Apart from the distant, chilling roar of Cloud True Immortal, only the mournful cries of the five crimson dragons echoed throughout the world.
These five crimson dragons, which had been struggling wildly and arrogantly under Senior Sister Zhang's Pure Tranquility Bamboo, now stared blankly at the War Chariot that had lost its luster, their dragon eyes filled with sorrow and their cries pitiful.
Their once lifelike whiskers, scales, and even dragon horns and claws were peeling off and scattering, turning into crimson and golden runes, resembling flying flowers and burning blood, falling from the sky to the ground.
But the thousands of cultivators on the ground paid no attention to this scene. Instead, they all silently looked up at Zheng Fa was extremely inconspicuous in the air.
It was obvious to everyone that Zheng Fa was extremely exhausted at this moment.
The sword light that had just illuminated the sky was now only as faint as a firefly.
His figure, so distant and insignificant, swayed precariously in the air.
The beautiful female cultivator beside him, who was holding a bamboo stick, flew forward and supported him.
But no one would laugh at Zheng Fa's disheveled appearance.
Going back an era, hundreds of thousands of years, this was the first cultivator to kill a cultivator who had achieved the Dao Fruit of the Five Sects.
Even hundreds of thousands of years from now, this sword strike will likely be praised by future generations of cultivators.
Although Zheng Fa had also killed the Great Freedom Devil Ancestor, to most cultivators, the Five Sects of Xuanwei and the Devil Ancestor were completely different:
In this era, the Immortal Sect flourished while the Devil Ancestor went into hiding. Even though they all attained the Dao Fruit, the image of the Five Sects as superior was deeply rooted in the hearts of many cultivators.
Hundreds of thousands of years is far too long, long enough for generations of cultivators to regard the Five Sects as the heavens of the Xuanwei Realm.
Zheng Fa's sword strike was so devastating it pierced the heavens.
As the five crimson dragons in the central light screen dissipated, the six Nascent Spirit Transformation in the Heaven Pool Waterside Pavilion of the Supreme Dao were filled with excitement.
"Killed... killed?"
Venerable Chengkong suddenly stood up, seemingly using too much force, and the wooden chair he was sitting on crackled and fell apart.
The other five Nascent Spirit Transformation, however, seemed oblivious to his rudeness and remained silent. After a long while, the elder who had previously reprimanded First Seat Mingde finally let out a long sigh, "This Alliance Leader Zheng... he... he..."
He kept repeating "he" for a long time, seemingly unable to find the right words to describe Zheng Fa.
Finally, they shut their mouths.
First Seat Mingde understood this perfectly; wasn't there a degree of reverence for Zheng Fa involved?
Just now, this senior brother, a mere Nascent Spirit Transformation, dared to comment on Zheng Fa, inevitably carrying some arrogance from his Supreme Dao background. His words contained a hint of condescension and even disrespect.
Now that Zheng Fa has annihilated Loose Immortal Luo with a single sword strike, even this senior brother, who is far away, is filled with apprehension, fearing that his words might bring trouble.
It's one thing for Zheng Fa to be able to defeat Loose Immortal Luo.
Daring to kill Five Sects Dao Fruit is another matter entirely.
This event had a greater impact on the cultivators of the Five Sects than on the Xuanwei cultivators who were watching!
After a while, the old man seemed to realize that his behavior had been too outrageous. His face flushed slightly, and he suddenly said, "That sword strike did show courage, but how will he deal with the wrath of Cloud True Immortal?"
Upon hearing this, First Seat Mingde pursed his lips, his heart pounding again.
Among the three Dao Fruit of Lu Yunluo of Vast Sun Mountain, Loose Immortal Luo is the weakest.
Cloud True Immortal, however, was far superior.
Zheng Fa now appears to have exhausted his spiritual energy and is facing Cloud True Immortal's revenge, making his situation even more dangerous than before.
He looked at the light screen and saw Zheng Fa looking up at the sky. He wasn't afraid at all. Instead, he was talking quietly with Zhang Wuyi beside him, gesturing as if they were discussing something.
