BOOK 2: CHAPTER 464: HAORI’S DARK CURRENTS, BORROWING THE NINE NETHER

Vol 2 Chapter 464: Haori’s Dark Currents, Borrowing the Nine Nether

In the Jiushan Realm, inside the Heavenly Palace Hall, the situation within the three city marketplaces of Haori Mountain was being broadcast live on the light screen.

Watching Lu Yan’s satisfied retreating figure, the long queue at the pancake stall fell silent in stunned amazement.

“This… this is the training from Senior Disciple Yuan?”

Uncle Pang stammered, his face full of unexpected disbelief.

“It truly is the credit of Master Yuan,” Elder Han chuckled.

The green oriole on the beam spread its wings, gliding down to Zheng Fa and transforming into human form.

Senior Sister Yuan looked at him proudly, her neck held high, glancing sideways at Zheng Fa. From her posture to her expression, only four words could describe her — “Black Agent, speak!”

“Senior Sister, you are truly talented.”

Zheng Fa was completely convinced. Everyone cultivated by refining Qi, but among them, Senior Sister Yuan stood out the most, cultivating pot refining…

Senior Sister Yuan stuck out her belly arrogantly and said, “Is it just you all who can research this?”

Elder Han nodded in agreement beside her, sincerely praising, “Master Yuan provided more than one secret recipe. Our intelligence division now…”

He paused, seeming uncertain how to explain, then turned to look at Master Zhang. “Master Zhang, if the sect is in trouble, we can support a bit.”

Zheng Fa was shocked. “…Is it really this profitable?”

The intelligence division was a big spender, yet now it even had a surplus?

“To facilitate operations, all are cheap snacks, so costs are indeed low. Moreover… many ingredients come from within the sect, making them even cheaper.”

This explained everything. Though it was just a small stall, backed by Jiushan agriculture, they had supply chain advantages.

Compared to other small vendors, they were practically thugs.

Simply put, these people weren’t just gathering intelligence;

they were running a chain with great potential.

“Does it actually work?”

Lord Shuyu Dragon watched with great interest for a long time, finally unable to contain his curiosity and asked.

“The effect… is hard to say,” Elder Han pointed at the light screen and explained, “For example, in these three city marketplaces, 99% of cultivators cannot enter, but our people can. The intelligence obtained is much more than others’.”

“But they’re not from the Three Clans, so they can only see the surface,” Lord Shuyu Dragon frowned and said, “If your disguise method is so powerful, why not just impersonate them outright?” ᚱᴀƝőʙЁṨ

“Well…”

Elder Han glanced at Zheng Fa, and seeing him nod, explained:

“That would endanger the disciples. It’s a different philosophy of our Jiushan Sect intelligence division compared to other sects.”

“Disciples’ safety?”

“People from the Three Clans hold high status and power;

countless eyes are watching. To impersonate them requires not only changing appearance and cultivation techniques but also mimicking daily habits. The requirements on disciples are too high.”

Lord Shuyu Dragon said, “I remember the immortal sects were heavily infiltrated by the Demon Sect before.”

“That’s true,” Elder Han explained, “but the Demon Sect never hesitates to sacrifice disciples.”

In the hall, Ancestor of the Blood River nodded. “Back then, from the Great Freedom Sect’s disciples sent to the immortal sects, one out of ten surviving was considered good. To climb high, it depended purely on luck — maybe one or two out of a thousand.”

“That… really was a deadly job.”

Ancestor of the Blood River came from the Great Freedom Demonic Sect, so his words were true.

Back then, there were many Demon Sect spies in the immortal sects, but on the other hand, it was the achievement of various demon sects over an era spanning hundreds of thousands of years.

Jiushan Sect didn’t have that time and didn’t want to waste disciples cultivated with such effort.

“Then wouldn’t that delay intelligence gathering?”

“That’s the philosophy of our Jiushan Sect intelligence division — no, of the Sect Leader.”

“Sect Leader’s philosophy? What philosophy?”

Lord Shuyu Dragon looked at Zheng Fa, while Elder Han’s explanation reached his ears:

“Our intelligence division focuses more on collecting open data, believing that even open data alone can reveal a large amount of intelligence.”

“Open data?” Lord Shuyu Dragon looked even more confused.

“For example, market prices, foot traffic in the marketplaces, the shipment volume of magical tools for Haori Mountain, disciple benefits — all these data we collect.”

“What does that prove?” Lord Shuyu Dragon asked curiously.

“It proves a lot,” Elder Han began to explain. “For instance, after the Heavenly River upheaval, for a period, the prices of pills and magical tools in Haori Mountain soared.”

“Of course, Haori Mountain’s Dao Fruit cultivators fell under Heavenly River Sect control;

naturally, they rushed to buy supplies.”

“But since last year, prices in Haori Mountain have dropped again, falling by as much as 40%.”

Lord Shuyu Dragon’s expression shifted slightly, beginning to understand Elder Han’s point. “You mean Haori Mountain has Dao Fruit cultivators?”

