Chapter 220
At that moment, he suddenly felt a jolt throughout his body, and a phantom of a massive red tree appeared behind his head. The phantom flickered for just an instant before transforming into a streak of flowing light, plunging into the newly formed Thunder Field!
Zheng Fa stared blankly as the red spiritual light burrowed into his Thunder Field.
It was as if a seed had found fertile soil, taking root in an instant and sprouting a tender, leafless red shoot.
Was this... the Qingyang Dao Body?
Zheng Fa sensed the movement within his body and suddenly understood...
Hadn't he just teased it a bit, complaining that it was useless compared to the Yuan Magnetic Dao Body? And now, it had actually stirred!
But...
Looking at the tender shoot in his dantian, Zheng Fa couldn't help but feel a twinge of worry—what had he just conceived?
Had he somehow practiced the "Shenxiao Yu Lei Zhen Fa" incorrectly?
...
Just as the tender shoot took shape, the doors of the central hall in the Heavenly Palace of the Tianbei Realm, which had been closed, suddenly swung open!
The twenty-four faceless statues in the side hall slowly bowed their heads, as if paying homage to something.
(End of this chapter)
**Chapter 210: Eating Oneself**
As soon as Xiao Yuying stepped out of the Baibao Hall, she saw the palace doors wide open and the gods bowing their heads in reverence.
This strange scene lasted only a moment before vanishing.
Standing at the entrance of the Baibao Hall, Xiao Yuying gazed at the tightly shut doors of the central hall, then turned back to look at the towering twelve statues within the Baibao Hall, her eyes revealing a hint of contemplation.
She took a couple of steps forward, channeling her spiritual energy to push against the central hall doors.
The doors didn’t budge.
No one else was around to witness this moment; only Xiao Yuying stood at the entrance, lost in thought.
...
Zheng Fa, of course, was unaware of the phenomenon in the Heavenly Palace.
He was too busy fretting over the fiery red shoot in his dantian.
According to the "Shenxiao Yu Lei Zhen Fa," once the Thunder Field was opened, the spiritual energy within him would transform into Thunder Seeds and grow within the Thunder Field.
But this unexpected guest was incredibly domineering, immediately devouring the spiritual energy in his dantian.
It didn’t even give the energy a chance to condense into Thunder Seeds.
In fact, this spiritual shoot was so greedy that every breath Zheng Fa took, every bit of spiritual energy he inhaled, became nourishment for this shoot...
At this point, Zheng Fa was certain:
His practice of the "Shenxiao Yu Lei Zhen Fa" had indeed gone awry.
Fearing he might go astray, he decided to stop cultivating altogether, planning to consult his master and senior sister once he left the Tianbei Realm.
When Zheng Fa next appeared in the Heavenly Palace of the Tianbei Realm, everything seemed normal.
He walked into the Baibao Hall without a clue, browsing the types and prices of spiritual materials displayed on the jade wall.
His master had passed on a secret method that required several types of spiritual materials, such as the Jiutian Lei Guo (Nine Heavens Thunder Fruit).
He still had some Tian Gong points left and thought he might be able to exchange for a few more.
"Jiutian Lei Guo: One thousand Tian Gong."
"One thousand five hundred Tian Gong..."
"Eight hundred Tian Gong..."
After checking several required spiritual materials, the lowest price was still eight hundred Tian Gong.
After exchanging for the Inner Pill of the Millennium Yang Thunder Spider, he should have only about four hundred Tian Gong left on the Divine Sealing Register...
Huh?
Why had the Divine Sealing Register turned golden?
...
The inexplicable upgrade of the Divine Sealing Register to a golden version left Zheng Fa even more puzzled. After thinking it over, he was fairly certain it was due to the spiritual shoot in his dantian.
It seemed this thing had quite the background...
Opening the golden register, the most notable change was the area of his sealed land—expanded from five thousand miles to ten thousand miles.
This increase in area left Zheng Fa quite baffled...
According to what Yan Wushuang had said, the bamboo register represented fifty miles of divine position, the copper register five hundred miles, and the silver register five thousand miles, each increasing by a factor of ten, with the area growing a hundredfold.
But why did the silver register turning into a golden one only double the area?
Why did the Tianbei Realm feel increasingly stingy?
Suddenly, Zheng Fa recalled Yan Wushuang's words that the Tianbei Realm was merely a small world, and he began to understand—perhaps it was simply because there wasn't enough land to go around.
So, did this mean the Tianbei Realm was at most the size of a planet in the modern world?
He opened the Divine Sealing Register and found that his sealed land had indeed expanded by about four times.
With more land came more people.
His Heavenly Tribulation Thunder Talismans were still unused!
