Chapter 168: Fellow Enthusiasts

Zheng Fa gazed at this disciple of the Tianhe Sect.

Upon closer inspection, he realized the man was very tall; Zheng Fa's current height, converted to modern standards, was around one meter eighty-five, yet he only reached the other's eyebrows.

Perhaps because of this, when he wore a crane-feather cloak, his figure appeared slender, possessing a unique air of immortality and Daoist bone.

But Zheng Fa had not forgotten the image of that muscular hunk when the man summoned heavenly thunder...

A slight wariness arose in his heart; this person had been a bit mad before.

The other seemed to understand Zheng Fa's expression, paused with a startled look, as if recalling something, curled his fingers in front of him to make a very special gesture, and said: "True Disciple of the Tianhe Sect, Yan Wushuang, greets Daoist brother."

Zheng Fa also bowed and said: "Zheng Fa of the Jiushan Sect, greets True Disciple Yan."

He looked at the other's uncommon bowing posture with some curiosity.

Yan Wushuang lowered his head, looked at his own hands, and pouted with a hint of disdain, saying: "This gesture is said to have been popular in the era of the Ancestral Master; now, in this Xuanwei Realm... only our Tianhe Sect uses it."

Cosplaying Tianhe Zunzhe again?

Zheng Fa felt somewhat speechless in his heart.

Why did it feel like the Tianhe Sect clung to its old capital and gnawed on it every day?

As if seeing his thought, Yan Wushuang smiled: "The dream of our Tianhe Sect for hundreds of thousands of years has been to produce another Tianhe Zunzhe."

"..."

Zheng Fa nodded slowly; this was understandable.

"However, I do not wish to walk the old path of the Ancestral Master." Yan Wushuang looked at Zheng Fa and suddenly said: "The Ancestral Master's Dao lies in the Sword Dao. My Dao lies in the Thunder Art!"

"Daoist brother's heart to surpass one's predecessors commands my admiration."

Zheng Fa asked himself: if he had a Tianhe Zunzhe as an Ancestral Master, he would probably also try the Sword Dao.

This person abandoning the Sword Dao to pursue the Thunder Art, putting aside everything else...

Zheng Fa admired this ambition.

Moreover, looking at all the actions of the Tianhe Sect, this person's idea was likely somewhat heretical.

This made it even more rare.

"I wouldn't call it ambition; it can only be considered a hobby."

Yan Wushuang waved his hand, his expression humble.

"A hobby..."

For some reason, that sentence appeared in Zheng Fa's mind again:

"Do you also like getting struck by lightning?"

As if seeing Zheng Fa's thought, Yan Wushuang slapped his thigh and said:

"It is Heavenly Thunder Body Refinement!" he shouted loudly: "When others are struck by lightning, they only feel pain, but I have felt exhilarated from childhood to adulthood!"

"The greater the power of the Heavenly Thunder, the more comfortable I feel!"

"My Master saw I had such talent, so he let me choose a Thunder Art."

"..."

Zheng Fa turned his head in confusion.

Where was Tang Lingwu?

What was the phone number of that hospital where your mother got treated again?

A big client!

The look in Yan Wushuang's eyes as he gazed at Zheng Fa became affectionate again.

"Although my Tianhe Sect brothers and sisters are affectionate, they have never been able to understand this hobby of mine; some even say I am sick."

... This actually makes some sense, right?

"But I know my Dao is not lonely; look, I have met you again!"

Zheng Fa understood; this pervert thought he was a pervert too!

"Daoist brother, I didn't..."

"Daoist brother Zheng, those common mortals do not understand us, but in front of me, do not hide it!"

"... I really didn't..."

"Your body-refinement cultivation cannot be hidden from my eyes." Yan Wushuang pointed to his own eyes and said with supreme self-confidence: "You have already cultivated a superior Thunder Dao body-refinement cultivation technique to the Great Perfection!"

"..."

"Daoist brother, I have heard your name in the market; you seem to have entered the sect less than a year ago?"

