Chapter 230: Hard to Guard Against a Thief in the House

Zheng Fa had once imagined what this hall might look like—

Like a palace, grand and magnificent, with a single throne atop it.

Or like a side hall, with statues of gods standing tall—perhaps the chief deity.

Or perhaps it would be completely empty.

But he never imagined that in such a magnificent hall, a tombstone would stand.

He took two steps forward and gazed at the tombstone.

The darkness within the hall was so thick it seemed unbreakable; even the glow from the bronze seal could not fully illuminate the tombstone.

Zheng Fa could make out only a few characters:

"... ianzun's Burial Site"

The name of this Tianzun had likely been written originally, but for some reason, it had later been scratched out.

Zheng Fa was even more puzzled.

The one who erected this stele clearly held deep respect for the buried person—not only did they carve the stone and inscribe words, but they reverently called them Tianzun.

Yet they had deliberately blurred the person's name.

He could not fathom why.

What puzzled Zheng Fa even more—this hall was empty, save for the tombstone; there was no coffin.

If this was a burial site, where were the bones...?

He looked toward the hall's entrance.

The empty Tiangong was utterly silent.

The faceless statues in the side halls stood mute, having guarded this tombstone for tens of thousands of years.

Zheng Fa suddenly had a thought—

Tiangong above, the mortal realm below...

In the great hall of Tiangong stood a tombstone.

Could this burial site be the mortal land of Tianbei Jie?

Is Tianbei Jie... a great tomb?

The glow of the bronze seal gradually receded, as if it had completed its evolution, flying to hover before Zheng Fa.

Zheng Fa reached out and took the bronze seal.

The seal was entirely reddish, carved into the shape of a human figure, though its face remained blurred.

Zheng Fa inexplicably felt that the faceless statue carried an air of compassion.

The moment his fingers touched the seal, an arcane piece of information surged up his arm and into his spiritual sense.

The instant Zheng Fa received the information, he understood—it was another update to the manual.

After reading the new manual, a broad smile spread across his lips.

Even after becoming a bronze seal, the Fenshen Ce's territory had not changed—this further confirmed his judgment that Tianbei Jie was small.

Of course, if his judgment that Tianbei Jie was equivalent to a great tomb was also true...

Calling it a world, Tianbei Jie seemed too small.

Calling it a tomb, it was terrifyingly vast.

The other functions had changed little from before.

What made Zheng Fa barely contain his smile—

Tianbei Jie could now bring people inside!

According to the bronze seal, he now had two additional divine servant slots.

Xiao Yuying's warning when he'd met her still rang clearly in his mind.

At least now, Zheng Fa could bring Zhang Shijie into Tianbei Jie—in the worst case, they could ensure their own safety within it.

And as Xiao Yuying had said, if both of them were inside, perhaps the demonic sects and beast clans would dare not pursue them to the death.

Thinking of Xiao Yuying's warning, he stepped out of Tianbei Jie—and immediately encountered Xiao Yuying.

Yan Wushuang was there too.

What puzzled Zheng Fa was—the atmosphere between the two was strange.

It felt like a conflict, but not quite; more like they were competing for some treasure.

He couldn't tell what it was.

Something that would make Yan Wushuang dare to compete with Xiao Yuying.

"Miss Xiao? Brother Yan? You..."

"Nothing. I'm waiting for you."

Yan Wushuang, upon seeing Zheng Fa, grabbed his left arm and pulled him toward the edge of Lei Chi.

Xiao Yuying said nothing, merely following silently behind.

Zheng Fa was dragged forward by Yan Wushuang, utterly confused.

Watching Yan Wushuang's haste, Xiao Yuying's lips curled slightly—she wasn't in the least rushed.

Yan Wushuang was Sect Master of Tianhe Sect, but she wasn't without connections.

Besides, in terms of wealth, she had never feared anyone in Xuanwei Jie!

Whatever Yan Wushuang could offer Zheng Fa, she was confident she could offer tenfold, a hundredfold!

She wanted to see what tricks Yan Wushuang had up her sleeve!

After walking a short distance, they met Yuan Shijie, who had come to fetch Zheng Fa.

Yuan Shijie gave Zheng Fa a questioning look; Zheng Fa himself still didn't understand the situation, so he could only shake his head at her.

After walking further, Yan Wushuang glanced back—Xiao Yuying still followed calmly behind, showing no intention to leave.

And Yuan Shijie was even less likely to leave.

He gritted his teeth and bluntly asked Zheng Fa:

"Brother Zheng, do you have anyone in mind?"

"..."

Zheng Fa looked at him, bewildered.

He didn't understand why he suddenly asked this.

"Tianhe Sect has many senior sisters and junior sisters—beautiful, gentle, perfect matches..."

Zheng Fa's expression grew increasingly odd.

Yan Wushuang's tone sounded genuinely serious!

Behind them, Xiao Yuying pursed her lips in deep thought—she never expected Yan Wushuang would take such an unconventional approach!

The problem was, she was a lone wanderer, the kind whose friendship boat capsized at the slightest wind.

She truly couldn't find ten times as many immortal maidens to match Zheng Fa...

Beside them, Yuan Shijie's eyes widened, glancing left and right.

"This..." Zheng Fa didn't even think before refusing, "Tianhe Sect's immortal maidens are certainly excellent, but I have no interest..."

"Immortal sect maidens aren't to your taste..." Yan Wushuang stroked her chin, interrupting Zheng Fa before he finished, "No matter. I have some influence in the Xünnü Jiao—Brother Zheng, if you come with me, you can meet the Holy Maiden's true disciple..."

