Chapter 687
Especially after the conflict between the Jiu Shan Sect and the Hao Ri Mountain began, although Ming De, the head elder, secretly provided some intelligence, it was clear from the founder's intent that he wished for the two sides to clash even more fiercely. The Tai Shang Dao only sought to maintain its own integrity.
There would be no talk of actively forming an alliance.
He was stunned for a long moment and guessed, “Is it because of Hao Ri Mountain?”
Li Shangxian nodded slightly, frowning as he said, “It’s because of Lu Zhenxian from Hao Ri Mountain.”
“Is it because he wants to achieve the status of a Golden Immortal?”
“Not just that; it’s about achieving the Golden Immortal status at the Lei Yin Temple.” Li Shangxian shook his head, “My Tai Shang Dao has been in conflict with Lei Yin Temple for several epochs. Now, we’ve made a critical mistake, allowing him to exploit the situation.”
“Lu Zhenxian from Hao Ri Mountain…”
He spoke halfway, seeming somewhat apprehensive, and stopped. Then he added, “This matter concerns the outcome of the conflict between the Buddhist and Daoist sects. Compared to this, the Jiu You Mo Zu from Tian He Sect is merely a minor issue.”
Upon hearing this, Ming De and the others were visibly shocked, clearly unaware of such hidden truths.
“Just one Lu Zhenxian can influence the outcome between my Tai Shang Dao and Lei Yin Temple?”
Li Shangxian glanced toward the direction of Hao Ri Mountain and shook his head. “This is the decree that the Xuan Ding Patriarch received from the Daoist Lord; it cannot be wrong.”
“Moreover… Lu Zhenxian is not simple at all.”
“Hmm?”
Li Shangxian pondered for a moment and addressed the other six, “In the past two epochs, the one with the highest talent would be the Tian He Zun Zhe.”
“But if we’re talking about great perseverance… it’s probably this ancestor from Hao Ri Mountain. His talent might even rival that of the Tian He Zun Zhe.”
Hearing Li Shangxian’s assessment, Ming De felt a weight settle in his heart.
The Jiu You Mo Zu had already set up the Four Swords to Exterminate Immortals, leaving the Xuan Ding Patriarch exhausted.
But unexpectedly, in Li Shangxian’s words, it was Lu Zhenxian from Hao Ri Mountain who posed the greater threat.
It seemed that Tai Shang Dao would have to lower its stance and actively seek an alliance with Zheng Fa.
The situation in the Xuan Wei Realm was becoming increasingly intricate.
Thinking of this, Ming De recalled something and asked, “But what does this have to do with Zheng Fa?”
Li Shangxian looked at him, seemingly sensing his concern for Zheng Fa, and replied candidly, “As the earthly membrane has not yet dissipated, and Golden Immortals cannot enter the Xuan Wei, Zheng Fa can slay Luo Sanxian. Regardless of the means, in terms of strength, he is currently at the pinnacle of this realm.”
Ming De nodded slightly.
Achievements outweigh everything.
At this particular moment, Zheng Fa indeed had the qualifications to stand on equal footing with the four sects.
It was not beneath Tai Shang Dao to seek an alliance with him.
“But… can he really resolve the issue with Lu Zhenxian?”
“I don’t know if he can, but my Tai Shang Dao hasn’t had any outstanding talents in these two epochs.”
Upon hearing this, the old man chuckled, “Patriarch, you’re being too modest. Not to mention the Xuan Ding Patriarch and others who achieved Dao in the previous epoch, aren’t you yourself the one who attained Dao in this epoch, with talents that overshadow the Xuan Wei? It’s just that it’s not known to outsiders.”
Li Shangxian shot him a glance and sneered, “If someone like me can be flaunted, doesn’t that prove my Tai Shang Dao has no one else?”
“My Tai Shang Dao and Lei Yin Temple are evenly matched. Now that Lei Yin Temple has gained a Lu Zhenxian, but my Tai Shang Dao lacks such a figure, how can we hope to win in the future?”
“…”
His words sounded like self-deprecation, and no one dared to respond.
Seeing them at a loss for words, Li Shangxian shook his head and added, “The most important thing is that Zheng Fa seems to truly have the ability to stop Lu Zhenxian from achieving Dao.”
“How so?”
“At first, we didn’t know this. We were just puzzled as to why Hao Ri Mountain was so intent on targeting the Jiu Shan Sect.”
“Isn’t it for the Fusang Wood?”
“It is for the Fusang Wood, but not just that; there seems to be another purpose.” Li Shangxian sighed and said softly, “This Lu Zhenxian has grand ambitions, especially now that it’s a critical time for him to achieve Dao. Given his temperament, he shouldn’t be so impatient, yet we’ve noticed something strange. Hao Ri Mountain’s actions must have their reasons.”
His words were vague, leaving Ming De even more puzzled, but he understood a bit:
The sect wanted to befriend Zheng Fa, but in reality, they still hoped the Jiu Shan Sect would deal with Hao Ri Mountain, specifically, to have Zheng Fa confront Lu Zhenxian.
However, since even Tai Shang Dao felt apprehensive about Lu Zhenxian from Hao Ri Mountain… Zheng Fa would naturally be in greater danger.
A hint of worry creased his brow, and it seemed Li Shangxian noticed, chuckling, “This time, I’m going to see if Zheng Fa can transform into a god, just to see if he has this capability.”
