BOOK 2: CHAPTER 428: THE HEAVENLY RIVER OF YEARS PAST, A QUESTION ACROSS THE VOID

Vol 2 Chapter 428: The Heavenly River of Years Past, A Question Across the Void

After hearing Xie Qingxue’s words, Zheng Fa tilted his head back and looked upward.

It was pitch black.

The flying sword beneath his feet emitted sword light, the sword light shooting into the void, but it was swallowed by an invisible huge mouth, vanishing without a trace like a stone sinking into the sea.

Xie Qingxue wouldn’t be joking with him.

Zheng Fa focused his mind carefully and then noticed something unusual:

In the vague darkness, faint spiritual light flickered in the distance.

Looking more closely, he saw a huge crescent-shaped object, rotating and undulating.

This shape looked somewhat familiar...

“A compass?”

An inspiration flashed through Zheng Fa’s mind, and he suddenly realized.

After inspecting it multiple times, he confirmed it—the object was exactly the compass Sect Master Yan used back then to verify his identity.

The compass had a missing segment in the middle, shaped precisely like the Yin-Yang Fish jade pendant.

Now, this compass was revolving around the mountain peak, as if placing a headband on the supreme peak of Xuanwei.

He was standing right in the middle of that gap.

Xie Qingxue sighed and said, “That gap is the gateway to the Myriad Swords Realm. Unfortunately, this sword realm is shrouded in complete darkness and chaos. Our Heavenly River Sect has searched for hundreds of thousands of years but has never uncovered its secrets.”

Did this mean he already had half a foot inside the Myriad Swords Realm?

Trying to activate his spiritual energy, Zheng Fa transformed into a rainbow and flew upward.

The Rainbow Transformation Method had returned!

He flew straight through the missing segment in the compass, but ahead was still only darkness. As he flew, a sudden chilling dread rose in his heart, and he quickly stopped the rainbow light. ꞦÂΝ∅฿Êꞩ

A sword aura howled past in front of him, slicing a crack into the pitch-white void behind.

No starlight shone through the crack.

“What’s going on?”

Uncle Pang was also peculiar. The communication with Creation Shaodi seemed unaffected. Communication with the Four Mountain Realm had never been interrupted.

It seemed like Senior Sister Zhang had just glimpsed the danger, her tone full of anxiety.

“There’s always a reason for sudden events.”

“But the power of that sword aura is stronger than your use of the Trapping Immortal Sword.”

The compass showed no fear.

“Now it should be much weaker.” The Myriad Swords Realm added, “According to your Heavenly River records, at the dawn of this era, this realm was filled with sword auras. The strong ones could be named, and the weak could even slay True Immortals with a single stroke.”

“So in those days, those sword auras were even stronger than now...”

“That’s why you dared to explore quickly.”

Uncle Pang was stunned and asked in surprise, “You mean these sword auras have existed for an entire era?”

“At least one era.”

Even Zheng Fa was somewhat taken aback.

He cautiously wandered in the darkness for a long while, then returned to the summit of Tongtian Sword Peak, frowning slightly.

“No response...”

He had originally thought that with the Yin-Yang Fish jade pendant, the Myriad Swords Realm would be eagerly awaiting his arrival.

When he arrived, even if it wasn’t a huge crowd, there should have been decorations and celebrations.

But there was absolutely no sign of anything unusual.

His earlier exploration hadn’t yielded any results, or at least... he thought it was pointless to have come.

Everyone from Jiushan Realm exchanged glances and turned their eyes toward Xie Qingxue.

Xie Qingxue couldn’t come up with a solution immediately. After some thought, she guessed, “Sect Leader, why not start with that compass?”

Zheng Fa’s eyes brightened.

“How to start?”

“There’s a set of rites to consecrate this compass, but only the Sect Leader can learn it. I believe only my master has it.”

Zheng Fa glanced at the live broadcast screen.

Sect Master Yan now seemed controlled by the sword formation;

to contact him, one had to go through the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor... He wished he hadn’t told the truth earlier.

But what made Zheng Fa hesitate was another problem: consecrating a treasure usually took a very long time, not something done in just a few days.

He worried that the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor might really be gone.

Fortunately, picking the lock was faster than making a key, so he could still break in...

The five-colored divine light, positive and negative, rose!

A rainbow streaked across the darkness, falling straight toward the distant compass.

Taking his time, Zheng Fa’s divine consciousness established contact with the compass.

The Yin-Yang Fish jade pendant in his sea of consciousness suddenly began to spin.

As the pendant rotated, a Taiji diagram appeared before Zheng Fa, as if covering Tongtian Sword Peak with a veil.

The Taiji diagram slowly rotated, the curved line at the center like elevator doors gently opening a crack. Through the crack, a faint clear radiance shone.

Zheng Fa hadn’t made a move yet.

The square-hilted flying swords on Tongtian Sword Peak swarmed like birds rushing into a forest, scrambling to enter the crack.

Suddenly, the crack became filled with the noise of people.

Listening to the sounds, Zheng Fa grew even more confused. He didn’t move rashly, only waiting for the crack to expand until it became a corridor over a hundred zhang in diameter.

