship with him.”

As he spoke, Qi Delong eagerly took the thin fax and waved for the young Taoist priest to leave.

"What era are we living in? Why are we still using fax machines?" Fang Changle couldn't help but mutter.

"Old Fang, we must respect the habits and traditions of our veteran comrades," Qi Delong said softly.

As he spoke, he opened the fax letter.

However, the moment his gaze swept over the contents of the paper, Qi Delong's eagerness and anticipation froze instantly, as if instantly sealed by extreme frost.

His pupils contracted sharply, his fingers holding the fax trembled uncontrollably, and his once composed face drained of all color in an instant, turning ashen white.

call……

The light fax slipped from his exhausted fingers and fell onto the cold bluestone floor.

Fang Changle was stunned by his sudden and violent reaction.

"elder brother……"

Qi Dongqiang's voice also rang out, tinged with a hint of sharpness and shock.

Fang Changle's eyes narrowed sharply, and the ominous premonition in his heart suddenly rose to its peak.

He bent down, almost holding his breath, and picked up the fax.

My gaze fell upon those few lines of text.

With just one glance, Fang Changle felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He swayed violently and almost lost his balance if he hadn't grabbed the stove in time.

“Outside Qinhuang City, in front of the Lüzu Temple, a shocking change has occurred.”

"All thirty-seven experts of the Dao Alliance were wiped out, with not a single survivor."

"Zhao Shanhe, Qin Tiandeng, Leng Canxiang, Yuan Baitian, and Feng Qinghan, the five leaders of the Zhaizhai, have been confirmed dead in battle."

"A seven-character blood oath was left at the scene: The murderer is the Three Corpse Taoist."

At this moment, in front of the Refining Palace, it seemed that only the sound of the mountain wind howling could be heard.

Fang Changle, Qi Delong, and Qi Dongqiang stood frozen in place, like clay or wooden sculptures, with an oppressive silence permeating the air.

The contents of the fax were simple, yet utterly terrifying...

Shocking!

That's absolutely earth-shattering!
Thirty-seven Dao Alliance experts... five great leaders... all wiped out...

The realm of fasting!

That person had already developed an inner core and achieved great success in cultivating life force. They would be a figure capable of establishing a sect anywhere. In the past, even if one of them died, even if it was a normal death, it would cause a huge sensation, be reported to the capital, and various memorial services and commemorative meetings would be held.

Now, five people have died at once, which is an immeasurable loss, especially since figures like Qin Tiandeng and Leng Canxiang were renowned giants in their respective regions.

They're all dead!?

Even so, the most shocking part of this fax letter was not the fall of the five great masters, but the last seven words.

The murderer was the Three Corpse Taoist.

What does this title mean? What does it represent?
These seven words were like a red-hot branding iron, fiercely searing into the depths of the three people's souls.

"No, Lao Qi, what kind of information is this? Are you sure it's related to Zhang Fan?"

It felt as if thousands of thunderbolts were exploding simultaneously in Fang Changle's mind, roaring and shaking his very soul.

He could hardly comprehend the terrifying message contained in those few short lines of text.

He couldn't even connect these words with Zhang Fan.

Zhang Fan, when everyone was worried about him, not only did he not die, but he also did something earth-shattering, which can be described as breaking the heavens!

He is making a declaration to the whole world.

This is not an escape, but a counterattack!

A bloody and domineering declaration was made in response to the Dao Alliance's pursuit!

"Perhaps...maybe...possibly..."

The brothers Qi Delong and Qi Dongqiang were somewhat unsure, their voices mingling as they emanated from their shared body.

They, too, were pale and solemn. The news was too shocking, too unbelievable, completely beyond their wildest imaginations.

This was not the Zhang Fan they knew; he was clearly Wuwei Daxie, a giant of the demonic path.

"I read……"

Just then, Qi Delong calmed down a little and hesitated to speak.

"We all know Zhang Fan's style; he doesn't speak up until he does, and then he makes a stunning debut."

“Wherever he goes, he either stays out of trouble, or if he does, it’s a major incident that will shake the world,” Qi Dongqiang added.