As soon as his consciousness touched the Divine Sealing Register, he realized—because the register had upgraded, he could now stay in the Tianbei Realm for another month.
What more was there to say?
Time to get to work!
...
Yan Wushuang and Chu Tianque gathered in the Heavenly Palace.
"I earned one hundred and twenty Tian Gong this time," Yan Wushuang said first.
"I only got over seventy. Brother, your Tian Gong keeps increasing!" Chu Tianque sighed. "Have you... already comprehended the Heavenly Tribulation Thunder Method?"
"Comprehended is too strong a word; I've merely gained some insights," Yan Wushuang replied modestly, though a hint of pride crept into his expression.
"What a pity..."
Chu Tianque started with a smile but then sighed softly.
He didn’t finish his sentence, but the other two knew what he was lamenting.
"Don't be too disappointed; I’m just an ordinary person compared to Xiao Yuying..." Yan Wushuang seemed to have come to terms with it. "Even Zheng Fa, a prodigy, couldn’t surpass her this time."
"That's true. It's even more regrettable for Zheng Fa. If it weren't for the gap in cultivation..." Chu Tianque nodded. "Wait, Brother Yan, are you reveling in his misfortune?"
Yan Wushuang quickly waved his hand. "You don’t understand; Zheng Daoyou might be even more extraordinary than you think. For some reason, Old Han places great importance on him."
"..."
"Just thinking about how he lost to Xiao Yuying makes me feel a lot better..."
"I get it; that’s schadenfreude..."
...
As they spoke, they exited the Tianbei and saw a figure standing beneath the Tianbei, seemingly studying the rankings on it.
Who else could it be but the Spirit Radiance Fairy, Xiao Yuying?
Upon seeing someone emerge, Xiao Yuying glanced in their direction, as if waiting for someone.
Yan Wushuang and the others looked up at the Tianbei.
Sure enough, at that moment, Xiao Yuying's name was prominently displayed at the top.
Zheng Fa's name was beneath hers.
Even though they had anticipated this, Yan Wushuang couldn't help but let out a soft sigh.
He glanced at his own name and led Chu Tianque and the others out of the Thunder Pool.
After walking for a while, Yan Wushuang suddenly stopped, his brow furrowing.
"Brother Yan?"
"What do you think Xiao Yuying is waiting for?"
"Waiting for someone?"
Chu Tianque was taken aback, confused. "Is she waiting for someone?"
Xue Zhenchuan from the Taishang Dao seemed to observe more closely and nodded. "When we left the Tianbei, she looked at us a couple of times. It really seems like she’s waiting for someone..."
"She must be waiting for Zheng Daoyou!" Yan Wushuang declared emphatically, slamming his right fist into his left hand.
"Waiting for Zheng Fa? What for?"
"This person snatched the top spot on the Tianbei ranking; she probably wants to show off in front of Zheng Daoyou!"
"...That seems a bit much."
Chu Tianque and Xue Zhenchuan exchanged glances, feeling that Yan Wushuang was underestimating Xiao Yuying.
"You don’t understand what kind of person Xiao Yuying is!"
Yan Wushuang was adamant, pulling the two back toward the Tianbei.
"Brother Yan, what are you doing?"
"Zheng Fa is my friend; how can I let him be bullied by her?" Yan Wushuang exclaimed loudly. "Naturally, I’m going to lend a hand!" Chu Tianque and Xue Zhenchuan had no choice but to follow him back to the base of the Tianbei.
Seeing them return, Xiao Yuying merely cast a glance their way, seemingly indifferent.
The group fell silent, waiting outside the Tianbei.
As more and more cultivators emerged, they looked at the group in confusion, unsure of what they were waiting for.
However, Xiao Yuying and Yan Wushuang were already the two most esteemed figures among the cultivators who had entered the Tianbei Realm.
Since they weren’t leaving, many other cultivators dared not depart either.
Days passed.
Zheng Fa still hadn’t emerged.
Yan Wushuang couldn’t help but wonder, "Why is Zheng Brother staying in the Tianbei Realm for so long?"
Chu Tianque and the others exchanged puzzled glances, equally baffled.
"Look!"
Suddenly, someone pointed at the Tianbei. Zheng Fa's name suddenly leaped up, reclaiming the top spot that everyone had thought was a foregone conclusion!
A hush fell over the crowd.
Everyone stole glances at Xiao Yuying.
Yet, Xiao Yuying remained expressionless, standing still as if she had no intention of leaving.
Chu Tianque was stunned for a moment before speaking up, "Brother, do we still need to stay here?"
Yan Wushuang understood his meaning—now that Xiao Yuying had been surpassed by Zheng Fa, there was no longer any talk of humiliating him.
"We must stay." Yan Wushuang's expression was particularly grave.
"Huh?"
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