Chapter 752
The return of the old monk Zhitong without any achievements struck a blow to all the disciples of the Four Sects.
After reaching the Yuanying stage, cultivators no longer had any desires for food or drink; even if they stayed put, they wouldn’t starve to death.
Yet, no one wished to waste their lifespan in this place.
Seeing that even the true immortal Zhitong was at a loss, the disciples realized they were in a dead end, and naturally, they became increasingly anxious and desperate.
In this situation, Zheng Fa’s demeanor stood out:
While Zhitong was troubled and clouded with worry, everyone noticed that this Stone Man continued his cultivation as usual. He even occasionally summoned a few disciples from the Haori Sect to discuss crafting techniques, laughing and joking when they hit upon something brilliant.
He seemed completely unfazed.
Seeing him so calm, even Zhitong couldn’t help but glance at him a few more times and asked, “Do you have a way out?”
Zheng Fa was taken aback. “No, I just think that being anxious won’t help.”
Zhitong, observing his sincere expression, looked at him with suspicion, then shook his head, seemingly concluding that Zheng Fa, with his cultivation level, probably couldn’t think of any solutions.
He let out a soft sigh and praised, “No wonder you received the Sacred Blood Seal; your resolve is indeed steadfast.”
Upon hearing this, the Haori disciples looked at Zheng Fa’s expression with newfound respect.
In this dire situation, the Haori disciples were initially filled with panic and fear.
However, Zheng Fa’s genuine calmness somehow brought them a sense of peace, as if they were inexplicably reassured.
Zheng Fa smiled humbly, showing no pride from Zhitong’s praise.
He sank his consciousness into his sea of awareness, gazing at the Jiuyou talisman within.
Whether his heart was steady or not was hard to say; what mattered was that his relationships were stable.
Everyone around him was on his side.
…
In the main hall of the Tianhe Sect, the Sect Leader Yan entered with the Zhuxian Sword on his back and bowed to the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor, saying, “Ancestor, everyone has arrived.”
(End of this chapter)
**Chapter 511: The True Lineage of Tianhe, The Prisoner’s Dilemma**
The doors of the main hall were wide open, light streaming in and illuminating the face of the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor.
It was hard to describe the features of this face:
Countless faces, both male and female, young and old, rapidly grew and shattered across his visage.
The only constant was the coldness in his eyes, a chill that was more terrifying than the murderous intent emanating from the Zhuxian formation.
“I told you, I am not your ancestor.”
Sect Leader Yan fell silent for a moment before speaking, “The Tianhe Ancestor once passed the mantle to you…”
“Ha.” The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor let out a cold laugh, raising his eyes to the Zhuxian formation in the air. “Is that so? But they don’t recognize it.”
“I previously thought the Zhuxian Sword was merely the token of the Tianhe Sect Leader,” Yan said softly. “It was only after you subdued the four ancestors that I realized the Zhuxian formation is the true treasure of the Tianhe Sect.”
“Back then, the Tianhe Ancestor entrusted it to you, making you the second-generation ancestor of the Tianhe Sect.”
The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor’s gaze drifted far away, as if he were looking at something beyond comprehension.
After a while, he slowly spoke:
“Back in the day, the Tianhe Sect was a dominant force, and the Zhuxian formation was a treasure of slaughter, enough to rampage across the world.”
“This lineage, this treasure, was the lifelong achievement of Tianhe.”
“He didn’t give it to any disciple; he even broke the barrier between immortals and demons to entrust it to me.”
Sect Leader Yan lowered his head, saying, “That was because the Tianhe Ancestor trusted you.”
“He trusted me, yet I couldn’t protect these.”
Sect Leader Yan fell silent.
The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor closed his eyes:
“I watched helplessly as the loyal disciples of Tianhe were slaughtered one by one.”
“So many Tianhe disciples, such a flourishing Tianhe Sect.”
“Remains stained with blood, scattered across the mountains…”
The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor seemed unable to continue, his mouth closing tightly.
Yet the faces on his visage twisted like vengeful spirits, as if recounting the horrors of the past.
“I was frantic at that time, not realizing that the Four Sects had already set an ambush. In a moment of carelessness, I was nearly obliterated, forced to hide behind the Book of Life and Death.”
“The Tianhe Sect was seized by a group of traitors, becoming the lapdogs of the Four Sects.”
He opened his eyes and looked at Sect Leader Yan:
“It was my fault.”
Sect Leader Yan urged, “The Four Sects have betrayed their alliance; Tianhe is already under the control of traitors. Anyone facing this situation would find it impossible to turn the tide.”
