Chapter 369
Upon hearing this, even the Chang Kong Master was momentarily speechless. Zheng Fa had obtained the Jiu Shan Realm, yet he had surpassed Xiao Yu Ying with his Foundation Establishment cultivation!
Who could not feel a sense of injustice?
"It should be said that the Jiu Shan Sect relies solely on Zheng Fa!" Tong Ming Master said bitterly.
"…"
"Master, what do you think we should do to make Zheng Fa… willing to return to our Bai Xian Alliance?"
Chang Kong Master glanced at him, remaining silent, his gaze inscrutable.
…
"Zhao Jing Fan pays his respects to the Envoy and the Alliance Leader." The Seventh Young Master, Zhao Jing Fan, stepped into Chang Kong Master's courtyard. Looking at Chang Kong Master and Tong Ming Master before him, he felt utterly bewildered:
How did a mere Qi Refinement practitioner like me suddenly get summoned by two Transformation Masters?
He bowed obediently, not daring to lift his head.
To his surprise, Chang Kong Master's tone was surprisingly gentle: "Sit down, no need to be nervous."
The Seventh Young Master cautiously took a seat on a chair in the room, and when he looked up, he was astonished to see… Chang Kong Master was actually smiling at him.
Smiling!
"Envoy?"
"Are you close with Zheng Fa?"
The Seventh Young Master blinked, beginning to understand, and nodded lightly.
"Is he your attendant?"
"Yes."
In the presence of a Transformation Master, the Seventh Young Master naturally did not dare to hide anything. "But he is also my teacher."
"Teacher?"
"My talisman arts were also taught to me by him," the Seventh Young Master explained. "Zhang Zhenren once said that Zheng Fa has the greatest talent in talisman arts in this world!"
He found himself inadvertently praising Zheng Fa.
Chang Kong Master nodded slowly, deep in thought, and asked, "Tell me in detail about Zheng Fa's past."
Though the Seventh Young Master was puzzled, he could only recount everything he knew.
After he finished, Chang Kong Master asked a few more questions.
What puzzled him was that Chang Kong Master was particularly interested in how Zheng Fa treated him, how he treated Gao Yuan, and even how he treated Huang Yu and the others.
By the time he left the courtyard, he still felt a bit dazed, as if his soul had wandered off.
In the courtyard, Tong Ming Master looked at Chang Kong Master in confusion, not understanding why he had summoned Zhao Jing Fan.
"This Zheng Fa has been gifted since childhood, with an extraordinary memory. Not only in martial arts but also in the way of talismans, he learns everything at once…"
"And later, it was the same with thunder techniques."
"It seems that the Thunder Pepper and other spiritual plants also owe their success to him."
"And in alchemy, he likely has some talent in the way of crafting artifacts as well."
Hearing this, Tong Ming Master was astonished. "He truly can learn anything he sets his mind to? Is he a polymath?"
Chang Kong Master thought for a moment and shook his head. "This is different from the Tian He Zun Zhe. The Tian He Zun Zhe… has nothing but the sword; the difference is too great."
"Tian He Zun Zhe?"
Tong Ming Master was left confused, not understanding why Chang Kong Master mentioned Tian He Zun Zhe.
But Chang Kong Master did not answer him, instead continuing, "With the current situation of the Jiu Shan Sect, he has shown considerable skill in managing the sect."
Listening to this, Tong Ming Master felt even more restless—some things, when not put together, made it hard to grasp their true value…
When considered together, Zheng Fa was far more than just a talented cultivator!
"But… how can we convince him to return to the Bai Xian Alliance?" he couldn't help but ask.
Chang Kong Master seemed to not have heard him, slowly saying:
"Zheng Fa is a person… both indifferent and deeply emotional."
"From what Zhao Jing Fan just said, he actually finds it hard to make friends and prefers to be alone. But once he considers someone a friend, he is quite generous and does not hold back on sharing secret techniques."
Tong Ming Master felt even more convinced.
He realized that Zhao Jing Fan had inadvertently become friends with Zheng Fa and learned the way of talismans.
"So, to persuade Zheng Fa, it would be best to appeal to him directly. If that doesn't work, we must start with the Jiu Shan Sect…"
"Exactly!"
Tong Ming Master suddenly understood, clapping his hands, then frowning again. "But starting with the Jiu Shan Sect isn't simple. Becoming the leader of the Bai Xian Alliance would greatly benefit the Jiu Shan Sect, so he might not be swayed."
"The Bai Xian Alliance… he looks down on it, but what about the Tai Shang Dao?"
Chang Kong Master suddenly said.
"The Tai Shang Dao, of course… huh?"
Tong Ming Master finally understood what Chang Kong Master was implying. He looked at the Envoy with a single expression—
You want to snatch him away too?
