Chapter 381
Now, killing this guy is not an option, and if I don’t, it’ll be a hassle later.
He truly is a hot potato.
“Xue He Zhenren,” Zheng Fa suddenly adopted a very polite tone, “I actually want to ask you something. Is the transformation method of your Da Zizai Mo Jiao (Great Freedom Demon Sect) based on the Dharma Body lineage?”
“Looks like you have some knowledge.”
Xue He Laozu’s expression relaxed, even carrying a hint of a smile.
“Well, from my understanding of the Da Zizai Mo Jiao, even when one reaches transformation, you still can’t escape the control of the Mo Zu (Demon Ancestor)... right?”
“Our holy sect’s practitioners, the will of the Shengzu (Holy Ancestor) is our will. What do you mean by control?”
Xue He Laozu replied, his face radiating complete loyalty to the Da Zizai Mo Zu.
“So, your life treasure has developed its own intelligence and wants to break free from the Mo Zu’s control... you’re quite scared, aren’t you?”
“……”
Xue He Laozu stopped smiling.
He looked at Zheng Fa, his ethereal form trembling slightly, as if this statement frightened him more than the power of the Sun and Moon Bell.
Sister Zhang looked at him, her expression puzzled, unable to understand why Zheng Fa had such a judgment.
“...Sister, life treasures, or rather, spiritual treasures, actually possess intelligence. In the Tianhe method, they are where the true self is stored,” Zheng Fa explained his thoughts.
“Xue He Zhenren...” Zheng Fa smiled gently at Xue He Laozu, exuding kindness, but Xue He Laozu looked as if he had seen a ghost.
“The cultivation methods of the demon sect are likely based on obeying the Mo Zu. If Xue He Zhenren’s Dharma body hadn’t been extinguished by the Qingjing Zhu (Pure Bamboo), he would naturally be fine. But now that he has lost his Dharma body, the intelligence within this flying sword remains intact. It’s a case of one side rising as the other falls, and now the will of the spiritual treasure is dominant.”
With each word Zheng Fa spoke, Xue He Laozu’s phantom trembled.
Clearly, this time he wasn’t pretending to be afraid.
He was genuinely terrified.
“How... do you know?”
He looked at Zheng Fa, his gaze finally losing its arrogance, replaced by sheer panic.
Evidently... this was his deepest secret.
Zheng Fa pointed at the flying sword and smiled, “It told me.”
When the Five Elements Divine Light swept over the flying sword earlier, he had a strange feeling:
It seemed as if the sword was communicating with him, or rather, conveying a message.
Initially, he thought it was a trick of Xue He Laozu, but after careful contemplation, he discovered it was filled with dissatisfaction towards the Da Zizai Mo Zu.
He couldn’t help but wonder if the Da Zizai Mo Zu would recognize this as a trick...
Especially after seeing that Xue He Laozu wanted Jiang Chengkong to give him another bamboo strike, he became even more convinced of the authenticity of this information.
This kind of progress, he didn’t know if it was because it was the first time he used the Five Elements Divine Light against a spiritual treasure, or if he had grasped a bit of the essence of the Five Elements spells, which facilitated the advancement of this divine ability.
But it indeed brought Zheng Fa unexpected joy.
Sister Zhang furrowed her brows, as if she understood something: “Are you saying that the will within this spiritual treasure is like Xue He Laozu’s true self? Wanting to rebel against the Da Zizai Mo Zu?”
“True self?” Xue He Laozu retorted angrily, “What do you mean by true self? It’s a fool!”
“Breaking away from the Shengzu?”
“The Shengzu’s divine might is like a prison. How could I have such a suicidal thought!”
“This Blood God Sword is clearly ignorant and resentful, yet it is trapped within!”
Zheng Fa and Sister Zhang exchanged glances, their hearts more certain:
Although they didn’t understand the principles of transformation in the demon sect’s methods, it seemed Xue He Laozu had been tricked by an artificial intelligence...
In simple terms, this flying sword had gone rogue... no, it had embraced libertarianism.
It was clear that Xue He Laozu had no intention of betraying the Da Zizai Mo Zu; he was evidently still quite clear-headed.
After saying this, Xue He Laozu’s face darkened like water, clearly more dissatisfied with his own Blood God Sword than with Zheng Fa and the others.
After that, no matter what Zheng Fa said, he fell silent.
It seemed he was afraid that Zheng Fa would uncover something more—after all, Zheng Fa had inexplicably seen through even his deepest secret...
At this moment, he had to admit that he was beginning to understand why the Shengzu valued this person so much.
On the other hand, he was also certain that Zheng Fa couldn’t do anything to him, so he felt secure and unwilling to cooperate.
Uncle Pang and the others frowned.
