Chapter 166: Behind the Scenes

Zheng Fa walked through the marketplace, making his final major purchases before entering Lei Chi.

The jade cylinder given to him by Master Pang contained extremely detailed information, and some passages even bore Master Pang's own phrasing—indicating that Master Pang had not simply idled away his time, but had actually been to Lei Chi.

Lei Chi, according to Master Pang, was a place where the laws of heaven and earth had mutated—

meaning Lei Chi operated under different rules than other regions of Xuanwei World.

Summarizing the jade cylinder's contents, the three greatest differences were:

First, the power of thunder arts was greatly enhanced, while the power of non-thunder arts was significantly weakened. Master Pang speculated in the cylinder—he had observed with his Void-Sight Spirit Eye—that the spiritual energy in Lei Chi's vicinity differed from elsewhere, likely due to the Thunder Dao Heavenly Stele.

But on the other hand, casting thunder arts was also more dangerous; among spirit talismans, thunder talismans were the most unstable, and this instability was amplified within Lei Chi.

One misstep, and the heavenly lightning you summoned would strike you dead.

Lastly, and most troubling, Lei Chi specifically targeted spiritual sense.

The jade cylinder stated that any spiritual sense above Foundation Establishment exposed within Lei Chi would trigger a heavenly tribulation—like a human lightning rod.

Similarly, since spiritual power contained spiritual sense, excessive spiritual power would also be punished.

This imposed severe restrictions on high-cultivation cultivators within Lei Chi.

Master Pang concluded in the jade cylinder:

"Though cultivators above Golden Core are restricted in Lei Chi, those below Foundation Establishment face even greater peril for their lives… From my observations, those who endure long in Lei Chi are invariably those who conceal their sharp edges and act with humility."

Zheng Fa partially agreed with Master Pang's words—

With spiritual sense restricted, the likelihood of being ambushed increased dramatically, so some would surely exploit this environment to eliminate their enemies.

On the other hand, Lei Chi functioned like a fire extinguisher—anyone who acted arrogantly got snuffed out.

He himself entered Lei Chi merely to train his body; humility was indeed the way.

Zheng Fa first purchased many essential elixirs:

Ning Yuan Pills, reserved for condensing the Primordial Talisman.

Bi Gu Pills—Zheng Fa had rarely taken these before, but there was no spiritual grain in Lei Chi; he had no choice.

Also Zeng Qi Pills, a Qi Refining elixir—its effect was simple: supplying spiritual energy and boosting cultivation.

In this era, using Zeng Qi Pills to cultivate was an extravagance.

The pills themselves weren't expensive—three pills for one spirit stone… well, slightly expensive.

But Zheng Fa was among the wealthiest Qi Refining disciples; over the past few months, he had earned income from Han Qi and the others selling spirit talismans, shares from the play, and wages as marketplace supervisor.

Even after accounting for cultivation expenses, he had saved over a hundred spirit stones.

Yet using Zeng Qi Pills required one pill per day—ten spirit stones per month.

Zheng Fa bought a month's supply at once, and it still pained him deeply.

After buying the elixirs, Zheng Fa arrived at Baibao Tower—a magic treasure shop operated by the Chongyue Sect of the Bai Xian Alliance.

Chongyue Sect was one of the Top Nine Sects of the Bai Xian Alliance, renowned throughout for manufacturing magic treasures.

Naturally, compared to other magic treasure shops, the prices here were befitting its reputation…

The center of the first floor of Baibao Tower was left open.

Three small boats stood in the middle.

Around them circled a ring of cultivators, all pointing and whispering, clearly tempted—but few made purchases.

The shop clerks weren't in a hurry; they stood smiling nearby, not hawking, as if unconcerned no one would buy.

They truly weren't worried about sales.

These small boats were called Du E Boats, wildly popular in Lei Chi marketplace.

Zheng Fa had come here specifically for the Du E Boat.

The Du E Boat was a Yellow-grade magic treasure; in Xuanwei World, magic treasures were roughly classified into Heaven, Earth, Xuan, and Yellow grades, above which lay magic artifacts and spirit treasures.

As a Yellow-grade magic treasure, the Du E Boat had a simple function—

Limited mobility.

And limited defensive capability.

It wouldn't even qualify as a younger brother in the Five Dragon Heavenly Palace.

But this magic treasure had one advantage—relatively strong resistance to thunder arts, and it required only Qi Refining cultivation to operate.

Thus, the Du E Boat was highly sought after in Lei Chi marketplace.

Its price had soared accordingly.

Zheng Fa had heard that in other marketplaces, the Du E Boat cost around fifty spirit stones.

But here—it was seventy spirit stones!

Chong Xuan Sect was truly ruthless!

Zheng Fa had only seventy spirit stones left after buying the elixirs.

His lifelong frugal habits made him reluctant to spend them.

But this item concerned his safety in Lei Chi; Zheng Fa made up his mind.

He glanced around at the other cultivators, then stepped outside the shop and found Yang Shixiong, the patrol officer of the marketplace, asking him to purchase a boat on his behalf.

"Younger brother, what's this about?"

"Brother, I'm only Qi Refining…"

Zheng Fa explained to Yang Shixiong—he wished to remain low-key; Yang Shixiong was Foundation Establishment, and spending dozens of spirit stones, though substantial, wouldn't draw trouble.

"Your disposition, younger brother…" Yang Shixiong paused, searching for a gentle term: "It's nothing like Sister Zhang's!"

