Chapter 154: True Transmission

"Watch closely." The Sect Master suddenly turned to Zheng Fa and smiled faintly. "This is our sect's true transmission: The Divine Thunder Sublime Art!"

Zheng Fa had never seen his master unleash his full power before.

The sky was thick with dark, oppressive clouds.

Blue lightning danced like dragons and serpents across heaven and earth, illuminating the entire Jiushan Sect.

His master stood beneath the thunderclouds, hands behind his back, walking as if strolling through a quiet courtyard.

The gale whipped his robes into loud, snapping folds.

With a single finger, he summoned a bolt of lightning from the sky, striking straight at the spectral middle-aged man.

Thunder arts were inherently yang and fierce, especially potent against demonic cultivation methods.

Moreover, this man existed only as a soul, with no physical body to shield him—he was especially vulnerable to lightning.

To Zheng Fa's eyes, the man had no chance against his master, merely struggling to evade.

As he watched, Zheng Fa's expression grew increasingly grave.

"Zheng Brother, what are you thinking?"

Seeing his expression, nearby Zhou Gan couldn't help but ask curiously.

"I'm wondering whether I've been disrespectful to this old… no, to my master."

After speaking, Zheng Fa felt his master turn back to glance at him—his gaze held deep meaning, and his next strike was even harsher.

…

After dodging for a while, the demonic cultivator seemed to realize he would surely die if he kept this up.

He gritted his teeth, stopped in place, and split his spectral form into two—half deliberately took the full force of a heavenly lightning strike to the face.

The other half showed no mercy, turning away without a backward glance, fleeing beyond Jiushan Sect's borders.

The Sect Master made no move to pursue, as if letting him escape was of no consequence.

The middle-aged man's face broke into a smile—he believed he had escaped death.

But he had not gone a hundred steps.

A transparent, crystal-like purple barrier suddenly appeared before him.

The barrier resembled an inverted bowl, enclosing the surrounding space.

The purple hue of the barrier was formed from countless strands of purple lightning—more dangerous than the heavenly bolts behind him.

The man halted, his face filled with despair.

"Friend, my Zhou Tian Divine Thunder Array has lain dormant for ages," the Sect Master said calmly. "Please, take a look."

The man glanced at the purple lightning ahead—he knew now he was trapped in certain death.

He looked around, then without a word, clasped his hands before his chest and formed a hand seal, whispering like a devout believer.

His whisper began faint, then gradually rose in volume—Zheng Fa could even hear faint echoes reverberating from Jiushan.

The man chanted four lines of incantation over and over.

"Chaos dark and deep, Great Free Heaven."

"Divine might boundless, myriad spiritual arts."

"Borrow your power, I humbly pray."

"Honor your name, let glory shine the world."

Repeated chanting seemed to summon a force from the highest heavens.

The spectral man's body gradually solidified, forming a black physical form, his aura growing increasingly terrifying.

Something—some presence—had descended upon Zheng Fa and the others through this man.

"Fall back!"

The Sect Master shouted to Zheng Fa and Zhou Gan, his earlier calm gone.

Zheng Fa swiftly pulled Zhou Gan backward in flight.

As he retreated, he watched his master launch several golden spirit talismans into the air—strengthening the Zhou Tian Divine Thunder Array, bracing for battle.

…

Gradually, the middle-aged man ceased his chanting.

His expression had changed utterly.

Fear and panic had vanished.

Only coldness and arrogance remained.

He glanced at the Sect Master—recognizing him as a formidable foe—then turned sharply toward Chen Ting behind him!

Zheng Fa froze, suddenly understanding the man's intent—

A traitor is worse than an enemy!

"Stop!"

From beside him came a furious shout from Master Pang—Zheng Fa turned to see Master Pang racing toward Chen Ting, clearly trying to save his disciple.

But the middle-aged man, empowered by the Great Free Heaven Demon Ancestor's might, moved with blinding speed.

Master Pang's rescue was already too late—and his speed could not match the enemy's.

It was now too late.

Chen Ting glanced at the approaching Master Pang, then smiled—and began chanting himself:

"With my blood, I offer before thee."

"With my soul, I lay at thy side."

"From chaos's dawn, the Nine Heavens vast."

"Grant me true form, to serve thee evermore."

Zheng Fa saw the once triumphant middle-aged man freeze in place—his smug expression shattered into pure terror.

Zheng Fa suddenly felt goosebumps rise on his neck—as if some terrible presence was watching him.

He watched helplessly as Chen Ting dissolved into the air like sand.

Even stranger—the middle-aged man was vanishing too, in perfect sync.

No matter how he roared in fury, clawing toward Chen Ting, he could not stop his own demise.

In less than five breaths, both men vanished completely before Zheng Fa's eyes.

Just as Zheng Fa thought both had returned to heaven and earth, a figure slowly appeared before them—Chen Ting's form.

He looked unchanged, yet utterly transformed.

What struck Zheng Fa was the faint mark on his forehead—a symbol resembling the unique character he had seen in Lin Bu Fan's blood.