Xünnü Jiao—how to describe it? The largest chain foot spa in Xuanwei Jie, where every attendant possessed extraordinary skills and commanded high prices.

The Su Nu Zong, which once ran brothels in Jiushan Market, was nothing but a country girl compared to them.

Moreover, Xünnü Jiao was neither fully orthodox nor fully demonic—rumors claimed it was a branch of a demonic sect, though no one could find proof, testifying to its mystery and power.

Yan Wushuang's connections were truly extensive!

This time, Zheng Fa hesitated slightly, glanced at Yuan Shijie, then said: "This... I'm not interested either."

Behind them, Xiao Yuying quietly exhaled—Yan Wushuang's methods were too wild...

"You're not interested in immortal sect maidens, nor in demonic sect holy maidens..." Yan Wushuang frowned at Zheng Fa.

She fell into thought.

"Brother Yan?"

"Brother Zheng, I know several men who prefer men—they're all talents of our immortal sect!" Yan Wushuang suddenly said, "If you're looking for women, I can't claim to be first, but if you're looking for men who suit that taste, no one in the world can match me!"

Wait, your perverted brotherhood really includes everyone!

Behind them, Xiao Yuying's expression went slack—now she wasn't disappointed at all.

She simply felt her horizons had expanded, been shaken, and witnessed the full force of Yan Wushuang's tactics.

"Brother Yan!" Zheng Fa, seeing him grow more absurd and noticing Yuan Shijie's strange expression, quickly waved his hands, "I have no interest in that either!"

"Hmm... as for beast clan connections in this regard, I truly have none... but I know several cultivators who enjoy this—let me introduce you! You can exchange experiences!"

"..."

Beside them, Yuan Shijie's frown slowly eased, her round eyes gleaming with wisdom.

Seeing his peculiar understanding, Zheng Fa didn't even respond—he bowed to Yan Wushuang and pulled Yuan Shijie away at once—further talk would ruin his reputation!

Back at the base, she dropped Zheng Fa and rushed straight to Zhang Shijie's courtyard.

"Senior Sister Zhang! Senior Sister Zhang! Something's wrong! Young Brother Zheng…"

Senior Sister Zhang appeared in the courtyard, looking at Senior Sister Yuan, her brow slightly furrowed: "What happened to Young Brother Zheng?"

"He's about to be snatched away by a man!"

"…"

Senior Sister Zhang sized up Senior Sister Yuan from head to toe, then shook her head, as if thinking she was talking nonsense.

"It's true! It's Yan Wushuang!"

"…"

Senior Sister Zhang smiled and shook her head, clearly unconvinced.

"He said he wants to introduce Tianhe Sect's senior and junior sisters to Zheng Fa!"

Senior Sister Zhang's brow twitched slightly.

"But Young Brother Zheng refused!"

Senior Sister Zhang nodded lightly.

"Then Yan Wushuang tried to introduce Zheng Fa to the demons of the Xuan Nu Sect!"

Senior Sister Zhang's expression turned cold as she murmured softly: "Yan Wushuang…"

"Young Brother Zheng refused again!"

A satisfied smile appeared on Senior Sister Zhang's face.

"Now Yan Wushuang is planning to introduce men to Zheng Fa!"

"Young Brother Zheng would never agree to that."

This time, before Senior Sister Yuan could even mention Zheng Fa's reaction, Senior Sister Zhang spoke first.

"Huh? How do you know that?"

"Look at the way he looks at me and you—does he seem like someone who likes men?" Senior Sister Zhang sneered.

"…"

Senior Sister Yuan glanced at Senior Sister Zhang, then lowered her head, suddenly understanding.

"But… I think Xiao Yuying is suspicious!"

Yet Senior Sister Yuan showed no sign of relief.

"Xiao Yuying?"

Senior Sister Zhang froze.

Xiao Yuying was naturally beautiful, with legs that went on forever.

More importantly, her cultivation talent and wealth were no less than her own.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because when Xiao Yuying heard that Young Brother Zheng refused Yan Wushuang, her reaction was exactly like yours!"

"…"

Senior Sister Zhang frowned slightly, recalling how Xiao Yuying had once praised Zheng Fa—words she herself could never have spoken!

The more she thought about it, the more she suspected Xiao Yuying had ulterior motives all along.

Young Brother Zheng said this woman was drawn to his Thunder Art talent—but Senior Sister Zhang thought, removing "Thunder Art talent" from that sentence made perfect sense too!

A faint unease stirred inside Senior Sister Zhang.

She looked up and saw Senior Sister Yuan sitting nearby, lost in thought, grinning like an idiot.

"What are you thinking about? Why are you smiling so stupidly?"

Deep in thought, Senior Sister Yuan answered automatically: "Yan Wushuang wanted to introduce Young Brother Zheng to a demon clan… and he didn't refuse…"

"…"

Senior Sister Yuan clapped a hand over her mouth, realizing she'd let slip something she shouldn't have.

"Um… Senior Sister, I didn't mean to hide it from you…"

Senior Sister Zhang glared at her coldly.

She never imagined there was a traitor right beside her!

"Senior Sister, I'm not trying to compete with you!" Senior Sister Yuan nearly swore to heaven, "But if Xiao Yuying snatches Young Brother Zheng away, then I won't hold back!"

"…"

As soon as Zheng Fa stepped into Senior Sister Zhang's courtyard, he felt her gaze on him was strange—

Like she was looking at a pervert.