Chapter 213: Old Tales of Tianhe

The green phoenix flapped its wings, slicing through the vast sky, carrying Zheng Fa and Zhang Shijie as it sped toward the Jiushan Sect.

Its round, bulging head kept turning to look at its own back, its eyes holding a mix of grievance and curiosity.

Zheng Fa sat on its back, propping up his head with one hand, his brows tightly furrowed as if pondering some insoluble matter.

"Junior Brother Zheng, what are you thinking about? You look rather unhappy," Yuan Shijie said in a ingratiating tone, as if trying to make up for the beastly nature she had revealed some time ago: "Didn't that Xiao Yuying say your Dao Body is extraordinary? Shouldn't you be happy?"

Yuan Shijie's voice rang out from the green phoenix's beak.

"I am precisely thinking about what Immortal Xiao said," Zheng Fa replied, unconsciously sorting through his doubts aloud:

"The Dao Body is a ticket to a certain path, but what exactly is that path..."

"Why can that path only accommodate a limited number of cultivators?"

"And is this method of cultivation even correct?"

The more Zheng Fa spoke, the more confused his expression became.

A trace of human-like bewilderment appeared on Yuan Shijie's bird face.

She turned her head to glance at Zhang Shijie and asked, "Why would it be incorrect? Our Xuanwei Realm has so many Soul Transformation experts; haven't we always cultivated this way?"

A sentence suddenly sprang to mind in Zheng Fa's heart: Just because it has always been this way, does that make it right?

Zhang Shijie shook her head, unsure whether she failed to understand Zheng Fa or simply did not wish to explain things to Yuan Shijie.

She merely looked at Zheng Fa, seemingly unwilling to disturb his thoughts.

Yet someone insisted on disturbing him.

"Everything that Xiao Yuying said is dog shit!"

A short figure suddenly landed on Yuan Shijie's back; it was the Setting Sun Sword Immortal, and beside him stood a bewildered Yan Wushuang.

Both Zheng Fa and Zhang Shijie looked at the newcomers with some surprise, unaware of how these two had suddenly appeared.

With two uninvited guests now on her back, Yuan Shijie naturally felt extremely uncomfortable, flapping her wings incessantly as if trying to shake them off.

Elder Han flicked his finger, sending a Yang-Dan Fruit—Yuan Shijie's favorite—from his fingertips flying toward the phoenix's beak; after swallowing the fruit in one gulp, Yuan Shijie flew even steadier and faster than before.

"Brother Yan?"

Zheng Fa glanced at the two men, then greeted the more familiar Yan Wushuang first, using his expression to inquire about their purpose.

"Brother Zheng..." Yan Wushuang sighed: "I am even more bewildered than you."

"This has nothing to do with the lad; I am the one who wanted to find you," Elder Han spoke up: "I brought this boy along only for fear that he might get killed by someone."

His tone carried a strong sense of disdain, implying that Yan Wushuang was nothing but a burden.

"Then... for what matter has True Person Han sought me out?"

"I feared you would be led astray by that so-called Xiao Yuying!" Elder Han snorted: "Possessing qualifications comparable to the Founding Ancestor, yet walking the same path as that bunch of dog shit."

"..."

Seeing the puzzled expressions on the faces of everyone present.

Elder Han paused, as if considering where to begin.

"In fact, I once stepped onto the path of Soul Transformation myself."

"Elder Han?" Yan Wushuang exclaimed in surprise.

Zheng Fa and Zhang Shijie also widened their eyes.

This Setting Sun Sword Immortal was extremely famous within the Xuanwei Realm; everyone knew he was one of the strongest late-stage Nascent Soul great cultivators, yet he had never advanced to Soul Transformation, leading everyone to assume his qualifications were insufficient or his resources lacking.

"Several times I stepped out halfway, only to retreat back."

Elder Han uttered another statement that left Zheng Fa and the others even more astonished.

Advancing to Soul Transformation could actually be "retreated" from?

Did the threshold of Soul Transformation have no dignity, allowing one to enter and exit at will?

This old man's capabilities far exceeded the rumors circulating in the Xuanwei Realm and everyone's impression of him.

