BOOK 2: CHAPTER 404: SECRETS OF THE HEAVENLY RIVER, SPIRIT EYE ADVANCEMENT

Vol 2 Chapter 404: Secrets of the Heavenly River, Spirit Eye Advancement

"Respectfully welcoming the Venerable!"

From afar, Lady Nishang saw the Taishang Dao's Li Sanxian cupping his hands toward her.

Her expression showed slight awkwardness.

She was familiar with Ancestor Xuanding, having known him since the previous era.

This Li Sanxian had achieved enlightenment in this era, and she hadn't been able to enter Xuanyi for many years, so they hadn't interacted much.

She only heard he was the most outstanding disciple of Taishang Dao in this era.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but recall Zheng Fa whom she had met not long ago, and gently shook her head.

Being late was already impolite, and making such comparisons was truly disrespectful to Taishang Dao, not very appropriate.

"I was delayed too long." Seeing Li Sanxian's slightly surprised expression, Lady Nishang explained, then changed the subject, "Where's Xuanding?"

"The Patriarch is temporarily unavailable and is respectfully awaiting the Venerable's arrival."

Lady Nishang frowned, feeling inexplicably anxious.

She knew that unless the situation was quite bad, Xuanding wouldn't be so impolite.

This place was two hundred li from Tianhe Sect, and they could still see the Slaying Immortal Formation Diagram floating in the distant void.

Before them stretched what was almost a military camp.

Tents stretched continuously to the horizon, and even with her vision, she couldn't discern how vast this camp was.

Within the camp, thousands of cultivators moved about.

Some seemed to be patrolling.

Others appeared to be transporting supplies, refining pills, or even forging magical tools.

Everyone was busy, without a moment's pause.

She couldn't help but look at Li Sanxian.

"There are many Nine Nether Demonic Sect members within Tianhe Sect now, so we must remain vigilant."

Lady Nishang suddenly understood and asked, "So you've surrounded Tianhe Sect completely?"

"Exactly," Li Sanxian replied. "Most of our Taishang Dao and Haori Mountain cultivators are gathered here."

Lady Nishang took another look at the camp, then moved, instantly flashing into a white tent where Ancestor Xuanding sat before maps, account books, and counting rods, not even looking up when she entered. 𝘳ἁΝ𝔬𝐛Ёṥ

Knowing Xuanding's eccentricities, Lady Nishang simply asked, "How's the situation?"

Ancestor Xuanding looked up, his brow tightly furrowed, not questioning why she was so late, only saying:

"Haori is weak."

Lady Nishang frowned, not understanding.

Then she heard Ancestor Xuanding continue: "Lacking magical tools."

Spitting out six words at once showed Xuanding was somewhat anxious...

She finally understood.

Setting up formations required massive manpower and resources.

Besides spirit stones, many magical tools and artifacts were needed.

Because Haori Mountain excelled at artifact forging, many formation components had to be crafted by them.

The awkward part was that twenty percent of Haori Mountain's spirit veins had been destroyed.

Now Haori Mountain was somewhat short on spirit materials.

Li Sanxian helpfully added: "Immortal Yun from Haori Mountain hasn't arrived yet, only sending disciples."

Now she understood why Xuanding was so angry.

Unfortunately, with Rogue Immortal Luo not yet resurrected in current Haori Mountain, Immortal Yun was the only Dao Fruit cultivator.

Now that Immortal Yun was unavailable, Xuanding probably had to manage these Haori Mountain disciples too.

Given Xuanding's temperament, he was likely already annoyed and overwhelmed.

She immediately felt relieved:

Haori Mountain's problems had nothing to do with Yaochi!

"Just the three of us?"

"Hmm, Leiyin Temple people should be departing soon. Immortal Yun will only set out after Leiyin Temple's people arrive." Li Sanxian dutifully explained.

Lady Nishang smiled: "Haori Mountain really isn't in any hurry at all."

"They are anxious. They say they need to arrange Rogue Immortal Luo's resurrection matters." Li Sanxian said softly. "However, they're probably waiting for Leiyin Temple's people because they're afraid we might turn against them."

Lady Nishang's expression turned peculiar.

As if they're specifically guarding against you, surnamed Li!

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor possessed extraordinary strength, combined with the Slaying Immortal Sword Formation, making him a major threat to the Four Sects.

Moreover, this person had old grievances with the Four Sects, making them mortal enemies.

His activities at Tianhe Sect worried all Four Sects.

But some were more anxious than others.

Yaochi and Leiyin Temple were far away in the Western Continent, not as close to Tianhe Sect as Haori Mountain and Taishang Dao.

Therefore, the main forces against the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor would be Taishang Dao and Haori Mountain.

Of course, when dividing Tianhe Sect's territory later, these two sects would take the lion's share.

