Chapter 399
It seemed that Zheng Fa was still worried, and Uncle Pang chuckled, saying, “Zheng Fa, you just haven’t seen enough of the world… Every one of us Xuanwei cultivators has been through countless battles.”
“Just some demon spawn; there’s no need to think of them as so terrifying.”
Zheng Fa shook his head, knowing that Uncle Pang was merely trying to comfort him.
In the past, Uncle Pang’s enemies were not on the same level as the Da Zizai Demon Sect.
He lowered his head, quietly calculating in his mind.
…
The disciples selected for the expedition were quickly chosen. The twenty-four Golden Core disciples were the cream of the crop, and the forty-eight Foundation Establishment disciples were the most talented among them.
They gathered in the main hall of Tiangong Island.
Zheng Fa stood before these seventy-two disciples, scanning each face:
Sun Daoyu, Brother Yang, Zhou Qianyuan…
He recognized every one of them.
“Do you know why Uncle Pang chose you?” Zheng Fa suddenly asked.
The disciples shook their heads in unison.
“Because you are the most elite group among the disciples of Jiu Shan, and that’s why you must go,” Zheng Fa stated clearly.
“…”
“Do you think it’s unfair?”
Sun Daoyu and the others fell silent.
In the past, in the Xuanwei realm, it was often not like this—lower-ranked disciples could die without a second thought, while the talented ones were cherished dearly.
To be honest, Zheng Fa understood their feelings.
This was characteristic of cultivators: one genius could be worth a thousand ordinary disciples.
“To put it bluntly, I don’t want to lose any of you either. The sect values you the most, providing you with the best resources. I and the other masters have invested the most effort in you—objectively speaking, losing any one of you would be a great loss for me and the other uncles.”
A look of confusion appeared on Sun Daoyu’s face, mirrored by the others.
“But that’s precisely why it has to be you who goes,” Zheng Fa continued, shifting his tone. “Our Jiu Shan Sect is different from the sects in the Xuanwei realm.”
“You must remember, you are supported by the incense power of the common folk of Jiu Shan.”
“When Jiu Shan is in trouble, it must be the disciples of Jiu Shan who step forward.”
“And you are among the disciples who have received the most support…”
Zheng Fa’s words were straightforward; this was not the rule of the Xuanwei realm but rather a modern principle—an obligation of the rulers to protect the ruled.
In his view, the disciples of Jiu Shan, cough, not only needed to represent advanced productivity but also the broader interests of the people of Jiu Shan…
The more elite the disciples, the more this held true.
This was rare in the Xuanwei realm:
While sects in the Xuanwei realm collected support, the obligation to protect the people… existed, but was not common.
Yet, Sun Daoyu and the others could understand this reasoning.
Zheng Fa knew that if one of them died, the development of Jiu Shan might slow down.
But on the other hand, if power and responsibility were mismatched, and these disciples enjoyed all the resources while ordinary disciples were sent to bear the brunt…
Not to mention the resentment from the lower ranks, what kind of disciples would be cultivated?
In other words, was this Jiu Shan, composed of such geniuses, still the Jiu Shan he longed to see?
That was why, after discussing with Uncle Pang, he chose these elite disciples for the expedition.
Seeing the confusion on Sun Daoyu and the others’ faces fade, Zheng Fa waved his hand, and dozens of storage bags floated into view.
“Each of you gets one.”
Sun Daoyu picked up a storage bag, opened it, and found it filled to the brim with spirit talismans, healing medicines, and even a few books.
Upon taking one out, he discovered it was about the cultural geography of Chen Jun.
A warmth spread through everyone’s hearts.
Zheng Fa then produced six special talismans, handing them to Sister Zhang and three other disciples.
“These talismans were specially crafted by me and Madam Xuanhua, with a unique method to activate their spiritual power,” Zheng Fa instructed. “Inside, there will be a new forum page that only those with these six talismans can access. While you’re in Chen Jun, you can use this talisman to share information and collaborate. Sister Zhang will also provide guidance in the forum.”
Setting aside the storage bags, this new talisman and the new page were Zheng Fa’s clever idea from the past few days:
Essentially, it was a wartime channel for sharing information in real-time—aiming to create a live map that could even mark the locations of demon cultivators.
Sister Zhang could connect with the Fengshen List and receive assistance from the “Jiu Shan Command Center.”
They could even coordinate tactics.
He didn’t know if such means existed in the Xuanwei realm, but they certainly hadn’t been available in Jiu Shan Sect before.