The scenery revealed within shocked Zheng Fa and left Xie Qingxue of Jiushan Realm stunned.

“Isn’t this the Heavenly River Sect?”

Uncle Pang was the first to break the silence.

It was the Heavenly River Sect.

Zheng Fa had just come from the Heavenly River Sect, so naturally he recognized it.

The familiar city, the same mountains.

Pavilions, towers, houses, waterside terraces, all clearly visible.

He even recognized some special buildings—like the Sect Leader’s main hall and the Scripture Hall.

At the city gate, disciples came and went.

On the mountainside, sword light flickered back and forth.

A scene of bustling prosperity.

But Xie Qingxue slowly shook her head, her tone emotionally complex: “It is the Heavenly River Sect, but not the Heavenly River Sect of now.”

Zheng Fa flew into the corridor and finally understood. The disciples at the city gate were dressed plainly;

some he recognized from before heeding the call.

“Is this the Heavenly River Sect from the previous era?”

He asked in realization.

“Yes. Some buildings have long since changed, and even many mountain terrains differ greatly from now.”

Zheng Fa silently nodded.

He had only been to the Heavenly River Sect once, so he wasn’t very familiar. Naturally, Xie Qingxue knew more.

But this sword realm was truly different from what he had imagined.

He passed through the corridor, curiosity sparkling in his eyes, carefully examining this ancient Heavenly River Sect.

The Heavenly River disciples were upright, their swords at their waists, backs straight, spirits high.

It made sense;

even mortals under the ruler of Xuanwei would carry some pride.

At the foot of the Heavenly River Sect, it was ten times more prosperous than Haori Mountain before, cultivators’ light trails falling like rain, clouds of medicinal pill fragrance filling the air—a scene of liveliness.

On the mountainside behind the city, many disciples were sparring;

sword light appeared and disappeared, sweeping through the clouds and startling birds.

Even by Zheng Fa’s current level, their sword dao was quite exquisite.

The city was noisy with instruments, the mountain echoed with sword whistles, rising and falling without end, giving him a tranquil and reassuring feeling.

Perhaps because here, whether cultivators or mortals, high or low in cultivation, their faces all showed peace.

While he was pondering, Uncle Pang suddenly shouted nearby, “Not good, Lu Mo is gaining the upper hand again!”

Zheng Fa immediately looked at the live broadcast.

Sure enough, the situation of the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor began to worsen again:

He was probably always worried about Zheng Fa’s progress and was distracted slightly.

Lu Mo, after waiting several days and seeing Zheng Fa hadn’t appeared, seemed to focus entirely on refining the Life and Death Register.

With the ebb and flow, the Buddhist light of the underworld was about halfway gone.

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s face showed some calm relief, seeming ready to repent.

Zheng Fa finally understood: Lu Mo wanted to completely refine the Life and Death Register, and the key was to convert the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor. Otherwise, it would be difficult to achieve full success.

Just like Haori Mountain refining the Trapping Immortal Sword—without the sword spirit of the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor, the Life and Death Register’s effect would be greatly diminished.

Now, the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor was acting too peacefully, even seeming ready to put down the butcher’s knife.

Not good.

Thinking this, he took out the Creation Jade, recorded the scene before him, and sent it to the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor.

In the broadcast, the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor was initially stunned, seeming to receive the image Zheng Fa sent. His eyes reddened.

He suddenly looked up, glaring fiercely at Lu Mo, his dark light like fire and tea, fighting desperately to suppress Lu Mo’s Buddhist light.

Even Lu Mo was a little stunned—he had been trying to convert the ancestor for a long time, chanting sutras repeatedly, but now the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s eyes looked increasingly hateful toward him.

Watching the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s struggle in the broadcast, Zheng Fa smiled slightly, quietly hiding his achievement.

This scene before him was archaeology to him, but to the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor, it was the past.

It was like having a beloved memory, a white moonlight, killed by someone;

when facing the enemy, you see a photo of that white moonlight, you would undoubtedly think... where is my butcher’s knife?

“Is this your innate treasure?”

A voice suddenly sounded behind him, startling Zheng Fa. He turned to see a flamboyant man.

This man’s style was familiar—the same manner as Yan Wushuang back then:

A white crane star crown, white robes, a broad golden silk belt fluttering in the wind.

The man appeared young, not particularly handsome, but his sharp eyes focused on Zheng Fa made him feel a mix of awe and fear.

“Heavenly River Venerable?”

In this place and time, with that attire, Zheng Fa really couldn’t think of anyone else.

The man nodded, but his gaze remained on the Creation Jade, as if he immediately saw through its secrets, and praised, “This treasure is interesting.”

“All thanks to your innate treasure technique, Venerable.”

Zheng Fa was polite.

Unexpectedly, the Heavenly River Venerable was not polite. He wore a look of pride and nodded as if gratitude was owed to him.

He then pointed to the broadcast room, curiously asking, “Is this Nine Nether?”

“Yes. The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor is resisting Lu Mo’s refining.”