The problem was, the Four Sects were already close to breaking point.

Immortal Yun, who should be most anxious, was delaying his arrival. Ultimately, wasn't he afraid that Taishang Dao and himself would besiege him first?

After all, this surnamed Li had actually done such things before...

Lady Nishang couldn't help but glance at Li Sanxian with disdain:

Not only wasting the great opportunity created by Sect Leader Zheng, but also making that surnamed Yun cautious!

Seeming to understand Lady Nishang's gaze, Li Sanxian lightly coughed and said: "Since the Venerable has arrived, the northern formation of Tianhe Sect shall be entrusted to you."

Lady Nishang looked at Xuanding, who nodded and handed her several formation diagrams.

She didn't refuse, storing them in her sleeve, then asked Li Sanxian: "How long until this grand formation is complete?"

"With the combined strength of Four Sects, forty years should suffice."

Lady Nishang slightly frowned.

Li Sanxian thought she couldn't wait and said: "Venerable, this Slaying Immortal Sword Formation is no ordinary..."

"I'm not worried about that, I'm..." Lady Nishang shook her head. "With all Four Sects focused on the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor and Tianhe Sect, what about the other Demon Ancestors?"

The tent fell silent.

Until Ancestor Xuanding slowly spoke: "Demon Ancestors... fear Nine Nether."

Lady Nishang paused, then gently nodded without further hesitation, changing the subject: "After breaking Tianhe Sect, the territory goes to you and Taishang Dao."

"What about the relics within Tianhe Sect?"

The tent fell silent again until Li Sanxian lightly laughed: "It seems Yaochi is quite certain Tianhe Venerable left something behind."

"It appears that back then, Tianhe Venerable's relationship with Yaochi..."

Lady Nishang looked up at him, her expression making Li Sanxian momentarily speechless, not daring to say more.

"Search."

Ancestor Xuanding spoke.

"Indeed, last tribulation, we searched everywhere in Tianhe but found nothing."

Lady Nishang nodded.

Li Sanxian also nodded: "This time, even if we have to turn Tianhe Sect upside down... we must find it."

Lady Nishang smiled: "Each by their own means?"

Ancestor Xuanding gently nodded, his eyes sharp.

Ancestor Xuanding disliked small talk. After gathering some intelligence from Lady Nishang, she simply took her leave, preparing to take her disciples to their quarters.

Li Sanxian escorted her out of the camp, suddenly saying halfway: "Venerable, is that thing really in Tianhe Sect?"

"I don't know... but Tianhe Sect definitely left something behind."

Hearing this, Li Sanxian seemed utterly convinced and asked no more, only adding:

"Venerable, the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor's methods are mysterious. The cultivators in camp aren't necessarily trustworthy. Please keep an extra eye on these formation diagrams and intelligence."

Lady Nishang said bluntly: "I understand. I won't easily disclose details even to sect disciples."

Li Sanxian self-deprecatingly said: "I spoke out of turn."

Lady Nishang and her group weren't staying in tents. Being female cultivators, they weren't accustomed to it.

Fortunately, they brought a treasure hall where the group settled.

She entered her room, took out the Tongjian, opened Spirit Message, and messaged Zheng Fa:

"Sect Leader Zheng..."

She thought about it, feeling this address wasn't intimate enough, and changed to:

"Leader..."

Seeming to think it too intimate, she changed again to:

"Alliance Leader, I've just arrived at Tianhe and met with Xuanding..."

"There are 8,400 Taishang Dao cultivators here, Haori Mountain has..."

"The formation will take forty years to complete..."

...

Looking at Lady Nishang's lengthy message that was part report, part casual chat, Zheng Fa couldn't help but admire:

Lady Nishang was thorough!

The more he interacted with her, the more he appreciated her meticulousness and thoroughness.

Since leaving Jiushan Realm, she had frequently messaged him, even sending daily updates.

This Venerable wasn't a chatterbox like Xie Qingxue, but was deliberately strengthening their connection and building rapport.

Yet she never wasted words - every message contained valuable information.

Looking carefully, Zheng Fa noticed her messages were 70-80% about Haori Mountain's arrangements, 20-30% about Taishang Dao's situation.

As for Yaochi?

Less than ten percent.

Very measured.

Even if exposed later, Lady Nishang would remain completely clean.

Had to admit, the Divine Path as Xuanyi's unique high-end service industry seemed quite training.

After reading Lady Nishang's message, he handed the Creation Jade to Xie Qingxue in the hall.

Xie Qingxue was initially puzzled, but after reading, her face turned pale.

"The Four Sects' relationship is so poor, yet they can still unite against my Tianhe..."

Xie Qingxue had identified the key point.

Despite Lady Nishang happily selling out Haori Mountain, she was quite enthusiastic about dealing with the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor.