Ming De understood.
During the tribulation, it was difficult for cultivators to hide their true strength. Li Shangxian wanted to see because he himself didn’t know if Zheng Fa could help them deal with Lu Zhenxian, and he wanted to ascertain that.
If Li Shangxian believed Zheng Fa could indeed be of assistance, then Tai Shang Dao would naturally not hesitate to ally with the Jiu Shan Sect, even willing to support them.
If he thought Zheng Fa’s future achievements were limited, then that would be another story.
…
As they spoke, it took no more than half a stick of incense before they arrived at the Jiu Shan Realm.
The elder led Uncle Pang and Uncle Huang, waiting on a mountain peak.
As the glow of dusk descended, everyone from the Jiu Shan Sect cupped their hands in greeting:
“Greetings, esteemed immortal of Tai Shang Dao.”
Li Shangxian’s demeanor was quite gentle; he didn’t put on airs: “You honor me with your greeting.”
The elder explained, “My disciple is currently in seclusion and truly has no time to welcome you, esteemed immortal. I hope you can forgive us.”
“I was the one who was presumptuous.”
Uncle Pang and Uncle Huang exchanged glances, thinking, “So you know you were presumptuous?”
They were indeed somewhat puzzled and even wary as to why, knowing Zheng Fa had no time, Li Shangxian still insisted on coming to the Jiu Shan Realm with such determination.
After some discussion, they decided to go along with it:
The Jiu Shan Sect lacked the strength to offend Hao Ri Mountain, so it would be unwise to offend Tai Shang Dao as well.
Moreover, they had a practical need to befriend Tai Shang Dao. Under repeated requests from the other side, it would be even more inappropriate to turn them away.
Ming De’s goodwill toward the Jiu Shan Sect was naturally one reason.
Of course, the biggest reason was that the Jiu Shan Sect now had a bit of confidence:
Li Shangxian’s scattered immortal cultivation could hardly stir up much in the Jiu Shan Realm.
Thus, for this reception of Tai Shang Dao’s transformation into a god, the Jiu Shan Patriarch, Sister Zhang, and Xie Qingxue did not appear, leaving the elder to take the lead.
Firstly, this elder was the previous sect master, and Zheng Fa respected him, so in terms of status, it was sufficiently sincere.
Secondly, the team that had slain Luo Sanxian was absent, which was meant to intimidate Li Shangxian and prevent him from making any unusual moves.
If one considered that the Jiu Shan Realm was indeed Zheng Fa’s territory, it exerted some pressure on the other scattered immortals, so there was no need for excessive worry.
The elder welcomed Li Shangxian into Wan Xian Island and quickly excused himself, hurrying away.
Now, Zhang Wuyi and the others were busy protecting Zheng Fa, and he had many matters to attend to, so he was also unavailable.
Uncle Huang took people to arrange meals and accommodations.
Only Uncle Pang and the others remained to converse with the guests from Tai Shang Dao.
Uncle Pang was already adept at socializing, and Li Shangxian didn’t seem difficult to get along with. He maintained a polite smile, and the atmosphere was quite lively.
Uncle Pang was still marveling at how pleasant the personality of this scattered immortal from Tai Shang Dao was.
After some small talk, Li Shangxian suddenly asked:
“Real Person Huang, how long has Zheng Fa been in seclusion?”
The room fell silent.
“... Esteemed immortal, Zheng Fa has been in seclusion for three days now,” Uncle Pang said, his face stiffening.
Who the hell is named Huang?
If it were anyone else, Uncle Pang would have wanted to explode, but this person was a scattered immortal, and he felt a bit intimidated.
It was still Ming De who cleared his throat: “Patriarch, this real person’s surname is Pang.”
After saying that, he turned to Uncle Pang and explained apologetically, “Li Patriarch has a poor memory.”
“…” Uncle Pang saw that Li Shangxian had already grown accustomed to this and felt somewhat puzzled, but he could only say, “People in high positions often forget things; I understand.”
Li Shangxian continued, “Then what cultivation method is Zheng Fa practicing?”
Uncle Pang was taken aback, thinking, “This person is really overstepping; how can he ask about someone else’s cultivation method right off the bat?”
Ming De slightly opened his mouth, looking at Li Shangxian, puzzled: “So this is how you, Patriarch, are probing Zheng Fa’s strength?”
No wonder the Xuan Ding Patriarch insisted we come!
Uncle Pang pondered for a long time but still explained candidly, “Zheng Fa, in his transformation into a god, is practicing the ‘Huang Ting Jing’.”
“‘Huang Ting Jing’?” Li Shangxian asked, puzzled, “Forgive my ignorance, which sect does this belong to?”
Uncle Pang respectfully replied, “This is a technique created by our Jiu Shan Sect. It’s perfectly normal that esteemed immortal hasn’t heard of it.”
To his surprise, Li Shangxian was taken aback: “Created by you?”
He looked at Uncle Pang, who appeared sincere, and seemed to sense he wasn’t lying, murmuring, “I thought Zheng Fa had inherited some legacy from predecessors.”
Uncle Pang forced a smile, “Our sect had never produced any transformation into a god before Zheng Fa came; how could there be any legacy?”
Li Shangxian turned to the Tong Ming Shang Ren standing nearby, his eyes filled with inquiry.
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