Chapter 193: Secrets

The Xuanwei Realm.

Zheng Fa piloted the Du'e Boat through the Lei Chi.

Two slender figures stood side by side at the bow—Zhang Shijie and Yuan Shijie.

"Zhang Shijie, you've already reached Nascent Soul…" Zheng Fa looked at her with concern: "Coming to Lei Chi is too dangerous."

Lei Chi is extremely hostile to anyone above Foundation Establishment.

The deeper one's cultivation, the harder it is to enter Lei Chi.

"No problem." Zhang Shijie turned to look at him and shook her head: "I want to see the Heavenly Stele too."

The three of them were heading toward the Heavenly Stele.

"Besides, if becoming a Nascent Soul only makes me restrained, then I'd rather not become one." Zhang Shijie's tone held a hint of pride.

"… "

Zheng Fa fell silent.

Seeing him about to argue but unable to find words, Zhang Shijie suddenly smiled: "Even with only Foundation Establishment spiritual sense and spiritual power, I'm confident I'm no weaker than others."

Zheng Fa nodded.

Zhang Shijie's reputation was earned through battle—her methods were far from weak.

But he didn't understand why she insisted on coming.

"Besides, I've heard the Copper Coffin Elder is hiding somewhere inside Lei Chi."

"The Copper Coffin Elder?"

Zheng Fa paused—he still remembered that man.

Back then, three Nascent Soul cultivators from the Great Freedom Demon Cult stormed the Five Dragon Heavenly Palace; one was slain by Master Pang, another had his soul obliterated by the Setting Sun Sword Immortal.

Only the Copper Coffin Elder barely escaped.

"Sister, have you been inquiring about this man these past days?"

Zhang Shijie gave a slight nod, her tone matter-of-fact: "He dared to cause chaos at the Jiushan Sect—I must return the favor."

"… "

Of course—Sister had a fiery temper.

"But he's also a Nascent Soul—why hide in Lei Chi?"

"... f course, he fears the Setting Sun Sword Immortal." Zhang Shijie whispered: "For him, Lei Chi is a refuge."

Zheng Fa understood—he and the others probably saw Nascent Soul cultivators the same way the Copper Coffin Elder saw the Setting Sun Sword Immortal.

"Besides, his copper coffin is strange." Zhang Shijie sounded as if she'd truly researched the Copper Coffin Elder's history: "Rumors say he attained the Dao from an ancient corpse; his coffin is not only mysterious but also offers exceptional protection—in Lei Chi, he's stronger than ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators."

"Then why isn't he hiding in the Great Freedom Demon Cult's secret realm?"

Zheng Fa still couldn't grasp it.

"I don't know." Zhang Shijie glanced at him: "Perhaps he has some scheme—I'm here to keep an eye on you."

Hearing this, Zheng Fa looked at Zhang Shijie.

"What 'no weaker than others'? What 'seeking revenge'!" Yuan Shijie, who had been listening, muttered: "You're just worried about Zheng Shidi!"

"Do you want to get off the boat?" Zhang Shijie's tone turned cold.

"I'm also worried about Zheng Shidi!" Yuan Shijie shrank back, smiling sweetly: "Zhang Shijie, Zheng Shidi is your… no, Jiushan Sect's treasure!"

…

The closer they got to the Heavenly Stele, the more thunder filled the air.

At first, the lightning resembled a dense forest—thick, yet the Du'e Boat could still pass through.

After traveling several miles, the lightning became like a spiderweb, leaving only shifting, unpredictable gaps; the three had to abandon the boat to proceed.

Further ahead, the gaps in the spiderweb grew smaller and more bizarre, making any path impossible to find.

The three stopped there.

"I only ever got this far before—I dared not go further," Yuan Shijie explained: "Beyond here, you get struck by lightning. The heavenly thunder's power scales with cultivation—those who haven't trained Thunder Arts can't advance at all."

Zheng Fa listened to her words, but his gaze remained fixed ahead.