Yan Wushuang asked in confusion, "Why was this..."

"I was afraid..."

Even Zheng Fa had not expected this person to utter these three words; with his abilities, what in this world could frighten him, or even cause him to abandon his advancement to Soul Transformation? It must be something terrifying beyond measure.

"What are you afraid of, Elder Han?" Yan Wushuang pressed.

"I feared becoming someone other than myself!"

As Elder Han spoke these words, his gaze snapped sharply toward Zheng Fa.

Zheng Fa froze for a moment, suddenly gaining a hint of realization in his heart.

"It seems you understand a little," Elder Han smiled gently and said: "This is one of the reasons why the Founding Ancestor shattered mountains and razed temples, confiscating all cultivation techniques under heaven."

"Tianhe Zunzhe did this for this reason? Was it not to improve his cultivation?"

Zheng Fa could not help but feel some doubt; he knew that the "Founding Ancestor" this person referred to could only be that Tianhe Zunzhe.

"Both reasons apply, but the primary cause was actually this," Elder Han's words even drew a surprised expression from Yan Wushuang, the biological son of the Tianhe Sect's sect leader: "In his later years, the Founding Ancestor actually no longer practiced the current immortal techniques... those scriptures could only serve as references for him and were of little use to his cultivation."

"..."

Zheng Fei felt astonishment in his heart.

This was different from the Tianhe Zunzhe he had heard about from Zhang Shijie earlier.

When he had first heard of Tianhe Zunzhe's deeds, Zheng Fa had felt some admiration, thinking this man possessed great ambitions, though his temper seemed explosive, carrying an air of "those who follow me shall prosper, those who oppose me shall perish."

Now, hearing this, were there additional reasons behind it all?

"The Founding Ancestor's intention was to sever the cultivation inheritance of the previous epoch and replace it with a new method."

"A new method? The method of the Innate Spiritual Treasure?" Zheng Fa asked.

This method of the Innate Spiritual Treasure is currently the primary method for breaking through from the Golden Core Stage to the Nascent Soul realm.

"What is this petty technique worth?" Han Lao sneered coldly: "The Xuanwei Realm of today has no longer the new methods of the Tianhe Zunzhe, but only the old methods of the previous epoch."

"..."

The others grew more and more confused as they listened. Yan Wushuang was even more shocked: "Han Lao, why did the Ancestor cut off the cultivation inheritance? Moreover, is not our Tianhe Sect the descendants of the Ancestor?"

Han Lao sighed and said: "If not for my ears having heard much, I would not have known many of these secrets myself."

He gazed at the sky, his eyes full of turbidity.

"Since ancient times, as spiritual qi has risen and fallen, our cultivators have long been exploring the source of spiritual qi." Han Lao suddenly began speaking from very ancient matters: "This matter is actually easy to guess; everyone who has cultivated to the Soul Transformation stage receives guidance from above their heads, so this spiritual qi must come from the outside world."

Zheng Fa and the others nodded.

"And although our current cultivation methods seem to be our own realizations, in fact, after reaching Soul Transformation, because of the influence of that guidance..." Han Lao spoke again: "... they also originate from the outside world."

This statement sounded quite reasonable.

"Actually, everyone has long reached a consensus on this matter. But the Tianhe Zunzhe proposed another idea!" Han Lao's tone suddenly grew heavier: "This external method does not harmonize with this world and its heavens!"

"..."

Zheng Fa's eyes widened; he had always held many doubts in his heart:

The greatest doubt was that the rune diagrams were too complex!

So many great powers had once written their own rules, and yet these rules were still useful.

This thing was nearly endless!

Even for people of the Xuanwei Realm who did not understand topology, a single rune system alone was enough to make them collapse.

"The reason given by the Ancestor was that no one in this world has ascended to Immortality!"

"The Ancestor even once declared that above Soul Transformation lies cultivation toward 'not-self'."

"..."

"'Not-self'?"

"Of all this, since I have not yet achieved Soul Transformation, I do not understand it either." Han Lao shook his head and said: "It is only that the Ancestor once left a few scattered words, saying that above Soul Transformation, although it seems I am cultivating, what is actually being cultivated is someone else's Dao fruit."

