Chapter 152: Visualization

The small house fell silent; they finally understood why Zheng Fa had sent all the other disciples away.

Given how familiar this impostor posing as Zhang Shijie was with Jiushan Sect, the traitor could only be one of two possible identities—

Either this person had considerable seniority within Jiushan Sect and a cultivation base not too low, otherwise they could not have accessed certain secrets.

Or, it was the other possibility that had made Yuan Shijie's face darken—this person was in the marketplace or the General Affairs Pavilion.

That's why he knew Zhang Shijie's habits so well.

Only these two possibilities could explain how the traitor provided information precise enough for the impostor to convincingly mimic Zhang Shijie, even giving Yuan Shijie advice on managing the marketplace and naming every single person there.

"But… why?" Han Qi raised the question: "What's the point of impersonating Zhang Shijie and sending fake messages to the sect?"

Zheng Fa and Yuan Shijie exchanged a glance.

"Delay," Yuan Shijie said, uttering just two words.

"Yes," Zheng Fa's expression grew grave: "Anything I can uncover, Zhang Shijie must also be able to detect—yet she hasn't sent word back, meaning she's in trouble, but likely not in immediate danger."

"These people impersonating Zhang Shijie fear Jiushan Sect will notice and send rescuers—they want to buy time to eliminate her."

Zheng Fa slowly voiced his thoughts.

The others nodded in agreement.

"There's truth to that… otherwise their actions make no sense!" Yuan Shijie ran toward the door, shouting: "I'm going to Taiyang County!"

"Shijie!" Zheng Fa grabbed her arm: "Don't rush!"

"How can I not rush?"

Zheng Fa said: "Whoever trapped Zhang Shijie is likely a Nascent Soul—far beyond your ability to handle!"

"Then… I can't just sit idle!"

Yuan Shijie was clearly a person of deep loyalty.

But Zheng Fa's choice was—call for help!

Who doesn't have a few tough old folks at home?

Old White had said it well: don't shoulder everything yourself.

This matter is beyond what he and Yuan Shijie can handle.

He pulled Yuan Shijie up the mountain and reported his suspicions to the Sect Master.

"Has Zhang Shijie encountered trouble?"

"Yes," Zheng Fa recalled his communication with Zhang Shijie: "After she led the team into the Spirit Cave, the person replying to me no longer seemed like her."

"This… is strange."

The Sect Master frowned, gazing toward Taiyang County beyond Jiushan, as if struggling to comprehend.

"Master, I can confirm Zhang Shijie is definitely in trouble."

"I don't doubt you," the Sect Master waved his hand: "If Zhang Shijie is in danger, why has Changchun Sect given no sign? They're right next door—nothing could escape their notice."

"… "

"You did well not acting rashly," the Sect Master's expression tightened: "Changchun Sect is either wiped out… or untrustworthy. Taiyang County is likely a den of dragons and tigers."

"Then Master… what of Zhang Shijie?"

Zheng Fa had not forgotten Zhang Shijie's current peril.

"Zhang Shijie…" The Sect Master swept his sleeve, sending a spirit message talisman flying toward the seventh peak of Jiushan: "This matter rests with Huang Shimei."

…

The message talisman landed on the seventh peak; the next moment, a purple rainbow shot up from it and landed before Zheng Fa and the others.

This was Zheng Fa's first time seeing Huang True Person, Zhang Shijie's master.

She appeared to be thirty, dressed in black Daoist robes, her face gentle, her eyes clear and bright—like a serene female Daoist nun.

"Has Wu Yi encountered trouble?"

She asked immediately upon arrival.

"There's a possibility—Zheng Fa discovered it."

Huang True Person's gaze settled on Zheng Fa, as if she knew him well: "Tell me."

Zheng Fa recounted how he had communicated with Zhang Shijie and how he had uncovered the deception.

Huang True Person listened, then nodded slightly.

"What do you say?"

She suddenly turned to the Sect Master.

"… Go easy," the Sect Master fell silent, hesitating: "Perhaps I should go myself?"

"She is my only direct disciple!"

The Sect Master's expression grew even more strained, as if soothing her: "I know, I know—I'm just saying… if you go too far, I won't be able to explain to the Hundred Immortal Alliance."

Huang True Person gave the Sect Master a long, deep look, said nothing, turned, and stepped onto the rainbow, heading straight toward Taiyang County.

"Master… is Huang True Person going alone?"

Zheng Fa still felt uneasy.

"Jiushan Sect is our foundation—we must have at least two Nascent Souls stationed here," the Sect Master shook his head: "Besides, Huang Shimei is the most dangerous of our three Nascent Souls."

"Huh?"

Zheng Fa was stunned—was Huang True Person really that formidable?

Seeing his confusion, the Sect Master paused, searching for the right words.

"My own fighting style? I'm not afraid to spend money."

Thinking of his master's reckless spending, Zheng Fa nodded.

"Huang Shimei's style is different—she's not afraid to risk her life…"

"… "

Zheng Fa began to understand.

"She doesn't value life—not her own, and certainly not others'," the Sect Master added, shaking his head: "If Changchun Sect is wiped out, it'll be simpler."

"Huh?"

"If they've betrayed us, Huang Shimei will kill every last one of them."

"… So ruthless?"

"Nascent Soul True Persons don't have mercy—they only care whether they care," the Sect Master gave Zheng Fa a piercing look: "If you ever betray Zhang Shijie…"

Zheng Fa's hair stood on end.

"Don't worry—your master will at least leave you a whole corpse."

"… "

As they left, Zheng Fa curiously asked: "Master, your style is not caring about money, Huang True Person's is not caring about life—what about Pang Shu?"

"Him?" The Sect Master sneered: "He doesn't care about face."

