Chapter 762
The spirit field was planted with two recently discovered types of spiritual bamboo, one of which was the most commonly used kind for crafting talismans by Xuanwei cultivators.
It was quite a delightful surprise.
The bamboo had just been planted, barely breaking through the soil, with shoots that were not even as tall as the calves of Zheng Fa and his companion.
What puzzled the old man Bai was that Zheng Fa seemed to be fixated on the newly sprouted bamboo shoots for some reason.
Zheng Fa didn’t respond, his thoughts swirling.
During his time at the Tianhe Sect, he had been on high alert, focused entirely on observing the situation and environment, with no time to ponder deeply.
Even as the Emperor of Heaven in the Jiushan Realm, he had to be the anchor in turbulent waters.
The danger of Lu Yao’s path to enlightenment was well known throughout the Jiushan Realm, and the atmosphere in the sect was naturally tense.
He had to appear calm, even relaxed.
Only in the modern world did he find moments to daydream.
The bamboo shoots before him looked vibrant and full of life.
The breeze from the spirit field carried a refreshing fragrance.
Behind the spirit field stood a small experimental building belonging to the agricultural institute, with young faces coming and going.
As the cultivation of spiritual plants progressed smoothly and yielded continuous results, their faces reflected a growing anticipation for the future.
Everything was going well, just like in the modern world, which had just begun to find its footing.
But time was of the essence.
Old Hou seemed to have spotted the two of them, emerging from the teaching building with a cheerful smile.
“Director!”
He greeted.
“Old Hou, what good news do you have?”
“Remember that spiritual wheat we cultivated before?” Old Hou explained, “Using that as a parent strain, our wheat variety has evolved. The yield has increased by over thirty percent!”
Old Bai was taken aback. “That much!”
“Exactly! And the environmental requirements have decreased a bit,” Old Hou said, his face glowing, whether from cultivation or excitement, it was hard to tell. “We calculated that if we promote this widely, at least in our country, everyone will have enough to eat.”
“And I’ve heard that Teacher Tian has made some progress as well.”
Zheng Fa was aware of this: “Teacher Tian has cultivated a new type of soybean.”
“Soybeans are great! Soybeans are great!” Old Hou laughed, his eyes nearly disappearing with joy. “Not only can people eat them, but there’s also a huge demand in the livestock industry.”
Soybean meal is the primary source of protein feed for livestock, and its importance is self-evident.
“Just give us ten years! No, eight years!” Old Hou pounded his chest, a bit grandly, “Everyone will be a martial arts genius!”
This was no exaggeration:
When he first started practicing martial arts, his coach had considered him a genius—mainly because he had been well-fed in the modern world, much stronger than the average farmer.
Now, with so many new staple foods and even feed varieties, it was easy to imagine that the overall physical fitness of the population would see a significant boost.
Zheng Fa watched Old Hou, who was dreaming of the future, and thought to himself:
If the Xuanwei Venerable had not left behind any trump cards to turn the tide, he had to find a way to sever the connection between the modern world and the Xuanwei realm.
Old Bai glanced at Zheng Fa, then at Old Hou, a look of deep contemplation flashing in his eyes.
…
The night deepened at the nursing home.
“Zheng Fa!”
Hearing the call, Zheng Fa opened the door to find Tang Lingwu and Old Bai standing at the entrance together.
“What’s up?”
“Let’s talk inside!” Old Bai said, charging into Zheng Fa’s room without a hint of fear for the formidable reputation of the Jiushan Sect’s leader.
Tang Lingwu followed closely behind, her small face set in determination.
They entered the living room, sat on the sofa, and fixed their intense gazes on Zheng Fa, as if conducting an interrogation:
“Go on!”
Zheng Fa shook his head and chuckled.
He couldn’t hide anything from Sister Zhang in the Jiushan Realm.
And he certainly couldn’t keep secrets from these two.
(End of this chapter)
**Chapter 516: Lingwu’s Proposal, Hacker Competition**
The night sky was like velvet, with a gentle sea breeze.
Old Bai brought Tang Lingwu to the beach, and Zheng Fa led them straight to a deserted stretch of sand.
The three of them sat on the fine sand like ordinary mortals who had never practiced cultivation.
The road behind them was sparsely populated with vehicles.
The sound of waves crashing against the shore deepened the silence among the three.
Zheng Fa felt much more at ease:
If the modern world was his sanctuary, then the two people before him were his best therapists.
Even just talking, sharing a bit of his troubles with them, brought him considerable comfort.
But Old Bai and Tang Lingwu couldn’t relax.
