Chapter 613
“I, along with Tianhe, and…” The Jiu You Mo Zu paused for a moment before continuing, “We sit here every day, chatting, arguing—no, discussing philosophy.”
“Discussing philosophy, and then it turns into a fight. Afterward, Tianhe feels sorry. That mountain…” The leader of the Yan sect followed his gaze, and there it was—the mountain where the Tianhe sect’s scripture building stood. “The peak was originally missing a piece, and I fixed it. Can’t tell, right?”
“…”
“Tianhe’s craftsmanship is lacking.” Jiu You Mo Zu pointed at the foot of the mountain, curling his lip. “There used to be a mountain there too.”
Yan Zhangmen gazed at the flat farmland at the mountain's base, lost in thought.
“Yeah, he couldn’t fix it, and the more he tried, the uglier it got. Frustrated and embarrassed, he just leveled it with a sword.”
Yan Zhangmen finally understood what Jiu You Mo Zu had been looking at all along.
“You have your desires, but I have only one thought… This place, they don’t deserve it.”
……
“Are you saying my master is not in control of himself?”
Xie Qingxue had just returned to the Jiu Shan realm when she was stunned by what Zheng Fa had said.
Zheng Fa’s expression was serious; this was no trivial matter, possibly one of Tianhe sect’s deepest secrets.
“How did you find out?”
“Xie Xianzi, after you sent back the ‘Xian Sword Classic,’ we used the Nine Chapters Calculation Array to deduce it several times.” Zheng Fa pointed to his companion, Sister Zhang, and explained, “Originally, we wanted to find the method to control the Xian Sword, but unexpectedly…”
“We discovered that anyone who cultivates the ‘Xian Sword Classic’ will likely become… a furnace.”
Xie Qingxue’s face turned pale, disbelief etched on her features, yet she found herself murmuring, “No wonder, no wonder my master warned you not to cultivate the ‘Xian Sword Classic.’”
Seeing her like this, Zheng Fa tried to comfort her: “Since Yan Zhangmen has realized this, he must have broken free from control.”
Xie Qingxue furrowed her brows tightly. She took the jade tube containing the ‘Xian Sword Classic’ and immersed her consciousness within. Suddenly, she looked up and exclaimed, “This is very similar to the method of the Qingping Sword!”
“Why would I…”
Zheng Fa seemed to have anticipated this. He exchanged a glance with Sister Zhang and sighed, “Because the ancestral master of the Qingping lineage has truly passed away.”
Xie Qingxue shuddered, immediately grasping Zheng Fa’s meaning: “The ancestral masters of the four lineages have not died!”
Zheng Fa nodded gently:
“In the past, when I cultivated the ‘Jiu Shan Golden Core Method,’ you, Xie Xianzi, were somewhat under my control…”
“Which shows the Qingping Sword’s influence over you.”
“Whether in cultivation or the completeness of the technique, I cannot compare to the ancestral masters of your Tianhe sect.”
“The consequences of cultivating the ‘Xian Sword Classic’ are clear.”
Upon hearing this, Xie Qingxue felt no more hope: “So, all the past wielders of the four swords of the Tianhe sect have been like this?”
“The four ancestral masters of your sect, relying on the four swords, must at least possess Dao fruit strength. I doubt anyone could resist.”
Looking at the silent Xie Qingxue, Zheng Fa couldn’t help but sigh:
He had long known that the Tianhe sect lacked a fundamental great method, its inheritance differing from that of the demonic sect and the other four sects.
But after reading the ‘Xian Sword Classic,’ he finally understood the true nature of the Tianhe sect.
“Yang Shen Method, Demonic Sect Method, Tianhe Method…” He looked at the silent Xie Qingxue and shared his views on the three types of transformation methods, “The Yang Shen Method should be the source.”
“Source?”
“It should be. The Yang Shen Method is the original technique, and even the Divine Path Method might be interrelated with the Yang Shen Method.”
“The Tianhe Method has only existed for an era, and the Demonic Sect Method also constructs a corresponding nervous system.”
Thus, when Zheng Fa saw the Jiu Yao Yuan Shen, he felt that the Yang Shen Method was the simplest—because constructing a human body inherently requires establishing a corresponding nervous system.
“There are also some similar contents in the ‘Xian Sword Classic.’”
This point Zheng Fa had figured out—whether it was a nervous system or a spiritual energy network, it corresponded to the generation of consciousness or, in other words, wisdom.
“The difference lies in that the Yang Shen Method uses spiritual energy… or rather, the laws of heaven and earth, as the foundation for the Yuan Shen. The Jiu Yao Yuan Shen is based on fire-element spiritual energy. This is probably the origin of the name ‘transformation of the spirit,’ as it signifies a person mastering a certain law, transforming from a human into a divine being.”
“The transformation method may also share a common origin with the Divine Path Method.”
As a practitioner of the Tianhe sect’s transformation, Xie Qingxue nodded in agreement, pondering, “So, the four sects’ transformations I’ve seen are all like this.”
