Chapter 771
“It's not as strong as it used to be,” Xie Qingxue said again. “According to my records from Tianhe, this realm was once filled with sword energy at the dawn of the era. The weak are not worth mentioning, but the strong could even slay True Immortals with a single sword strike.”
“After all these years, that sword energy is no better than before…”
“We can only dare to explore slowly.”
Uncle Pang was taken aback, his eyes wide with surprise. “Are you saying that this sword energy has existed for an entire era?”
“At least one era.”
Even Zheng Fa was momentarily speechless.
He had been cautious, wandering in the darkness for quite a while, and had returned to the peak of Tongtian Sword Peak, his brow furrowed.
“There’s no response…”
He had thought that with his Yin-Yang Fish jade pendant, the Wanjian Realm would be ready to welcome him.
When he arrived, it should have been a grand spectacle, with people crowding the place and decorations everywhere.
But instead, there was not a hint of anything unusual.
After all that exploration, not only did he achieve nothing, but he was also left feeling exhausted.
The people from Jiushan Realm exchanged glances, their eyes turning to Xie Qingxue.
Xie Qingxue pondered for a moment, unable to come up with a solution, and finally suggested, “Master, why not start with that compass?”
Zheng Fa’s eyes lit up at her words.
“How do we go about it?”
“There’s a method to refine this compass within the sect, but only the sect leader can learn it. I believe only my master possesses it.”
Zheng Fa glanced at the live broadcast screen.
It seemed that Master Yan was currently under the control of a sword formation. To contact him, he would have to go through the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor… If only he hadn’t spoken the truth.
But what truly made Zheng Fa hesitate was another issue—refining a magical treasure always took a long time; it wasn’t something that could be done in just a few days.
He feared that the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor might truly be lost.
Fortunately, if the key was taking too long, he could always pick the lock…
Five-colored divine light, rise!
A rainbow arced through the darkness, heading straight for the distant compass.
In an instant, Zheng Fa’s consciousness connected with the compass.
The Yin-Yang Fish jade pendant in his sea of consciousness suddenly began to spin.
As the pendant rotated, a Taiji diagram appeared before Zheng Fa, as if it were placing a cover over Tongtian Sword Peak.
The Taiji diagram slowly rotated, and the central curve opened like an elevator door, revealing a faint, clear light.
Zheng Fa hadn’t even moved yet.
The countless flying swords atop Tongtian Sword Peak suddenly flocked into the crack like birds returning to their nest, rushing in one after another.
The crack quickly became a cacophony of voices.
Hearing this commotion, Zheng Fa grew even more puzzled, refraining from acting recklessly, waiting for the crack to widen until it transformed into a passage over a hundred feet in diameter.
The scene revealed from the passage took Zheng Fa by surprise, leaving Xie Qingxue from Jiushan Realm in a daze.
……
“Isn’t this Tianhe Sect?”
Uncle Pang was the first to break the silence.
It was indeed Tianhe Sect.
Zheng Fa had just come from Tianhe Sect, so he recognized it immediately.
The familiar cityscape, the same mountains.
Pavilions and towers, courtyards and water pavilions, all vividly in sight.
He even recognized some specific buildings—like the main hall and the scripture building.
At the city gate, disciples were coming and going.
On the mountainside, sword lights flickered back and forth.
It was a scene of bustling prosperity.
But Xie Qingxue slowly shook her head, her tone difficult to read. “It’s Tianhe Sect, but it’s not the Tianhe Sect of today.”
As Zheng Fa flew into the passage, he began to understand. The disciples at the city gate were all dressed in ancient styles, some of whom he even recognized: they had just been recently shaved.
“This is… the Tianhe Sect of the last era?”
He asked in astonishment.
“Yes, some buildings have long since changed, and many mountain terrains are quite different from now.”
Zheng Fa nodded silently.
He had only been to Tianhe Sect once, so he wasn’t very familiar with it; naturally, Xie Qingxue knew it better.
But this Wanjian Realm was truly different from what he had imagined.
As he passed through the passage, his eyes filled with curiosity, he carefully observed this ancient Tianhe Sect.
The disciples of Tianhe Sect were not to be underestimated; even the ordinary folks in the city all wore long swords at their waists, standing tall and proud.
It made sense; even if they were mortals, they were still mortals under the feet of the Xuanwei overlord.
How could they not have some pride?
The foot of Tianhe Sect was ten times more prosperous than the previous Haori Mountain, with cultivators darting about like rain, the fragrance of spiritual pills filling the air, creating a lively atmosphere.
On the mountainside behind the city, many disciples seemed to be sparring, sword lights flickering in and out, stirring the clouds and startling the birds.
Even from Zheng Fa’s current level of understanding, the swordsmanship of these disciples was quite remarkable.