…

Back at Zhang Shijie's courtyard, Zheng Fa still pondered his master's description of Huang True Person—from the likely fate of Changchun Sect, it was clear Huang True Person saw no kinship with its members.

Even his own master's concern over Huang True Person's potential slaughter was not moral outrage over indiscriminate killing—but fear of the trouble it might cause…

In a way, this was the truest, cruelest truth of the Xuanwei Realm.

He had earned the Sect Master's favor and now implicitly held the status of "heir apparent."

Fundamentally, it was because of his talent for translocation.

But originally, it was because Zhang Shijie had valued him.

Thinking of this, he shook his head—he was only at Qi Refining sixth layer, and had merely noticed Zhang Shijie's anomaly and reported it to the Sect Master.

That was already all he could do.

Anything more was beyond his current strength.

Acting rashly would not help—it would only burden Zhang Shijie and Jiushan Sect.

All he could do was strengthen himself as quickly as possible.

He sat on the meditation cushion, palms up, breathing slowly, calming his inner turmoil, sinking into cultivation.

Spiritual energy in the air swirled, forming a tiny whirlwind out of nothing.

After two incense sticks' time, Zheng Fa slowly opened his eyes.

Qi Refining seventh layer.

Before Zhang Shijie's disappearance, reaching this level would have delighted him—he could now cultivate the Ling Shan Fa in the modern world.

But now, he felt only urgency, not a trace of pride.

He picked up a book beside the cushion and flipped through it.

It was Lin Bu Fan's "Zi Zai Jing," containing only the part for Foundation Establishment and below.

Zheng Fa wanted this scripture first to see if it contained anything related to the spirit talismans in Lin Bu Fan's blood.

Second, he wanted to know his enemy well.

But as soon as he opened "Zi Zai Jing," Zheng Fa froze.

Lin Bu Fan wrote in the opening lines that the first requirement of cultivating this scripture was to visualize the "Great Zizai Holy Ancestor!"

"Visualization…"

Zheng Fa gently set the book down, brow furrowed in confusion.

He had encountered this kind of cultivation method before when practicing "Ling He Shen."

He had once wondered about the true nature of visualization.

Having now encountered cultivation and encountered the Observation Method again, Zheng Fa had some theories forming in his mind—but what puzzled him now was:

Is this Great Zizai Saint Ancestor still human?

…

Chen Ting stepped out from his master Master Pang's pavilion and walked slowly down the mountain; along the way, he met other disciples of the same lineage, who all greeted him, their gazes mostly filled with reverence.

Chen Ting knew the reason well—he, a three-spirit-root cultivator, had unexpectedly surpassed others to achieve Golden Core, and even been taken in as a disciple by Master Pang.

This greatly inspired his senior and junior brothers with mediocre talent.

Especially within his master Master Pang's lineage, he held considerable prestige.

As he descended the mountain, he encountered his junior fellow disciple Zhou Gan.

Zhou Gan looked as if he had just left Zhang Shijie's courtyard, frowning deeply in thought, muttering to himself as if troubled by some unresolved puzzle.

Chen Ting's residence was at the foot of the Eighth Peak, one of the more spiritually abundant areas in Jiushan Sect, clearly showing Master Pang's favoritism toward him.

He entered the courtyard, gently closed the door, and suddenly a voice appeared in his mind:

"I think your junior brother Zhou looks a bit foolish—easy to manipulate. Try getting him to lure out Zheng Fa."

Chen Ting said nothing, as if he hadn't heard the whisper in his mind, and slowly began studying the "Great Zizai Saint Ancestor Image."

"Won't you?"

"I've already done enough for you—betraying my sect and helping you impersonate Zhang Shijie."

Chen Ting spoke coldly.

"Enough?" The voice grew angry: "If we hadn't granted you True Blood Pill, could you have inherited my Saint Ancestor's bloodline? If you hadn't cultivated the 'Zizai Scripture,' could you have formed a Golden Core with only three spirit roots?"

Chen Ting remained silent for a long while before replying: "It's too dangerous. He's currently hiding in Zhang Shijie's courtyard; whenever he steps out, Yuan Shimei follows him everywhere—and she's the Sect Master's favorite disciple. You want him alive—I can't guarantee it."

"... mere Qi Refining cultivator."

"You know he's only a Qi Refining cultivator!" Chen Ting suddenly exploded: "I'm now a true disciple of Jiushan Sect, a Golden Core cultivator! Are you willing to sacrifice me for a Qi Refining cultivator?"

"You don't understand—he has something to do with the Three-Character Symbol Law mentioned in Zhang Wuyi's letters."

Chen Ting clenched his lips, clearly unwilling to understand.

"Chen Ting, think carefully: since you've cultivated the 'Zizai Scripture,' we can turn you into a demon sect outcast in Jiushan Sect at any moment."

"Do as you please. If I go after Senior Brother Zheng Fa, I'll be an outcast everyone despises." Chen Ting's expression was indifferent, almost resigned: "If all else fails, have your Saint Ancestor's spirit directly curse me to death... see if you're willing to pay that price."

His words silenced the voice in his mind—a Golden Core cultivator was already rare, and even rarer was one with a clean reputation in a celestial sect.

Moreover, Chen Ting, a three-spirit-root cultivator who had formed a Golden Core, had already cost the Great Zizai Demon Sect a great deal.

"You're not without opportunity—if you're careful..."

Clearly, the voice in his mind wasn't willing to let him die uselessly.

"I don't want to take even the slightest risk."

"How can you be so cowardly!" The voice was furious.

"If I weren't afraid of death, would I have been lured into betraying my sect?" Chen Ting retorted: "When you recruit traitors, do you pick ones who welcome death?"

"..."