Chapter 509
The momentum of the Wan Yao Fan was overwhelming, and only a few people noticed the flash of a five-element divine light in Zheng Fa's hand as he seized the treasured beads.
At this moment, everyone understood—though Zheng Fa had claimed to be inferior, he had indeed won a move or two.
The Taoist priest from the Taishang sect suddenly laughed, "Cheng Kong was right; you are no ordinary talent!"
"This method of flight is truly unpredictable!"
"And this technique of seizing treasures... quite impressive."
The other three members of the Tianhe Sect, including Master Yan, nodded in agreement, their expressions revealing a hint of amusement as the celestial phenomena above them gradually faded.
However, the old monk's expression was far from pleasant.
In a sense, Zheng Fa had taken advantage of the situation. It appeared he was about to strike at himself, yet he had snatched the endless beads from Wu Zhi.
But the problem was—regardless of status or strength, Zheng Fa was clearly at a disadvantage.
If he were to speak of fairness and deception, with so many eyes upon them, and the five sects present, how could he justify it?
In this mutual probing, he found himself unable to counter Zheng Fa, who had seized the junior's treasure right under his nose. This was a clear victory.
Moreover, Zheng Fa had stopped short, explicitly stating he was inferior to the Lei Yin Temple, showing them respect.
If he were to press further...
Unless he was confident enough to slap Zheng Fa dead, it would truly be a joke, and could easily lead to a deadly feud.
He stared at Zheng Fa for a long time, recalling Zheng Fa's last deadly feud, which had indeed ended in death... he hesitated.
Furthermore, the other four sects were not necessarily on his side.
Zheng Fa, however, seemed oblivious, merely smiling at him.
At this moment, even the wind over the sea felt tense, silent and still.
After a long pause, the old monk's Buddha-like aura slowly dissipated, his parched lips curling into a smile that resembled a wilting flower, as he exclaimed, "Master Zheng, what a skillful maneuver!"
As soon as he said this, Zheng Fa could see the disappointment clearly written on the faces of Master Yan and the others, who looked as if they wished for the two sides to clash.
What a bunch of old rogues!
He felt a wave of relief wash over him...
Because that earlier display, though seemingly casual, had actually been rehearsed over a hundred times with Sister Zhang!
He knew exactly how to smile, how to conceal the brilliance of the five-element divine light, when to advance and when to retreat—he was thoroughly familiar with it!
He had even refrained from using the transformation technique to speed up their journey, opting instead to take a boat from the Beihe Sect for a while.
All to conserve every bit of spiritual energy.
Even so, his internal spiritual energy was nearly depleted now.
For a Golden Core cultivator, using a treasure like the Wan Yao Fan was no small feat.
Moreover, Zheng Fa had not truly cultivated the "Wan Yao Zhen Jie."
The experimental result was that with the Wan Yao Fan in hand, he could only play with some special effects...
If he were to truly clash with that Buddha-like figure, he would surely expose himself.
But Zheng Fa understood that the purpose of participating in the alliance meeting was not to showcase his strength, but to make the others believe he was truly formidable!
The special effects were what mattered most!
As for seizing the treasure with the five-element divine light... how should he put it?
Everyone thought Zheng Fa's feigned attack was merely a ruse to snatch the Wu Zhi beads and establish his authority.
Yet Zheng Fa knew that taking the Wu Zhi beads was a cover for his inability to confront the old monk head-on!
He was simply picking a random unlucky soul...
Coincidentally, he was quite familiar with Wu Zhi, so he figured the latter wouldn’t mind.
In fact, if Wu Zhi hadn’t been distracted by the Wan Yao Fan, snatching those beads wouldn’t have been so easy!
Taking such risks was unavoidable; he simply lacked the strength, and a kitten had to pretend to be a tiger.
Zheng Fa gently held Sister Zhang's hand, her expression calm, but her palm was clammy with sweat.
In truth, it was Sister Zhang who was the most nervous.
They had rehearsed for the worst-case scenario—if someone discovered their ruse, the Qingjing Bamboo in Sister Zhang's hand would be their last line of defense, buying them a little time to escape.
Yes, they had practiced fleeing three hundred times.
At this moment, the Taishang Taoist's attitude softened a bit. Seeing that the two were not preparing to fight, he smiled, "I didn’t expect you to have inherited the legacy of the Demon Emperor..."
"Well, it is a competition for the same Dao fruit..."
"Failing to contend for the Dao, it’s no wonder the Great Freedom Demon Emperor met his end."
Zheng Fa was momentarily stunned; could the death of the Great Freedom Demon Emperor really be explained this way?
