Xiuxian: I studied abroad in modern times

Chapter 561 Rebuilding the Nation, Separated by Life and Death

The Nine Mountains Sect is truly different.

This wasn't just Jin Feng Xianzi's idea; several cultivators who had returned with her also quietly told her, "We've never seen Hao Ri Mountain disciples do these things."

what's up?

She looked towards the mountainside, where the disciples of the Nine Mountains Sect were gathered in small groups, heads bowed, sketching the shapes and heights of the mountain peaks.

Some disciples even crawled into cracks in the ground, then crawled out covered in dust and empty-handed, but with big smiles on their faces.

They didn't pay much attention to Fairy Jin Feng and the others, which was quite reassuring. Hao Ri Shan, on the other hand, really liked looking for them, and as a result, the little bit of wealth left behind by Liu Yun Sect ended up in their hands.

"Um, Fairy Golden Phoenix?"

The Nine Mountains Patriarch called her.

"I am here!"

"Come and see, is this what the spiritual veins of your Flowing Cloud Sect used to look like?"

Looking at the screen, Fairy Golden Phoenix held her breath and whispered, "Yes!"

Seemingly too excited, she murmured, "That's it, exactly the same."

In the light screen, the two thin and ugly mountain peaks in front of me transformed into a majestic giant peak.

She grew up on the mountain since childhood. Hundreds of years have passed, but she never expected that one day the mountains and rivers would tremble, and the mountain beneath her feet would split open from the middle, scattering spiritual energy and making it difficult for people to cultivate.

Therefore, when she looked at the shapes of mountains and rivers on the light screen, her eyes even held a hint of longing.

Seemingly sensing her excitement, Patriarch Jiushan shook his head and took out the Zizhi Tongjian: "Since it's correct, I'll send a message to Zheng Fa and have him come over."

"Alliance Leader Zheng..."

Jin Fengxian was bewildered. Could a big shot like Zheng Fa really be summoned at will?
"Oh, he's repairing other spiritual veins. We're just responsible for exploration; the actual work still needs to be done by him."

"..."

Recalling the aloofness of the former sect leader of the Liuyun Sect, it seems that the Jiushan Sect is not only quite different from Haori Mountain, but also... quite far behind their Liuyun Sect.

In less than half an incense stick's time, a rainbow streaked across the sky and landed in front of everyone, revealing the figure of a young man.

"Zheng Fa!"

"Head!"

The cultivators from the Nine Mountains shouted in unison.

Golden Phoenix Fairy looked at Zheng Fa cautiously. This Alliance Leader Zheng's talent and strength had shaken the Xuanwei realm several times, but he seemed more ordinary than those arrogant Hao Ri disciples.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Zheng Fa nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the face of Fairy Jin Feng, but he didn't have time to notice her.

They are currently racing against time to repair the spiritual veins and establish a grand formation, and they don't have time to deal with the local cultivators of Haori Mountain yet.

Zheng Fa is especially busy:
Changing the landscape would be difficult for anyone else in the sect.

Only Zheng Fa, relying on his hidden power, could precisely control the underground magnetic field and utilize its power over a wide area, achieving the required precision and strength.

Therefore, Zheng Facai was running around to various spiritual veins. Fortunately, he had the Rainbow Transformation Technique, otherwise he would have been too late.

He glanced at the spiritual vein sketch on the light screen, exchanged a few words with the Nine Mountains Ancestor, then flew into the sky, his right sleeve growing larger to cover the peaks of the two mountains.

The two mountains, as if riding in a carriage, grew legs and moved towards the middle in a heavy and stable manner.

"Stay away!"

"Master Jiushan shouted."

The Golden Phoenix Fairy followed the disciples of the Nine Mountains Sect and fled into the distance.

At the foot of the two mountains, a rumbling sound emanated, and rocks of various sizes fell from the mountaintops with a soft patter.

The birds and wild animals on the mountain seemed to have encountered a catastrophe and fled in all directions.

