Chapter 153: Ambush

Chen Ting sat on the cushion, his forehead covered in cold sweat, his face pale, his eyes gloomy.

The voice in his mind sounded again, strangely tinged with mockery: "You ate my Holy Sect's True Blood Pill and cultivated the 'Sutra of Ease', do you really think I have no way to deal with you?"

Chen Ting said nothing, his body still trembling slightly.

"Just now was merely a small warning. If you defy my will again... I think you understand what will happen."

"..."

Chen Ting remained silent.

"Rest assured, cultivating you was not easy; you are still useful." The voice seemed to soften again: "That Zheng Fa is only at the Qi Refining stage. As long as you are careful, and with my protection, preserving your life will not be difficult."

"Yes."

After a long while, Chen Ting spoke in a low voice.

"That is right." The voice seemed satisfied: "That Zheng Fa has good talent. If you capture him, perhaps you will gain true freedom in the future."

Chen Ting's face shifted, as if truly a bit tempted.

After a long time, he spoke again: "The security around Zheng Fa is too tight, and the Sect values him highly. To capture him, I need some time."

In Senior Sister Zhang's study.

Zheng Fa had just taken out a plain white porcelain plate when Lin Lin Bu Fan, standing nearby, had already rolled up his sleeves and extended his arm—so sensible it was heartbreaking.

Zheng Fa looked at him, speechless.

He flicked out a Blood-Draining Talisman, but the talisman light did not land on Lin Lin Bu Fan.

Instead, it landed on Zheng Fa's own arm.

Watching Zheng Fa's blood slowly fill the porcelain plate, Lin Lin Bu Fan was stunned.

"Young Master? You..."

"What is it?"

"Will I still get my monthly allowance?"

Lin Lin Bu Fan thought for a long time before suddenly asking.

"... Rest assured." Zheng Fa didn't even know how to answer, so he could only comfort him: "I am just researching my own blood. Your blood, Li Nuo likes very much."

According to Li Nuo, Lin Lin Bu Fan's blood was quite useful.

He was currently trying to create another talisman seal.

"Oh."

Lin Lin Bu Fan's expression became much more relieved.

Zheng Fa asked curiously: "You are addicted?"

Lin Lin Bu Fan thought for a moment and said: "This proves I am useful to the Young Master..."

"..."

"Useless people cannot survive in the Holy Sect... the Mo Sect."

Lin Lin Bu Fan struggled for a long time before squeezing out a sentence.

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

After discovering that the 'Sutra of Ease' was a visualization method, he had an idea—whether the talismans in the blood had any relation to visualization.

More importantly—he had visualized it!

'Spirit Crane Body'!

He had drawn so much of his own blood just to see if his guess was correct.

At first glance.

Zheng Fa saw no trace of talismans in his own blood.

It seemed to be ordinary blood.

There was spiritual power within his blood.

It just moved irregularly.

Within the blood, they were like ping-pong balls scattered on the ground, darting everywhere.

But Zheng Fa did not give up; the silver light in his eyes grew even brighter as he examined it bit by bit.

After a long time, he finally discovered a hint of mystery—

About one-tenth of the spiritual power moved along a somewhat special trajectory; Zheng Fa discovered traces of the Five Elements Sub-Talismans within it!

He raised his head, looking at Lin Lin Bu Fan nearby, his face suddenly filled with realization.

"Young Master?"

"Daoist Martial Arts, Dao Body." Zheng Fa suddenly spoke: "And your Mo Sect's bloodline..."

"..."

Lin Lin Bu Fan's expression became even more confused.

"Your Holy Ancestor found a way to optimize genes and mass-produce Dao Bodies..."

"Ah?"

"Zheng Shidi!" Senior Sister Yuan rushed over, her face devoid of its usual liveliness, instead showing only heaviness: "We did not find that thief."

Zheng Fa nodded lightly, his expression not disappointed.

Since suspecting there was a traitor within the Sect, Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Yuan had been on guard.

The veteran disciples within the gate held high status and great influence.

They could not screen them for now, nor could they make a big fuss.

But in the Market and the Duty Hall, the two of them still held that authority.

These past few days, Senior Sister Yuan and Zheng Fa had been investigating in secret.

On one hand, they observed whether the disciples' movements were suspicious.

On the other hand, they would feed false information to different disciples.

Then, they would narrow the scope through Senior Sister Zhang's reply.

Yet after these few days, there was still no lead.

After all, the Jiushan Sect was a righteous faction and did not permit techniques like Soul-Search; at this point, Zheng Fa and the other were effectively stuck in a dead end.

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

"..." Zheng Fa shook his head: "If we were certain this person was in the Duty Hall, that would be fine, but if not, such a large display would easily alert the snake."

Senior Sister Yuan nodded, looking somewhat dejected.

Ever since Senior Sister Zhang's incident, she had been somewhat impatient.

"Senior Sister Yuan, if we can't find him, it is even more likely he is not in our Duty Hall." Zheng Fa comforted her instead: "If that is the case, we must seek the Sect Master and investigate slowly."

This matter was hardly less significant than Senior Sister Zhang's safety.

This person knew the Jiushan Sect a bit too well.

With such a person within the sect, no one felt safe.

Zheng Fa now even visited the Market less frequently.

Senior Sister Yuan nodded lightly.