But it was not the same.

Chen Ting's aura had grown stronger—far beyond what it had been.

Master Pang beside him stared at him with complex eyes.

Chen Ting suddenly spoke to Zheng Fa: "Zhang Wuyi lost herself in Lei Chi. The Great Free Heaven Demon Cult has been hunting her trail."

Zheng Fa froze—he now understood the truth behind Zhang Shijie's disappearance.

Then Chen Ting bowed three times to Master Pang: "Though unworthy, I have never killed a fellow sect member."

"…"

Master Pang clenched his lips, saying nothing.

After speaking those two lines, Chen Ting turned and walked away—as if he had nothing more to say.

Only distant, half-sung, half-chanted words drifted back:

"The heart seeking Dao is iron; wind and rain cannot sway its will."

Watching his distant figure fade, the Sect Master turned to Master Pang: "You didn't stop him?"

"… " Master Pang shook his head, unwilling to speak.

The Sect Master's expression turned strange. "If I heard correctly, Chen Ting just sacrificed himself to the Nine Heavens Demon Ancestor? But he's not from the Great Free Heaven Cult—how is he tied to the Nine Heavens?"

Zheng Fa blinked—what a turncoat move.

"… How would I know?" Master Pang grimaced, at a loss. "But I suspect—he didn't want to be possessed, so he pulled this stunt. Used us to stall the other, then sacrificed both of them?"

"No. Three." The Sect Master fell silent, then spoke slowly. "Chen Ting ingested the True Blood Pill—he was already blood-bound to that man. So when he sacrificed himself, the middle-aged man perished too… and the most brilliant part—he sacrificed the Great Free Heaven Demon Ancestor's divine power as well."

"… "

Hearing this, everyone present fell silent.

"I saw the mark on Chen Ting's forehead—his bloodline concentration must now rival that of a Nine Heavens Demon Sect Holy Son… clearly, the Nine Heavens Demon Ancestor is pleased."

Zheng Fa couldn't help but grimace.

Chen Ting was truly ruthless.

He had always known Chen Ting, even while cooperating with them, never intended to stay in Jiushan Sect.

Whether it was his deception as Zhang Shijie.

Or his role as a spy within the Great Free Heaven Cult.

He could never regain the trust of Jiushan's members—even Master Pang, if ruthless, might have killed him.

But Zheng Fa never expected him to pull off something like this.

The Sect Master understood now, and a trace of regret crossed his face: "You taught your disciple well."

Master Pang looked slightly vexed: "I knew he had issues, but his character was exceptional—and which cultivator doesn't have secrets?"

"… Pity." The Sect Master patted Master Pang's shoulder and sighed. "His methods… he truly inherited your true transmission."

"… Huh?"

Master Pang stared wide-eyed at the Sect Master.

"By the way," the Sect Master suddenly turned to Zheng Fa: "If Zhang Shi is lost in the Lei Chi, it's likely connected to you."

"Huh?"

"The Lei Chi is the best place to cultivate the Divine Thunder Sublime Law."

The Sect Master's words plunged Zheng Fa into silence.

He currently cultivates the Five Thunder Body Art; in the future, the best path for him is the Divine Thunder Sublime Law.

Judging by his master's performance today, this true transmission is no ordinary power.

But just as the Five Thunder Body Art requires Xuan Thunder Stones,

the Divine Thunder Sublime Law demands even rarer resources.

…

Modern times.

Zheng Fa brought the old white man to Tang Lingwumin's home.

Although the college entrance exam results had not yet been released,

the three had already decided to head to Jingcheng first—mainly because Zheng Fa had now reached Qi Refining Seventh Layer and could begin cultivating the Spirit Mountain Law.

To both Zheng Fa and the old white man, this was a major event.

All three felt a quiet excitement.

"Go to Jingcheng now?" Ye Auntie, Tang Lingwumin's mother, seemed reluctant to let her daughter leave, asking in confusion: "Can't we wait a month?"

Zheng Fa and the other two exchanged glances and shook their heads together.

"Then… I'll go with you!" Ye Auntie looked at her daughter, then suddenly decided: "I've got nothing to do at home anyway."

Zheng Fa and the old white man exchanged a glance, both troubled.

They were going to test the Spirit Mountain Law and see if they could help Tang Lingwumin and the other begin cultivation.

With Ye Auntie along, it would be inconvenient—the Spirit Mountain Law requires Spirit-Initiation Talismans.

Cultivating the Spirit Mountain Law also produces unusual phenomena.

If Ye Auntie stayed nearby, all these oddities would be hard to hide from her.

Tang Lingwumin pursed her lips, tugged her mother's arm, and swayed it gently: "We three have serious business—outsiders can't come along!"

"… " Ye Auntie, hearing this, was momentarily at a loss for words.

Seeing her freeze, Tang Lingwumin pulled Zheng Fa and the other into the sedan, urging the big-pants driver to go.

Watching their black sedan slowly fade into the distance,

Ye Auntie slowly turned back and asked the maid beside her: "Who's the outsider?"