A Solitary Lamp Shone Alone, Baiting the Nest to Fish for Dragons

Despite his displeasure, Zheng Fa's heavy-handed approach wasn't solely motivated by anger.

Since he couldn't advance by hiding his way up, he decided to seize the opportunity to establish his authority.

Establishing authority is to address the current situation in Xuanwei.

Since its emergence from the Reincarnation, Xuanwei is now rife with undercurrents, and Zheng Fa is unaware of how many Dao Fruit have been obtained from the outside world.

Regardless of whether these Dao Fruit are good or evil, they will ultimately seek to acquire resources and compete for territory, thus impacting the existing powerful Xuanwei forces.

The Nine Mountains Sect, as one of the Six Sects of Xuanwei, is in a relatively awkward position—it has a great reputation and occupies a considerable territory, but it is the weakest and an easy target, making it very easy for others to covet it.

In this way, demonstrating some strength can actually reduce trouble.

A silver glint appeared in Zheng Fa's eyes as he looked into the distance. With his Void-Piercing Spirit Eye, he could see many hidden details in the space.

There are at least four places where Dao Fruit cultivators are secretly hiding.

"Actually, the reason he's willing to reveal some of his trump cards is because of our strength and development over the past few years."

Within the Nine Mountains Realm, the Heavenly Emperor Body explained to Senior Sister Zhang and the others.

"You mean the Celestial River Method and the Myriad Immortals Formation?"

Senior Sister Zhang looked enlightened.

The Heavenly Emperor Body nodded with a smile.

Since acquiring the Myriad Immortals Formation and promoting the Celestial River Method, the strongest fighting force of the Nine Mountains Sect is no longer Zheng Fa, or rather, not only Zheng Fa.

This is the composition of the Nine Mountains Sect's strength, which is completely different from other Xuanwei Sect sects.

In the past, even the most special Tianhe Sect's rise and fall depended on Venerable Tianhe —when Venerable Tianhe disappeared, the Tianhe Sect fell into internal strife.

Over several eras, the development paths of all the sects in Xuanwei have been largely similar:

A peerless genius emerges, a sect rises to prominence, and no matter how many years pass, the strongest person in the sect is still that original genius.

The Venerable Tianhe was like this, and so was the Dao Venerable.

Jade Pool and Thunderclap Temple are practically the same.

The Nine Mountains Sect was the same before.

Therefore, in the eyes of Xuanwei cultivators, Zheng Fa, the genius who led the rise of the Nine Mountains Sect, naturally represented the Nine Mountains Sect's highest combat strength. As long as Zheng Fa was dealt with, the others in the Nine Mountains Sect would be no threat.

But only the higher-ups at the Nine Mountains knew that things were changing!

The two major legions, especially the Celestial River Legion, are the Nine Mountains Sect's biggest trump card.

Simply put, Zheng Fa used to hide his own strength, but now he's hiding the two great legions, Divine Firmament Tianhe and Shenxiao Tianhe.

Uncle-Master Pang understood as well. His expression was strange, a mixture of disdain and relief. "I wonder who will fall into the trap Zheng Fa dug."

Zheng Fa gave this approach a name: the Onion Strategy —peel it layer by layer until the enemy cries.

The most important aspect of this strategy is the strength Zheng Fa has revealed – it's formidable!

He was so tough that everyone thought he was the next Venerable Tianhe; so tough that no one could imagine that the Nine Mountains Sect had even stronger methods.

Defeating these powerful phantoms is the best proof of Zheng Fa's strength.

His single strike annihilated an Ancient Immortals phantom; this was just the beginning.

The other seventy-one illusory figures, momentarily stunned, made a choice that surprised everyone:

They were in sync, protecting each other, surrounding Zheng Fa in layers, laying a tight net.

In other words, these Golden Immortal who have stood proudly in the heavens for several epochs have actually joined forces!

Although they rarely fought together, their rich combat experience made them work together seamlessly, their momentum united as one.

A fierce wind whipped up clouds, waves crashed against the shore, birds scattered across the ground, and beasts cried out in despair.