"Judging from the style of this fax, it really does look a bit like..."

"Similar? How can you say something is similar?" Fang Changle frowned.

The mountain wind grew stronger, making the three of them's clothes flutter wildly, but it couldn't dispel the chilling fear that gripped their hearts.

They knew very well that if the faxed letter was true, the Dao Alliance's reaction would be drastic and brutal.

The twilight over Laojun Mountain seemed particularly heavy and somber at this moment.

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are! The mountain is full of little demons. Take the talisman, let it shine, kill the demons, and take their hearts..."

Just then, a melodious cell phone ringtone, like a nursery rhyme, broke the heavy atmosphere and brought everyone back to their senses.

Fang Changle took out his phone and saw that it was an unfamiliar number, but the caller ID showed that the location was Beihe Province.

"Hello, who is this?" Fang Changle answered the phone impatiently and asked in a deep voice.

"Old Fang, it's me."

Just then, a familiar voice came from the other end of his hand. The voice floated in his ears, causing Fang Changle to change color suddenly. A crystal light appeared in his trembling eyes.

"Zhang Fan!?"

Fang Changle's voice, accompanied by heavy breathing, echoed in front of the Refining Talisman Palace.

……

Changjing City, Beijiao International Airport.

A silver-white plane slowly lifted off the ground, pierced the clouds, and headed towards Qinhuang City.

Inside the business class cabin, Fan Lingzhou sat by the window with his eyes slightly closed, as if resting.

After nearly two months of quiet recuperation, the deep-seated injuries and ailments left by the battle at Yujing River Beach have mostly healed, but the dignified and profound air between his brows, accumulated over the years, has only grown stronger.

"The Zhang family..."

At this moment, he was in a state between sleep and wakefulness, his consciousness drifting as if he had fallen into a past that had been sealed away by time.

That seems to have happened many years ago, so long ago that even this master of the Guanyin realm felt the passage of time was blurry.

That year, a severe drought struck the land, leaving the land parched and the fields cracked. The land, on which people depended for survival, could no longer yield a drop of water, and the cracks resembled parched lips on the verge of death.

Those in the village who were still able to walk had long since taken their families and embarked on a perilous journey of escape from famine, with no clear path ahead.

At that time, he seemed to be just a teenager, so thin that he was just skin and bones, with a layer of dark skin tightly wrapped around his bony frame, and his eyes were sunken and cloudy.

Like a starving wild dog, he used his last bit of strength to dig and scratch in the fields that had been dug up countless times, his fingernails filled with hard, dry mud, hoping to find a hidden field mouse, or even just a piece of bitter wild grass root.

However, no.

Nothing at all.

The earth seemed to have died, stingily taking away all life.

Just as he was losing consciousness and almost collapsed on the scorching hot clods of earth, a tall, thin figure slowly walked over from the ridge of the field, stepping on the loose soil.

The man wore a faded yet still neat Zhongshan suit, his face gaunt, and seemed out of place in this land ravaged by famine, like a drop of clear water that had mistakenly fallen into a murky pool of ink.

"Uncle...do you...do you have anything to eat? Just one bite...just one bite will do..."

Driven by the instinct to survive, the boy used his last bit of strength to scramble to the edge of the field, tilted his head back, and his cracked lips moved, making a hoarse sound like a broken bellows.

The tall, thin man stopped and looked down at him. His deep eyes held a detached indifference that seemed to have seen through the ways of the world. There was little pity, but also no disdain.

He silently took off the canvas bag from his shoulder, took out a hard-looking flatbread wrapped in a clean cloth, and handed it over.

"Thank... thank you, Uncle..."

At that moment, a beast-like light flashed in the boy's eyes.

He practically snatched it away, clutching the pancake tightly in both hands as if it were the only treasure in the world.

He disregarded everything, opened his mouth, and frantically gnawed and tore at the crumbs with his remaining teeth. The dry, rough crumbs choked him, causing his throat to ache, his eyes to bulge, and his face to turn purple instantly. He coughed violently, as if he were about to pass out at any moment.

