A Gentleman's Heart, the Wager Agreement

Looking at the disciples of the Divine Firmament Legion again, the Dragon Lord Shuyu's gaze unconsciously became solemn.

If the Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation only had Spirit Transformation level combat power, she would be amazed, but not wary.

However, if this grand formation can repel Loose Immortal, the implications will be entirely different.

There were three ironclad rules in the Xuanwei Realm, one of which was that the Dao Fruit was invincible.

But what she saw before her eyes shattered the understanding that the Dragon Lord Shuyu had held for millions of years.

A group of cultivators who weren't even at the Spirit Transformation actually managed to block an attack from a Loose Immortal using a formation she'd never heard of before?

But the Divine Firmament Legion's performance went far beyond that.

The Heavenly Emperor Body took three steps back, but the Divine Firmament Legion showed no signs of weakness.

The drums thundered, shaking all directions, and beams of light danced wildly, raining down on the Heavenly Emperor Body.

This group of the Divine Firmament Legion disciples not only did not fall behind, but also subtly gained the upper hand!

The white pillars of light in the sky wove together into a giant net, enveloping the earth.

The Heavenly Emperor Body's imposing presence was in no way inferior to that of other Loose Immortal, yet he was trapped in the net, his massive body unable to break free for the time being.

The two Method Formula clashed, stirring up a fierce wind that rushed towards the Dragon Lord Shuyu with intense heat; she could almost smell the simmering tension of the battle.

Dragon Lord Shuyu clenched his fist slightly, unable to suppress his thoughts:

This Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation was more powerful than she had imagined.

Is it possible that one can only reach the level of Loose Immortal?

The moment this thought crossed her mind, she felt an increasingly complex mix of emotions, unsure whether it was anticipation or bitterness.

The battle between the Heavenly Emperor Body and the Divine Firmament Legion lasted for nearly half an hour before it came to an end.

Zheng Fa, along with Dragon Lord Shuyu and others, descended the mountain and looked at the group of disciples from the Divine Firmament Legion.

These disciples also seemed to be suffering:

Almost everyone was pale, looking as if their spiritual energy had been depleted.

Several other disciples, their faces tinged with gold and purple, were clearly injured.

Regardless of their condition, the disciples remained upright, their formation intact.

Zheng Fa's gaze swept across the faces of each disciple before he spoke:

You are all very good.

Upon hearing this, the disciples' eyes trembled slightly, but none of them spoke; they simply listened quietly.

"At first, you were in a state of chaos and were routed when facing a powerful enemy."

"You have made great progress today, even beyond my expectations."

Zheng Fa paused, then looked at the group of disciples and chuckled, also saying with a smile:

"With the safety of the Nine Mountains Sect entrusted to you, the elders and I can finally rest assured."

The disciples roared in unison, "As long as Divine Firmament endures, the Nine Mountains will stand forever!"

Zheng Fa nodded slightly. "I believe you, everyone in the Nine Mountains Sect believes you. Alright, rest well. The sect will reward you with pills Merit. If you suffer any injuries, do not conceal them."

"Yes!"

The group left the mortal realm and flew towards the Purple Tenuity Enclosure. Finally, the Dragon Lord Shuyu couldn't help but ask, "May I ask, Sect Leader, did you use your full strength with this avatar?"

Zheng Fa did not answer, but looked at the Heavenly Emperor Body.

The Heavenly Emperor Body grinned and said frankly, "About 50 or 60%. I didn't use the Sun-Moon Bell, otherwise we wouldn't have needed to fight."

"Sun-Moon Bell?"

"A treasure from the Nine Mountains Realm."

Dragon Lord Shuyu understood. "That makes sense. The Thick-Earth Divine Firmament Formation borrows the power of the Earth Vein in the Nine Mountains Realm. If you were to use a treasure from a grotto-heaven, then the Nine Mountains Realm would be under your control, and the Earth Vein would naturally be included."

"The Dragon Lord is indeed knowledgeable and insightful; what he said is absolutely correct."

