Chapter 266
Hearing what Tongming Shansheng said, Uncle Pang seemed to relax a bit.
“Do you mean...”
“The one who informed the Da Zizai Demon Sect on Tongming Mountain has already been dealt with,” Tongming Shansheng replied, his tone somewhat cold. “As for the Qingyun Great Sage, he seems to have forgotten why the Immortal Sect has been able to maintain order for hundreds of thousands of years...”
Even Zheng Fa could sense Tongming Shansheng's confidence in those words.
But when he glanced at Uncle Huang's tense expression, he knew that things were not as simple as they seemed.
In the water curtain, the Five Dragon Heavenly Palace gradually approached the Jiushan Sect.
The sky was painted red by the setting sun, while the ground was shrouded in a thick aura of demons.
There weren’t many demon beasts near Jiushan Sect; Uncle Pang and the others encountered only about a hundred, but each one was formidable.
“Eight Yuan Ying Demon Kings…”
Sister Zhang murmured, her voice heavy with concern.
“Not just that,” Uncle Huang interjected.
Uncle Pang seemed reluctant to provoke this group of powerful demons and instead aimed to head to Jiushan Sect to meet with the Yuan Master. The Five Dragon Heavenly Palace gradually disappeared into the clouds, concealing their figures.
But after half an hour of travel, a loud laugh suddenly echoed from below:
“Is that Tongming Shansheng in person?”
The Five Dragon Heavenly Palace halted mid-air, as if it had been forcibly stopped.
“Qingyun Great Sage?” Tongming Shansheng said softly, yet his tone was filled with certainty.
At the peak of a green mountain below, a middle-aged man stood, smiling up at the Five Dragon Heavenly Palace.
Dressed in a blue scholar's robe, he had a tall and slender figure, resembling a cultured gentleman. But if one looked closely at his golden pupils, they would sense a coldness and ruthlessness within.
“Qingyunzi, I have long admired the reputation of Tongming Shansheng,” he said, clasping his fists.
Tongming Shansheng remained silent for a moment, then waved his sleeve, and both he and Uncle Pang landed on the mountaintop.
“The Demon Sect has been hiding in the secret realm for hundreds of thousands of years, unable to raise its head due to my Immortal Sect,” Tongming Shansheng said coldly. “Yet your demon clan dares to take risks for them.”
This puzzled Zheng Fa a bit—by the standards of this era, the Immortal Sect still held the advantage.
Why would these demons risk their lives to show themselves?
The Qingyun Great Sage chuckled, “Tongming Shansheng, do you really not know what kind of life my demon clan has been living for these hundreds of thousands of years?”
Tongming Shansheng seemed to recall something and fell silent.
“Life Source Spirit Treasures... Ha, Life Source Spirit Treasures...” The Qingyun Great Sage's face was filled with mockery. “Aren't those the lives of my demon clan? The spirits of my demon clan's Yuan Ying?”
“...”
Zheng Fa exchanged a surprised glance with Sister Zhang.
They had no idea how Life Source Spirit Treasures were related to the demon clan.
Now it made sense—given the dwindling supply of spiritual materials in the Xuanwei Realm, the demon clan was indeed a major source.
More importantly, it seemed that the crafting of Life Source Spirit Treasures was closely tied to the Yuan Ying of the demon clan. If the Immortal Sect was relying on Life Source Spirit Treasures now, then the demon clan must be having a tough time.
Tongming Shansheng fell silent, seemingly unable to refute.
After a long pause, he said, “Is it really worth it for you to risk your life for the Da Zizai Demon Sect just because of this?”
“Risk my life?” The Qingyun Great Sage laughed. He looked at Tongming Shansheng and said, “I merely wish to stop you. As long as you halt here, I have plenty of fine wine and delicacies to offer. Why would there be any talk of risking lives?”
“Stop me?”
Tongming Shansheng was taken aback, suddenly looking toward the direction of Jiushan Sect.
Uncle Pang's face turned pale with fear; the Five Dragon Heavenly Palace seemed ready to shoot into the sky but was firmly held back by the Qingyun Great Sage.
“Your eyes are sharp, Shansheng...” the Qingyun Great Sage chuckled. “My demon clan has endured for hundreds of thousands of years, and now that we finally emerge, we only send one to transform? That seems a bit petty.”
Zheng Fa's heart jolted as he looked at Uncle Huang.
He finally understood why Uncle Huang had been acting so anxious and heavy-hearted.
---
Chapter 248: Jiushan Sect, Zhang Wuyi
Tongming Shansheng did not move forward.
As the Qingyun Great Sage had said, the two began to drink together.
Uncle Pang, however, was in a state of urgency, heading toward Jiushan Sect—while the Qingyun Great Sage paid him no mind.
