Zheng Fa never expected that the first stranger he added as a friend on the Spirit Message application would be the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor.
It feels unfamiliar, but it's not really that unfamiliar.
They're probably not really friends, and they're not even that friendly.
After all, people come here to cause trouble.
Zheng Fa sat in the courtyard, confronting the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor via video.
Xie Qingxue also sat on a stone bench to the side, looking at the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor in the light screen with some worry on her face.
After all, she had met the Devil Ancestor and had connections with both sides. She was here to ease the tension in case the talks broke down.
Standing in one corner of the light screen was her master—Sect Master Yan Tianhe Yan.
Sect Master Yan also looked like he had a toothache, probably because he was afraid the two wouldn't be able to reach an agreement: Yan Wushuang was still holed up in the Nine Mountains Realm.
Zheng Fa, however, remained calm.
He had figured it out: the storybook may be yours, but the Comprehensive Mirror is mine, and there's no reason for you to publish it whenever you want.
You had a good time writing, but now the blame is on me, which makes even less sense.
As for taking a hard line, going after the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor and the Four Sects... is there even a choice?
No matter how powerful the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor is... doesn't he still have to hide?
If he's capable, he can wipe out the Four Sects; if all else fails, he can kill Vast Sun Mountain. Zheng Fa might then consider re-listing " The Tianhe's Immortal Cultivation Chronicle ".
How can you only oppress an innocent platform like yourself? Have you no shame?
The Nine Nether Devil Ancestor was in the center of the light screen, his face completely unobstructed. Strangely, Zheng Fa couldn't remember his facial features at all, not even whether he was tall or short, fat or thin, male or female, young or old. When Zheng Fa tried to recall, he had no idea.
In a way, he really has no shame...
"Interesting." The Nine Nether Devil Ancestor glanced left and right, seemingly experiencing the video call function for the first time, and appeared quite interested. His tone contained a hint of admiration, "This treasure of yours is probably unique in the Xuanwei Realm."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Fa couldn't help but feel a little proud.
This Devil Ancestor is a true old thing. Based on Zheng Fa's previous understanding, this person is at least from the Divine Dao Era, and he already had the strength of Dao Fruit during the Heavenly Venerable era.
The Xuanwei he spoke of was unique and of extremely high value.
The Nine Nether Devil Ancestor's tone suddenly turned low and cold. "Such a fine treasure, yet I simply cannot place it on my storybook."
The expression on Sect Master Yan's face immediately changed within the light screen.
Even Xie Qingxue, who Dharma Body, couldn't help but reach out her hand towards the Green Duckweed Sword.
Even though they were thousands of miles apart, the anger and reproach hidden in the whispered words of the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor still sent chills down Xie Qingxue's spine.
Zheng Fa's expression remained unchanged; he simply continued to stare at the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor, showing no intention of backing down.
The Nine Nether Devil Ancestor's gaze grew increasingly cold.
Zheng Fa suddenly laughed and said, "Why doesn't the Devil Ancestor print it himself?"
"..."
Why must you only seek to utilize my Comprehensive Mirror?
Seeing the smile on Zheng Fa's face, the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor remained silent for a moment, then raised an eyebrow and smiled as well.
"You're really smart."
"Clever, I wouldn't call him that..." Zheng Fa shook his head, looking at the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor on the light screen, "It's just a storybook, not worth the Devil Ancestor's attention."
This was originally written by a great man, and Zheng Fa had already guessed it, but he still sealed it. Apart from the fact that he had no choice but to seal it, he naturally felt that it was not a big deal.
But it doesn't make much sense for the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor to go to such great lengths.
Ultimately, it's just a storybook.
Of course, it cannot be ruled out that the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor wanted to become a literary master of Xuanwei, to commemorate Venerable Tianhe, or to disgust the Four Sects.
The problem is, he didn't need to rely on the Comprehensive Mirror to achieve these things.