“That’s why I’ve returned.” The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor pointed to his own face and said, “Bringing back those fallen disciples, together, I have returned.”
With that, he didn’t wait for Sect Leader Yan to respond but took out a communication talisman.
…
When Zheng Fa received the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor’s message, he was studying the runes on the talisman cage.
Feeling the tremor of the Zao Hua Jade Tablet, he probed inside and asked in surprise, “Demon Ancestor?”
“I want you to transmit everything that happens within the Zhuxian Sword formation, without missing a single detail.”
“Ah?”
Zheng Fa was stunned.
He had long known that the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor needed his Zao Hua Jade Tablet for something useful.
But he had previously guessed it was for some kind of proof of Dao.
He never expected it was for a live escape room broadcast!
But this was a bit troublesome.
Once the broadcast started, it would almost confirm his connection with the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor.
How the Taishang Dao and Yaochi would view this in the future was uncertain.
“Demon Ancestor, I want to know what you intend to do.”
“I want to find the truth.”
“The truth?”
Zheng Fa was a bit confused.
He never imagined that the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor was waiting for the four true immortals to uncover some truth.
“The truth behind the chaos in the Tianhe Sect back then, and the reason the Four Sects turned against us.”
Turn against…
The more Zheng Fa listened, the more bewildered he became.
He had just learned that the Haori Mountain had participated in the forging of the Four Zhuxian Swords.
Now, from the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor’s words, it seemed that the Four Sects had collaborated with the Tianhe Ancestor?
So, the Tianhe Ancestor was backstabbed by his disciples and the Four Sects together?
“The Four Sects were once allies of the Ancestor?”
The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor didn’t answer but merely said:
“You have the Tianhe jade pendant.”
“…”
The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor knew too much.
However, Zheng Fa wasn’t surprised by this anymore.
The Jiuyou talisman was still in his sea of awareness.
He felt quite hesitant.
Clearly, the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor was planning something significant.
If he was going to do it, fine, but having Zheng Fa involved was a bit troublesome.
If the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor could defeat the Four Sects, he would comply; if not…
The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor might withstand the Four Sects’ retaliation.
But the Jiushan Realm would not.
“Are you going to betray Tianhe as well?”
Looking at the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor’s questioning gaze, Zheng Fa could sense the anger within.
“I initially wanted to spare your life.”
Huh?
What does it mean to spare one’s life?
“If you help me, after I cleanse the immortal path and slay the cultivators, I will naturally revive you.”
Zheng Fa looked at the Jiuyou talisman in his sea of awareness, thinking this was absurd.
He never expected the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor’s plans to be so grand.
Was this Demon Ancestor preparing to wipe out all the immortal path cultivators in one fell swoop?
He had no idea where he got his confidence from.
“You have the Tianhe jade pendant.” The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor sent another message, “I’ll give you one more chance to consider.”
Zheng Fa sighed inwardly.
The good news: the Demon Ancestor indeed regarded him as one of his own.
The bad news: everyone in the Hundred Immortals Alliance, apart from him, was not considered human by the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor.
The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor didn’t mention whether he wanted to eliminate the cultivators of the Jiushan Realm, but it was highly likely he did:
After all, even Zheng Fa, as one of his own, had to die and be reborn, going through a lot of trouble.
This showed just how much the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor hated the current immortal path.
The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor remained silent for a long time, seemingly waiting for Zheng Fa’s decision.
Zheng Fa pondered back and forth before saying, “I grant the Demon Ancestor the authority to broadcast Jiushan news live.”
At this moment, he also felt a headache.
The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor had lived through several epochs, and his resolve was unshakeable; he truly couldn’t persuade or stop him.
He even wondered if angering the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor would lead to his own demise, and whether the Heavenly Emperor could revive him—after all, the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor was still a Dao fruit that couldn’t die, yet he was still killed by the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor.
On the other hand, he had no choice.
If the Demon Ancestor won, the Jiushan Realm might face a catastrophe.
But if the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor lost…
Once the fact that he held the jade pendant was exposed, Zheng Fa would have no good outcome.
…
The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor quickly figured out how to set up the live broadcast.
Moments later, all cultivators holding the communication talisman received a live broadcast notification.
Currently, there were over forty thousand cultivators in the Xuanwei Realm with communication talismans.
Adding in the disciples from the Jiushan Realm, the number was already quite substantial.
It could be said that every gathering place of cultivators had a communication talisman present.
In the Jiushan Realm, the Heavenly Emperor and Xie Qingxue, along with others, watched the light screen together.
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