“We are quite familiar with the Demonic Sect Method; it constructs a powerful physical body through techniques, which is actually more complex than the Yang Shen Method, yet possesses some peculiar powers.”
“And… what about the Tianhe Method?”
“The Tianhe Method may not have been perfected.” Zheng Fa fell silent for a moment before speaking, “The foundation of this method is the magical treasure, essentially the process of merging the cultivator with the magical treasure.”
“During cultivation, one must ensure the power of the magical treasure while preserving the cultivator’s intelligence.”
“But if the magical treasure has its own intelligence, like the ancestral masters of your sect…”
Xie Qingxue’s expression grew increasingly grim.
Zheng Fa glanced at Sister Zhang and shared his thoughts: “Sister Zhang deduced that your sect’s four ancestral masters likely sought to perfect the Tianhe Method, which is why they chose this approach.”
“Generation after generation, selecting the most suitable hosts to refine the four swords of extermination, they naturally grew stronger.”
“It’s quite similar to my Qingping Sword, except the Qingping Sword is mindless and doesn’t affect my consciousness, but the four swords…” Xie Qingxue paused, murmuring, “No wonder my master said it was the Jiu You ancestor who awakened him.”
Upon hearing this, Zheng Fa remained silent for a moment before guessing, “Yan Zhangmen… is seeking freedom?”
Only this made sense of Yan Zhangmen’s various oddities and choices.
Seeing the worry still etched on Xie Qingxue’s face, Zheng Fa reassured her:
“Just from Yan Zhangmen’s arrangements for Yan Wushuang, he is definitely not a reckless person… Moreover, there’s also the Jiu You Mo Zu.”
Xie Qingxue was taken aback, feeling a bit less anxious…
The Jiu You Mo Zu was likely one of the most formidable figures in the Xuanwei realm for several epochs.
She looked at the jade tube containing the ‘Xian Sword Classic’ with a hint of disgust: “Not only is this technique incomplete, but… I never expected that among the three methods, our Tianhe sect’s technique would be even more insidious than the Demonic Sect’s.”
“Among the five sects of the world, the Tianhe Sword Dao, we disciples of Tianhe…”
“From the very beginning, it’s been a joke.”
“Xie Xianzi.” Zheng Fa pointed to the door, where Sister Zhang’s curious face peeked in, “This technique may hold no value for others, but for my Jiu Shan sect… it’s quite the opposite.”
We have a rather dim-witted ancestor!
……
“I’m going to cultivate the ‘Xian Sword Classic’?”
The Jiu Shan ancestor held the jade tube, looking bewildered at Zheng Fa.
“Not the ‘Xian Sword Classic,’ but rather using the ideas from the ‘Xian Sword Classic’ to perfect your path of transformation, Ancestor.”
“My path of transformation?”
“If we’re being honest, it’s actually more like Xie Xianzi’s.”
“Like me?” Xie Qingxue pointed at herself, still not understanding.
“You may not know, Xie Xianzi. The ancestor is not the main body but a split spirit of the Jiu Shan ancestor… and the ancestor achieved enlightenment as an anomaly, so the main body can actually be considered a type of magical treasure.”
Upon hearing this, Xie Qingxue understood:
“It’s somewhat similar… his main body is equivalent to the guardian ancestor.”
Zheng Fa chuckled and nodded.
The Tianhe Method is essentially aimed at turning people into spirit tools.
It may not be very suitable for cultivators.
But for the Jiu Shan ancestor’s situation, it was just right:
The Jiu Shan ancestor had failed in his attempt to transform, leaving only a split spirit in existence.
It was supposed to be a spirit tool, but the problem was that it lacked the permissions of a true spirit tool, making self-cultivation impossible, and due to incomplete consciousness, it was somewhat dim-witted…
“By using the Tianhe Method to completely merge the ancestor with the mountains and rivers, the ancestor can escape this awkward situation.”
Upon hearing this, the Jiu Shan ancestor understood, his face lighting up with joy as he clutched the ‘Xian Sword Classic,’ excitement shining in his eyes:
“I can transform into a spirit?”
“You were originally a spirit vein achieving enlightenment, and your accumulation of spiritual energy even exceeds that of an ordinary transformation.” Zheng Fa nodded, “As long as the hidden dangers of the split spirit are resolved, and the technique is correct, transformation… is within reach.”
“Technique?” Xie Qingxue asked curiously, “The ‘Xian Sword Classic’?”
Zheng Fa shook his head and smiled:
“The ‘Xian Sword Classic’ probably doesn’t match the ancestor well. Sister Zhang previously created a set of techniques to control the mountains and rivers.”
“At that time, Sister was able to unleash transformation-level combat power with her Nascent Soul body. That shows the potential of that technique.”
The Jiu Shan ancestor nodded repeatedly: “Yes, yes, that technique was derived from the runes of the true form of the mountains and rivers, and it’s extremely compatible with me.”
Xie Qingxue understood.
“You want to use that technique as a foundation?”
Zheng Fa glanced at Xie Qingxue and smiled, “At that time, Sister was limited by her vision and cultivation, and the technique she created was merely a prototype, far from complete.”
Table of Contents