All things in heaven and earth seemed to be thrown into disarray by this overwhelming force.

Even Zheng Fa was finding it a bit difficult to keep up.

These phantoms were much more intelligent than he had expected; they seemed to even have consciousness.

On the other hand, these people harbored more resentment than he had imagined, to the point that they had no shame whatsoever.

Even the Azure Abyss Dragon King was stunned in the distance.

Zheng Fa's strength exceeded his expectations.

The Dragon Ancestor's shamelessness and adaptability exceeded his expectations.

A group of Golden Immortal who roam the heavens joined forces—even if they were only at the True Spirit Realm, he wouldn't dare to even imagine such a sight; he'd be terrified even in his dreams.

No wonder they say Xuanwei is the beginning of all realms; this scene is so grand, how could anyone in the remote and impoverished Dragon Abyss Realm possibly see anything like it?

The Azure Abyss Dragon King was actually anticipating a fierce battle.

"Dragon Lord, your judgment is indeed exceptional."

If he had previously praised Zheng Fa with a hint of schadenfreude, now his words seemed to carry a degree of sincerity.

Most people couldn't make that kind of noise.

The Dragon Lord Shuyu Shu didn't have time to pay attention to him. Instead, she stared at Zheng Fa, trying to find some chance for Zheng Fa to win—but after thinking for a long time, she couldn't find even a glimmer of hope, let alone a chance to win.

Just as she was becoming increasingly worried, a jade-colored light swept across thousands of miles, warm and dazzling.

The light came from a jade tablet.

The Creation Jade Disc flew out from Zheng Fa's Mud Pill Palace, its spiritual light illuminating all directions.

The jade tablet was unfolded, facing the illusory figures of powerful beings in all directions. The Creation Boy sat on it, his small face full of seriousness.

"Life-bound Spirit Treasure?" the Azure Abyss Dragon King murmured, somewhat curious. "Dragon Lord, do you know what the function of his Life-bound Spirit Treasure is?"

The Dragon Lord gently shook his head.

She didn't have much contact with Zheng Fa, and besides, the Creation Jade Disc wasn't a treasure for magical duels, so Zheng Fa rarely used it before.

Let alone Dragon Lord Shuyu.

Few cultivators outside the sect know about this.

"This precious light looks somewhat mysterious, but it doesn't seem to have much offensive power?"

The Dragon Lord Shuyu also looked somewhat puzzled.

But what happened next left them not only puzzled, but utterly bewildered:

Zheng Fa, wearing the Creation Jade Disc, his eyes gleaming with silver light, flashed and transformed into a rainbow of light, appearing in a corner of the void.

He extended his right hand, his sleeves fluttering, and a long, golden flame dragon flowed from his sleeve, aggressively lunging towards... the air?

The Azure Abyss Dragon King and his companions were dumbfounded—were they seeing things? Or were they under an illusion?

Just when they thought their attack would miss, a figure suddenly appeared in front of Jin Yan, using his own body to successfully prevent Zheng Fa from wasting his spiritual power.

The Azure Abyss Dragon King so confused he felt like his head was about to explode.

He had witnessed and participated in countless battles of wits.

I've never seen anything so bizarre:

Zheng Fa transformed into a rainbow of light, darting about wildly and fiercely battling the air.

Those powerful phantoms were even more outrageous: Zheng Fa was clearly attacking the void, yet there were always those who bravely and fearlessly risked their lives to intercept them.

One side attacks blindly, the other side is eager to die.

This acting is so bad, it would be considered terrible even on a stage.

In just half an incense stick's time, five or six more of these powerful phantoms actually perished.

"What kind of powerful illusion is this?"

The Azure Abyss Dragon King could see clearly that these Golden Immortal weren't putting on an act with Zheng Fa, but rather... they seemed unable to control themselves either, like puppets on strings, wherever Zheng Fa wanted them to be.

Even the Dragon Lord Shuyu looked somewhat shocked.