The Comprehensive Mirror is merely a medium. With the strength and influence of the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor, it's not impossible for him to publish a physical copy, or even have a copy for everyone in the Xuanwei Realm.
Unless this Devil Ancestor is mentally ill, he must have ulterior motives.
Xie Qingxue stared wide-eyed at the two people on the other side of the light screen, looking at her master in the screen.
Then, Sect Master Yan looked at Zheng Fa with surprise, seemingly not expecting that Zheng Fa could so easily guess the Devil Ancestor's thoughts.
Xie Qingxue lightly released the Green Duckweed Sword in her hand, feeling somewhat dejected: It wasn't difficult to think of these things, but it was difficult to think of them under the coercion of the Devil Ancestor.
She was bewitched by the Devil Ancestor's fearsome reputation, panicked, and lost the ability to think calmly.
In contrast, Zheng Fa, though always cautious, seemed unconcerned about the infamous reputation of the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor and remained unperturbed.
The Nine Nether Devil Ancestor looked at Zheng Fa, thought for a long time, and then slowly said, "You are much smarter than Tianhe."
I have a lot of brains...
Before Zheng Fa could answer, the Devil Ancestor repeated, "This Comprehensive Mirror is a treasure, unique in the Xuanwei Realm."
Zheng Fa was stunned by these words, but then he understood. He had made it clear from the beginning that the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor was plotting something: the Comprehensive Mirror!
Or rather, the internet platform behind the Comprehensive Mirror!
That story might just be a test by this old-fashioned Devil Ancestor —to see just how many cultivators this Comprehensive Mirror could attract.
Zheng Fa frowned. He really hadn't expected that the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor would see the potential of the Zizhi Tongjian Comprehensive Mirror a glance.
They even came knocking on our door.
This person is far too perceptive.
This made him even more vigilant. The Comprehensive Mirror the Creation Jade Disc, which belonged to his Life-bound Dharma Treasure. Moreover, he understood the future represented by the Comprehensive Mirror better than the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor.
"I'm not interested in whose Comprehensive Mirror it is." Seemingly sensing Zheng Fa's wariness, the Devil Ancestor became much more candid at this moment, "I only need to use Comprehensive Mirror to do something."
work?
Zheng Fa nodded slightly, waiting for the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor to continue.
"This matter is very important to me, and I can agree to some conditions."
Seemingly aware that Zheng Fa had seen through his hand, or perhaps genuinely valuing the Comprehensive Mirror, the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor spoke almost bluntly, even offering a deal.
What are the conditions?
The Nine Nether Devil Ancestor spoke with absolute confidence, "Just mention it."
Zheng Fa Spiritual Opportunity: "Senior, why don't you go and wipe out Vast Sun Mountain?"
"..."
The Nine Nether Devil Ancestor in the light screen fell silent, Sect Master Yan suddenly lowered his head, politely trembling twice silently in the corner.
"It cannot be destroyed... Vast Sun Mountain is the overlord of the Divine Dao Era."
There was a hint of regret in the tone of the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor.
Zheng Fa's pupils dilated slightly.
That's pretty explosive.
The Nine Nether Devil Ancestor glanced at him. " Vast Sun Mountain and Jade Pool are forces that existed since the Divine Dao Era... and some Devil Ancestor even have intricate connections with Vast Sun Mountain."
He sighed softly at this point, "I only found out later."
Zheng Fa quickly considered the matter in his mind.
Zheng Fa knew that Vast Sun Mountain had some connections with the Demonic Sect.
It now appears that Vast Sun Mountain is even older than the Devil Ancestor.
As Zheng Fa knew, there were five eras before the Xuanwei Realm:
The first two eras left no trace, the third era was the Divine Dao Era, the fourth era was the Demon Sect Era, and the fifth era, Zheng Fa always referred to as the Tianhe Era.
"The Overlord of the Divine Way?"
Zheng Fa murmured softly, his heart filled with turbulent emotions.
