Chapter 768
Of course, for the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor, the most important thing is still the continuation of the Tianhe Method.
The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor's eyes flickered, as if hesitating, unsure whether to trust Zheng Fa.
But Zheng Fa remained completely unhurried.
...
"The Tianhe Method is the last hope of the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor."
In the Ziwei Courtyard of the Jiushan Realm, the Heavenly Emperor wore a smile that suggested he was certain of victory.
"The current madness of the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor stems from two things: hatred and, more significantly, despair."
Sister Zhang nodded in agreement. "His practice of the Tianhe Method makes future progress nearly impossible."
Xie Qingxue nodded, feeling a pang of sympathy.
"I want to advance further, but I can only wait for the Qingping Sword to evolve. Right now, I have no direction, and the Qingping Sword is still at the level of a Loose Immortal."
"The Book of Life and Death, however, is a Golden Immortal treasure."
"To evolve such a treasure... is a million times more difficult than the Qingping Sword."
"So the continuation of the Tianhe Method is likely an irresistible temptation for the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor," the Heavenly Emperor said with a smile.
Watching the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor's struggling expression on the light screen, everyone could predict his choice.
"Xie Fairy, I’ll need your guidance later."
The Heavenly Emperor was brimming with confidence as he directly entrusted Xie Qingxue with the task.
Xie Qingxue immediately nodded, her gaze still fixed on the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor. Suddenly, she asked, "Master, you intend to go to the Wanjian Realm first, don’t you?"
"Yes." In front of so many people from the Jiushan Sect, the Heavenly Emperor showed no signs of concealment. "Although we teamed up because of Lu Yao, the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor is not on our side."
He felt sympathy for the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor but was also very wary of him.
To be honest, even if he could slay Lu Yao with a single sword right now, Zheng Fa would hesitate: he feared that without Lu Yao, the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor would turn against him.
This Demon Ancestor was not an easy person to deal with, especially given the obvious conflict of interests between them.
The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor likely sensed some of Zheng Fa's thoughts, which was why he was reluctant to let Zheng Fa take the lead.
Thus, Zheng Fa intended to use the continuation of the Tianhe Method to bait the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor.
Zheng Fa's thinking was quite simple:
If the Tianhe Method truly had a continuation, he could persuade the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor or even discuss cooperation, making it more likely to succeed.
If not, he would have to make other plans, at least preparing for a potential fallout with the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor.
On Yingshan, the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor remained silent for a long time before finally speaking:
"I'll trust you this once."
Zheng Fa felt a surge of joy; it was no small feat to gain even a sliver of trust from the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor, who had been badly burned before.
He probably had to thank Lu Yao for that.
Knowing the urgency of the situation, he wasted no time and flew toward the sword formation.
The spiritual energy within the sword formation was as rich as water.
Countless spiritual talismans swam past him like fish.
A series of "bubbles" occasionally blocked his path; these bubbles were deep and dark, seemingly leading to another space.
These were the spatial branches of the Zhuxian Sword Formation. If one were to touch them, they would immediately become trapped within the formation, unable to escape.
Yet, as he swam through, these small bubbles all avoided him, as if deliberately allowing him to pass.
Zheng Fa himself was not afraid of these—after all, he was now the second-in-command of the Zhuxian formation.
But this situation indicated that the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor was indeed willing to let him go.
He looked into the sword formation; the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor was not looking at him but was fully focused, seemingly battling against the Buddhist light, buying time for Zheng Fa.
...
"The Wanjian Realm is located eight hundred miles northeast of the Tianhe Ancestor Peak."
In the Jiushan Realm, Xie Qingxue pointed the way.
In the Heavenly Palace, another light screen appeared, showing Zheng Fa flying away.
The two parties were engaged in a video call.
In the blink of an eye, Zheng Fa landed and looked ahead.
Before him stood a row of towering mountains, their peaks stretching endlessly, steep cliffs rising like walls, blocking Zheng Fa's path.
"This is the Yunduan Mountain Range, rumored to be a significant point in the Eastern Continent."
Xie Qingxue explained.
Zheng Fa couldn't help but gaze forward.
The Tianhe Sect was located in the northeastern corner of the Eastern Continent, and this Yunduan Mountain was also in the northeastern corner of the Tianhe Sect.
Indeed, it was the farthest northeast corner of the Eastern Continent.
"The Wanjian Realm is within the Yunduan Mountain Range?"
"The Wanjian Realm is beyond the Eastern Continent—no, it's above the Eastern Continent; you have to cross the Yunduan Mountain Range."
After hearing Xie Qingxue's explanation, Zheng Fa transformed into a beam of light and flew toward the Yunduan Mountain Range.