The message talisman of "Senior Sister Zhang" flew in again, landing before the three of them.

The group was not surprised; Senior Sister Yuan had come to find Zheng Fa at this time specifically to see what "Senior Sister Zhang" had written again.

The tone in the message talisman was normal, seemingly identical to those from the past few days.

But after Zheng Fa finished reading, he suddenly asked Senior Sister Yuan:

"Senior Sister, does our Duty Hall have a Senior Brother named Zheng Ji?"

"... There shouldn't have been one in the last fifty years."

Senior Sister Yuan frowned, thought for a long while, and replied.

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

"... A mistake in writing?"

"It shouldn't be..." Zheng Fa thought for a moment: "This person can even imitate Senior Sister Zhang's tone so well; he does not seem like a careless person."

"Then why?"

Zheng Fa shook his head, as if he had some thoughts but did not voice them.

The next day.

"Something is wrong."

After Zheng Fa finished reading the letter, his expression showed some certainty.

"What is wrong?"

"In today's letter, it says the Ice Soul Talismans sold best in our Market last month." Zheng Fa explained; "In reality, the Jin Jiafu have sold best for these past few months."

"He made another mistake?"

Senior Sister Yuan frowned.

"No, there were no problems in other parts of these two letters; only these two spots..." Zheng Fa frowned: "It seems intentional."

"Ah?"

"Zheng Ji, Ice Soul Talisman..."

Lin Lin Bu Fan, standing nearby, his eyes shifted, as if recalling something, and suddenly said: "Soul-Transferring Profound Art."

"Hmm?"

"This is a secret technique from the 'Sutra of Ease'." Lin Lin Bu Fan explained: "I heard Lin Yangtian say that this method is often cultivated by cultivators with little lifespan remaining."

"What effect does this cultivation technique have?"

Zheng Fa pressed on.

"This..." Seeing how much he cared, Lin Lin Bu Fan tried hard to recall: "Lin Yangtian said his Sect Master cultivated this very technique."

"He said this cultivation technique requires the spiritual consciousness to leave the body, while the original body will be refined into a True Blood Pill."

"True Blood Pill?"

"Yes, generally, those who cultivate this technique are people with little lifespan remaining; their spiritual consciousness will attach to another cultivator, teaching and nurturing the other party, and then use the True Blood Pill to slowly transform the other party's physique..."

"This thing... an old grandpa on the go?"

Zheng Fa felt it was somewhat familiar.

Lin Lin Bu Fan continued explaining: "If the timing is ripe, they will possess this cultivator..."

"Generally speaking, you Immortal Sect disciples are the best choice."

Lin Lin Bu Fan added another sentence.

"Ah?"

"Our Holy Sect, no, the Mo Sect, many disciples know this cultivation technique." Lin Lin Bu Fan explained: "But Immortal Sect disciples, hmm, are a bit naive... they might think they have encountered some kind of great opportunity."

"..."

Zheng Fa looked at the message talisman in his hand and nodded: "So this person wants to tell us he has been possessed by a Mo Sect old grandpa?"

"Is this turning from darkness to light?"

Senior Sister Yuan's spirits lifted.

"..." Zheng Fa shook his head and said: "I think, on the contrary, he is at a dead end."

……

One late night, half a month later.

Zhou Qianyuan and Zheng Fa seemed deeply engrossed in conversation; after finishing their talk at Zhang Shijie's home, they simply headed toward Zhou Qianyuan's residence.

At this time, the marketplace had gradually grown quiet.

Few people remained on the street outside Zhou Qianyuan's home; most disciples were quietly cultivating within their own dwellings.

When they reached a narrow alley, the street appeared to hold only Zheng Fa and Zhou Qianyuan.

At the corner of the street, Chen Ting stood in the shadows, still bearing a Shadow-Stealth Talisman.

"Wait until they get a little closer—then strike directly!" the voice in his mind instructed: "Once you succeed, I'll use the Heavenly Demon Shadow Technique on you; no Nascent Soul will catch us."

"Mm."

Chen Ting's voice sounded tense.

"Relax—both Zheng Fa and that other man are merely Qi Condensation stage. I've concealed this street with my spiritual sense. You only need one breath to take them—Jiushan Sect's people won't react in time."

"Mm."

"Once you capture Zheng Fa, you'll have earned great merit—you can join our Holy Sect as a disciple afterward!" the voice continued: "Zheng Fa's talent is excellent—I won't need to possess you anymore."

Chen Ting did not answer, only nodded.

Watching Zheng Fa and the other grow ever closer.

Darkness slowly enveloped all around.

The nearby lanterns, the starlight above, seemed to grow ethereal and insubstantial.

"Now!"

The voice in Chen Ting's mind shouted.

Lightning flashed—sky and earth blazed bright; thunder roared through the Nine Mountains, blasting a black shadow clean out of Chen Ting's body.

The shadow hovered in midair; under the lightning's glow, it revealed the form of a black-haired middle-aged man—yet he possessed only his head and upper torso, his lower half utterly void, drifting in the air.

The Sect Master walked slowly from the street corner, lightning like flowing water around him, saying: "Friend, you've come to Jiushan Sect—if I fail to offer even a token welcome, wouldn't that be excessively impolite?"

The shadow suddenly turned back, seeing Chen Ting retreating swiftly behind him: "You?"

"You taught me—doing nothing means death."