Chapter 639
There are many issues with the Broken Door Sect:
The atmosphere is poor, the system is unfair, and there are even hidden corruptions within, leaving the disciples in a state of anxiety.
But what does that have to do with him?
He was already too busy with matters in the Jiushan Realm.
Yet, oddly enough, among the cultivators above the Nascent Soul stage in the Chongxuan Sect, he was the only one available to handle affairs.
So, of course, that group of disciples would bring all sorts of matters to him.
Looking at the jade tubes piled on his desk, Zheng Fa felt a headache coming on. After pondering for a while, he sent a message:
"Come to me."
After a moment, the voice of his junior sister Ye came from the entrance of the cave:
"Fourth Senior Brother, are you looking for me?"
"Come in."
Ye stepped into the cave and bowed to Zheng Fa, her demeanor more respectful than before.
"I have some supplies I took from the Jiushan Sect. Help me go to the Tongshi Cave and exchange them for spirit materials," Zheng Fa instructed.
This side job was his only source of extra income, and Zheng Fa valued it greatly.
A flicker of something unidentifiable crossed Ye's eyes, but she silently accepted the storage bag.
"Also, I need to go down the mountain again. I have to go to the peak every two months, and I really can't manage everything," Zheng Fa continued. "Find a few trustworthy people to help me with the sect's miscellaneous affairs."
This was the main reason he had called Ye here:
For Zheng Fa, time was tight, and he didn't want to be bothered with these trivial matters, so he simply needed a secretary.
"Me?" Ye replied, a hint of disbelief in her voice. "Senior Brother, can I really do it?"
"Of course you can. It's just managing mundane affairs; there's no need for fighting or killing, and it doesn't depend on cultivation level."
Zheng Fa looked at Ye, feeling indifferent.
He just wanted to avoid being troubled by these matters he didn't care about.
Ye lowered her voice, "…Alright."
Seeing her agree, Zheng Fa felt a flicker of joy in his heart and encouraged her, "Do well, and don't worry. If anyone gives you trouble, just send them to me."
Hearing this, Ye silently pressed her lips together, and after a moment of silence, she replied, "I understand."
……
"Sister… Sister? Li Senior Brother trusts you this much?"
Looking at the mountain of jade tubes on the table, the female disciple who had eavesdropped with her earlier looked astonished, almost unable to believe her eyes.
"Li Senior Brother is a true cultivator; power means nothing to him," Ye shook her head, sighing.
"But this is the authority of the Sect Leader. For him to entrust it to you means he values you highly… Why not persuade him?"
Ye fell silent for a long time, unable to find the words.
"Sister?"
Seeing her complex expression, the female disciple asked.
Ye took out a storage bag and showed it to her, sighing, "This is the spirit materials Li Senior Brother took from the Hundred Immortals Alliance. Each time, it’s more than the last. This time, the disciples at the Tongshi Cave couldn't even provide a reward and said to wait a couple of days."
The female disciple's expression also turned conflicted upon hearing this.
After a long silence, she quietly remarked, "Li Senior Brother not only has great talent, but his character is also admirable. Even with power, he doesn't act like a petty person. He has a broad mind and dares to delegate authority; he’s simply exceptional."
Ye nodded gently in agreement.
"The only downside… is that he’s a bit too loyal to the Chongxuan Sect."
……
The overly loyal Zheng Fa ascended to the mountain peak once more.
He had to bring the trapped Immortal Sword back home.
(End of this chapter)
**Chapter 455: The Virtue of Life, Inner Sect Interview**
Regardless of the turmoil below, the scenery at the peak of Shenhuo Mountain remained unchanged.
As Zheng Fa climbed the mountain, Shi Nandang didn’t ask a single question about the sect's situation. He merely pointed to a pale-faced Transformation Stage cultivator beside him, not even uttering a word.
Zheng Fa leaped into the formation, taking the place of the Transformation Stage cultivator, and together they controlled the Great Formation of Heaven and Earth.
He scanned the crowd and saw that everyone looked haggard and dispirited.
Elder Jiu, the Sect Leader of Chongxuan, and two Transformation Stage cultivators were meditating outside the formation. Upon seeing Zheng Fa arrive, Elder Jiu slumped to the ground, opened his eyes, and managed a weak smile.
But that smile faded almost instantly, clearly a struggle.
No wonder they didn’t care about the Chongxuan Sect.
Don’t ask; just know that they were like machines on an assembly line, their minds clear, having long forgotten worldly ties.
Of course, the main reason was their confidence— they viewed the disciples of Chongxuan Sect as mere tools, like ants, and naturally didn’t care.
To Shi Nandang, the disciples of Chongxuan were just tools:
They only needed to carve spirit stones, harass the Hundred Immortals Alliance, and eventually line up to become nourishment for the Great Formation of Heaven and Earth.
As for anything else, he probably cared even less than Zheng Fa did.