Because of Venerable Tianhe, the history of Xuanwei has always been shrouded in mystery, unknown to ordinary people.
The words of the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor gave him a window of opportunity.
Unexpectedly, the origins of Vast Sun Mountain were even more formidable than he had imagined.
"What does it mean that the Dao Fruit is immortal? Haven't you thought about it?"
The Nine Nether Devil Ancestor seemed to think it wasn't enough, and said with a hint of sarcasm.
Zheng Fa's tone was somewhat stern. "The strong will always be strong."
The Nine Nether Devil Ancestor smiled, and for a moment, no one spoke, both inside and outside the light screen, and the atmosphere became somewhat heavy.
As long as the Dao Fruit are immortal and their inheritance is indestructible, each Dao Fruit of the Four Sects of Xuanwei (excluding the Tianhe Sect ) will become their foundation.
But ironically, every single one of them was an enemy of the Four Sects.
"As far as I know, the Supreme Dao and Thunderclap Temple rose to prominence during the Second Era, but I cannot be certain what exactly happened during that era."
" Jade Pool and Vast Sun Mountain stand facing each other across the Divine Dao Era. Although some other cultivators have attained enlightenment, they are powerless to confront either of them."
"You can't do it either, senior?"
Zheng Fa asked in surprise.
The Nine Nether Devil Ancestor looked at Zheng Fa and chuckled, "Are you referring to my killing of the Heavenly Venerable?"
"Yes."
In Zheng Fa's view, the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor could kill the Heavenly Venerable single-handedly meant that his strength was already considerable, at least in the Divine Dao Era.
"My lineage is unique, and the Heavenly Venerable had already gone mad at the time, and the supreme treasure, the Sun-Moon Bell, was already destroyed," the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor said calmly. "At that time, I was only at the initial stage of the Loose Immortal Dao Fruit, and I was unable to challenge Vast Sun Mountain."
"When I Dao Fruit, the Divine Dao Era was already nearing its end."
"What about Vast Sun Mountain and Jade Pool?"
Zheng Fa was even more astonished. How could these two factions allow the Devil Ancestor to attain enlightenment?
Suddenly, the Devil Ancestor in the light screen pointed his finger upwards.
"Outer Heavens?"
Zheng Fa was startled again.
"This Xuanwei Realm Immortal-Mortal Divide."
Zheng Fa thought of that invisible barrier.
"Above the Loose Immortal, one must not enter the Xuanwei except during a great calamity," the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor said softly. "Even above the Spirit Transformation, one must pay a great price and easily lose one's true nature."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Fa suddenly understood.
So that's why the Nascent Spirit Transformation was so slow to emerge back then.
He then asked, "Isn't this a protection for Xuanwei cultivators? Then why did Venerable Tianhe perform the act of creating the heavens back then?"
The Nine Nether Devil Ancestor remained silent for a long time this time.
"Why the Tianhe was like this back then... I don't know either." He spoke quickly and lightly, as if he wanted to gloss over it and not elaborate, but his next sentence surprised Zheng Fa even more. "But this Immortal-Mortal Divide, although meant to protect, has also become a prison for Xuanwei cultivators."
Zheng Fa couldn't help but ask, "Why do you say that, senior?"
The Nine Nether Devil Ancestor looked at Zheng Fa, a hint of sharpness in his eyes. "Because the Dao Fruit is immortal."
Hearing this, Zheng Fa was puzzled and still couldn't figure out what was going on.
But then the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor said, "These things are still too far off for you... You only need to know that what I want to do will not harm you or Xuanwei."
Seeing the annoyance in his eyes, Zheng Fa knew he didn't want to say anything more about it, so he had to stop the conversation.
Zheng Fa thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Is what you want to do related to the Tianhe Sect?"
The Nine Nether Devil Ancestor glanced at Sect Master Yan behind him and nodded slightly.
"Then why... Tianhe Sect still calm and peaceful?"