"Knowledgeable and experienced?" Unexpectedly, the Dragon Lord Shuyu's expression was complicated, and his tone was full of self-deprecation. "I think I'm more ignorant. Having lived for nearly a million years, today's battle almost left me completely bewildered."

When she said this, her expression was sincere, clearly from the bottom of her heart.

"Although you didn't use your full strength, the power you revealed is no less than that of an ordinary Loose Immortal. Your Nine Mountains Sect's Divine Firmament Legion..."

Dragon Lord Shuyu suddenly paused, seemingly unsure how to describe what he had seen and heard that day.

Zheng Fa knew how to describe it—Sir, times have changed!

The combination of the Divine Firmament Legion and the Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation truly achieved a result greater than the sum of its parts.

The ability to fight against Loose Immortal immortal across realms is fundamentally due to the Earth-Vein Magnetism.

Before modifying the Hundred Immortals Alliance's Earth Vein, Zheng Fa and his team first surveyed the Earth Vein of the Nine Mountains Realm.

Because of the existence of the Heavenly Emperor Body, this process is much easier; it can even be said that most of it can be completed with just a thought.

Today, the entire mortal Nine Mountains Realm is covered with the Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation.

Unlike the Hundred Immortals Alliance, the Magnetic Array within the Nine Mountains Realm is primarily an infrastructure project used to improve transportation efficiency and industrial production capacity.

In addition, it was used for training the Divine Firmament Legion.

The Nine Mountains Sect has conducted five or six such exercises before the disciples of the Divine Firmament Legion have gradually become proficient and can be said to have made initial progress.

"The Dragon Lord probably guessed it too; the reason this formation can unleash such power is because it actually integrates the Earth-Vein Magnetism throughout the Nine Mountains Realm."

Dragon Lord Shuyu nodded slightly, then asked, "So what is the Divine Firmament Legion for?"

"Schedule."

"Schedule?"

Seeing her puzzled expression, Zheng Fa simply explained:

"The sound of the drums, besides enhancing Divine Sense, breaking illusions, and inspiring disciples, also serves as a means of communication. When the Divine Firmament Legion at other nodes receives the drumbeats, they will activate their grand formations to coordinate with the disciples here in fighting the enemy."

"What about the mirror?"

"It's mainly for transmitting and receiving the power of the Primordial Magnetism."

The Dragon Lord Shuyu roughly understood and suddenly realized, "You make it sound simple, but I dare say that the Xuanwei Realm has never had such an exquisite formation."

Zheng Fa chuckled softly, a hint of pride in his heart.

In fact, this formation combines the Universe-in-the-Sleeve Technique,"the Venerable Tianhe's Ten Immortal Formation Method, and even some ideas from the Nine-Chapter Calculation Formation.

Each one is Wu Shuang and wonderful method.

It could even be said that this is one of the highest scientific research achievements of the Nine Mountains Sect to date.

Today's first attempt at skill seems to have even frightened the Dragon Lord Shuyu.

Suddenly, the Dragon Lord Shuyu asked, "From what you're saying, if the range of this Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation is wide enough, then its power... could it be even greater? Perhaps in the future, it could even contend with True Immortal?"

That really startled me.

"We hope so, but of course it may not work out. There are still many areas for improvement in this Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation."

Zheng Fa's words caused the Dragon Lord Shuyu's expression to change slightly.

This grand formation can defeat even a Nascent Spirit Transformation, Dragon Lord Shuyu doesn't mind.

It's not bad that it can defeat Loose Immortal.

But it can fight True Immortal...

The Dragon Lord Shuyu panicked, after all, she was True Immortal.

She had to admit that if Zheng Fa was indeed demonstrating against her, then it was very successful.

"Of course, this grand formation has many limitations; it can only be used for defense." Seeing her worried expression, Zheng Fa spoke of the formation's shortcomings as if to comfort her, "The Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation cannot be moved."

"I know that... no wonder you're so confident."

"Dragon Lord Shuyu said softly."

