Chapter 359
Of course, there are some things that are not suitable for the Jiushan Realm—such as the shielding talismans, which have limited range and effectiveness, requiring spiritual energy and not entirely cost-free, thus imposing certain restrictions.
Therefore, Zheng Fa said that these were merely his fanciful thoughts.
Madam Xuanhua nodded slowly, and then she heard Zheng Fa say something:
“Madam, I have always believed that the purpose of refining tools should not be to kill, but to help people live better lives.”
“……” Madam Xuanhua fell silent for a moment, then gently nodded.
……
Because these matters were highly confidential, even the jade tubes could not be taken out of the laboratory. Madam Xuanhua spent over half a month reading those jade tubes, until her head was spinning, before finally returning to her own courtyard.
In the courtyard, she found Xiao Yuying waiting for her.
“How did it go?”
Seeing her clutching her head, looking as if she might explode, Xiao Yuying asked curiously.
“Tired! I’ve never been this exhausted in my life!”
Implementing the ideas from those jade tubes using thunder techniques and tool refinement was no simple task.
Especially since the only one in Jiushan Sect capable of doing so was Madam Xuanhua… Naturally, the capable had to bear more burdens.
“And then?”
“I had no idea Zheng Fa had so many brilliant ideas.”
“Hmm?” Xiao Yuying raised an eyebrow, puzzled.
“I should have made this decision long ago!” Madam Xuanhua suddenly laughed, “... Let me tell you, that Zheng Fa…”
She seemed to want to say something but then gently covered her mouth.
She smiled shyly.
Xiao Yuying rolled her eyes.
Then Madam Xuanhua sighed and said, “If I had known it would come to this, why did I struggle so much? I should have joined Jiushan Sect earlier!”
“……”
Xiao Yuying stood up.
“Let me tell you, I finally understand what it means to give before you take… This time, I didn’t lose out!”
“Hey, are you leaving?”
Xiao Yuying’s face turned serious, and she didn’t even want to respond to her.
“Just so you know, you used to talk like this.”
Xiao Yuying widened her eyes, pointing at herself.
Madam Xuanhua nodded gently.
……
“Look at your face, are you feeling any enlightenment? Do you understand what it means to give before you take?”
In the sky, dozens of flying boats were heading towards Jiushan Sect. On the central ship, Chengkong Shangren held a pot of spiritual bamboo in one hand while reprimanding Tongming Shangren:
“Whatever Jiushan Sect wants, just give it to them!”
“If Jiushan Sect were to rejoin the Hundred Immortals Alliance, wouldn’t that be like transferring from one hand to the other? Why be so stingy?”
Tongming Shangren remained silent.
Yet, he couldn’t help but mutter in his heart—transferring from one hand to the other?
The Hundred Immortals Alliance was about to be handed over to them!
“I know you’re not convinced…” Chengkong Shangren shot him a glance and snorted, “With Zheng Fa’s talent, he wouldn’t even look at the Hundred Immortals Alliance in the future.”
“……”
Tongming Shangren’s eyes widened slowly.
“Once this matter is settled, I’ll take him back to Taishang Dao. With the depth of Taishang Dao, would he care about a mere Hundred Immortals Alliance? Isn’t that just your territory? It’s just a name!”
Tongming Shangren nodded repeatedly. He looked at the spiritual bamboo in Chengkong Shangren’s hand and curiously asked, “Shangren, what is this spiritual bamboo that you value so much?”
Chengkong Shangren thought for a moment and replied, “It’s no harm to tell you, this spiritual bamboo is called Qingjing Zhu (清静竹), a secret treasure of my Taishang Dao… It is particularly effective against the Great Freedom Demon Sect.”
Tongming Shangren was taken aback and hurriedly said, “What if this spiritual bamboo is not good?”
“Then don’t even think about the Hundred Immortals Alliance; think about how to save your own life.”
“……”
Tongming Shangren looked at the spiritual bamboo, feeling that the yellow spots on its leaves were becoming increasingly glaring…
(End of this chapter)
**Chapter 318: Spiritual Bamboo Destroys Demons, Two Different People**
Tongming Shangren stared at the Qingjing Zhu.
It was a slender, long spiritual bamboo, with only a few branches and dozens of sharp leaves, nothing particularly extraordinary about it.
Seeing that Chengkong Shangren was unconcerned, Tongming Shangren expanded his spiritual sense, and the Qingjing Zhu transformed completely—it seemed to be breathing, its leaves resembling gluttons, inhaling and exhaling the surrounding spiritual energy.
As he tried to delve deeper with his spiritual sense, he suddenly felt it plummet, and the sound of Daoist music filled his ears, making him drowsy, as if he were about to sink into it.
“Wake up!”
Suddenly, a clear shout broke through, and Tongming Shangren snapped back to reality, recalling that feeling, his gaze towards the Qingjing Zhu now tinged with fear.
