Chapter 684
After three breaths, Zheng Fa's entire body surged with spiritual energy, and the light of the "Qingping Sword" flared up again, even brighter than before. This was no act—
After striking Luo Sanxian once, Zheng Fa and the spirit of the Xianjian had indeed grown more in sync, gaining a deeper understanding of how to wield the sword.
In this sense, Luo Sanxian's receiving that blow was worth it...
As Zheng Fa fully recovered, Yun Zhenxian's advancing figure came to a complete halt. He looked at Zheng Fa, silently assessing him, his face filled with hesitation.
His gaze swept over Zheng Fa and unexpectedly landed on the listless Jiu Shan Zushi, confusion evident in his eyes:
It was clear that this technique of rapidly charging in mid-air was unprecedented in the Xuanwei realm, leaving this ancient true immortal in awe.
Zheng Fa, holding the "Qingping Sword," looked at Yun Zhenxian, feeling even more confident than before:
According to Sister Zhang's calculations, his chances of escaping were quite good.
Since the appearance of the Xianjian at the Chongxuan Sect, the strengths of Jiu Shan Sect and Haori Mountain had never been so closely matched!
Feeling the battle intent in Zheng Fa's heart, the sharpness of the "Qingping Sword" grew even more radiant, as if in response.
The more unafraid Zheng Fa appeared, the more tightly Yun Zhenxian's brows furrowed, as if he were hesitating. He gazed at the immortal sword in Zheng Fa's hand, his expression revealing a hint of wariness.
Zheng Fa was puzzled; why was this Haori Mountain Daoist so cautious?
Yun Zhenxian's face was a whirlwind of thoughts, and after a moment, he turned to look towards Haori Mountain, anger flashing across his face. He then glanced back at Zheng Fa and unexpectedly retreated into the air.
In the blink of an eye, the dark clouds dispersed, and the world was clear again.
Xie Qingxue murmured, “...He ran away?”
Zheng Fa was also somewhat baffled. When Yun Zhenxian arrived, he was so imposing, yet he left so decisively?
Was his killing of Luo Sanxian such a shock to him?
Though confused, he exchanged glances with Sister Zhang and the others, and couldn’t help but smile:
We won!
...
“This...”
In the Tianchi waters, the old man gaped, staring at the light screen where Zheng Fa and the others were smiling at each other, utterly dumbfounded, unable to utter a word.
At this moment, the head of Mingde was not in the mood to enjoy the spectacle; he too stared blankly at the light screen, his eyes glazed over, unable to process what had just happened.
Everything had unfolded too quickly:
Zheng Fa had somehow regained his power, appearing even stronger than before.
Even more bizarre was that the Haori Mountain's Yun Zhenxian had retreated without a fight, not uttering a single word.
He had truly lost face.
This sudden turn of events left him at a loss.
Jiang Chengkong spoke up, “Was it Zheng Fa's sword that was so powerful that it made Yun Zhenxian retreat?”
Mingde nodded, feeling there was some truth to it. He then looked at the old man, whose face was a mix of embarrassment and a hint of fear.
It seemed he regretted his earlier words.
The group discussed the matter in the pavilion, but they couldn’t figure out the reason. Yet everyone knew that Zheng Fa's sword had slain Luo Sanxian and forced Yun Zhenxian to retreat—both were earth-shattering events.
The situation in Xuanwei was likely to become even more complex.
Though they were all in the Transformation Stage, once high and mighty, they now found it hard to see the future.
“That Yun fellow sure came back quickly.”
A voice suddenly echoed in the pavilion.
The six of them stood up in unison, respectfully saying, “Li Zushi!”
A stream of purple energy surged into the pavilion, dissipating to reveal a disheveled middle-aged figure—it was the Taishang Daoist Li Shangxian, who had previously attended the Six Sects Alliance meeting.
Tongming Shangren felt a stir in his heart: “Just now, did the Zushi mean that Yun Zhenxian refers to the one from Haori Mountain?”
Li Shangxian nodded.
“Zushi, you just...”
“I went to Haori Mountain for a visit.”
The six Transformation Stage cultivators in the pavilion widened their eyes in shock.
“Unfortunately, the formation at Haori Mountain is formidable, and that Yun fellow returned extremely quickly.”
Now everyone understood why Yun Zhenxian had fled so fast.
“Zushi, are you thinking...?”
“Haori Mountain is rarely so empty, and Luo is still in slumber, while Lu is at the Thunder Sound Temple,” Li Shangxian said matter-of-factly. “If I could subdue Haori Mountain, Luo wouldn’t know how long it would take to reconstitute his immortal body, and Lu’s Golden Immortal would be hopeless…”
“For us at Taishang Dao, this is truly a great opportunity.”
The old man laughed suddenly, “Yun Zhenxian’s retreat without a fight isn’t because Zheng Fa is too powerful, but rather thanks to you, Li Shangxian? In that case, shouldn’t Jiu Shan Sect be grateful to us?”
