Chapter 605
Zhang Shijie, however, took a different approach. She employed topological transformations to twist and distort certain talismans, simplifying complexity into simplicity, making them appear identical to the original talismans, yet their topological properties were worlds apart.
This difference...
Perhaps a student well-versed in topology from the Jiushan Sect could discern it.
But Shi Nandang had never studied such things!
In short, it was simply taking advantage of Shi Nandang's lack of knowledge!
"Shijie, I think we could try this with other talismans as well..."
Zheng Fa surprisingly began to push his luck. Initially, he only wanted to secretly leave a backdoor to ensure his safety.
Now he was contemplating whether to dismantle the backyard.
...
At the Chongxuan Sect, on the Divine Fire Mountain.
"Come to my cave."
A voice echoed from the mountainside, and Zheng Fa didn’t hesitate, flying towards the cave of his benefactor, Elder Jiu.
Inside the cave, only Elder Jiu was present.
She sat on a cold jade bed, a storage bag beside her knee, seemingly assessing it.
Zheng Fa's gaze fell on that storage bag, and he began to understand why she had summoned him.
"This is the supplies sent by my people..."
Sure enough, Elder Jiu's words confirmed his suspicion.
Inside that storage bag were the materials traded between the Taishang Dao and the Jiushan Sect.
Currently, the trade between the two sects was actually conducted through Elder Jiu's channels. Zheng Fa would hand over the materials to her, she would deliver them to the Taishang Dao's border, and then bring back materials from the Taishang Dao.
As for what items were exchanged and at what price, that was naturally discussed between Zheng Fa and Tongming Shangren via message talismans.
In fact, the volume of goods traded wasn’t substantial.
To be honest, it was even less than the economic contribution of Haori Mountain to the Jiushan Sect.
After all, Elder Jiu didn’t dare to be too brazen; essentially, she was smuggling.
But this trade was extremely important for the Jiushan Sect:
Because in the Eastern Continent, the Taishang Dao occupied the largest land area, rich in resources, with many spiritual materials that the Baixian Alliance lacked.
Some spiritual materials had to be obtained through transformation, costing far more than trading with the Taishang Dao, making it simply not worth the effort.
Thus, Elder Jiu was indeed doing the Baixian Alliance a great service.
Zheng Fa also took out a storage bag and handed it to Elder Jiu.
"This is your reward, Elder."
Zheng Fa had always respected the working class, and he extended the same courtesy to Elder Jiu, as they had previously agreed—
Elder Jiu would help him deliver goods, and Zheng Fa would compensate her with spirit stones and materials.
To his surprise, Elder Jiu shook her head, seemingly about to refuse.
"Elder?"
"...Is the person trading with your sect someone of high status in the Taishang Dao?"
Zheng Fa wasn’t surprised that Elder Jiu could guess this.
What he had told her before was to go to the Taishang Dao's border to pick up the goods.
But the spiritual materials in this storage bag were abundant and valuable.
Many of them were exclusive to the Taishang Dao.
Only someone of considerable standing within the Taishang Dao could possibly obtain so much.
Tongming Shangren was backed by Xuan De, the head of the sect, who seemed to have achieved the stage of corpse dissolution, and was likely just a step away from Dao fruit within the Taishang Dao system.
He was undoubtedly a core figure of the Taishang Dao.
Zheng Fa nodded at Elder Jiu.
Elder Jiu's expression brightened as she looked at Zheng Fa and said:
"Zheng Mengzhu... I won’t take this reward."
"Huh?"
Unexpectedly, Elder Jiu rose from the cold jade bed and deeply bowed to Zheng Fa, saying, "Zheng Mengzhu, since you came to the mountain, I have contributed my efforts, if not in merit, at least in toil, right?"
Zheng Fa nodded again.
What she said was reasonable.
Regardless of what Elder Jiu wanted to do, she had objectively helped Zheng Fa a lot.
"Then I would like to ask Zheng Mengzhu to grant me one request."
"You say."
"If you have a channel, could you introduce me and my disciples to join the Taishang Dao?"
Zheng Fa's expression changed immediately upon hearing this request from his benefactor.
Damn!
What a fickle woman!
She had been so adamant about choosing the Baixian Alliance, filled with longing for the Jiushan Realm.
And now, upon seeing the Taishang Dao, she was ready to jump ship?
Zheng Fa understood that from Elder Jiu's perspective, the Taishang Dao was indeed a more worthy lifelong commitment than the Jiushan Sect.
