Chapter 447
Zheng Fa walked over to the seats prepared for the Jiu Shan Sect, and Tong Ming Shang Ren approached with a cheerful smile, saying, "At this celebration banquet, aside from the Yuanying, no one else is allowed in. It's rare for everyone to let loose like this..."
Hearing this, Zheng Fa couldn't help but agree— for those at the Transformation stage, the arrival of the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor in Xuan Wei was indeed a terrifying matter.
Not to mention the Yuanying.
Now that the Great Freedom Demon Sect was nearly wiped out, everyone was likely feeling quite pleased.
With no disciples around, wasn't this the perfect time to party?
No wonder even the head of Ming De didn't want to dampen the mood.
That said... it would be better to discuss the matter of the Blood Slaughter Flag later.
Otherwise, he feared he might get beaten up.
Though the people from the Jiu Shan Sect arrived late, the Yuanying were all paying close attention to them. After all, in this final battle, the contributions of the Jiu Shan Sect were monumental.
Emotionally speaking, the Jiu Shan Sect had almost saved their lives.
Realistically, the strength displayed by the Jiu Shan Sect could not be ignored by the five sects of Xuan Wei!
As Zheng Fa sat in his seat, many Yuanying Zhenren came over with their cups raised, specifically to toast him. Their words were filled with humility and flattery, nearly elevating the Jiu Shan Sect to the status of the backbone of the Xuan Wei realm, while portraying Zheng Fa as a deity who saves the suffering.
Though their words seemed a bit overly flattering, there was a hint of sincerity in them.
After all, even Xie Qingxue and the others from the five sects of Xuan Wei weren't receiving this much attention.
The lively atmosphere around the Jiu Shan Sect drew glances from both Xie Qingxue and Tong Ming Shang Ren.
After watching for a while, they exchanged surprised looks, both feeling the same sentiment:
The people of the Jiu Shan realm are remarkably kind-hearted!
Not just Zheng Fa, but even those behind him—Zhang Wuyi, Pang Zhenren, and Yuan Zhenren—were all exceptionally cautious.
Amidst the tide of compliments, each of them appeared calm and unassuming.
In fact, the more others praised them, the more humble they became, truly embodying the attitude of treating fame and fortune as mere clouds.
If it were just Zheng Fa, it would be one thing, but the entire Jiu Shan Sect was like this...
"Now I understand why the Jiu Shan Sect has achieved such success."
Tong Ming Shang Ren sighed lightly, and the people from the five sects of Xuan Wei nodded in agreement, their gazes towards Zheng Fa growing more serious:
Those who had done nothing were all excited and drunkenly boasting.
Yet those who had made great contributions wore solemn expressions, their faces serious.
The character of the Jiu Shan Sect was truly remarkable!
After the celebration banquet, Cheng Kong Shang Ren specifically sought out Zheng Fa. He seemed to have drunk quite a bit of spirit wine, and was acting a bit more carefree than usual.
With a jovial smile on his face, he patted Zheng Fa on the shoulder and said, "On such a great day, why do you look so glum?"
"...There's really nothing to be happy about."
Zheng Fa sighed, preparing to discuss the matter of the Blood Slaughter Flag with Cheng Kong Shang Ren, only to see Cheng Kong Shang Ren raise a finger, proudly interrupting him, "I can guess why you're not happy!"
"…"
"Come, come, come! I have something good for you. I guarantee once you see it, your gloom will vanish!"
Zheng Fa felt something was off... Could it be that Cheng Kong Shang Ren had the Blood Slaughter Flag?
That seemed unlikely.
Cheng Kong Shang Ren's storage ring glimmered, and a jade box appeared before Zheng Fa.
"This is…"
"Open it and see!"
Cheng Kong Shang Ren said with a grin.
Zheng Fa gently opened the jade box and saw a branch in a flower pot, while Cheng Kong Shang Ren's proud voice echoed in his ears, "Hao Ri Sang!" (Hao Ri Sang, or "Mulberry of the Great Sun," is a mythical tree believed to have life-giving properties.)
"I knew you were worried about this thing!"
"So, what do you think?"
Zheng Fa lowered his head, staring at the mulberry tree, momentarily at a loss for words.
"What do you think? This is a reward for saving your life, isn't it great?"
"That's more than enough..." Zheng Fa raised his eyes, looking earnestly at Cheng Kong Shang Ren, "If you ever find yourself in danger from the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor, I will definitely save you again..."
"The Great Freedom Demon Ancestor? Ha... The Great Freedom Demon Sect is nearly finished. By the time he finds another opportunity, the spiritual energy will be almost gone!"
Cheng Kong Shang Ren laughed and waved his hand, seemingly unconcerned.
But seeing Zheng Fa's expression, his hand slowly, slowly lowered. Cheng Kong Shang Ren looked at Zheng Fa, and after a long silence, finally spoke, "You're not worried about the Hao Ri Sang, are you?"
