Chapter 152
Lin Bufan pondered for a moment before speaking, “This proves that I am… useful to you, Young Master.”
“…”
“A person without value cannot survive in the Holy Sect… or the Demon Sect.”
Lin Bufan struggled for a long time before finally managing to say this.
Zheng Fa nodded, a silver glint appearing in his eyes as he gazed at the blood in the porcelain dish.
Earlier, he had discovered that after contemplating the "Zizai Jing" (自在经, "The Sutra of Freedom"), he had a thought—was there a connection between the spiritual symbols in this blood and his visualization practice?
More importantly—he had visualized before!
“Ling He Shen!” (灵鹤身, "Spirit Crane Body")
He had drawn so much blood from himself just to see if his hypothesis was correct.
At first glance, Zheng Fa did not see any traces of spiritual symbols in his blood.
It seemed like ordinary blood.
Yet, there was spiritual energy within it.
It just moved in an irregular manner.
In the blood, the energy scattered like ping pong balls, bouncing around chaotically.
But Zheng Fa did not give up; the silver glint in his eyes intensified as he scrutinized it bit by bit.
After a long while, he finally discovered a hint of mystery—
About one-tenth of the spiritual energy moved in a peculiar trajectory, and within it, Zheng Fa found traces of the Five Elements Child Symbols!
He raised his head to look at Lin Bufan beside him, his expression somewhat dazed.
“Young Master?”
“Entering the Dao of martial arts, the Dao body.” Zheng Fa suddenly spoke, “And your Demon Sect’s bloodline…”
“…”
Lin Bufan’s expression grew even more confused.
“Your Holy Ancestor must have found a way to optimize genes, a method to mass-produce Dao bodies…”
“Ah?”
…
“Junior Brother Zheng!” Senior Sister Yuan rushed in, her face devoid of its usual liveliness, now heavy with concern. “We didn’t find that scoundrel.”
Zheng Fa nodded gently, his expression not one of disappointment.
Ever since they suspected there was a traitor within the sect, Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Yuan had been on high alert.
Those veteran disciples within the sect held significant status and influence.
For now, they couldn’t conduct a thorough investigation, nor could they act too conspicuously.
However, they still had the authority to look into those in the market and the Administrative Hall.
In recent days, Senior Sister Yuan and Zheng Fa had been secretly investigating.
On one hand, they observed whether the actions of these disciples were suspicious.
On the other hand, they arranged some false information for different disciples.
Then, they would narrow down the scope through the replies from “Sister Zhang.”
But after several days, they still had no leads.
The Jiushan Sect was, after all, an orthodox sect, and they did not allow methods like soul searching—at this point, Zheng Fa and Yuan were essentially at a dead end.
“Junior Brother Zheng, why don’t we just interrogate them one by one?”
“…” Zheng Fa shook his head. “If we were sure this person was in the Administrative Hall, that would be fine. But if they’re not, making too much noise could easily alert the snake.”
Senior Sister Yuan nodded, feeling somewhat dejected.
Ever since Sister Zhang’s incident, she had become a bit anxious.
“Senior Sister Yuan, if we can’t find him, it’s more likely he’s not in our Administrative Hall.” Zheng Fa comforted her. “If that’s the case, we’ll need to consult our Master and investigate slowly.”
This matter was hardly less important than Sister Zhang’s safety.
This person was too familiar with the Jiushan Sect. Anyone like that within the sect made everyone feel unsafe.
Zheng Fa had even been going to the market less frequently.
Senior Sister Yuan nodded lightly.
The message talisman from “Sister Zhang” flew in again, landing before the three of them.
They weren’t surprised; Senior Sister Yuan had come to see what “Sister Zhang” had written this time.
The tone in the message talisman was quite normal, seemingly identical to the previous ones.
But after Zheng Fa read it, he suddenly turned to Senior Sister Yuan and asked, “Sister, has there ever been a brother named Zheng Ji in our Administrative Hall?”
“…In the past fifty years, there shouldn’t have been.”
Senior Sister Yuan furrowed her brows, thinking for a long time before answering.
“Then who is this Brother Zheng Ji mentioned in the letter?”
“…A mistake in writing?”
“Shouldn’t be…” Zheng Fa thought for a moment. “This person can even mimic Sister Zhang’s tone so well; they don’t seem like someone careless.”
“Then why?”
Zheng Fa shook his head, as if he had some thoughts but didn’t voice them.
The next day.
“Something’s off.”
After reading the letter, Zheng Fa’s expression turned more certain.
“What’s off?”
“In today’s letter, it says that the Ice Spirit Talismans sold the best in our market last month.” Zheng Fa explained, “In reality, it’s been the Golden Armor Talismans that have sold the best for the past few months.”
