Chapter 186
The tremors were so intense that they could not simply be attributed to instability.
“This…”
The old man Bai opened his mouth, looking somewhat bewildered.
“Can spiritual energy… generate electric currents out of thin air?” Zheng Fa speculated, “Or is it that spiritual energy can control the directional flow of electrons?”
A thought flickered in Zheng Fa's mind—
Or perhaps, this is the essence of thunder magic?
Unfortunately, the tremors soon faded away.
After a while, the ammeter would shake a few times, each instance varying in duration and intensity.
There was no discernible pattern.
It was filled with randomness.
The four of them discussed for a while and could only arrive at a very vague conclusion—
Spiritual energy interferes with electromagnetic induction, yet it can also generate electric currents from nothing, leading them to a hypothesis:
In a spiritual energy environment, the theories of electromagnetism seem to fail—not because the laws of electromagnetism do not exist, but because the influence of spiritual energy adds another variable to consider.
After tidying up the long table, they set out four reclining chairs, lying in a row on the open ground in front of the house, gazing up at the starry sky in the mountains.
The needle of the ammeter seemed to still be swaying in their minds, leaving them momentarily speechless.
After a long pause, the old man Bai sighed:
“If spiritual energy can control electric currents… if we truly understand this, we’d be gods.”
Zheng Fa nodded in agreement. The experiment was simple, but electromagnetism was anything but.
As one of the four fundamental forces.
If spiritual energy could indeed manipulate electromagnetism—then in modern times, it would be enough to be considered divine.
But Zheng Fa also knew that things were not so simple.
At present, they couldn’t even classify their experiments, as there were still many questions.
Yet even this small experiment was enough to fuel their imaginations.
“Zheng Fa, speaking of which, you mentioned that the Five Elements Sub-Charms are the material basis of the talismans, while the other two types of sub-charms might require the interaction of spiritual energy with other materials—does this interaction also include this phenomenon?”
The old man Bai suddenly recalled.
“Yes.” Zheng Fa thought of this too: “The Five Elements Sub-Charms are essentially spiritual energy; spiritual power can generate electric currents, and the Five Elements Sub-Charms, when combined with the other two types, should also be able to—indeed, I believe this is the essence of thunder magic.”
This was one of the reasons he wanted to conduct this experiment—two sub-charms representing the interaction between spiritual energy and matter.
He needed to uncover this interaction.
From what he could see, at least for electrons, spiritual energy had a certain effect.
The old man Bai pondered for a moment and suddenly said, “Speaking of the Five Elements Sub-Charms as a material basis, what structure do they exist in?”
“Structure?”
Zheng Fa was taken aback, recalling the five-colored headband atop Senior Sister Zhang’s Yuanying.
“Circular?”
The Five Elements Sub-Charms themselves are connected end to end, so a circular structure seemed quite natural.
“But how do we explain the mutual generation of yin and yang?”
“Mirror image…”
“Where’s the mirror?”
The old man Bai’s questions left Zheng Fa dumbfounded.
But he had to admit, these were questions he hadn’t deeply considered.
How the mirror image of the Five Elements Sub-Charms was produced had always been vague to him.
The old man Bai turned to look at him and said, “Zheng Fa, I’m very proud to have you as a student.”
---
**Chapter 182: Quirks**
Zheng Fa hadn’t expected that Uncle Pang would invite those Yuanying over and still be uneasy about them.
“I told you before, some sects in the Hundred Immortals Alliance are unreliable.” Uncle Pang seemed to sense Zheng Fa’s surprise and chuckled lightly. “Regarding Senior Sister Zhang achieving Yuanying, they’re probably even more resistant than the demonic sects.”
“Uncle, it’s just one more Yuanying…”
“Is Senior Sister Zhang an ordinary Yuanying?” Uncle Pang scoffed. “She can match a Yuanying with her Jindan—after she achieves Yuanying, her strength will likely surpass mine by a third, and she will definitely be considered exceptional in the Hundred Immortals Alliance.”
“Then why did you invite these people?”
“I’ve invited most of the nearby Yuanying from the Hundred Immortals Alliance today, and sure enough, some have already shown signs of treachery.”
Zheng Fa nodded in agreement. “So, these people are not only not allies but could also be enemies?”
Uncle Pang said calmly, “It’s better to have them in the open than to have them plotting in the dark. Moreover, through them, I’ve confirmed that the Great Freedom Demonic Sect is indeed planning to make a move against us.”
Zheng Fa nodded.
He trusted Uncle Pang’s judgment about these people, and if they harbored ill intentions, it was hard to say whether they had heard any rumors—perhaps there was even collusion between insiders and outsiders.
