"The power of the Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation has reached its limit."
On the palace wall of the Three Palaces Hall of Vast Sun Mountain, there is a light screen, and on the light screen is a map.
Elders Zheng Fa, Senior Sister Zhang, and Uncle-Master Pang, as well as Yun Wuji, were all present. Vast Sun's submission and integration into the Nine Mountains was a major event, involving countless complexities. However, Lu Mo was about to convene the Great Luo Dharma Assembly, leaving them with very little time.
They simply held the meeting right there on Vast Sun Mountain.
Little Bird Yuan peered into the crowd, staring intently at the map, then suddenly grinned and exclaimed, "Our Nine Mountains Sect is huge!"
Everyone laughed.
It is very large; even excluding the Sea Region, they are now a veritable top-tier Xuanwei power.
Today, the Nine Mountains Sect extends as far as the Western Continent, backs onto the Underworld, and borders the Supreme Dao to the south. Even Zheng Fa would need more than two months to fly from east to west.
The rapidly expanding territory filled most of the people in the hall with a sense of excitement and exhilaration.
Zheng Fa a thought, hundreds of small black dots appeared on the map. Everyone knew that these were the array nodes of the Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation.
"After Vast Sun Mountain surrenders, the Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation will be further expanded, but my senior sister and I have calculated that the power of the new Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation will not exceed... 0.7 Creation."
Yun Wuji but twitch his cheek; the Nine Mountains Sect's unit of measurement was truly unique.
"In the short term, it will be difficult for our territory to expand further, and the power of the Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation will reach a bottleneck."
Everyone nodded and looked at Yun Wuji.
Yun Wuji a straight face, feeling quite nervous.
"I intend to establish the Sun-Shooting Army," Zheng Fa explained in detail, " The Sun-Shooting Army's Life-bound Dharma Treasure will be the Sun-Shooting Divine Bow."
Everyone nodded slightly.
Using the Sun-Shooting Divine Bow as one's Life-bound Dharma Treasure is not new—this is the Life-bound Dharma Treasure for most Lu Clan.
Only Yun Wuji couldn't help but speak up, "But... without Vast-Sun Mulberry, no one in the sect has cultivated this Life-bound Dharma Treasure for decades."
Zheng Fa emptied the Scripture Tower on Vast Sun Mountain and knew everything about the < Scarlet Firmament Jade Register >, so he naturally knew that its refining required Vast-Sun Mulberry.
Upon hearing Yun Wuji's question, Zheng Fa turned to look at Madam Xuanhua.
Madam Xuanhua looked at Yun Wuji with a hint of pride. "Through the transformation of spiritual materials and the cultivation of Spirit Plant, we have designed corresponding alternative and improved methods, especially the Nine Mountains Golden Core Method, which allows most disciples to freely transform their Law Treasure."
Yun Wuji opened his mouth, wanting to refute. Vast Sun Mountain was the number one sect in Xuanwei weapon refining. He had surrendered, but he still had his pride in the art of weapon refining.
The Sun-Shooting Divine Bow is a top-tier Law Treasure of Vast Sun Mountain. For many years, members of the sect have continuously crafted it; how could it be so easily replaced?
As for improvements, he scoffed – "Does the Xuanwei magic Law Treasure that the Vast Sun First Ancestor, who wields the power to traverse the mysteries of the universe, need your improvement?"
But then he remembered that he was an outsider, so he kept quiet, though he felt frustrated.
Madam Xuanhua glanced back at Zheng Fa Zheng Fa, and seeing him nod, she simply took out a golden longbow from her storage bracelet and handed it to Yun Wuji, saying, "This is an unfinished product; please, Cloud True Immortal, offer your guidance and suggestions."
Yun Wuji was taken aback, frowned slightly, and then carefully looked at the Nine Mountains version of the Sun-Shooting Divine Bow in his hand. The more he looked at it, the more silent he became, and he even began to doubt himself.
Seeing that he remained silent, Zheng Fa nodded and said, " The Sun-Shooting Army also needs to practice the Ten Immortal Formation Method in order to further improve the Sun-Shooting Divine Bow."
