BOOK 2: CHAPTER 424: LINGWU FORMS HER CORE, CALAMITY STRIKES THE NINE SERENITIES

Vol 2 Chapter 424: Lingwu Forms Her Core, Calamity Strikes the Nine Serenities

In the small pavilion at the front courtyard of the nursing home,

Old Man Bai circled around Zheng Fa anxiously, looking as if his behind was on fire.

Teacher Tian glared at him, not sure if she found him annoying or if she was just worried herself.

Zheng Fa closed his eyes, appearing calm, but his fingers tapped unconsciously on the railing.

No one spoke.

Tang Mu Dao stood guard at the nursing home’s entrance, preventing anyone from rashly barging in.

“Is Lingwu being a bit too impatient?”

Hearing Old Man Bai’s telepathic voice, Zheng Fa opened his eyes.

The old man’s anxious face appeared before him.

“She’s fine;

her cultivation is sufficient.”

“It's just... one should always be more prepared. Who suddenly decides to form a nascent soul?”

Zheng Fa was silent for a moment, then comforted him again:

“With me watching over her, even if something goes wrong, it won’t be a big problem.”

Tang Lingwu’s sudden decision to form her nascent soul surprised Zheng Fa.

It wasn’t that Tang Lingwu lacked strength, but most cultivators usually spend several more years refining their physical body and spiritual energy and getting familiar with their cultivation methods before attempting nascent soul formation.

They only start seclusion when there’s no more progress to be made.

It’s like the college entrance exam—most people need to review several times before stepping into the exam hall.

From this perspective, Tang Lingwu was somewhat hasty.

That’s why Old Man Bai was so panicked.

Zheng Fa’s divine consciousness constantly monitored changes in the backyard—that was Tang Lingwu’s place of seclusion.

But he wasn’t as worried as Old Man Bai.

With the Great Sun True Fire, as long as Tang Lingwu’s life wasn’t in danger, everything could be managed.

Perfection is ideal, but sometimes cultivation requires courage.

So he didn’t stop Tang Lingwu from forming her nascent soul.

...

The clouds over Rainbow Mountain thickened, and thunderlight pierced through gaps in the dark clouds, thick and fierce.

Teacher Tian said seriously, “Don’t move. It’s starting!”

Old Man Bai turned his neck toward the backyard but seemed frozen in place, facing Zheng Fa directly, not daring to move a muscle, afraid of disturbing the Nascent Soul Tribulation. ŕà₦ŐβЁ𝒮

The thunderlight was like a spear, continuous and piercing into the backyard.

The roaring sound shook mountains and rivers.

Rainbow Mountain was now thick with spiritual energy, with birds and beasts rampant.

Squirrels and other small animals often climbed in groups, boldly crossing the nursing home’s eaves.

Startled by the thunder, they no longer roamed freely but scattered in all directions.

In the scenic lake outside the pavilion, dozens of spiritual fish floated belly-up, as if frightened to death.

This showed how fierce the thunder tribulation was.

“This thunder... Is Xiao Lingwu really okay?”

Old Man Bai panicked again.

After all, he was only at the Golden Core stage;

facing such a Nascent Soul Tribulation, how could his mind not waver?

“She’s fine. Her tribulation crossing is going smoothly.”

Feeling the increasingly vigorous spiritual energy fluctuations in the backyard, Zheng Fa reassured him.

Speaking of which, Tang Lingwu was indeed Zheng Fa’s most favored disciple:

Whether cultivation methods, spiritual energy, or spirit materials, she had lacked nothing these years.

Not to mention Zheng Fa’s private guidance.

Zheng Fa cared about Old Man Bai too, but the old man’s aptitude was lacking, and his cultivation progress lagged behind.

Over these years, disciples in Jiushan Realm had been forming nascent souls one after another, so Zheng Fa was very familiar with the process,

where problems easily occurred, where to be cautious,

when to slow down, and when to speed up.

Jiushan Realm almost had a standardized procedure.

Before Tang Lingwu’s seclusion this time, he repeatedly and carefully instructed her.

Now it seemed everything was going well.

Hearing Zheng Fa’s comfort, Old Man Bai finally exhaled deeply, his whole body relaxing as he sat on a nearby stone bench, still staring at the backyard.

Fortunately, Zheng Fa’s judgment was accurate—Tang Lingwu’s thunder tribulation was extremely smooth, without danger or surprise.

When the dark clouds dispersed, Old Man Bai happily chuckled, “Worrying only causes chaos, worrying only causes chaos.”

But Zheng Fa’s expression became serious as he looked at the sky, with no trace of a smile: “For Xiao Lingwu, the heart demon tribulation is even harder.”

Old Man Bai’s curled lips stiffened.

“She’s been influenced by her mother since childhood, harboring resentment in her heart. Later, she met us—her life became simple, without much experience.”

Zheng Fa sighed, “That’s why I advised her earlier to prepare more...”

He hadn’t worried about Tang Lingwu’s thunder tribulation, but the heart demon tribulation varies from person to person.

He treated his own heart demon like a dog on a leash, mainly because he had the Yin-Yang Fish jade pendant as support.

