Chapter 387
The elder turned his gaze towards the oddly-shaped Master Pang.
“Master?”
Zheng Fa also looked at Master Pang.
“This celestial formation technique, we indeed had some ideas about it long ago,” Master Pang glanced at the elder and said, “But for the past half month, I don’t know who has been dragging me to study this every single day without a moment’s rest.”
“Having gained some insights, I’ve been eagerly waiting here.”
Zheng Fa shifted his gaze back to the elder, only to see him feigning busyness as he walked away.
He couldn’t help but chuckle, turning to Master Pang who was still standing beside him, and said, “Master Pang, I would like you to select disciples from your sect to oversee the practice of the celestial formation technique.”
Although the core of this celestial formation technique belonged to the elder’s talisman array, the backbone of the formation was Master Pang’s method of linking talismans. In simple terms, it meant dividing the many disciples into several small groups, each with its own tasks.
Each group must include disciples who had cultivated the洞虚灵眼 (Dòng Xū Líng Yǎn, "Void Spirit Eye"), using the concept of linking talismans to observe the fluctuations of spiritual energy and timely direct their group in casting spells.
Only then could they be said to be cooperating effectively.
This was somewhat reminiscent of Zheng Fa’s operations during the Golden Core Project, and it seemed that the elder and Master Pang had found some inspiration from it.
Master Pang nodded with a smile, clearly pleased—once this celestial formation technique was introduced, the importance of his disciples to the Jiushan Realm would deepen.
Zheng Fa’s joy was no less than Master Pang’s:
The celestial formation technique, while not yet significant, was merely a gesture from the elder—after all, against the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor, this technique wouldn’t provide much help.
What Zheng Fa valued was the compatibility of this method with the Jiushan Sect—this way of fighting was extremely suited to the current situation of the Jiushan Realm:
Using numbers to overcome fewer opponents, the weak to defeat the strong, leveraging a strong organization and training to gain an advantage in combat.
Zheng Fa had previously harbored a hidden worry: after entering the Jiushan Realm, due to the relatively stable life, not just Zheng Fa, but every Jiushan disciple had inevitably changed their mindset a bit.
In the Xuanwei Realm, with its constant turmoil, the cultivators there faced more battles, and their combat techniques became increasingly refined.
This was evident from the previous Hundred Immortals Conference—disciples of the Hundred Immortals Alliance showcased a variety of combat techniques that left Zheng Fa in awe.
The Jiushan disciples, inevitably, had fallen behind.
This was a flaw in the Jiushan system that Zheng Fa had always recognized, and he had been trying to make up for it through simulated drills, but ultimately, it was all fake; the mindset was different.
However, with the celestial formation technique, things were different. It provided Zheng Fa with a way to compensate for individual bravery through organization.
This was somewhat akin to the distinction between generals in a duel and modern warfare in another world.
Because the disparity in strength among the Xuanwei Realm cultivators was too great... power struggles leaned more towards individual combat.
But with the celestial formation technique, it was different.
While the celestial formation technique was not without its limits and had many restrictions, the idea of gathering the strength of many to counter high-level cultivators subtly aligned with Zheng Fa’s vision for the Jiushan Realm.
In the future, the name Wànxiān Dǎo (万仙岛, "Island of Ten Thousand Immortals") must live up to its reputation...
Zheng Fa watched the elder’s retreating figure, pondering:
Such a sensible master should definitely achieve the Transformation Stage!
Although he didn’t envy Xiao Yuying for being a second-generation Transformation Stage cultivator, his desire to see his master succeed was particularly fervent at this moment.
...
The second-generation Xiao Yuying watched Zheng Fa walk into her courtyard with a beaming smile and couldn’t help but ask curiously, “What’s got you so happy?”
Xiao Yuying lived next to Madam Xuanhua, and as soon as Zheng Fa arrived, Madam Xuanhua rushed over, concern etched on her face.
Neither of them had been present when the Blood River Ancestor was subdued, so they were unaware of the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor’s keen interest in Zheng Fa.
However, the matter of the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor wanting to descend upon Chenjun Linchen was crucial to the overall situation in the Xuanwei Realm, and Zheng Fa had not hidden it from them.
Thus, when Zheng Fa arrived, both Xiao Yuying and Madam Xuanhua wore expressions of deep concern, as this was indeed a significant issue.
To their surprise, Zheng Fa was smiling so joyfully, looking completely unconcerned.
“Ah, my master has made great progress under my guidance, and my heart is greatly comforted,” Zheng Fa said with a smile.
Xiao Yuying and Madam Xuanhua exchanged puzzled glances, feeling somewhat bewildered, even sensing that Zheng Fa might be under too much pressure and not thinking clearly.
Zheng Fa put away the jade tube in his hand and turned to Xiao Yuying, saying, “Fairy Xiao, what are your thoughts on the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor’s impending arrival?”
