Chapter 572
Elder Jiu seemed to merely compliment them without taking it to heart, and then said, "Do you know why I called you here?"
Everyone shook their heads.
"Now..." Elder Jiu appeared to hesitate, pausing for a moment before continuing, "I will choose one disciple from among you five to send to Haori Mountain..."
"Haori Mountain?"
Zheng Fa was taken aback, and he heard Elder Jiu wave her hand dismissively. "It's not just me; the Sect Leader and the Great Elder also have a disciple quota."
She then whispered something.
The others couldn't hear it, but Zheng Fa, being a powerful Yuanying cultivator, caught every word clearly:
"Those Huashen... have even sent their life-bound treasures over."
Zheng Fa couldn't help but smirk inwardly. What is this? A naked ascension?
Are they afraid of being restricted from leaving?
Yet, he felt a flicker of relief—if that were the case, the seven Huashen at the mountain's peak were likely prepared to die, even ready to use their life-bound treasures to resurrect at Haori Mountain.
If he and the others rashly attacked the Chongxuan Sect, they could very well fall into a trap.
At that moment, Elder Jiu spoke again, "I originally planned for your second senior brother to go."
This was not unexpected; this second senior brother was likely the most talented and favored disciple of Elder Jiu, currently the strongest among the five.
Zheng Fa didn't mind this; he was more preoccupied with what lay atop the mountain. But then Elder Jiu mentioned his name:
"But Li Hao, you... have unexpectedly shown great potential. Among the five, your chances of forming a baby are the highest, even more suitable than your second senior brother..."
Zheng Fa's head snapped up, looking at this unexpected mentor—am I too outstanding and being sent to Haori Mountain?
He suddenly felt a bit flustered.
Not to mention he came to the Chongxuan Sect to investigate the secrets of the Divine Fire Mountain.
Is Haori Mountain a place I can go?
But how could he refuse? This was an opportunity to join one of the five sects!
He glanced at his second senior brother, whose gaze seemed sharp enough to cut, as if laced with poison.
If he didn't want to go, that would be strange...
Zheng Fa took a deep breath, his mind racing, and said solemnly, "Master... are you going?"
"Me?" Elder Jiu paused for a moment before replying, "I cannot go."
"Then I won't go either!" Zheng Fa puffed out his chest, his honest face filled with respect for his master.
(End of this chapter)
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Chapter 423: The Spirit Stone Offensive, Ship Testing
Zheng Fa's words fell, and the cave fell into silence.
The other four disciples looked at Zheng Fa with changed expressions, all seemingly thinking the same thing:
Where did this thick-browed, big-eyed guy learn his tea art?
Zheng Fa's second senior brother gritted his teeth and squeezed out a response, "I also do not wish to go to Haori Mountain!"
But he hadn't managed to adjust his expression, especially with Zheng Fa, who looked genuinely sincere, standing in front of him, making his own sincerity seem lacking in comparison.
Elder Jiu ignored him, not even glancing at this second disciple, but instead scrutinized Zheng Fa for a moment, as if assessing his sincerity. After a while, she spoke:
"Since Li Hao truly does not wish to go, then let your second senior brother go."
The word "truly" caused surprise to flicker across the faces of Zheng Fa's fellow disciples, and a hint of embarrassment and anger appeared on the second senior brother's face.
Zheng Fa, however, didn't care about them. His current strength, when placed against the Divine Fire Mountain, was merely a shadow of what lay hidden in the mist, something that made him wary.
Facing everyone, including the Yuanying Elder Jiu, he merely smiled lightly, maintaining an air of composure.
Though his spirit, body, and even techniques had become indistinguishable from the original Li Hao, the confidence stemming from his original character and strength made him feel more at ease than before.
If it weren't for the need to uncover what lay within that mist, he wouldn't even want to be in this cave.
His fellow disciples found this fourth junior brother surprisingly composed, a stark contrast to their previous impressions.
Yet, they weren't very familiar with him, and recalling Master’s words about Li Hao's recent progress, they felt this change was not entirely incomprehensible.
Elder Jiu looked at this disciple again, unable to find any flaws, and chose not to say more. Instead, as if recalling her own responsibilities as a master, she asked everyone, "Have you encountered any difficulties in your cultivation recently?"
"In terms of cultivation..." Zheng Fa's little junior sister spoke up, "Master, those outsiders from the Jindan stage are too oppressive..."
"We want to work hard on our cultivation, but they’ve taken all the spirit stones and elixirs. How can we manage?"
As soon as she said this, the other disciples nodded in agreement.