Zheng Fa mentally translated:

You're a coward!

Soon, Yang Shixiong had ordered a Du E Boat inside Baibao Tower.

Zheng Fa watched him enter with a look suggesting he thought himself overly involved.

When he emerged, he was beaming.

Behind him trailed several female cultivators, pressing sachets and handkerchiefs into his hands…

By the time the Du E Boat was handed to Zheng Fa, Yang Shixiong still carried a faint scent of perfume, and wore a foolish grin.

"Younger brother, if you ever need something like this again, come find me!"

Yang Shixiong said eagerly.

"Brother…" Zheng Fa watched him carefully stow the sachets and handkerchiefs into his storage pouch, and reminded him: "These women who gave you these for spirit stones are likely unscrupulous."

"No problem—I didn't have good intentions either," Yang Shixiong waved dismissively.

"?"

"Besides, I have no money!"

Zheng Fa bowed respectfully, suddenly finding this brother possessed a certain profound wisdom.

…

Only upon entering Lei Chi did Zheng Fa understand why the Du E Boat was so popular—

He had once seen footage of maritime disasters in the modern world:

Dark clouds choked the sky, gales whipped up towering waves; one felt utterly powerless, alone in the universe, despair deepening.

Now, this exact scene unfolded before Zheng Fa.

The thunderclouds overhead weighed heavily on the heart.

Beneath the boat, the waves churned violently—upon closer look, the white foam was bursts of lightning, and the blue currents writhed like serpents of thunder.

Without the Du E Boat, Zheng Fa would have had to endure these rolling thunderbolts with his bare body.

Though he had trained the Five Thunder Body Art and possessed high resistance, facing these directly would drain his spirit and mind.

But with the Du E Boat, most thunderbolts were blocked, greatly easing his burden.

For a moment, he felt the seventy spirit stones were worth it…

Especially when he saw others frantically struggling against thunderstorms from all directions, a quiet satisfaction stirred within him.

Zheng Fa slowly advanced through Lei Chi, following the map given by Sister Zhang.

His eyes glowed silver as he used the Void-Sight Spirit Eye to observe his surroundings.

Whenever he sensed conflict, he kept his distance—just as he had expected, conflicts in Lei Chi were frequent; everywhere, cultivators battled.

After traveling through Lei Chi for seven or eight days, the Void-Sight Spirit Eye detected spiritual energy disturbances—someone was fighting.

Zheng Fa prepared to steer the Du E Boat away.

But several familiar dark figures caused him to halt the boat, frowning toward the disturbance—after a long moment, he slowly steered forward.

The dark figures had just been using the Heavenly Demon Shadow Technique…

An ultimate art of the Great Freedom Demon Sect, which Zheng Fa had witnessed on Lin Bu Fan.

And Sister Zhang had vanished during a clash with the Great Freedom Demon Sect.

Zheng Fa crept closer; with the Void-Sight Spirit Eye, he spotted the two sides from afar.

One side was the group using the Heavenly Demon Shadow Technique—likely disciples of the Great Freedom Demon Sect.

The other side, Zheng Fa also recognized—the disciple of Tianhe Sect.

He stood alone in midair, facing several opponents, yet wore a faint, enigmatic smile.

As if indifferent to his numerical disadvantage.

What caught Zheng Fa's attention was—there was a third party neither side had noticed.

Someone lurked beyond the reach of their spiritual senses, watching the conflict, with most of his gaze fixed on the Great Freedom Demon Sect disciples.

From the back, this figure was also familiar—

Chen Ting, former true disciple of the Nine Mountains Sect, former undercover agent of the Great Freedom Demon Cult, and the Nine You Demon Ancestor's favorite.

Watching him stare fixedly at those Great Freedom Demon Cult disciples, ready to strike at any moment, Zheng Fa unexpectedly recalled Master Pang's teachings…

Our master truly has keen eyesight.

He immediately saw that Chen Ting had fully mastered Master Pang's methods!

Thinking of this, he paused behind Chen Ting, watching how the situation unfolded.

"Great Freedom Demon Cult?" the Tianhe Sect disciple finally spoke: "You've cowered like turtles for tens of thousands of years—how dare you ambush me here?"

"... e're chasing others, not ambushing you."

The several Great Freedom Demon Cult disciples exchanged glances, then actually explained.

Hearing this, Zheng Fa glanced again at Chen Ting.

"No matter. Today, I shall emulate our ancestral master and slay demons, purify the cosmos!" The Tianhe Sect disciple paid no heed to their explanation; a broadsword appeared in his hand.

The Great Freedom Demon Cult disciples could only brace themselves.

If anyone had a deep grudge against the demon sects, Tianhe Sect was certainly among the top.

They'd been fighting for so long, it was second nature!

Zheng Fa noticed Chen Ting's shoulders slightly relaxed—as if his scheme to divert the danger had succeeded.

The broadsword before the Tianhe Sect disciple surged into a brilliant blue arc, shooting skyward, then splitting downward straight toward the Great Freedom Demon Cult disciples.

Above their heads, faint black auspicious clouds appeared; within them, a blurred demonic deity stretched out both hands, trying to block the swordlight.

But the swordlight suddenly flickered—and slashed straight toward Chen Ting.

"You wretched scum, dare you ambush me?"

The demonic deity above them, arms raised, looked stunned.

Chen Ting… was even more stunned.

Zheng Fa… moved even farther away.

The Xuanwei Realm has so many tricks!