Chapter 575
Xie Qingxue was momentarily stunned, grasping the unspoken implications behind his words.
Though she harbored some wild fantasies, Elder Han knew that asking Zheng Fa to risk his life for the Tianhe Sect was unlikely—no matter how grateful Zheng Fa might be, he had the entire Jiushan Realm backing him. There was no way he would put his life on the line for the Tianhe Sect.
But if there truly was a formidable enemy that the Tianhe Sect couldn't handle... wouldn't they be thinking about eliminating the threat entirely?
At that point, they might even have to plead with Zheng Fa to stand firm and protect them—no, to protect Yan Wushuang.
Xie Qingxue suddenly looked up at Elder Han, realizing he was revealing his own plans:
Whether Zheng Fa intervened or not, Elder Han seemed to be... preparing to share the fate of the sect. Was he now trying to struggle for a way out for his junior brother?
"After all, I am this kid's protector," Elder Han said, shaking his head.
"Moreover, if something really happens to the Tianhe Sect, we can't let its legacy be severed."
"It’s possible that the new hope for the Tianhe Sect lies with this kid, Yan Wushuang."
Xie Qingxue felt a bit dazed.
Yan Wushuang?
Just him?
What a joke!
"His talent is decent, and now he has learned the 'Jiushan Golden Elixir Technique,' plus he has a good relationship with Zheng Fa..." Elder Han listed Yan Wushuang's advantages, "Mainly, this kid has a likable personality."
"Though he’s simple-minded, he can be considered righteous. Perhaps this kid, leading the Tianhe Sect, can truly live up to the title of the ancestral heir..."
One couldn't deny that Yan Wushuang had these advantages.
Especially the part about being likable.
As the senior sister of the Tianhe Sect, Xie Qingxue realized that her connections within the sect might not be as good as Yan Wushuang's—this was, of course, due to her secretive nature and reluctance to open her heart to others.
But Yan Wushuang's good reputation was well-known throughout the sect.
Yet... thinking about how she had watched Yan Wushuang grow up, and now he was suddenly becoming the hope of the new Tianhe Sect.
She wrinkled her nose, a look of disdain crossing her face.
...
Elder Han's request to join the Tiangong Pavilion was quickly approved by Zheng Fa.
After all, the Tiangong Pavilion was currently pressed for time and heavy with tasks, and the only capable hands they had were Madam Xuanhua. With Elder Han being a Yuanying (Nascent Soul) cultivator and possessing some skills in artifact forging, his arrival was a boon.
After signing some confidentiality agreements, Elder Han finally learned what the Tiangong Pavilion was working on.
"Shenxiao battleship formation?"
He stared blankly at the design blueprints in his hands, his eyes nearly popping out.
"Using Shenxiao battleships to form a celestial array?"
"Targeting the ability to strike at Yuanying?"
Madam Xuanhua looked at him with bright eyes, her gaze filled with anticipation. "This is a concept proposed by one of the disciples of the Tiangong Pavilion. I think it has some merit... we’re preparing to give the sect leader a surprise."
Merit?
What on earth is this about?
You Jiushan Sect really has no sense of reason!
The Shenxiao battleship fundamentally relies on external elixirs...
From Elder Han's understanding, the operators of the Shenxiao battleships didn't even need to be Jindan (Golden Core) cultivators; a sufficient number of foundation-building cultivators would suffice.
Being able to strike at Jindan was somewhat understandable.
But you actually think you can use these Shenxiao battleships to take on Yuanying?
In other words, a group of foundation-building cultivators could stand toe-to-toe with Yuanying!
While he didn’t dislike the bold claims of those foundation-building disciples, he found it hard to believe, thinking they were just a bit too ambitious, which was somewhat enviable...
Who would have thought they were serious!
He didn’t know if Zheng Fa was surprised, but he was certainly shocked.
Yet, he had to admit that, theoretically, he couldn’t find any major flaws in the design:
The Shenxiao battleship equated to an external elixir cultivator.
Using the most basic celestial array techniques, twenty-four Shenxiao battleships could form a fleet with the power of a Yuanying.
Now he understood why Zheng Fa, despite having the Shenxiao mining ship and the spiritual material conversion factory, still felt the need for more spiritual materials, claiming that the materials required for the Shenxiao battleship formation were astronomical.
"What’s the problem now?"
"I don’t know..." Madam Xuanhua sighed helplessly. "Perhaps external elixirs differ from Jindan cultivators, which affects the formation of the celestial array."
"Or maybe the celestial array technique isn’t fully developed..."
"Or perhaps it’s our lack of ability in artifact forging."
"Our Jiushan Sect is really... a bit lacking in depth."
After saying this, Madam Xuanhua looked at Elder Han with hope, her words dripping with flattery:
"But the Tianhe Sect, as one of the five sects, has a much deeper foundation than us..."