"Dragon Lord, what I want you to see is not just this."

"Besides?"

Dragon Lord Shuyu asked in surprise, his tone even changing slightly, sounding surprisingly unexpected.

"No, I meant, what if we built the Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation in the sea?"

"Built... built in the sea?" The Dragon Lord Shuyu stopped abruptly, turning sharply to look at Zheng Fa, his eyes shining as if he couldn't believe it. He repeated, "Can it really be built in the sea?"

"Of course!" Zheng Fa laughed. "The seabed also has Earth-Vein Magnetism, and its Sea Region is even larger than the Nine Mountains Realm and the Hundred Immortals Alliance combined. If we could build Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation, its power would be ten or even a hundred times greater than it is today!"

Dragon Lord Shuyu stared intently at Zheng Fa, seemingly trying to determine whether his words were true or false. After a short while, she lowered her eyes, remained silent, and flew towards the Heavenly Palace Hall with the others. However, her flickering eyes still revealed her turbulent emotions.

"Sect Leader Zheng, is it true that you've mentioned establishing Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation on the seabed?"

"As long as the cooperation is achieved," Zheng Fa said frankly, "Dragon Lord, our Nine Mountains Sect values the ocean no less than yours. Completely controlling the ocean with a grand formation will also greatly benefit us."

Dragon Lord Shuyu nodded slightly, seemingly convinced.

"On the other hand, the Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation can also regulate the marine environment and improve transportation efficiency, which will benefit our Nine Mountains Sect's aquaculture and Sea Region trade routes."

"Is that so?" Dragon Lord Shuyu pondered for a moment before speaking, "Is this the confidence you speak of?"

"Of course," Zheng Fa smiled. "If the Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation in the sea is established, and you, Dragon Lord, cooperate with it, I wouldn't dare say we'd be invincible. What would the Azure Abyss Dragon Palace be compared to that?"

Dragon Lord Shuyu couldn't help but sigh, "Your confidence is truly genuine."

She didn't refute Zheng Fa's words, because both of them were well aware that the Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation would be of great help to the Dragon Lord Shuyu.

The reason she is no match for the Azure Abyss Dragon Palace is not because her cultivation is weak, but because she has fewer people.

With the Azure Abyss Dragon King holding them back, the Dragon Lord Shuyu's Xuanwei Sea was practically leaking air everywhere.

Essentially, this is because both are Ancient Dragon Clan, and neither has a greater advantage in the deep sea.

But with the Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation, things are different!

Even if they cannot unleash greater power than they did today, the performance of the Divine Firmament Legion just now was enough to be of great help.

If we can go even further, the Xuanwei Sea will become an impregnable fortress.

Now, when she thought of the Divine Firmament Legion and the Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation, she no longer had any worries. Instead, she liked them more and more, wishing that the array's power would be even stronger, so that a single beam of light could blast the Azure Abyss Dragon King to death.

Seeing the emotion on her face, Zheng Fa knew that the matter was now almost certain to succeed.

He turned to look at Senior Sister Zhang and the others. Uncle-Master Pang nodded at him repeatedly, and even Senior Sister Zhang was smiling. Of course, the happiest person was Xiao Yuying.

"Sect Leader Zheng..."

"Dragon Lord, I can entrust you with the management of the Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation in the Sea Region from now on."

Dragon Lord Shuyu's eyes widened, as if he were stunned.

"Of course, the ultimate control still rests with my Nine Mountains Sect, but if you, Dragon Lord, join my Nine Mountains, you will be just like a disciple of my Nine Mountains Sect, and it is only right that you take control of the great formation."

The Dragon Lord Shuyu was utterly speechless, only managing a wry smile, "Sect Leader, you have quite the audacity."

"The Dragon Lord has come with sincerity, and my Nine Mountains Sect naturally reciprocates with its own sincerity."

Zheng Fa explained, "I won't hide it from you, Dragon Lord. Building such a large array on the seabed would be too costly without your help. Moreover, if you're not willing, we can't build it at all."