The last scene in the water curtain showed Uncle Pang controlling the Five Dragon Heavenly Palace, heading toward Jiushan Sect.
Above Jiushan Sect, the sky was a dark red.
“Uncle Huang, who is that other transformation?” Zheng Fa asked after a moment of silence.
“Your Uncle Pang had some guesses in his letter; it seems to be the great demonic cultivator from ten thousand years ago, Blood River Old Ancestor,” Uncle Huang replied, his voice somewhat suppressed. “But back then, he was only at the late Yuan Ying stage, and he hasn’t been seen in the Xuanwei Realm for a long time. Rumor has it he has long since perished…”
“Then…”
“At least when the message was sent, your Uncle Pang was still fine.”
Uncle Huang seemed to know what he was about to ask and answered directly.
Seeing the two of them still silent, Uncle Huang continued, “Tongming Shansheng... has managed to hold back a transformation for our Jiushan Sect.”
“The reason your Uncle Pang sent this message back is that this matter is of great importance. Words alone cannot convey it; he wants to remind us... we must be on guard.”
“With another transformation in play, and now that the Yuling Sect and the demon clan have joined forces, it seems we are not safe here either.”
Hearing Uncle Huang say this, Zheng Fa turned to him and said, “Please give the order, Uncle.”
“Wuyi, you come here,” Uncle Huang said, addressing Sister Zhang. Zheng Fa understood that although Uncle Huang held a higher rank, he had not been to the Seventh Peak for a long time, and among the disciples, Sister Zhang had more prestige.
Sister Zhang nodded, stepped forward, and stood on the cloud, her voice booming across the entire encampment:
“All disciples of Jiushan Sect, pack your belongings and gather here.”
Before long, all the nearby disciples had gathered by the Thunder Pool.
Their expressions were puzzled; some seemed to have anticipated this, but no one spoke, only looking at Sister Zhang—who hesitated slightly and turned to Zheng Fa.
Zheng Fa was taken aback but still spoke, “All disciples below the Golden Core stage, enter the Thunder Pool.”
“Those above the Golden Core stage, follow Uncle Huang!”
“Abandon the Thunder Pool market for now!”
This was an emergency plan they had discussed long ago.
Though everyone looked surprised, seeing Sister Zhang and Uncle Huang beside them, they dared not speak and all followed Zheng Fa's orders.
Watching the disciples enter the Thunder Pool one by one, Uncle Huang let out a soft sigh.
Zheng Fa kept watching Sister Zhang—he felt something was off about her today, as if she had something on her mind.
Sister Zhang's gaze was also on the disciples, seemingly unaware of his attention—or perhaps, avoiding him.
---
Sister Zhang slowly walked into Uncle Huang's courtyard.
Uncle Huang seemed unsurprised by her arrival, merely watching her silently.
Standing before him, Sister Zhang suddenly knelt on the ground and gently bowed her head.
Uncle Huang softly closed his eyes.
“Speak.”
“Disciple asks Master to keep an eye on Zheng Shidi in the future, and not to let him take risks, especially not to let him come looking for me.”
“You want to go back?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Earlier, Shidi gave me a few books, and I understood some things…” Sister Zhang said softly. “The ancestor of Jiushan Sect, I fear, lost consciousness during the transformation.”
“How do you know?”
Sister Zhang hesitated for a moment but still spoke the truth:
“It's just a guess.”
Uncle Huang pressed, “What’s your confidence level?”
“Fifty percent…”
“…”
“You want to go back to awaken the ancestor?”
“Yes.”
Uncle Huang looked at his disciple, remaining silent for a long time.
“What do you plan to do?”
“Right now, the Blood River Old Ancestor, for some reason, has not attacked Jiushan Sect... I want to see if I can awaken the ancestor. If I can’t, I’ll find a way to escape.”
Upon hearing this, Uncle Huang immediately grew angry:
“How will you escape? How can you escape? That’s a transformation!” Uncle Huang exclaimed. “One with the surname Yuan, one with the surname Pang, and now you want to go back, leaving me here alone? Do you think I’m not afraid of dying?”
Sister Zhang remained silent.
Seeing her expression, Uncle Huang gritted his teeth and said, “Are you willing to leave your Zheng Shidi behind?”
Sister Zhang lowered her gaze and softly replied:
“Zheng Shidi is truly wonderful... I know he’s working hard on researching spiritual wood thunder, and he has even found a way to protect me... Even if Jiushan Sect is gone, I can still survive in the Tianbei Realm.”
“Then why do you want to go back?”
Sister Zhang looked aside. “Master, I’ve thought about it. Actually, hiding with Shidi in the Tianbei Realm would be quite nice.”
“…”
“But since I began my path, I have never taken a single step back…”
“Right, you’re so impressive! Always stirring up trouble! Anyone who provokes you even a little, you have to fight back!”
Table of Contents