He saw the Heavenly Stele.

It was a stone tablet of indeterminate size, seemingly made of white jade, with faint carvings across its surface.

At its center was a region covered in names—some blurred, others still crystal clear.

The name Yan Wushuang stood highest among the clear ones.

This must be the ranking list Yuan Shijie mentioned.

Looking around,

Many cultivators had gathered here—they dared not go further, yet couldn't bear to leave the opportunity, so they lingered in place.

They stood in small groups, occasionally pointing at the names on the stele and discussing them.

It seemed they were arguing over which names were more powerful.

Zheng Fa turned to look at Zhang Shijie and Yuan Shijie.

Neither had trained Thunder Arts—or rather, neither had access to resources to train them.

In Zheng Fa's view, Jiushan Sect was already a mid-to-upper-tier force in the Xuanwei Realm—but the Five Thunder Body had been lost for nearly ten thousand years.

Beyond this point, the two sisters would likely be unable to proceed.

He was the only one who had cultivated the Five Thunder Body; his Divine Thunder Sublime Art had just entered the beginner stage—he still had the potential to advance.

The two sisters seemed to understand this too; Zhang Shijie's eyes held concern.

Yuan Shijie now began muttering: "This Heavenly Stele doesn't seem to offer anything great—why don't you just stay behind?"

"Zheng Brother." At that moment, Yan Wushuang's voice suddenly came: "If I were you, I'd enter the Heavenly Stele for training."

"Hm?"

The three hadn't expected Yan Wushuang to appear now—and to interrupt so directly.

Zheng Fa turned to look at Yan Wushuang.

He was accompanied by Chu Tianque and Xue Zhenchuan of the Supreme Dao Sect—their bond was clearly close.

"Yan Brother, why say that?"

"Zheng Brother, do you know why we keep entering the Heavenly Stele?" Yan Wushuang asked in return.

"I don't know."

"We who cultivate Thunder Arts are all suffering from a lack of spiritual materials. But within the Heavenly Stele, we can obtain rare materials long absent from the Xuanwei Realm—extremely beneficial for our cultivation."

"I see." Zheng Fa nodded slightly. He himself was uncertain—whether to enter the Heavenly Stele trial or not, he was undecided—

He didn't consider himself an adventurous person.

Even the secret technique given by the Sect Master, he didn't feel he absolutely had to master.

Seeing his expression, Yan Wushuang and the other two exchanged glances, puzzled.

They came from the Five Great Sects of Xuanwei—wealthy beyond measure.

Yet even they grew excited at the prospect of rare spiritual materials.

But Zheng Fa looked completely unmoved?

"Rare spiritual materials," Zhang Shijie added: "I'll gather some for you later—no need to rush."

"… "

Chu Tianque was stunned.

He looked at the Hao Ri Mountain emblem on his own robe, then at the Jiushan Sect emblem on Zheng Fa's, and his face said only one thing:

Do you guys at Jiushan Sect hand out sisters like this upon entry?

"There's one more thing," Yan Wushuang continued: "According to my Tianhe Sect, if someone truly passes the Heavenly Stele trial, they gain control of the stele."

"Control the Heavenly Stele?"

Everyone present was confused.

"That's why my Tianhe Sect has always held one Sword Dao Heavenly Stele," Yan Wushuang explained: "If the stele has a master, it naturally leaves Taiyang County."

Zheng Fa glanced at Zhang Shijie; she too wore a helpless expression.

Spiritual materials were important, but the stele was far more vital—Jiushan Sect currently used the Lei Chi, created by the stele, to block the Great Freedom Demon Cult.

If the stele left, Jiushan Sect would have to flee.

"Why didn't you mention this before?" Chu Tianque asked, staring at Yan Wushuang.

"This… is also a secret of my Tianhe Sect."

Yan Wushuang sighed.

"Then why—"

Yan Wushuang's eyes held confusion; he gazed beyond Lei Chi, as if watching a small figure, murmuring: "I don't even know why I said it."