Tang Lingwu didn’t have such a precious treasure, her personality was too reserved, overthinking, soft, and her experiences weren’t rich.

He had always worried about Xiao Lingwu’s heart demon tribulation.

Old Man Bai was stunned: “Then...”

Teacher Tian suddenly spoke: “Lingwu is firmer than you all imagine.”

“Hm?”

Zheng Fa turned his head toward Teacher Tian, who said, “Much firmer.”

This was puzzling, but before Zheng Fa could ask further, a glow suddenly rose in the backyard, and a three-headed little Xiao Lingwu soared through the clouds on a rainbow.

“Just a few seconds? The heart demon tribulation passed so quickly?”

Old Man Bai murmured.

Zheng Fa was also confused, looking back at Teacher Tian.

Her expression seemed as if she had expected this all along.

...

Tang Lingwu, who had just formed her nascent soul, did not celebrate at all, nor did she rest. Instead, she immediately started managing the hacking competition.

She almost took over Zheng Fa’s tasks:

contacting Team Leader Yang, meeting with scholars from all directions, even organizing the judges and scoring participants.

Everything was orderly, without any mistakes, perfectly to Zheng Fa’s liking.

If it weren’t for knowing Tang Lingwu, Zheng Fa would have thought she was scheming to usurp his position.

“I always feel Lingwu is acting strange.”

Tang Lingwu had left early to work at Jiushan Grain Company.

Watching her hurried departure, Old Man Bai walked to Zheng Fa’s side, frowning.

Teacher Tian came out from the room and glanced at the two.

“What do you mean by strange?”

“Too proactive,” Old Man Bai scratched his head, “and somewhat familiar.”

“Familiar?”

“Very familiar.”

Old Man Bai suddenly looked at Zheng Fa with a face of sudden realization.

“Like you!”

“Like me?”

“Exactly like you! The way she has been talking with Xiao Yang these days is like a mold cast from you.”

Upon hearing this, Zheng Fa recalled it too.

It really was!

But why?

Teacher Tian slowly approached Zheng Fa and saw his confusion, sighing, “Don’t you two understand?”

“Understand what?”

“She wants you to see it, to put your mind at ease.”

Zheng Fa was baffled.

Teacher Tian’s gaze looked at him as if looking at a monkey not fully evolved:

“She can’t help much else, so she only can become your arm, making the federation not a burden to you but fully developing according to your will.”

Tang Lingwu suddenly forming her nascent soul,

even imitating how Zheng Fa usually handles things to manage federation affairs—

just for this?

...

Back at the Tianhe Sect, Zheng Fa’s mind still echoed Teacher Tian’s last words:

“If this is Xiao Lingwu’s Dao heart, then her Dao heart is firmer than anyone else’s.”

He slowly came back to his senses. His gaze fell again on the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor, and a sudden thought arose:

If Tianhe Venerable was the comrade entrusting his life to the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor,

then Zheng Fa probably had more:

Tang Lingwu, Senior Sister Zhang, Old Man Bai, even Elder Yu, Xie Qingxue, Xiao Yuying...

Thinking this, even though surrounded by the Golden Immortal conflict in the underworld, teetering on the edge of danger, he still felt a slight urge to laugh.

But laughing now would be somewhat disrespectful to the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor.

The various lights flickering on the Demon Ancestor’s body changed his expression.

When his face was covered in black light, he looked tortured, almost resentful.

When it was white light, a domineering aura appeared on his face, as if he could dominate the world.

When it changed to golden Buddha light, his expression showed unprecedented peace and liberation, even devotion.

The peaceful moments grew longer and more frequent, and the devotion on his face became more sincere each time.

Obviously, Lu Mo’s influence on the Life and Death Register was growing deeper.

Half of Yin Mountain was already covered with precious treasures.

Zhizhong had fused a luminous relic that illuminated the underworld.

Lu Mo’s Buddha dharma image in the relic’s golden light became increasingly solid and majestic, his momentum soaring.

With Zhizhong’s support and continuous faith power from the Western Continent, Lu Mo naturally took the upper hand.

The Slaying Immortal Formation Diagram floated behind the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor, seeming confused.

Looking around, layers of space overlapped, with mountain and river shadows intertwining.

Since entering the underworld, Zheng Fa hadn’t seen the outside world, but now he faintly glimpsed a way out.

This was obviously the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor losing control over the Formation Diagram.

After all, he had fallen behind in the battle for the Life and Death Register and naturally had no energy left to control the diagram.

In the Jiushan Realm, inside the Ziwei Yuan.

Next to the Heavenly Emperor body stood Senior Sister Zhang, Uncle Pang, Xie Qingxue, and others.

There were also the most elite disciples of the Talisman and Formation Academies.

Gu Chang and Mu Qingyan were among them.

“Let’s first try the first solution.”

Zheng Fa had brought back over two hundred possible solutions. Senior Sister Zhang simulated and eliminated a quarter, leaving only those with over fifty percent success rates.

Senior Sister Zhang had the Innate Eight Trigrams formation ready at hand, watching the light screen, prepared to simulate anytime.

