Chapter 516
The covenant concerned the future of their sects, and Deng Cheng paid no mind to the tome in his daughter's hands. Instead, he soared towards Xiaguang Island, heading towards the gathering of people.
At the center of Xiaguang Island, a jade monument stood, towering five zhang high.
This jade tablet radiated spiritual energy, clearly a treasure, yet none of the cultivators present dared to touch it—because it emanated six overwhelming, majestic auras!
Deng Cheng gazed at the front of the jade tablet.
The front was divided into two parts—
One contained the specific terms of the covenant.
The other was a mysterious map.
Deng Cheng first read the contents of the covenant carefully, only to find it rather hollow.
But when he looked at the map, he couldn't help but widen his eyes in disbelief, glancing again as if he couldn't trust his own vision.
The territory of the Bai Xian Alliance appeared to be so vast!
No wonder that person had mentioned six factions instead of five sects!
After this alliance meeting, it seemed the so-called "Xuanwei Five Sects" would have to be renamed the "Xuanwei Six Factions"...
A shock ran through his heart as he flew towards the Beihe Sect's ship, praying fervently:
"Please, my little ancestor, don’t drop the treasure given by Master Zheng!"
---
**Chapter 394: Joy of the Nine Mountains, Development Plan**
On Le Tu Island, within the Nine Mountains Sect, Yuan Xiaoniao sat upright in the light screen, smiling as she delivered the news:
"Hello, dear viewers! Welcome to today's Nine Mountains News!"
"Today, we have a major announcement to share: Our sect leader, Zheng Fa, represented us at the influential Five Sects Alliance in the Xuanwei Realm. This alliance, convened by the five oldest, most powerful sects, gathered the pinnacle forces of the Xuanwei Realm, and its significance is self-evident."
"At this Five Sects Alliance, Sect Leader Zheng, with his exceptional wisdom and extraordinary strategy... ultimately succeeded in signing a contract of great importance for our Nine Mountains Sect and the entire situation in the Xuanwei Realm."
Yuan Xiaoniao's tone suddenly rose, her voice bursting forth with excitement:
"The signing of this contract marks a significant milestone in the development of our Nine Mountains Sect."
"We believe that under the wise leadership of Sect Leader Zheng, and with the collective efforts of all Nine Mountains disciples, our sect will surely usher in an even more glorious tomorrow!"
Zheng Fa stood on Tiangong Island, listening to Yuan Shijie's words, feeling a strong urge to cover his face.
He turned to look at the elder Pang beside him, who seemed lost in admiration, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth, as if he were relishing his own meager literary talent—
This clumsy news script was his handiwork.
Perhaps Zheng Fa's gaze was too peculiar, for Elder Pang, with a stern face, retorted, "Which part of what I said isn’t the truth?"
That was indeed not a lie, but the way it was expressed was a bit too exaggerated.
"I'll tell you, this news script was written in a drunken stupor after I read the covenant content yesterday! I just let my pen flow!" Elder Pang said proudly, "A stroke of genius!"
Zheng Fa: ... I can't see the genius in it; it seems you've just read too much of the Nine Mountains News in the past.
Yuan Shijie continued with the news:
"The contents of the covenant include: ..."
"The division of forces in the Xuanwei Realm..."
At this point, Zheng Fa heard a wave of cheers, the loudest coming from Le Tu Island, as if the children above were celebrating, chattering excitedly.
How should one put it? Although the Nine Mountains News had developed a habit of praising Zheng Fa from the outset under the influence of the elder, it didn’t mean it lacked benefits—on the contrary, Zheng Fa would dare say that compared to any mundane realm, the mortals on Le Tu Island were the most knowledgeable, having seen the most of the Xuanwei Realm.
Especially the schoolchildren, who understood even more.
Another place, however, had much quieter cheers—Qiu Xian Island.
On Qiu Xian Island lived the disciples of the Nine Mountains Sect below the Yuanying stage.
They were also watching the news.
These slightly older individuals, valuing the dignity of cultivators, cheered without the raucousness of those on Le Tu Island.
Yet their joy was no less than that of the people on Le Tu Island—
Compared to the mundane, these cultivators understood the status of the Five Sects in the Xuanwei Realm, and naturally grasped what it meant for Zheng Fa to sign such a covenant.
In Zheng Fa's understanding, it was akin to being a poor student, yet your alma mater, through its own efforts, transformed from being mediocre to becoming top-tier...