"Slow down, it's all yours."

The tall, thin man sighed softly, then took out a military water bottle and held it to his lips.

"Gu dong... gu dong..."

The boy greedily gulped down several mouthfuls of water before finally managing to swallow the deadly crumbs. He collapsed to the ground, panting heavily like a fish out of water.

"Thank you... thank you..."

After recovering, the boy looked at the remaining half of the pancake in his hand, then at the person who had saved his life, his cloudy eyes filled with gratitude.

"Uncle, may I ask your name? I will definitely repay your great kindness in the future."

"You're quite the grateful one," the tall, thin man chuckled. "My surname is Zhang, and I'm the second oldest in my family..."

"I'll forget about repaying the debt of gratitude."

The boy shook his head, a hint of confusion in his eyes: "If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I would have starved to death in the fields like my two younger brothers."

The tall, thin man was silent for a moment, then smiled faintly, a smile that carried an inexplicable meaning.

“Starve to death? I don’t think so. You have extraordinary bone structure and an unusual face. Although the bridge of your nose is hidden, it is not broken. Far from being a sign of premature death, you will probably achieve great things in the future.”

The boy was naive, but he understood the words "great achievement," and a burning passion suddenly arose in his heart.

"Uncle, please take me with you. I'll do anything for you." He suddenly knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly to the man.

"I am a Taoist practitioner, what are you doing following me?" The tall, thin man shook his head and reached out to help him up.

"Cultivate...cultivate the Dao?" The boy raised his head, his eyes shining with a mixture of confusion and longing. "Then...then I'm willing to follow you in cultivation!"

At that age, he'd do anything as long as he had food to eat.

"hehe!"

The tall, thin man chuckled and waved his hand. "This is a family heirloom. There are many rules, and I don't pass it on to outsiders."

The light in the boy's eyes dimmed instantly.

Seeing the boy's dejected look, the tall, thin man changed the subject slightly, pointing north: "However, if you are so inclined, you don't need to follow me; head north."

"That's where your great fortune will begin."

"North?" The boy looked in the direction he was pointing, but all he could see were barren fields and a blurry horizon in the distance.

He had never left his village since he was a child. He only knew that the capital of China, the legendary Shangjing, was in the north.

However, even the most capable village chief in the village had never been there.

"Can...can I walk that far?" the boy asked, bewildered.

"Young man, our meeting is fate. I'll give you eight words of advice."

The tall, thin man scrutinized the boy, paused briefly, and then spoke softly.

"Eight characters?" The boy paused, puzzled.

"These eight words roughly encapsulate your life; your destiny is born and dies from them, and your fate is shaped by them..."

"However, the future is unpredictable, and these eight words are only one possibility!"

"The only one who can truly determine the outcome is yourself!"

As he spoke, the tall, thin man bent down, picked up a dry twig from the ground, and slowly wrote eight large characters on the cracked yellow earth, stroke by stroke.

The handwriting was vigorous and ancient, as if it contained some indescribable mystery.

"Uncle, what are you writing? I can't read." The boy lowered his head instinctively.

Unfortunately, he didn't recognize those eight characters.

"Prosper when it encounters white, decline when it encounters black!"

Just then, the tall, thin man's voice rang out, as if it were a footnote to those eight words, echoing in the boy's ears.

"Prosperity with white, decline with black!"

The boy murmured softly, repeating those eight words. He slowly raised his head, but there was nothing in front of him. The tall, thin man was nowhere to be seen. Looking around, the world was vast, and he was all alone on the desolate ridge.

He subconsciously looked down, as if trying to confirm from those eight words that what had just happened was not a dream.

This time, his gaze was instantly drawn to those eight words, as if he wanted to etch them into the depths of his soul.

hum...

Inside the cabin, Fan Lingzhou slowly opened his eyes, as if the surging light and shadow just now were nothing more than a fleeting dream disturbed by time. His eyes were filled only with an icy sharpness and depth.

"Prosperity comes with white, decline with black!" Fan Lingzhou murmured softly, then closed his eyes again.

(End of this chapter)