Breaking the Slaying Immortal Sword Formation was a dynamic process.

Every move Zheng Fa made would probably provoke a reaction from the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor and the formation diagram.

Their task was to collaborate and find the most feasible next step based on changes in the live broadcast formation diagram.

Without this support team, Zheng Fa’s confidence would have been greatly reduced.

Such a treasure as the Slaying Immortal Formation Diagram was not something one person could easily break—

it would be disrespectful to Tianhe Venerable and the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor to think so.

But with Senior Sister Zhang and her group, it was different.

They had the achievements of modern competitions, essentially the essence of an entire world.

They themselves were the best “programmers” in the Xuanwei Realm.

Putting aside Jiushan’s formation arts, the talisman arts of Jiushan were definitely ahead of Xuanwei.

If these people, plus the Trapping Immortal Sword, couldn’t handle the Slaying Immortal Formation Diagram,

then Zheng Fa... would just accept defeat.

...

While Lu Mo and the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor were locked in fierce combat, Zheng Fa concealed himself in the white fog, his face blurry, figure dim, making it impossible to distinguish reality.

The Trapping Immortal Sword silently appeared in his palm.

Zheng Fa sat cross-legged, placing the sword on his knee, repeatedly performing hand seals, trying to communicate with the Slaying Immortal Formation Diagram.

Of course, no one could see Zheng Fa.

This action likely didn’t escape the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s notice.

But the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor had no time to care.

He didn’t even open his eyes, still focusing intently on resisting Lu Mo’s refining.

...

Seeing no one paying attention to him, Zheng Fa grew bolder and tried all his strength to break the formation.

“No effect, no response from the formation diagram.”

“Next one.”

“Still no...”

“This one seems to have some reaction!”

“Record it, try this hand seal.”

Inside the palace of Ziwei Yuan, the Heavenly Emperor body and Senior Sister Zhang communicated quickly.

The disciples in the hall understood the matter concerned the life and death of Jiushan Realm.

But the more serious it was, the more they dared not speak;

after all, if they were wrong, they couldn’t bear the responsibility.

“Master, I was thinking, can we try...”

Senior Sister Zhang shook her head: “I have simulated this before;

it’s not very effective, but your idea isn’t bad.”

The Heavenly Emperor body glanced at Gu Chang, showing some approval.

Gu Chang deliberately spoke first.

As Zheng Fa’s senior disciple, he was used to discussing with Zheng Fa and company, so he was less restrained.

On the other hand, Gu Chang deliberately “made a mistake.”

When Senior Sister Zhang simulated the solution just now, Gu Chang was beside her, so he knew it was unfeasible.

His speaking now was just to set an example for other disciples.

The key point was that this wasn’t taught by himself or Senior Sister Zhang.

This disciple was no longer timid but increasingly showing the demeanor of a sect leader’s disciple.

Sure enough, seeing Gu Chang speak first and “make a mistake” without being criticized by Master Zhang, many other disciples actively voiced their opinions.

For a moment, there was a sense of open discussion.

...

Zheng Fa breaking the formation in secret was probably known to the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor:

Not to mention that as the “spirit” of the Life and Death Register, he knew everything about the underworld.

Even with Zheng Fa hiding behind the Nine Nether Talisman Edict, how could he conceal it from him?

But at first, he seemed not to care about Zheng Fa’s actions since Lu Mo was the fatal threat.

Although he had some power, in his mind, it probably couldn’t cause much trouble.

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor seemed too lazy to look, focusing entirely on resisting the Buddha light invasion.

After a while, Zheng Fa suddenly saw the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor snap open his eyes and look at him, causing Zheng Fa to stop moving.

The Demon Ancestor’s eyes were filled with anger and disdain.

The anger was natural—he was furious that someone dared to compete with Lu Mo to seize his treasure and even took advantage of the situation.

The disdain was probably because he laughed at Zheng Fa’s arrogance, thinking he was too weak to covet the Slaying Immortal Formation Diagram.

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor stared coldly at Zheng Fa without any action.

Zheng Fa exhaled in relief.

The Demon Ancestor probably really had no energy left to deal with him.

He boldly stretched and got to work.

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s glare grew angrier, almost gnashing his teeth.

Zheng Fa reckoned that if before, the Demon Ancestor’s gaze held some closeness toward the jade pendant bearer, now he probably wanted to bury him together with the original Tianhe Four Veins Founders...

All traitors!

From the Demon Ancestor’s expression, Zheng Fa could even feel a mocking jest, like watching a clown.

Following Senior Sister Zhang’s guidance, Zheng Fa rotated through different solution attempts to break the formation.

Two hours quietly passed, and the Demon Ancestor’s expression suddenly stiffened.

Behind Yin Mountain, the Slaying Immortal Formation Diagram trembled silently.

Zheng Fa felt the Trapping Immortal Sword had merged with the Formation Diagram, and he seemed able to activate some of its functions.

Success!

He looked up and saw the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor looking panicked, lips trembling, and in his eyes clearly written two lines of poetry:

“The village children bully me, old and powerless;

how can I endure facing thieves head-on!”