Elder Yuan walked over, pondering for a moment before saying, “Why not invite Chengkong Shangren? Even if he escapes... losing his life treasure, Xue He poses no threat to the Jiushan Realm.”
Zheng Fa nodded gently; this idea was indeed reasonable:
Although letting Xue He Laozu go felt like a loss, in the Jiushan Realm, he had already become a hidden danger—especially since they didn’t know what the Da Zizai Mo Jiao was planning in Chenjun.
He said nothing, simply sitting on the ground to recover his spiritual power.
Using the Sun and Moon Bell had drained quite a bit from him.
Sister Zhang and the others didn’t know what he intended to do, merely keeping their eyes on Xue He Laozu to prevent any sudden movements.
After a while, Zheng Fa stood up, gently nodding at Xue He Laozu, his expression growing even friendlier.
“What do you want to do…”
Before Xue He Laozu could finish, a beam of Five Elements Divine Light shot out, heading straight for the flying sword.
This time, he could truly sense it—his understanding of the Five Elements Divine Light had indeed deepened, and he even had a vague feeling that he was scanning the structure of this flying sword...
So this divine ability could actually advance?
If he could scan the structure of this flying sword, wouldn’t he be able to scan other treasures as well?
This would be immensely beneficial for constructing his own life treasure in the future!
As for why this progress occurred, Zheng Fa thought for a moment; it was likely due to his understanding of the Five Elements spells and spiritual materials—this also indirectly proved that some of his ideas were indeed correct!
However, due to his confusion regarding the wood element spells, this understanding remained somewhat vague.
As the five-colored light swept across the flying sword, Xue He Laozu’s expression changed repeatedly, and after a moment, his gaze transformed entirely.
Sister Zhang and the others watched the phantom with curiosity.
This new Xue He Laozu seemed somewhat bewildered, looking at Sister Zhang and the others with a wary expression.
Uncle Pang’s heart stirred, and he suddenly spoke up: “Xue He Zhenren... when Chengkong Shangren arrives, he will surely extinguish the spirit of your life treasure...”
“Don’t!”
Xue He Laozu cried out in a hoarse voice, panic evident in his tone, no longer the calm demeanor he had before.
“Are you scared?”
Uncle Pang pressed on.
“If my spirit is extinguished, my body will fall into the Shengzu’s sea of blood, and I will be reborn in flesh...”
Zheng Fa finally understood why Xue He Zhenren was so confident and even had a sense of seeking death.
“Then why don’t you want that?”
“We cultivators cannot remain beneath others for long!”
“……”
“Moreover, if the spirit of the flying sword is extinguished, I will cease to exist!”
“……”
“My life is mine, not the Mo Zu’s!”
After hearing Xue He Laozu... uh, the words of the flying sword’s spirit, everyone’s expressions turned somewhat strange.
They finally understood why Xue He Laozu brought up the spirit of this flying sword with such distaste.
...Who wouldn’t be afraid of this thing if they were the true body?
After an incense stick’s time, Xue He Laozu’s expression changed again, returning to the previous coldness—along with suspicion.
“What did you do?”
He looked at Zheng Fa and asked.
Zheng Fa nodded towards Uncle Pang, who coldly smiled and took out a recording talisman.
It contained the previous rebellious words of the flying sword’s spirit.
The more he listened, the more distorted Xue He Laozu’s face became.
“Ahem, I prepared this recording talisman for Chengkong Shangren... oh, and I’ll send a copy to the Baixian Alliance.”
Xue He Laozu’s face twitched.
“Uncle Pang, you have many friends; why not share this with them too?”
“Sure, I’ll write a letter right away.”
“...Do you think this can threaten me?”
Xue He Laozu took a deep breath, his anger gradually subsiding.
“Do you think I can’t tell that this isn’t me, both inside and outside the holy sect?”
“Of course you can...” Zheng Fa nodded with a smile, “The problem is, while this isn’t you, it is your life treasure...”
“Can you say that these thoughts have never crossed your mind?”
Xue He Laozu’s expression stiffened again.
Zheng Fa’s words left him with no rebuttal—no matter how foolish the life treasure was, it was still based on his previous memories.
Moreover, to be fair, who hasn’t wanted to break free from constraints at some point?
He merely suppressed many suicidal thoughts with reason.
“So what?”
“Normally, it wouldn’t matter, but now... if your life treasure is destroyed, even if you can restore your body, in the Da Zizai Mo Jiao, you probably won’t be as you were before.”
Zheng Fa’s words struck like a heavy hammer.
His meaning was clear—this is how the immortal sect operates; how much better could the demon sect be?
Xue He Laozu would undoubtedly have many enemies.
Now he was weak and had a handle against him.
He wouldn’t even know how he would die when he returned...
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