Cultivation: I Have Studied Abroad in the Modern World
Chapter 276 - 164: Blood God Technique, Tongming Sighs

Chapter 276: Chapter 164: Blood God Technique, Tongming Sighs

Jiushan Sect.

Master Pang stood at the summit of the ninth peak, saying softly to the world beyond:

"I’ve lived in Jiushan Sect for tens of thousands of years, yet I can no longer recognize this place."

The Sect Leader beside him was also speechless.

The outside world had changed completely.

At the foot of the mountain, by the dock, the great river that was once flowing was now devoid of water, replaced by a viscous, dark red stream of blood.

It should have been daytime, but a blood river appeared in the sky—a blood-colored Milky Way.

Above and below, the two rivers of blood reflected each other’s light, casting an ominous glow over the landscape for miles around.

"Is this Divinity Transformation?" Master Pang sighed. "Its emergence has changed the celestial phenomena."

"Not just that."

The Sect Leader said in a low voice, "I’ve recently discovered that the power of some of my talismanic magic has been diminishing..."

Master Pang was startled and said, "That sounds a bit like the Heavenly Stele Realm? Where they can change the power of various spells and spirit talismans?"

"Yes, Nephew Zhang discussed the matter of Divinity Transformation with me the other day... This Divinity Transformation might indeed affect the Heavenly Dao," the Sect Leader spoke and said no more.

His expression had already turned grim.

On the other hand, it was useless to say more at this moment.

"Speaking of Nephew Zhang, where is she? Still beneath the Mountain and River True Form Talisman?"

The Sect Leader nodded and looked at his junior brother: "I do not know why the Blood River Ancestor is delaying, but seeing the evil spirit in the blood river grow stronger by the day, I fear he cannot wait much longer."

Master Pang nodded, seeming to understand the Sect Leader’s meaning.

"I will ask Nephew Zhang to come down from the mountain; she has exhausted a lot of Spiritual Power and Divine Soul in these days to awaken the Ancestor. Considering the urgency of the situation, she must rest."

The Sect Leader nodded and watched as Master Pang headed up the mountain.

He turned back, looked toward the blood river outside the mountain, and took out an array plate, gently caressing it.

...

As Master Pang went up the mountain, he saw Zhang sitting under the Mountain and River True Form Talisman, with Spiritual Energy around her changing infinitely like clouds and mist, seemingly trying to invoke a reaction from the Mountain and River True Form Talisman.

But the Mountain and River True Form Talisman merely pulsed with a faint glow that flickered on and off, with no other changes.

After waiting for a while, Zhang showed no sign of awakening, and so he couldn’t help but softly call out, "Nephew Zhang."

Zhang slowly opened her eyes, showing a trace of tiredness and an extremely weary look.

Master Pang knew that Nephew Zhang was merely at the beginning of her Nascent Soul stage, and it was quite normal for her to be mentally drained from comprehending the Divinity Transformation Method.

Thinking this, he felt a bit ashamed:

"We are of no help here."

He had seen the books given by Zheng Fa; to be honest, it wasn’t that he entirely misunderstood, but to comprehend the intricate Spiritual Energy circuit of the Mountain and River True Form Talisman was far too difficult.

It was the same for the Sect Leader.

Zhang shook her head; she was not one to complain. She merely asked, "Is there something you needed, Uncle Master?"

"The Blood River Ancestor..." Master Pang seemed unsure how to explain, "There seems to be some changes outside the mountain, I fear it’s not good."

Zhang glanced outside and seemed to have anticipated this: "This is probably the influence of the Dao Fruit of the Blood River Ancestor on this world."

"Hmm?"

"I’ve gained some insights from comprehending the Mountain and River True Form Talisman these past few days," Zhang explained. "The struggle within Divinity Transformation may not be as we imagined. It’s a contest of Dao..."

Master Pang was somewhat confused.

Zhang shook her head: "The Blood River Ancestor’s delay probably isn’t due to the fear of our Jiushan Sect, but rather... the fear of this world."

