Chapter 396
“Specifically, I don’t really know,” the Foundation Establishment disciple admitted, clearly not well-informed. “But I heard from Madam Xuanhua that the Zao Hua Yu Die is a treasure passed down by the sect leader, a gem of the Nine Mountains, and that the Tong Jian is derived from the Zao Hua Yu Die.”
“Derived?”
“The Tong Jian can connect with the sect leader’s Zao Hua Yu Die. Within the Tong Jian, you can ask any questions about your cultivation… The answers might come from your senior brothers and sisters, or even a few of the elders, including Zhang Zhenren… And I also know that the sect leader himself will respond.”
The other disciples were both surprised and delighted.
Although the atmosphere in the Nine Mountains was friendly, the distinction between high and low cultivation levels was not something anyone could ignore.
How could they muster the courage to ask those Yuanying Zhenren questions?
“That’s why those senior brothers look at the Tong Jian and laugh foolishly… Usually, it’s because their doubts about cultivation have been resolved, leading to their enlightenment and laughter.”
The Foundation Establishment brother spoke with a serious expression, as if afraid these newcomers wouldn’t believe him.
…
Whether the other disciples believed it or not, Chen Ting and her companion were convinced.
“The Tong Jian allows questions anytime, anywhere? And even Yuanying cultivators will answer?” Watching the others walk away, the senior sister scratched her head, frowning as she said, “Doesn’t that mean all disciples holding the Tong Jian are like the true inheritors of other sects?”
“No, it’s even more than that—it's like having several Yuanying true inheritors.”
After saying this, Chen Ting felt the senior sister’s gaze on him become even more peculiar.
He understood what she meant:
Are you crazy enough to run away from this sect?
He looked up, suddenly feeling a sense of melancholy, as if he were saying, “You were born when I was already old…”
That Zheng Shidi had come over two years ago, right?
…Zheng Fa didn’t know that the Jiu You Mo Zu had set its sights on him.
But he was indeed troubled by the Jiu You Mo Zu—this audacious figure had entered the Tian Bei realm and killed the Tian Zun, which always kept him on edge.
Now, the Da Zizai Mo Zu might follow suit…
To deal with this, there were only two approaches:
One was to help Cheng Kong Shangren prevent the Da Zizai Mo Zu from being resurrected. Zheng Fa asked himself how much he could really do about that. To be honest, this idea put the initiative in Cheng Kong Shangren’s hands…
He didn’t like that.
The other was to enhance his own strength or that of the Nine Mountains.
Currently, improving his cultivation in a short time was quite difficult.
The other path was to cultivate the roots of heaven and earth, thereby strengthening the Nine Mountains.
“Master, these mulberry trees aren’t showing any signs of life…”
In the medicinal garden, Qian Zhenren complained, looking as if he were being driven to his death.
Zheng Fa understood his feelings quite well:
He was thinking about cultivating the Fusang tree, but whether that idea was feasible was another matter.
Even if it were feasible, it would be quite challenging in the short term…
The roots of heaven and earth were something that Cheng Kong Shangren spoke of with longing, treating a half-dead Qingjing Zhu like a treasure.
It couldn’t be that simple, could it?
Zheng Fa had transplanted several types of mulberry trees from the mundane world into the medicinal garden, but it felt a bit like a gamble, and he couldn’t say he held out much hope.
He looked at the rows of mulberry trees.
These mulberry trees were of different varieties, some brought from the mundane realm of the Nine Mountains, others imported from the Xuan Wei realm.
Some were even unsuitable for survival in the Nine Mountains and had already withered.
Qian Zhenren stood beside him, seeing that he wasn’t scolding him, and felt a bit embarrassed as he said, “Actually, it’s not that we haven’t made any progress.”
He pointed to one of the mulberry trees and said:
“This type of mulberry, I fused it with another kind of lightning-attributed spirit wood, and I found that the leaves seem to carry some spiritual energy.”
Zheng Fa’s eyes sparkled as he looked at the mulberry tree. Indeed, some spiritual energy was faintly swirling around those branches.
The energy wasn’t dense, but Zheng Fa immediately understood Qian Zhenren’s implication.
“Are you suggesting… raising silkworms?”
“Exactly.” Qian Zhenren nodded repeatedly. “In the Xuan Wei realm, many sects raise spirit beasts, including spirit silkworms… Some sects have become wealthy because of spirit silkworm silk.”
“Raising spirit silkworms requires mulberry leaves infused with spiritual energy.”
“Master, if we could introduce some spirit silkworms, we could try raising them. If it works out, it would be a significant source of income.”
Upon hearing this, Zheng Fa nodded lightly.
Various spirit silks were among the most common and important spiritual materials in the Xuan Wei realm.
Not to mention, Zheng Fa’s robes, storage bags, and even various magical treasures all relied on this material.
