BOOK 2: CHAPTER 417: TIANHE ORTHODOXY, PRISONER'S DILEMMA

Vol 2 Chapter 417: Tianhe Orthodoxy, Prisoner's Dilemma

The door of the Sect Leader’s main hall was slightly ajar, letting light spill onto the face of the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor.

It was hard to clearly describe this face:

A thousand faces, some male, some female, old and young alike, rapidly growing and fracturing over his visage.

The only constant was the coldness in his eyes, a chill more terrifying than the killing intent condensed in the Slaying Immortal Formation Diagram.

“I already said, I am not your ancestor.”

Sect Master Yan fell silent for a moment, then said, “The Heavenly River Ancestor once passed the title to you...”

“Heh.” The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor gave a faint cold laugh, lifting his eyes to the Slaying Immortal Formation Diagram floating in the air. “Is that so? But they don’t acknowledge it.”

“I used to think that the Slaying Immortal Sword was the token of our Heavenly River Sect Master,” Sect Master Yan said softly, “But it was only after you subdued the four ancestors that I realized the Slaying Immortal Formation Diagram is the true treasure passed down by the Heavenly River Sect.”

“Back then, when the Heavenly River Ancestor handed it to you, you became the second-generation ancestor of our Heavenly River Sect.”

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s gaze grew distant, as if staring at something unseen.

After a while, he slowly said:

“At that time, the Heavenly River Sect was the overlord of the Xuanyi Realm;

the Slaying Immortal Formation Diagram was a supreme killing treasure, enough to dominate the world.”

“Such a legitimate lineage, such a treasure, was the lifetime achievement of Heavenly River.”

“He did not give it to any disciple, even breaking the immortal-demon boundary to entrust it to me.”

Sect Master Yan bowed his head and said, “That was the Heavenly River Ancestor’s trust in you.”

“He trusted me, yet I failed to protect these.”

Sect Master Yan fell silent.

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor closed his eyes:

“I watched helplessly as disciples loyal to Heavenly River were slaughtered one by one.”

“So many Heavenly River disciples, such a flourishing sect.”

“Bones and blood littered the mountains and valleys…”

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor seemed unable to continue and sealed his mouth.

But the faces on him, one by one, appeared like fierce ghosts, as if recounting the horrors of those days.

“At that time, I was desperate. I didn’t expect the Four Sects to have already set ambushes. Careless for a moment, I was almost annihilated in body and spirit, forced to hide relying on the Book of Life and Death.” S̈

“The Heavenly River Sect was usurped by a group of traitors and became lapdogs of the Four Sects.”

He opened his eyes and looked at Sect Master Yan:

“It was my fault.”

Sect Master Yan counseled, “The Four Sects betrayed the alliance;

Heavenly River was controlled by traitors. Anyone facing such a situation would be powerless.”

“So I came back.” The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor pointed to his face and said, “Together with those dead disciples, I have come back.”

After speaking, he did not wait for Sect Master Yan’s reply but pulled out a Tongjian.

.....

When Zheng Fa received the spirit message from the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor, he was studying the runes on the talisman diagram cage.

Feeling the tremble of the Creation Jade, his divine consciousness probed inside and asked curiously:

“Demon Ancestor?”

“I want you to transmit everything that happens within the Slaying Immortal Sword Formation, without missing a single detail.”

“Ah?”

Zheng Fa was stunned.

He had long known that the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor needed this Creation Jade of his to be useful.

But he had guessed it was for some Dao enlightenment or something.

He never expected it to be like a secret room escape livestream?

This was a bit troublesome.

Once the livestream started, it would practically prove his connection with the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor.

How the Taishang Dao and Yaochi would view this in the future was hard to say.

“Demon Ancestor, I want to know, what exactly do you want to do?”

“I want to find a truth.”

“Truth?”

Zheng Fa was somewhat confused.

No matter what, he never imagined the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor had invited the four True Immortals to seek some truth,

“The truth behind the Heavenly River Sect’s chaos back then, the reason for the fallout between the Four Sects and us.”

Falling out...

The more Zheng Fa listened, the more confused he became.

He had just learned that Haori Mountain had participated in forging the Four Slaying Immortal Swords.

Now hearing the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s words, it seemed all four sects had collaborated with the Heavenly River Venerable?

So, the Heavenly River Venerable was betrayed by his disciples and the Four Sects together?

“The Four Sects were once allies of the Venerable?”

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor did not answer but only said:

“You have the Heavenly River jade pendant.”

......

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor knew too much.

But now that he said this, Zheng Fa was not surprised.

The Nine Nether Talisman Edict was still in his sea of consciousness.

He remained very hesitant.

Obviously, the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor was about to do something big.

If he did, then fine. But having Zheng Fa involved was a bit troublesome.

If the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor could kill the Four Sects, he would just go along with it. If not...

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor might withstand the Four Sects’ retaliation.

The Jiushan Realm, however, could not.

“Are you going to betray Heavenly River as well?”

Looking at the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s questioning, Zheng Fa could feel the fury within.

“I originally wanted to spare your life.”

Huh?

What did he mean by sparing his life?