Looking at the seemingly normal sky, Zheng Fa said to Senior Sister Zhang beside him, "It seems that Loose Immortal Luo isn't quite dead yet."
This is easy to confirm; just compare it with the Great Freedom Devil Ancestor:
When the Great Freedom Devil Ancestor died, strange phenomena appeared in the heavens and earth, as if they were sending off this Devil Ancestor to his funeral.
At this moment, Loose Immortal Luo suffered misfortune, but the sky remained unchanged.
The Four Sects couldn't possibly be so heinous as to be discriminated against by heaven and earth.
The most reasonable speculation is that the Great Freedom Devil Ancestor is truly dead, and Loose Immortal Luo can still be saved.
Senior Sister Zhang nodded repeatedly and asked, "That raises another question... Why did the Great Freedom Devil Ancestor die?"
Behind them, Xie Qingxue, who had reappeared, listened to their conversation, feeling both curious and somewhat incredulous:
What's the problem?
Another seminar?
What time is it?!
The real problem now, isn't it with Cloud True Immortal?
Zheng Fa glanced at him, seemingly sensing her urgency. Instead of being anxious, he chuckled softly, responding to his senior sister's words while simultaneously explaining to Xie Qingxue:
There are two possibilities that Loose Immortal Luo is not dead:
"One reason is that the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor is too powerful. We can't kill Dao Fruit cultivators, but he can."
"The other one is because of the disciples of Vast Sun Mountain."
I suspect both possibilities exist.
Xie Qingxue paused, processing Zheng Fa's words in her mind, and said, "Only with the help of the disciples of the Luo Clan of Vast Sun Mountain could Loose Immortal Luo be resurrected?"
"They can even recover their strength very quickly."
Xie Qingxue nodded. "In that case, the near annihilation of the Great Freedom Demon Cult back then truly left the Great Freedom Devil Ancestor with no way out."
Zheng Fa suddenly laughed, "I've been thinking, the Great Freedom Devil Ancestor is really unlucky."
"... What bad luck?"
"The fact that the explosion in the underground cave revealed the Great Freedom Secret Realm back then... is somewhat of a coincidence."
Xie Qingxue stared in disbelief, muttering, " The Nine Nether Devil Ancestor?"
"Perhaps, perhaps not," Zheng Fa shook his head. "It's just that I've always had a feeling that the Great Freedom Devil Ancestor was being pushed step by step, forced to be born prematurely."
Xie Qingxue nodded silently, feeling that Zheng Fa's words made sense. At this point, apart from the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor, the other Devil Ancestor were still hiding, clearly observing the situation.
She pondered for a moment, then said urgently, "What's the use of saying all this now? Do you think the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor will jump over here to help us fight against Cloud True Immortal of Vast Sun Mountain?"
Senior Sister Zhang also looked at Zheng Fa with a puzzled expression.
"This shows that the audience is very important for any Dao Fruit."
"So what?"
Zheng Fa looked at the distant sea of clouds and saw the majestic figure, like a divine mountain, getting closer and closer.
"Senior sister, please calculate the current situation of Vast Sun Mountain."
"What do you mean?"
"I suspect that there are currently no Dao Fruit cultivators on Vast Sun Mountain."
"Ah?"
Xie Qingxue was filled with doubt and surprise, and even Senior Sister Zhang was dumbfounded. However, she began to deduce the Primordial Eight Trigrams as instructed.
A moment later, Senior Sister Zhang looked at Zheng Fa with surprise in her eyes:
"They can discern some truth from falsehood; Vast Sun Mountain truly has no Dao Fruit!"
Xie Qingxue became increasingly puzzled and couldn't help but ask Zheng Fa, "How did you know?"
"It was just a guess; actually, I wasn't very confident about it."
"You can even guess that?"
"It's simple, Cloud True Immortal came from the Tianhe Sect." Zheng Fa shook his head and said, " The Tianhe Sect is so far away from here, Cloud True Immortal must have been traveling at full speed all the way, and he still hasn't arrived."
