Nine Mountains' Current State, Divine Firmament Drill

If Zheng Fa were to comment, he would also say that Dragon Lord Shuyu's question was excellent and hit the nail on the head.

Zheng Fa's pancakes are big and fragrant, but there's only one problem—you can't get your hands on them.

Leaving aside how long it would take Zheng Fa to cultivate to the Golden Immortal level, just the task of cultivating a completely new Dragon Clan is something that cannot be accomplished in a few decades or even a few hundred years.

Judging from Xuanwei's current situation, the Nine Mountains Sect certainly doesn't have that much time.

It's hard to refute.

Seeing that Zheng Fa remained silent, the Dragon Lord Shuyu chuckled softly, seemingly with a hint of mockery.

"The Dragon Lord doesn't believe me?"

Whether you believe it or not is not important. You may have faith, but I cannot entrust my life and fortune to your faith.

"Then I would like to invite the Dragon Lord to come with me to see something."

"What?"

Zheng Fa flew towards the palace gate, leaving only two words that echoed within, "Faith."

Hearing the resolute tone in his voice, the Dragon Lord Shuyu couldn't help but feel curious. She also had to admit that although Zheng Fa's words were vague and unrealistic, they were very tempting to her.

Seeing Zheng Fa leave the Heavenly Palace Hall, she followed behind him along with the elders of the Nine Mountains Sect.

The group flew out of the Purple Tenuity Enclosure of the Nine Mountains Sect and descended from the sky towards the mortal Nine Mountains Realm.

Dragon Lord Shuyu has visited the Nine Mountains Realm many times, but has never left the Three Enclosures and Four Lodges, mainly because he is not interested.

However, she was now quite curious about the Nine Mountains Sect, so she secretly observed them along the way.

Although she had been living at the bottom of the sea, she was not completely unaware of the situation in the Xuanwei Realm.

In her early years, in order to find her fellow clansmen, she traveled to various places in Xuanwei, visiting all the major sects, but this was unknown to others.

Therefore, she actually had a fairly good understanding of how Xuanwei mortals lived.

But the scenery before him was so new and exciting that Dragon Lord Shuyu was overwhelmed with wonder.

A Divine Firmament Flying Vessel flew past them, and through the windows, they could see that it was packed with people.

Compared to their speed, the Divine Firmament Flying Vessel was incredibly slow, yet most of the people riding it were mortals!

Looking into the distance, one can see Divine Firmament Flying Vessel shuttling through the air in all directions.

In total, there were as many as twenty ships.

This was all she had seen in that short moment. Judging from the area of the mortal Nine Mountains Realm, the total number of these Divine Firmament Flying Vessel was probably in the hundreds or even thousands.

She turned to look at Zheng Fa, puzzled. This flying boat was as fast as a Golden Core cultivator, yet Zheng Fa was letting these mortals ride it?

Dragon Lord Shuyu didn't speak, but carefully observed the mortals and buildings on the ground.

The group happened to fly over a large city.

Despite being called a large city, it had no city walls. Instead, it was a densely packed array of buildings spread out in concentric circles from the city center in all directions, making it larger than any city she had ever seen before.

The city streets are wide and crowded, especially the streets lined with shops on both sides, where people are bustling about.

The clothing worn by the mortals was also quite different from the customs of Xuanwei. The sleeves were narrow, and both men and women mostly wore trousers. The clothes were made of a sturdy and rough material, and the colors were not very bright, mostly blue and black.

If we're talking about poverty, the men are strong, robust, and quite tall.

The woman had a rosy complexion and jet-black hair, and she walked with a rather imposing air.

Are the mortals of these Nine Mountains Realm only concerned with food and not clothing?

Even with just a casual glance, the Dragon Lord Shuyu could tell that the lives of these mortals in the Nine Mountains Realm were far, far better than those under the rule of the Four Sects.

"My Nine Mountains Sect has been operating in the Nine Mountains Realm for decades," Zheng Fa suddenly said. "The Dragon Lord may not know what the situation was like here when I first arrived."