Who knew what the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor had done.

Zheng Fa raised his hand and said: "According to Lady Nishang, their formation will take forty years. Sect Master Yan should be safe for now."

Actually, seeing Taishang Dao and Leiyin Temple's scheming against each other.

He doubted they could complete it in forty years.

But his comfort was sincere, even somewhat certain.

Hearing this, Xie Qingxue put away her anxious expression, slowly nodding: "Actually, I'll be fine when I return later. My junior brother has formed his Nascent Soul and doesn't need my protection anymore. I just ask that you, Sect Leader, guide him occasionally and help him understand worldly matters."

This wasn't the first time Xie Qingxue had expressed this intention.

Even her current dedication to Jiushan Sect and generously teaching Jiushan disciples served this purpose.

Sect Master Yan... really knew how to judge people.

Zheng Fa looked deeply at Xie Qingxue, unable to say certain words.

This Fairy Xie had even better measure than Lady Nishang.

Though she wanted to save her master, she never asked Zheng Fa or Jiushan Sect to intervene.

However, Lady Nishang's measure came from experience.

While Xie Qingxue's measure came from thoughtful kindness.

Seeming to understand Zheng Fa's gaze, Xie Qingxue smiled: "I've learned the Heavenly and Earthly Fiend Transformations at Jiushan Sect. Even if I return, I can do so undetected. Don't worry, Sect Leader."

"Moreover, I can check if the Patriarch left cultivation methods for the next realm of Heavenly River Method."

Zheng Fa gently nodded.

He had summoned Xie Qingxue specifically to discuss this matter.

The Yellow Court Scripture was powerful but truly troublesome to cultivate, especially since this technique had no precedent in Xuanyi, requiring step-by-step self-creation, making it even more difficult.

Currently, Zheng Fa's Dharmakaya was at least at the Scattered Immortal level.

He neither wanted his strength to become unbalanced again nor dared challenge the Fusang Wood, so he wouldn't cultivate his Dharmakaya further in the short term.

Now, using the One Qi Transforming into Three Purities method, his Yang Spirit had also achieved Corpse Liberation.

Calculating this way, the next step of Yellow Court Scripture was stuck at Heavenly River Method.

The problem was, Heavenly River Method's next step didn't exist even in former Tianhe Sect.

He didn't even know if Tianhe Venerable had perfected Heavenly River Method back then.

Until the Three Patriarchs' Dao Competition, when Tianhe Venerable gave him a surprise.

"That day, the Patriarch demonstrated techniques..." Xie Qingxue said affirmatively, "definitely exceeding the Unity stage..."

"And it was pure Heavenly River Method!"

Zheng Fa gently nodded.

Having cultivated Heavenly River Method himself, he naturally felt this too.

Moreover, the Three Patriarchs' Dao Competition was essentially showing off their techniques' power.

Given Tianhe Venerable's personality, he wouldn't demonstrate other techniques.

The problem was... Tianhe Venerable was like a magician - showing off then disappearing, leaving only surprised and confused Zheng Fa and Xie Qingxue.

"The Patriarch demonstrated this technique for a reason. He probably left the inheritance somewhere." Xie Qingxue speculated.

This made sense.

"I've already asked Xiao Yuying and others to search for Tianhe Venerable's relics."

"Moreover, if it were just for this technique, I wouldn't want you to take risks, Fairy Xie... With more research, Jiushan Sect might develop Heavenly River Method's next step."

"Also, Tianhe Venerable might have hated Tianhe Sect..."

Zheng Fa rambled on, seemingly confident in Jiushan Sect's research capabilities.

Xie Qingxue looked at him and suddenly smiled: "Time?"

"......

"I naturally believe in Jiushan disciples' research capabilities, but will Haori Mountain, Leiyin Temple, and the Ancient Immortals give us that much time?"

Zheng Fa fell silent.

"Moreover, what Patriarch relic could surpass Tianhe Sect itself?"

Zheng Fa was even more speechless.

In a way, Tianhe Sect was Tianhe Venerable's greatest relic.

"Moreover, that's not why I'm returning."

Zheng Fa opened his mouth to speak further, but Xie Qingxue added: "I am a sword cultivator."

Hearing this, Zheng Fa finally gave up and stopped persuading her.

As they sat in silence, Uncle Pang and Senior Sister Zhang arrived from Tianshi Yuan, both looking pleased.

"How did it go?"

"Very smooth! We encountered few dangers along the way!"

Uncle Pang said while taking a jade box from his sleeve. Opening it revealed dozens of green jade bottles packed inside.

Zheng Fa also showed delight.

This was the first trial run of the East-West trade route.

For safety, they didn't even use Divine Thunder Warships, but had dozens of Nascent Soul cultivators relay transport—mainly to test if the route was truly safe.