"Yes."

"That explains it!" Yan Wushuang clapped his hands together, his tone decisive: "There are people who cultivate Thunder Dao body-refinement methods, but in one year to refine such a technique to Great Perfection, I have only seen one type of person—others would absolutely not endure that kind of pain in such a short time; I have even heard of people driving themselves mad from practicing too diligently. Of course, there are people in this world who are ruthless to themselves, but looking at how fast you run, Daoist brother, you probably don't count..."

This was not the first time Zheng Fa had heard someone call him a coward to his face.

But he still wanted to explain.

"... Senior brother, I had another opportunity."

"Junior brother understands; this matter is not understood by others and is a bit hard to bring up." Yan Wushuang patted Zheng Fa's shoulder and said gently: "You are not the first one I have met who refuses to admit it."

... There are masters too?

"Let me tell you, I have traveled everywhere and already met several fellow enthusiasts... I have even thought of it: in the future, I will establish a fellow enthusiasts' club to help each other!"

"..."

"Having this hobby is not shameful!"

Yan Wushuang's eyes were full of encouragement.

Zheng Fa found it very hard to explain his rapid progress in the Five Thunder Body Art.

In fact, counting modern time, he had cultivated the Five Thunder Divine Body for nearly two years—if one considered that the modern era lacked spiritual qi and he spent most of his time on the Five Thunder Divine Body, that duration could even be said to exceed two years.

But...

He could not explain this to Yan Wushuang.

"Daoist brother, were you not pursuing Chen Ting earlier?"

He could only change the subject.

"Chen Ting? Oh, you mean that person from the Nine Nether Demon Gate? I lost him." Yan Wushuang thought for a moment and said, "That mirror of his is no common-grade treasure, and he possesses some hidden methods; I dared not be careless. Besides, I was actually chasing the Heavenly Stele; I do not wish to waste time on such petty villains."

"Then where did Senior Brother lose him?"

Zheng Fa's heart stirred, and he suddenly asked.

Yan Wushuang looked at him, then suddenly smiled and said, "Others hearing me mention this would surely ask about the Heavenly Stele first; it seems that Shijie Zhang is very important to you."

Zheng Fa smiled and did not deny it.

After Yan Wushuang pointed out a direction to Zheng Fa, Zheng Fa thought for a moment and still spoke: "I wonder what exactly the Heavenly Stele is? Why did Daoist brother say you were chasing the Heavenly Stele?"

The Heavenly Stele was the chief culprit behind all the commotion in the Lei Chi.

But in the jade slip, Senior Uncle Pang had been vague about this thing, likely because he was unclear as well.

The Tianhe Sect was naturally the one with the most research on the Heavenly Stele in the Xuanwei Realm.

"Heavenly Stele?" Yan Wushuang thought for a moment and said very honestly, "It is... another world."

Another world?

Zheng Fa's eyes widened.

Is there another world?

"Do you know where the word 'Realm' in Xuanwei Realm comes from?"

"Could it be Tianhe Zunzhe?" Zheng Fa had a sudden realization.

"Exactly so." Yan Wushuang explained, "Within the Sword Dao Heavenly Stele, there is a small world with special rules. The Ancestor thus believed that there are worlds beyond our Xuanwei Realm, which is why there was the act of opening the heavens and splitting the earth to break the shackles of the world."

"..."

"Special rules?"

"This, however, is a secret of our Tianhe Sect." Yan Wushuang said directly; although it was a refusal, it somehow felt even more sincere.

"I can only say that the rules within the Thunder Dao Heavenly Stele should be related to one's attainment in the Thunder Dao." Yan Wushuang said, "It is just that I have not yet found the Thunder Dao Heavenly Stele, or rather, it has not yet truly emerged. The Ancestor once said that the Heavenly Stele possesses its own spirit and moves about everywhere; it is not just me, others are also searching."

"Thank you, Senior Brother, for clarifying!"

Zheng Fa's expression was also quite grateful—

Although this person's friendliness toward him was strange.