“Being suppressed by Lu Mo. Ugh.” The Heavenly River Venerable’s tone was disdainful. “So many years, no progress at all.”

Zheng Fa suddenly doubted if this guy really was the Heavenly River Venerable.

Something was off!

At that moment, the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor sent a spirit message, urgently asking, “Is this the Myriad Swords Realm? What else have you encountered?”

Zheng Fa thought for a moment and replied, “I met someone who claimed to be the Heavenly River Venerable.”

“He’s still alive? Impossible! What did he say?”

“He was criticizing you, Demon Ancestor... weak.”

“...That’s him!”

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s reply was resolute, without hesitation.

Good, not a fake.

“Venerable, you know Lu Mo’s background?”

“I know. Demon Emperor, Haori Prime Ancestor, Original Demon Ancestor—some trouble.”

The Heavenly River Venerable’s tone was casual, unconcerned.

Seeing this, Zheng Fa felt a flicker of hope.

“Then, since you still exist...”

“I’m dead.”

Well, that’s one proud ghost.

...

“I’m only a remnant soul, trapped here. The Myriad Swords Realm isn’t for fighting. Even if I escaped, I couldn’t defeat them.”

Seeing the Heavenly River remnant soul’s calm face, Zheng Fa felt a little disappointed and asked again, “After unity, is there a next step for the Heavenly River Method? If the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor could perfect the Heavenly River Method, perhaps the situation could be reversed.”

The Heavenly River remnant soul nodded, “There is.”

“Please, Venerable, teach me!”

Zheng Fa didn’t expect it to be so smooth and hurriedly said.

“Hmm, I can’t decide that.”

“Can’t decide?”

Zheng Fa was stunned.

“I listen to them.”

The Heavenly River remnant soul pointed toward the Heavenly River Sect ahead.

He was pointing at those Heavenly River disciples.

Zheng Fa grew even more puzzled. Was it really that democratic?

Seeming to see his confusion, the Heavenly River remnant soul chuckled lightly, “Follow me.”

Zheng Fa was baffled but followed behind him toward the Heavenly River Sect.

Two steps forward, and the scenery suddenly changed.

Although they were still at the foot of the Heavenly River Sect, the air was filled with a killing intent.

The sky was streaked with flowing light;

countless immortal swords gathered.

“This was the time when our Heavenly River Sect was just beginning to rise. My strength wasn’t invincible yet, but the special aspect of the Heavenly River Method had already been revealed,” the Heavenly River remnant soul said. “The Holy Dynasty invaded, the Four Sects deliberately delayed and didn’t come to assist. That was almost the most desperate time for the Heavenly River Sect.”

The Holy Dynasty was the Demon Ancestor’s faction and a major enemy of the Heavenly River Sect.

Zheng Fa naturally imagined the danger of the situation.

He was now stronger than most wandering immortals, but the pressure facing the Jiushan Sect was still great.

“I was held back by the Demon Ancestor,” the Heavenly River remnant soul said calmly, but Zheng Fa could fully sense the peril. “Only those disciples could protect the Heavenly River Sect themselves.”

He looked at those disciples on the flying swords. They didn’t speak but silently gathered.

After half an incense stick’s time, without orders, they seemed to share a tacit understanding and flew toward the distance.

A myriad swords emerged from the Heavenly River, sword auras rolling across the sky.

Zheng Fa looked at this scene with some melancholy.

The Heavenly River remnant soul said nothing.

The two walked forward as if traveling through time and space, the light and shadows changing again before them.

Some disciples returned.

When they left, there were over ten thousand.

When they returned, there seemed to be fewer than four thousand.

These disciples must have gone through countless battles;

their auras were withered, all wounded, bloodstains on their flying swords, the air filled with a metallic stench.

Their eyes seemed dull, looking at each other as if searching for someone.

When no one was found, no one said anything.

Zheng Fa could only silently watch.

The Heavenly River remnant soul led Zheng Fa further on, passing through this deathly silence, until voices came to their ears.

He saw another Heavenly River Venerable.

This Venerable led several thousand disciples, forming a circle.

Within the circle, immortal swords stood upright, their hilts plunged into the ground, tips pointing to the sky.

A disciple sang loudly an ancient ballad Zheng Fa had never heard, but its sorrow still stirred his heart.

Some disciples remained silent, flicking their swords sharply, the clanging containing hidden anger.

More people, like the Heavenly River Venerable, just stared at the sword forest, lost in thought.

Suddenly, a disciple turned to the Heavenly River Venerable and asked,

“Sect Leader, what will the Heavenly River and Xuanwei be like in the future?”

The Heavenly River Venerable said nothing.

“If these senior brothers could see the future, would they regret it?”

The crowd gradually fell silent, countless pairs of eyes turned to the Heavenly River Venerable.

The Heavenly River Venerable then turned his head toward Zheng Fa.

Thousands of eyes simultaneously fixed on Zheng Fa, as if seeking an answer.

The Heavenly River remnant soul beside him had vanished.

Zheng Fa suddenly understood what the remnant soul meant by “listening to them.”

He and these lost souls of the Heavenly River had waited hundreds of thousands of years, waiting for an answer.