Chapter 674
The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor is being a bit too arrogant this time, acting differently from usual... Could it be some special ritual?
...
The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor and the Tianhe Sect vanished into the vast sky.
At the peak of Shenhui Mountain, however, silence reigned.
Whether it was the fall of the Tianhe Sect or the declaration of the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor, both weighed heavily on everyone’s hearts, making it hard to breathe.
Only Zheng Fa seemed a bit more relaxed:
He didn’t believe in the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor; he just felt that this time, the Demon Ancestor wasn’t targeting him...
How to put it? The moment Zheng Fa saw the other party take out the Zhuxian Sword Array, he felt at ease: the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor must have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of Jiushan Sect; if he wanted to trap him, there was no need to go to such lengths.
But aside from Zheng Fa, who had dealt with the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor before, everyone else wore expressions of anxiety:
The people from Haori Mountain naturally feared following in the footsteps of the Tianhe Sect.
Even Elder Jiu, who felt little attachment to Haori Mountain, was wary of the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor due to the conflict between immortals and demons.
“What’s wrong with you all!”
Suddenly, Luo Sanxian shouted at the crowd.
Everyone looked up at him.
“The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor was so rampant that in the last era, he was hunted down by our four sects until he had nowhere to run!” Luo Sanxian seemed to have recovered from his initial shock.
“If he were hiding, that would be fine, but now that he has shown himself, he’s the next Great Freedom Demon Ancestor!”
“You all, as disciples of Haori, are so flustered; it shows your hearts still need refining.”
Whether what he said was true or not, it had to be said that his words instantly lightened the atmosphere on Shenhui Mountain.
Shi Nandang and the others felt a bit ashamed.
“I lost my composure.”
Luo Sanxian smiled slightly and suddenly pointed at Zheng Fa: “But you, calm and composed, well done.”
Hearing this, Shi Nandang looked at Zheng Fa, his eyes showing a hint of approval.
Zheng Fa blinked, puzzled:
What does your panic have to do with me, Zheng Fa of Jiushan?
“Reporting to the Master, this is Li Hao.”
“Oh?” Luo Sanxian seemed to recognize the name, narrowing his eyes and nodding slightly, “The Lu clan has indeed gained a talented individual.”
The others looked at Zheng Fa, their expressions varied, but there was a hint of envy in their eyes—clearly, this rising star, Li Hao, had caught the attention of Luo Sanxian.
Luo Sanxian didn’t pay much attention to Zheng Fa, merely mentioning him before shifting the topic back to the great array, saying, “You all see the might of the Zhuxian Sword Array, but you don’t know that their Xian Trap Sword is fake.”
“What we have here is the real deal.”
At this, everyone turned their gaze to the Xian Trap Sword in the mountain’s belly.
“A fake Xian Trap Sword can wield such power; a real one is a true treasure!” Luo Sanxian’s tone grew excited, “Once I refine this sword and destroy Jiushan Sect, I’ll go after the Tianhe Sect and see how it compares to the Xian Trap Sword in the Zhuxian Array.”
(End of this chapter)
---
**Chapter 472: Changing Perspectives, Thief Crying 'Stop Thief'**
Luo Sanxian’s expression was filled with anticipation.
From his expression, Zheng Fa could even read his ulterior motives:
Even if the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor had only harmed the Tianhe Sect, if Haori Mountain were to explode today, he wouldn’t let anything stop him from refining the Xian Trap Sword.
It was understandable; after all, Haori Mountain belonged to everyone, but the Xian Trap Sword was his own.
This thought wasn’t lost on Zheng Fa; he believed Shi Nandang and the others understood it to some extent as well, but no one dared to speak up.
Instead, Luo Sanxian furrowed his brow, seemingly recalling something, and asked Shi Nandang:
“Has the Heavenly God and Evil Spirit Great Array already connected with the Hundred Immortals Alliance’s spiritual veins?”
Shi Nandang nodded in response: “The Master knows that this array requires a massive amount of spiritual energy to refine the Xian Trap Sword. We’ve been here for over a decade, connecting the array with the spiritual veins beneath the Hundred Immortals Alliance.”
Still not reassured, Luo Sanxian slightly closed his eyes, a red light shooting from his head, flying into the mouth of Shenhui Mountain, seemingly to probe the condition of the underground spiritual veins.
After a while, the red light flew back into Luo Sanxian’s body.
He opened his eyes and smiled, “You’ve worked hard.”
Shi Nandang let out a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on his face.
Then, Luo Sanxian said, “In that case, you should head east for three hundred miles.”
“Master?”
“If something happens to the Hundred Immortals Alliance’s spiritual veins, Zheng Fa will surely come looking for trouble. At that time, it will be a critical moment for refining the Xian Trap Sword, and I won’t be able to escape.”