After giving these instructions, Zheng Fa let Uncle Pang take the disciples away.
Uncle Pang had the other disciples disperse to prepare, only beckoning Sun Daoyu and the others to follow him to his residence.
“Still harboring resentment in your hearts?”
Sun Daoyu and the others shook their heads. “No…”
“Of course you wouldn’t dare. I agreed to this selection…” Uncle Pang said as they walked.
“Master?”
“The Sect Leader wanted to go personally, but we stopped him and insisted on protecting him from the shadows. Both I and Brother Yuan, along with Sister Zhang, will go. How could you not?” Sun Daoyu and the others pondered this and found it hard to argue.
“Don’t think the Sect Leader doesn’t value you. This time, he exchanged all the spirit stones earned from Jingkai Island for talismans and healing medicines, all allocated to you.”
“…Yes.”
“These six talismans were crafted through sleepless nights over the past few days.”
Sun Daoyu lowered his head, looking at the talisman in his hand.
“I don’t even know where he found those books about Chen Jun,” Uncle Pang turned to Sun Daoyu, “I’m your master, and I couldn’t think of such thorough preparations… You’ve encountered a good Sect Leader.”
“Disciple understands.”
…
Zheng Fa, however, was approached by an unexpected disciple.
“You want to go to Chen Jun?”
Zheng Fa looked at Lin Bufan standing before him.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Revenge…”
Upon hearing this, Zheng Fa understood immediately; Lin Bufan was referring to the grudge from years ago when his uncle was cursed to death by Lin Yangtian.
Seeing that Zheng Fa seemed to understand, Lin Bufan bowed deeply, kneeling on the ground before Zheng Fa, and said:
“In this battle, if the Immortal Sect wins, I fear Lin Yangtian will die. If we lose, I’m even more afraid there won’t be a chance for revenge… Sect Leader, I can’t wait any longer.”
Lin Bufan’s reasoning was quite sound… If the Da Zizai Demon Ancestor were to resurrect, whether this traitor could survive was another matter, let alone seeking revenge.
Zheng Fa felt a pang of reluctance—many of the spirit talismans in that storage bag were thanks to Lin Bufan’s selfless contributions.
He looked at Lin Bufan, who was kneeling on the ground, shook his head, and said, “Then I’ll have Sister Zhang take you with her. Remember, you can seek revenge, but you must not endanger the safety of Jiu Shan, nor reveal even a hint of our secrets.”
Lin Bufan knocked his head on the ground vigorously, expressing his gratitude, “Thank you, Sect Leader.”
He was indeed very grateful—after all, because of the talismans, he was quite valuable to Jiu Shan Sect, and now that his soul imprint was still in Zheng Fa’s hands, his life and death were not his own to decide.
…
In the past few days, Tongming Mountain had become increasingly lively. The surrounding sects, both large and small, received the summons and dared not slack off, gathering towards Tongming Mountain.
“So many people!”
A slightly immature girl’s voice rang out at the foot of the mountain.
“Keep it down!”
Seeing her master anxiously waving her hand, Fang Yuan stuck out her tongue but continued to gaze up at the sky.
In the sky, beams of escape light crisscrossed, forming rainbows. She felt dizzy just watching.
She was a disciple from a small sect nearby, and her master was the sect leader, yet she only had Golden Core cultivation… not even qualified to receive the summons from the Five Sects.
Logically, they shouldn’t have come.
But the Yuanying sect they were affiliated with received the summons, and after much deliberation, they didn’t want their own disciples to take risks, so they brought them along, treating them as their own.
Her master had been complaining all the way, feeling like they were cannon fodder, fearing that the demon sect would wipe them out and sever their ancestral lineage.
But Fang Yuan was a bit carefree—she had actually cried twice before setting off, terrified, but after they began their journey, she decided to just roll with it and adjusted her mindset.
What she thought was that before dying, she should see more of the world, so at this moment, she was still curious, looking around.
Every beam of escape light in the sky represented a Yuanying True Person.
Down the mountain, many cultivators were bustling about, crowded together like ants moving their nest.
She secretly counted; there were probably over three thousand people down there, each at least a Foundation Establishment cultivator, which in her small sect would qualify as a true disciple.
This made Fang Yuan gasp in awe, feeling that she had truly broadened her horizons and seen quite a spectacle this time.
Seeing her acting so freely, her master tugged at her sleeve and gave her a sharp rap on the forehead: “Behave yourself!”
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