Chapter 222

Everyone fell somewhat silent.

The Sect Master is sending even the remaining disciples to Lei Chi; he must have prepared for the worst.

Yuan Shijie puffed out her lips, looking at the Sect Master with an expression as if she wanted to cry. She said in a low voice, "Old man, if we can't win, can't we just give up Jiushan Sect?"

After all, she was raised by the Sect Master. Though it wasn't obvious in daily life, at this moment her true feelings inevitably surfaced, and she felt reluctant to part.

The Sect Master sighed lightly and said, "How can the Jiushan spiritual veins be abandoned so simply? Now that the Heavenly Stele Realm has not been taken, the Jiushan spiritual veins are still the foundation of our Jiushan Sect."

Pang Shishu opened his mouth and said, "Perhaps I should return."

"Pang Shidi, you and Huang Shimei are still young. You can hold out for our Jiushan for a few more days."

Pang Shishu fell silent.

After the Sect Master finished speaking, he turned his gaze toward Zhang Shijie.

"Zhang Shizhi, now that Zheng Fa has not yet grown up, you are already at the Nascent Soul stage. You should be the pillar of our Jiushan Sect. You will have a hard time in the future."

Zhang Shijie pressed her lips together and bowed slightly to the Sect Master.

He then looked at Zheng Fa.

"Disciple."

"Here."

"I took you as my disciple, but I have nothing to give you. I don't have many spirit stones myself, and you even cultivated the cultivation technique wrongly." The Sect Master smiled and asked, "Do you blame me?"

"No." Zheng Fa said sincerely. After thinking for a moment, he added, "I have never regretted joining Jiushan Sect."

The Sect Master nodded with a smile, seeming to feel that this single sentence was the highest recognition for him as a master.

He said nothing else, only telling the few of them, "If Jiushan Sect is left empty, those people might not be willing to come and deal with an old man like me."

Zheng Fa and the others nodded.

What the Sect Master said was not without reason.

After all, whether it is the Demon Race or the Mo Sect, their first priority in attacking Jiushan Sect is surely to vent their anger.

The second is naturally to see if they can tie down the Jiushan Sect disciples here at Lei Chi, creating some opportunity for those trapped in the secret realm of the Great Zizaimo Mo Sect to get out.

If Jiushan Sect were left with only the Sect Master and the Ancestor, two Nascent Soul-level lonely old men.

Attacking Jiushan Sect might not even be worth the cost...

"Remember this: no matter what happens to Jiushan Sect, no matter what news comes." The Sect Master said seriously, "You must not move lightly! If the Great Zizaimo Mo Sect finds a chance to get out, that will truly concern the life and death of our Jiushan Sect."

The few of them nodded.

The Sect Master looked at the people in the main hall once more, turned around, and slowly walked out of the Five Dragons Heavenly Stele Palace.

Zheng Fa always felt that he saw a will to die in the back of his master—or rather, a determination to fight to the death.

Seeing his figure disappear outside the door.

Pang Shishu fell silent for a moment, then suddenly said to Zheng Fa, "Shizhi, when will you hold your Sect Master inauguration ceremony? How many Nascent Souls should you invite?"

"Ah?"

"Not appropriate." Pang Shishu shook his head himself, "Your cultivation is too low. Being Sect Master would be too conspicuous. Why not let Zhang Shizhi manage Jiushan Sect for a while first? After all, you two have a good relationship; you can switch back later?"

Zheng Fa had not yet spoken.

The Sect Master's angry voice came from outside the door, "I am not dead yet!"

Pang Shishu was stunned, as if he had just noticed the Sect Master outside who had not gone far, and said in surprise, "Eh? You are still here?"

The Sect Master outside the door looked at Pang Shishu with gritted teeth.

"You are almost dead; why do you care about this?" Pang Shishu argued convincingly.

"Even if you die, I won't die!"

The Sect Master snorted coldly, as if he did not want to speak with this junior brother of his, and flew out of the market district.

Pang Shishu watched his figure disappear into the distance, then suddenly smiled.

"Shishu?"

