Immortal Li looked at Zheng Fa with a complicated expression, and after a long while sighed, "I believe the Alliance Leader wouldn't be so unwise."
Zheng Fa smiled but did not refute.
Both he and Immortal Li understood that, whether it was the Supreme Dao or Zheng Fa, their best choice right now was each other.
If True Immortal Lu were to become Golden Immortal, it would be bad for both sides. As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Therefore, both sides do have the intention to join forces.
However, since ancient times, cooperation has always involved the question of who should take the lead.
In Immortal Li's view, since the Taishang is strong and the Nine Mountains are weak, Zheng Fa should be the one seeking the Supreme Dao.
His purpose in coming here was naturally to win over Zheng Fa, but the Supreme Dao was not a charity; while trying to win him over, they also wanted to control Zheng Fa to some extent.
That's why he initially tried to tell Zheng Fa that if they didn't cooperate with the Supreme Dao, the Nine Mountains Realm would inevitably be unable to stop Vast Sun Mountain in the future.
But Zheng Fa's words pointed out a major problem:
I'd rather join Thunderclap Temple!
Immortal Li certainly knew that Zheng Fa was unlikely to side with Thunderclap Temple. True Immortal Lu had close ties with Thunderclap Temple, and given Vast Sun Mountain's hostility towards the Nine Mountains Sect, this choice was far too risky.
But most importantly, Zheng Fa had a choice, but Supreme Dao did not!
Putting aside Zheng Fa's astonishing talent, the obstacles Zheng Fa might pose to True Immortal Lu's path to enlightenment are unique in the Xuanwei Realm!
Seeing Zheng Fa's confident demeanor, Immortal Li silently shook his head, slowly walked back to his chair, a bitter smile on his face, no longer displaying the confidence he had just displayed.
"Alliance Leader, you've certainly chosen a good opportunity."
Although his tone was full of helplessness, it contained a hidden murderous intent.
In fact, both of them knew the truth:
Another option for the Supreme Dao is to directly capture Zheng Fa and bring him back to the Supreme Dao. Whether it's to protect him or to control him, the goal is to prevent True Immortal Lu from obtaining the Fusang Wood and thus hinder his path to enlightenment.
The Supreme Dao did not choose this path, not because it did not want to, but because it could not.
Golden Immortal cannot enter the Xuanwei. Zheng Fa's current strength, capable of killing Loose Immortal Luo, is among the top in this realm.
This is the opportune moment that Immortal Li spoke of.
"But the Alliance Leader should also understand that the Supreme Dao and the Nine Mountains Sect will both benefit from cooperation."
Zheng Fa then spoke, "I have always been on good terms with First Seat Mingde, Vast Sun Mountain regards my Nine Mountains Sect as a thorn in their side..."
He looked at Immortal Li and spoke slowly and deliberately:
"Perhaps the High Immortal thinks I'm arrogant, but the biggest reason I didn't join Thunderclap Temple isn't actually because I'm afraid of that True Immortal Lu."
" Vast Sun Mountain has repeatedly offended my Hundred Immortals Alliance. There must be tacit approval or even instigation from Thunderclap Temple. How can I let this go unpunished?"
Immortal Li was taken aback, feeling that these words were somewhat insincere, but upon looking at Zheng Fa's expression, he found it to be utterly sincere.
You should know that after True Immortal Lu's identity was confirmed, he felt somewhat apprehensive and even initially refused to believe it.
However, Zheng Fa's words did not imply that he was afraid of being harmed by True Immortal Lu at Thunderclap Temple, but rather that he was unwilling to reconcile with True Immortal Lu, even if it was only on the surface.
He also understood what Alliance Leader Zheng, meant when he said that Zheng Fa, with his temperament, would not be willing to be manipulated by the Supreme Dao.
Immortal Li nodded slowly and said softly, "I understand what you mean, Alliance Leader. Actually, my Supreme Dao only has two requirements for cooperating with the Nine Mountains Sect."
"Um?"
"The most important thing is actually yourself, Alliance Leader." Immortal Li spoke bluntly, "As long as you live, you are the biggest obstacle to True Immortal Lu's attainment of the Dao."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Fa frowned and asked, "What exactly is this True Immortal Lu doing? Why is he both Demon Emperor and Devil Ancestor, and now he's cultivating the Yang Spirit Method?"
Immortal Li remained silent for a long time, his face growing even more bitter. "To be honest, I find this matter quite unbelievable."
"Um?"
