Chapter 153: Ambush

Chen Ting sat on a cushion, sweat drenching his forehead, face pale, eyes shadowed.

The voice in his mind spoke again, oddly tinged with mockery: "You swallowed my Holy Sect's True Blood Pill and cultivated the Zizai Scripture—do you truly think I have no way to control you?"

Chen Ting said nothing, only his body trembled slightly.

"That was merely a small warning. If you defy me again… you know what will happen."

"…"

Chen Ting remained silent.

"Don't worry—I found it hard to cultivate you, and you're still useful." The voice softened again: "Zheng Fa is only at Qi Refining. With caution and my protection, keeping you alive won't be difficult."

"Yes."

After a long while, Chen Ting whispered.

"That's better." The voice sounded satisfied: "Zheng Fa has excellent talent. If we capture him, perhaps you'll gain true freedom one day."

Chen Ting's expression shifted slightly, as if genuinely tempted.

After a long pause, he spoke again: "Zheng Fa's defenses are too tight, and the sect values him highly. To capture him, I need time."

…

In Zhang Shijie's study.

Zheng Fa had just pulled out a plain white porcelain plate when Lin Bufan rolled up his sleeves and extended his arm—obedient to the point of heartbreaking.

Zheng Fa glanced at him, speechless.

He flicked out a Blood-Siphoning Talisman, but its glow did not land on Lin Bufan.

It landed on Zheng Fa's own arm.

Watching Zheng Fa's blood slowly fill the porcelain plate, Lin Bufan stared, dumbfounded.

"Young Master? You…"

"What's wrong?"

"Will I still get my monthly stipend?"

After thinking long and hard, Lin Bufan suddenly asked.

"…Don't worry." Zheng Fa didn't know how to answer, so he comforted: "I'm just studying my own blood. Your blood? Li Nuo loves it."

According to Li Nuo, Lin Bufan's blood has great utility.

He was currently trying to craft another talisman seal.

"Oh."

Lin Bufan's expression eased considerably.

Zheng Fa asked curiously: "Are you addicted to this?"

Lin Bufan thought for a moment, then said: "It proves I'm useful to Young Master."

"…"

"Those without use… in the Holy Sect—no, the Demon Sect—don't survive."

Lin Bufan struggled, then forced out the words.

Zheng Fa nodded, silver light flickering in his eyes as he stared at the blood in the porcelain plate.

After discovering the Zizai Scripture was an observation technique, he'd had an idea—could the spiritual runes in this blood be connected to observation?

More importantly—he'd already observed!

The Linghe Body!

He'd drawn so much of his own blood just to test whether his guess was right.

At first glance:

Zheng Fa saw no trace of spiritual runes in his own blood.

It seemed like ordinary blood.

His blood did contain spiritual power.

But it moved irregularly.

Within his blood, it scattered like ping-pong balls rolling randomly across the floor.

Yet Zheng Fa did not give up; the silver glow in his eyes intensified, examining every single particle.

After a long time, he noticed a subtle anomaly—

Roughly one-tenth of the spiritual power moved along unusual paths; Zheng Fa detected traces of the Five Elements Sub-runes!

He looked up at Lin Bufan beside him, his expression suddenly clear.

"Young Master?"

"Daoist martial arts. Dao Body." Zheng Fa spoke suddenly: "And your Demon Sect's bloodline…"

"…"

Lin Bufan looked even more confused.

"Your Holy Ancestor discovered a method to genetically optimize and mass-produce Dao Bodies…"

"Huh?"

…

"Zheng Shidi!" Yuan Shijie rushed in, her usual liveliness gone, replaced by heavy gravity: "We didn't find that thief."

Zheng Fa nodded lightly, his expression untroubled.

Ever since suspecting a traitor within the sect, Zheng Fa and Yuan Shijie had been vigilant.

The senior disciples held high status and wielded great influence.

They couldn't yet screen them, nor could they make a public show.

But among the staff in the marketplace and the Administrative Hall, they still had authority.

For the past few days, Yuan Shijie and Zheng Fa had been secretly investigating.

On one hand, they observed whether these disciples' behavior was suspicious.

On the other, they fed false information to different disciples.

Then they narrowed the suspects by analyzing the replies from "Zhang Shijie."

But after several days, they still had no leads.

Jiushan Sect was a righteous sect—it forbade soul-searching techniques. At this point, Zheng Fa and Yuan Shijie were stuck in a dead end.

"Zheng Shidi, why don't we just interrogate them one by one?"

"…" Zheng Fa shook his head: "If we were certain the traitor was in the Administrative Hall, we could. But if he's not, making too much noise will alert him."

Yuan Shijie nodded, looking dejected.

Since Zhang Shijie's incident, she'd grown restless.

"Yuan Shijie, if we can't find him, it's more likely he's not in the Administrative Hall." Zheng Fa comforted her: "If so, we'll need to consult our Master and investigate slowly."

This matter was nearly as critical as Zhang Shijie's safety.

