Chapter 570
Even with her confidence, even her arrogance, Xiao Yuying couldn't help but ask herself: Am I worthy?
Zheng Fa looked at Xiao Yuying, who appeared safe and sound, and the sharp glint in his eyes instantly softened, returning to his usual gentle demeanor.
With such a grand display, Zheng Fa had, of course, prepared for the worst—not just for Xiao Yuying, but mainly because... the more people there were, the more at ease he felt.
He nodded lightly at Xiao Yuying, then turned to the three from Tianhe Sect, clasping his hands in gratitude:
"Thank you, Fairy Xie, Brother Yan, it's been a while. Old Han, you’re here too?"
It had been quite some time since he last saw the Sword Immortal of the Setting Sun, Han Lao. He hadn’t expected that this time, Xie Qingxue would bring him along.
Han Lao looked at Zheng Fa, his eyes filled with a hint of nostalgia.
Though Zheng Fa seemed like someone he hadn’t seen in ages, Han Lao remembered that he had only known Zheng Fa for a few years. Back then, Zheng Fa was still at the Foundation Establishment stage. Now, he had already reached the Nascent Soul stage. It was as if the world had changed beyond recognition.
Yan Wushuang was also delighted to see Zheng Fa, chuckling, "Old Han was afraid my father would find out about your relationship, so he kept his distance."
This was partly Yan Wushuang's fault; his poor sense of secrecy had likely led Yan Zhangmen to suspect something was amiss.
As the biological son, he had nothing to worry about. But Han Lao wasn’t Yan Zhangmen’s biological father... so he had to keep his distance, not daring to come to Jiushan Realm for fear of provoking Yan Zhangmen, nor could he return to Tianhe Sect. Instead, he managed the Wushuang Society from afar for Zheng Fa.
"But now, coming to the Hundred Immortals Alliance is my father's own directive!"
"Old Han has nothing to fear now!"
Understood.
In the past, Han Lao would have been seen as a traitor. Now, due to Zheng Fa's rise in power, he had become an old friend of the Hundred Immortals Alliance, a diplomat for Tianhe Sect.
His status had risen with the tide!
A smile couldn't be hidden from Han Lao's face; clearly, coming here with an official identity was a source of pride for him.
However, Xie Qingxue frowned, not sharing their joy, and turned to Zheng Fa, saying, "Zhongxuan Sect is not simple."
Seeing her serious expression, Zheng Fa also reined in his smile, "What do you mean, Fairy Xie?"
It was clear to Zheng Fa and Sister Zhang that Zhongxuan Sect had issues. Previously, Zheng Fa had been focused on consolidating the Hundred Immortals Alliance's support for Jiushan Sect. Additionally, he had been busy with his own advancement, effectively sidelining them and handling the situation with a cold shoulder.
Out of caution, he hadn’t sent Uncle Pang and the others to investigate. Thus, their understanding of Zhongxuan Sect's current situation was quite shallow.
Xiao Yuying had helped gather information earlier, partly because Zheng Fa and the others lacked intelligence.
"I went to Zhongxuan Sect to recruit people..." Xie Qingxue glanced at everyone, her expression tense, "The Qingping Sword actually gave a warning."
Even though he had anticipated this, Zheng Fa was still taken aback.
The warning from the Qingping Sword was no trivial matter—this celestial sword was not just an ordinary Dao fruit treasure. It was not only the personal sword of the Tianhe Venerable but also had been continuously refined by Xie Qingxue's lineage.
After the Heart Demon Tribulation, Zheng Fa had gained new insights into the Tianhe Venerable's strength. In his view, he had yet to fully unleash the true power of the Qingping Sword, and his own Sun and Moon Bell or the Ten Thousand Demons Banner paled in comparison.
Could an ordinary Nascent Soul sect like Zhongxuan Sect possess something that the Qingping Sword feared?
At that moment, Xiao Yuying spoke up, "I sensed something earlier too... I thought it was just some transformation technique, but it turned out to be a Dao fruit?"
Sister Zhang frowned at her words and speculated, "This matter... Junior Brother?"
Zheng Fa could tell from Sister Zhang's gaze that—now that he, Sister Zhang, and Xie Qingxue were all present, they had some confidence in dealing with the Dao fruit. At the very least, they wouldn’t be at a disadvantage.
Sister Zhang's temperament clearly indicated that she wanted to take action against Zhongxuan Sect.
Zheng Fa nodded slowly.
Though he was cautious, with the Hundred Immortals Alliance now established and his own advancement to the Nascent Soul stage, Zhongxuan Sect had become a potential threat that he could no longer ignore.
Not to mention annihilating Zhongxuan Sect, he at least needed to understand what they were up to.
After some discussion, Xie Qingxue had no objections, and the group headed toward Zhongxuan Sect.
"Hey?"
Before they reached the mountain gate of Zhongxuan Sect, Sister Zhang voiced her surprise.
"Senior Sister?"
"This mountain is called Shenhua Mountain. Zhongxuan Sect originally wasn’t located here; it should be three hundred miles further east."