"According to the Dao Venerable decree, this True Immortal Lu's original name was Lu Mo, and he was the previous Demon Emperor, active during the Chaotic Law Era."
" Chaotic Law Era?"
Sensing the confusion in Zheng Fa's tone, Immortal Li explained further:
" In the Previous Epoch, the Devil Ancestor ruled."
" In the Epoch Before the Previous Epoch, the Divine Way shone brightly."
" The Previous Epoch was the Chaotic Law Era."
Zheng Fa listened and nodded slowly. His understanding of Xuanwei history had only extended to the Divine Dao Era. Only today did he learn that before the Divine Dao Era, there was an era called the Chaotic Law Era.
"The so-called Chaotic Law Era refers to a time when there was no complete and unified method of cultivation, and the world was in chaos. The Dao Venerable was born during the Chaotic Law Era and created the Yang Spirit Method, thus initiating the Xuanwei and subtle method of cultivation."
Immortal Li's face couldn't help but show a hint of reverence.
Zheng Fa's expression shifted slightly, as if he had thought of something.
" Thunderclap Temple also originated from the Chaotic Law Era, as did the Demon Emperor Lu Mo, who was born during that time."
Zheng Fa frowned; he hadn't expected Lu Mo to have such an ancient background.
It's important to know that in the Xuanwei Realm, the older you get, the more roguish you become.
"Then what?"
"Then Lu Mo died."
"Dead?"
Zheng Fa was stunned, and Immortal Li also shook his head. "I don't know the specifics either. I'm afraid only the Dao Venerable Master knows the cause and effect."
"All I know is that before the end of the Chaotic Law Era, Lu Mo perished, but Vast Sun Mountain appeared and became the overlord of the Divine Dao Era."
"Wait, isn't this True Immortal Lu the Primordial Heavenly Demon?"
Suddenly, something came to Zheng Fa's mind.
The Divine Dao Era ended with the Devil Ancestor, and this True Immortal Lu was the first Devil Ancestor, known as the Primordial Heavenly Demon.
Have I gone against my own nature?
Zheng Fa was completely confused.
Then Immortal Li said in an even lower tone, "Therefore, although there are many suspicious points about Vast Sun Mountain, we have never doubted that he is the Primordial Heavenly Demon."
"Later, after checking the records of that time, we discovered that after the Primordial Heavenly Demon appeared in the world, this first ancestor of Vast Sun Mountain never showed up, and the entire Vast Sun Mountain kept a very low profile."
Zheng Fa asked, puzzled, "What's he after?"
Vast Sun Mountain was already a dominant force. Why would True Immortal Lu, disguised Primordial Heavenly Demon, go to such great lengths to overthrow the rule of Vast Sun Mountain and Jade Pool?
"It was only recently, when the Dao Venerable noticed something amiss, that we learned the reason."
"What?"
" Tribulation-Transference Enlightenment."
" Tribulation Reincarnation? Proving the Dao?" Zheng Fa was increasingly confused as he listened.
"This is the supreme Dharma of Thunderclap Temple. The Dao Venerable said that although the Demon Emperor was powerful back then, he was only Golden Immortal. Lu Mo severed the Demon Emperor's body, founded Vast Sun Mountain, and Dharma Body, he had nowhere to go."
"It failed?"
"He nearly wiped out the entire Xuanwei Human Race, yet he still only reached the Golden Immortal."
"It was him?"
Zheng Fa frowned. He had a deep impression of this matter. He first heard Senior Sister Zhang mention a Demonic Sect that slaughtered Xuanwei beings.
Unexpectedly, it was this very same Vast Sun First Ancestor.
"No wonder he wanted to hide his identity..."
"Yes, this True Immortal Lu is extremely cautious, and has always kept Vast Sun Mountain as an escape route," Immortal Li nodded. "After the Original Devil Ancestor perished, Vast Sun Mountain rose again and became one of the Five Sects."
"Now he is about to become Golden Immortal again."
Zheng Fa asked in surprise, "Just Golden Immortal..."
It's not that he looks down on Golden Immortal.
Instead, when Lu Mo became the Demon Emperor or the Devil Ancestor, he was Golden Immortal.
Now that he has attained the Golden Immortal again, why is the Supreme Dao nervous?
Immortal Li smiled, looked up at the sky, and said, "Know that the Dao Fruit is immortal."
Zheng Fa was startled and looked at Immortal Li in horror.