This person knew Jiushan Sect too well.

Anyone in the sect felt unsafe with such a person among them.

Zheng Fa now even avoided the marketplace.

Yuan Shijie nodded lightly.

Another message talisman from "Zhang Shijie" flew in, landing before the three of them.

They weren't surprised—Yuan Shijie had come to see what "Zhang Shijie" had written.

The tone of the talisman was normal, identical to previous messages.

But after reading it, Zheng Fa suddenly asked Yuan Shijie:

"Shijie, has there ever been a senior disciple named Zheng Ji in our Administrative Hall?"

"…Not in the past fifty years."

Yuan Shijie frowned, thinking hard before answering.

"Then who is this 'Senior Zheng Ji' mentioned in the letter?"

"…Typo?"

"Unlikely…" Zheng Fa considered: "Someone who can mimic Zhang Shijie's tone so perfectly isn't careless."

"Then why?"

Zheng Fa shook his head, as if he had thoughts—but didn't voice them.

The next day.

"Something's off."

Zheng Fa finished reading the letter, his expression now certain.

"What's off?"

"This letter says our marketplace sold the most Ice Soul Talismans last month," Zheng Fa explained: "But in reality, Gold Armor Talismans have been the top sellers these past few months."

"He made another mistake?"

Yuan Shijie frowned.

"No—every other part of both letters is flawless. Only these two details…" Zheng Fa frowned: "It feels intentional."

"Huh?"

"Zheng Ji. Ice Soul Talisman…"

Beside them, Lin Bufan's eyes flickered—he seemed to recall something, then suddenly said: "Ji Po Xuan Gong."

"Hm?"

"This is a secret technique from the Book of Freedom," Lin Bufan explained. "I heard Lin Yangtian say this method is usually practiced only by cultivators with little time left to live."

"What does this technique do?"

Zheng Fa pressed.

"Well…" Seeing how concerned he was, Lin Bufan strained to recall. "Lin Yangtian said his master practiced this exact spell."

"He said this technique requires the spiritual sense to leave the body, while the original body is refined into True Blood Pill."

"True Blood Pill?"

"Yes. Those who practice this method are usually near death. Their spiritual sense attaches to another cultivator, instructing and nurturing them, then slowly transforms the host's constitution using the True Blood Pill…"

"This thing… a mentor in the body?"

Zheng Fa felt it sounded oddly familiar.

Lin Bufan continued: "When the time is right, they possess the host cultivator…"

"Generally speaking, disciples from immortal sects are the best choice."

Lin Bufan added.

"Huh?"

"Our Holy Church—no, the Demon Cult—many disciples know this technique," Lin Bufan explained. "But immortal sect disciples… well, they're a bit naive… they might think they've encountered some miraculous fortune."

"…"

Zheng Fa looked at the spirit-message talisman in his hand and nodded. "So this person is telling us he's been possessed by a demon cult mentor?"

"Is he trying to defect?"

Yuan Shijie perked up.

"…" Zheng Fa shook his head. "I think he's cornered."

…

One late night, half a month later.

Zhou Gan and Zheng Fa seemed to be in high spirits; after finishing their chat at Zhang Shijie's house, they headed straight to Zhou Gan's place.

The marketplace had gradually grown quiet.

Few people walked along the street outside Zhou Gan's home; most disciples were quietly cultivating indoors.

As they reached a narrow alley, only Zheng Fa and Zhou Gan remained visible.

At the corner, Chen Ting stood in darkness, a Shadow-Stealth Talisman clinging to his body.

"Wait until they get a little closer—then strike!" a voice in his mind instructed. "Once you succeed, I'll use the Devil's Absolute Shadow Technique. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator won't catch us."

"Understood."

Chen Ting's voice sounded tense.

"Relax. Both these men are only Qi Refining. I've masked this street with my spiritual sense—you only need one breath to take them. The Nine Mountains Sect won't react in time."

"Understood."

"Once you capture Zheng Fa, you'll have earned great merit—you can join our Holy Church afterward!" the voice went on. "Zheng Fa's talent is excellent. I won't need to possess you anymore."

Chen Ting said nothing, only nodded.

Watching Zheng Fa and the other grow nearer.

Darkness slowly enveloped the surroundings.

The nearby lanterns, the starlight above—all seemed to fade into misty nothingness.

"Now!"

The voice in Chen Ting's mind shouted.

Lightning flashed—suddenly the world blazed bright. Thunder roared across the Nine Mountains, blasting a black shadow from Chen Ting's body.

The shadow hovered in midair. Under the lightning's glow, it took the form of a middle-aged man with black hair—yet only his head and upper torso were visible; his lower half was formless, drifting in the air.

The Sect Master walked slowly from the alley corner, lightning flowing around him like water. "Friend, you've come to the Nine Mountains Sect. If I don't offer you even a modicum of hospitality, it would be terribly impolite."

The shadow turned sharply, seeing Chen Ting retreating backward. "You?"

"You taught me—useless, and you'll die."