BOOK 2: CHAPTER 426: PERSUADING THE DEMON ANCESTOR, XUANWEI REACHES THE PINNACLE

Vol 2 Chapter 426: Persuading the Demon Ancestor, Xuanwei Reaches the Pinnacle

At the foot of Yin Mountain, outside the City of the Wrongfully Dead, the Buddha light was dimmer than before but still resilient.

Lu Mo and the half-missing sarira interwove their radiance, persistently infiltrating the underworld.

His eyes glowed with golden light as he continuously scanned the surroundings.

His expression held more doubt than before.

It was obvious he was wary of Zheng Fa striking again, even searching for him.

Zheng Fa circulated the Heavenly and Earthly Fiend Transformations, transforming into a light mist that merged with the surrounding fog.

After the previous sword strike, he dared not underestimate Lu Mo anymore, knowing that if his whereabouts were exposed, he would face severe consequences.

Lu Mo seemed unable to see through Zheng Fa’s disguise but refused to give up, murmuring,

“Form and no form, illusions and bubbles.”

Amid the chanting, the Buddha light shot out from the sarira, lively and spirited, falling into the fog.

The dense white mist, once like liquid, began melting as if snow meeting a blazing sun, dripping down in rivulets.

Not good at all.

Zheng Fa grew anxious, for if the fog dissipated, he would become conspicuous.

More importantly, he did not know what kind of divine power the Buddha light possessed and dared not touch it casually.

Before he could act, he heard the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor sneer coldly: “Lu Mo, you seriously underestimate me.”

As his words fell, the City of the Wrongfully Dead erupted in wailing from thousands of ghosts, shaking Yin Mountain and stirring hearts.

Thick death energy spewed from the city gate, black smoke swirling with countless resentful souls fighting and scrambling, rushing toward the sarira.

These vengeful souls were originally disciples of the Heavenly River Sect, mostly killed during the internal chaos years ago. It could not be denied that many died by Zheng Fa’s hand. Their hatred and grudge were terrifying to behold.

Even though Zheng Fa had survived eight tribulations, his face was grave now as he quietly chanted sutras.

Zhizhong’s sarira flickered with faint white light.

The white light shone beneath the white smoke, causing hundreds of vengeful souls at the forefront to suddenly clasp their hands in prayer, faces lighting up with joy as if gradually being liberated. ℞Ä𐌽o͍βËʂ

The Four Nether Demon Ancestor’s expression flickered with a heated smile as he pointed remotely at the sarira.

Those souls who seemed about to convert suddenly twisted their faces again, filled with resentment and hatred.

“Liberation? The sins he committed in the Heavenly River Sect,” the Four Nether Demon Ancestor said sternly, “cannot be wiped away in a hundred lifetimes!”

Zheng Fa remained silent, still chanting sutras, confronting the Four Nether Demon Ancestor.

“Without the blessing of the Western Continent’s faith, I can at least hold the formation steady.”

In contrast, the Four Nether Demon Ancestor seemed out of breath but was like a rooted duckweed: no matter how much you drag him, he never truly falls.

...

“He’s about to recover. Without your interference, I will find him,” the Four Nether Demon Ancestor seemed to understand, secretly transmitting a message to Qi Tai, “Give me a few more sword strikes later.”

Obviously, he pinned his hopes for a comeback on the Eastern Continent’s forces.

But Zheng Fa did not do as expected;

instead, he said something the Demon Ancestor did not anticipate:

“I want to visit the Myriad Swords Realm.”

“Myriad Swords Realm?” The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s tone turned cold. “You want to find the Heavenly River relics too?”

“Yes.”

A sneer flashed in the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s eyes, his words laced with venom: “Stealing the sword formation, scheming for secret treasures—you and those Four Sects cultivators are cut from the same cloth. The jade pendant fell into your hands...”

It was clear he regarded Zheng Fa and those Four Sects cultivators as the same kind of person.

Zheng Fa did not get angry;

after all, he had indeed stolen their formation diagram.

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor having grievances against him was only natural.