"Without you, or without my Nine Mountains Sect, this great formation could not have been built."

In the Xuanwei Sea, the Dragon Lord Shuyu is practically equivalent to a half- Divine Way cultivator.

Constructing Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation on land is inherently difficult.

If it were underwater, the engineering difficulty would be incomparable. Not to mention whether it would be feasible, even if it were feasible, the cost would be too high.

If Dragon Lord Shuyu could help, that would be different.

Moreover, just as Zheng Fa said, if the Dragon Lord wanted to destroy the great formation, he had many ways to do so—just as the Heavenly Emperor Body could control the Earth Vein of the Nine Mountains Realm, the Dragon Lord Shuyu also had a certain degree of control over the Xuanwei Sea.

To put it bluntly, the development of the Sea Region is inseparable from the Dragon Lord Shuyu, which is why Zheng Fa is so insistent, and one could even say he has gone to great lengths to achieve it.

"Our cooperation will benefit both sides. After the great formation is established, it will not only promote the economic boom in the Sea Region, but it may also be able to cope with changes in the Xuanwei situation," Zheng Fa said to the Dragon Lord Shuyu. "This is also one of the reasons why I sent Xiao Fairy to the Dragon Lord's side."

"Yu Ying?"

"Xiao Fairy is a renowned master of Thunder Method in my Nine Mountains Realm. This Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation is the culmination of her hard work. Xiao Fairy has an extremely deep understanding of this array and can help you, Dragon Lord, establish it."

Only then did the Dragon Lord Shuyu realize that his disciple was not entirely a military supervisor; on the contrary, he was truly sent by Zheng Fa to assist him.

Looking at Xiao Yuying, she couldn't help but marvel—to be able to create such a grand formation, even if she only did part of the work, her disciple was truly... remarkable.

Xiao Yuying seemed to see the pride in her eyes, pursed her lips, and smiled shyly and happily.

Dragon Lord Shuyu shook his head and said, "I thought you were trying to show me off... but I was just being petty."

"No, that's not true. To be honest, my Nine Mountains Sect is determined to control the ocean, and you, Dragon Lord, will indeed have to cooperate with my Nine Mountains Sect in the future."

"You really are upfront about the unpleasant things."

The same words, spoken by the Dragon Lord Shuyu this time, were uttered without any reservation.

"Then what do you think, Dragon Lord?"

Unexpectedly, the Dragon Lord Shuyu fell into deep thought.

Zheng Fa frowned slightly. "The Dragon Lord won't agree?"

Dragon Lord Shuyu Sect Leader, I have witnessed the power of this Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation."

"But can this formation be built in the sea? And how powerful would it be after it's completed...?"

Dragon Lord Shuyu and said, "I don't understand things like you do. Your words are unsubstantiated, and I have no proof."

Xiao Yuying couldn't help but shout, "Master!"

Zheng Fa looked at the Dragon Lord Shuyu, who was staring directly at him, and said helplessly, "The Dragon Lord is indeed cautious."

"Didn't Yu Ying tell you? I'm all alone, how could I have survived this long if I wasn't careful?"

Zheng Fa paced back and forth in the hall, seemingly deep in thought, then turned and said:

"This matter concerns the Dragon Lord's freedom and even his life, which I understand. So, how about we make a betting agreement?"

"A performance-based agreement?"

In merger and acquisition negotiations, if there are discrepancies between the terms of the two parties, then the only option left is to engage in a gamble.

"Since the Dragon Lord doubts the power of this formation in the sea, why don't we give it a try? If it's powerful enough, the Dragon Lord will grant our Nine Mountains Sect; if not, we'll do as the Dragon Lord says."

"Is this the bet?" Dragon Lord Shuyu understood. "What are the stakes?"

"... The Azure Abyss Dragon Palace."

Upon hearing these four words, Dragon Lord Shuyu's eyes lit up, and he smiled, as if he really liked the bet.

"Very good."

(End of this chapter)