“…”
“Stop Zheng Fa for a moment.”
Upon hearing this, Shi Nandang’s expression became almost painfully stiff.
Even Zheng Fa couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for him:
How tragic.
Now he understood why Luo Sanxian had pulled Shi Nandang out of the array as soon as he arrived—accomplishments were secondary; the main reason was that stopping Jiushan Sect was a life-threatening task.
Among those present, aside from Luo Sanxian, oh, and Zheng Fa himself, who else could stop Zheng Fa?
Shi Nandang had seen Zheng Fa before and certainly had his own assessment of Zheng Fa’s strength; he knew full well that whoever took on this task was walking into a death trap!
“Master, I really…”
“I know it’s a bit difficult for you.”
Shi Nandang pressed his lips together, his expression saying three words—“a bit difficult?”
“But the sect has trained you for so many years; it’s time for you to give back.”
“…”
“As long as you can hold Zheng Fa off for a moment, once I refine the Xian Trap Sword, I will surely come to your aid.”
“…”
Seeing Shi Nandang’s face, Zheng Fa guessed he wanted to say he couldn’t hold him off at all.
“Here’s the plan: you!” Unexpectedly, Luo Sanxian pointed at Zheng Fa, then nodded at the nearby Master Chongxuan and Elder Jiu, saying, “You three will go with Shi Nandang.”
Shi Nandang fell silent for a moment, finally seeming to resign himself, bowing to Luo Sanxian and leading the three out of Shenhui Mountain.
The four flew in silence until they had traveled over two hundred miles, landing on a mountaintop facing the direction of the Hundred Immortals Alliance.
“Master…” Seeing Shi Nandang remain silent, Master Chongxuan spoke up, “What should we do?”
Shi Nandang glanced at him, probably noticing the fear on his face, realizing that Master Chongxuan was also afraid of Zheng Fa’s attack. He chuckled lightly, a hint of emotion in his voice:
“Fate really plays tricks on us. I used to regard those Chongxuan disciples as mere grass dogs, but I never expected that Master Luo would treat us the same way.”
Seeing his expression, Master Chongxuan dared not speak.
But Shi Nandang continued with a smile, “Li Hao, what that disciple named Ye said does hold some truth.”
“Ah?”
“If we don’t know how Jiushan Sect operates, then we, Haori Mountain, are indeed unworthy of the name of the Five Sects.”
...Another storybook thought process.
However, Zheng Fa knew that Shi Nandang wouldn’t truly believe in the storybook, but the various concepts and current situations of Jiushan in the Jiushan news were the key points.
In the past, Shi Nandang would never have such sentiments; he had always taken pride in the Lu clan, viewing himself highly.
But at the moment Luo Sanxian asked him to stop Zheng Fa, some things quietly shattered.
People like Shi Nandang, who had long been accustomed to the ways of Haori Mountain, even relishing them, naturally couldn’t empathize with Junior Sister Ye. Yet today, he had to admit that everyone was not so different after all.
Let’s talk about changing perspectives; if you can’t change your mind, switching positions yields the same effect.
His face was filled with frustration and despair, and others naturally didn’t dare to speak out. They only heard Shi Nandang suddenly look at Zheng Fa and say, “Looks like I’ve dragged you into this.”
Zheng Fa was taken aback, then quickly understood what Shi Nandang meant:
Shi Nandang had let Elder Ba take his place to manage the Chongxuan Sect disciples, which was indeed a kind gesture, but it backfired; Elder Ba, burdened with a task, could remain at Shenhui Mountain.
While Zheng Fa could only follow Shi Nandang to act as the sacrificial squad...
Under Shi Nandang’s gaze, Zheng Fa merely cupped his hands in response, his face showing no resentment.
Shi Nandang was momentarily stunned, looking at Zheng Fa with a bit more respect, even feeling a touch of gratitude...
Zheng Fa had no idea what Shi Nandang was imagining. He gazed in the direction of Shenhui Mountain, thinking to himself:
I’m already this far away; if something goes wrong with the Xian Trap Sword, it can’t be blamed on me.
Seeing him looking at Shenhui Mountain, Shi Nandang assumed he was concerned about the Heavenly God and Evil Spirit Great Array and stood beside him, also gazing towards Chongxuan.
At this moment, the mist atop the mountain had long dissipated, and Shenhui Mountain towered into the clouds. Despite being three hundred miles away, they could still see the general situation of the array.
Shi Nandang was also quite familiar with the Heavenly God and Evil Spirit Great Array; at a glance, he could tell how far Luo Sanxian and the others had progressed.
“There’s still the time it takes to burn an incense stick before the array will activate the Hundred Immortals Alliance’s spiritual veins,” Shi Nandang said, pausing for a moment, lowering his voice, “At that time, it will be the most dangerous moment for us.”
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