“He made another mistake?”
Senior Sister Yuan frowned.
“No, the other parts of these two letters are fine; it’s just these two points…” Zheng Fa frowned. “It feels intentional.”
“Ah?”
“Zheng Ji, Ice Spirit Talismans…”
Lin Bufan’s eyes flickered, as if he remembered something, and suddenly said, “Qi Po Xuan Gong.” (寄魄玄功, "Soul Sending Profound Art")
“Hmm?”
“This is a secret technique from the ‘Zizai Jing’,” Lin Bufan explained. “I heard Lin Yangtian mention that this technique is often practiced by cultivators with short lifespans.”
“What’s the purpose of this technique?”
Zheng Fa pressed for more information.
“Well…” Seeing how concerned he was, Lin Bufan tried to recall. “Lin Yangtian said that his Master practiced this technique.”
“He said that this technique allows the consciousness to leave the body, while the original body will be refined into a True Blood Pill.”
“True Blood Pill?”
“Right, generally, those who practice this technique are nearing the end of their lifespan. Their consciousness attaches to another cultivator, teaching and nurturing them, and then gradually transforming the other’s physique with the True Blood Pill…”
“This thing… is like a portable grandpa?”
Zheng Fa felt a sense of déjà vu.
Lin Bufan continued to explain, “If the timing is right, they will seize the body of that cultivator…”
“Generally speaking, disciples from your Immortal Sect are the best choice.”
Lin Bufan added.
“Ah?”
“Our Holy Sect, no, the Demon Sect, many disciples know this technique,” Lin Bufan explained. “But Immortal Sect disciples, well, they tend to be a bit naive… they might think they’ve encountered some kind of fortuitous encounter.”
“…”
Zheng Fa looked at the message talisman in his hand and nodded. “So this person is trying to tell us that he’s been possessed by an old man from the Demon Sect?”
“Is he trying to turn over a new leaf?”
Senior Sister Yuan perked up.
“…” Zheng Fa shook his head. “I think it’s more like he’s out of options.”
…
Half a month later, on a deep night.
Zhou Qianyuan and Zheng Fa seemed to be in high spirits, and after chatting at Sister Zhang’s house, they decided to head to Zhou Qianyuan’s home.
At this time, the market was gradually quieting down.
There weren’t many people on the street outside Zhou Qianyuan’s house; most disciples were quietly cultivating at home.
As they walked down a small path, it appeared to be just Zheng Fa and Zhou Qianyuan on the street.
In the shadows of the corner, Chen Ting stood, a Hidden Shadow Talisman still on him.
“Wait until they get a little closer, then you strike directly!” The voice in his mind instructed. “Once you succeed, I’ll help you cast the Heavenly Demon Shadow Technique; even an ordinary Nascent Soul won’t be able to catch up to us.”
“Okay.”
Chen Ting’s voice sounded a bit tense.
“Don’t worry, neither of these two are beyond the Qi Refining stage. I’ve concealed this street with my consciousness; you’ll be able to take them down in an instant, and the Jiushan Sect people won’t react in time.”
“Okay.”
“Once you capture Zheng Fa, you’ll have made a great contribution, and you can become a disciple of our Holy Sect just the same!” The voice continued, “Zheng Fa has good aptitude; I won’t even need to possess you.”
Chen Ting stopped responding, merely nodding.
He watched as Zheng Fa and Zhou Qianyuan drew closer.
The darkness gradually enveloped the surroundings.
The nearby lights and the starlight above seemed to become ethereal and illusory.
“Now!”
The voice in Chen Ting’s mind shouted.
In a flash of lightning, the world lit up, and the thunderous roar echoed between the Jiushan peaks, directly shaking a black shadow out from Chen Ting’s body.
The shadow floated in the air, illuminated by the lightning, revealing the form of a middle-aged man with black hair, but he only had a head and upper body; his lower half was a void, floating in the air.
The Sect Leader slowly walked from the street corner, his body surrounded by flowing lightning, and said, “Friend, you come to my Jiushan Sect; if I don’t entertain you, it would be rather rude.”
The black shadow suddenly turned, looking at Chen Ting as he retreated behind him. “It’s you?”
“It’s what you taught me; it’s useless, and you’ll die.”
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 154: True Transmission
“Watch closely.” The Sect Leader suddenly turned to Zheng Fa, smiling lightly. “This is the true transmission of our sect, the ‘Shen Xiao Yu Lei Zhen Fa’!” (神霄御雷真法, "True Method of Thunder Control")
This was Zheng Fa’s first time witnessing his Master’s full power.
The sky was filled with dark, oppressive clouds.
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