“If you want to leave, then I cannot guarantee whether Lu Mo will find you.”

“That’s a bit much.”

This was indeed troublesome.

After various attempts, Zheng Fa now had authority over the Slaying Immortal Sword Formation exceeding Sect Master Yan and others but was still no match for the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor.

If the Demon Ancestor wanted to sabotage him, it was nearly impossible to evade Lu Mo.

The Demon Ancestor simply smiled, his expression clearly saying: You retreat, leaving me to cover the rear? Do you take me, this Demon Ancestor, for a fool?

He was terrified Zheng Fa might escape.

Zheng Fa truly understood the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor.

This man was fearful of betrayal and wanted to seize the Slaying Immortal Formation Diagram. If he were not on guard, he would have been captured by the Four Sects long ago.

Moreover, if Zheng Fa ran, the Demon Ancestor could never withstand Lu Mo. Matters of life and death made him all the more cautious.

“There might be the next step of the Heavenly River Method in the Myriad Swords Realm.”

The smile on the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s face stiffened;

his eyes filled with disbelief and excitement.

“Heavenly River Method... has it been perfected?”

“Only a possibility.”

“Are you confident?” the Demon Ancestor asked anxiously.

“No.”

...

The corners of the Demon Ancestor’s mouth tightened into a straight line;

he stopped smiling.

Zheng Fa chuckled silently.

He did not believe the Demon Ancestor wouldn’t bite.

“Then how do you know...”

Sure enough, the Demon Ancestor could not help but ask again.

“I previously created the Yellow Court Scripture...”

Zheng Fa recounted the unusual phenomena of the Heavenly River Venerable during his tribulation. The Demon Ancestor’s gaze flickered as if pondering deeply.

“If the Heavenly River Venerable truly left something behind, the Myriad Swords Realm is highly suspicious.”

The Demon Ancestor nodded lightly.

Zheng Fa continued, “Even if it doesn’t contain the next step of the Heavenly River Method, I want to use the treasures inside to recover quickly, maybe even advance further.”

Seeing the slight change in the Demon Ancestor’s expression, as if persuaded, he added,

“The sword strike before was a surprise attack, but Lu Mo won’t be so unprepared again. He might even have countermeasures...

“We need more than one sword strike. Delay could bring disaster.”

The Demon Ancestor’s eyes flickered with deep thought, clearly moved by the argument.

Zheng Fa always planned thoroughly and never underestimated people like Lu Mo.

Previously, he acted without honor by ambushing an elder, but it would not be so easy next time. Perhaps this old monster Lu Mo was waiting for him.

Of course, for the Demon Ancestor, the most important thing was the continuation of the Heavenly River Method.

The Demon Ancestor’s eyes flickered with hesitation, uncertain whether to trust Zheng Fa.

Zheng Fa was not anxious at all.

...

“The Heavenly River Method is the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s last hope.”

In the Jiushan Realm’s Ziwei Yuan, the Heavenly Emperor body wore a determined smile,

“The Demon Ancestor’s current madness comes partly from hatred, but more from despair.”

Senior Sister Zhang nodded approvingly, “He cultivates the Heavenly River Method, but it will be extremely difficult for him to advance.”

Xie Qingxue nodded sympathetically.

“To progress further, I have to wait for the Qingping Sword to advance. Right now, it’s only at the scattered immortal rank.”

“The Life and Death Register, however, is a Golden Immortal-level artifact.”

“Such treasures are far harder to advance than the Qingping Sword—by billions of times.”

“So the continuation of the Heavenly River Method is probably an irresistible temptation for the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor,” the Heavenly Emperor body smiled.

Watching the Demon Ancestor struggling in the light screen, everyone could guess his choice.

“Fairy Xie, please guide us later.”

The Heavenly Emperor body confidently entrusted this to Xie Qingxue.

She immediately nodded, her gaze still fixed on the Demon Ancestor, then suddenly asked, “Sect Leader, you deliberately want to go to the Myriad Swords Realm first, right?”

“Yes.” In front of so many from Jiushan Sect, the Heavenly Emperor body showed no concealment, “Although Lu Mo and I are allied, the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor and us are not on the same path.”

