Chapter 440

The cunning demon clan transformation master outside seemed to sense something was off. Leading his followers, he was making a hasty retreat towards the sea.

Seeing this, Zheng Fa pointed at the Sun and Moon Bell and pursued the demon army.

Though the Sun and Moon Bell was not particularly fast, the transformation master, burdened with many weaker demons, was moving slowly as well.

Zheng Fa was not in a hurry; he only needed to keep pace. Once Senior Sister Zhang regained her spiritual power and soul, they could strike together.

As the Sun and Moon Bell closed in, the demon transformation master realized the danger and, with a pale face, dove into the sea with his army.

Zheng Fa felt a bit of a headache; the sea had always been the demons' territory, and he was somewhat apprehensive.

Behind him, Jiao Wuji let out a soft breath, seemingly relieved.

Just as Zheng Fa hesitated, several overwhelming waves of spiritual energy suddenly emanated from the depths of the sea, far more terrifying than the earlier four demon transformation masters!

Zheng Fa quickly retracted the Sun and Moon Bell, retreating with the Jiushan Realm, fearing an unexpected turn of events.

Senior Sister Zhang, disregarding her need to recover her energy, stood beside him with the Qingjing Bamboo, gazing at the unfathomable depths of the sea, her expression grave.

If there were an ambush beneath the waves, Zheng Fa was ready to flee…

Earlier, they had to use all their wits to barely defeat four transformation masters.

Now that the enemy was on guard, and with Senior Sister Zhang unable to use the Qingjing Bamboo in the short term, Zheng Fa felt the heavy burden of protecting the Xuanwei people was too much for him to bear.

However, if there were an ambush, why did Jiao Wuji surrender so quickly?

He glanced back at Jiao Wuji, only to find his face even worse than Senior Sister Zhang's—he looked both furious and panicked.

Zheng Fa was taken aback, a suspicion forming in his mind as he turned his gaze back to the sea.

Moments later, the water parted, and a scholar stepped out from the depths, walking gracefully towards the Jiushan Realm, cupping his hands in greeting.

Dressed in a scholar's robe, Zheng Fa recognized him well—it was Qingyun Dasheng.

So, the one hiding beneath the sea was one of the Seven Great Saints?

Feeling the presence of several unseen entities below, Zheng Fa looked at Qingyun Dasheng, puzzled as to why these individuals were lurking beneath the waves and why this one had chosen to appear now. He was also at a loss regarding the whereabouts of the demon army that had just fled.

These questions made him wary.

Qingyun Dasheng appeared quite friendly, smiling as he said, "Old friends reunited, may I enter the Jiushan Realm for a chat?"

Zheng Fa glanced at Senior Sister Zhang, who looked equally surprised—if Qingyun Dasheng entered the Jiushan Realm alone, he would actually be at a disadvantage.

His words seemed to carry a genuine intent to be friendly.

Senior Sister Zhang nodded, putting away the Qingjing Bamboo.

Zheng Fa gestured, inviting Qingyun Dasheng into the Jiushan Realm.

As soon as Qingyun Dasheng stepped inside, Jiao Wuji shot him a furious glare, clearly enraged.

Qingyun Dasheng looked at the obediently silent Jiao Wuji with a hint of surprise in his eyes. He then glanced at the two corpses on the ground, his brow twitching.

When he turned back to Zheng Fa, his smile was much more pronounced than before.

"Indeed, a day apart feels like three autumns... I never expected the Jiushan Realm to gain such strength in just a few years."

Qingyun Dasheng sighed, his tone sincere, even revealing a hint of unmasked astonishment.

After all, he had dealt with the Jiushan Sect for a long time and knew very well what it had been like before. Now, in a single day, they had killed two transformation masters and captured another... the implications were truly alarming.

Even a trace of unease crossed his face.

Zheng Fa paid little attention to his praise and instead asked, "Qingyun Dasheng... may I ask why you are here?"

Though he had some suspicions, he remained cautious. If the Seven Great Saints were aiding the Da Zizai Demon Sect, it seemed unlikely that the Jiushan Sect could stand in their way.

"I am here to explain," Qingyun Dasheng replied with a smile.

"Explain?"

"To let you know, Zheng Sect Master, that we Seven Great Saints are by no means aligned with the Da Zizai Demon Sect!"

"…"

"The four earlier were rebels from my demon clan, causing chaos in the Seven Saints Heaven. After we thwarted their schemes, they fled from the Seven Saints Heaven!"

Seven Saints Heaven?

Oh, so it’s the Da Zizai Heaven now.

That was a quick name change.

"We came here to prevent those rebels from harming Xuanwei and resurrecting the Da Zizai Demon Ancestor."

"…"

"Thanks to your divine might, Sect Master Zheng, you have cleared the rebels from my demon clan. I am immensely grateful!"

