Chapter 370
**Chapter 323: Accumulating Great Virtue, a Treasure for Defense**
Cheng Kong was a very professional, or at least very dedicated, salesman... well, a pitchman.
Since he had brought out the Qingjing Bamboo to entice Zheng Fa, he naturally provided a detailed introduction to the heavenly roots of the earth.
Zheng Fa, whether for the sake of the Jiushan Realm or for the Fusang Wood within him, was indeed quite interested.
“The so-called heavenly roots differ from ordinary spiritual plants in that…” Seeing Zheng Fa listening intently, Cheng Kong’s enthusiasm grew, “If a cave heaven possesses such a root, it can connect heaven and earth.”
Zheng Fa asked, “Are you saying that the reason the immortals and mortals of the Jiushan Realm cannot communicate is due to the lack of heavenly roots?”
“Exactly. In fact, there are other ways to connect immortals and mortals. For instance, if your cultivation improves in the future, you could rely solely on your own divine powers, without needing heavenly roots, to break through the barriers between heaven and earth.”
At this point, Cheng Kong chuckled lightly:
“For example, the original master of this Tianbei Realm likely did just that.”
“But such methods require extremely high cultivation. In the Taishang Dao, it’s merely…”
He seemed to realize he had misspoken and stopped abruptly.
Zheng Fa pretended not to hear, pondering in his heart. The Taishang Dao was renowned among the Xuanwei Five Sects for its long history and profound foundation, and he wasn’t surprised to learn that they had advanced further in their research within this cave heaven than the previous Celestial Sovereigns of the Jiushan Realm.
Indeed… the times were slowly progressing.
He turned to Cheng Kong and asked, “Besides connecting immortals and mortals, what other benefits do heavenly roots provide?”
Seeing him ask this, Cheng Kong felt Zheng Fa was genuinely interested in the topic and spoke freely:
“If a cave heaven merges with a heavenly root, as the root matures, it naturally becomes stronger, making it difficult for even powerful beings to invade.”
“Compared to connecting immortals and mortals, this is the greatest benefit of heavenly roots!”
“The stronger the root, the more benefits it brings to the cave heaven. Some say that eventually, a cave heaven can even become a true world…”
Cheng Kong’s tone became somewhat ethereal, as if he felt these words sounded distant and unattainable.
He gestured toward the Qingjing Bamboo: “In addition, heavenly roots can also be seen as a naturally born spiritual treasure, with boundless power.”
Zheng Fa looked at the Qingjing Bamboo and noticed a few yellowing tips, curious as he asked:
“This spiritual bamboo…”
Cheng Kong sighed, not hiding the truth: “If it weren’t for some issues with this Qingjing Bamboo that prevent it from merging with the cave heaven, I wouldn’t have to bring it out of the Taishang Dao. My purpose this time is twofold: to deal with the Da Zizai Demon Sect and to find a way to see if I can resolve the problems with this Qingjing Bamboo.”
“The two are essentially one and the same. While I have some confidence, the Da Zizai Demon Sect has been lurking for hundreds of thousands of years. If they emerge without the assistance of this Qingjing Bamboo…”
Zheng Fa looked at Cheng Kong in surprise; this man was surprisingly candid.
Cheng Kong seemed to understand his astonishment and smiled, “Since I’ve invited you into the Taishang Dao, I must be clear with you.”
“Otherwise, if I end up being beaten to a pulp by the Da Zizai Demon Sect, it would only make you doubt the strength of the Taishang Dao.”
Zheng Fa pressed on, “How does your strength compare to an average Huashen?”
“An average Huashen? Oh, you mean Tongming?”
?
You didn’t bring Tongming along just to throw him under the bus, did you?
Cheng Kong surprisingly answered a different question: “You’re asking about the path after Huashen, right?”
“...Yeah.”
“Actually, it’s hard for me to explain clearly,” Cheng Kong said patiently, “After Huashen, the path has no fixed course.”
“…” Zheng Fa’s eyes widened.
“In the Taishang Dao, the major demon sects, and even the Tianhe Sect, the choices on this path are all different. For example, the next realm after Huashen in the Taishang Dao is Yangshen, but in the Tianhe Sect, their next realm is called He Ti, while the demon sects follow a different path, focusing on the Fa Shen lineage.”
His words were vague, and Zheng Fa felt confused, but he understood—this was likely the distinction between different schools over several epochs.
Even the Tianhe Sect was different from the Taishang Dao?
Cheng Kong continued, “Tongming hasn’t entered the Taishang Dao, so he naturally hasn’t received the true teachings.”
He only mentioned that Tongming hadn’t received the true teachings without comparing their strengths, but it was clear to everyone—he likely far surpassed Tongming.