What's going on?

"The entire Nine Mountains Realm has a population of less than ten million. The people I've seen are practically skeletons. Anyone who lives past thirty is called a longevity star."

"Ten million?" Dragon Lord Shuyu was taken aback, then looked at the city beneath his feet. "I reckon this city has a population of over a million!"

"This is one of the larger cities in the Nine Mountains Realm. Because the Nine Mountains Realm has relatively developed and convenient transportation, the population has been continuously gathering in the city, which is why it appears to be so large."

Dragon Lord Shuyu asked curiously, "How many people are there in the Nine Mountains Realm now?"

"Nearly 320 million people."

Senior Sister Zhang answered this question.

The Dragon Lord Shuyu was slightly taken aback. "More than thirty times?"

"It's much less than I expected."

"Isn't that enough?"

Zheng Fa shook his head; three hundred million was indeed less than they had calculated before.

In the early years, the population growth rate of the Nine Mountains Realm was close to 8%.

If this growth rate had been maintained, the population would have reached at least 600 million by now, fifty or sixty years later.

However, the population growth rate of the Nine Mountains Realm later plummeted.

It's not that the Nine Mountains Realm can't afford to support them—although the Nine Mountains Sect isn't large, it has the aid of Immortal Method and abundant resources, so its population capacity is actually quite high.

The problem is—they don't want to have children!

Zheng Fa hadn't expected this, but he later figured it out.

Over the past fifty years, the Nine Mountains Sect has taken two measures in the mortal realm that have significantly impacted population growth:

Industrialization and widespread education.

These two factors enabled most people to earn a living.

When a person can support themselves independently, having children is no longer a necessity.

But this is not the only reason for the declining population growth rate, nor is it even the main one.

The fundamental factor is the popularization of the cultivation culture.

Most mortals in the Nine Mountains Realm, when they are young, are focused on cultivating immortality and are unwilling to lose their primordial yin or primordial yang in their early years.

The increase in life expectancy has led everyone to tend to marry and have children later in life.

In addition, since cultivators tend to be self-disciplined and have few desires, and mortals take cultivators as role models, some new trends of thought have emerged.

To be honest, this wasn't part of Zheng Fa's plan, but he had to admit that it actually fit the development pattern of the Nine Mountains Realm. After discussing it with Senior Sister Zhang and the others, he decided to wait and see, since the Nine Mountains Realm wasn't really short of people.

He felt it was too little, but the Dragon Lord Shuyu felt it was too much. Looking at those robust mortals, she felt even more that they were rare indeed.

In the past, she wouldn't have cared so much.

But Zheng Fa's words about cultivating her own Dragon Clan were already etched in her heart.

"Dragon Lord, as I said, when it comes to governing the world, benefiting the people, making money, and developing the region, my Nine Mountains Sect is second to none."

"Is this what you call confidence?"

She understood, of course, that the lives of these mortals under the rule of the Nine Mountains Sect had undergone earth-shattering changes, which was enough to prove the Nine Mountains Sect's governing ability.

Although there is a vast difference between the Dragon Clan and mortals, making money is not a race-based activity.

"Of course not, this is just to let the Dragon Lord know that we have the ability to create wealth." Zheng Fa smiled and pointed ahead, "And that is our ability to protect wealth."

Dragon Lord Shuyu looked in the direction Zheng Fa pointed, her gaze immediately turning serious. She seemed unable to believe her eyes, turning to look at Zheng Fa again, then back ahead, scrutinizing him repeatedly. After a long while, she finally spoke, "Two of you?"

In the void ahead, the Heavenly Emperor Body, gently cupped his hands towards the Dragon Lord Shuyu.

"Let me introduce myself. This is my clone, named the Heavenly Emperor Body."

"A clone?!"

The way the Dragon Lord Shuyu spoke the word "clone" was full of ups and downs, containing confusion, surprise, and even disbelief.

