Chapter 662
"Zheng Fa said that I have made significant contributions to the *Huang Ting Jing* and that my good deeds should be remembered! Not only that, but he also plans to hold regular *Huang Ting Fa Hui* (Huang Ting Dharma Assemblies) in the future, inviting me to participate and refine this technique!"
As he spoke, he glared at Master Yan, his eyes filled with anger. "Zheng Fa trusts me more than you do!"
With that, Yan Wushuang's face quickly vanished from the mirror, seemingly unwilling to continue the conversation.
Master Yan was stunned for quite a while before slowly regaining his composure, turning his gaze toward the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor in the hall.
The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor remained silent, lost in thought, his expression betraying no hint of joy or anger.
Master Yan recalled the subtle offense in Yan Wushuang's words and felt a pang in his heart. He quickly said, "The boy is ignorant; he’s even wary of you, Demon Ancestor. How could he know that since the Divine Path Era, you have encountered countless divine skills and secret techniques?"
"Zheng Fa is merely at the Nascent Soul stage. No matter how marvelous his *Huang Ting Jing* is, the Demon Ancestor would hardly look down upon it..."
"Who says I look down upon it?" The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor looked at him, his eyes wide with surprise. "Wasn't I just waiting to hear it?"
Master Yan swallowed hard, his voice dry. "So you think this technique is genuine?"
"Don't you trust your own son?"
"Not exactly. It's just hard to believe that Zheng Fa could create such a technique. It’s truly unfathomable."
"According to your son, Zheng Fa is merely researching the *Huang Ting Jing* at the stage of transforming the spirit. There's nothing impossible about it." The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor raised his eyes to look outside the hall. "Moreover, I’ve heard similar ideas before."
"Heard of them?"
The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor gazed at the clouds drifting in the sky, his tone filled with nostalgia. "Tianhe once contemplated merging the three methods to take the next step. For that, he broke mountains and demolished temples, gathering techniques from all over the world."
Master Yan's expression grew increasingly unsettled. He asked, "Did the Ancestor succeed?"
"I don't know." The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor turned his head to look at Master Yan. "Neither of us knows the fundamental techniques of the other."
Master Yan nodded gently, fully understanding.
Even among Xuanwei cultivators, one would never reveal their most fundamental techniques to practitioners from other sects.
"However, I think he probably didn't succeed; otherwise, today's Xuanwei wouldn't be like this."
"The Demon Ancestor has a point."
The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor continued, "Compared to Zheng Fa, Tianhe... is too arrogant."
Upon hearing this, Master Yan understood the implication behind the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor's words:
The Ancestor's talents were certainly not inferior to anyone else's, but at the Nascent Soul stage, he could never merge the three methods, and he might never achieve that in his lifetime.
If there were any shortcomings compared to Zheng Fa, only the evaluation from the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor, an old acquaintance, would carry weight.
"He always thinks he can do it all by himself."
Master Yan fell silent. To be honest, cultivators have always trusted only themselves; it was no surprise that the Ancestor was the same.
The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor added, "Having never seen the *Huang Ting Jing*, I can't fully judge its success or failure, but this starting point might be more correct than both Tianhe and me."
"Your son has entered the Jiushan Realm; he truly has some luck."
Upon hearing this, Master Yan fell into deep thought, his expression wavering, gradually revealing a sense of determination.
...
At this moment, Zheng Fa was also pondering over Master Yan.
"If I want to perfect the *Huang Ting Jing*, I must enter seclusion." Zheng Fa frowned. "Even if it’s not a decades-long deadlock, I certainly can’t emerge every two months."
Sister Zhang and Elder Yuan sat in the room, also looking at the *Huang Ting Jing* on the table, their expressions troubled.
Sister Zhang nodded. "Completing a transformation experiment requires at least half a year... No, this *Huang Ting Jing* is complex; half a year might not be enough. I need more time, but how long I’ll need for seclusion is uncertain."
The so-called transformation experiment was Zheng Fa attempting a transformation according to the *Huang Ting Jing*.
If successful, that would be ideal.
If unsuccessful, it would have a significant impact on ordinary cultivators—at best, their cultivation would drop; at worst, their foundation would be severely damaged.
But for Zheng Fa, with the help of the Great Sun True Fire and the Jiushan Ancestor's support, neither posed a major problem.
The biggest issue was:
Constructing a Yang Spirit or Dharma Body was extremely complex.
And Zheng Fa was still merging the three methods; the intricacies of the *Huang Ting Jing* far exceeded those of other transformation techniques.
Thus, each experiment took an exceptionally long time.
The transformation process could not be interrupted, so he naturally could not leave seclusion.
This meant that if he wanted to conduct a transformation experiment, he couldn't visit the Chongxuan Sect every two months.
"There are two solutions," Sister Zhang said softly. "First, I can transform into Li Hao and go in your place."