“If we can stop it, that would be best,” Xiao Yuying replied straightforwardly. “My master once said that the Heavenly River Venerable had killed several Demon Ancestors in the past, including the Great Freedom... The Great Freedom Demon Ancestor is likely not coming with good intentions.”
Zheng Fa’s expression couldn’t hide his surprise; this was no small matter:
The Great Freedom Demon Ancestor had been killed by the Heavenly River Venerable before, and now he had returned... that was enough to send chills down his spine.
Thinking back, from the Blood River Ancestor’s words, it seemed the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor had been in slumber for a long time—perhaps he was not dead but severely injured?
What surprised him even more was that Xiao Yuying’s master actually knew about this, and it sounded like her master was quite familiar with both the Heavenly River Venerable and the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor...
Fairy Xiao, your background is quite formidable, isn’t it?
As for Xiao Yuying’s concerns, Zheng Fa understood—having been killed by the Heavenly River Venerable, the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor would naturally seek revenge, possibly harboring a great deal of anger.
“In that case, the Heavenly River Sect must be the most anxious,” Zheng Fa mused softly.
Although the Heavenly River Sect seemed to have betrayed the Heavenly River Venerable, no one dared to gamble that the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor would be reasonable.
Moreover, with the Demon Ancestor’s arrival, it was highly likely to disrupt the existing order—being one of the five sects of the Xuanwei Realm, the Heavenly River Sect would inevitably find itself on the opposing side.
“I’ve heard that the first to send a message was the Master of the Empty Void,” Xiao Yuying added.
After hearing this, Zheng Fa set that matter aside for the moment and cupped his hands towards Xiao Yuying, saying, “Fairy Xiao, I have a request.”
Xiao Yuying’s eyes were fixed on Zheng Fa, waiting for him to continue.
“As you know, after I form my Golden Core, I need to forge my own life-bound magical treasure... I have a plan for what kind of power this treasure should possess, but I’m unsure how to design it.”
“How can I help you?”
“I’ve long heard that Fairy Xiao possesses many magical treasures.”
Zheng Fa bit his lip, feeling a bit embarrassed.
But the urgency of the situation demanded that he determine the form of his magical treasure as soon as possible and begin refining it to strive for a breakthrough in his cultivation.
Among other things, he needed to understand the essence of the five elemental spiritual materials and clarify the design methods for magical treasures.
Xiao Yuying was quite generous; with a flick of her wrist, a white light flashed from her jade bracelet, and a palace with red walls and golden tiles appeared above Zheng Fa’s head.
Zheng Fa looked up and gasped.
This thing is also a magical treasure?
“This is where I store my magical treasures.” “A whole palace?”
Zheng Fa’s eyes widened.
Hearing this, Xiao Yuying gently shook her head, and Zheng Fa let out a sigh of relief.
“This one is for storing my offensive magical treasures.”
“...What about the defensive ones?”
“I have another palace for protective treasures.”
“As for other rare and exotic treasures, I have a separate room for those.”
Zheng Fa took a deep breath, suddenly realizing why everyone disliked Xiao Yuying so much—who wouldn’t be envious after hearing this?
Ordinary cultivators would be thrilled to have a single life-bound magical treasure.
But Xiao Yuying, on the other hand, had created a magical treasure museum?
Yet, considering Xiao Yuying’s元磁道体 (Yuán Cí Dào Tǐ, "Primordial Magnetic Body") and her background, it didn’t seem too surprising.
It was just that, in the glow of the palace’s treasures, Xiao Yuying’s face appeared especially enchanting...
Seemingly understanding Zheng Fa’s envy, Xiao Yuying said, “Having many magical treasures certainly has its advantages, but a person’s spirit and power are limited. I usually only use a maximum of three treasures at a time.”
“These are treasures I haven’t had the chance to sell or ones I found interesting and didn’t want to part with.”
“Sometimes, having too many treasures means I have nowhere to store them.”
...Our Jiushan Realm is vast!
Zheng Fa held back his words as he followed Xiao Yuying into the palace.
As soon as he entered, he saw that three walls of the palace were filled with treasures. One wall displayed flying swords, another showcased weapons like sabers, spears, and axes, while the last wall held various spiritual flags and common magical treasures.
In the center of the room were several high platforms.
On the platforms were treasures like jade seals, jade rings, and jade hairpins.
Everything was clearly categorized and available in abundance.
Xiao Yuying watched Zheng Fa, seemingly curious about why he wanted to see these treasures.
Zheng Fa took a deep breath and directed a five-element divine light at a flying sword on the wall.
As the divine light swept over the sword, the general structure of the sword immediately appeared in his mind, especially the flow of spiritual energy within it, which became particularly clear.
He pondered for a moment, and with a flurry of hand seals, a light curtain appeared before the three of them.
“This is…”
Xiao Yuying couldn’t discern it, but Madam Xuanhua understood it at a glance...
“This is what I sensed about the internal situation of this treasure, including the general types of spiritual materials and the trajectory of the spiritual energy flow.”
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