“That’s one possibility, but what’s certain is that Haori Mountain’s high-level officials have changed and gained more confidence.”

Lord Shuyu Dragon found it reasonable and pressed on, “What else?”

“Another thing is that the Haori Mountain marketplaces have more products with… Demon Sect style.”

“Demon Sect style?”

“For example, Gu insects, blood pills, and various bloodline-related pills,” Elder Han shook his head, “No one knows where they come from.”

“On the contrary, because we are getting stronger in the artifact market, their output of magical tools and artifacts seems to have decreased a lot, even causing shortages. The price of magical tools on the market has been rising.”

“So, does that mean Haori Mountain might be connected to some Demon Ancestor? Even the Dao Fruit cultivator the Three Clans trust might be a Demon Ancestor?”

“That’s hard to say,” Elder Han’s face showed frustration. “Our people have limited identities;

this kind of intelligence can’t be deduced from open data.”

“Impressive,” Lord Shuyu Dragon sighed sincerely before Zheng Fa spoke. “Most of these things aren’t secrets to most people, but… I haven’t seen others deduce this much intelligence from them.”

“There are some,” Elder Han confessed, “Although those vendors don’t deliberately pay attention, they know quite a bit. Sometimes, they even know more than the sect disciples. Our intelligence division has consulted many vendors in the marketplaces, but large sects trust magical methods more. It was the Sect Leader’s reminder that led to this method.”

Under Elder Han’s gaze, Zheng Fa was not arrogant. This kind of thing was common in the modern world.

Cultivators in the Xuanyi Realm were not fools;

fundamentally, it was path dependency. On the other hand, this method could not fully compensate for intelligence gaps.

What concerned him more was Elder Han’s mention of the Demon Ancestor.

“Demon Ancestor, Haori Mountain, Lu Mo, Nine Luminaries Heaven…” Zheng Fa frowned, “A tangled mess. Any more intelligence?”

“The rest cannot be summarized yet, but Lu Yan is somewhat special.”

“Hm?”

“Our people allied with Lu Yan to find a strong backing. Lu Yan’s status is high;

he’s a direct descendant of an elder of the Lu Clan. Although his own cultivation is only Golden Core, he has an elder sister who is already a Yang Spirit cultivator. Their sibling relationship is very close.”

Remembering Lu Yan’s influence in the marketplaces, everyone nodded. Zheng Fa recalled that when he first went to Haori Mountain, he had met Lu Yan’s sister, who was indeed a talented disciple.

“We think that after understanding Lu Yan’s personality and connections, we might be able to impersonate him,” Elder Han said. “It’s risky, but we’re fairly confident now.”

Zheng Fa nodded.

They cared more about disciples’ lives but wouldn’t be completely restrained. If there was confidence, impersonating a key figure was an option.

But that was for later. The current issue was whether Zheng Fa should go to Nine Luminaries Heaven.

“I think we should be cautious. If there’s a Demon Ancestor…” Uncle Pang frowned, “There are only two possibilities: Lu Mo or a Demon Ancestor related to Lu Mo. Haori Mountain might be even more dangerous than before.”

That was true.

Last time Zheng Fa went to Haori Mountain, at most there was only Immortal Yun.

Lord Shuyu Dragon opened his mouth but seemed hesitant to speak, as if wary of something.

Zheng Fa knew she still thought it best to go.

After all, without resolving the Fusang Wood matter, his cultivation would be hard to advance, let alone possible opportunities.

But since he was new here, Lord Shuyu Dragon did not want to argue with Uncle Pang.

“Whether to go or not, I have to ask someone.”

“Who?”

“The Nine Nether Emperor.”

Uncle Pang was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized, “That’s who you should ask.”

Lord Shuyu Dragon smiled, “Not only should we ask, if we can get any life-saving means from the Nine Nether Emperor, then it would be foolproof.”

Uncle Pang laughed, “Life-saving means? Easier said than done. That would require the Sect Leader’s silver tongue.”

Zheng Fa transformed into a shooting star, passed through Haori Mountain’s territory, and headed straight for the Underworld.

Since it involved the Demon Ancestor, naturally it was better to ask the Nine Nether Emperor, a firsthand witness from the Demon Ancestor era.

He arrived at the edge of the Underworld, still shrouded in a white mist. Shadows flickered within the fog, with no sound at all.

Zheng Fa took out the Nine Nether Talisman Edict and shouted, “Emperor, Zheng Fa requests an audience.”

The talisman edict emitted a cold black light, and the white fog before him parted. A figure stepped out.

“Sect Leader Yan?”

“What Sect Leader Yan? Just call me Yan Changge.”

Zheng Fa paused slightly but still spoke, “Wu Shuang and I are peers;

shall I call you Uncle Yan?”

Yan Changge’s steps halted briefly. He looked back at Zheng Fa and smiled slightly, “Alright.”

After a moment, he asked, “Is Wu Shuang well?”

“Uncle Yan hasn’t contacted him?”

“He doesn’t talk much with me.”