Elder Yuan nodded, seemingly agreeing that this was a viable option.
Sister Zhang had also practiced the *Tiangang Dishan Transformation*. While her transformation skills might not match Zheng Fa's, becoming Li Hao was not too difficult.
If Sister Zhang were to take charge of the Heavenly and Earthly Divine Array, he would naturally feel at ease.
"The problem lies with the Xianjian." Zheng Fa thought for a moment, then said with concern, "The Xianjian can enter my sea of consciousness and is extremely distrustful of cultivators. If you go, Sister, she might discover my fears and complicate matters."
Sister Zhang frowned.
The spirit of the Xianjian was not always obedient—this unpredictable entity often had its own whims.
Currently, Zheng Fa was at the Divine Fire Mountain, and aside from Shi Nandang's demands, he was also focused on pacifying the Xianjian.
"More importantly, I’m at a critical stage of refining the Xianjian. I must control the Heavenly and Earthly Divine Array to prevent any issues at the last moment."
Sister Zhang was startled. "Is the Xianjian almost refined?"
"Yes, with the Xianjian spirit cooperating, the progress is rapid."
The Xianjian spirit did not resist being refined, allowing the progress of the Heavenly and Earthly Divine Array to accelerate:
Previously, Haori Mountain planned to take twenty years, but now, in less than ten years, the array would be connected to the Xianjian.
For this, Shi Nandang was overjoyed.
Not only him, but the three Nascent Souls and seven Transformation stage cultivators at the peak of the Divine Fire Mountain were also working harder, their enthusiasm growing day by day.
Thus, while Sister Zhang might have been able to substitute for Zheng Fa in the past, the risks were now significantly heightened.
From the perspective of the Xianjian, we had previously agreed to surrender to Zheng Fa, this old monster.
And now you send someone else?
When I surrendered, I never said I’d kneel to anyone else!
It was easy to imagine the Xianjian spirit's reaction.
Sister Zhang understood Zheng Fa's concerns and thought for a long time but found no solution.
Zheng Fa continued, "Actually, I had thought that if I could subdue the Xianjian and withstand the retaliation from Haori Mountain, then Jiushan Sect would have a long period of stability. At that time, entering seclusion would naturally be worry-free."
As soon as Zheng Fa said this, both of them immediately understood:
Strike first to avoid a hundred retaliations.
With the Xianjian in hand, Jiushan Sect would essentially have an additional true immortal. If they could fend off Haori Mountain, others would likely think twice before provoking them.
In the future, they wouldn’t have to be so anxious, even during seclusion.
The problem was that Haori Mountain had three Dao Fruits, and even with the Xianjian, Zheng Fa might not be able to withstand it.
At that point, he wouldn’t even be able to escape safely, let alone enter seclusion with peace of mind.
"So, the current issue isn't about cultivating the *Huang Ting Jing*, but how to deal with Haori Mountain after refining the Xianjian?"
Elder Yuan also understood.
While cultivating the *Huang Ting Jing* was indeed important, the matter of the Xianjian was the real headache.
"Of course, I could also make the Xianjian pretend to resist for another ten years... but that would still delay the progress of the *Huang Ting Jing*, and during those ten years, I would find it hard to enter seclusion—if Haori Mountain has other means, I need to respond quickly."
Ultimately, Jiushan Sect was too passive.
If Zheng Fa were in seclusion and Haori Mountain plotted against him again, he wouldn’t be able to react in time, and that would be the end.
Sister Zhang and Elder Yuan exchanged glances, and after a moment, Elder Yuan's expression turned somewhat guilty. "It seems Jiushan Sect cannot do without you; ultimately, it’s our incompetence."
This was indeed the case.
Not to mention anything else, if Zheng Fa entered seclusion, even if Sister Zhang could briefly control the Sun and Moon Bell, she wouldn’t be able to escape with the Jiushan Realm quickly.
If a great enemy arrived, the entire Jiushan Realm would be in danger.
At this point, even Zheng Fa had to admit that while Jiushan Sect was his support—without the collective efforts of these cultivators, the *Huang Ting Jing* would never have been completed so quickly—on the other hand, Jiushan Sect also left him feeling stretched thin.
Now, he found himself in a dilemma, unable to enter seclusion or subdue the Xianjian.
"Sister, can you calculate what kind of retaliation Haori Mountain might launch if I subdue the Xianjian early? What are our chances of winning?"
Upon hearing this, Sister Zhang took out the Feixian Brush and drew the innate Eight Trigrams in the air.
"...I can't calculate it."
Sister Zhang's face turned pale as she despondently said.
This was understandable; the problem was too complex.
After all, Haori Mountain was too powerful, and Sister Zhang was currently only at the Transformation stage. No matter how miraculous the innate Eight Trigrams were, it was difficult to predict the opponent's response.
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