Hearing this, Master Pang was baffled, his eyes filled with confusion.

However, his visit wasn’t to discuss these matters with Nephew Zhang but to persuade Zhang Wuyi to let go of her fixation on the Jiushan Ancestor and to prepare well for the Blood River Ancestor.

...

"The Blood River has actually come in person?"

Far away, Tongming Master, who was confronting Qingyun Great Saint, opened his mouth wide in shock.

Qingyun Great Saint glanced at him with a smile, "The Blood River Ancestor achieved his Dao through the Daoist Skill of the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor. You and I have made our bets with our Lifebound Spiritual Treasures, but he can only obey the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor."

"Moreover, with the decline of Spiritual Energy approaching, it’s just the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor placing his piece first."

"Besides, what’s a Blood River Ancestor count for?"

Upon hearing this, Tongming Master could only sigh, "We are but pawns after all... But you know that getting involved with the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor never leads to anything good, why would you still..."

He didn’t believe Qingyun Great Saint was truly taking a stand for the Demon Race.

In essence, the Demon Race was disjointed and scattered.

Furthermore, while the demons below the stage of Nascent Soul might live a hard life, very few dared to bully a Divinity Transformation being like Qingyun Great Saint.

"Great Freedom Heaven."

Qingyun Great Saint uttered four words.

Tongming Master seemed to understand instantly, looking up abruptly, "The Great Freedom Demon Ancestor is willing to offer Great Freedom Heaven? Shouldn’t he be hiding within Great Freedom Heaven to escape the calamity of the declining Spiritual Energy?"

He now understood why Qingyun Great Saint worked with the Great Freedom Demon Sect.

And why Qingyun Great Saint stated that the Blood River Ancestor counted for nothing.

The longevity of the Demon Sect and the Demon Ancestor, having survived two epochs, couldn’t be separated from secret realms like Great Freedom Heaven.

"How would I know that? Besides, what a mighty being is the Demon Ancestor? Could he deceive me?" Qingyun Great Saint shook his head, "They offered you this price, and the cost is the entire Hundred Immortals Alliance..."

"You’re not willing?"

Tongming Master remained silent, failing to find words of rebuttal.

His gaze toward the Jiushan Sect held a hint of pity—

The Great Freedom Demon Ancestor was willing to give up the Great Freedom Heaven; such an action was no small matter.

Jiushan Sect was likely struck by misfortune, standing in the way of the exit of the Demon Sect’s secret realm...

Zheng Fa sat beside the Sun and Moon Clock, refining the spiritual materials he had obtained earlier while watching Xiao Yuying sense the various electromagnetic waves in the medicine garden.

From time to time, he had to activate the Sun and Moon Clock to move it—

To operate this artifact, a vast amount of Spiritual Power was required.

Moreover, with the Fusang Wood in his Dantian, a major consumer of Spiritual Power, these spiritual materials seemed like they were specifically provided for their consumption.

Their journey was slow—according to Zheng Fa’s estimates, it would probably take several days to return to the Jiushan Sect.

It wasn’t that the Sun and Moon Clock wasn’t powerful, but it fundamentally wasn’t an artifact meant for travel.

Zheng Fa’s Spiritual Power was too weak; he might not even be able to unleash one ten-thousandth of the Sun and Moon Clock’s potential,

resulting in the slower speed.

Perhaps noticing his impatience, Xiao Yuying said with a smile, "You’re worried about the Jiushan Sect? Worried that the Great Freedom Demon Sect will breach the gates of the Jiushan Sect?"

Zheng Fa nodded.

"It should be the Great Freedom Demon Sect worrying about you..."

Xiao Yuying pondered for a moment, then suddenly spoke.

"Huh?"

"They are truly unlucky... to have encountered someone of great destiny like you upon their emergence."

"..."

Zheng Fa vaguely understood why Xiao Yuying was so observant of the changes within him.

"Great destiny?"