He sympathized with the Demon Ancestor but was also very wary of him.

To be honest, even if he could now kill Lu Mo with one sword, Zheng Fa would hesitate: he feared that without Lu Mo, the Demon Ancestor might turn against him.

This Demon Ancestor was not easy to deal with, and their interests clearly conflicted.

Perhaps the Demon Ancestor had sensed his intentions, which was why he refused to let Zheng Fa go forth.

Therefore, Zheng Fa wanted to use the continuation of the Heavenly River Method to lure the Demon Ancestor.

His thinking was simple:

If the Heavenly River Method truly had a continuation, it would be easier to persuade or cooperate with the Demon Ancestor.

If not, he had to prepare for conflict and be ready to break ties.

On Yin Mountain, the Demon Ancestor was silent for a long time before finally speaking:

“I will trust you this once.”

Zheng Fa felt a surge of joy. Honestly, gaining even this little trust from the Demon Ancestor was rare: the Demon Ancestor had suffered terrible betrayal before.

He had to thank Lu Mo for that.

Knowing the urgency, he did not delay and flew out of the sword formation.

Within the sword formation, spiritual energy was thick as water.

Countless spiritual talismans swam past him like fish.

Strings of “bubbles” occasionally blocked his path. These bubbles were dark and deep, seemingly leading to another space.

These were spatial branches within the Slaying Immortal Sword Formation. Once caught, one would be trapped inside the formation, unable to escape.

Yet all these small bubbles avoided him, seemingly deliberately letting him pass.

Zheng Fa was not afraid of these—after all, he was the second-in-command of the Slaying Immortal Formation Diagram.

But this scene showed that the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor truly allowed him to leave.

He looked deeper into the formation. The Demon Ancestor was not looking at him but was focused on battling the Buddha light, seemingly buying time for Zheng Fa.

“The Myriad Swords Realm lies eight hundred li northeast of the Heavenly River Ancestral Peak.”

In the Jiushan Realm, Xie Qingxue pointed the way.

In the Celestial Palace Hall, another light screen appeared, showing Zheng Fa flying swiftly.

Both sides were video calling.

In a blink, Zheng Fa descended and looked ahead.

Ahead was a range of towering mountains, endless and continuous, tens of thousands of zhang tall, all sheer cliffs like walls blocking his path.

“This is the Cloud Severing Mountain Range, rumored to be the pinnacle of the Eastern Continent,” Xie Qingxue explained.

Zheng Fa could not help but look forward.

The Heavenly River Sect was located in the northeast corner of the Eastern Continent, and the Cloud Severing Mountain lay in the northeast corner of the Heavenly River Sect.

It was truly the northeasternmost corner of the Eastern Continent.

“The Myriad Swords Realm is within the Cloud Severing Mountains?”

“The Myriad Swords Realm is outside the Eastern Continent. No, above the Eastern Continent—you have to cross the Cloud Severing Mountains.”

After hearing Xie Qingxue’s explanation, Zheng Fa transformed into rainbow light and flew toward the Cloud Severing Mountain Range.

But just as he reached a mountain peak, a familiar membrane appeared before him.

“Heaven-Earth Membrane?”

His whole body felt like hitting a steel plate, unable to proceed further.

Zheng Fa turned back and descended to the mountain foot, frowning.

In the Jiushan Realm, Xie Qingxue could not help but smile.

“That is indeed the Heaven-Earth Membrane,” she began explaining, “Our master said that originally the Myriad Swords Realm was not here, but the Patriarch placed it here back then.”

“Therefore, the Myriad Swords Realm is blocked by the Heaven-Earth Membrane. Except for our Heavenly River Sect’s Nascent Soul cultivators, no one can enter.”

Zheng Fa somewhat understood.

The Myriad Swords Realm was no longer within the Xuanyi Realm?

Back then, the Heavenly River Venerable somehow placed it outside the Heaven-Earth Membrane and opened a backdoor for Heavenly River Sect disciples.

He also knew how the Four Sects had entered the Myriad Swords Realm previously.