But just as he reached the summit of a mountain, a familiar membrane appeared before him.
"The Heaven and Earth Membrane?"
He felt as if he had crashed into a steel plate, unable to move forward.
Zheng Fa turned back and landed at the foot of the mountain, frowning.
In the Jiushan Realm, Xie Qingxue couldn't help but laugh.
"That's right, it's the Heaven and Earth Membrane." She explained, "According to my master, the Wanjian Realm wasn't originally here; it was placed here by the Ancestor long ago."
"Thus, the Wanjian Realm is blocked by the Heaven and Earth Membrane. Except for the transformation stage disciples of our Tianhe Sect, no one can enter."
Zheng Fa began to understand.
So the Wanjian Realm was not even within the Xuanwei Realm now?
The Tianhe Ancestor had somehow moved it outside the Heaven and Earth Membrane and opened a backdoor for the disciples of the Tianhe Sect.
He could also see how the four sects had entered the Wanjian Realm before.
It must have been quite a hassle.
But for Zheng Fa, this was a piece of cake!
He changed the method within him, operating according to the "Xianxian Sword Classic," his back straightening, his aura sharp, looking even more like a disciple of the Tianhe Sect than the actual disciples.
In Haori Mountain, he was the Haori Prodigy; in the Tianhe Sect, he was the loyal disciple of Tianhe, fully embracing the local customs.
Sure enough, as he transformed his method into the "Xianxian Sword Classic," the Yunduan Mountain Range before him suddenly changed.
White clouds swirled down from the mountain peak to Zheng Fa's feet, connecting like steps.
The steps led to the end of the Yunduan Mountain Range, delving into the void, with no end in sight.
"Climb the steps, and you'll find the entrance to the Wanjian Realm."
Hearing Xie Qingxue's words, Zheng Fa lifted his foot and began to ascend step by step.
At first, a fierce wind whipped around him, chaotic clouds danced wildly, howling incessantly.
Then, the wind calmed, and the sun shone brightly, with not a single cloud in sight, everything was eerily quiet.
He climbed higher and higher, gradually stepping over the towering cliffs of the Yunduan Mountain Range.
Looking ahead, he saw that the once impenetrable Heaven and Earth Membrane now faintly revealed an archway about two people high.
Could this lead him outside the Xuanwei Realm?
Zheng Fa took a deep breath, feeling a surge of excitement.
He had always been curious about what lay beyond the Xuanwei Realm.
But he had been unable to break through the Heaven and Earth Membrane and was wary of the stars above, leaving him with nothing.
Today, he had come to seek the treasures of Tianhe, and unexpectedly found a way to exit the Heaven and Earth Membrane.
He steadied his mind, raising his guard, and stepped into the archway.
Darkness.
It felt as if someone had suddenly covered his eyes.
In an instant, everything before him was pitch black; he could see nothing.
The imagined stars, ancient immortals, and even various dangers did not appear.
The Wanjian Realm was nowhere to be seen.
Watching the pitch-black screen during the video call, Sister Zhang was bewildered. "What is this?"
Xie Qingxue's expression grew heavy; she said nothing, only staring intently at the light screen, as if waiting.
...
Zheng Fa felt the spiritual power of the "Xianxian Sword Classic" within him suddenly begin to operate on its own.
As his spiritual power fluctuated, a buzzing sound emerged from the darkness.
A light flickered.
Two lights flickered.
Three, four, thousands, tens of thousands of beams of light pierced through the darkness.
Looking at the scene before him.
Zheng Fa, standing there, and Sister Zhang and the others in the Jiushan Realm were both stunned, speechless:
Before Zheng Fa stood a colossal peak, taller than any mountain he had ever seen.
The base of the mountain seemed to delve deep into the membrane, merging with the Yunduan Mountain Range.
The summit, however, pierced straight into the darkness, with no end in sight.
But that was not what left Zheng Fa dumbfounded.
What rendered him speechless was the array of immortal swords embedded in the mountain wall.
The dazzling light he had seen earlier was emanating from these swords themselves.
These flying swords varied in quality; some were merely magical artifacts, while others seemed to be spiritual treasures.
They were arranged in rows, embedded in the mountain wall.
What was even more striking was that each sword, near the hilt, bore a name.
"Who are these people...?"
Xie Qingxue fell silent for a moment before speaking. "These are the disciples of the Tianhe Sect who perished during the process of unifying the Xuanwei Realm."
"..."
"No one knows when the Ancestor placed their flying swords here."
As Zheng Fa gazed at the rows of flying swords, he felt as if he were witnessing the vast waves of the previous era.
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