She observed carefully for a while, then gently shook her head. "It's not an illusion. The expressions on the faces of those powerful figures don't seem like they've lost their minds."

The Azure Abyss Dragon King looked closely and agreed with this statement:

This group of powerful beings were fully conscious, yet helplessly lined up to seek death.

It seems that Zheng Fa had anticipated every single step they took!

"What incredible intuition for combat..."

This is far more terrifying than illusion.

As the Azure Abyss Dragon King watched as powerful figures fell one by one at Zheng Fa's hands, he felt a chill run down his spine.

It's definitely not an illusion, nor is it some kind of magical intuition.

After such a long period of seclusion, Zheng Fa's first task was to refine the Creation Jade Disc, allowing it to advance to the next level.

Just as he told Tang Lingwu and the others, his requirement for the Creation Boy was to be able to deduce the <Yellow Court Scripture> and see if there were any loopholes or malicious intent in the Cultivation Method submitted by those disciples.

But the Creation Boy has more than just that function.

From Zheng Fa's perspective, the jade-colored radiance of the Creation Jade Disc holds the promise of the future!

He had already mentally rehearsed what every enemy in front of him would do and what Method Formula they would use in a moment!

The principle is simple: the Creation Jade Disc collects environmental parameters, including various spiritual symbols in the void, through its precious light, models them, and then makes predictions about the future.

Of course, this isn't to say it's 100% accurate, but given the comprehensive nature of the * Yellow Court Scripture *, which integrates the three methods, it's about 70-80% reliable. In fact, the longer the battle lasts, the more information the Creation Jade Disc gathers, and the more "real" this future becomes.

An inappropriate analogy; this thing is similar to the concept of autonomous driving.

Zheng Fa was very self-aware.

I have little experience or even talent in combat.

However, the struggle between Xuanwei is becoming increasingly fierce, and it will be impossible to avoid fighting.

It's impossible to work hard; the only option is to create a cheat code.

In some ways, this cheat is most useful to Zheng Fa —because he's fast!

The power of these great beings is evident here. The "future" that the Creation Boy can deduce is actually just a matter of the next second, no, the next instant.

Even if the other cultivators knew the future, they wouldn't be able to seize this fleeting opportunity.

In reality, it was these cultivators who made the first move, which allowed the Creation Jade Disc to deduce the outcome. In other words, the opponent was the one who made the first move.

However, Zheng Fa, who possessed the Rainbow Transformation Method, was able to arrive first despite starting later.

To outsiders, it looked as if those powerful phantoms had lost their minds and were all courting death.

On the other hand, the predictions of the Creation Boy may not be accurate, but the Rainbow Transformation Method gives him a certain margin of error.

The intense battle that the Azure Abyss Dragon King had been hoping for failed to materialize.

The only question is... Zheng Fa Association get tired?

Watching the powerful phantoms disappear into the void, the Azure Abyss Dragon King grew tired of it all. The one-sided battles were getting boring after a while.

In just half an hour, more than twenty of the powerful phantom figures that had been so imposing just moments before had perished, nearly half of them.

The remaining phantoms... seem tired too.

They stood in the air, staring at Zheng Fa, motionless, the atmosphere somewhat awkward.

They seemed a bit conflicted:

If we don't fight, the resentment will linger, and he'll die with his eyes open in disgrace.

Go ahead and hit me; I'll just get beaten up and die with my eyes wide open in disbelief.

Zheng Fa also stopped moving and slowly recovered his spiritual energy Divine Sense. Although he was brave just now, he used all his strength in every move, which consumed a lot of energy.

After a moment of silence, the group of Golden Immortal exchanged glances and then dispersed.

They leaped into the sky, and the talismans on their bodies scattered like shooting stars.

Before dissipating, many of the Golden Immortal actually bowed to Zheng Fa from afar.

The Dragon Lord Shuyu chuckled lightly, "The Nine Mountains True Art and the Dragon Ancestor Secret Art, which is like a firefly, and which is like the sun and moon?"

