Chapter 411
Cheng Kong Shangren held the Qingjing Zhu (Quiet Bamboo) as if it were a hostage, brazenly shifting from defense to offense.
Wuzhi found himself increasingly frustrated, feeling more and more constrained with each strike.
Zheng Fa watched from the side, marveling at Cheng Kong Shangren's understanding of the principle that shamelessness leads to invincibility. Indeed, it made no sense that the Youming Xian (Underworld Immortal) could use the Qingjing Zhu while Cheng Kong Shangren could not.
You want the Qingjing Zhu, Lei Yin Temple?
Then brace yourself for a beating!
Cheng Kong Shangren tapped the Qingjing Zhu against the Buddha's visage, while Wuzhi hesitated to retaliate.
Suddenly, the situation in the arena shifted dramatically.
It seemed Cheng Kong Shangren had gained the upper hand.
Yet, the Youming Xian remained calm and unhurried, even nodding approvingly at Cheng Kong Shangren, as if to say this junior had some brains.
But then…
Crack!
A faint yet shocking explosion echoed through the void.
Zheng Fa turned to see the source of the sound—the Qingjing Zhu had shattered!
Dried leaves scattered everywhere, and in Cheng Kong Shangren's hand, only a small green bamboo segment remained, devoid of roots.
This segment was hardly longer than a finger, its spiritual energy already thin, barely clinging to life.
"I... I didn’t even use spiritual power," Cheng Kong Shangren muttered, staring blankly at the short bamboo segment in his hand.
Clearly, this scene had dealt him a heavy blow.
Even more affected was Wuzhi—he hadn’t even fought back, and the Qingjing Zhu had exploded!
Wasn’t that just taking a beating for nothing?
He had initially wanted to reclaim the Qingjing Zhu, but now… it was meaningless.
Though they were enemies, both wore identical expressions of sorrow.
In the Jiushan Realm, Zheng Fa gazed at the swirling dried leaves, pondering a question—
Earlier, he had wanted to borrow a few leaves of the Qingjing Zhu for research, but Cheng Kong Shangren would likely have refused.
Didn’t Lei Yin Temple want to snatch this thing? But now, if he picked it up from the ground, it should… be fine, right?
Thinking this way, he felt a bit happy, but seeing Cheng Kong Shangren’s face of despair, he suppressed the corners of his mouth to avoid being rude.
"Heh!"
Huh?
Did I not hold back?
"Youming Xian!"
Suddenly, Blood River Old Ancestor shouted, and Zheng Fa turned to look at Youming Xian.
It seemed he had been waiting for this moment; the light laughter came from him.
With a wave of his hand, five Blood Fiend Flags stood erect on the ground, and the sky darkened once more.
"The Five Directions Blood Fiend Formation!" Blood River Old Ancestor continued, "Without the Qingjing Zhu, breaking this formation won’t be easy!"
So that’s how it is!
At this moment, Zheng Fa finally understood Youming Xian's scheme.
The Youming Xian's goal had always been to destroy the Qingjing Zhu—if Cheng Kong Shangren had exhausted its vitality to deal with those from the Demon Sect, that would have been ideal.
But Cheng Kong Shangren seemed to be conserving it, or perhaps he had been wary of him, as the Qingjing Zhu still had some life left.
He had lured Wuzhi into action.
Now, he had achieved his goal!
With the Qingjing Zhu, the bane of the Great Freedom Demon Sect, destroyed, the Five Directions Blood Fiend Formation was now unassailable!
Whether Zheng Fa understood or Cheng Kong Shangren did, both changed their expressions dramatically.
Cheng Kong Shangren waved the Qingjing Zhu, but it was already powerless against the Five Directions Blood Fiend Formation.
The Blood Fiend Flags surrounded Youming Xian, forming a space of their own, within which a sea of blood surged, filled with the wails of countless beings.
A powerful aura gradually took shape within.
As this aura emerged, a demonic figure began to materialize from the blood sea.
"Great Freedom Demon Ancestor!"
"Holy Ancestor!"
Nearby, both Sister Zhang and Blood River Old Ancestor shouted in unison.
Youming Xian's plans were far-reaching; he must be a patient man.
Yet at this moment, he was decisive, not waiting a moment longer, directly beginning to summon the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor!
The timing was perfect; the Qingjing Zhu had shattered, and no one from the Xuanwei Five Sects was coming to help. It seemed everyone was out of options.
"Qingxue!"
Cheng Kong Shangren called out.
Zheng Fa turned to look at Xie Qingxue. At this point, Cheng Kong Shangren had placed all his hopes on her?
Youming Xian also turned his gaze toward Xie Qingxue.
"Xie Qingxue..." His expression seemed to show some confusion.
With the Qingjing Zhu destroyed and the Demon Ancestor about to descend, Cheng Kong Shangren and Wuzhi had nothing left to fight over, and they tacitly ceased their actions, each on guard.