“But even I, in the Taishang Dao, am merely a true disciple… The foundation of the Taishang Dao far exceeds what the world imagines.”
“Then…” Zheng Fa couldn’t help but wonder, “Why are there so few disciples of the Taishang Dao in Xuanwei?”
“Because we are not in Xuanwei.”
“...The Cave Heaven?” Zheng Fa suddenly realized.
Cheng Kong smiled and said, “The Taishang Dao has more than just one heavenly root.”
“…”
Zheng Fa understood Cheng Kong’s implication; they not only had a cave heaven but also other heavenly roots besides the Qingjing Bamboo… If the world could grow alongside the heavenly roots, after all these years, the cave they inhabited must be much larger than the Jiushan Realm.
“Is the Xuanwei Realm also a cave heaven?” Zheng Fa asked again.
“No, the characteristic of a cave heaven is that its rules are special, or rather, not complete.”
“The Xuanwei Realm… is extremely unique.”
Zheng Fa looked at Cheng Kong in confusion, only to see Cheng Kong closing his mouth, seemingly unwilling to say another word.
Recalling how open he had been just moments ago, Zheng Fa understood that the Xuanwei Realm… was indeed very special.
…
Cheng Kong changed the subject: “Don’t think that just because I mentioned the Taishang Dao has other heavenly roots, it’s easy to find them.”
“Haven’t I told you that I only know about a dozen types of heavenly roots?”
“In the Xuanwei Realm… it’s likely that for an entire epoch, no heavenly roots have appeared.”
Zheng Fa understood that Cheng Kong was implying that without joining the Taishang Dao, finding a heavenly root would be very difficult.
“Even the Qingjing Bamboo, which is of a lower tier, cannot be possessed by an average Huashen.”
“Let alone the legendary top-tier roots like the Jianmu, Huangzhong Li, and Fusang Wood…”
Zheng Fa casually asked, “I think I’ve heard of this Fusang Wood…”
“The Fusang Wood is extraordinary. According to legend, this spiritual root has the property of supreme yang and the ability to promote the growth of plants… It is among the highest tier of all heavenly roots.”
“If my Qingjing Bamboo were to encounter the Fusang Wood, it wouldn’t even be worth mentioning…”
“Legend has it that the Fusang Wood appeared several epochs ago and was obtained by a great practitioner. That practitioner relied on the Fusang Wood to dominate the Xuanwei Realm, becoming nearly invincible in that era…”
Cheng Kong sighed, speaking highly of the Fusang Wood, even expressing a hint of disdain for his own Qingjing Bamboo.
Clearly, he was very much in awe of the Fusang Wood.
He even praised it quite a bit as he got carried away.
Of course, it couldn’t be ruled out that he was deliberately exaggerating the heavenly roots to entice Zheng Fa.
As they were talking, Zhang Shijie arrived.
Upon seeing her, Cheng Kong stopped his conversation and turned to Zheng Fa, saying, “You should think it over for a day.”
Zhang Shijie watched him leave and curiously asked Zheng Fa, “Were you just talking about the Fusang Wood?”
“Hmm?”
“He seemed to hold the Fusang Wood in high regard? How did you end up discussing that?”
Zheng Fa pondered for a moment before replying, “He loves to talk, and I love to listen.”
“…”
Zhang Shijie knew that Zheng Fa had cultivated a Fusang Wood, and hearing this made her look at him with a strange expression.
Did the junior brother take his flattery for genuine praise?
…
“The Fusang Wood in my dantian should be a manifestation of spiritual power… It can’t be fully considered a heavenly root yet.”
Zheng Fa reflected on the process of growing the Fusang Wood and remained quite clear-headed.
In his view, the Fusang Wood he bore was likely a solidification of a spell—like the fruit of the Fusang Wood, which could produce a fusion spell.
At the very least, the Fusang Wood had a spell that could generate the so-called Fusang Spiritual Dew.
But to say he truly bore a heavenly root…
That would be like claiming the Yuanling Dao Body or Yuan Magnetic Dao Body could even compare to his Qingyang Dao Body.
Zheng Fa had always been self-aware.
His Qingyang Dao Body was initially just a combination of the Five Thunder Law Body and Qingyang Qi—Qingyang Qi was naturally extraordinary; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been valued by the ancestors of the Jiushan.
But to say that the Qingyang Dao Body could grow a true top-tier heavenly root would be a stretch.
What kept him calm was a simple fact:
If he truly had the Fusang Wood within him, it should have changed the spiritual energy rules of the Jiushan Realm upon entering, just like the Qingjing Bamboo did before.
But now, that wasn’t the case.
Naturally, that explained everything.
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