Chapter 222
"Yaozu?" The term sounded somewhat unfamiliar. In the Xuanwei Realm, where the immortal sects held sway, the Yaozu had never amounted to much. They either hid deep in the mountains or became spirit beasts within the sects.
Yuling Sect...
Zheng Fa suddenly recalled something. The Xuan Gui Master from Yuling Sect was a spy for the Da Zizai Demon Cult. He had thought it was just a personal act.
If it’s related to the Yaozu...
Then what about the spirit beasts?
Hmm?
What about those who wanted to eat their own senior sister?
(End of this chapter)
**Chapter 212: Old Tales of the Tianhe**
The Qing Luan flapped its wings, soaring through the vast sky, carrying Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Zhang towards the Jiu Shan Sect.
Its round, plump head kept glancing back at its back, its eyes a mix of grievance and curiosity.
Zheng Fa sat atop its back, propping his head up, his brow furrowed, as if he was grappling with some unsolvable dilemma.
"Zheng Shidi, what are you thinking about? You don’t look very happy," Senior Sister Yuan said, her tone sweet and conciliatory, as if trying to make up for her earlier display of beastly nature. "Didn’t Xiao Yuying say your Dao Body is impressive? Shouldn’t you be happy about that?"
Her voice echoed from the beak of the Qing Luan.
"I was just pondering what Fairy Xiao said," Zheng Fa replied, unconsciously sorting through his doubts. "The Dao Body is like a ticket to a path, but what is that path...?"
"Why can the Dao only accommodate a limited number of cultivators?"
"And is this method of cultivation really correct?"
The more he spoke, the more perplexed his expression became.
A hint of human-like confusion appeared on Senior Sister Yuan's bird-like face.
She turned to glance at Senior Sister Zhang and asked, "Why wouldn’t it be correct? There are so many Huashen cultivators in our Xuanwei Realm; haven’t they always cultivated this way?"
A thought suddenly popped into Zheng Fa's mind: Just because it’s always been this way, does that make it right?
Senior Sister Zhang shook her head, unsure whether she didn’t understand Zheng Fa or simply didn’t want to explain to Senior Sister Yuan.
She just looked at Zheng Fa, seemingly reluctant to disturb his thoughts.
But someone insisted on interrupting.
"That Xiao Yuying is talking nonsense!"
A small figure suddenly landed on Senior Sister Yuan's back—it was the Can Yang Sword Immortal, accompanied by a bewildered Yan Wushuang.
Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Zhang exchanged surprised glances, unsure how these two had suddenly appeared.
With two unexpected guests on her back, Senior Sister Yuan felt quite uncomfortable, flapping her wings as if trying to shake them off.
Old Han flicked his fingers, sending a Dan Yang fruit—Senior Sister Yuan's favorite—flying towards her beak. She swallowed it in one gulp, and surprisingly, she flew even steadier and faster than before.
"Yan Xiong?"
Zheng Fa glanced at the two, first greeting the more familiar Yan Wushuang with a questioning look.
"Zheng Xiong..." Yan Wushuang sighed, "I’m even more confused than you."
"It’s not this kid’s fault; I came to find you," Old Han interjected. "I brought this kid along to keep him from getting killed."
His tone implied that he considered Yan Wushuang a burden.
"Then... what does Daoist Han want with me?"
"I’m worried you might be led astray by that Xiao Yuying!" Old Han snorted. "You clearly have the potential to rival our ancestors, yet you’re heading down that ridiculous path."
"…"
Seeing the puzzled expressions on everyone’s faces, Old Han paused, as if contemplating where to begin.
"Actually, I also embarked on the Huashen path back in the day."
"Old Han?" Yan Wushuang exclaimed in surprise.
Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Zhang widened their eyes.
This Can Yang Sword Immortal was extremely famous in the Xuanwei Realm; everyone knew he was one of the strongest late-stage Yuanying cultivators. Yet, he had never advanced to Huashen, and everyone assumed it was due to insufficient talent or resources.
"I took half a step forward several times, only to retreat again."
Old Han revealed something that left Zheng Fa and the others even more astonished.
You can actually "retreat" from advancing to Huashen?
Is the threshold for Huashen so lenient that you can come and go as you please?
This old man’s abilities far exceeded the rumors and the public’s impression of him in the Xuanwei Realm.
Yan Wushuang asked in confusion, "Why is that…?"
"I was afraid..."
Even Zheng Fa hadn’t expected him to utter those three words. With his capabilities, what could possibly frighten him enough to abandon the path to Huashen? It must be something terrifying.
