Chapter 258

The Sun-Moon Bell's intelligence was indeed extremely low—it seemed to want to communicate with him, yet the various messages it transmitted were like those of a baby learning to speak.

For some reason, Zheng Fa suddenly felt a sense of shame...

The previous Heavenly Venerable had devoted himself entirely to this thing, yet gained nothing good in return; in the end, he likely thought that if he could not have it, he would destroy it, and dealt the Sun-Moon Bell a severe blow.

The result, however, was that he merely made a wedding dress for someone else.

It was like... how to put it... like an unparalleled beauty being struck by a carriage, remembering nothing.

Then you happened to pass by her hospital room...

She called you "husband."

What could you do...

You could only smile less loudly; otherwise, it would be awkward if the Heavenly Venerable were to revive in anger.

Zheng Fa communicated with the Sun-Moon Bell carefully once more and finally confirmed its state—

The Heavenly Venerable had already caused it severe injuries.

After two epochs, it had long since been reduced to mere instinct.

Or rather, if one viewed these spiritual energy circuits as a computer—the Sun-Moon Bell was basically in a state where the data was completely lost, all software had crashed, and it could barely be powered on.

The Five Elements Divine Light of Yin and Yang was originally a method for temporarily establishing a connection with a Spirit Treasure, but... this thing seemed to have no master to begin with, and now it suddenly regarded itself as the original master.

Feeling the various messages transmitted by the Sun-Moon Bell, the smile on Zheng Fa's face somewhat faded.

"Nephew Zheng? How is it?" Uncle Huang beside him could not help but ask.

"This Sun-Moon Bell is truly imperfect; its functions are now limited..." Zheng Fa sighed softly.

Sister Yuan beside him nodded and muttered, "I told you so; this thing looks like it's beneath our dignity..."

Uncle Huang, however, shook his head and said, "Judging by the Lei Chi outside, this thing probably isn't as ordinary as you say, is it?"

Zheng Fa nodded and said:

"This Sun-Moon Bell itself retains only part of its instincts—among them, the Lei Chi is the most powerful."

"Additionally, it can alter the speed of time's flow."

Uncle Huang was startled and exclaimed, "This..."

"It has restrictions: one requires a vast amount of Heavenly Merit, and the other is—if one only alters the time flow around a single plant or tree, that is possible, but to alter the cultivation time of a cultivator, the Heavenly Merit required is far too great."

Zheng Fa explained.

"This is no ordinary treasure."

Zheng Fa nodded lightly and said, "If it were not so, the Heavenly Venerable could not have relied on this treasure to become a major power in the Divine Dao Ma Jiyuan."

It must be said, the Sun-Moon Bell was very suitable for developing a faction.

"Most importantly, I can now move the Lei Chi!"

Zheng Fa said softly.

The Sun-Moon Bell and the Heavenly Stele Realm were originally two sides of the same coin; the Lei Chi was merely an overflow of the Heavenly Stele Realm's rules. Now that he had mastered the Sun-Moon Bell, he could naturally move the Lei Chi.

Uncle Huang and Sister Yuan widened their eyes, both showing joy.

They had long discussed that if they could move the Lei Chi, they would take the Heavenly Stele to fetch Sister Zhang and the others...

As for whether they could block the secret realm of the Great Self-Ma Demon Gate...

To speak plainly, Jiushan Sect, being short, had already endured enough.

However, before returning to Jiushan Sect, he still wanted to search for Xiao Yuying first.

Previously, he did not want to find Xiao Yuying because he feared the Sun-Moon Bell's intelligence would awaken.

Now he wanted to find her—because he feared this thing was too stupid.

The weaker the Sun-Moon Bell's intelligence, the more difficult it was for him to use it, and the more spiritual energy it consumed.

On the other hand, he also had an idea:

To inscribe his own spiritual energy circuits onto this treasure.

To return to Jiushan Sect, he naturally had to first fetch the disciples from that Lei Chi.

Just after exiting the Heavenly Stele, Zheng Fa discovered a group of people waiting for him outside the Heavenly Stele.

Xiao Yuying was there, to say nothing of others.

Yan Wushuang was also there; more importantly, the Old Man Han, the Setting Sun Sword Immortal, had come as well.

This was highly unusual—the Lei Chi's suppression of high-level cultivators was extremely strong; generally, cultivators above the Nascent Soul realm were reluctant to enter the Lei Chi.

Yet Old Man Han had come.

Zheng Fa felt the way these people looked at him was very complex.

It was like when you saw the top student in your class; you even knew he had a bright future, and you should build a good relationship with him...

But when you looked at him, you still couldn't help but feel intensely envious.

Thinking this way, Zheng Fa understood why this group was waiting here.

"A few days ago, we were all expelled by the Heavenly Stele and could no longer enter it."

Xiao Yuying said.

"Look at the Heavenly Stele."

Zheng Fa looked up; the names of everyone in the Heavenly Stele rankings had long since vanished, and even his own name was gone.

"Brother Yan, did you not say... that the name of Tianhe Zunzhe remained on the Heavenly Stele?"

Zheng Fa was still somewhat confused.

"... This might be the Patriarch's personal hobby..."

"..."

"I know this. The Ancestor had a personality that loved writing his Dao title everywhere."

Han Lao suddenly spoke from the side.

... So it's that kind of 'Tianhe was here' graffiti style?

Zheng Fa felt even more that Tianhe Zunzhe's quality needed improvement.

After a few words among the group, the other cultivators surged forward, trying to get close to him.

Zheng Fa finally understood why this group had stayed here...

After a while, Zheng Fa had gotten to know quite a few more cultivators.

This group of cultivators was quite perceptive; seeing Xiao Yuying, Yan Wushuang, and Han Lao present, they obviously knew they had something to say to Zheng Fa. After speaking a few words, they all took their leave.