Zheng Fa, standing nearby, said softly.

"Zheng Fa, you all say I care about Jiushan Sect. Do you know what I care about?" Pang Shishu suddenly said.

"What?"

"I joined the Sect at twenty. At that time, your master was already a Jin Dan direct disciple... Now, I have known him for nine thousand years."

"That person with the surname Huang, I have been arguing with her for over a thousand years."

"I was just thinking, if these two were gone, and the Jiushan spiritual veins where I have stayed for thousands of years were gone. Would Jiushan Sect still be Jiushan Sect to me?"

Zheng Fa understood what Pang Shishu meant.

"Shishu, you are going back?"

"When Huang Shimei arrives and I have settled you all, I will definitely go back." Pang Shishu nodded and said.

Leaving the main hall of the Five Dragons Heavenly Stele Palace, Zheng Fa and the other two were somewhat silent.

"What do you think?"

"Sending the ordinary disciples here is correct; Lei Chi is the safest place for them now." Zheng Fa spoke first, "As for the Sect Master and Pang Shishu, if Soul Transformation does not appear now, with the three Nascent Soul combat powers of Jiushan Sect plus the mountain-protecting formation, ordinary people would likely not be able to easily take their lives."

Zhang Shijie heard this and nodded gently.

Yuan Shijie still had tear tracks at the corners of her eyes. She said in a small voice, "I also want to go back."

Zheng Fa sighed lightly, reached out a hand, and patted Yuan Shijie's round head.

The Fushang Wood aura on his body made Yuan Shijie gently squint her eyes. Her head unconsciously rubbed softly against his palm again, and a somewhat lewd smile appeared on her lips.

"Still want to go back?"

"I didn't expect..."

Zhang Shijie, standing nearby, watched the scene, shook her head, and said nothing at all.

Zheng Fa spoke up again: "Shijie Zhang, your future is vast, while my cultivation is low; I fear Elder Pang and the others won't let us return..."

Zhang Shijie nodded slightly, seeming to agree with Zheng Fa's judgment.

"What we can do now is first arrange matters for those disciples." Zheng Fa said as he walked: "I was thinking, could we investigate further the movements of the Great Zizaimo Sect and the demon beasts?"

"Yes, now the enemy is in the shadows while we are in the light; we are too passive."

Zhang Shijie nodded lightly.

The two turned their gaze to the Jin Wu in Yuan Shijie's hand.

"Ga?"

"I really don't know the Great Zizaimo Sect's plans!" The Jin Wu was also aggrieved: "I am only at the Foundation Establishment stage; those demon women of the Great Zizaimo Sect only crave my body; how would they reveal other information to me?"

Zheng Fa and Zhang Shijie exchanged a glance, and both nodded.

Zheng Fa asked again.

"Then where did you escape from?"

"Where?" The Jin Wu thought for a moment and said: "The south, it seemed to be Fengcheng County."

"Fengcheng County."

Zheng Fa frowned.

He looked at Zhang Shijie nearby.

He found her expression was also very solemn.

The name Fengcheng County was not unfamiliar to the two of them; this county also belongs to Taiyang Commandery.

Most importantly, the spirit stone mine in the spirit vein is located there.

Right now, it is a place where fish and dragons mix, gathering people from all walks of life.

People of the Great Zizaimo Sect being there is indeed very hard to find.

But their threat to Jiushan Sect, and to the Lei Chi market, is extremely great.

Yet now this Jin Wu has escaped; if those people are cautious, they probably changed locations long ago.

It is very hard to find them in the crowd.

While the two were in distress,

they heard a Jiushan Sect disciple arrive outside the door, reporting to Zheng Fa:

"Xiao Xianzi has come to visit."

Zheng Fa was stunned; the news brought by the Jin Wu was too sudden; he had even put aside the matter of Xiao Yuying.

"Quickly invite her in!"

Xiao Yuying walked in; her gaze first circled Zhang Shijie, then turned to Zheng Fa. Seeming to consider that Yuan Shijie was still in the hall, she asked generally:

"Daoist Zheng, how have you considered it?"

