Xiuxian: I studied abroad in modern times

Chapter 519 Persuading the Demon Ancestor, the Pinnacle of Profound Mystery

At the foot of Yinshan Mountain, outside the City of the Wrongfully Dead, the Buddha's light, though dimmer than before, was still tenacious.

Lu Yao and the partially missing relic complemented each other, relentlessly permeating the underworld.

His eyes gleamed with golden light as he looked around.

His expression showed a hint of doubt compared to before.

It's clear that he's somewhat wary of Zheng Fa making another move, and is even searching for Zheng Fa.

Zheng Fa activated the Heavenly Dipper and Earthly Fiend Transformation, transforming into a wisp of mist that blended into the surrounding fog.

After that sword strike, he dared not underestimate Lu Yao even more, knowing that if he exposed his whereabouts, he would likely suffer a severe punishment.

Lu Yao seemed not to have seen through Zheng Fa's disguise either, but refused to give up, muttering to himself:

"Form without form, is like a dream, an illusion, a bubble."

Amidst the chanting of sutras, the Buddha's light emanating from the relics was lively and dynamic, disappearing into the mist.

The thick, liquid-like white mist, upon touching the Buddha's light, began to melt like snow meeting the blazing sun, dripping softly.

Not good.

Zheng Fa was anxious, because if the fog cleared, he would be conspicuous.

More importantly, he didn't know what this Buddha's light was or what supernatural powers it possessed, so he dared not touch it lightly.

Before he could make a move, he heard the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor sneer: "Lu Yao, you are underestimating me too much."

As soon as he finished speaking, in the City of the Wrongfully Dead, ten thousand ghosts cried out, their cries echoing across Yin Mountain, their voices piercing the heart.

Thick, deathly aura billowed from the city gate, and within the black smoke, countless wronged souls scrambled and fought for the relic.

These wronged souls were originally disciples of the Heavenly River Sect, most of whom died in the internal strife of that year, which can be said to be the death of Lu Yao. The resentment and hatred in their expressions at this moment are terrifying.

Even though Lu Yao had gone through three lifetimes of tribulations, his expression was solemn at this moment, and he was chanting scriptures loudly.

Zhitong's relics then began to shimmer with a faint white light.

The white light fell on the black smoke, and the hundreds of wronged souls above suddenly calmed down, put their hands together, and showed joy, as if they were about to be delivered from suffering.

A cold smile flashed across the face of the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor as he pointed his finger at the relic.

Those spirits that had seemed to be turning to faith suddenly became ferocious and resentful again.

"Save me? The sins you committed in the Heavenly River Sect," the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor roared, "will never be forgiven!"

Lu Yao remained silent, continuing to chant Buddhist scriptures as he confronted the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor.

With the blessing of his faith in the Western Continent, he managed to stabilize his situation.

On the contrary, the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor, though seemingly having a chance to catch his breath, is like a rootless duckweed; if he drags on, he will eventually be defeated.

……

"You recover now. With me blocking your way, he won't be able to find you." The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor seemed to understand this as well, and secretly transmitted his voice to Zheng Fa, "Give him a few more sword strikes later."

Clearly, he placed his hopes for a comeback on Zheng Fa.

But Zheng Fa did not do as he had said; instead, he said something that Zheng Fa had not expected:

"I want to go to the Realm of Ten Thousand Swords."

"The Realm of Ten Thousand Swords?" The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor's tone turned cold. "You also want to find the Heavenly River's treasure?"

"Yes."

A mocking glint flashed in the eyes of the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor, his words dripping with sarcasm: "The Sword-Seizing Formation, the Plot for Secret Treasures—you and they are cut from the same cloth. The jade pendant is now in your hands..."

It's clear that he sees Zheng Fa and these cultivators from the four sects as the same kind of people.

Zheng Fa wasn't angry, after all, he had indeed stolen the formation diagram from someone else.

It's perfectly normal for the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor to have some opinions about himself.

"If you want to leave, then I can't guarantee whether Lu Yao will be able to find you."

"Why is this so?"

This is indeed a bit troublesome.

After various attempts, Zheng Fa now has more authority in the Zhuxian Sword Formation than Sect Leader Yan and others, but he is still no match for the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor.