"The body of the Demon Emperor, the body of the Devil Ancestor, Yang Spirit Body —these three bodies combined form the Grand Unity, achieving the supreme status." Immortal Li nodded and said, "This is the power of the Tribulation-Transference Enlightenment. To be honest, even I find this Secret Method terrifying."
Zheng Fa pondered to himself that, besides Lu Mo's purpose, Immortal Li's words contained a considerable amount of information he was unaware of:
For example, after the Golden Immortal comes the Grand Unity.
For example, Grand Unity is called the Supreme Being, which means that Grand Unity must be the Xuanwei and powerful realm.
But what Zheng Fa cared about most was another sentence:
"Cultivating different methods, and then unifying the three bodies, one becomes Grand Unity?"
Seeing his interest in this matter, Immortal Li was somewhat surprised and said, "This is the supreme method of enlightenment at Thunderclap Temple, and verification confirms it."
" By Tribulation Reincarnation, using three different Cultivation Method, achieving the status of Golden Immortal three times, and finally merging them into one, one can attain the Grand Unity."
Zheng Fa's heart skipped a beat as he asked, "Then why is Tribulation Reincarnation necessary? If there were a method to create clones, each could separately attain the Golden Immortal and then merge back into one, wouldn't that be possible?"
"Alliance Leader, others have considered this idea as well," Immortal Li interrupted him, saying, "There's only one problem: the clone will inevitably devour its master."
"Um?"
Immortal Li sighed:
"We cultivators fear Self-Loss most; the stronger our clones are, the harder they are to control."
"To have multiple clones cultivate different Method Formula is the most forbidden thing. It will in turn affect the master, causing them to Qi Deviation and ruin their Dao Path."
Therefore, in Lu Mo Tribulation Reincarnation, the Demon Emperor's body and the Devil Ancestor's body must perish first, otherwise they will inevitably be affected by their previous lives.
Zheng Fa understood immediately. For cultivators above the Spirit Transformation, Cultivation Method are not just Cultivation Method, but can even be considered the cultivator themselves.
Having multiple clones cultivate different Method Formula is almost equivalent to creating another self with a different mindset... It's no wonder they devour their master.
Immortal Li also showed some longing on his face:
"Otherwise, wouldn't one be able to attain enlightenment in just one lifetime?"
Zheng Fa nodded repeatedly: That's what I think too!
To be honest, after hearing Immortal Li's introduction of Lu Mo, Zheng Fa felt somewhat hopeless.
But now, upon hearing that the three bodies can be united to attain the Grand Unity, it's hard not to find it somewhat incomprehensible that Lu Mo busy for several epochs.
There's this feeling of having a classmate who studies diligently until midnight every day, displaying remarkable perseverance that is truly moving, yet their exam results are consistently unsatisfactory.
That's right, Lu Mo didn't achieve the One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones technique.
Seeing the envy on Immortal Li's face, Zheng Fa secretly reminded himself that this One Qi Transforms into Three Purities was probably more powerful than he had imagined, and even more important than other Innate Divine Ability. He had to keep it a secret as much as possible.
He thought for a moment, then changed the subject and asked:
"In other words, it would be best to prevent him from attaining the Golden Immortal in this lifetime? Or at least prevent him from achieving the unity of his three bodies?"
"Hmm." Immortal Li looked at Zheng Fa, "According to our speculation, the Fusang Wood and his three bodies merged into one, proving the Grand Unity, which is of great importance. That's why he's targeting the Nine Mountains Sect so much."
Zheng Fa stood up, and understood in his heart:
Lu Mo saw it as a struggle over the Great Dao, one that had no room for compromise.
The first objective of the Supreme Dao, needless to say, was also Zheng Fa's inevitable choice.
"And the second objective..."
Immortal Li paused, his gaze turning serious. "It concerns the Tianhe Sect."
Zheng Fa looked at Immortal Li, and seeing that he was looking at him, his smile disappeared, " The Nine Nether Devil Ancestor is a great enemy of the Immortal Sect. No matter what conflicts the Four Sects have, they are of one mind in dealing with the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor. Alliance Leader, we can understand that you, as the Green Duckweed Sword, took in Xie Qingxue, and we are willing to mediate for you."
Zheng Fa lowered his eyes, pondered for a long time, and then asked, "What is the current situation of the Tianhe Sect?"
Immortal Li said frankly, " The Nine Nether Devil Ancestor needs time to refine the four swords, and the True Immortal of the Four Sects dare not easily enter the sword formation, so there is a stalemate for the time being. However, the Founder have already come up with a solution."
