Chapter 114
“Your Master Pang relies on the 'Dongxu Lingyan' technique, preferring to strike back after being attacked, planning carefully before acting. If you ask me, it’s just the old tortoise strategy.”
“Junior Sister Huang... well, her methods are not for the faint-hearted.”
Zheng Fa glanced at Senior Sister Zhang, noticing that her expression showed no signs of confusion; she seemed quite accustomed to this assessment.
“As for me, I excel in the art of talisman formations.”
Zheng Fa nodded, recalling that the technique of 'Luzhong Tiandi' was described by the sect leader as a type of talisman formation.
“A talisman formation is a setup using spirit talismans—compared to ordinary formations, talisman formations have lower requirements but do not compromise on power,” the sect leader continued to explain. “For instance, 'Luzhong Tiandi' is a mirage formation created with ten spirit talismans. Compared to a single talisman, this mirage formation lasts longer and has a wider area of effect.”
“But what I excel at is the killing formation!” Zheng Fa heard the sect leader declare proudly. “Give me the chance to set up the Zhou Tian Shen Lei formation—so long as the enemy's cultivation doesn’t exceed the mid-Yuan Ying stage, I can make them face a life-and-death dilemma, with no way back!”
Wow.
Looks like our master has quite the bravado!
Senior Sister Zhang and the others also showed expressions of surprise.
They clearly hadn’t expected this reclusive sect leader, who had been holed up for a thousand years, to possess such strength.
“May I ask, Master—what quality of spirit talismans is needed for this Zhou Tian Shen Lei formation?” Zheng Fa suddenly recalled something.
“Heaven-grade talismans.”
“How many do we need?”
Zheng Fa felt a bad premonition rising in his heart.
“Three hundred sixty-five talismans.”
Zheng Fa wasn’t very familiar with the value of heaven-grade talismans, so he looked at Senior Sister Zhang.
After pondering for a moment, she replied, “With that many spirit stones, you could just throw them at someone’s face, and the effect would be about the same. You might even get a few helpers.”
Got it… no wonder this old man is so poor!
“Back in the day, Yuan Ying talismans weren’t this cheap…”
The sect leader said with a hint of frustration.
“Master, could it be that you haven’t left your home for a thousand years because…”
“The times have changed!” The sect leader sighed deeply, looking quite desolate.
It was clear that due to the decline of spiritual energy, such extravagant tactics had become outdated in this era.
“By the way, if you ever leave the mountain and travel through Xuanwei, don’t mention my name.”
Huh?
This sounds oddly familiar.
“Master, I’m not the kind of person who stirs up trouble everywhere.”
Zheng Fa said, feeling a bit wronged.
“...What I mean is, I have a few old grudges.” The sect leader waved his hand to explain. “Not everyone can be blown away by me.”
“Then… will such big shots come looking for trouble with me?” Zheng Fa asked, puzzled.
That seems a bit low-class.
“Do you underestimate your master?”
“?”
“I may not be able to blow them up, but they won’t have it easy either!” The sect leader said with a hint of pride. “Those few people will at least need to nurse their wounds for a thousand years or so.”
“…”
Not being able to blow them up.
That means your enemies are strong.
Needing a long time to recover.
That indicates the grudges are deep.
You’re the one causing trouble?
“Now I think Master Pang is really impressive,” Zheng Fa sighed dryly after a long silence.
“Him? Following him, you wouldn’t even know how to practice the 'Ling Shan Fa'.” The sect leader scoffed coldly.
“Ah?”
“The 'Ling Shan Fa' you’re holding was created by the ancestor of the Nine Mountains…”
Zheng Fa suddenly recalled that half-finished version of the 'Fu Dao Zhuji Fa'.
“Master, are you saying...?”
The sect leader tossed him two jade tubes and said with a smirk, “The version I revised is the one meant for people to practice.”
“…”
Zheng Fa immersed his consciousness into the jade tubes and found that the two versions had little difference in their cultivation methods. But there was one major issue—the sect leader’s version of the 'Ling Shan Fa' required a real mountain!
In the two jade tubes he received, one was the revised 'Ling Shan Fa', while the other was a theory called 'Ling Mai Lun', which discussed how to find suitable mountain ranges and utilize the flow of rivers to practice the 'Ling Shan Fa'.
“So the ancestor…”
“It’s originally a mountain!” The sect leader said this with a hint of annoyance, as if he had been tricked by the original version of the 'Ling Shan Fa'. “You don’t need to find a mountain at all!”
“...Master, so does practicing the 'Ling Shan Fa' require living in the mountains?”
Recalling that this old man had been holed up for a thousand years, Zheng Fa felt a bit worried.
How can one practice in the modern world?