The clamor of the city and the sword cries from the mountain echoed back and forth, creating a continuous sound that instead gave him a sense of tranquility and reassurance.
Perhaps it was because, in this place, regardless of whether they were cultivators or mortals, high or low in cultivation, everyone’s faces bore the mark of stability.
As he was lost in thought, he suddenly heard Uncle Pang exclaim, “Not good, Lu Yao has gained the upper hand again!”
Zheng Fa immediately turned to the live broadcast.
Sure enough, the situation with the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor was starting to worsen again:
He must have been keeping an eye on Zheng Fa’s progress, and with a moment of distraction…
Meanwhile, Lu Yao had waited for several days, seeing that Zheng Fa hadn’t appeared, and seemed to have focused entirely on refining the Book of Life and Death.
With this shift, the Buddha light from the underworld was about to surpass half.
The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s face showed a hint of tranquility and relief, as if he were about to convert.
Zheng Fa understood now; Lu Yao wanted to completely refine the Book of Life and Death, and the key was to convert the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor. Otherwise, it would be difficult to achieve full success—
Just like how Haori Mountain refined the Xian Sword; without the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor as the spirit of the treasure, the effectiveness of the Book of Life and Death would be greatly diminished.
The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor was now behaving a bit too peacefully, even showing signs of wanting to lay down his sword.
Not good.
Thinking of this, he took out the Zao Hua Yu Tie and recorded the scene before him, sending it to the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor.
In the live broadcast, the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor was momentarily stunned, as if he had received the image Zheng Fa sent, and then his eyes turned red.
He suddenly looked up, glaring at Lu Yao, his aura blazing like fire, desperately pushing back against Lu Yao’s Buddha light.
Even Lu Yao was taken aback—after half a day of conversion and reciting scriptures, why did the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s gaze toward him seem to grow more and more filled with hatred?
Zheng Fa watched the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s fervor in the live broadcast, a faint smile appearing on his face, keeping his achievements hidden.
The scene before him was archaeology for him, but for the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor, it was the past.
It was akin to having a white moonlight in your life, only to see a photo of that person when facing their enemy; you would undoubtedly think… where’s my sword?
“Is this your life’s treasure?”
A voice suddenly rang out behind him, startling Zheng Fa. He turned to see a… flamboyant figure.
The person’s attire was quite familiar, reminiscent of Yan Wushuang’s style from years ago:
A white crane cloak and star crown, adorned in flowing white, with a wide golden belt dancing in the wind.
This person appeared to be a young man, his features not particularly striking, but his eyes were sharp and piercing, landing on Zheng Fa and making him feel a chill run down his spine.
“Tianhe Zunzhang?”
In this place, with such attire, he could hardly think of anyone else.
The man nodded, but his gaze remained fixed on the Zao Hua Yu Tie, as if he could see through its secrets at a glance. He praised, “This treasure is quite interesting.”
“Thanks to the techniques of the Zunzhang’s life treasure,” Zheng Fa replied politely.
To his surprise, Tianhe Zunzhang was not one for pleasantries; he nodded with an air of self-importance, accepting the gratitude without hesitation.
He then pointed at the live broadcast, curious. “Is this the Nine Nether?”
“Yes, the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor is resisting Lu Yao’s refinement.”
“Getting beaten by Lu Yao, tsk.” Tianhe Zunzhang’s tone was filled with disdain. “After all these years, not a bit of progress.”
“…”
Zheng Fa suddenly began to doubt whether this person was truly Tianhe Zunzhang.
Something felt off!
Just then, the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor sent a spiritual message, urgently asking, “Is this the Wanjian Realm? What else have you encountered?”
Zheng Fa thought for a moment and replied, “I met someone who claims to be Tianhe Zunzhang.”
“He’s still alive? That shouldn’t be possible! What did he say?”
“He’s currently criticizing you for being… weak.”
“…… It’s him!”
The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s reply was decisive, without a hint of hesitation.
Great, he wasn’t an imposter.
“Does Zunzhang know about Lu Yao’s background?”
“Of course, the Demon Emperor, the Ancestor of Haori, the Original Demon Ancestor—quite troublesome.”
Tianhe Zunzhang spoke casually, as if it were no big deal.
Seeing him this way, a glimmer of hope surged in Zheng Fa’s heart.
“Then since you’re still around…”
“I’m dead.”
Then what’s there to be proud of?
“…”
“I’m merely a remnant soul, unable to leave this place. The Wanjian Realm isn’t meant for battles; even if I went out, I wouldn’t be able to defeat them.”
Seeing Tianhe’s remnant soul so calm, Zheng Fa felt a bit disappointed and asked again, “Is there a next step for Tianhe techniques after the fusion? If the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor could obtain the complete Tianhe techniques, perhaps he could turn the tide.”
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