Zheng Fa pondered as well; the Chongxuan Sect was not as peaceful as it seemed:
Seven Huashen elders had suddenly appeared, and how could the original Chongxuan Sect disciples not feel the impact?
For instance, the communication cave that used to be controlled by the Sect Leader's faction of Jindan cultivators was now occupied by the Huashen elders, who acted greedily.
The original disciples of the Chongxuan Sect were filled with resentment.
Conflicts between the two factions were rampant, but in front of the seven Huashen elders, no one dared to act recklessly.
This little junior sister usually wouldn't dare to complain, but in front of Elder Jiu, she couldn't hold back.
Before Elder Jiu could respond, the little junior sister continued, "And why does the sect have to go against Alliance Leader Zheng?"
As soon as she said this, Elder Jiu's expression turned cold, and she said sternly, "Be quiet."
"…"
The imposing aura of the Yuanying flickered across her face, and Zheng Fa's little junior sister could only fall silent.
Zheng Fa felt a sense of injustice.
This question is quite valid!
What do you kids have to do with the matters of Dao Guo Daren?
What has Haori Mountain done to buy your lives?
It really can!
"You need not worry about the resources for cultivation..." Elder Jiu explained, "Haori Mountain has already sent orders to allocate spirit stones and elixirs to our sect every month..."
"In the future, each of you..."
"If you achieve Yuanying, there will be even more..."
Elder Jiu's words left the five disciples gaping, including Zheng Fa, who wore a look of astonishment—this time it wasn't an act; they genuinely felt it was a lot.
The resources Haori Mountain was providing to the Chongxuan Sect were far more than the monthly income of the Jiushan Sect...
Thinking about it, Zheng Fa understood; despite the Hundred Immortals Alliance currently being six factions, in terms of actual territory and population, it was still far behind Haori Mountain.
Moreover, Haori Mountain was currently consolidating its dominance over the surrounding sects, making it a time of plenty.
Not to mention what use all these resources would be to the Chongxuan Sect, but for them, this batch of supplies was indeed substantial.
"So, the disciples of those Huashen elders are here to consume Haori Mountain's resources?"
It seemed this little junior sister wasn't foolish; Zheng Fa also figured it out—ultimately, the Chongxuan Sect, as a Yuanying sect, was not particularly valuable to the Huashen elders.
Clearly, the Chongxuan Sect had now become a battleground for the Hundred Immortals Alliance and Haori Mountain's covert confrontation, where a careless move could lead to significant trouble.
They sent their disciples to the Chongxuan Sect to...
Deceive for benefits?
Elder Jiu shook her head, "They are powerful, but the resources for your future cultivation will only increase, not decrease."
"Moreover, if you advance to Yuanying in the future, not only will there be resources, but also the true transmission of Huashen techniques from Haori Mountain."
At this, the little junior sister's anger dissipated considerably.
Zheng Fa understood as well; Haori Mountain was giving too much!
"What about Alliance Leader Zheng? He killed the Great Freedom Demon Emperor..."
Elder Jiu looked up, as if gazing at the peak of the Divine Fire Mountain:
"This matter is not for us to decide. But you need not worry too much... Haori Mountain is spending so many spirit stones; they can't just let us die easily."
There was a hint of helplessness in her words, and Zheng Fa understood... although Haori Mountain was generous with money, they were also quite domineering. This Elder Jiu likely harbored some dissatisfaction in her heart.
Suddenly, the second senior brother, who was to go to Haori Mountain, spoke up:
"Zheng Fa's establishment of a guild is essentially a scheme to seize the secret techniques of various sects!"
"Not to mention our Chongxuan Sect, there are many dissatisfied cultivators within the Hundred Immortals Alliance. Previously, they were merely deterred by Zheng Fa's might, but now with Haori Mountain backing them... they are gathering in droves."
"Truly, Zheng Fa has lost his way and is left with few allies!"
Hearing this, Zheng Fa didn't get angry; the idea of gathering in droves was certainly nonsense from this second senior brother.
However, there were indeed many cultivators within the Hundred Immortals Alliance who opposed the Jiushan Sect, and the guild's various regulations were unacceptable to many traditional cultivators.
If the Chongxuan Sect hadn't stepped in, it wouldn't have mattered.
But now that the Chongxuan Sect's opposition was evident, and with Haori Mountain backing them with a spirit stone offensive, it indeed had some momentum—
Perhaps there really weren't many who stood with the Chongxuan Sect.
But how many sects were wavering, they had no idea.
At this moment, he began to see through Haori Mountain's intentions:
To use money to support the opposition within the Hundred Immortals Alliance.
To create divisions within the Hundred Immortals Alliance, slowing down Zheng Fa and the Jiushan Sect's progress.
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