The Ten Thousand Immortal Formation Method is the foundation of the Nine Mountains Sect, especially now that the Immortal-Slayer Sword Formation is shining brightly.
Yun Wuji became increasingly confused, but holding the longbow, he didn't say much, only listening intently.
"At the same time, Vast Sun Mountain will be transformed into the Vast Sun Base." Zheng Fa pointed to Vast Sun Mountain, "This will be the first base of the Sun-Shooting Army, used to supplement the insufficient power of the Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation and to strike invading enemies from a distance."
Senior Sister Zhang chimed in, " The Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation is a perfect match for the Sun-Shooting Army. Although its power is limited, its detection capabilities are unparalleled in the Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation and subtle Xuanwei."
This wasn't just Senior Sister Zhang being blindly confident.
After hundreds of iterations, the Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation has indeed become increasingly accurate in its detection. Combined with Electromagnetism and various detection Secret Method, it is difficult for ordinary Golden Immortal to escape the array's notice.
" Senior Sister Zhang, you are the commander of the Sun-Shooting Army," Zheng Fa directly appointed.
"Good."
Yun Wuji didn't say a word. As a newly surrendered person, he wouldn't dare to assume the role of an army commander.
"Senior sister, your mission is to receive intelligence from the Divine Firmament Legion, calculate enemy movements, and issue firing orders."
Senior Sister Zhang nodded.
Uncle-Master Pang clicked his tongue in amazement. "Only Wuyi could do this."
For the Sun-Shooting Army, the biggest problem was how to locate the enemy in a short period of time.
What kind of being is Golden Immortal?
Some Golden Immortal who are skilled in escape techniques can transmit signals just as fast as the Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation. To track them requires extremely strong computing power.
Within the Nine Mountains Realm, only the possessor of the Primordial Eight Trigrams, Senior Sister Zhang, has this qualification.
With Senior Sister Zhang, the Sun-Shooting Army will no longer waste its energy and will truly form combat power.
Entrusting the Sun-Shooting Army to Senior Sister Zhang was not nepotism, at least not entirely nepotism.
Having finished discussing the most important Sun-Shooting Army — Zheng Fa turned to Jiao Wuji and Blood River Ancestor beside him and said, " The Primordial Dharma Body is now entrusted to you."
Jiao Wuji's eyes gleamed, and he nodded vigorously, looking very excited.
The Primordial Dharma Body is arguably the biggest gain this time, besides the Sun-Shooting Army. If the Secret Method to awaken the Primordial Dharma Body can be found, it will be another Golden Immortal combat power.
Even in terms of long-term value, this Dharma Body is far superior.
The Original Devil Ancestor was the founder of the Dharma Body Method. More importantly, the current Xuanwei Human Race can all be said to be descendants of the Devil Ancestor. Tracing back to the source, almost all of them can be traced back to the Original Devil Ancestor.
It can be said that the knowledge contained in the Primordial Dharma Body is one of the sources of the entire Human Race, and also the origin of the Dharma Body Method.
Its value is self-evident.
For Jiao Wuji and his companion, this was an invaluable treasure—after all, they were originally practitioners of the Dharma Body Method, and even when they later switched to the < Yellow Court Scripture >, they still leaned towards the Dharma Body lineage.
However, the Primordial Dharma Body was too profound, and Zheng Fa didn't know exactly what he could research, so he could only leave it to Jiao Wuji to explore freely.
After exchanging a few more words about how to manage the newly acquired Vast Sun Mountain territory, and having each assigned tasks, the group dispersed to attend to their own tasks.
Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Zhang flew out of the Three Palaces Hall side by side, with Little Bird Yuan beside them. Suddenly, Senior Sister Zhang asked, "What do you think of that Yun Wuji?"
Zheng Fa understood. Senior Sister Zhang meant whether Yun Wuji, who had defected in the face of battle, was trustworthy, and how much trust she should give him as the future leader of the Sun-Shooting Army.
" Yun Wuji killed White Lotus, and although it cannot be ruled out that it was a ruse, White Lotus had far too many treasures on her."
Senior Sister Zhang agreed, "He must be highly regarded at Thunderclap Temple. If it were a self-inflicted injury, the cost would be too high."