A smile played on her lips, as if she was already certain of Zheng Fa's answer.

"I apologize, Xiao Xianzi, I'm afraid I cannot help you."

Zheng Fa directly refused Xiao Yuying.

Originally, he had not intended to go anyway.

Now, with the added threat of the Great Zizaimo Sect, he truly did not wish to invite trouble.

Xiao Yuying was stunned; she looked at Zheng Fa for a long time, then suddenly said: "Then... what about that person's legacy!"

Her tone seemed extremely unable to understand, as if she thought she had heard wrong.

"Xiao Xianzi, thank you for your trust, but I truly have no intention."

Zheng Fa refused again.

Xiao Yuying fell silent for a while, then suddenly spoke: "Do you think I will discard the bridge once I cross the river?"

"Xiao Xianzi, you misunderstand..."

"I can establish a Soul Contract with you." Xiao Yuying continued.

Zheng Fa was stunned, looking at Xiao Yuying.

A Soul Contract is no ordinary thing.

It can be seen as a temporary two-way soul seal—in simple terms, if one dies, both die.

This Xiao Yuying is actually so persistent toward me?

Seeming to see Zheng Fa's confusion, Xiao Yuying shook her head: "In this Xuanwei Realm, the only person I know who can surpass me in Thunder Dao is you."

"Yet for that secret realm, my Thunder Dao cultivation is not yet enough..."

Xiao Yuying's explanation made Zheng Fa somewhat realize.

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly felt a movement in his heart and said: "Xiao Xianzi, I can agree to you."

Xiao Yuying's eyes lit up.

"But I have another request."

"What request?" Xiao Yuying frowned, seeming displeased at Zheng Fa's pushing his luck.

Zheng Fa did not mind her expression; instead, he said: "I want Xiao Xianzi to help me with a favor."

Xiao Yuying was stunned; Zheng Fa looked at Zhang Shijie, and Zhang Shijie nodded at him.

Zheng Fa then spoke of the Great Zizaimo Sect colluding with the demon beasts, and possibly having designs on Jiushan Sect.

"What do you want me to do?"

Xiao Yuying did not rush to agree, but asked again.

Zheng Fa thought for a moment and said, "Xiao Xianzi, I would like to ask you to go to Fengcheng County to spread a message."

"What message?"

"You encountered the emergence of the Emperor's Flowing Magma right beside Lei Chi."

"Just that?" Xiao Yuying asked in confusion, "Will those people believe it?"

She also understood Zheng Fa's method's idea—the Emperor's Flowing Magma is a supreme treasure for bloodline evolution for the demon race.

Zheng Fa only shook his head and said, "I am not certain about this matter, but... given the demon race's longing for bloodline evolution, and given Xiao Xianzi's reputation, I think they will surely be somewhat tempted."

Xiao Yian nodded lightly and said, "If I help with this favor, will you go with me to that secret realm?"

"Absolutely no second words!"

"Very well! This matter is simple." Xiao Yuying agreed cheerfully: "Once we reach that secret realm, I will not treat you poorly!"

"Xiao Xianzi! I am willing to swear here that I will take not a single thing from that secret realm!" Zheng Fa's expression turned serious.

Speaking reasonably, he not only did not want to take anything; if his two feet could avoid stepping into that secret realm, he would not want to enter.

His main goal was to pass the door without entering!

He had no connection with the New Method at all!

Xiao Yuying was stunned, looking at Zheng Fa and saying:

"I help Jiushan Sect find the demon race and the Demonic Sect people in Fengcheng County—you seek nothing else?"

Zheng Fa nodded.

"I have been to countless secret realms, and seen cultivators numbering eight thousand if not ten thousand." Xiao Yuying's praise was extremely sincere: "A cultivator like Brother Zheng, wholly dedicated to the sect with absolutely no selfishness—I have never seen one before."

Zheng Fa had not yet spoken.

Zhang Shijie, standing nearby, was stunned, her face saying one thing only: Ancestors above, I dare not praise him so highly.

(End of this chapter)