This made shipping quite fast—four months from Yaochi to Jiushan Realm.

What delighted Zheng Fa more was that this shipment contained the Hundred Flowers Spirit Dew he had been concerned about.

He had been thinking about this item since the Six Sects Alliance meeting.

For no other reason than its excellent benefits for Spiritual Vision cultivation.

The Heavenly and Earthly Fiend Transformations most needed the Spiritual Vision Technique.

Otherwise, this technique would be almost impossible to master—memorizing everything's composition was too demanding.

With powerful Spiritual Vision Technique, cultivators with Heavenly and Earthly Fiend Transformations could adapt spells to circumstances without rote memorization.

Lowering the threshold significantly.

Therefore, Zheng Fa specifically requested this item for the first trade route trial.

The Hundred Flowers Spirit Dew wasn't expensive—about a hundred spirit stones per bottle, nearly equivalent to operating the Nine Chapters Calculation Array once.

Similar to Golden Core stage pill prices.

Of course, this was at Yaochi.

If transported to Eastern Continent, the price would increase ten to hundredfold, if available at all.

Lady Nishang was generous, instructing her subordinates to give Jiushan Sect cost price.

.....

"According to the Venerable, drinking this eight to ten times yields diminishing returns." Senior Sister Zhang said. "I wonder if it can further enhance the Void-Piercing Spirit Eye."

Uncle Pang looked excited: "Maybe it can advance the Void-Piercing Spirit Eye to void-piercing level?"

The Void-Piercing Spirit Eye was his specialty, and for Jiushan Sect, this spirit eye was an crucial research tool.

Though he had cultivated this spirit eye for decades since obtaining it, he remained at the second layer, human subtlety, never reaching the void-piercing threshold.

Looking at those bottles of Hundred Flowers Spirit Dew, he couldn't help coveting them: "How about..."

Senior Sister Zhang suddenly said: "Why don't you try it, junior brother?"

Uncle Pang paused, looking at Zheng Fa, then Xie Qingxue, noticing her nodding too. He felt somewhat indignant—everyone at Jiushan Sect curried favor with Zheng Fa now, giving him all the good stuff, with no respect for teachers anymore!

Seeing his eager expression, Zheng Fa smiled: "Uncle, the exact effects of Hundred Flowers Spirit Dew remain uncertain. If there are problems..."

Uncle Pang understood, his expression changing.

Hundred Flowers Spirit Dew was good, but being an untested spiritual medicine in Jiushan Sect, rash consumption might cause unknown issues.

But Zheng Fa could handle problems:

With the Yellow Court Scripture, he could correct minor issues anytime.

Making him an ideal test subject.

But if he, surnamed Pang, drank recklessly and had problems, it would be much more troublesome.

Uncle Pang looked at Senior Sister Zhang, whispering: "So you were thinking of me, niece..."

Senior Sister Zhang glanced at this uncle, seeing he wanted to apologize, and simply said: "This disciple wasn't."

"Then why did you..."

Uncle Pang stopped mid-sentence, looking at Senior Sister Zhang's bright, clear eyes, and suddenly understood, gritting his teeth: He knew Jiushan Sect's atmosphere had deteriorated!

.....

Zheng Fa smiled, opened a bottle of Hundred Flowers Spirit Dew, and drank it.

Moments later, he felt cooling and slight itching in his eyes.

Activating his Void-Piercing Spirit Eye, silver light surged in his eyes as he looked around. The changes were minimal, but no problems emerged.

After the cooling and itching subsided, Zheng Fa simply picked up another bottle of Hundred Flowers Spirit Dew and drank it down.

Three bottles...

Four bottles...

Five bottles...

Under Uncle Pang's slightly pained gaze, Zheng Fa drank seven bottles of Hundred Flowers Spirit Dew consecutively. Intense pain shot through his eyes as golden light emerged within the silver.

The gold gathered into a mass.

As the pain slowly faded, Zheng Fa's eyes transformed: silver whites with golden pupils.

"Succeeded?"

Uncle Pang whispered excitedly, but Zheng Fa stared blankly ahead.

His gaze seemed to penetrate Jiushan Realm's barriers, seeing Xuanyi's scenery.

But the view appeared distorted through layers of glass, overlapping and dizzying.

Zheng Fa felt some enlightenment.

The Void-Piercing Spirit Eye's first layer offered telescopic and energy vision.

The second layer became like a microscope.

The third layer seemed to be...perspective vision?

Seeing him silent, Xie Qingxue and Uncle Pang gathered around, curious.

Zheng Fa quickly shifted his gaze to Senior Sister Zhang.

After all, looking at Xie Qingxue would be somewhat impolite.

Looking at Uncle Pang would be... very impolite to his own eyes.