Chapter 571
Zheng Fa certainly understood Sister Zhang's concerns, but the aura emanating from the peak of the Chongxuan Sect was something he couldn't ignore.
It was Xiao Yuying who spoke up first, "If you want to be absolutely safe, I have a way."
"Huh?"
Xiao Yuying hesitated for a moment, but then gritted her teeth and reached for her neck, removing a blue jade bead and handing it to Zheng Fa.
"This is…"
"This is the Cang Hai Zhu," Xiao Yuying whispered, explaining how to use the precious bead. "In times of danger, you can… help will come to you. Even if you are in the Five Sects, you will have a chance to survive."
Zheng Fa's eyes widened in surprise.
He understood perfectly well that this was Xiao Yuying's trump card—an emergency escape method.
Moreover, from what Xiao Yuying implied, her master was exceptionally skilled in rescue techniques.
Xiao Yuying added, "My master is currently recuperating. If it weren't for a critical moment…"
She paused, suddenly changing her mind.
"Forget it, if you think it's not good, don't hesitate."
"I'll go explain it to my master."
Zheng Fa felt a bit moved upon hearing this.
Xiao Yuying truly had a backup plan!
It seemed she understood the look in Zheng Fa's eyes, as she chuckled lightly, "I can't let your worth go to waste."
...
Seven days later, Zheng Fa, with his honest and unassuming face, swaggered up the Chongxuan Sect, the Cang Hai Zhu hanging prominently on his chest.
Although the Chongxuan Sect was currently hiding on the Divine Fire Mountain, the lower-level disciples still needed to eat and drink.
This mountain was barren, so naturally, someone had to go down to buy supplies.
They caught a purchasing disciple named Li Hao, who was at the Golden Core level. More importantly, he was the fourth disciple of the second elder of the Chongxuan Sect, though he wasn't particularly favored.
His status in the sect wasn't high, and he didn't stand out much, but he had some access to hidden matters.
Zheng Fa had thoroughly grasped the other party's techniques and memories.
The aura he now possessed was unmistakably that of the Chongxuan Sect's true transmission technique, the "Fentian Dafa."
The change in his appearance was minor, but the transformation of his spirit was aided by the secret methods of the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor.
Years ago, Chen Ting had impersonated Sister Zhang, making it difficult for Zheng Fa and the others to discern the truth. Now, using the "Tiangang Dizha Transformation" to employ that secret method, the effect was equally impressive—at least the Blood River Ancestor couldn't see through his divine transformation.
With this, Zheng Fa had become a genuine Golden Core disciple of the Chongxuan Sect, inside and out.
As soon as he set foot on the Divine Fire Mountain, he felt the Yin-Yang Fish jade pendant in his soul tremble, as if someone was scrutinizing him. But after a moment, the pendant returned to normal.
He knew he had passed the first test.
Zheng Fa's expression remained unchanged as he walked up the mountain path.
It was evident that this path had just been widened; the soil along the sides still carried a fresh fragrance.
As he walked, many Foundation Establishment disciples greeted him respectfully.
From Li Hao's memories, he knew that the original situation in the Chongxuan Sect was quite similar to his own Jiushan Sect:
Foundation Establishment disciples made up ninety percent.
There were only about twenty Golden Core disciples.
Zheng Fa's current identity could once be considered a pillar of the sect…
But that was no longer the case.
According to Li Hao's memories, in recent days, the sect had suddenly gained seven new elders!
All of them were above the Divine Transformation level!
The original Grand Elder, who was an enemy of Xuanhua, had done nothing and was now reluctantly the eighth elder—directly transforming from the Chongxuan Sect's stabilizing force into just another pillar.
The newly arrived Divine Transformation elders naturally had some disciples of their own. Though not many, they doubled the number of Golden Cores in the Chongxuan Sect.
With their masters being stronger, they naturally became more assertive, seizing many lucrative positions.
That was why Li Hao, as a true Golden Core disciple, was reduced to doing purchasing work.
Carrying the supplies, Zheng Fa entered a cave.
This cave was newly excavated but quite spacious, with three rooms inside.
On the entrance wall, three large characters made of blue stone were inscribed: "Tongshi Cave."
This Tongshi Cave served a similar purpose to the Administrative Hall in the Chongxuan Sect, used for issuing tasks and rewards to disciples.
In the first room of the cave sat a thin middle-aged Golden Core cultivator, meditating with his eyes closed.
Zheng Fa said nothing, simply handing over the storage bag filled with purchased supplies.