“If you help me, after I sweep through the Immortal Dao and slay cultivators, I will naturally resurrect you.”

Zheng Fa looked at the Nine Nether Talisman Edict in his sea of consciousness and thought this was absurd.

He did not expect the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor to want to wipe out all Immortal Dao cultivators in one fell swoop?

He did not even know where the confidence came from.

“You have the Heavenly River jade pendant.” The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor sent another spirit message. “I give you one more chance to consider.”

Zheng Fa sighed inwardly.

Good news: The Demon Ancestor truly regarded him as one of his own.

Bad news: Except for himself, everyone in the Hundred Immortals Alliance was not considered a person by the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor.

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor didn’t say whether he wanted to kill all cultivators in the Jiushan Realm, but it was very likely:

After all, even Zheng Fa, one of his own, had to die and be resurrected, causing quite a stir.

This showed how much hatred the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor held toward the current Immortal Dao.

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor did not speak for a long time, seemingly waiting for Zheng Fa’s decision.

Zheng Fa pondered back and forth, finally said, “I grant the Demon Ancestor the right to livestream on Jiushan News.”

He was feeling a headache at this point.

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor had lived for several eras;

his willpower was unshakable. He really could neither be persuaded nor stopped.

He did not even know if provoking the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor to anger, if the Heavenly Emperor body could resurrect him if he died—after all, the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor’s Dao Fruit was immortal—if he was killed by the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor.

On the other hand, he had no choice.

If the Demon Ancestor won, the Jiushan Realm might face extinction.

But if the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor lost...

Just the fact that the jade pendant was in his hands would bring him no good outcome.

....

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor quickly figured out the livestream method.

After a moment, all cultivators holding a Tongjian received a livestream notification.

Currently, the number of cultivators in the Xuanyi Realm with Tongjian already exceeded all directions combined.

Adding disciples in the Jiushan Realm, the total number was immense.

It could be said that wherever cultivators gathered, there was a Tongjian present.

In the Jiushan Realm, the Heavenly Emperor body, Xie Qingxue, and others watched the light screen together.

The light screen did not show the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor but was divided into four sections, each containing a group of cultivators.

As Zheng Fa expected, in each section, there was only one True Immortal Dao Fruit cultivator:

Ancestor Xuanding was in the top left, Lady Nishang in the top right,

Old Monk Zhizhong and Immortal Yun were at the bottom left and right respectively.

What surprised Zheng Fa was that their Tongjians seemed to malfunction—they appeared unable to view the livestream.

Only Zheng Fa’s Creation Jade could see the livestream images.

This eased some of his doubts:

The Tongjian’s communication ability mimicked the message talisman.

This device could not transcend space-time either.

Previously, message talismans were unusable, but Tongjians worked, which confused him.

Now it seemed the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor had done this deliberately.

None of the four Dao Fruit cultivators in the image seemed aware of what was happening when the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s voice echoed from the sky:

“Want to leave?”

Zheng Fa saw Old Monk Zhizhong suddenly stand up, alert on his face, two beams of golden light shooting from his eyes as he scanned the surroundings.

Finding no source of the voice, Zhizhong shouted, “Nine Nether Demon Ancestor!”

Ancestor Xuanding and the others in the livestream also looked around, trying to locate the Demon Ancestor.

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor ignored them and said to himself:

“I am giving you a chance to get out.”

After his words, a faint light appeared in the darkness before Zheng Fa and others, growing brighter until it condensed into a path three people wide.

The other three locations were the same.

It seemed the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor wanted them to follow the path forward.

Old Monk Zhizhong did not move but remained tense, still scanning around.

Not only him, but Ancestor Xuanding and the others also showed similar behavior, clearly unwilling to obey the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor.

“Can’t bear to leave this place?” The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s tone was unhurried, even amused. “You Four Sects are still so timid, like frightened mice.”

......

“You’ve come this far;

there’s no room for refusal.”

A pale finger suddenly emerged from the darkness and pointed at the four cultivators including Zhizhong.

Zhizhong was prepared;

the Buddha behind him reappeared, the Buddha light on his Dharma image seven points stronger than before, and the wisdom sword in his hand stabbed directly at the finger.

The sword tip touched the finger tip. Despite his full effort, the sword shattered in an instant as if made of paper.

The counterattacks or defenses of Ancestor Xuanding and the others in the livestream also collapsed instantly like Zhizhong’s wisdom sword.

With a single finger, the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor crushed four True Immortals simultaneously!

“Golden Immortal!”

Zhizhong shouted in disbelief.

Zheng Fa was stunned too.

Was the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor really that strong?

But he was a Golden Immortal—how was he wandering around in the Xuanyi Realm?

No wonder he was confident in wiping out the Immortal Dao—there really were no Golden Immortal cultivators left in Xuanyi now.

Zhizhong seemed to understand:

“You deliberately lured us in because you cannot exert your Golden Immortal power outside!”

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor did not answer but coldly said, “If you don’t want to die, walk forward.”

Old Monk Zhizhong’s face turned pale. It seemed the Demon Ancestor’s casual strike had already wounded him.