Cold sweat broke out on Elder Han's forehead.
He came from a decent background among the five sects, but none of them had such outrageous ideas.
"Uh... I need to go back and study this further."
Elder Han couldn’t admit he didn’t understand how the Shenxiao battleship worked; that would be too embarrassing, so he could only brush it off.
Once back at the guest house, he shared his thoughts with Xie Qingxue, and his mindset shifted:
"Speaking of which, I noticed Madam Xuanhua is quite invested in this. If we really perfect this, it should be quite useful for the Jiushan Realm..."
Xie Qingxue also showed some agreement.
Not to mention Jiushan Sect, this thing would be quite useful for the Tianhe Sect as well.
"And Madam Xuanhua is right; we are one of the five sects, much deeper in foundation than Jiushan Sect..."
"This credit will likely have to go to us."
Sister Zhang understood that Elder Han's confidence wasn’t unfounded—being one of the five sects, even without Haori Mountain's expertise in artifact forging.
The Tiangong Pavilion might have some innovative ideas, but realistically, could Jiushan Sect's years of effort really compare to the Tianhe Sect's accumulation over hundreds of thousands of years?
...
At Chongxuan Sect, atop the Divine Fire Mountain, Zheng Fa gazed at the mist shrouding the peak, feeling a bit restless.
Coming to Chongxuan Sect was quite a distraction; the Jiushan Realm was a tangled web of issues, and he still needed to cultivate and perfect the "Tiangang Disha Transformation"...
But Haori Mountain wasn’t foolish; having invested such significant resources, they surely had methods that could genuinely threaten him or the Jiushan Realm.
Turning a blind eye was not a good strategy.
Sending someone from Jiushan Sect wouldn’t work either:
Others weren’t familiar with the "Tiangang Disha Transformation," and no one could learn his life-saving "Hua Hong" technique.
Most importantly, there was the Canghai Pearl in his chest...
Xiao Yuying was generous enough to give it to him, and Zheng Fa couldn’t possibly ask her to provide protection for anyone else.
Thus, he had no choice but to come.
For now, he could only look for an opportunity to see if he could uncover what was at the peak of Divine Fire Mountain and resolve this matter... along with Chongxuan Sect.
Just as Zheng Fa was contemplating how to find an opportunity, the voice of the ninth elder of Chongxuan Sect suddenly echoed in his ear:
"Come to my cave."
Zheng Fa was taken aback, quickly heading toward the ninth elder's cave. Though he was puzzled about why his mentor was calling for him, he thought it over and realized that the safest breakthrough point was indeed this ninth elder.
Upon entering the ninth elder's cave, Zheng Fa was even more surprised.
Unlike last time, this time he was the only one summoned.
"Raise your hand."
The ninth elder seemed to be a person of few words. Upon seeing Zheng Fa, he didn’t explain anything and directly issued the command.
Zheng Fa, bold and skilled, wasn’t afraid of this ordinary Yuanying cultivator. He extended his hand, and the elder’s finger touched his wrist. A surge of spiritual power flowed from his meridians, circulating through his organs and dantian before returning to the elder's finger.
"Indeed... your 'Fentian Great Method' is practiced to a remarkable degree."
The "Tiangang Disha Transformation" was clearly beyond the ninth elder's comprehension.
The ninth elder looked at Zheng Fa, nodding in satisfaction, a hint of appreciation in his eyes.
"I didn’t expect you to surpass your predecessors... it’s a testament to the Li family's legacy."
Zheng Fa understood the implication of this statement; it involved a past connection between the ninth elder and the Li family.
In simple terms, Li Hao's ancestor had once been prosperous and had helped her before the ninth elder rose to power.
Later, when the Li family fell on hard times and lost their legacy, they managed to produce a moderately talented Li Hao, who came to seek mentorship with a token from that time.
The ninth elder wasn’t the type to turn away someone who had helped her, so she accepted Li Hao as a disciple.
However, Li Hao was introverted, and his talent wasn’t particularly outstanding. Given the long passage of time, the ninth elder likely didn’t think much of it anymore.
Thus, her attitude toward this fourth disciple could only be described as lukewarm.
As a result, Li Hao, feeling insecure and anxious, naturally didn’t dare to approach the ninth elder, and over time, their relationship grew distant.
Zheng Fa smiled slightly, remaining silent, feeling fortunate—Li Hao had originally been like a mute, but he was genuinely friendly toward him.
"You don’t want to go to Haori Mountain, but do you blame me for neglecting you in the past?"
The ninth elder suddenly narrowed her eyes, her words striking like thunder in Zheng Fa's ears.
If he were truly a Jindan cultivator, he would likely be shaken to his core, spilling all his secrets.
But Zheng Fa...
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