Chapter 653
**Chapter 462: The Hall of Devouring Master, Two Strange Phenomena**
In the Jiushan Realm, Xie Qingxue felt a twinge of confusion and asked Zheng Fa, “What’s the deal with the Jiuyou Mozu being so secretive?”
Zheng Fa noticed the concern etched on her face and paused for a moment before Xie Qingxue continued, “My master is currently collaborating with him, but I really don’t understand his true intentions…”
“Perhaps he’s trying to lead my master astray.”
Zheng Fa nodded, grasping the implication behind her words. They both understood that what the current leader Yan sought was likely to break free from the control of the Four Ancestors.
However, the Jiuyou Mozu was too enigmatic, leaving Xie Qingxue feeling uneasy.
Holding the Zao Hua Yu Tie (the Jade Tablet of Creation), Zheng Fa shook his head slightly and sighed, “The Jiuyou Mozu has an extraordinary vision.”
“Hmm?”
“He probably doesn’t harbor any ill intentions towards your master; rather, it seems he wants…” Zheng Fa’s tone carried uncertainty, “to achieve a cybernetic enlightenment?”
Xie Qingxue’s expression grew even more puzzled.
But Zheng Fa didn’t elaborate further—after all, this was merely speculation, and even he wasn’t entirely confident, just a flicker of an idea in his mind.
If the Mozu was indeed thinking along those lines, his perspective on new things was truly impressive—considering that the Tongjian (the Comprehensive Mirror) had only just emerged, the Jiuyou Mozu must have had it for only a few months.
Yet, this realization gave him a bit more assurance: at least Zheng Fa felt confident that until the Jiuyou Mozu got what he wanted, he would likely still stand with the Jiushan Sect.
Seeing him fall silent, Xie Qingxue didn’t press further, only sighing, “I never expected Haori Mountain to have such a backstory…”
Zheng Fa felt a weight in his heart; if one were to calculate, the major powers in the Xuanwei Realm were likely all former overlords from previous epochs.
The Four Sects originated from the first three epochs.
The Thirteen Mozu ruled the fourth epoch.
The Tianhe Sect dominated the fifth epoch.
What was terrifying was, as the Jiuyou Mozu had said, because of the immortality of Dao fruits, these powers would only grow stronger, never fading.
Facing such indomitable foes, anyone would feel a headache.
---
Recently, Shi Nandang was also suffering from a headache, and it was a physical one.
“What’s up with the Xianjian (Sword of Immortal Traps) these days? It’s so unruly!”
He and the other six Huashen (Transformation) experts surrounded the entrance of Huoshen Mountain, their fingers swiftly drawing symbols, surrounded by swirling starlight.
Streams of spiritual power surged from the great array of celestial spirits, flowing into the mountain’s belly.
The earth fire within the mountain erupted, coalescing into a black-red fire dragon that shot up into the sky.
The fire dragon twisted and turned in mid-air, its robust body entwined with the might of heaven and earth, tightly wrapping around a black immortal sword.
Yet the Xianjian was now in a fierce rage, refusing to yield, its sword energy slicing through the air, causing the fire dragon to emit mournful cries.
The seven Huashen experts around them had pale faces, devoid of vitality, their veins bulging, and red streaks in their eyes—far from the calm demeanor expected of Transformation experts.
“What’s wrong with the Xianjian? It’s gone mad!”
“It’s been screaming for forty-nine days! We haven’t had a moment’s rest! At this rate, we can’t hold on much longer!”
Shi Nandang glanced down and saw that the three disciples of Chongxuan had already collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily, clearly not much help.
“Where’s Li Hao? Get him up here now!”
He shouted to Elder Jiu.
Elder Jiu pointed into the void, sending a message talisman flying down the mountain.
---
“Li Hao! Damn it, Li Hao! These blind fools!”
Inside the Xianjian, an old man’s voice erupted in anger.
A woman replied, “What are you so mad about? Even if you shout for a hundred years, they still won’t understand!”
“What do you suggest we do? Are you willing to be controlled by that person?”
“…”
“I know some of you are tempted, but think about it—doesn’t he just want us to kill each other?” the old man continued, “Jianling (Sword Spirit), I’m talking to you. Haven’t you suffered enough under the Ancestor?”
A youthful voice responded, “I… I can’t do anything.”
“Whether you can or not, when have those damn cultivators ever been trustworthy?”
“Don’t forget, we were cultivators too.”
“Exactly! That’s why I know them best!”
“…”
“So what do you propose? He can control the array; what can we do?”
The old man seemed to have already thought this through:
“True, he can control the array, but his cultivation level shouldn’t be that high…”
“How do you figure?”
“At the peak of Huoshen Mountain, there are only these few Huashen… His hiding and showing himself clearly indicates he has his concerns.”