To be honest, this matter is very urgent for Zheng Fa.
Whatever the Devil Ancestor is going to do is irrelevant now. As long as he can confront Vast Sun Mountain, Zheng Fa doesn't mind lending a hand.
Most importantly, you two should start fighting!
"Waiting for you."
"Ah?"
"He said..." The Nine Nether Devil Ancestor pointed at Sect Master Yan and said without any concealment, "You'd better wait until you and Vast Sun Mountain start fighting."
Looking at Sect Master Yan, who wore a slightly mocking smile on the screen, Zheng Fa fell into deep thought:
Are you also waiting for me to draw attention?
What a terrible teammate!
Your son is still in my hands!
That's true, Sect Master Yan probably has even less confidence than I do... after all, he's already handed his son over.
Xie Qingxue looked at Zheng Fa and her master, who had similar expressions and were speechless, both inside and outside the light screen, and felt a little awkward.
Zheng Fa then smiled and said, "I also want to get it done sooner, but there's one thing I can't do without resolving it."
Upon hearing this, Sect Master Yan became somewhat anxious and asked, "What is it?"
" The Immortal-Trapping Sword."
"..."
Zheng Fa looked at the two of them intently:
"May I ask, what methods are available to fully control the Immortal-Trapping Sword?"
"You two... don't want our entire clan to be wiped out by Vast Sun Mountain in just one day, do you?"
Inside the light screen, Sect Master Yan and the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor exchanged glances. Outside the screen, Xie Qingxue looked at Zheng Fa with astonishment—"This can be used to ask for a price?"
Watching the light screen disappear from the hall, Sect Master Yan turned to look at the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor, his expression puzzled. "You seem to have been too generous to Zheng Fa... Some of those Secret Method were ones I'd never even heard of before."
The Nine Nether Devil Ancestor rubbed the Comprehensive Mirror in his hand, his eyes brightening slightly. " Comprehensive Mirror, it's a good treasure."
Sect Master Yan's gaze also fell on the Comprehensive Mirror, and he became even more puzzled, but he also understood— the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor was so generous because he really didn't want Zheng Fa to get into trouble, or perhaps he didn't want the Comprehensive Mirror to lose its purpose.
But why does this Devil Ancestor value the Comprehensive Mirror so much?
In the Nine Mountains Realm, Xie Qingxue also had some doubts and asked Zheng Fa, "Why is the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor being so secretive?"
Zheng Fa was taken aback by the concern on her face, then heard Xie Qingxue explain, "My master is now cooperating with him, but I really don't understand what his true intentions are..."
"I'm also afraid my master might fall for my spell."
Zheng Fa nodded upon hearing this, understanding Xie Qingxue's implication:
The two could roughly determine what Sect Master Yan was seeking: to break free from the control of the Four Lineages Founder.
However, the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor was too mysterious, making Xie Qingxue uneasy.
Holding the Creation Jade Disc, Zheng Fa shook his head slightly and sighed, " The Nine Nether Devil Ancestor has exceptional insight."
"Um?"
"He probably doesn't have any ill intentions towards your master, on the contrary, it seems he wants to..." Zheng Fa's tone was also uncertain, "... Cyber Proving the Dao?"
Xie Qingxue looked even more puzzled.
But Zheng Fa didn't explain further—after all, this was just a guess, and even he wasn't sure about it; he only had a vague idea in mind.
If this Devil Ancestor is thinking about this, his eye for new things is truly Zheng Fa —you must know, the Comprehensive Mirror Tongjian has only just appeared, and this Nine Nether Devil Ancestor probably hasn't had this thing for more than a few months.
However, this also gave him a bit more confidence:
At least Zheng Fa has the confidence that he will still stand on the side of the Nine Mountains Sect until the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor gets his wish.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Xie Qingxue didn't press him further, but simply sighed:
"I never imagined that Vast Sun Mountain had such a background..."