“But you can’t stay here; there are too many Yuanying here.” Uncle Pang sighed. “I can’t protect you all the time, nor do I have the ability… Senior Sister Zhang’s achieving Yuanying came too suddenly; otherwise, I would have sent you back to the mountain first.”
Zheng Fa shook his head.
That was impossible. Once Senior Sister Zhang manifested the signs of achieving Yuanying, the Jiushan Sect would be targeted.
Going back alone would be tantamount to seeking death.
“You’re in the most dangerous position now. First, you’re a well-known genius in our sect, and those people might have their eyes on you.” Uncle Pang frowned. “On the other hand, your close relationship with Senior Sister Zhang is no secret…”
“Are you saying someone would use me to hinder Senior Sister Zhang’s achievement?”
“There’s a heart demon tribulation when achieving Yuanying.” Uncle Pang nodded. “They will naturally try to manipulate this aspect.”
“For the Great Freedom Demonic Sect, anyone who can kill members of the Jiushan Sect is fair game. If they can’t kill Senior Sister Zhang, attacking our Wulong Heavenly Palace is also an option, even a necessity—first, they eliminate us, causing Senior Sister Zhang to lose her support, and once she achieves Yuanying, she’ll be isolated and easier to deal with.”
“But those righteous Yuanying have fewer options; the best way—of course, is to kill you, preventing Senior Sister Zhang from overcoming the heart demon tribulation.”
Zheng Fa fell silent.
“With these ill-intentioned Yuanying inside and the Great Freedom Demonic Sect outside, our Wulong Heavenly Palace is truly beset by internal and external troubles.” Uncle Pang chuckled. “I wonder how many disciples of the Jiushan Sect will remain after this tribulation.”
A silver glint flashed in Uncle Pang’s eyes as he surveyed the Wulong Heavenly Palace, seemingly examining every disciple within, especially those under his tutelage.
He peered with an expressionless face, yet Zheng Fa beside him didn’t know what to say.
To say that Uncle Pang didn’t care about his disciples would be disingenuous.
But there was no doubt that Uncle Pang was prepared to sacrifice these disciples.
He expressed concern for Zheng Fa’s safety, but both he and Zheng Fa knew—once the Yuanying battle began, every disciple in the Wulong Heavenly Palace would be in danger.
Zheng Fa was just a bigger target.
Uncle Pang’s reluctance was not insincere, but as Sun Daoyu said:
If given a hundred choices, he would still choose the Jiushan Sect.
“Uncle.”
“Hmm?”
“Let me take my brothers into the Thunder Pool.”
Uncle Pang was taken aback, looking at Zheng Fa.
Zheng Fa shared his thoughts.
“My brothers have already gained quite a bit of experience in the ‘Great Dao Contest for Immortals,’ and now they’ve also undergone special training from Lin Bufan, becoming particularly familiar with the environment of the Thunder Pool.”
“Moreover, the strength of those high-level cultivators in the Thunder Pool has been significantly suppressed.”
“Perhaps in the Thunder Pool, my brothers could become an asset rather than a burden.”
“An asset?” Uncle Pang’s brows furrowed.
“I want to take my brothers to block the entrance of the Great Freedom Demonic Sect!”
Zheng Fa suddenly declared.
“...Block the entrance?” Uncle Pang was stunned, looking at Zheng Fa, his gaze gradually brightening, but then his expression turned puzzled. “Are you really Zheng Fa?”
“?”
“You actually have this kind of courage?”
“I just need you to lend me some spiritual talismans.”
“Spiritual talismans?”
---
At the entrance of the Great Freedom Demonic Sect’s secret realm.
Groups of disciples from the Great Freedom Demonic Sect stood inside, seemingly preparing to swarm out.
They appeared somewhat tense yet excited.
Most of them were at the Foundation Establishment level, with a few Golden Core cultivators among them shouting to maintain order.
In the leading group, Lin Yangtian frowned slightly, feeling a bit on edge.
The external Thunder Pool posed too much of a restriction for Golden Core cultivators.
“Yangtian, what are you thinking about?” A fellow Golden Core cultivator beside him, familiar with him, asked upon noticing his unusual expression.
“I’m worried about the attack on the Jiushan Sect.”
“Ha, what’s the Jiushan Sect to us? If we hadn’t been trapped by the Thunder Pool before, would they have had the chance to stand by?” The Golden Core cultivator scoffed. “I heard that in the Thunder Pool market, there’s a bounty on the blood of our Holy Sect’s disciples; it’s truly outrageous. Today, we’ll go up there and let them know our Holy Sect cannot be insulted.”
Lin Yangtian remained expressionless.
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