"It’s a very old saying," said Xiao Yuying, "Those who can command a Pocket World Spiritual Treasure are considered people of great destiny."

Zheng Fa suddenly realized this matter probably needed to be traced back to the Divine Dao Era—

At that time, the great powers all rose to prominence with the help of Pocket World Spiritual Treasures.

"Actually... I previously thought that although you were able to defeat me in the Heavenly Stele Realm, you wouldn’t be able to control a Pocket World Spiritual Treasure for a while."

"Huh?"

"My Master wasn’t able to control it either..."

Zheng Fa was stunned.

The message within her words carried a bit of an explosion—first, Xiao Yuying indeed came from an impressive background; her Master was at least at the Divinity Transformation stage, and even had a Pocket World Spiritual Treasure?

Yet not as fortunate as himself.

Seizing the reversely reflected Five-Color Spiritual Light like a cuckoo occupying a sparrow’s nest.

Xiao Yuying looked at Zheng Fa with eyes that conveyed—confusion mixed with envy.

"Fairy Xiao, exactly how many Pocket World Spiritual Treasures are there?"

Having finally met someone knowledgeable, Zheng Fa inquired.

"How would I know?" Xiao Yuying pouted, "But my Master mentioned that not all Pocket World Spiritual Treasures are the same—there’s a hierarchy among them, apparently based on the number of complete Treasure Prohibitions."

Zheng Fa was startled.

He looked at the Spiritual Power circuits on the Sun and Moon Clock; they called these things Prohibitions?

In a way, it made sense—the Spiritual Power circuits dictate the rules of Spiritual Energy within the Jiushan Realm and indeed function as a form of Prohibition.

"You’ve managed to command this Sun and Moon Clock, and you’re currently only at the Foundation Establishment Stage... I am certain that the Great Freedom Demon Sect will surely regret it," Xiao Yuying said softly, looking at Zheng Fa.

Tongming Master remained speechless for a long time, gazing at the blood-colored Tianhe in the distance.

The Qingyun Great Saint seemed to understand his thoughts, "Does my friend wish to leave?"

"Would the Great Saint try to stop me?"

"My friend jests... Although I covet the Great Freedom Heaven, I am not the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor’s servant; I just do what I ought to do," the Qingyun Great Saint said with a smile.

"Great Freedom Heaven..."

Tongming Master sighed, he had initially thought to see if he could save one or two people from the Jiushan Sect.

But now, he knew that a Great Freedom Heaven alone could make even the Qingyun Great Saint fight desperately.

Because he too would fight desperately for such a Pocket World amidst the decline of Spiritual Energy—it was a chance for survival!

The Jiushan Sect now was likely doomed to destruction—Qingyun Great Saint’s reluctance to conflict with him was one thing, but fulfilling the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor’s decree was another.

"In fact..." the Qingyun Great Saint went on, "According to Blood River Ancestor, the Demon Ancestor of the Jiushan Sect doesn’t really care. Blocking the way with the Thunder Pool is but a trivial matter."

"But Zhang Wuyi, and a little disciple named Zheng Fa... the Demon Ancestor seems to attach great importance to them for some reason... He mentioned something about a Three Child Talismans theory..."

Tongming Master slightly furrowed his brows, not quite understanding.

"The Blood River Ancestor has come in person, to capture Zhang Wuyi..."

After thinking for a while, Tongming Master said, "Zhang Wuyi’s reputation as a prodigy I have always heard of, but that Zheng Fa... who is he?"

The Qingyun Great Saint shook his head and looked toward the Jiushan Sect.

Beside the Jiushan Sect, amidst the surging waves of two parallel Blood Rivers, the peaks of the waves revealed two eerie, terrifying, and dazzling Immortal Swords.

A gaunt old figure appeared out of the void, grasping the two Immortal Swords—it was the Blood River Ancestor.

He glanced at the Mountain Protection Array of the Jiushan Sect with a hint of mockery at the corner of his mouth, then with a flick of his hand, the Immortal Swords in his grasp suddenly vanished.