It wasn't that she was overreacting or ignorant; the only problem with the Dao Fruit, in the Xuanwei Realm, was the method of creating clones, which had always been quite sensitive.

It's not that there are no Movement Method, but all Movement Method deliberately suppress the strength of the clones to prevent them from being overpowered. Furthermore, most clones lack intelligence and are essentially fools.

However, judging from the perception of the Dragon Lord Shuyu, the aura emanating from this Heavenly Emperor Body was no less than that of Zheng Fa's true form.

The Heavenly Emperor Body flew closer, Dragon Lord Shuyu's eyes gleamed with blue light as she carefully examined him. She was True Immortal, and the Heavenly Emperor Body, so she immediately determined—

This is a cultivator from the Immortal Sect who Corpse Liberation Realm. In terms of cultivation alone, he is indeed no less powerful than Zheng Fa in his original form.

But in terms of actual combat strength, it's certainly not as good as...

Wrong!

The Dragon Lord Shuyu suddenly turned his head and asked Zheng Fa, "Is this avatar of yours the Lord of the Nine Mountains Realm Divine Way?"

"Dragon Lord, you've figured it out?"

"I recognize this Incense Power power. Most of what I've seen before was probably the Heavenly Emperor Body, right?"

The Heavenly Emperor Body landed before the two, bowed to the Dragon Lord Shuyu, and said, "Dragon Lord, please forgive me. My true form was in seclusion at the time, so I had to receive you."

Dragon Lord Shuyu was even more impressed. "Having met you so many times, I never realized you were a clone. Sect Leader Zheng's clone technique is truly astonishing."

Zheng Fa gently cupped his hands in greeting.

Revealing the Heavenly Emperor Body was partly to demonstrate some strength, but also because the formation of the Sword Dao Body gave the Nine Mountains Sect a new trump card, allowing them to peel back a layer of the onion.

Moreover, the Dragon Lord Shuyu is indeed one of the people who can be trusted. Part of the reason she clashed with the Azure Abyss Dragon King was because of the Nine Mountains Sect. The Dragon Lord Shuyu herself is aloof and would not mention this, but Zheng Fa has not forgotten it.

"If that's the case, then you, the Heavenly Emperor Body in the Nine Mountains Realm, are probably equivalent to Loose Immortal or even True Immortal?"

"Loose Immortal," Zheng Fa nodded. "Perhaps close to True Immortal, but not quite."

"The Grotto-Heaven Method is indeed wondrous," the Dragon Lord Shuyu sighed, then added, "A mere avatar with the cultivation of Loose Immortal—is this all the confidence you have?"

Dragon Lord Shuyu secretly calculated in his heart.

After Zheng Fa killed Loose Immortal Luo of Vast Sun Mountain, the Xuanwei Realm had already reached a consensus on his strength, regarding him as True Immortal.

The Nine Mountains Sect also has Zhang Wuyi and Xie Qingxue, two beings who can be considered invincible below the Dao Fruit.

Now there's another Loose Immortal clone.

In terms of strength, it's not much different from the Azure Abyss Dragon Palace. If I were to join them, I would definitely surpass the Azure Abyss Dragon Palace.

But to say that a mere Loose Immortal clone would give her much confidence is a bit of an exaggeration.

"No, this Heavenly Emperor Body, is a tool to demonstrate faith."

"Oh?"

The Dragon Lord Shuyu grew increasingly curious, and then pointed ahead, saying to her, "Dragon Lord, please look."

Following the direction Zheng Fa pointed, the Dragon Lord Shuyu paused slightly, then asked in confusion, "The Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation?"

The scenery ahead looked rather familiar.

The barren mountain peaks and the dark blue, reflective rocks were strikingly similar to what she had seen before entering the Nine Mountains Realm.

The only difference is that the top of this mountain is flat, with several rows of houses and some enormous Law Treasure on it.

"It's the Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation, and also the newly established Divine Firmament Legion of my Nine Mountains Sect."

"The Divine Firmament Legion?"