What method?
"We dare not enter the sword formation. Instead, we should use the formation against the formation, disrupting the Spiritual Opportunity the Chaotic Immortal-Slayer Sword Formation. This will not only prevent the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor from refining the four swords, but also allow us to break through the Tianhe Sect in one fell swoop once the formation is complete."
Zheng Fa listened for a while and understood:
The Four Sects were not united to begin with, and all were afraid of death, so it's likely that none of them would be willing to take the lead.
Now we're prepared to rely on slow and steady progress.
He looked at Immortal Li and saw the complex emotions in his eyes. He knew that there were some things the other person really didn't want to say, but had no choice but to say.
His relationship with the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor remains a secret.
However, his relationship with Yan Wushuang and Xie Qingxue was no secret.
Now that Sect Master Yan has rebelled against Four Sects, how can this not arouse suspicion?
The Supreme Dao, intending to exploit him, would naturally be unwilling to delve deeper, but would certainly not turn a blind eye either.
Those words were actually a warning.
It's just that Immortal Li, out of consideration for others, put it more tactfully.
Seeing that Zheng Fa seemed to understand, Immortal Li thought for a moment and then said clearly, "Alliance Leader, if you are found to be involved in this matter, no one can protect you."
Zheng Fa laughed and bowed to him, "Thank you for informing High Immortal of the situation, Immortal. With the Nine Mountains Realm behind me, I would not be so unwise."
"..."
Immortal Li returned to the guest courtyard with a heavy heart.
With a flick of his sleeve, a precious mirror flew out, landing upside down in mid-air with its surface facing downwards, shooting out a beam of light.
First Seat Mingde and the others exchanged glances and entered the pillar of light simultaneously.
The six Nascent Spirit Transformation, along with Immortal Li, stood in the void.
"This treasure can block external detection," Immortal Li said. "There's no need to worry about Zheng Fa overhearing us."
The old man, now Spirit Transformation, hurriedly asked, " Founder Li, what do you think of Zheng Fa?"
"This young man is resolute and extremely averse to Vast Sun Mountain; he is an asset to our sect."
"Regarding the Tianhe Sect incident that day..."
Immortal Li remained silent for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I can't see his true intentions, but Patriarch Xuanding said there's no need to worry too much about this matter."
"Um?"
"We not only have to guard against Zheng Fa, but also against the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor escaping," Immortal Li explained. "Right now, he is not the most trusted person of the Four Sects, and even True Immortal has to personally escort him; otherwise, it would be impossible for him to enter the great formation."
Even if Zheng Fa wanted to help Sect Master Yan, he couldn't.
First Seat Mingde and the others exchanged glances, realizing that this arrangement wasn't aimed at Zheng Fa, but rather out of fear of the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor —this person's ability to conceal himself was simply too strong.
The old man, who had reached the Spirit Transformation, thought for a moment and nodded slightly, "Since the Founder has given the order, I naturally have nothing to say. What else did the Founder say?"
At this point, Immortal Li also looked somewhat puzzled:
He asked me how to cultivate the Yang Spirit Method.
"Um?"
The old man, now at the Spirit Transformation, asked in surprise, " Founder, did you tell him some Secret Method of our sect?"
"... No! I only said things that everyone knows," Immortal Li said irritably. "I just have a bad memory, not that I'm stupid!"
The old man glanced at him, his eyes filled with suspicion, but he dared not say anything more.
"Alright, everyone, organize what I just said, make sure you don't forget anything, and send a letter to Patriarch Xuanding, asking him to decide how to cooperate with the Nine Mountains Sect."
" The Dao Venerable's Yang Spirit Method is indeed extraordinary."
Zheng Fa led Senior Sister Zhang and the others to the Medicine Garden and stood in front of the Sun-Moon Bell.
"What's extraordinary?"
"I always thought that the Xuanwei Immortal Way originated from the Divine Way," Zheng Fa explained. "But after being informed by Immortal Li, I learned that the Dao Venerable created the Yang Spirit Method first, and the Divine Way Civilization followed."
Uncle-Master Pang and the others exchanged glances, not understanding what was so serious about this.
"Therefore, the Heavenly Venerable must also be cultivating the Yang Spirit Method!"
Upon hearing this, Senior Sister Zhang's expression froze for a moment, then she suddenly understood something. She pointed with her Flying Immortal Brush, and the Primordial Eight Trigrams spun in the air.