"But that doesn't mean Yun Wuji is trustworthy." Zheng Fa changed the subject, adding, "To put it bluntly, this person has been wavering the whole time; he just wants to save his own life."
Yun Wuji's style is very clear: he won't place a bet until the very last moment. He's quick-witted, but it's impossible to expect him to be resolute.
Zheng Fa actually understood this very well.
"And you'll also have the Sun-Shooting Divine Bow..."
"Besides my true form, there are only two others in the sect: Cloud True Immortal and Dragon Lord Shuyu. No one else has this strength."
"That's true..."
Controlling the Sun-Shooting Divine Bow is already a battle beyond one's level, making it difficult to lower the cultivation requirements further.
Zheng Fa was able to do so because his cultivation was truly profound, and he also had Fusang Wood as a backup energy source.
The others were simply unable to fully unleash the power of the Sun-Shooting Divine Bow.
"I can't possibly stay at Vast Sun Base. Dragon Lord Shuyu can better utilize his strength in the Sea Region, so I have no choice but to choose him."
Zheng Fa revealed his honest opinion: he certainly didn't fully trust Yun Wuji, but he truly had no other choice but to Sun-Shooting Divine Bow.
Senior Sister Zhang nodded slowly and said, "I will keep an eye on him."
"There's no need to be too wary of him. He's a smart man, but even smart men can be indecisive and hesitant... As long as I'm not in dire straits, and the Nine Mountains Realm isn't at the point of certain defeat, there's no need to be too wary of him. After all, he doesn't have many other options."
Zheng Fa had dealt with Yun Wuji quite a few times. This man was a master at feigning ignorance; he understood everything, yet he was always worried about this and that.
"As long as Nine Mountains remains strong, he will be loyal."
Senior Sister Zhang nodded slightly, and the two of them then realized that Little Bird Yuan hadn't been chirping for a while. Turning around, they found that Little Bird Yuan was lost in thought.
" Senior Sister Yuan?"
"Huh?" Little Bird Yuan swallowed hard, snapping out of her daze, and looked around. "Is it time to eat?"
"..."
They really did come here to eat.
The three flew out of the Three Palaces Hall and entered the Nine Mountains Realm, landing in front of Zheng Fa's courtyard.
Mother Zheng had already prepared a table full of dishes.
In terms of age, Mother Zheng is already well over a hundred years old, but she is still in good health—because she is now Golden Core cultivator.
In her early years, Mother Zheng lacked the necessary aptitude and was unable to enter the Daoist path.
Once Gu Chang discovered the Spirit-Root Improvement Method, Zheng Fa took the time to enhance his mother's aptitude.
Zheng Fa consistently allocated his own resources, while Zheng Shan stayed home to help her mother cultivate, and Mother Zheng successfully advanced to the Golden Core stage.
" Zheng Shan, you're already in the Nascent Soul Late Stage?"
Little Bird Yuan called out as soon as she saw Zheng Shan.
Zheng Shan smiled with her lips pursed. She looked to be about twenty-three or twenty-four years old, but she had been cultivating for nearly a hundred years. With her talent and the cultivation methods of the Nine Mountains Realm, reaching the Nascent Soul Late Stage was quite normal.
Little Bird Yuan, on the other hand, seemed quite emotional. "Back then, even a Nascent Soul Late Stage Nine Mountains Sect."
" The Nine Mountains Sect will be wiped out? Who dares?"
A rebuttal came from the gate, and Zhao Jingfan and Yan Wushuang walked into the courtyard one after the other.
Zhao Jingfan was also carrying a gift box.
"This is?"
"These are the congratulatory gifts from the two Taishang Elders of the sect," Zhao Jingfan said helplessly. "They said that since you didn't want a grand celebration, they still had to congratulate you on becoming Loose Immortal."
This gathering was partly because even Zheng Fa was exhausted after the great battle and wanted to rest for a while.
On the other hand, it was also to celebrate Zheng Fa's attainment of Dao Fruit.
Uncle-Master Pang originally suggested holding a celebration, but Zheng Fa considered that the Great Luo Dharma Assembly was approaching, Vast Sun Mountain was newly attached, and there were many things to do, so he simply invited a few old friends to have a family banquet at home.