Dust billowed from the ground, but Fairy Golden Phoenix stared intently at Zheng Fa, even more nervous than the cultivators of the Nine Mountains Sect.

Soon, the two mountains came together, fitting tightly together until they were seamless.

A surge of spiritual energy rose from the foot of the mountain, flowed through the mountain, and gushed out from the summit, nourishing the vegetation on the mountain.

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the smoke and dust dissipated, the mountain vegetation was lush and green, and the little creatures that had just fled peeked back into their newly renovated homes, chirping merrily.

This is my home too!

Looking at the familiar mountain shapes and spiritual energy, Fairy Golden Phoenix's eyes were filled with gratitude, yet also with a strange sense of unease—

Having painstakingly repaired the spiritual veins, will the Nine Mountains Sect allow them to establish themselves here?

She didn't ask for much. The Flowing Cloud Sect was gone, but this place was her home. Her master and senior sisters were buried here. Even without spiritual veins, she was unwilling to leave.

When Zheng Fa came to see her, Fairy Jin Feng was even more worried.

"Golden Phoenix Fairy".

"Greetings, Sect Leader Zheng."

Zheng Fa was in a hurry, so he spoke very directly: "I heard from the founder that you used to be a cultivator of the Liuyun Sect."

"Yes."

"Our Nine Mountains Sect already has a plan regarding the allocation and development of this spiritual vein."

The Golden Phoenix Fairy's heart trembled, but she dared not say anything and simply lowered her head.

"Of course, you can join our Nine Mountains Sect and cultivate here, or would you like to rebuild the Flowing Cloud Sect?"

"Rebuild...the Flowing Cloud Sect?"

The Golden Phoenix Fairy suddenly looked up.

“Of course, it will be in the form of a subordinate organization of my Nine Mountains Sect. In the short term, you will need to manage this land and provide resources to the Nine Mountains Sect.” Zheng Fa nodded and said, “But in the long term, we will still make changes based on the situation of the Hundred Immortals Alliance. In the future, the Flowing Cloud Sect may become the Flowing Cloud Academy or a separate academy.”

Golden Phoenix Fairy fell into deep thought. She could tell that this Sect Leader Zheng was very frank, so his request for her to rebuild the Flowing Cloud Sect was genuine.

It is indeed true.

This is truly a stopgap measure; ultimately, it's because the Nine Mountains Sect doesn't have enough people.

Although the Nine Mountains Sect has many disciples, the Divine Firmament Fleet needs people, the factory needs people, and the spiritual vein repair and construction of the Yuan Magnetic Array need people. Even after a period of maneuvering, the sect still feels it is not enough.

While fighting Haori Mountain, they were unlikely to be able to quickly establish control over the occupied territories.

Therefore, cooperation with local monks is essential.

People like Fairy Jin Feng are very familiar with the local situation, which makes managing this area much easier and greatly reduces the governance costs of the Nine Mountains Sect.

Of course, the downsides of doing this are also obvious:
The Nine Mountains Sect has difficulty fully assimilating the occupied territories.

This group of cultivators is a mixed bag, and there might be some with ulterior motives.

However, the main issue at this time is Haori Mountain, so these other matters should be put aside for now—Zheng Fa and his team's current goal is to establish the Yuan Magnetic Array.

"I...I do!"

After much deliberation, Fairy Golden Phoenix realized that the conditions offered by the Nine Mountains Sect were much better than she had expected.

Moreover, the spiritual vein was repaired by the Nine Mountains Sect, making the conditions even more favorable.

What she didn't know was that the destruction of this spiritual vein was also closely related to the Nine Mountains Sect... Of course, the culprit was still the inhuman Haori Mountain.

“Very good. The first thing is to help us establish the Yuan Magnetic Array.”

"Magnetic Array?"

Golden Phoenix Fairy was a little confused, but Zheng Fa knew that the Yuan Magnetic Array could effectively control this group of newly surrendered cultivators.
With the surveillance capabilities and combat power of the grand formation, the Nine Mountains Sect is not afraid of them causing trouble. This is why Zheng Fahui has lowered the threshold and started to absorb outside cultivators.