"Uncle Master plotted against Wushuang, and now my nephew has fallen into the trap. But there’s one thing—since you haven’t walked the path of Xuanwei for a long time, and Qingxue is still young, there are some secrets that you might not have time to learn."
Cheng Kong Shangren spoke slowly, looking at Xie Qingxue with a smile, "I know the Qingjing Zhu cannot be used for long, but why do I keep using it?"
"…"
Youming Xian's expression tightened as he heard Cheng Kong Shangren's calm voice, "Because among the disciples of the Five Sects, there’s not just me who can break your Five Directions Blood Fiend Formation!"
The meaning of his words was clear to everyone…
Xie Qingxue!
This seemingly unremarkable Master Sister of the Tianhe Sect was Cheng Kong Shangren's true confidence.
Xie Qingxue looked at the Five Directions Blood Fiend Flags, her expression serious.
She gently rose into the air, her long hair billowing without wind, surrounded by a greenish glow.
"Disciple Xie Qingxue..." Her face bore an indescribable sadness, yet was filled with determination, "Please grant me the Ancestor's sword!"
Ancestor?
The Tianhe Sect's ancestor, or rather, the ancestor referred to by the disciples of Tianhe, could only be one person!
Not only Zheng Fa, but even Youming Xian in the formation lost all semblance of calm, his voice no longer gentle but hoarse, "The sword of the Tianhe Venerable… how can you, Tianhe Sect, still have the face to…"
"The younger generation is unworthy, and thus has no face," Xie Qingxue unexpectedly responded directly, "But the Ancestor has already slain the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor once; now, I shall fulfill the Ancestor's last wish!"
As her words fell, a small green sword flew out from her body, transforming in mid-air into a sword over a foot long.
This sword appeared extremely ancient, with a plain blade and a wooden hilt, lacking even a hint of decoration.
It didn’t even possess spiritual energy!
"This Qingping Sword is the personal sword of the Ancestor before he attained enlightenment..." Xie Qingxue's gaze fell upon the sword, her eyes distant as if recalling something, she softly said, "I am fortunate, in the Sword Pavilion, to resonate with the Qingping Sword. With this sword, I can advance to the He Dao stage!"
Zheng Fa's heart stirred; the Tianhe Sect's transformation method seemed different from others.
What exactly was this He Dao method? He had always been curious.
Xie Qingxue didn’t keep him waiting long; she suddenly vanished, but the Qingping Sword emitted a soft chime.
Zheng Fa was taken aback, a realization dawning in his mind.
Before he could fully comprehend, the Qingping Sword had already pierced through the Five Directions Blood Fiend Formation!
This sword truly lived up to its reputation as the personal sword left by the Tianhe Venerable; it seemed to transcend a realm, ignoring the obstruction of the Five Directions Blood Fiend Flags, and directly stabbed at Youming Xian!
Youming Xian had no time to react!
The Qingping Sword pierced through his chest, driving straight into the demonic figure hidden in the blood sea behind him!
The blood sea erupted.
Youming Xian slowly looked down at his chest.
While it was not easy for a transformation stage cultivator to die, the Qingping Sword seemed to have erased all his vitality.
His once gentle and jade-like face suddenly shattered into fragments, turning to dust scattered on the ground.
Xie Qingxue reappeared before everyone.
She didn’t even have time to say anything, simply sitting down on the ground, meditating to recover, looking far from easy, even bearing signs of injury.
Zheng Fa furrowed his brow, glancing at Sister Zhang, who seemed to understand his thoughts: "It's a bit like me."
Indeed, the Tianhe Sect's He Dao method resembled Sister Zhang's.
Sister Zhang merged with Jiushan, drawing upon the power left by the Jiushan Ancestor to fight.
The Tianhe Sect's He Dao method seemed to involve the cultivator merging with a magical artifact… there was a remarkable similarity!
With this in mind, Zheng Fa's previous doubts began to ease:
Among the Xuanwei Five Sects, the Tianhe Sect had the shortest history, and their ancestor, the Tianhe Venerable, had been betrayed by them, even becoming a taboo among the Five Sects.
So the question arose—
Why could the Tianhe Sect still be part of the Xuanwei Five Sects?
Why did the Taishang Dao and others allow the Tianhe Sect's legacy to remain? Why not eradicate it completely?
Even now, the Tianhe Sect thrived, leveraging the name of the Tianhe Venerable, subtly positioning themselves as the leaders of the Five Sects.
Moreover, the betrayal of the Tianhe Sect back then seemed somewhat irrational.
But with the He Dao method, it was different.
They could draw upon the magical artifacts of their predecessors…
So, perhaps their betrayal of the Tianhe Venerable and others didn’t cost them much in terms of strength.
Even… did their betrayal stem from a desire to covet these magical artifacts?
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