But his face remained as calm as a still pond, and he said nothing. The others looked at him, sensing that the Taishang Taoist had guessed the truth, and their doubts began to fade.
The Yaochi Dao fruit also nodded and smiled, "In that case, Master Zheng, a cultivator from the Immortal Sect achieving the status of Demon Emperor is certainly better than that of the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor."
Now that made sense! They truly understood Zheng Fa's intentions!
Zheng Fa disguised himself as a Demon Emperor, firstly to wield the Wan Yao Fan and enhance his special effects.
Secondly, it was to give the five sects an impression—
I am the Demon Emperor!
The Great Freedom Demon Ancestor had a blood feud with the five sects; they could tolerate him becoming a Demon Emperor.
But for a genuine cultivator from the Immortal Sect to take on the role of a Demon Emperor, was that a death sentence?
Was that fair?
There was no logic in that!
If the five sects had to choose, would they prefer a Demon Emperor born of a Demon Ancestor, or Zheng Fa, who had fought for the five sects time and again?
Sure enough, when the Yaochi Dao fruit framed it from a comparative perspective, Master Yan and the others first fell into deep thought, then looked at Zheng Fa, their expressions softening.
Seeing the atmosphere becoming more amicable, the Yaochi Huashen smiled again, "Since Xihu Island is closest to my Yaochi, I shall act as the host. Please, everyone, come to the island."
With that, she waved her long sleeves, and the ribbons of her arms transformed into six rays of rosy light, one of which stopped at Zheng Fa's feet.
Before Zheng Fa could move, the Taishang Taoist laughed heartily and stepped into the rosy light before him. He could only see the figure of the man, and moments later, even that vanished.
Exchanging glances with Sister Zhang, the two of them walked side by side into the radiant mist.
Watching Zheng Fa and Sister Zhang's figures disappear into the brilliance, Deng Yan let out a long breath from the ship below.
Though she was small, she had understood that Zheng Fa seemed to have had a conflict with someone.
"Father? Is he alright?"
Deng Cheng stared blankly at the figures in the rosy light, and after a long silence, he finally said, "I don't know."
Deng Yan blinked.
"To enter this door means not only is he safe, but he probably has a great opportunity... From today on, it seems no one in the world will be unaware of Master Zheng."
Deng Yan nodded, still a bit confused.
After a while, when she saw her father, a silly smile spread across her face.
"Who would have thought that a moment of impulse could lead to such a remarkable acquaintance!"
"Indeed, when out in the world, one must be kind to others!"
"I wonder about that recommendation letter... Is Master Zheng for real?"
...
Zheng Fa, however, could no longer hear that question.
He stepped into the rosy light with Sister Zhang, and suddenly, everything before him brightened, nearly blinding him.
In an instant, the light receded, and it was as if they had entered a different realm.
They seemed to still be on Xihu Island.
But the once desolate Xihu Island was now bustling with people and buildings.
The people were celestial maidens, and beneath their feet were soft, fluffy clouds. Dozens of fairies from Yaochi flitted about in the clouds.
The buildings were palatial, and above the clouds stood a resplendent palace, its doors wide open. Inside, six wooden tables were set, and the Taoist leaned against one, holding a pristine tea cup, tilting his head back to gulp down the tea.
At another table, the Yaochi Dao fruit chided, "This Hundred Flowers Spirit Tea is a secret treasure of Yaochi. While it may not be extremely precious, it cannot withstand such waste by you, Immortal Li."
The other three sect members were seated as Dao fruit cultivators, while their disciples stood behind them, arranged in three groups.
Zheng Fa walked into the hall, instinctively choosing the outermost wooden table. As he sat down, a rich, even slightly intoxicating fragrance wafted toward him.
At first, he thought it was the scent of the Hundred Flowers Spirit Tea, but upon closer inspection, he realized the aroma was emanating from the wooden table itself.
The fragrance entered his body, rushing through his meridians, organs, and bones.
Zheng Fa suddenly turned to Sister Zhang, who nodded back at him, her eyes wide with astonishment.
The fragrance from the wooden table could actually enhance their Dao bodies!
Even the Fusang wood within Zheng Fa was slowly growing!
Were the five sects this wealthy?
Such a wondrous item, and they used it as a table?
Zheng Fa turned his head again and saw the members of the five sects smiling at him, some with a hint of mockery on their faces, especially the young monks from Lei Yin Temple, who seemed displeased after having been outsmarted earlier, their expressions now filled with scorn.
He smiled back, took a deep breath of the fragrance, and seeing the astonishment on their faces, he calmly said, "My Jiu Shan Sect is impoverished and has never encountered such fine things, so I lost my composure. Please forgive me."
Upon hearing this, the others found it rather uninteresting.
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