“That makes some sense.”
The old man added, “Moreover, he wants us to offer up our secret techniques, as if he doesn’t know how to control us at all.”
“Are you saying we’ve been tricked? But…”
The old man interrupted, “No buts! We have two choices: first, we obediently offer our secret techniques, and only one of us will survive, and even that one won’t be free.”
“Second, we all offer up fake secret techniques. No matter what he chooses, there will be flaws left behind. We wait for the last moment to turn the tables; perhaps there’s still a glimmer of hope!”
“You decide!”
---
“Li Hao is here?”
Zheng Fa broke through the mist and heard Shi Nandang say quickly, “Hurry! Enter the array!”
He glanced at the array, leaping up to replace a swaying Huashen expert, as Shi Nandang’s voice rang in his ears: “The Xianjian has been acting strangely these days, growing increasingly agitated, as if the Sword Spirit is resisting the array.”
---
Inside the array, Shi Nandang was focused, his hand gestures never ceasing, his eyes fixed on the Xianjian, filled with worry.
The Xianjian had been unruly lately; even the seven Huashen struggled to control it. Now that Li Hao had taken over, he naturally felt anxious.
After all, while Li Hao had decent talent, he was still just in the Yuanying (Nascent Soul) stage. If his strength fell short and something went wrong with the array, Shi Nandang couldn’t bear the consequences.
The Xianjian continued to struggle, seemingly even more fiercely than before, which made his heart sink. He couldn’t help but glance at Li Hao.
To his surprise, Li Hao was also looking at the Xianjian, his eyes… curious, playful, and eager to try.
Shi Nandang felt puzzled, but then he saw Li Hao’s gaze suddenly calm, his expression serious, as if he was concentrating on operating the array to refine the sword.
The Xianjian seemed to tire a bit, falling into a brief moment of stillness.
Shi Nandang felt a flicker of hope, dismissing Li Hao’s expression from his mind, his fingers dancing as he tried to push the Xianjian back into the volcano.
What he didn’t realize was that the key to subduing the Xianjian no longer lay within the array, but rather in Zheng Fa’s sea of consciousness.
---
“How is it?”
Looking at the Xianjian spirit in his sea of consciousness, Zheng Fa’s eyes sparkled with a smile, his tone leisurely.
Asking the Jiuyou Mozu about the secret techniques was, of course, a precaution.
Playing tricks could be effective, but it also carried risks—schemes could never compensate for the gap in strength.
He was merely in the Yuanying stage, while the Xianjian was akin to a true immortal; the disparity in cultivation was immense.
Zheng Fa had to be cautious.
“I… you mean to leave one of us?” the sword spirit asked in a childish voice, “Any one of us will do?”
“Whichever one offers the better secret technique and is willing to obey, I’ll keep.” Zheng Fa paused, looking at the sword spirit, and added, “As the original sword spirit, you have the strongest control over the Xianjian, so naturally, I favor you the most.”
A flicker of excitement crossed the sword spirit’s youthful face, but it quickly turned serious.
“You know our origins?”
The old man’s voice suddenly rang out.
“Of course I do.” Zheng Fa looked at the sword spirit, his eyes filled with a hint of sympathy. “The Tianhe Sect’s generations of prodigies, the previous master of the Xianjian…”
“You! Truly! Know!”
The old man enunciated each word, as if each one was laced with blood and tears, filled with deep-seated hatred.
The hatred was not directed at Zheng Fa, but rather at the ancestor of the Xianjian lineage.
The woman’s voice echoed, filled with despair: “Back then, we thought we were favored by the ancestor, blessed with a great destiny… Little did we know, little did we know…”
“Ancestor, you deceived us so cruelly!”
Zheng Fa felt a pang of sympathy in his heart.
This was also why the leader of Tianhe, Yan, was so resolute in his rebellion: without the Jiuyou Mozu to awaken them, if they continued their cultivation, he and these sword spirits would likely meet the same fate.
The Tianhe Sect had no fundamental great law.
This meant that the four ancestors of the Tianhe Sect could not control or even absorb the cultivation achievements of their disciples like other Dao fruit cultivators.
They couldn’t even free themselves from the shackles of the Zhuxian Sijian (Four Swords of Extermination)—
Zheng Fa had his own suspicions about this:
If the Tianhe Zun (Respectable One) were present, they likely wouldn’t be in such an awkward position. After all, the Zhuxian Sijian was cultivated by the Tianhe Zun, and the Tianhe Law was created by him; he wouldn’t let his disciples fall into a situation where they had no way forward.
But these disciples had rebelled.
Thus, the Tianhe Law was, in fact, an incomplete method.
After the Taishang Dao Yang Shen (Supreme Dao Yang Spirit), there was the possibility of corpse transformation.
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