It was clear that he felt more confident now, as if he had regained the superiority of being a cultivator from the Five Sects.
“Grateful? Grateful for what?” Li Shangxian looked puzzled. “I’m just a scattered immortal; I can’t even kill Luo.”
“…”
“If that Yun fellow comes back, I’ll run away immediately…”
“Who’s grateful to whom?”
The old man was taken aback, realizing:
It seemed... Zheng Fa didn’t really fear Yun Zhenxian.
Instead, it had created a great opportunity for Taishang Dao, but Li Zushi’s strength was a bit lacking, preventing him from achieving any merit.
“By the way.” Li Shangxian hadn’t come here just to discuss this; he added, “Prepare a gift list.”
“A gift list?”
Li Shangxian took out a green scroll from his sleeve and said, “The decree from the Xuan Ding Zushi instructs me to bring people to visit Jiu Shan Sect.”
“…”
“Visit? Zushi, you’re going?”
The old man asked in surprise, clearly feeling that Li Shangxian’s status was too high, and that it was a bit too much to take the initiative to visit.
But Li Shangxian, unaware of his earlier evaluation of Zheng Fa, misunderstood: “Do you want to go too?”
He frowned, seeming a bit troubled.
“Let Mingde go instead; you don’t know Zheng Fa, and it would be a bit abrupt to go unannounced.”
Mingde noticed the old man’s face turning various shades, and couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly. Li Zushi meant no malice; he merely pointed out a harsh reality:
Given what Zheng Fa had accomplished today, the position of the sixth sect in Xuanwei was finally secure—so much so that even Xuan Ding Zushi and Li Zushi had changed their previous stance of merely observing, now subtly hinting at a desire to befriend.
And this oldest Transformation Stage cultivator from Taishang Dao... seemed a bit unqualified to casually meet Zheng Fa in Li Shangxian’s eyes.
(End of this chapter)
---
Chapter 478: Joy of Jiu Shan, Transformation Stage Approaches
On the Joyous Land Island of Jiu Shan Realm, the Ninth Elder of Chongxuan Sect, Bi Xia, walked through the crowd with several disciples.
Around them was a scene of festive celebration.
Disciples of the sect, families from Joyous Land Island, and even mortals who had been admitted to vocational colleges from the mundane world were all mingling together in the largest square of Joyous Land Island, laughing and having a good time, regardless of their backgrounds or cultivation levels.
All the shops in the market had closed for the day.
However, the shopkeepers were not resting; instead, they had set up various stalls in the square, displaying a dazzling array of goods, calling out with a variety of enticing shouts:
“Grilled Spirit Fish! Deep-sea spirit fish, personally raised by Elder Jiao Wujie, developed with love by Yuan Xianzi!”
“New-style flying swords for trial flights! Come try the flying swords!”
Sister Ye followed closely behind Elder Bi Xia, never having seen such a lively scene before. She looked around, her eyes wide with wonder.
Seeing her like this, Elder Bi Xia couldn’t help but chuckle and said, “If you want to play, go ahead for a while.”
Sister Ye’s face showed a flicker of excitement, but she bit her lip: “Disciple... I’m a bit short on spirit stones.”
Elder Bi Xia was at a loss for words:
These disciples had survived, which was certainly fortunate, and it was Zheng Fa’s kindness.
The problem was that they had once felt their lives were hanging by a thread, spending spirit stones like water.
Now, they were alive, but the spirit stones were gone.
At least in Jiu Shan Sect, they still had food...
“It’s free.”
Elder Bi Xia shook her head and smiled.
“Free?” Sister Ye was taken aback. She pointed at the hundreds of stalls, incredulous: “You mean we can eat and drink for free?”
“Zheng Fa told me that for this ten-day celebration, the sect is footing the bill.”
Hearing this, the Chongxuan disciples behind Elder Bi Xia couldn’t help but start whispering among themselves:
“Zheng Zhangmen is really generous.”
“I told you, those stories were true! They were just too conservative in their writing.”
“How come all the good things fall to these Jiu Shan disciples?”
Listening to her disciples’ chatter, Elder Bi Xia noticed Sister Ye’s face was a mix of envy and hesitation, and couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong?”
“I... I’m not a disciple of Jiu Shan Sect.”
“Do you think I brought you here for what?”
“Ah?”
“Zheng Fa instructed me.”
Upon hearing this, Sister Ye’s eyes lit up, and she immediately looked towards the eastern end of the square, where Zheng Fa was chatting with Zhang Shangren and several Jiu Shan elders, watching the lively scene with smiles on their faces.
As if he had heard their conversation, Zheng Fa looked up and smiled at Sister Ye and the others, nodding in acknowledgment.
Sister Ye’s face brightened, and she exclaimed, “Master, I’m going!”
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