Of course, for the Nine Mountains Sect, the most important thing is to enhance the power of the great formation and defend against Haori Mountain, especially the Demon Ancestor.

He looked towards Haori Mountain, wondering what the three Demon Ancestors of the Nine Luminaries Heaven would do.

...Nine Luminaries Heaven.

This is a desolate wasteland towering high above the ground.

The land here is yellowish-brown, the sky is gray, and the vast expanse is utterly silent, devoid of even the slightest sign of life.

Suddenly, fireflies appeared in the air, some blue, some green, bringing a rare burst of vibrant color to this desolate place.

"Gu God... what are you doing here?"

A hoarse voice echoed across the wasteland, and the fireflies in the air gathered together in response, eventually transforming into a human figure.

This person was a young woman with a strange and bold appearance. She was completely naked except for her long green hair, which flew in the air and covered some parts of her body.

"White Bone, didn't you hear the news outside?"

"what news?"

"The Nine Mountains Sect is attacking Haori Mountain." The woman named Gu Shen spoke with a seductive tone, "Within three months, their advance will be unstoppable."

“The cultivators of the three races are either dead or wounded; no one can stop this group.”

"Now they have occupied half of Haori Mountain."

"Nine...Nine Mountains Sect?"

Suddenly, a skeletal hand emerged from the ground, followed by a gigantic skeletal giant that pried open the earth, supported itself on the ground, and slowly stood up.

He shook off the dust from his body, and silvery light shimmered from the two holes in his skull, as if he were pondering: "That Zheng Fa's Nine Mountains Sect? They're actually this strong?"

"It was him. Somehow, he discovered our identities and wanted to eliminate the demons and protect the righteous path."

The God of Gu's tone was somewhat mocking.

"What does this have to do with me? Haori Mountain is a primitive place..."

“Haori Mountain is not important, but it cannot perish now.” Gu God interrupted him. “Don’t forget, the creation needs the Lu Clan.”

"You mean what was left behind from the original..."

“Yes, the three of us cannot enter that place and cannot obtain any opportunities. According to the Creator, perhaps only the Lu Clan can enter.”

The White Bone Demon Ancestor remained silent for a moment before speaking, "What are you doing here?"

"I'll deal with the Nine Mountains Sect."

"you?"

"The Nine Mountains Sect's battle tactics seem to rely on sheer numbers."

Upon hearing this, the White Bone Demon Ancestor seemed to understand and slowly nodded.

"Now, the three of us are destined to be chosen by fate to search for the treasures left behind by the Primal Ones. Only you and I are available..."

"I will watch what fate has in store."

As if knowing why she had come, the White Bone Demon Ancestor immediately spoke.

"Your injury..."

"Even though he is stronger than me, I am not so easy to kill."

The Gu God glanced at the wasteland below, where a cracked mound had risen from the yellow earth.

She could tell that this vast wasteland was actually a large tomb where bones used to heal their wounds.

The White Bones and Creation have always been at odds, constantly fighting each other. It was only after the Nine Netherworlds established the Cycle of Reincarnation that they restrained themselves somewhat.

As far as she knew, it wasn't exactly a matter of restraint; rather, they fought to the death, realized that neither could kill the other, and were wary of her taking advantage of the situation, so they stopped.

The skeleton is hiding here, probably recuperating from its injuries.

If it weren't for the bad relationship between the two, she wouldn't have dared to leave Jiuyaotian so easily—the three of them were unwilling to give up what the original left behind.

If it weren't for the White Bone Demon intervening, she would never have bothered with the Nine Mountains Sect.

Because of her extraordinary talent and abilities, she and Bai Gu even had a subtle tacit understanding in their ability to work together.