"But Vast Sun Mountain is much closer. If the Lu Clan's Holy Ancestor were here, why would we go to such lengths and send Cloud True Immortal to our aid?"
Xie Qingxue was stunned, thinking to herself that Zheng Fa's reaction was really too fast.
So you're going to make a move?
Zheng Fa nodded slightly.
Senior Sister Zhang had calculated that with the Immortal-Trapping Sword, he definitely couldn't defeat a True Immortal, but with the Rainbow Transformation Method and the Fusang Wood, his chances of escaping were quite high.
If we add Senior Sister Zhang's Pure Tranquility Bamboo and the Primordial Eight Trigrams...
Even in the end, Xie Qingxue and Green Duckweed Sword attacked together.
Winning... well, that's still unlikely, but just trying to survive has a pretty good chance.
But if Cloud True Immortal and Loose Immortal Luo were to attack together, it would be a different story. If the two of them attacked together, they would have nowhere to run.
Therefore, when Cloud True Immortal ordered him to stop, Zheng Fa not only did not back down, but instead fiercely drew his sword, aiming to first eliminate one of the opponent's main combat forces.
Senior Sister Zhang understood. "It will likely take some time for Loose Immortal Luo to recover. If that Lu Clan Holy Ancestor isn't here, then Vast Sun Mountain now..."
Xie Qingxue's eyes lit up. "Only one True Immortal remains!"
She then asked in confusion, "Where did that Lu Clan's Holy Ancestor go?"
"I don't know either. Perhaps they've been bogged down by the turmoil at the Tianhe Sect, or perhaps it's because that ' Heaven-and-Earth Fetal Membrane ' hasn't descended yet... In any case, now is our chance."
Xie Qingxue nodded repeatedly as she listened, and when she looked at Zheng Fa, her eyes unconsciously filled with admiration.
It wasn't just because he killed Loose Immortal Luo; ultimately, it was the power of the Immortal-Trapping Sword, not Zheng Fa's.
It is truly remarkable that they could react in such a short time and find this fleeting glimmer of hope.
The arrival of Cloud True Immortal was originally Loose Immortal Luo's trump card and backup plan, putting immense pressure on the Nine Mountains Sect.
However, Zheng Fa managed to glimpse the true nature of Vast Sun Mountain and made a ruthless move.
Only now has Zheng Fa managed to bring this game to a close.
Even the Nine Mountains Patriarch behind him had two words written on his face, "A formidable fighter!"
The outline of Cloud True Immortal on the sea of clouds gradually became clear. His Yang Spirit was tinged with blue, he held Auspicious Cloud Ruyi in his hand, and his eyes flashed with cold light.
Seemingly noticing Zheng Fa's depleted spiritual energy, a look of joy appeared on his face, and he moved even faster.
Zheng Fa thought to himself that this person was quite fast.
The Tianhe Sect is extremely far from the Nine Mountains Sect, and even with Zheng Fa's abilities, it would take quite a while to cross that distance.
This Cloud True Immortal was actually not much slower than him.
Aside from the lack of ability, it's probably also due to their eagerness.
" Founder!"
"Understood!" The Nine Mountains Patriarch's tone was strained, as if he was somewhat unwilling, but he did not delay for a moment. His body trembled in the air and transformed into the Mountain-River True-Form Talisman.
The persistent pain had always been an unspeakable ache in Zheng Fa's heart.
From the Five-Element Divine Radiance onwards, the Rainbow Transformation Method, the Great Sun True Fire, and even the Fusang Wood, all were valuable items, yet each one was desperately thirsty for Zheng Fa's spiritual power.
Especially after obtaining the Immortal-Trapping Sword, he developed a severe anxiety about battery life.
Fortunately, he brought Nine Mountains Patriarch with him.
The three people Zheng Fa brought each had their own purpose.
Not to mention Senior Sister Zhang, the power of the Pure Tranquility Bamboo is extraordinary, and the Primordial Eight Trigrams have provided them with countless benefits.