"The Divine Firmament Legion is composed of the most skilled Thunder Method disciples of my Nine Mountains Sect. In a way, they could all be considered your grand-disciples, Dragon Lord."

Dragon Lord Shuyu turned to look at Xiao Yuying, and seeing the pride on his disciple's face, he secretly shook his head.

"So, you want the Divine Firmament Legion to preside over the Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation."

"The Dragon Lord has discerning eyes."

That's absolutely right.

The Tianhe and Divine Firmament legions are the two major forces. The Celestial River Legion, needless to say, is the strongest armed force and a trump card for survival.

The Divine Firmament Legion, however, has a different role.

Their focus on defense, reconnaissance, and transportation is highly compatible with the Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation, and in essence, they are all applications of Thunder Method.

It's a perfect match.

"They are my confidence."

Upon hearing this, the Dragon Lord Shuyu was puzzled. She had seen the Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation before, and although it was quite extraordinary, how could it compare to a Loose Immortal Avatar?

Seemingly sensing her doubt, Zheng Fa chuckled, slightly bent his middle finger, and flicked it lightly into the air.

A long red rainbow streaked across the sky.

Before the Dragon Lord Shuyu could figure out what was happening, the Heavenly Emperor Body beside him was already rushing forward with the rainbow.

With each step he took, he grew ten zhang taller. By the time he reached the Divine Firmament Legion, the Heavenly Emperor Body was already ten thousand zhang tall, and his knees alone were taller than the black mountain peak.

Nine golden suns surrounded him, and even his breath carried a scorching heat that could burn everything.

The Heavenly Emperor Body unleashed a punch that pressed down on the disciples of the Nine Mountains, its power causing the Dragon Lord Shuyu to exclaim in surprise, "What is this?"

"This is a drill by the Divine Firmament Legion."

"Exercise?"

"Oh, so I wanted them to try and deal with Loose Immortal."

Dragon Lord Shuyu was taken aback, and couldn't help but look at the group of disciples, feeling a pang of pity in his heart.

What kind of lives are my disciples and grand-disciples living...?

To her surprise, while she was worried about the Divine Firmament Legion, these disciples seemed to have become accustomed to facing such a powerful enemy.

They ran swiftly across the hillside, lined up in an orderly fashion, and took out their Law Treasure.

The disciples' natal Life-bound Dharma Treasure appears to be a drum.

The drumbeats, carrying a blue glow, resounded rapidly in all directions.

The other group of disciples Law Treasure a similar magical mirror.

They simultaneously threw the precious mirrors into the air, forming a wall that faced directly at the Heavenly Emperor Body's fist.

The other disciples seemed to be manipulating the Magnetic Array.

"His willpower is unwavering, but his strength..."

The Dragon Lord Shuyu still wasn't very optimistic about the Divine Firmament Legion. In her opinion, even if this group could control the Magnetic Array, they were only at the Dharma Body level.

Compared to the Dao Fruit, it's like heaven and earth.

Beside him, Zheng Fa remained silent, gazing into the distance.

Dragon Lord Shuyu couldn't help but look over, and then he noticed something amiss.

Countless beams of light surged toward this place from all directions.

Amidst the blue light, the sound of drums echoed, seemingly responding to the disciples on this side.

"There are other Divine Firmament Legion? No, there's also the distant Earth-Vein Magnetism Power?" The Dragon Lord Shuyu immediately understood, yet became even more incredulous. "How large is your Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation?"

Although she was asking Zheng Fa a question, her gaze was fixed on the mirrored wall.

Hundreds of beams of light condensed on the mirror wall into a nearly solid white pillar, which, after being reflected by the mirror, collided with the fist of the Heavenly Emperor Body.

As the two met, the Dragon Lord Shuyu watched in disbelief as the Heavenly Emperor Body seemed to be unable to control himself and was overwhelmed, taking three steps back.

A group of disciples at the most Nascent Soul stage, using this Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation, actually repelled a Loose Immortal?

(End of this chapter)