Moreover, this matter wasn’t particularly difficult for Zheng Fa:
After all, Elder Jiu and her dozens of disciples didn’t amount to much for the Jiushan Sect, let alone the Taishang Dao.
Elder Jiu might not be able to secure any true transmission of teachings, but getting a meal from the Tianghe Sect would certainly be no problem.
However... women really are changeable!
Seemingly sensing the surprise in Zheng Fa's eyes, Elder Jiu smiled shyly and said:
"I merely wish to preserve my life. You may not know, but most of those disciples are my relatives and kin... If the Heavenly God and Demonic Array is completed, I might be safe, but my kin may not be so fortunate."
"Relatives?"
"My surname is Ye."
Oh, the Ye from Ye Shimei.
This was something even Li Hao didn’t know. It was unclear whether Elder Jiu had kept it a secret well or if Li Hao was simply out of the loop.
"Then why didn’t you send Ye Shimei to Haori Mountain earlier... oh right, you were planning to run away."
At this point, Zheng Fa finally understood some of Elder Jiu's actions:
She was deeply rooted in her family, which made her a staunch "localist," and perhaps she had been dissatisfied with Haori Mountain from the start, contemplating a breakaway.
That was why she had been so indifferent when selecting disciples to go to Haori Mountain.
At that time, Zheng Fa thought it was just her favoritism towards those with better aptitude.
Later, perhaps his own actions made her suspicious, and she felt she had found an opportunity, thus paving the way for him.
Conversely, her initial choice of the Baixian Alliance was likely due to Haori Mountain's disregard for her kin.
Now that she had encountered the genuine high and mighty of the Taishang Dao, it was only natural for her to consider switching allegiances.
"I'm actually willing to help with that."
Though he had been rejected, Zheng Fa didn’t mind much.
Elder Jiu and her disciples were merely a handful, and their strength was neither a significant addition nor a loss to the current Jiushan Sect.
Moreover, a fruit that is forced to ripen is never sweet; a woman who has someone in her heart will eventually lead you to a barren land.
Zheng Fa had little interest.
"I need to ask the Taishang Dao. If they are willing, I will introduce you."
For Zheng Fa, Elder Jiu having a request was more reassuring than having none at all.
Elder Jiu was overjoyed at his words, bowing deeply to Zheng Fa, saying, "Thank you, Mengzhu!"
Zheng Fa raised his hand, signaling her to rise.
Elder Jiu straightened up, seemingly still a bit shy, and said:
"Mengzhu, your powers are unmatched, and you remain calm even in perilous situations. Unlike me, who, staying here on Divine Fire Mountain, feels like a thorn in my back, unable to sleep peacefully at night."
"This mountain's celestial sword is so fierce; if it were to strike one day, perhaps you could find a way to escape, but I would surely perish."
"The conflict between the Baixian Alliance and Haori Mountain... I am powerless to intervene, only wishing to preserve my life."
Zheng Fa understood she was explaining her fickleness, but he had to admit that this benefactor of his was quite clear-headed:
Haori Mountain disregarded the lives of her kin, and naturally, she felt discontent.
On the other hand, the Jiushan Sect seemed far weaker than Haori Mountain, making it hard for her to feel secure.
Moreover, with the conflict between the two factions, Divine Fire Mountain was bound to suffer.
From Elder Jiu's perspective, wanting to extricate herself, the Taishang Dao was indeed the best choice.
Zheng Fa pondered for a moment and voiced a thought that had been hidden in his heart: "Elder, may I propose another deal with you?"
"What kind of deal?"
"I want the transformation technique of Haori Mountain."
Elder Jiu looked puzzled.
Zheng Fa continued, "The very technique that Shi Nandang taught you, the true transmission of Haori Mountain."
Elder Jiu fell into contemplation, and after a moment, she replied, "How does Mengzhu wish to conduct this trade?"
"You give me the transformation technique, and I will make you a promise—should the Taishang Dao refuse to accept you, you can still rest easy on Divine Fire Mountain."
Elder Jiu's eyes widened, seemingly in disbelief.
Zheng Fa smiled gently, pointing a finger towards the sky.
Elder Jiu felt an extremely familiar killing intent pouring down from the mountaintop.
"Heaven... the Heavenly God and Demonic Array?"
Elder Jiu's voice trembled, her teeth chattering, feeling as if her life and death were entirely in Zheng Fa's hands.
What terrified her even more was that she sensed the changes in the array, yet the entire Divine Fire Mountain remained tranquil, as if no one had noticed anything amiss, exuding an eerie calm.
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