After a moment, she nodded and said, "The probability is over 60%."
Zheng Fa knew that although the Heavenly Venerable was powerful, he no longer existed, which was why Senior Sister Zhang could make such a simple deduction.
"Therefore I say, the Yang Spirit Method of the Supreme Dao is extraordinary... This time it not only created the Xuanwei Immortal Sect as it is today, but also created the Divine Way Civilization."
After saying that, Zheng Dharma Body flickered, and he condensed a clone that cultivated the Yang Spirit Method.
Everyone understood what Zheng Fa was planning to do.
"You want to test the path of the Heavenly Venerable?"
Zheng Fa nodded and said, " Lu Mo is too much of a threat; I must find a way to cultivate rapidly."
"I've seen it in the Heavenly Venerable's memories; the path of Divine Way cultivation is extremely rapid, so it's worth a try."
While one might want to achieve enlightenment through the One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones in one lifetime without dying twice, this doesn't mean that cultivating a clone to the Golden Immortal level is easy.
Cultivating to the Golden Immortal through three different methods is probably a prerequisite for Grand Unity.
Previously, Zheng Fa naturally dared not attempt Divine Way Method, after all, the Heavenly Venerable was insane.
Even with the Great Sun True Fire, he dared not act recklessly. After all, if he were to lose his mind due to the Self-Loss of self, whether he could heal himself would be a big problem.
However, if one uses the One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones, this risk is almost eliminated.
At most, they'll just recall their clones and start over.
After listening to Zheng Fa's idea, Senior Sister Zhang and the others exchanged glances and agreed that it was feasible.
To put it simply, following the path of the Heavenly Venerable means completely merging with the Sun and Sun-Moon Bell.
This matter was not difficult in itself. When Zheng Fa was undergoing his Nascent Soul Tribulation, he seemed to have gained the approval of the Heavenly Venerable and had a stronger connection with the Sun-Moon Bell. It could even be said that the Sun-Moon Bell seemed to have an innate ability to merge with him.
If it takes a little more time, Zheng Fa will naturally be able to accomplish it.
But Zheng Fa needed time, which is why he brought Senior Sister Zhang along.
"It failed..."
Zheng Fa 'Yang Spirit clone shattered into pieces and completely dissipated into the air. He was not discouraged, but looked at Senior Sister Zhang and said, "Senior Sister, I have some insights just now. Please try to deduce it again."
Senior Sister Zhang used her Flying Immortal Brush to make continuous strokes, Primordial Eight Trigrams trigrams evolved into countless runes.
A moment later, she said to Zheng Fa, "Try this Method Formula later."
"That works. I feel the Sun-Moon Bell is more active than before."
After trying for another half day, Senior Sister Zhang frowned, seemingly somewhat helpless. "We can't deduce the Primordial Eight Trigrams here for the time being."
Zheng Fa pondered for a moment, then suddenly drew a circle with his palm, conjuring a Taiji Diagram, and said, "This Dao Venerable's Taiji Diagram seems to be related to the control of space and the rotation of Yin and Yang."
Senior Sister Zhang's eyes lit up as she listened attentively to Zheng Fa's explanation of the Taiji Diagram Method Formula he had comprehended, and then he began to deduce them.
A few days later.
Immortal Li took the reply from Patriarch Xuanding, read it twice, and walked out of the courtyard to find Zheng Fa.
He was followed by six Nascent Spirit Transformation True Person.
After all, this was about finalizing the details of the cooperation, which could be considered Founder Li's Achilles' heel, requiring their assistance.
As the group reached the door, they saw a dazzling golden light on the horizon. Turning their heads, they saw a purple figure with a large bell above its head, slowly rising.
This figure seemed to be one with this world, or perhaps the ruler of this world.
The rich power of Incense Power, like a seven-colored cloud, surrounded him.
With each breath, the purple figure's aura grew increasingly powerful. Even First Seat Mingde who had achieved the Nascent Spirit Transformation after the Corpse Liberation, felt as if a mountain was pressing down on his heart, making it difficult for him to breathe.
" Founder," the old man, now Spirit Transformation, looked up at Zheng Fa's face and murmured, "Didn't you say you didn't pass on Secret Method to him? Then how come this Incense-Fire Spirit Condensation Method is somewhat similar to that of my Supreme Dao?"
"I didn't send it!"
"Could it be that he figured it out on his own these past few days?"
Immortal Li paused, pondering for a long time. "Perhaps... it was me who spread the message?"
(End of this chapter)