If the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor wanted to sabotage him, it would indeed be very difficult for him to avoid Lu Yao.

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor just smiled, and the meaning in his expression was very clear—you retreated, leaving me to cover your retreat, do you think I, the Demon Ancestor, am a fool?
This is because they're afraid they'll slip away.

Zheng Fa truly understands the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor.

This man was not only afraid of being betrayed, but he also wanted to seize the Immortal Slaughtering Formation Diagram. If he hadn't been on guard against me, he wouldn't have been able to escape the pursuit of the four sects all these years.

Moreover, if he were to escape, the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor would certainly not be able to withstand Lu Yao. Since it was a matter of life and death, he would inevitably become even more cautious.

"In the Realm of Ten Thousand Swords, there may be a next step for the Heavenly River Technique."

The smile on the face of the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor froze, his eyes filled with disbelief and excitement.

"Has the Heavenly River Law... been perfected?"

"It's just possible."

"Are you confident?" the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor asked urgently.

"No."

"..."

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor's lips curled into a straight line, and he stopped smiling.

Zheng Fa chuckled to himself.

He refused to believe that the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor would not take the bait.

"Then how do you know..."

Sure enough, the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor couldn't help but ask again.

"I previously founded the Huangtingjing..."

When Zheng Fa recounted the strange phenomenon of Venerable Tianhe during his tribulation, the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor's eyes flickered, as if he were pondering the matter.

"If Venerable Tianhe really left something behind, the Myriad Swords Realm is highly suspicious."

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor nodded slightly.

Zheng Fa added, "Even if there is no next step of the Heavenly River Technique inside, I still want to use the treasures inside to recover as soon as possible, and even go further."

Seeing that the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor's expression changed slightly, as if he had taken it to heart, he continued:
“His previous victory was due to the element of surprise, but Lu Yao can't possibly be completely unprepared again. He might even be planning to turn the tables on him…”

"We need more than just one sword; delay could lead to unforeseen consequences."

A thoughtful look flashed across the eyes of the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor, clearly indicating that he had been persuaded.

Zheng Fa has always been lenient in his assessment of his enemies, and he would never underestimate someone like Lu Yao.

He previously lacked martial ethics and ambushed an elderly person.

But it won't be so easy to succeed again. Maybe an old monster like Lu Yao is still waiting for him.

Of course, for the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor, the most important thing is the follow-up to the Heavenly River Law.

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor's eyes flickered, as if he was hesitating, unsure whether he should trust Zheng Fa.

Zheng Fa, however, was not in a hurry at all.

……

"The Heavenly River Law is the last hope of the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor."

Within the Purple Palace of the Nine Mountains, the Heavenly Emperor wore a confident smile.

"The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor's current madness stems from two reasons: first, hatred; and second, but more importantly, despair."

Senior Sister Zhang agreed, saying, "He cultivates the Heavenly River Technique; it will be extremely difficult for him to make progress in the future."

Xie Qingxue nodded with a sense of sympathy.

"I want to go further, but I can only wait for the Qingping Sword to advance. Right now, I have no direction at all. The Qingping Sword is only at the Loose Immortal level."

"The Book of Life and Death is a magical treasure of the Golden Immortals."

"Advancing this kind of magic weapon is a billion times more difficult than upgrading the Qingping Sword."

"Therefore, the follow-up to the Heavenly River Law is probably an irresistible temptation for the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor," the Heavenly Emperor said with a smile.

Looking at the struggling expression on the screen, everyone could predict his choice.

"Thank you, Fairy. I'll need your help to show me the way later."

The Heavenly Emperor, brimming with confidence, directly made a request to Xie Qingxue.

Xie Qingxue nodded immediately, her gaze still fixed on the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor, and suddenly asked, "Sect Leader, you deliberately chose to go to the Myriad Swords Realm first, didn't you?"

“Hmm.” In front of so many people from the Nine Mountains Sect, the Heavenly Emperor made no attempt to hide anything. “Although we joined forces because of Lu Yao, the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor is not on the same side as us.”

He sympathized with the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor, but was also very wary of him.

To be honest, even if Zheng Fa could kill Lu Yao with a single sword strike right now, he would hesitate: he was afraid that without Lu Yao, the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor would turn against him.