He thought about it and seemed to accept the inevitable, unwilling to die and walking toward the path ahead.

The other three True Immortals in the livestream made the same choice.

Zheng Fa followed behind Old Monk Zhizhong with the Haori Mountain disciples.

The group walked silently.

The path was not long, only about eighteen or nineteen li.

When nearing the end, the sound of flowing water suddenly came. He looked up and saw that the group had reached a riverside, with a stone bridge spanning the river.

Beside the bridgehead was a large rock.

The stone wall opposite them was smooth and fine, like exquisite jade, reflecting light.

What surprised Zheng Fa was that Ancestor Xuanding and the others in the livestream had also arrived at a river and saw the same bridge and large rock.

However, the four contingents did not encounter each other at all.

It was as if they were still in different spaces.

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s voice came to everyone’s ears again: “Cross this bridge, and you can leave this sword formation.”

Old Monk Zhizhong frowned, showing no sign of relief but instead a very cautious expression.

“What must we do?”

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor laughed, “You, stand before the Three Lives Stone.”

“Three Lives Stone?”

Old Monk Zhizhong looked at the giant rock but did not move forward, seemingly hesitant.

“Why use this stone if you want to kill me?”

Zhizhong was silent for a moment before asking, “What is the purpose of this Three Lives Stone?”

“The Three Lives Stone can show ordinary people their past and present lives.” The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor was surprisingly frank. “But you are Dao Fruit cultivators, beyond the Three Realms;

you no longer have past or present lives.”

Zhizhong frowned, appearing disbelieving.

“You only need to stand before it and answer a few questions,” the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor continued. “It will tell me if your answers are true or false.”

“What questions?”

“I want to know, back during the Heavenly River chaos, what the Four Sects did.”

Old Monk Zhizhong was silent for a long time before slowly saying, “I am sorry, but this matter I cannot disclose.”

“Then you must die.”

Zhizhong remained silent.

Ancestor Xuanding and the others in the livestream made the same choice.

The Heavenly River chaos seemed to be a secret the Four Sects could not mention.

Now Zheng Fa understood why the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor waited for the four True Immortals to arrive:

The cultivators from the Four Sects who experienced the Heavenly River chaos were at least True Immortals.

For example, Li Sanxian was enlightened in this era and might not even know the details of the Heavenly River chaos.

The livestream fell silent as if muted, sinking into stillness.

.....

In the Jiushan Realm, the Heavenly Emperor body looked toward the Three Enclosures and Four Symbols, seeing every Jiushan disciple holding a Tongjian watching.

He turned to look at Xie Qingxue and Yan Wushuang.

Yan Wushuang watched very seriously, head bowed, seemingly searching for a certain figure in the livestream.

Xie Qingxue lifted her head and frowned, “Would they rather die than speak?”

Senior Sister Zhang frowned too and said to the Heavenly Emperor body, “What if the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor really wants to destroy the Immortal Dao?”

The Heavenly Emperor body slowly shook his head, “The Demon Ancestor seems here for revenge. Our strength cannot stop him. The only solution is to understand the truth of the past.”

“Truth?”

“The exact story behind the Heavenly River chaos.” The Heavenly Emperor body explained, “Also, why the Heavenly River Venerable perished and what he did before death.”

In other words,

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor has been planning for so long and won’t stop just because Zheng Fa doesn’t cooperate.

Those who can stop him are either the Four Sects still holding back or... the Heavenly River Venerable.

Senior Sister Zhang nodded gently and said, “You want to find the Heavenly River Venerable’s relics?”

“Hmm.” The Heavenly Emperor body glanced at Xie Qingxue, “I think the Heavenly River Venerable deliberately left clues about the next step of the Heavenly River Method to lure me there.”

“If the Heavenly River Venerable still has arrangements, they might be in the Heavenly River relics.”

Xie Qingxue sighed upon hearing this, “I hope so.”

The Heavenly Emperor body smiled, “If the Heavenly River Sect left no clues, we might still have time. The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s primary target is clearly the originator of the Heavenly River chaos.”

Xie Qingxue looked at the light screen and sighed, “But no one is speaking.”

“They will.”

The Heavenly Emperor body smiled.

He had already figured out what the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor planned to do.

......

“Indeed, you are so fearless in defending your sect that you don’t fear death.” The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s voice rang near Zhizhong and the others again.

Old Monk Zhizhong sat cross-legged on the ground, quietly chanting Buddha’s name, seemingly unaware of the killing intent in the voice, his face showing a resolute refusal to yield.

“Then I’ll ask in another way.” The Demon Ancestor’s tone suddenly softened a bit. “During the Heavenly River chaos, did you know what the other three sects did?”

Old Monk Zhizhong’s face twisted dramatically.

Behind him, Zheng Fa thought that the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor had separated the four cultivators, even severed their communication, essentially creating a prisoner’s dilemma.

Actually, this scheme wasn’t hard to break.

As long as the Four Sects united and trusted each other.

But trust?

Zheng Fa looked at Zhizhong’s grim face and thought sarcastically:

You want me to believe the Four Sects are united?

Then I’ll choose to believe the Four Sects are innocent.