Since no one had the energy to engage with him, Zheng Fa didn’t say much either. He simply followed the volcanic rim, gazing into the mountain's depths.
Shi Nandang and the others were clearly making some progress.
The spiritual energy contained in the earth fire was much denser than before.
The fierce flames roared, making the air hiss, as if Shenhuo Mountain was roaring in anger.
The trapped Immortal Sword in the mountain's depths seemed to sense the danger, struggling more violently. Zheng Fa felt that operating the formation this time was three times more exhausting than before.
It was likely that the fatigue of these Transformation Stage cultivators was also to suppress the resistance of the Immortal Sword.
Currently, Zheng Fa actually had two plans for dealing with the Immortal Sword:
One plan was, of course, to heal its mental split like the ancestor of Jiushan had done.
But there were two major problems with this:
First, Zheng Fa's cultivation level was insufficient. The Immortal Sword was, after all, a true immortal treasure, and the gap in strength between it and Zheng Fa was vast. It wasn’t something he could just refine at will.
Even with the Great Formation of Heaven and Earth, he had little confidence.
The second problem was even more troublesome:
He lacked the means to control the Immortal Sword.
The Immortal Sword was different from the Fusang Wood and the Qingping Sword; it had a complete consciousness and considerable power.
If he healed the sword and it turned against him, he would be at a significant loss.
Thus, this plan was fraught with risks.
The second plan was simpler:
Imitating the approach of Haori Mountain, he could erase the Immortal Sword's intelligence altogether, thus achieving control over it.
Thanks to the efforts of Haori Mountain, this method had already been refined.
In essence, it involved using the fundamental techniques of Haori Mountain to reforge the Immortal Sword, designed in such a way that it would retain most of its power while also becoming obedient.
By leveraging the stones of Haori Mountain and utilizing the Nine Chapters Calculation Array, Zheng Fa felt confident he could take over.
However, as he looked at the Immortal Sword, his brow furrowed slightly.
In that case, the Immortal Sword wouldn’t be the problem.
The real trouble lay with Haori Mountain.
Even if Haori Mountain was foolish, they would eventually realize they had lost the Immortal Sword.
At that point, the Jiushan Sect would have to face the furious retaliation of two true immortals and one scattered immortal, three Dao Fruits in a frenzy.
And by then, the Immortal Sword would undoubtedly have lost some of its power. Zheng Fa didn’t understand it deeply, but from the situation with the Qingping Sword, it was clear that without Xie Qingxue as the sword spirit, the Qingping Sword could not unleash its full potential.
When that time came, facing three Dao Fruits, how much power could an Immortal Sword that might have dropped a rank truly exert? That remained a question.
In simple terms, whether or not there was a sword spirit greatly affected the value of the Immortal Sword.
One of these two options had to be chosen; doing nothing was the worst choice.
Once the Great Formation of Heaven and Earth was completed and the Immortal Sword was refined by Haori Mountain, Zheng Fa would have no means to fight back.
After much contemplation, the most ideal choice remained to heal the Immortal Sword, preserving its true immortal treasure power while also being able to control it—
In this way, the Jiushan Realm would gain a true immortal combat force, alongside the Fusang Wood, the Qingjing Bamboo, the Qingping Sword, and the Wan Yao Banner, surpassing even the Great Freedom Demon Sect of yore.
Killing Haori Mountain might be a bit difficult, but merely seeking self-preservation had a fair chance of success.
Healing the Immortal Sword required not only perfecting the refining technique but also the cooperation of the sword spirit, and it was crucial that the spirit didn’t turn against him, which was no small challenge.
After all, for someone at the Nascent Soul level like him to gain the loyalty of a true immortal treasure was quite a mismatch.
……
Zheng Fa stood in the void, sensing the agitation of the Immortal Sword spirit. Seeing no abnormalities in his sea of consciousness, he felt somewhat reassured:
Given the urgency of the Immortal Sword at this moment, if it could invade his sea of consciousness, it probably would have lost control by now.
The fact that the sword spirit was not present now meant it could only communicate with cultivators practicing the "Immortal Sword Classic"!
At the very least, he didn’t have to worry about the sword spirit leaking secrets.
……
The mist at the mountain peak quietly concealed Zheng Fa's fluctuations. He operated his spiritual power according to the "Immortal Sword Classic."
In just a moment, a childish voice echoed in his sea of consciousness:
"Help me out! I’m uncomfortable!"
The Immortal Sword spirit suddenly burst into Zheng Fa's sea of consciousness. She still wore a black dress, her hair in two pigtails, her round face scrunched up in pain, and her eyes brimming with tears.
It was clear that she was in even more agony than the last time they met.
Indeed, this sword spirit could only resonate with those who practiced the "Immortal Sword Classic."
Zheng Fa pondered silently, not speaking, but the Immortal Sword spirit had already changed: her expression turned cold and fierce as she looked at Zheng Fa, her eyes aged and murky, her voice hoarse and frail:
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