“That’s not necessary; it’s only by utilizing specific mountain ranges that you can transform the spiritual power within you into spiritual energy that can be released.”
The sect leader’s explanation was a bit vague, but after looking at the revised 'Ling Shan Fa', Zheng Fa finally understood his meaning—
To put it metaphorically:
The 'Ling Shan Fa' is somewhat like turning oneself into a giant human-shaped battery.
But it needs a signal tower to convert the spiritual power inside into spiritual energy in the void.
As for why the ancestor of the Nine Mountains didn’t discover this issue, it was because he himself was a spiritual vein, a product of the integration of runes and the Nine Mountains.
The techniques established by the ancestor of the Nine Mountains are all traps!
“Do you know why I’m willing to take you in?” the sect leader suddenly asked.
Zheng Fa looked down at the revised 'Ling Shan Fa' in his hands.
“I’ve gone through so much trouble to revise it; if no one practices it, wouldn’t it be a pearl covered in dust?” The sect leader nodded, indicating that Zheng Fa had guessed correctly. “But it’s hard to find a fool willing to practice the 'Ling Shan Fa'!”
“…”
The three of them continued discussing how to modify the 'Rescue Little Cultivator Pang Qian' issue—Zheng Fa felt that his version still had many problems.
One was that his memory wasn’t that great; when he read the original version, he hadn’t thought about memorizing every detail, so there were still many unclear parts.
He planned to take a closer look at it again in the modern world.
The other was a matter of format.
He had viewed it on a computer, and it wasn’t even in 3D.
Whereas the sect leader’s version was in a holographic projection mode.
The experience was quite different.
The sect leader had many ideas—after all, he had been playing with 'Luzhong Tiandi' for so many years.
When Zheng Fa was about to take his leave, Senior Sister Zhang suddenly seemed to remember something and said to the sect leader:
“Reporting to the sect leader, it seems there’s a spiritual vein emerging in Taiyang County, and the Changchun Sect has already sent people to seek assistance from our Jiu Mountain Sect.”
Upon hearing this, the sect leader, who had previously appeared nonchalant, showed a rare expression of seriousness.
“What do you think?”
“The emergence of a spiritual vein will attract the attention of various sects in the Hundred Immortals Alliance, and it may even draw the covetous eyes of the demonic sects,” Senior Sister Zhang said slowly. “The Changchun Sect has always been respectful towards our sect, providing tributes every year; we cannot ignore their plight.”
The sect leader nodded. “Since your master entrusted the affairs hall to you, it shows his trust in your abilities—just go ahead and do what you need to do.”
“Understood.”
As Senior Sister Zhang and Zheng Fa descended from the Ninth Peak, Zheng Fa looked at her, wanting to ask something.
“Junior Brother Zheng, your current task is to focus on your cultivation,” Senior Sister Zhang seemed to sense his thoughts and said softly.
“I understand.”
Zheng Fa remained silent for a moment before responding.
The three of them walked side by side for a while, and no one spoke.
Until they were about to part ways, Senior Sister Zhang suddenly said, “You’ve already helped.”
“Ah?”
“The Five Elements Talisman has significantly boosted my strength.” Senior Sister Zhang gazed into the distance, her eyes seemingly ablaze with fire. “If those petty individuals think I’ve stagnated over the past few decades and dare to cause trouble in the shadows…”
Zheng Fa was taken aback, watching as Senior Sister Zhang turned to him with a smile. “The Jiu Mountain Sect still has me, and there are three other Yuan Ying masters. Junior Brother, you don’t need to worry.”
Watching Senior Sister Zhang’s figure fade away, Zheng Fa knew that this matter was not so simple.
The sect leader’s expression had been unusually serious.
He recalled that Senior Sister Zhang had wanted to transfer Yuan Sister away, likely for this very issue.
It was clear that this matter was significant in Senior Sister Zhang’s mind.
…
In the modern world, Zheng Fa sat in his seat, deep in thought.
He felt that his cultivation was progressing at a decent pace.
But compared to the troubles Senior Sister Zhang and the others were facing, it probably wouldn’t be of much use.
If he truly wanted to help quickly, establishing a spiritual energy laboratory in the modern world could no longer be delayed—though he might not use the research results immediately, they would still be beneficial for Senior Sister Zhang and the others.
But—this 'Ling Shan Fa' requires a mountain!
Where could he find a suitable mountain range?
“Zheng Fa, my mom had the nanny make soup and asked me to bring you a bowl.”
Tang Lingwu’s voice came from the front row.
Zheng Fa looked up, his eyes lighting up.
Well, here comes the mountain!
“A bowl of soup, and you’re this happy?” Wang Chen said sourly from the side.
“You don’t understand; what I see is a mountain!”
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