Xie Qingxue's main purpose was to conceal the Immortal-Trapping Sword, but when the fight reached its most desperate moment, she could still summon the real Green Duckweed Sword to deliver a fatal blow to the enemy.
This is the last card we have.
As for the Nine Mountains Patriarch, its function is quite simple—a power bank!
Zheng Fa activated the Heaven-and-Earth Furnace, drawing the vast Spiritual Qi from the Mountain-River True-Form Talisman into his body.
His previously listless aura surged instantly, and he regained his former strength in less than a breath.
The once aggressive Cloud True Immortal slowed down, and a hint of surprise unconsciously appeared in his cold eyes, clearly not expecting Zheng Fa to have this trick up his sleeve.
Three breaths later, Zheng Fa's spiritual energy surged, and the " Green Duckweed Sword " in his hand regained its light, even brighter than before. This was not an act.
After slashing Loose Immortal Luo, Zheng Fa and the Immortal-Trapping Sword Spirit became even more in sync, and Zheng Fa gained more experience in controlling the Immortal-Trapping Sword.
In that sense, it was worth it for Loose Immortal Luo to take that sword strike...
As Zheng Fa fully recovered, Cloud True Immortal's forward momentum also came to a complete halt. He looked at Zheng Fa, silently scrutinizing him, his face full of hesitation.
His gaze swept over Dharma Body, then landed on the listless Nine Mountains Patriarch, his eyes filled with confusion:
It's clear that this mid-air refueling fast-charging technology is unprecedented in the Xuanwei Realm, truly opening the eyes of this True Immortal who has lived for an unknown amount of time.
Holding the " Green Duckweed Sword," Zheng Fa looked at Cloud True Immortal, feeling even more confident than before.
According to Senior Sister Zhang's deduction, he shouldn't have much trouble escaping.
Since the appearance of the Immortal-Trapping Sword in the Profound Mystery Sect, the strength of the Nine Mountains Sect and the Vast Sun Mountain has never been so close!
Sensing Zheng Fa's fighting spirit, the " Green Duckweed Sword " shone even brighter and sharper, as if in response.
The more fearless Zheng Fa appeared, the more Cloud True Immortal frowned, as if hesitating. He looked at the Immortal Sword in Zheng Fa's hand, and there was even some fear in his expression.
Zheng Fa was surprised; why were all the Vast Sun Mountain Dao Fruit so cautious?
Cloud True Immortal's face was filled with countless thoughts, as if he was pondering something. Finally, he turned his head and looked towards Vast Sun Mountain, a flash of anger crossing his face. He then glanced at Zheng Fa and flew away.
In the blink of an eye, the dark clouds dispersed, and the world became clear and bright.
Xie Qingxue murmured, "... ran away?"
Zheng Fa was also somewhat puzzled. When Cloud True Immortal arrived, he made a grand entrance, but when he left, he did so just as cleanly and efficiently?
Was the fact that I killed Loose Immortal Luo really that intimidating to him?
Despite his confusion, he couldn't help but smile after exchanging glances with Senior Sister Zhang and the other two.
We won!
"This..."
In the waters of Tianchi, the old man stared wide-eyed at the four people— Zheng Fa, Zheng Fa, and his companions—who were smiling at each other in the light screen. He was speechless.
At this moment, First Seat Mingde had no intention of watching the spectacle. He stared blankly at the light screen, his eyes glazed over, and he didn't react at all.
Everything just happened too fast:
Zheng Fa somehow regained his Law Power and appeared even stronger than before.
Even more bizarrely, the Cloud True Immortal from Vast Sun Mountain actually retreated without a fight, without uttering a single word.
They completely lost face.
This sudden turn of events left him completely bewildered.
Jiang Chengkong spoke up, "Was it Zheng Fa's sword strike too powerful, causing Cloud True Immortal to back down?"
First Seat Mingde nodded, agreeing with the old man's assessment. Looking at the old man, he saw a mixture of embarrassment and apprehension on his face.