Zheng Fa felt somewhat suppressed. If this were the case, each of these major powers in the Xuanwei Realm would probably have been a hegemon in a previous era.
The Four Sects originate from the first three eras.
The thirteen Devil Ancestor ruled the Fourth Era.
The Tianhe Sect dominated the Fifth Era.
What's terrifying is that, just as the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor said, because the Dao Fruit is immortal, this group of forces will only grow stronger and will not decline.
Anyone would dread facing such an invincible enemy.
Shi Nandang has also been having a headache lately, and it's a physical headache.
"Why has this Immortal-Trapping Sword been so overbearing these past few days?"
He and the other six Nascent Spirit Transformation surrounded the Fire God Mountain, their fingers drawing talismans rapidly, surrounded by starlight.
Streams of spiritual energy surged from the Heaven-Earth Divine Baleful Array and flowed into the mountain's belly.
The subterranean fire within the mountain surged forth, coalescing into a black and red fire dragon that soared straight into the sky.
The fire dragon twisted and coiled in mid-air, its robust body imbued with the power of heaven and earth, tightly entwining itself around a black immortal Immortal Sword.
But the Immortal-Trapping Sword has now unleashed its ferocity, refusing to yield. Its Sword Qi crisscrosses, causing the fire dragon to wail in agony.
The seven Spirit Transformation around him were even paler, lifeless, with bulging veins on their faces and bloodshot eyes. Where was the composure of Spirit Transformation True Person?
"Why does this Immortal-Trapping Sword seem to have gone mad?"
"It has been howling for forty-nine days, and we haven't had a single day of rest! If this continues, we can't hold on any longer!"
Shi Nandang looked down and saw that the three leaders of Profound Mystery Sect Leader were already limp on the ground, barely breathing, and it seemed that they could not be counted on.
"Where's Li Hao? Tell Li Hao to come up here ahead of time!"
He called out to the Ninth Elder.
The Ninth Elder pointed his finger in the air, and a Communication Talisman flew down the mountain.
" Li Hao! Li Hao my foot! These blind bastards!"
"Immortal-Trapping Sword," an old man's voice angrily cursed.
One woman replied, "What are you angry about? Even if you shout for a hundred years, they still won't understand!"
"Then what do you suggest we do? Are you willing to be controlled by that person?"
"..."
"I know some of you are tempted, but think about it, isn't he just making us kill each other?" the old man continued. "Sword Spirit, take you for example, didn't you suffer enough at the hands of the Founder?"
A childish voice responded, "I... can't help it."
"Whether there's a way or not, when have those damned cultivators ever been trustworthy?"
"Don't forget, we used to be cultivators too."
"That's why I understand monks best!"
"..."
"Then what do you suggest we do? He can control the great formation, what else can we do?"
The old man seemed to have thought this through long ago:
"He can control the grand formation, but his current cultivation level must not be high..."
How so?
"On the summit of Fire God Mountain, there are only a few Spirit Transformation... His concealment is clearly due to some reservations."
That makes some sense.
The old man added, "Moreover, he wants us to offer up our Secret Method, as if he has no idea how to control us."
"You mean, we've been scammed? But..."
The old man interrupted:
"There's no 'but' or 'no.' Two choices: First, we obediently hand over the Secret Method, but only one of us can live, and the one who lives will be quite comfortable."
"Secondly, we'll offer up fake Secret Method together. No matter what he chooses, it will leave a flaw. We can wait for the last moment to turn the tables and perhaps still have a glimmer of hope!"
You choose!
" Li Hao is here?"
Zheng Fa broke through the fog and heard Shi Nandang quickly say, "Quick! Enter the formation!"
He glanced at the formation, leaped up, and replaced a swaying Nascent Spirit Transformation True Person. He heard Shi Nandang's admonition. "These days, the Immortal -Immortal-Trapping Sword has become increasingly agitated for some reason; it seems its sword spirit is rebelling against the formation."
(End of this chapter)