Just thinking about it could make one laugh out loud, right?
Especially when that map was revealed, laughter erupted from both islands, and even gasps of disbelief could be heard—
The territory of the Bai Xian Alliance spanned two continents, overshadowing the sun and kicking the Yao Pool!
It could be said to have ample area, a large population, and abundant resources...
Forget about strength; just consider its size!
...
Not only the disciples, but even Elder Pang, gazing at the map in the light screen, had a flushed face, as if he were drunk again.
"Elder?"
"If I die in the future," Elder Pang suddenly said, "you must engrave this map on my tombstone."
"…"
Zheng Fa could understand the joy, but that wish was a bit too far-fetched.
He shook his head and looked at the others.
Aside from the reclusive elder, all the Yuanying cultivators of the Nine Mountains Sect were present:
Sister Zhang was still busy handling various matters accumulated from her departure, not paying attention to external affairs.
Elder Huang also wore a smile, seemingly pleased with the outcome of the alliance.
Madam Xuanhua looked utterly bewildered, her expression akin to having a golden weight dropped on her head from the sky.
Jiao Wuji and Blood River Ancestor stood behind her like guardians, their faces full of loyalty and righteousness.
Only Xiao Yuying was smiling, yet there was an invisible barrier between her and the others—after all, she was not truly one of the Nine Mountains Sect.
Zheng Fa could understand that.
Although Xiao Yuying had interacted with him early on, Madam Xuanhua had already committed herself to the Nine Mountains Sect.
These two choices ultimately boiled down to confidence:
Though both were Yuanying, their backgrounds were different.
Madam Xuanhua was a pure loose cultivator, relying solely on her own skills, with no backing behind her.
But Xiao Yuying was different; at first, Zheng Fa thought her master was an ordinary transformation stage cultivator.
However, as he learned more about the situation in the Xuanwei Realm, he no longer thought so.
From Yan Wushuang's description, it seemed her master could instill fear in the leader of the Tianhe Sect...
That was truly frightening!
With such a master, she naturally didn’t need to gamble everything like Madam Xuanhua.
...
Zheng Fa glanced at Xiao Yuying, seeing her expression relaxed, perhaps not considering the significance of this alliance too highly.
He felt somewhat relieved and nodded to everyone:
"Sister Zhang and I have achieved some results at the alliance meeting, which is certainly a good thing..."
"But the situation in the Xuanwei Realm cannot be said to be good."
Unlike the excitement of others, Zheng Fa's tone was filled with concern.
"Sister Zhang and I both feel," he slowly surveyed the crowd, "that this covenant may only maintain a brief peace."
"The duration of this peace might be ten thousand years, a thousand years."
"It could be as short as a hundred years, or even just ten..."
This was quite evident:
If the Five Sects had not realized that the situation was about to change, they would not have deliberately reduced their mutual conflicts.
Even their tolerance towards Zheng Fa likely stemmed from this reason.
It was easy to deduce that the future, which made the Five Sects cautious, would likely be something the weak Nine Mountains Sect could not withstand.
The current problem for the Nine Mountains Sect was—hollow strength.
They had the name of six factions, but when it came down to it, could their combined strength even defeat a single Dao Fruit cultivator? That was debatable.
After hearing Zheng Fa's analysis, Elder Pang's expression gradually grew heavier.
He looked at Zheng Fa and suddenly said, "I wonder if it's you who has lived for thousands of years, or if it's me..."
Zheng Fa smiled; he knew Elder Pang understood, but his deep feelings for the Nine Mountains Sect made it hard for him to contain himself.
"Our hollow strength is also reflected in this territory." Zheng Fa pointed at the map before him, shaking his head, "The population there might be less than one-tenth of the other five factions—no, more like one-twentieth..."
This was indeed unfortunate.
The Bai Xian Alliance and the surrounding seas had both been swept through by the Great Freedom.
Now, while Zheng Fa was unsure of the total population, it was clear that it could not compare to the population density of the other five factions.
Moreover, when it came to land area, or habitable area, the Bai Xian Alliance had only about one-tenth of the Haori Mountain, and saying its population was only one-twentieth of the others might even be an overestimation.
Zheng Fa's words deepened the worry on Elder Pang's face.
He turned to Zheng Fa and said, "If that's the case, the losses in spiritual fields, spiritual mines, and spiritual materials must also be significant."
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