Watching the White Bone Demon Ancestor slowly burrow into the ground, the Gu God turned and flew towards the Nine Luminaries Heaven. She frowned slightly, feeling somewhat worried. The White Bone Demon Ancestor had just fought a great battle with the Creation God, and she couldn't see any injuries. Its strength was even greater than she knew. Among the three, wasn't she the weakest?
……

The Nine Mountains Sect advanced extremely quickly.

The Shenxiao Fleet surged forward at breakneck speed, while Zheng Fa and his disciples set up Yuan Magnetic Arrays everywhere behind them.

The Golden Phoenix Fairy also ran after her.

She wasn't helping to set up the formation; rather, she had taken on a mission from the Nine Mountains Sect to earn some merit points—Haori Mountain had been plundered so successfully that she didn't even have many resources left for her own cultivation, let alone rebuilding the Flowing Cloud Sect.

Even with a spiritual vein, she still needs spirit stones.

Fortunately, the Nine Mountains Sect seems to be in dire need of manpower and has been recruiting local cultivators to help, even awarding them merit points.

She is currently in a small county town near the front lines.

"Line up and get your rations! Everyone gets them!" Fairy Golden Phoenix was quite familiar with the process now. "As long as you complete the task, you can get your rations!"

Behind her, the Divine Sky Flying Boat slowly descended, the hatch opened, and boxes of grain flew out.

The crowd in front of her immediately stirred.

This is grain that the Nine Mountains Sect specially transported for these mortals.

When the Haori Mountain disciples stationed here fled, they caused widespread destruction. It's unclear whether they wanted to loot as much as they could or simply clear out the area and fortify their defenses.

In truth, the losses caused by the battle here are less than the atrocities committed by some Haori Mountain disciples—or rather, the Haori Mountain disciples are actually alright; they look down on mortals' possessions, but those forces that rely on Haori Mountain to bully others are different.

The Nine Mountains Sect's relentless offensive terrified these people even more, making them flee even more frantically.

Fortunately, the Nine Mountains Sect has a sufficient grain production. As long as ordinary people complete the corresponding tasks, they can receive enough food to support their families.

The so-called mission...

The Golden Phoenix Fairy glanced at the newly planted rice seedlings beside her and smiled slightly. What kind of task is this?
After the crowd had received their food and dispersed, Fairy Golden Phoenix turned her gaze to the rice paddies.

In the rice paddies, the new seedlings were tender and green. She hadn't paid much attention to this ordinary grain before, but after looking at it for a while, she found it quite endearing.

Actually, it's not that she doesn't care, it's that all cultivators don't really care... except for the Nine Mountains Sect.

They went to great lengths to encourage these people to resume farming, even more so than when they were fighting Haori Mountain.

Thinking of this, Fairy Golden Phoenix felt even more that the Nine Mountains Sect was very different. But looking at the swaying rice seedlings in front of her and the laughter of children echoing from the distant chimneys, she suddenly laughed again, a thought inexplicably popping into her mind:
If only I could have let him stay...

She turned her head and gazed in the direction of Haori Mountain, her expression dazed.

Suddenly, a figure she knew all too well appeared in the sky—it was the young man Jin Dan who had bid a reluctant farewell to Fairy Golden Phoenix earlier.

"You...you're back?"

The Golden Phoenix Fairy was both surprised and delighted, and flew forward.

"No, don't come here!"

The Golden Phoenix Fairy paused, puzzled.

After saying those words, the young man seemed unable to hold on any longer and fell right before her eyes, landing in the field.

Golden Phoenix Fairy rushed towards the spot where he had fallen, only to hear the man whispering, "Run! Get away from... Haori Mountain, as far away as possible!"

Then, the young man's body suddenly exploded.

Countless poisonous insects flew up from his chest and abdomen.

The Golden Phoenix Fairy stopped and looked at her beloved lying on the ground, looking up at the sky. Worms crawled out of his mouth and eyes.

Starting from the spot where the young man died, the rice seedlings turned yellow and black in the blink of an eye.

The fields, which were once vibrant and lush green, have been transformed into an unsightly scar on the earth in just a few breaths.

(End of this chapter)