This Demon Ancestor is not an easy person to deal with, and moreover, the conflict of interest between the two is obvious.

Even the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor probably saw through his thoughts, which is why he was unwilling to let Zheng Fa leave the formation.

Therefore, Zheng Facai wanted to use the follow-up of the Heavenly River Law to lure the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor.

Zheng Fa's thinking was very simple:
If the Heavenly River Law truly has a follow-up, then he'll have a better chance of persuading the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor or even discussing cooperation. If not, he'll have to make further plans, at least preparing to fall out with the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor.

On Mount Yin, the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor remained silent for a long time before finally speaking:

I'll trust you this once.

Zheng Fa was overjoyed. To be honest, it was not easy to gain even a little bit of trust from the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor: this Demon Ancestor had been tricked terribly before.

I'm afraid we should thank Lu Yao.

Knowing the situation was urgent, he didn't delay and flew out of the sword formation.

The spiritual energy within the sword formation was as dense as water.

Countless talismans, like swimming fish, swam past his eyes.

A series of "bubbles" blocked his way from time to time; the "bubbles" were deep and dark, seemingly leading to another space.

This is a spatial branch within the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation. If you touch it, you will be immediately trapped within the formation and unable to escape.

But as he swam along, the little bubbles all avoided him, as if deliberately letting him go.

Zheng Fa himself was not afraid of these things—after all, he was now the second-in-command of the Immortal Slaughtering Formation.

But this situation shows that the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor is indeed willing to let him leave.

He looked towards the sword formation, but the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor was not looking at him. Instead, he was focused on fighting against the Buddhist light, seemingly buying time for Zheng Fa.

……

"The location of the Myriad Swords Realm is eight hundred miles northeast of the Heavenly River Ancestral Peak."

Within the Nine Mountains, Xie Qingxue pointed out the path.

Inside the Heavenly Palace, another light screen appeared, and within it was Zheng Fa, who was flying away.

The two parties are having a video call.

In the blink of an eye, Zheng Fa landed and looked ahead.

Ahead lay a row of towering mountains, stretching endlessly, thousands of feet high, all sheer cliffs, like a wall blocking Zheng Fa's path.

"This is the Cloud-Broken Mountains, which is said to be one of the most important parts of the Eastern Continent."

Xie Qingxue explained.

Zheng Fa couldn't help but look ahead.

The Tianhe Sect is located in the northeast corner of Dongzhou, and Yunduan Mountain is also located in the northeast corner of the Tianhe Sect.

Speaking of which, it really is the northeasternmost corner of Dongzhou.

"Is the Realm of Ten Thousand Swords located within the Cloud-Broken Mountains?"

"The Realm of Ten Thousand Swords is outside the Eastern Continent, no, above the Eastern Continent, you have to cross the Cloud Break Mountain Range."

After hearing Xie Qingxue's explanation, Zheng Fa transformed into a rainbow of light and flew towards the Cloud Break Mountain Range.

But as soon as they flew to the top of a mountain, a familiar membrane appeared in front of Zheng Fa.

"Heaven and earth membranes?"

He felt as if he had hit a steel plate, and could no longer move forward.

Zheng Fa turned around and landed at the foot of the mountain again, his brows furrowed.

Within the Nine Mountains Realm, Xie Qingxue couldn't help but laugh.

“It is the membrane of heaven and earth.” She explained, “I heard from my master that the Myriad Swords Realm was not originally located here, but the ancestor placed it here.”

"Therefore, the Myriad Swords Realm is blocked by the membrane of heaven and earth, and no one except the Nascent Soul stage cultivators of my Heavenly River Sect can enter."

Zheng Fa understood somewhat.

The Realm of Ten Thousand Swords is not actually within the Realm of Mysterious Subtlety.
Back then, Venerable Tianhe somehow managed to get this thing outside the membrane of heaven and earth, and even gave the disciples of the Tianhe Sect a back door.

They also knew how the four sects had entered the Myriad Swords Realm before they made their preparations.

That seems like quite a hassle.

But for Zheng Fa, this matter was far too simple!