"What are you afraid of, Old Han?" Yan Wushuang pressed.
"I’m afraid I would no longer be myself!"
When Old Han said this, his gaze suddenly fixed on Zheng Fa.
Zheng Fa froze for a moment, a sudden clarity dawning in his heart.
...
"It seems you’ve understood something," Old Han said with a gentle smile. "This is one of the reasons our ancestor sought to break the mountains and temples, collecting the world’s techniques."
"The Tianhe Venerable did this for that reason? Wasn’t it to enhance cultivation?"
Zheng Fa couldn’t help but feel puzzled. He knew the ancestor Old Han referred to could only be the Tianhe Venerable.
"Both are true, but the main reason is actually this," Old Han’s words even drew a surprised expression from Yan Wushuang, the Tianhe Sect’s leader’s own son. "In his later years, the ancestor didn’t continue practicing the current immortal techniques... Those texts were merely for reference and held little value for his cultivation."
"…"
Zheng Fa was astonished.
This was quite different from what he had heard about the Tianhe Venerable from Senior Sister Zhang.
When he first learned of the Tianhe Venerable’s actions, Zheng Fa had felt a sense of admiration for his grand ambitions, but he also sensed a volatile temper, as if he embodied the principle of 'those who follow me thrive, those who oppose me perish.'
Now, it seemed there were additional reasons?
"The ancestor’s intention was to sever the cultivation legacy of the previous era and replace it with a new method."
"A new method? The method of the Primordial Spirit Treasure?" Zheng Fa asked.
This method was currently the primary pathway for breaking through from the Jindan stage to Yuanying.
"What’s that little technique worth?" Old Han scoffed. "In today’s Xuanwei Realm, there are no new methods from the Venerable, only the old methods from the previous era."
"…"
The others were becoming increasingly confused. Yan Wushuang was even more shocked. "Old Han, why did the ancestor want to sever the cultivation legacy? Aren’t we the descendants of the ancestor in the Tianhe Sect?"
Old Han sighed. "If it weren’t for my keen ears, I wouldn’t know many of these secrets myself."
He gazed at the sky, his eyes clouded with thought.
"Since ancient times, the fluctuations of spiritual energy have led us cultivators to explore its source." Old Han suddenly began recounting events from long ago. "This is actually easy to guess; every cultivator who reaches the Yuanying stage receives guidance from above, indicating that this spiritual energy should come from the outside world."
Zheng Fa and the others nodded.
"And our current methods of cultivation, while they seem to be our own insights, are actually influenced by that guidance after reaching Huashen," Old Han continued. "They also originate from the outside."
This statement sounded quite reasonable.
"Everyone has long reached a consensus on this matter. But the Venerable proposed another idea!" Old Han’s tone suddenly grew serious. "This external method does not harmonize with this realm!"
"…"
Zheng Fa’s eyes widened. He had long harbored many doubts:
The biggest doubt was—why were the symbols so complex?
So many powerful beings had written their own rules, and these rules still held relevance.
This was nearly endless!
Even for those in the Xuanwei Realm who didn’t understand topology, just one system of symbols could be enough to drive them to despair.
"The reason the ancestor gave was—no one in this world has ascended to immortality!"
"The ancestor even once asserted that above Huashen lies a path that is not my own cultivation."
"…"
"Not my own?"
"Among all these matters, I have yet to achieve Huashen, so I don’t fully understand," Old Han shook his head. "But the ancestor once left behind a few words, saying that what seems like my cultivation above Huashen is actually the Dao fruits of others."
"This... is why there is talk of contention over the Dao above Huashen?"
"Exactly!" Old Han snorted. "This is where that Xiao Yuying is confused. The ancestor once said that the Dao should be boundless; how could it only accommodate a few?"
"Only external paths that do not align with the Xuanwei Realm would impose such limitations!"
"It’s simply because this path is entirely man-made and inherently limited!"
"Thus, the ancestor was determined to sever the old methods and open a new path for the Xuanwei Realm!" Old Han’s eyes glazed over, lost in thought. "The ancestor sought to resolve this issue."
Everyone fell silent.
The name of the Tianhe Venerable was sung by all, yet this matter was nearly unknown.
"He failed?"
"Yes," Old Han sighed. "The ancestor was too arrogant and too confident... He never expected that in the end, he would be abandoned by all, forced to raise his sword against the heavens for one last fight!"
"Old Han? Why is it that the Tianhe Sect has no rumors about these matters?"
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