Looking at the Dragon Ancestor bowing to Zheng Fa in the sky, the Azure Abyss Dragon King opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

He looked at Zheng Fa standing in the void. Although he knew that this person was probably a great enemy of his Azure Abyss Dragon Palace, a sentence inexplicably surfaced in his mind at this moment:

A solitary lamp illuminates the eternal darkness, a single law suppresses all realms.

The Azure Abyss Dragon King glanced at the Dragon Lord Shuyu beside him, knowing that he would probably never be able to win him over.

Watching these Golden Immortal transform back into shooting stars, Zheng Fa let out a soft sigh of relief.

He used a shortcut—his accumulated experience was only enough to make him invincible at the Mahayana Stage. If he were to fight at the Loose Immortal level, he naturally wouldn't be able to handle the situation so easily.

However, the battle of wits just now also proved one thing:

The * Yellow Court Scripture * is already Wu Shuang teaching before the attainment of Dao Fruit!

Even if the other disciples do not Rainbow Transformation Method and cannot replicate Zheng Fa's feat, they are still difficult to defeat in one-on-one combat with this technique.

The fusion of the Yang Spirit Method, the Dharma Body Method, and the Celestial River Method grants cultivators combat power far exceeding that of other cultivators of the same level. Otherwise, how could Zheng Fa possibly unleash a powerful phantom with a single punch?

He stood in the void, and familiar Divine Sense fluctuations emanated from the starry sky.

After the illusory figures dissipated, Heart Demon followed one after another!

Seemingly unable to return to the Nine Mountains Realm, Zheng Fa confronted his Heart Demon Tribulation in full view of everyone.

He sat cross-legged in the void, his face turning pale and then flushed, seemingly lost in an illusion.

Dragon Lord Shuyu turned his head, stared at Azure Abyss Dragon King, gathered his spiritual power, and his eyes were wary:

She had already discerned some of the Azure Abyss Dragon King's plans.

Zheng Fa's displayed strength at this moment made her feel even more confident that she had made the right bet, and naturally she was wary of the Azure Abyss Dragon King causing trouble.

To her surprise, the Azure Abyss Dragon King obediently watched Zheng Fa's Heart Demon Tribulation.

Not only him, but the other Dao Fruit who were secretly observing didn't even show their faces.

A group of people watched silently as Zheng Fa's brows furrowed and relaxed, his breathing rising and falling, struggling to cope with his Heart Demon.

After a long while, Zheng Fa slowly opened his eyes.

He looked around, his gaze settling on the direction of the Azure Abyss Dragon King, his eyes conveying three words: Come on!

The gateway to the Nine Mountains Realm slowly opened beneath his feet.

The Azure Abyss Dragon King cursed inwardly.

He knew it! Which idiot would try to survive this ordeal!

That scoundrel actually planned to use the Heart Demon Tribulation to trick him into entering the Nine Mountains Realm!

The local monks are too ruthless.

Zheng Fa was also somewhat disappointed.

This time, leaving the Nine Mountains Realm to undergo tribulation was somewhat rushed, and this nest was hastily prepared and is still too rough.

On the other hand, I'm afraid my behavior just now was a little outrageous, which made these people more cautious.

He truly wanted to catch the Azure Abyss Dragon King.

This person has ambitions for the Sea Region and harbors ill intentions towards the Nine Mountains Sect.

He was also Ancient Dragon Clan, extremely difficult to deal with in the sea, and even impossible to catch.

If we can trick them into entering the Nine Mountains Realm, things will be much easier.

In addition, those illusory figures were only at the True Spirit level, and were not yet substantial enough to establish their authority.

The strength of the Azure Abyss Dragon King is just right.

I never expected this person to be so timid.

It's a waste that those Heart Demon got off work early.

Thinking of this, he took another deep look at the Azure Abyss Dragon King. This lost work fee should be recorded in the Dragon King's account.

No, it wasn't just the Dragon King who owed him a debt...

Zheng Fa looked up at the sky, his mind racing: What about my Innate Divine Ability?

(End of this chapter)