“I’ve been thinking about raising spirit beasts too…” Zheng Fa continued, following Qian Zhenren’s lead. “Currently, our Nine Mountains Sect doesn’t have a significant shortage of spiritual grains, but we still lack meat.”
“Especially spirit beast meat; we can’t even buy it now.”
The agricultural development of the Nine Mountains had been gradual—
First, they addressed the staple food issue.
Then came various fruits and vegetables.
After resolving those two essentials, Zheng Fa’s focus now shifted to economic crops and animal husbandry.
Qian Zhenren’s words inadvertently aligned with his recent thoughts.
He looked at Qian Zhenren with approval; this widower was quite adept at resonating with his ideas.
Especially after Qian Zhenren had refused to leave the Nine Mountains last time, everyone in the sect truly regarded him as one of their own. Zheng Fa had to admit—Qian Zhenren’s choice had changed his feelings toward him significantly.
Seemingly misunderstanding Zheng Fa’s thoughts, Qian Zhenren’s face turned anxious. “Master, I can manage farming to some extent, but raising spirit beasts is really not my forte…”
Zheng Fa was taken aback and waved his hand. “I was thinking, if it weren’t for you, our Nine Mountains agriculture wouldn’t have developed so quickly.”
“…”
Qian Zhenren looked a bit embarrassed, humbly saying, “My skills are all thanks to your guidance, Master, and also to the Qian He Sect…”
Zheng Fa agreed in his heart.
The secret methods of the Qian He Sect weren’t particularly useful for Nine Mountains agriculture, but on the other hand, Qian Zhenren’s experience in the Qian He Sect was crucial for the implementation of the Nine Mountains agricultural system:
The modern agricultural knowledge Zheng Fa brought was, after all, somewhat mismatched with this world’s environment.
Only by combining Qian Zhenren’s practical experience in the Qian He Sect could they cultivate the current Nine Mountains agriculture.
“The Qian He Sect has indeed helped us a lot…”
He couldn’t help but sigh.
Suddenly, Qian Zhenren said softly, “Master… the Bai Xian Alliance also has quite a few sects that specialize in raising beasts…”
Zheng Fa’s gaze toward Qian Zhenren changed. What’s with this attitude of trying to pull a good family into the underworld?
…He hadn’t even thought about constantly digging at the Bai Xian Alliance.
“Now that the Da Zizai Mo Zu might come back to life any day,” Qian Zhenren said, “the sects in the Bai Xian Alliance are likely to face great calamity…”
“If you truly intend to cultivate spirit beasts, perhaps you should pay attention to that.”
Zheng Fa had to admit, he was shamefully tempted.
In the Bai Xian Alliance, there were quite a few sects skilled in beast taming, and the one that left the deepest impression on Zheng Fa was, of course, the Yu Ling Sect, which had once tricked the Nine Mountains Sect—rumor had it that this sect was destroyed by Tong Ming Shangren.
But that didn’t mean there weren’t other sects that could do the same.
Just like the Qian He Sect, there were many smaller sects that specialized in spirit beast cultivation.
As for milking the Bai Xian Alliance…
As Tong Ming Shangren said, “A family doesn’t speak two different languages.”
In fact, Zheng Fa wasn’t deliberately trying to exploit a single sheep; it was just that the Bai Xian Alliance was the only fat sheep nearby, and more importantly, they were unfortunate enough to run into the Da Zizai Mo Jiao…
Other sects wouldn’t find it easy to suffer such a fate.
“However, if the Da Zizai Mo Zu really comes back to life…” Zheng Fa suddenly sighed, “We shouldn’t even think about how to dig at the Bai Xian Alliance.”
He looked again at the few mulberry trees.
“Master, it’s not that we’re not putting in the effort; it’s just that the Fusang tree, um, the roots of heaven and earth—what exactly are they… we really can’t figure it out…”
“They’re said to be spirit plants, but ordinary spirit plants don’t possess the power of the roots of heaven and earth.”
“With no clues at all, we really have no way…”
Zheng Fa understood Qian Zhenren’s predicament. After thinking for a long time, he sighed, “For now, we still need to borrow Cheng Kong Shangren’s Qingjing Zhu to take a look… At the very least, we need to understand the essence of the roots of heaven and earth.”
Qian Zhenren shook his head, remaining silent, but secretly thought—
How precious are the roots of heaven and earth? Can they just be borrowed?
…
On Tongming Mountain, Cheng Kong Shangren was staring at his Qingjing Zhu, seemingly troubled, his expression darker than the withered yellow leaves.
“You say… what does Zheng Fa like?”
He asked the nearby Tong Ming Shangren again.
Tong Ming Shangren secretly grinned; ever since that Xie Qingxue arrived, Cheng Kong Shangren had asked him three times already.
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 336: The Five Sects’ Meeting, the Immortal Array Takes Shape
Tong Ming Shangren looked at Cheng Kong Shangren, whose brow was furrowed, the light casting shadows on his face, indicating that this esteemed elder was not in a good mood.
Table of Contents