Zheng Fa looked at the eloquent Qingyun Dasheng and thought to himself, this guy really knows how to talk!

Didn’t he see that Jiao Wuji was about to grind his teeth to dust?

Qingyun Dasheng seemed to sense Zheng Fa's skepticism. With a wave of his hand, numerous demon beast corpses appeared on the ground.

The most striking was a giant turtle shell.

This shell was enormous, not smaller than the two demon transformation masters they had just faced.

So… this was the last transformation master who had fled.

However, the other corpses puzzled Zheng Fa; they were not sea creatures but rather land-dwelling demon beasts.

"Previously, we were forced by the Da Zizai Demon Ancestor to ambush the Hundred Immortals Alliance…"

"These are the foolish beings who caused the deaths of the Hundred Immortals Alliance disciples."

"…"

Hearing this, Zheng Fa recalled that Qingyun Dasheng had indeed not harmed a single person!

In fact, his actions had been rather perfunctory!

Seeing that Zheng Fa seemed to understand, Qingyun Dasheng smiled and sincerely said, "Back then, the Da Zizai Demon Ancestor was powerful and had cultivated a significant force within the demon clan… we Seven Great Saints were truly compelled…"

"Now that the Da Zizai Demon Sect is on the verge of destruction, we have no fear and can simply eliminate these rebels to make amends to you, Sect Master Zheng, and the Hundred Immortals Alliance!"

"…"

Once Qingyun Dasheng left, Zheng Fa's brow remained furrowed.

"The Seven Great Saints cannot be trusted. If it weren't for the Da Zizai Demon Sect being on the verge of defeat, they would never have acted."

Elder Pang voiced Zheng Fa's thoughts.

The Seven Great Saints were indeed hard to trust; they had only dared to act after the Jiushan Sect had killed three demon transformation masters…

This clearly showed they were firmly aligned with the victors.

If the situation were different, the name Seven Saints Heaven would likely be the Loyal Heaven of the Da Zizai Ancestor…

"He’s just talking nonsense!" Jiao Wuji exclaimed angrily. "Earlier, when we took our disciples out of the Da Zizai Heaven, they told us to hide in the shadows to avoid any mishaps!"

"Do you believe that?" Elder Pang asked in surprise.

"I don’t! But we were already at a disadvantage in the Da Zizai Heaven, and with the resurrection of the Ancestor, it didn’t matter what their intentions were!" Jiao Wuji gritted his teeth. "Besides, while these people may not be of much help, they wouldn’t dare truly offend us!"

"I never expected they would actually take action!"

"They have the Da Zizai Heaven… ha, the Seven Saints Heaven is quite safe. Now that you can’t resurrect the Ancestor, what do they have to fear?" Blood River Ancestor chuckled, seemingly in agreement with the Seven Great Saints' actions. "They probably don’t even want the Ancestor to come back."

Zheng Fa nodded; he thought the same. Having taken over someone else's territory, they would naturally fear the owner’s return, right?

"If our sect were still strong, we could suppress their little schemes, but after Chen Jun, our transformation masters have suffered heavy losses. At that time, they likely showed their true colors."

Jiao Wuji remained silent, but his expression clearly indicated that Blood River Ancestor was right.

"Now that three of you four are dead, they naturally dare to turn against us…" Blood River Ancestor shook his head. "Counting it up, our sect only has that Youming Xian left among the transformation masters outside?"

"Only a fool wouldn’t rebel!"

Zheng Fa looked at him, reasoning it out.

But what was with that expression of yours, as if you had just learned something?

(End of this chapter)

**Chapter 358: The Ancestor's Blessing, the True Path of the Heavenly River**

In the Seven Dragon Vast Sea Formation, Cheng Kong looked anxiously at the head of the Mingde Sect.

Time ticked away, and the golden light surrounding the Mingde Sect Master gradually dimmed. The area it illuminated shrank from dozens of miles to just over ten, and now they could only see about three miles in any direction.

Along with this change, the Sect Master's face shifted from a radiant gold to a duller hue.

Initially, the golden color was due to the inherent brilliance of the Yang God, exuding authority and showcasing his profound cultivation.

Now, however, the gold in his complexion was a sign of his spiritual power being overburdened, and even his physical body was struggling to hold up, appearing disheveled and weak.

Cheng Kong slightly parted his lips, wanting to say something, but found himself at a loss—he wanted to advise the Sect Master, but the Master was known for his stubbornness, and what good would it do to offer counsel now?

If they didn’t fight with all their might, everyone would be doomed once the Demon Ancestor was resurrected.

They could only do their best to search for Youming Xian’s whereabouts in hopes of breaking this formation.

The seven of them had searched a considerable area, at least a hundred miles of sea, yet still had not found where Youming Xian was hiding.

"Ha!"

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