The man opened his eyes, waved his hand, and opened the storage bag, taking out the pills and spiritual herbs to examine them for a long while, as if waiting for something.
Zheng Fa was momentarily taken aback.
The middle-aged Golden Core cultivator's face darkened, and he hissed, "Li Shidi, this Qingyun Dan… the quality seems insufficient…"
Zheng Fa blinked, looking at the Qingyun Dan. To be fair, this item was personally provided by Master Song.
The quality was decent.
He felt a bit confused, and after a moment, suddenly remembered something. He took out three spirit stones from his sleeve and handed them to the middle-aged cultivator, whispering, "The price of pills has dropped recently… I have some extra spirit stones."
Seeing the spirit stones, the middle-aged cultivator's expression finally brightened, and he nodded slightly, though he coldly remarked, "Li Shidi should be more perceptive."
As Zheng Fa walked out of the Tongshi Cave, he shook his head and smiled.
He had almost eliminated such people in the Jiushan Realm, and encountering this again felt somewhat unfamiliar.
However, it seemed that the Chongxuan Sect had never been this blatant before, but the disciples under those seven Divine Transformation elders were a mixed bag—though it would be more accurate to say they were uniformly low in moral standards.
The Chongxuan Sect's atmosphere had never matched that of the Jiushan Realm, and now it had certainly dropped another three levels.
Thinking of this, Zheng Fa found himself missing the Jiushan Realm. He followed the mountain path, gazing toward the mist at the peak.
In Li Hao's memories, the mist concealed the seven new elders, and it was said that not even the original sect master or the two elders could ascend without a significant reason.
He didn't act rashly but returned to his own cultivation cave, preparing to gather more information and plan carefully.
...
After two days of investigation on the Divine Fire Mountain, Zheng Fa discovered that the vast majority of disciples in the Chongxuan Sect had no idea what was happening on the mountain. Those who did know were mostly the disciples of the Divine Transformation elders.
They were not part of the same faction and were engaged in their own power struggles.
The information he obtained was minimal, highlighting the Chongxuan Sect's caution.
Standing at the cave entrance, Zheng Fa frowned as he gazed at the peak, pondering how to uncover the truth.
Suddenly, a disciple approached him, cupping his hands and saying, "Er… the Ninth Elder summons you to discuss matters."
The Ninth Elder was originally the second elder of the Chongxuan Sect, Li Hao's master.
This sparked some thoughts in Zheng Fa—if the Golden Core disciples were unaware of the situation at the peak, then this Yuanying elder should know a bit more, right?
With this in mind, he wasted no time and headed toward the cave where Li Hao's master resided.
As he reached the entrance, he encountered the familiar faces of Li Hao's three senior brothers and one junior sister.
He was the fourth in rank, so they all greeted him as "Fourth Shidi" and "Fourth Shixiong."
Zheng Fa returned the greeting simply, not saying much—Li Hao was naturally honest and taciturn, not highly regarded under the Ninth Elder, and his relationships with his brothers and sisters were distant, so they rarely interacted.
The four of them regarded Zheng Fa with only a hint of courtesy.
After a moment of silence, a voice from within the cave called out, "Come in."
Zheng Fa entered last, surveying the cave. Compared to his own modest dwelling, this one belonging to his master was quite luxurious—three large chambers and even a courtyard with a small pond.
They walked around the pond and entered the largest chamber, bowing and saying, "We pay our respects to Master."
Inside the cave was a cold jade couch, which looked quite comfortable amidst the heat of the Divine Fire Mountain.
On the couch sat a female cultivator with deep brows and high eyes, though her expression was cold.
She nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping over the five disciples before suddenly fixing on Zheng Fa, frowning.
Zheng Fa was taken aback. Did the Ninth Elder have such keen insight?
Had she instantly recognized him as an imposter?
"Li Hao, you…" the Ninth Elder said slowly, her brow furrowed, "has the 'Fentian Dafa' made a breakthrough?"
Huh?
Zheng Fa suddenly understood the issue:
The good news was that the "Tiangang Dizha Transformation" he had imitated from the "Fentian Dafa" was remarkably pure.
The bad news was that it was too pure!
"I, the disciple, have had some insights," Zheng Fa replied.
The Ninth Elder scrutinized him closely, and there was a hint of satisfaction in her eyes. "Your aura is so pure; it seems you've put in a lot of hard work… You have hope for future pregnancy."
The other four disciples of the Ninth Elder were taken aback, looking at Zheng Fa with newfound seriousness, even a hint of warmth.
Clearly, they hadn't expected this unassuming Fourth Shidi to be so highly regarded by their master.
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