That must have been quite troublesome.

But for Zheng Fa, this was very simple!

He changed his internal incantation and started circulating the Trapping Immortal Sword Canon. His posture straightened, aura sharp, looking more like a Heavenly River Sect disciple than even the disciples themselves.

On Haori Mountain, he was Haori’s prodigy;

in the Heavenly River Sect, he was a loyal disciple, mastering assimilation.

Sure enough, after switching to the Trapping Immortal Sword Canon, the Cloud Severing Mountain Range before him suddenly transformed.

White clouds fluttered down from the peaks to Zheng Fa’s feet, connecting to form steps.

The steps led to the end of the Cloud Severing Mountains, deep into the void, with no visible end.

“Climb these steps, and you will see the entrance to the Myriad Swords Realm.”

Hearing Xie Qingxue’s words, Zheng Fa stepped up the stairs one by one.

At first, wild winds whipped, swirling clouds danced, and howled continuously.

Then the wind calmed, the sun shone gently, with not a single cloud in sight—extremely peaceful.

He climbed higher and higher, eventually stepping above the towering cliffs of the Cloud Severing Mountains.

Looking ahead, the once copper-wall-like Heaven-Earth Membrane now faintly revealed a two-person-high archway.

Could this lead outside the Xuanyi Realm?

Zheng Fa took a deep breath, his heart stirred.

He had always been curious about what lay beyond the Xuanyi Realm.

But he had never been able to pass the Heaven-Earth Membrane, and he feared the stars above Chanyin Heaven, so he had gained nothing.

Today he came to find the Heavenly River relics, yet unexpectedly, he could step outside this Heaven-Earth Membrane.

He calmed himself, raised his alertness, and walked into the archway.

Darkness.

It was as if someone suddenly covered his eyes.

For a moment, everything before him was pitch black;

he could see nothing.

No stars, ancient immortals, or dangers appeared as he imagined.

The Myriad Swords Realm was nowhere to be seen.

Seeing the total darkness on the video call, Senior Sister Zhang was annoyed: “What is this?”

Xie Qingxue’s expression was heavy;

she said nothing, only staring fixedly at the screen, seemingly waiting.

...

Zheng Fa suddenly felt the spiritual power of the Trapping Immortal Sword Canon within him operating on its own.

As he sensed the fluctuations of his spiritual power, a buzzing sound came from the darkness.

One light appeared.

Two lights appeared.

Three, four, thousands, tens of thousands of lights pierced the darkness.

Looking at the scene before them—both Zheng Fa standing there and Senior Sister Zhang and others in the Jiushan Realm—everyone was stunned, speechless.

Before Zheng Fa stood a towering peak higher than any mountain he had ever seen.

The base of the mountain seemed to extend deep into the membrane, connected with the Cloud Severing Mountains.

The peak stabbed straight into the darkness with no end in sight.

But this was not what stunned Zheng Fa.

What left him speechless were the numerous immortal swords embedded in the mountain’s cliff face.

The dazzling light earlier was the sword radiance emitted by these swords themselves.

These flying swords were of varying quality: some were only magical tools, others seemed to be spirit treasures.

They were embedded in rows and columns on the cliff.

Even more striking, near the hilts of each sword, a name was inscribed.

“Who are these people...”

Xie Qingxue was silent for a moment before saying, “These are the disciples who died during the Heavenly River Sect’s unification of Xuanyi.”

...

“No one knows when the Patriarch placed their flying sword here.”

Looking at the flying swords before him, Zheng Fa’s vision seemed to reveal the vast waves of the previous era.

Sometimes he thought the Heavenly River Sect back then must have been quite strong. Otherwise, the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor, not originally from Heavenly River, would not have such deep feelings of nostalgia and even hatred.

“This peak’s height should be the absolute summit of Xuanyi. In our Heavenly River Sect, it is called the Tongtian Sword Peak.”

“To me, it is a tombstone.”

Xie Qingxue’s voice was low, but everyone listened quietly without a sound.

“A tombstone the Patriarch erected for those predecessors.”