Sister Zhang pointed toward a towering peak ahead.
Zheng Fa followed her finger and saw that the peak was indeed where Zhongxuan Sect's mountain gate was located. The mountain rose steeply, its rocks a deep red, devoid of vegetation, radiating heat like a glowing dagger piercing the sky.
From the foot of the mountain to its midsection, there were no palaces or buildings, only caves.
A few of the caves even emitted faint light.
Zheng Fa's eyes sparkled with silver light as he noticed the intense fire-element spiritual energy within.
The moisture in the surrounding air seemed to have evaporated due to the heat, gathering at the mountain's summit, forming a hazy mist that obscured the true nature of the peak.
Han Lao stroked his chin and remarked, "This mountain... is likely situated on a prime geothermal vein. Those caves must have been opened by Zhongxuan Sect to harness the geothermal energy for refining."
At this point, he frowned and shook his head, "But while this mountain is great for refining, it’s not comfortable for living."
Sister Zhang nodded in agreement, adding, "The disciples of Zhongxuan Sect used to be reluctant to live on Shenhua Mountain. The caves up there weren’t this many..."
...
Zheng Fa used his洞虚灵眼 (洞虚灵眼, "洞虚灵眼" refers to a special spiritual eye technique) to scrutinize Shenhua Mountain closely.
He also discovered some issues:
The mist in the caves was no ordinary vapor; it could actually block spiritual sight and consciousness.
Most of the caves at the foot of the mountain showed signs of recent excavation, clearly opened not long ago, and there were still signs of cultivators active within.
As Sister Zhang had said, it seemed that these disciples of Zhongxuan Sect had recently moved to this location.
What concerned him more was that something at the mountain's summit was causing a faint tremor in his Nascent Soul.
Upon closer inspection, he found that the Yin-Yang Fish jade pendant in his consciousness was swirling.
Clearly, there was something atop Shenhua Mountain that even this pendant feared.
"Could it be that after the Great Freedom Demon Tribulation, Zhongxuan Sect got scared and thought living on the mountain would be safer?" Xiao Yuying speculated.
"That’s possible..." Zheng Fa murmured, but then looked at the mist that stirred his soul, frowning, "I keep wondering why Zhongxuan Sect seems so unafraid..."
To be honest, this made him quite uneasy.
Given that Zheng Fa had demonstrated the power of the Dao fruit, even the Five Sects had retreated, why did Zhongxuan Sect dare to act so defiantly?
Could it be that Haori Mountain still dared to send Dao fruit cultivators to support Zhongxuan Sect?
The likelihood of that was low.
On one hand, the Six Sects' alliance still held some binding power; Dao fruit cultivators from the six sects were not allowed to attack each other.
On the other hand, if Haori Mountain truly disregarded the Six Sects' alliance, why would they be so secretive about it?
Now, looking at the strange mountain gate of Zhongxuan Sect, he felt an even worse premonition.
Even though they hadn’t hidden their presence much, Zhongxuan Sect showed no signs of awareness...
That was even stranger.
After all, he was only at the Nascent Soul level and hadn’t made any deliberate attempts to conceal himself. If Haori Mountain had Dao fruit techniques, even those Transformation Stage True People should have sensed their arrival.
Yet, there was not a single stir from the mountain.
After hearing his concerns, the others exchanged glances, and Sister Zhang frowned, "Junior Brother, are you suggesting... they’re waiting for us to come knocking?"
"I can’t shake the feeling that’s the case."
From the very beginning, Zhongxuan Sect had acted too overtly and strangely.
Now, even Xie Qingxue frowned, sensing the situation was tricky.
If they didn’t strike, they wouldn’t feel at ease.
But if they did strike, they feared falling into a trap.
Zheng Fa pondered for a moment and said to the group, "I have an idea..."
Sister Zhang and the others looked at him.
Zheng Fa secretly transmitted his thoughts to the group, explaining his plan.
"You want to infiltrate Zhongxuan Sect? No way!"
Sister Zhang was the first to oppose, unusually firm.
Even Xie Qingxue and the others showed disapproval on their faces.
Clearly, they felt that Zheng Fa was putting himself in danger.
This matter... Zheng Fa had indeed hesitated.
But now, he couldn’t think of a better solution, and besides...
"Senior Sister, I have the 'Tiangang Disha Transformation' (天罡地煞变化, "Tiangang Disha Transformation" refers to a transformation technique that allows the user to change their appearance and presence), which is incredibly versatile, and with the Five-Color Divine Light, even without the Fusang Wood, I should be able to escape without issue."
He spoke softly.
If it weren’t for the 'Tiangang Disha Transformation,' he wouldn’t have considered this idea, but since it could mimic the 'Great Freedom True Method,' even the Blood River Ancestor could be deceived.
This naturally gave him more confidence.
Sister Zhang still shook her head, her expression no longer gentle: "I’d rather directly assault Zhongxuan Sect than allow you to do this."
She looked at Zheng Fa with a cold face, seemingly a bit angry.
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