“Chengkong Shangren… this…”
He had achieved the Transformation Stage, and naturally, he had a sense of pride, yet he had almost fallen victim to this Qingjing Zhu.
How could he not be shaken?
“It’s not that you’re too weak, but this spiritual bamboo is a supreme treasure even in my Taishang Dao,” Chengkong Shangren reassured him. “If I weren’t here to deal with the Great Freedom Demon Sect, I wouldn’t be able to wield this treasure either.”
“It’s just that you have good fortune, practicing my Taishang Dao’s techniques, not those of the demonic sect…”
“Otherwise…”
Hearing Chengkong Shangren say this, Tongming Shangren regarded the Qingjing Zhu with even greater respect, but then recalled Chengkong Shangren mentioning that the Qingjing Zhu was currently ill, feeling a deep sense of regret, wondering if he could find someone knowledgeable about spiritual plants to ask.
But then he thought, with Chengkong Shangren’s status, he couldn’t find anyone capable of curing this ailment.
What could he do?
“Here they come!” Just as he was lost in thought, he heard Chengkong Shangren chuckle lightly.
What’s coming?
Tongming Shangren was confused, but suddenly felt a sense of foreboding and looked towards his own stronghold—Tongming Mountain.
This time, coming to the Jiushan Realm, the Hundred Immortals Alliance, while not fully mobilizing, had sent out their elite. Tongming Mountain had only a few Yuanying cultivators along with some low-level disciples and mortals, leaving it quite vulnerable.
This was naturally Chengkong Shangren’s intention.
Tongming Shangren had been somewhat worried that the Great Freedom Demon Sect would take advantage of the situation, but he couldn’t go against Chengkong Shangren.
At this moment… his fears were coming true.
Even from a great distance, he could still see golden lights shooting up from Tongming Mountain.
He knew that this meant Tongming Mountain was facing a formidable enemy, and the disciples within had activated the mountain’s protective array—this didn’t even require guessing, as the golden lights could not break through the heavy blood clouds above, let alone the thick black smoke surrounding Tongming Mountain.
“The Great Freedom Demon Sect is attacking Tongming Mountain!”
A Yuanying cultivator on a nearby flying boat shouted urgently.
The other disciples of the Hundred Immortals Alliance were in an uproar, with some wanting to rush back for support—many of their families were still on Tongming Mountain.
Tongming Shangren’s heart sank. Others might not see it, but how could he not?
The blood clouds were merely the manifestation of a Transformation Stage cultivator’s emergence!
That blood river was all too familiar to him—it was the Blood River Ancestor who had once attacked Jiushan Sect.
Moreover, the aura of demons and monsters was intermingling around Tongming Mountain, indicating that more than one Transformation Stage cultivator had arrived!
At this point, it was probably too late to provide support!
While the other disciples were anxious, he was already feeling a sense of despair.
“Don’t panic.”
But he heard Chengkong Shangren chuckle lightly, as if he had anticipated this.
He waved the Qingjing Zhu towards Tongming Mountain, and a jade-colored light shot up into the sky, spanning thousands of miles, directly shattering the layers of blood clouds, sweeping away the blood river and black smoke in one blow!
In an instant, the world was cleared.
But it wasn’t over yet; the jade light paused in mid-air, condensing into a phantom of a green bamboo, standing high above, vast and boundless, pressing down on the heavens.
Tongming Shangren heard Jiang Chengkong wave the Qingjing Zhu again, softly chanting:
“Taishang Dao’s Jiang Chengkong, sending a friend to the afterlife.”
The bamboo shadow in the sky dispersed, transforming into countless golden flowers that fell to the ground.
Just as everyone was still in confusion, a scream echoed for miles, filled with immense pain.
A blood-colored immortal sword shot up in a panic, trying to escape.
Tongming Shangren was shocked; wasn’t that the Blood River Ancestor’s life sword?
But those golden flowers attached to it emitted an irritating screech, and moments later, the sword appeared pockmarked, its spiritual light extinguished.
Even the Blood River Ancestor’s Transformation Stage aura dissipated without a trace.
“Is he dead?”
When Tongming Shangren looked at the Qingjing Zhu again, he understood even more why Chengkong Shangren said he had good fortune.
This thing was truly powerful against the Great Freedom Demon Sect!
“Lucky for them they ran fast.”
Chengkong Shangren muttered.
His face was slightly pale, as if he had also expended considerable energy; using the Qingjing Zhu was evidently no easy task for him either.
However, the surrounding demon and monster forces had indeed fled cleanly—Tongming Shangren understood their mindset; this Qingjing Zhu seemed to have just taken down a Transformation Stage cultivator…
Who wouldn’t be afraid?
……
The disciples of the Hundred Immortals Alliance were not afraid.
They watched as Tongming Mountain turned danger into safety, and each one cheered loudly.
Table of Contents