He seemed to regret his earlier words even more.
The group discussed the matter in the waterside pavilion, but they couldn't figure out the reason. However, everyone knew that Zheng Fa's slaying of Loose Immortal Luo and forcing Cloud True Immortal to retreat were earth-shattering events.
The situation in Xuanwei will likely become increasingly complex in the future.
Although they were already Spirit Transformation and had previously been high above others, they could not see the future clearly at this moment.
"That guy surnamed Yun came back quickly."
A voice suddenly entered the waterside pavilion.
The six men stood up in unison and respectfully greeted, " Founder Li!"
A wisp of purple qi entered the waterside pavilion. When the purple qi dissipated, it revealed the figure of a disheveled middle-aged man, none other than Immortal Li of the Supreme Dao, who had previously participated in the Six-Sect Alliance Assembly.
Venerable Tongming's heart stirred. "Just now, when the Founder mentioned the surname Yun, was he referring to Cloud True Immortal of Vast Sun Mountain?"
Immortal Li nodded.
" Founder, just now..."
I went to Vast Sun Mountain.
The six Spirit Transformation in the waterside pavilion suddenly opened their eyes wide.
"Unfortunately, the formation at Vast Sun Mountain is formidable, and the man surnamed Yun returned extremely quickly."
Now everyone understood why Cloud True Immortal had run so fast.
" Founder, what do you want?"
" Vast Sun Mountain is unusually empty. The one surnamed Luo is still asleep, and the one surnamed Lu is at Thunderclap Temple," Immortal Li said matter-of-factly. "If I could level Vast Sun Mountain, who knows how long it would take for the one surnamed Luo to regain his Immortal Body, and the one surnamed Lu to become Golden Immortal is hopeless..."
"For Supreme Dao as me, this is a golden opportunity."
After listening, the old man suddenly laughed and said, " Cloud True Immortal retreated without a fight, not because Zheng Fa was too powerful, but because of your merit Immortal Li? In that case, shouldn't the Nine Mountains Sect be grateful to us?"
It was clear that his expression had become much more confident, as if he had regained the sense of superiority he felt as a cultivator of the Five Sects.
"Grateful? Grateful for what?" Immortal Li looked surprised. "I'm just Loose Immortal; I can't possibly kill that Luo fellow."
"..."
"As soon as that guy surnamed Yun wanted to come back, I ran away immediately..."
Who's grateful to whom?
The old man was stunned for a moment, then he understood:
It seems... Zheng Fa isn't too afraid of Cloud True Immortal coming.
This created a great opportunity for Tai Supreme Dao, but Founder Li was a bit too weak and failed to achieve anything.
"Oh, by the way," Immortal Li said, "that's not what I came here to talk about in the first place, but now I added, 'Prepare the gift list.'"
"Gift list?"
Immortal Li took out a cyan scroll from his sleeve and said, "It's a decree from Patriarch Xuanding, ordering me to lead a group to visit the Nine Mountains Sect."
"..."
"A visit? Are you going, Founder?"
The old man asked in surprise, clearly feeling that this Immortal Li of such high status that taking the initiative to visit him was a bit too much.
But Immortal Li, unaware of his previous assessment of Zheng Fa, misunderstood. "You want to go too?"
He frowned, looking somewhat troubled.
" Mingde should go instead. You don't know Zheng Fa, and it would be too presumptuous for you to go there rashly."
First Seat Mingde caught a glimpse of the old man's flushed and pale face, and chuckled inwardly. Founder Li's words contained no malice, but merely subtly pointed out a cruel truth:
Judging from what Zheng Fa has done today, the position of the sixth sect of Xuanwei can finally be considered secure—even Patriarch Xuanding and Founder Li have changed their previous intention to stand by and watch, and instead have a hint of wanting to befriend each other.
As for this most senior Nascent Spirit Transformation of the Supreme Dao... in Immortal Li's words, he was somewhat unqualified to meet Zheng Fa so casually.
(End of this chapter)