His internal energy cultivation technique changed, circulating according to the "Immortal Trapping Sword Manual." His spine became straight and his demeanor sharp, making him appear even more like a disciple of the Heavenly River Sect than the disciples of the Heavenly River Sect themselves.
He was Hao Ri Tian Jiao at Hao Ri Mountain and a loyal disciple of Tian He Sect, embodying the principle of adapting to local customs.

Sure enough, the incantation changed to the "Immortal Trapping Sword Manual," and the Broken Cloud Mountain Range in front of them suddenly changed.

White clouds drifted down from the mountaintop to Zheng Fa's feet, forming a series of steps.

The steps lead to the end of the Broken Cloud Mountains, into the void, with no end in sight.

"Climb the steps and you will see the entrance to the Realm of Ten Thousand Swords."

Hearing Xie Qingxue say this, Zheng Fa lifted his foot and climbed the steps one by one.

First, a fierce wind raged around me, with chaotic clouds dancing wildly and howling incessantly.

Then the weather became sunny and calm, without a single cloud in sight, and it was extremely quiet.

He climbed higher and higher, gradually placing the towering cliffs of the Broken Cloud Mountains beneath his feet.

Looking ahead, one could vaguely see a two-person-high archway on the membrane that was originally like an impenetrable wall.

Can we reach the outside of the Mysterious Realm this way?

Zheng Fa took a deep breath, his heart filled with excitement.

He has always been very curious about what lies beyond the Xuanwei Realm.

However, he was troubled by his inability to leave the membrane of heaven and earth, and was also wary of the stars in the sky, so he gained nothing.

Today I came here to search for the treasures left by the Milky Way, but who would have thought that I would suddenly be able to walk out of this membrane of heaven and earth?

He composed himself, becoming somewhat wary, and stepped through the archway.

dark.

It was as if someone had suddenly covered his eyes.

For a moment, everything went black before his eyes, and he couldn't see anything.

The imagined stars, ancient immortals, and even various dangers did not appear.

He was nowhere to be found in the Realm of Ten Thousand Swords.

Staring at the complete darkness in the video call, Senior Sister Zhang was dumbfounded: "What is this?"

Xie Qingxue's expression was somewhat heavy. She didn't speak, but just stared intently at the light screen, as if waiting.

……

Zheng Fa felt the spiritual power of the "Immortal Trapping Sword Manual" within his body suddenly begin to circulate on its own.

As his spiritual energy fluctuated, a buzzing sound came from the darkness.

A light appeared.

Two beams of light appeared.

Three, four, thousands, even tens of thousands of rays of light pierced through the darkness.

Look at the picture in front of you.

Zheng Fa, who stands here, is also good.

Senior Sister Zhang and others in the Nine Mountains Realm are also good.

They were all so engrossed that they couldn't speak.
Before Zheng Fa stood a colossal mountain, higher than any mountain he had ever seen.

The base of the mountain seems to extend deep into the womb, merging seamlessly with the Broken Cloud Mountain Range.

The mountaintop, however, pierces straight into the darkness, making it impossible to see where it is.

But this was not enough to make Zheng Fa pause.

What left him speechless were the immortal swords embedded in the mountain wall.

The dazzling light just now was actually the sword radiance emitted by these immortal swords themselves.

These flying swords varied in quality; some were merely magical artifacts, while others seemed to be spiritual treasures.

They are embedded in the mountain wall in rows and columns.

What's even more eye-catching is that each of the immortal swords has a name written on the blade near the hilt.

"These people are..."

Xie Qingxue remained silent for a while before speaking: "These are the disciples who died during the process of Tianhe Sect unifying Xuanwei back then."

"..."

"No one knows when the patriarch placed their flying swords here."

Looking at the flying swords in front of him, Zheng Fa seemed to see the vast and turbulent past era.

Sometimes he would think that the atmosphere in the Tianhe Sect must have been quite good back then, otherwise the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor, who was not from the Tianhe Sect, would not have missed or even hated it so much.

"The height of this peak should be the pinnacle of Xuanwei. Within our Tianhe Sect, it is known as the Tongtian Sword Peak."

"In my opinion, this is a tombstone."

Xie Qingxue's voice was very low, but everyone listened quietly without making a sound.

"Master, the tombstones erected for those predecessors."

(End of this chapter)