But he truly spoke without holding anything back.

Zheng Fa felt deeply indebted.

"What is there to it? These are all worthless bits of information; you will be able to hear them yourself in the future." Yan Wushuang stood up, his tone somewhat bold: "We are all kindred spirits!"

"..."

In a corner of the Lei Chi.

Chen Ting was silently nursing his wounds.

Not only was this place hidden, but the heavenly thunder surrounding it was also extremely violent.

If he did not have that treasure mirror, he could not have endured it.

But the thunder here was very docile.

Nursing his wounds here was not only safe but even more hidden.

He dared not go out.

He had offended too many people.

Not to mention that madman from the Tianhe Sect.

Disciples of the Great Zizaimo Demon Sect were also searching everywhere for him—if he had not come to the Lei Chi, he would have suspected that someone at the Nascent Soul stage might be pursuing him.

However, this place was not absolutely safe.

From time to time, cultivators passed by not far away, and some of them wore clothing he recognized very well—they were disciples of the Jiushan Sect.

Fortunately, probably because the heavenly thunder around him was too fierce, no one walked toward this spot.

Several days passed this way, and he gradually felt a bit more at ease, focusing on nursing his wounds.

On this day, there was movement in the distance again; it seemed some people were flying.

He originally did not wish to pay attention, but he found the movement getting closer and closer.

Opening his eyes, he saw a familiar face—Zheng Fa!

Zheng Fa had not come alone; there were many Jiushan Sect disciples beside him, a group of people discussing something.

"Zheng Shidi, this is the only area in this region that has not been searched."

Zheng Fa surveyed those fierce heavenly thunders, nodded, and seemed to understand why the other disciples had not searched here.

"You all stand here; I will go in and take a look."

It appeared that the other Jiushan Sect disciples were responsible for searching those simple areas, while Zheng Fa was responsible for searching locations difficult for ordinary people to reach.

Chen Ting saw with his own eyes Zheng Fa, enduring heavenly thunders that even he could hardly bear, walking step by step toward his position.

He had no intention of fleeing—even with his injuries, he was now a cultivator at the late Golden Core stage; facing a Qi Refining stage Zheng Fa, he felt he did not need to hide.

Looking at Zheng Fa, Chen Ting knew that this group was probably looking for him.

A coldness inevitably appeared in his eyes.

On one hand, it was naturally because Zheng Fa had fled so swiftly back then, causing him to be severely injured by that Tianhe Sect madman.

Especially when he saw Zheng Fa withstand the heavenly thunder with his bare body, he felt as though he had seen that madman again.

A phantom pain involuntarily arose in his body...

His hatred in his heart grew even stronger.

On the other hand, it was a cold mockery of Zheng Fa's lack of caution.

It was understandable; since Zheng Fa entered the Jiushan Sect, he had been highly valued, so some arrogance befitting a genius was natural.

But to be so careless after leaving the Jiushan Sect could only be said to be a path to death.

What he needed to do was strike and kill or subdue Zheng Fa while he was unprepared; only then could he escape the Jiushan Sect's pursuit.

Gradually, Zheng Fa drew closer and closer.

He could even hear Zheng Fa's somewhat weary breathing.

With a thought from Chen Ting, the round mirror flew out from his dantian, shining toward Zheng Fa...

Buzz!

Chen Ting watched helplessly as his treasure mirror was shot down by a seal.

This seal... it feels somewhat familiar!

Chen Ting slowly turned his head, seeing True Person Pang looking at him with a dark face.

He suddenly turned to look at the smiling Zheng Fa.

No, what kind of decent person brings a Nascent Soul when going out!

Where is the arrogance of a genius?

Looking at the silent Chen Ting, Zheng Fa spoke directly: "I have just one question. Is it true that you have news of Shijie Zhang?"

"... She has been sealed." Chen Ting remained silent for a moment before speaking, delivering news that made Zheng Fa's expression change: "Or rather, to escape the pursuit of the Zizaimo Sect, she sealed herself."