Zheng Fa nodded lightly and stopped asking, instead saying, “I have entrusted the Slaying Immortal Sword to him. Of course, if he is unable, I will take it back in the future.”

“Slaying Immortal Sword…”

Yan Changge seemed to recall the times he was restrained by the Slaying Immortal Sword in the Heavenly River Sect. His expression grew complicated, and after a long while, he nodded, “Thank you.”

“It’s because Brother Yan’s ability is exceptional.”

Yan Changge said nothing, only shook his head with a smile.

“Uncle Yan, how is the situation in the Underworld?”

“Chaotic.”

Upon hearing this, Yan Changge’s face turned bitter. “The reincarnation cycle just stabilized. Residual souls from the myriad realms gather in the Underworld. We have to judge their good or evil deeds in life and arrange reincarnation. We’re short on manpower.”

“Is the Emperor busy with this too?”

Before Zheng Fa came, he contacted the Nine Nether Emperor but received no reply, so he came directly.

Yan Changge’s eyes showed some caution but said, “I’ll take you to see.”

Zheng Fa followed Yan Changge to the summit of Yin Mountain.

The Nine Nether Emperor sat cross-legged, dressed in black.

Yan Changge bowed, “Emperor, Zheng Fa has arrived.”

The Nine Nether Emperor opened his eyes. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly looked up to the sky.

In the sky, a golden fist with clearly defined joints, like a burning meteor, crashed down toward the Underworld.

The Nine Nether Emperor seemed unfazed, shooting a black-and-white profound light from his fingertip, shattering the fist, then looked back at Zheng Fa.

“This is…”

“A probe from Leiyin Temple.”

“Probe?”

“They don’t want me to manage the reincarnation cycle but want to rescue their disciples, so they keep probing my Underworld,” the Nine Nether Emperor sneered, “Besides, I’ve dug out their roots.”

“Emperor, you are Taiyi…”

“I’m not afraid, but there are others in the Underworld.”

Yan Changge’s face darkened, whispering, “It’s our incompetence.”

The Nine Nether Emperor shook his head and looked at Zheng Fa. “You came to ask about Lu Mo?”

“Emperor, has the Original Demon Ancestor revived?”

“I don’t know.”

“Don’t know?”

“Normally, anyone who dies should have their soul return to the Underworld. Even Dao Fruit cultivators. But the Original Demon Ancestor doesn’t. Not just the Original Demon Ancestor, but also the Demon Emperor.”

Zheng Fa frowned deeply at this news.

This was not good news.

If Haori Mountain was now backed by the Original Demon Ancestor, Zheng Fa would never go there—Lu Mo and other Demon Ancestors’ methods were completely different. Zheng Fa was not that stubborn.

“Then Emperor, could you examine these items and see which Demon Ancestor’s style they belong to?”

Zheng Fa took out from his storage pouch two Gu insects, five pills, and a magical tool made of white bones.

These were all purchased by Jiushan Sect disciples from the Haori Mountain marketplaces.

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor glanced and suddenly stood up.

“Where did these pills come from?”

It was clear that the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor was very agitated.

“They appeared in the Haori Mountain marketplaces. Emperor, do you recognize them?”

“Of course I recognize them!” The Nine Nether Emperor’s eyes flashed cold light.

“These Gu insects are the style of the Gu God.”

“The magical tool is the legacy of the White Bone Demon Ancestor.”

“And these pills are… from Zao Hua.”

Zheng Fa immediately understood why the Nine Nether Emperor lost his composure. This was linked to an old case:

Back then, the Zao Hua Demon Ancestor slandered the Heavenly River Venerable, which was the direct trigger of the Heavenly River upheaval.

After the upheaval, these Demon Ancestors seemed to have pursued the Nine Nether Emperor.

Among them, the Zao Hua Demon Ancestor was likely the Nine Nether Emperor’s deep enemy.

Given the Nine Nether Emperor’s temperament…

“They’re hiding in Haori Mountain? What a Haori Mountain!” The Nine Nether Emperor’s gaze shifted toward Haori Mountain. “No wonder I haven’t found any trace of them for so many years.”

He stood up, a look of frustration at wanting to go out and seek revenge but being trapped in the Underworld.

After a long while, he looked at Zheng Fa and said, “I cannot leave.”

Zheng Fa nodded.

“You can go.”

“Don’t worry.” The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor took out a gray jade talisman and said, “This talisman has the power of one strike from me and can guide you back to the Underworld. Even facing Golden Immortals, you will have no life-threatening worries.”

The silver tongue was not even needed…

Zheng Fa did not take the talisman but looked troubled. “I’m not helping the Emperor, but Haori Mountain might have three Demon Ancestors now. This is too dangerous…”

“…Haori Mountain won’t let you off easily. Don’t think I don’t know—you came for Haori Mountain!”

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor directly interrupted him.

Zheng Fa laughed honestly and did not argue.

The Nine Nether Emperor looked at him for a long time, then sighed deeply: “You’re shameless, descendant of Heavenly River.”

Zheng Fa felt a bit ashamed in his heart.

“You really found the right person.”