"This... is why there is the saying of 'striving for the Dao' above Soul Transformation?"

"Exactly!" Han Lao snorted coldly: "This is where that Xiao Yuying was confused. The Ancestor once said that the Dao should be endless; how could there be any notion of accommodating only a few people?"

"Only external paths that do not fit the Xuanwei Realm would have such limitations!"

"It is simply because this path is entirely artificial and inherently limited!"

"Therefore, the Ancestor vowed to sever the old methods and open new methods for the Xuanwei Realm!" Han Lao's eyes were hazy, as if he did not know what he was thinking: "The Ancestor wanted to solve this problem."

Everyone fell somewhat silent.

The great name of the Tianhe Zunzhe was known and praised throughout the world, yet this matter was known to almost no one.

"Did he fail?"

"Yes." Han Lao sighed: "The Ancestor was too arrogant and too confident... He never expected that in the end he would be abandoned by all, and would have to draw his sword to attack Heaven, making one final gamble!"

"Han Lao? Why are there no rumors of these matters within our Tianhe Sect?"

Yan Wushuang, hearing this, sat stunned and could not help but ask.

"Heh heh, did you not hear me say it? The Ancestor was abandoned by all in the end! Then let me ask you, who betrayed him?"

"I..."

"The Ancestor was too naive; he thought everyone would be like him, willing to exhaust all their strength to open a new path for future generations. But not everyone; some only wished to survive amidst the decline of spiritual energy. They followed the Ancestor not because they agreed with his ideals, but because—the Ancestor possessed the greatest power."

"When the new methods fell into stagnation, everything changed."

"The Ancestor's teachers cultivated the old methods, the Ancestor's senior and junior brothers also cultivated the old methods, and in the end, even the Ancestor's disciples could not resist seeking the old methods to cultivate."

"The Demon Ancestor rose again, and turmoil erupted within." Han Lao spoke softly: "This was the situation the Ancestor faced in his later years: internal troubles and external threats, alone. To open the heavens and create the world? Alas, I think the Ancestor at that time must have been utterly desperate."

"This... this..."

Yan Wushuang's face turned deathly pale, as if struck by a tremendous shock.

"After the Ancestor departed, they even destroyed the scriptures recording the Ancestor's new methods, burned the notes left by the Ancestor, and executed the disciples who still supported the Ancestor."

"Nowadays, in the Xuanwei Realm, everyone knows the Ancestor's name, and everyone knows the method of the Ancestor's innate spiritual treasure."

"But who knows the new methods?"

"Who knows the Ancestor's aspirations?"

"Everyone in the Tianhe Sect, from top to bottom, wears the Ancestor's clothes, fearing that others will not know they are the Ancestor's descendants."

"If the Ancestor truly returned, these people, heh! Not one of them would survive!"

Han Lao looked at Zheng Fa and suddenly smiled:

"So, the Demon Sect is shit, and the Immortal Sect is shit."

"I have learned so much, yet I still can do nothing, dare do nothing."

"They are even more shit!"

Speaking to this point, this Han Lao actually appeared somewhat dispirited.

"I do not know if my lifespan is about to end." Han Lao sighed, seeming somewhat regretful: "Seeing you influenced by that Xiao Yuying, I could not help but want to speak of these things..."

"I must thank True Person Han for your guidance." Zheng Fa expressed his gratitude.

"No, that Xiao Yuying was not wrong in one thing; your Dao body should be extremely powerful, and you possess extraordinary talent. According to the methods of the current Cultivation World, you could also achieve extremely high accomplishments!"

"After all, the Demon Ancestor still lives, while the Ancestor has departed."

Modern times.

Zheng Fa sat in a chair at the nursing home, holding a book in his hand, having read for a day and a night.

"Teacher Bai, has Zheng Fa... been heartbroken again?" Tang Lingwu, looking at Zheng Fa's appearance, turned and asked the old man Bai Lao.

"... This time." Bai Lao scratched his head and said, "He had a bit of the look I had when I first realized I was useless at math and thought I'd reached a dead end."

(End of this chapter)