Only Xiao Yuying and the other two remained.

Zheng Fa understood very well why Xiao Yuying was waiting for him.

It was nothing more than that transaction.

But Yan Wushuang and the other two... mainly Han Lao's presence, left Zheng Fa somewhat puzzled.???? "Heavenly Stele Realm..." Han Lao sighed, saying, "Our Tianhe Sect's Heavenly Stele Realm is now considered ruined."

"Ah?"

Zheng Fa had never heard of this matter before.

"You must have controlled that so-called Fortune Treasure, right?"

Zheng Fa nodded.

"In our Tianhe Sect's Heavenly Stele Realm, the Fortune Treasure has long ceased to appear... and the Heavenly Stele Realm has long been empty of people."

"Why is this so..."

Zheng Fa asked in surprise.

"Heh... do you know what the Ancestor's Life-Root Treasure is?"

"..."

Zheng Fa understood a little.

"Back then, they betrayed the Ancestor, even attempting to seize the Ancestor's Life-Root Treasure—unexpectedly, although the Ancestor was ambushed by them, the Life-Root Treasure also hid itself from the world, and no one could survive in the Heavenly Stele Realm."

"Why the entire Tianhe Sect has always wanted to produce another Tianhe Ancestor is also related to this matter."

Zheng Fa nodded.

To be honest, what surprised him in his heart was another thing—

He himself wanted to write new spiritual energy circuits on the Sun-Moon Bell; in the end, it was still out of unease, wanting to make the Sun-Moon Bell take on his own form.

But he didn't expect Tianhe Zunzhe did it too!

And it seems it worked!

This made him even more interested in Tianhe Fa, especially the Sword-Slaying Fa.

He could also understand the Tianhe Sect's thinking—controlling a Fortune Treasure allows one to escape one instance of spiritual energy decline.

Of course, this group was anxious.

Thinking of this, Zheng Fa's heart stirred, and he looked at the Heavenly Stele—

Perhaps, obtaining the Sun-Moon Bell serves a purpose far stronger than he previously thought...

"Then you?"

Yan Wushuang's face flushed red as he said, "What Wushuang Association does carries too high a risk... I was wondering, can I borrow your Heavenly Stele Realm to settle down in daily life?"

"Wushuang Association?"

"Oh, it's a new name I just took. How is it?"

Yan Wushuang said with great enthusiasm.

Zheng Fa couldn't help but sigh: "You have quite the style of the Tianhe Ancestor..."

Yan Wushuang was not truly reckless.

He also knew what he was doing was treasonous... naturally, he had set his sights on this Heavenly Stele Realm.

Probably before, he also had this thought.

Of course, I suppose the moment he saw Xiao Yuying, his dream woke up.

Not to mention there was Zheng Fa.

Zheng Fa pondered for a moment.

This matter is not so simple... is the Heavenly Stele Realm absolutely safe?

At the very least, the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor would dare to say no.

"This matter is not impossible." Zheng Fa thought for a moment; the things he did were probably not without risk either. Yan Wushuang's little trouble... would require more money!

"Brother Yan, you said before that you have channels in various places of Xuanwei?"

In Zheng Fa's view, Yan Wushuang's greatest value lay in his connections, plus some business acumen.

In the future, Jiushan Sect would likely become a thorn in the eyes of some people.

But the connection with Xuanwei Realm could not be severed; they also needed some resources.

The more he looked at the Baixian Alliance now, the more he felt it was useless...

Then it was even more necessary to find other trade routes for Jiushan Sect.

Yan Wushuang was stunned, then immediately understood: "Brother Zheng, I don't want the dividend from the talisman seals anymore! The talisman paper and spiritual ink required, my Wushuang Association will cover it all!"

"Brother Yan, let's discuss this matter in detail later..."

Zheng Fa smiled and spoke.

Yan Wushuang's face paled: "How about I rename my Wushuang Gathering to the Zheng Fa Gathering?"

"That won't do. After all, you, Brother Yan, built it with your own hands and feet; how could I take it?"

"..." Yan Wushuang sighed deeply, "I'm just afraid it won't be mine anymore in the future."

Zheng Fa, for his part, wasn't worried that Yan Wushuang would be unwilling to cooperate with the Jiushan Sect—

He just wanted money.

Without a stable base, it's fatal.

Yan Wushuang isn't stupid...

Yan Wushuang followed Elder Han away.

Only then did Zheng Fa understand—somehow, Yan Wushuang seemed to have persuaded Elder Han.

Now, even the Setting Sun Sword Immortal was protecting him personally.

Even Lei Chi was willing to enter...

Or perhaps, Yan Wushuang had also acquired some trump card capable of moving the Setting Sun Sword Immortal.

"Immortal Xiao, please come in."

Zheng Fa extended a hand, and a glowing portal appeared in the space.

Xiao Yuying nodded, as if she trusted Zheng Fa completely, and walked into the portal.

To be honest, Zheng Fa keenly sensed a subtle shift in Xiao Yuying's attitude.

Before... it wasn't that Xiao Yuying was a bad person; on the contrary, she had always held goodwill.

But it was that kind of goodwill from a position of superiority.

However, after Zheng Fa took charge of the Sun and Moon Bell, her attitude toward him changed slightly—for instance, before, she wouldn't have waited aside, saying nothing, merely watching Zheng Fa finish speaking with others.

"Immortal Xiao, please wait a moment longer; I must go fetch my fellow disciples to avoid any accidents," Zheng Fa said apologetically. "I wish to return to the Jiushan Sect as soon as possible."

"Very well. I have nothing to do either; I shall cultivate here."

Xiao Yuying nodded, appearing very reasonable and easy to talk to...

(End of this chapter)