"…The Blood Slaughter Flag is missing."
"…"
"The Youming Xian (Underworld Immortal) might not be dead."
"…"
Cheng Kong Shang Ren stared blankly at the small branch of the Hao Ri Sang, which barely reached his calf, then looked up at Zheng Fa, a polite question lingering unspoken on his lips—Are you telling me to rely on this thing to save me?
...
The matter of the Blood Slaughter Flag was now only circulating among the five sects of Xuan Wei and the Jiu Shan realm.
This was unavoidable; on one hand, no one knew the true nature of the situation, so there was no good way to respond, and speaking out would only cause panic.
On the other hand, with the enemy hidden and us in the open, taking action could lead to mistakes. It was better to keep things quiet.
Cheng Kong Shang Ren clearly didn't want to place his hopes on a small branch. He and the head of Ming De were both trying to contact the Seven Great Saints while also using secret methods to search for the Youming Xian's whereabouts.
Ming De had his own methods for tracking the Youming Xian. When the Seven Dragon Han Hai formation was broken, he could immediately confirm the Youming Xian's death.
But now, he seemed uncertain, and the detection methods didn't seem to yield any results...
Zheng Fa was unaware of the plans of the five sects of Xuan Wei.
But the Jiu Shan Sect still had to rely on itself.
Zheng Fa took the Hao Ri Sang to the medicinal garden to find Qian Zhenren. On the university island, Madam Xuanhua was also working hard.
"Failed..."
Yan Wushuang stood beside her, watching the flames in the alchemical cauldron gradually extinguish, his expression inevitably downcast.
"The combination of particles and a sub-symbol is something found in all alchemical methods, but how to produce a second sub-symbol... is just too difficult. According to the research in the 'Golden Core Project,' the third step is the combination of the spiritual energy sub-symbol and the particles, but no matter what spells we tried, we couldn't make the spiritual material particles produce a second sub-symbol."
Madam Xuanhua sighed, slowly shaking her head, with a group of disciples from the 'Golden Core Project' standing beside her.
Yan Wushuang's current role was akin to a consultant.
He couldn't speak of the secret methods from his sect, but he could point out some flaws and issues from the sidelines.
"As of now, we only understand the principles, meaning that the order of the sub-symbol connections follows the cycle of the five elements." Madam Xuanhua shook her head again, adding, "This is actually different from spiritual materials; many spiritual materials do not follow this rule."
She then took out a Shendlong Xi (Dragon Breath) and said to Yan Wushuang, "For example, this thing only contains the Earth and Water sub-symbols; Water and Fire do not generate each other, and they haven't combined."
"Therefore, many of the previous theories are actually not applicable."
"This is also why Zheng Fa only thought of the Five Elements Ring when he saw your Wushuang Sword—our previous observations did not align."
"So this theory is, for us, mostly new."
Yan Wushuang nodded gently, understanding the difficulties involved.
If it weren't difficult, it wouldn't be possible; how could the sword path created by the ancestors be so easily researched?
He hesitated, "How about I ask my senior sister if the methods from our sect can…"
"No need..." Madam Xuanhua shook her head, "Zheng Fa has said that it's best not to reference the methods from your sect..."
Yan Wushuang was taken aback.
He then heard Madam Xuanhua say, "Besides, if we can't establish a new system, how will we interact with the Tianhe Sect in the future?"
Yan Wushuang pursed his lips, understanding Madam Xuanhua's point:
If the Jiu Shan Sect couldn't carve out its own path, the Tianhe Sect would likely find every opportunity to make things difficult for them.
Even now, Zheng Fa and the others weren't sure if this thing would be accepted by the Tianhe Sect...
"Actually..."
Yan Wushuang thought to himself, those people in his sect would definitely stir up trouble, so it would be better to reference some things from their own sect.
After thinking for a while, he called out, "I'm going to find Zheng Fa!"
Madam Xuanhua seemed to have some thoughts as well and followed behind him. Yan Wushuang turned back, puzzled by her presence.
Madam Xuanhua said, "I have some ideas too."
Yan Wushuang's eyes lit up, "What ideas?"
Madam Xuanhua gently shook her head, appearing quite mysterious.
Seeing the two of them approach together, Zheng Fa couldn't help but be surprised:
"What’s going on?"
Yan Wushuang directly expressed his thoughts, saying, "How about I ask my senior sister? If the sect agrees..."
His voice grew softer, and he added quietly, "Actually, it doesn't even need the sect's approval; if my senior sister agrees... just a bit of foundational technique..."
Zheng Fa's eyelids twitched: Do you even know who your senior sister is that you dare to drag her into this?
He thought for a moment and shook his head, "I'm not entirely afraid of your Tianhe Sect..."
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