Now he finally realized that Chang Kong Master had assessed Zheng Fa's talents and was genuinely interested in him!
Good news: Zheng Fa was even more talented than he had imagined!
Bad news: He was also more talented than Chang Kong Master had anticipated.
"This Jiu Shan Realm is not as secure as it seems… only my Tai Shang Dao can protect the Jiu Shan Sect during this great calamity."
"…"
Tong Ming Master understood but did not want to speak.
"With his kind of talent… he would surely be valued in my Tai Shang Dao."
"Then… what about the Bai Xian Alliance?" Tong Ming Master couldn't help but ask.
"I'm not part of the Bai Xian Alliance."
"…"
"Did Zhao Jing Lan come by?"
As soon as Zheng Fa returned to Le Tu Island, his little sister chattered about a piece of news.
"Yes, the young lady came specifically to say that the Seventh Young Master was in a hurry and asked her to bring a message talisman to you."
Zheng Fa took the message talisman and understood immediately.
It was from the Seventh Young Master, who was worried and even had his sister deliver it in person.
The message talisman detailed how Chang Kong Master had sought him out and recounted his responses, with an underlying message:
Stick to your story!
Zheng Fa felt a warmth in his heart. To be honest, the Seventh Young Master was taking a bit of a risk—despite his caution, a Transformation Master’s abilities were extraordinary, and it would be hard for a mere Qi Refinement practitioner to hide anything.
He thought for a moment and realized that he had at least not revealed anything modern in front of the Seventh Young Master, nor had he mentioned the Yin Yang Fish jade pendant.
The Seventh Young Master's words were sound.
But what was Chang Kong Master after?
Soon, he would find out.
Late at night, Chang Kong Master came knocking.
He came alone.
"Master?"
"Are you willing to join my Tai Shang Dao?"
He was as straightforward as ever.
"Master?"
"I know you believe that with the Jiu Shan Realm, you can remain safe from the great calamity."
"…"
"But you may not realize that the Jiu Shan Realm, or rather, the Dong Tian world, is not enough to ensure your peace of mind."
"While forcibly entering the Dong Tian world is difficult, it is not impossible."
Zheng Fa fell silent; he had already considered this matter.
He had not forgotten how the Tian Zun had died.
Chang Kong Master's meaning was clear: right now, no one was targeting the Jiu Shan Realm, likely because there was not much there to attract the attention of those powerful beings.
But if the Jiu Shan Realm continued to develop like this… it would be hard to say.
Perhaps Chang Kong Master simply felt that the Jiu Shan Realm could develop to a point where it would be coveted.
But Zheng Fa was growing more confident!
Moreover, with the Xuan Wei Great Calamity looming, it was hard to predict what the future would hold.
"And, your Jiu Shan Realm cannot connect heaven and earth, which makes it an incomplete Dong Tian. Compared to ordinary Dong Tian worlds, it is even more vulnerable to exploitation."
Zheng Fa was startled; he had pondered this for a long time, always thinking it was an issue with the Ri Yue Bell.
But now it seemed… there might be another reason?
He watched as Chang Kong Master took out a piece of spiritual bamboo.
As soon as the spiritual bamboo appeared, he felt the Ri Yue Bell in the medicinal garden faintly resonate. What was even more astonishing to Zheng Fa was that he could sense the spiritual energy from the bamboo was altering the composition of the spiritual energy within the Jiu Shan Realm.
In other words—
Previously, the Jiu Shan Realm could only use thunder techniques, but with the appearance of this spiritual bamboo, it seemed that some other spells could now be utilized.
"What is this…?"
"Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root," Chang Kong Master said leisurely. "This is a secret known only to my Xuan Wei Five Sects… If it weren't for your Jiu Shan Realm, I wouldn't tell you."
"If you want to perfect the Dong Tian world, there is a way: you must find a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root, merge it with the world, and then this world will grow and improve along with the spiritual root."
"Do you think the foundation of my Xuan Wei Five Sects lies in what?"
"Spiritual roots? No, the Dong Tian world?"
Zheng Fa guessed.
"Exactly… if you join my Tai Shang Dao, you will have the opportunity to obtain a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root, and then the Jiu Shan Realm will have a chance for further perfection."
Zheng Fa fell silent for a moment before asking, "Are there many of these so-called Heaven and Earth Spiritual Roots?"
"Naturally not many. This Qing Jing Bamboo is merely a branch… Let me think, the spiritual roots I know of probably number less than ten, the most famous being Huang Zhong Li, Pan Tao… oh, and Fu Sang Mu!"
Zheng Fa:…
To be honest, I’m a guy, and I happen to have a Fu Sang Mu.
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 323: Accumulating Great Virtue, Defensive Treasure
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