Old Bai stared blankly at the distant black coastline, while Tang Lingwu looked down, seemingly counting the grains of sand at her feet.
Finally, it was Old Bai who broke the silence: “Are you saying there’s a deadly danger over there?”
Zheng Fa nodded slowly.
He hadn’t intended to share everything with Old Bai and Tang Lingwu.
The reason was simple: their strength was still far from adequate, and revealing too much would only add to their worries.
Not just for them.
Ever since the emergence of the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor, he had been merely a spectator, unable to intervene.
The conflict between the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor and Lu Yao could almost be described as a battle of golden immortals.
“The Book of Life and Death, the Extermination Sword Array…”
Old Bai’s expression turned somewhat dazed.
He didn’t know how powerful a golden immortal was, but those two artifacts were certainly formidable.
Even if they weren’t the real deal, they were still terrifying.
After a moment, Tang Lingwu lifted her head and looked at Zheng Fa.
“Hmm?”
“Will you… die?”
Zheng Fa was taken aback by her directness.
Old Bai opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but when he met Tang Lingwu’s gaze, the words turned into a long sigh, fading away into silence.
Tang Lingwu’s figure sitting on the beach appeared extremely fragile.
It seemed that if the waves were to rise just a bit higher, they could sweep her away.
She reached out and grasped Zheng Fa’s arm, her grip firm and defined.
“It’s unlikely. After all, I’m so afraid of dying; I’ll do everything I can to stay alive.”
Zheng Fa said softly.
“And I have more trump cards than others.”
“I still have the Fusang tree, and I can come to this world…”
“I even have means of resurrection.”
Zheng Fa comforted her aimlessly.
Tang Lingwu seemed not to have heard, only asking, “You definitely won’t be in any danger?”
Zheng Fa fell silent.
Tang Lingwu stared at his tightly closed lips, waiting for his assurance.
But Zheng Fa couldn’t guarantee anything.
The expression on Tang Lingwu’s face made Old Bai turn his head away, unable to bear to look.
Seeing the two of them silent, Zheng Fa didn’t know what to say, so he began to recount the story of the Xuanwei Venerable.
Previously, Old Bai and Tang Lingwu only knew that Zheng Fa had a foundation, but they hadn’t delved deeply into it.
As for the events surrounding the Xuanwei Venerable and the Tianhe Chaos, they knew little.
Zheng Fa started from the Xuanwei landscape during the Demon Ancestor Era, spoke of the rise of the Xuanwei Venerable, and then recounted the mysterious fall of the Xuanwei Venerable, the Tianhe Chaos, the revenge of the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor, and Lu Yao’s hidden cards.
This history was too long and too complex.
As Tang Lingwu and Old Bai listened, they became engrossed, forgetting their earlier panic.
“So, the biggest danger is actually Lu Yao’s path to enlightenment?”
Zheng Fa pondered for a moment and added, “As for the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor… I can’t quite grasp his intentions either.”
This was indeed a headache.
While Lu Yao was a significant threat, the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor was no pushover either.
He naturally sympathized with the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor, but having endured so much suffering and accumulated so much hatred, it was hard to predict what he might do.
Take his desire to overturn the entire celestial sect, for instance; Zheng Fa could understand it, but for the Jiushan Realm, it would be catastrophic.
Moreover, this person was aware of the Yin-Yang Fish jade pendant.
For Zheng Fa, the Nine Nether was a ticking time bomb, and any contact could lead to an explosion.
Old Bai scratched his head and said, “This is too passive. Are we just relying on luck?”
Old Bai’s words hit the nail on the head, revealing the root of Zheng Fa’s unease.
In the struggle between the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor and Lu Yao, all Zheng Fa could rely on was sheer luck.
In simple terms, it was a gamble.
A gamble that the Xuanwei Venerable had a backup plan.
A gamble that he could escape from the death trap.
A gamble that he could sever the connection between the modern world and the Xuanwei realm.
For someone like Zheng Fa, this was hardly different from waiting for death…
“Since the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor set up the sword array, I’ve lost control of the situation,” Zheng Fa shook his head. “The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor possesses the Extermination Array Diagram and the Book of Life and Death; it’s beyond my ability to contend with.”
“Let alone Lu Yao.”
“Looking back now, I’m glad I went to the Tianhe Sect; otherwise, I wouldn’t even have had the chance to rely on luck.”
Old Bai, upon hearing this, didn’t know what to say.
As a cultivator himself, he understood that ultimately, strength was what mattered.
The gap in strength between Zheng Fa and the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor and Lu Yao meant he could only be a bystander.
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