Within the Nine Mountains Sect, there are Senior Sister Zhang and Senior Sister Yuan; outside the Nine Mountains Sect, there are Yan Wushuang and Zhao Jingfan.
As soon as they sat down, Zheng Shan brought over a wine pot, and the table was filled with dishes.
"Auntie's cooking skills are getting better and better."
"He's always in the yard, doing nothing but pondering things," Mother Zheng said with a smile as she stood up. "There are still two dishes in the pot; you can eat first."
Zheng Fa knew that his mother still had some old habits; she liked to hide in the kitchen while eating.
He looked at Zheng Shan on his left, thought for a moment, and then asked, " Shan'er, do you want to leave the Nine Mountains Realm?"
Zheng Shan suddenly looked up. "Brother?"
"It's alright now," Zheng Fa said softly. "With the Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation and the Sun-Shooting Army, your safety can be initially guaranteed."
Really?
Zheng Shan's eyes lit up.
"You dislike the Nine Mountains Realm that much?"
"No, it's not that..." Zheng Shan said, head down, "Everyone in the Nine Mountains Realm knows I'm your sister, it makes me feel awkward."
"First, learn the Earthly Fiend Seventy-Two Transformations, then try not to leave the Nine Mountains Sect's territory. The Eastern Continent is still quite safe."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Shan's eyes lit up.
Beside her, Senior Sister Zhang held a wine pot and poured a cup of wine for Zhao Jingfan.
Zhao Jingfan immediately jumped up and shouted, " Zhang Taishang, this..."
"There is no Taishang Elder today."
Zhao Jingfan paused for a moment, then sat down again, and suddenly chuckled.
What are you laughing at?
Zheng Fa looked over curiously.
"Back then, how could I have known I would become the Sect Leader of the Azure Wood Sect?" Zhao Jingfan said with some emotion. "And I certainly never imagined you would become an immortal."
Zheng Fa laughed as he listened, picked up his wine glass, clinked it with Zhao Jingfan's, and drank it all in one gulp.
The people at the table looked at each other and laughed.
The people at the table all met when they were still in humble beginnings. Back then, the two with the highest cultivation Senior Sister Zhang and Yan Wushuang, who were both at the Golden Core stage.
But now, both Zheng Shan and Zhao Jingfan are in the Nascent Soul Late Stage.
The others had even reached the Spirit Transformation.
Having known each other for many years, we quickly became familiar with each other as we chatted.
Zhao Jingfan recounted her initial impression of Zheng Fa: "Back then, Zheng Fa was nobody. He hid it very well, but after spending time with him, you'd find that he just looked down on you, nothing at all. It was infuriating to look at, but I'm also someone who likes to annoy people, so we just hit it off."
Zheng Fa.
Zhao Jingfan is right. At that time, he had spent five years in the modern world, and his mind was filled with the contrast between the modern world and the Xuanwei Realm. The sense of disparity was too great.
To be honest, there's a strange arrogance about him, a self-perceived maturity that's actually out of place.
If he hadn't run into Zhao Jingfan, he probably would have suffered a great loss long ago.
"I was puzzled at the time. Why would a servant like you look down on our Zhao Family?" Zhao Jingfan took a sip of wine and suddenly looked out of the courtyard.
The stars revolved around them.
The Divine Firmament Flying Vessel shuttles back and forth between the mortal realm and the Three Enclosures and Four Symbols.
Everything was lively yet well-organized.
Seeing the Nine Mountains Realm today, I finally understand where your arrogance came from.
Zhao Jingfan turned his head and looked at Zheng Fa with the same gaze he had many years ago. "Back then, I made a promise with you that we would meet again at the Nascent Soul, but even I didn't believe it at the time."
Zheng Fa couldn't help but laugh. He still remembered how Zhao Jingfan waved and made bold statements on the flying boat back then.
"Now, everything is ten or a hundred times better than I initially imagined."
Zhao Jingfan's eyes were glazed over, as if he were drunk.
"I've also thought about it, what would things be like now if I hadn't been more tolerant of you back then?"
He looked at Zheng Fa with a serious expression. "... Thank you."
(End of this chapter)