Xiuxian: I studied abroad in modern times

Chapter 615 The Path to True Immortality, Zheng Fa's Trump Card

In Zheng Fa's view, the Nine Netherworld Emperor's mentality is now like that of someone looking for a job.

Delivering food is out of the question. You said if I don't deliver food I'll have to work in the factory... So I'll choose to deliver food.

He would rather not bow down to Lu Yao than be a tool of the Nine Mountains Sect.

In short, it all depends on Lu Yao.

However, the Nine Nether Emperor still seemed to have doubts, frowning as he said, "Lu Yao is not to be underestimated. He went to great lengths to get you to the Great Luo Dharma Assembly, so he must be no simple man... You're lucky you were able to protect yourself."

It was clear that he was quite wary of Lu Yao.

Zheng Fa smiled, though he didn't say anything, there was a hint of confidence on his face.

The Nine Nether Emperor narrowed his eyes, pondered for a long time, and then suddenly took out a bronze mirror.

The back of this bronze mirror is carved with a pair of mandarin ducks, flying together over the lake and beach in the afterglow of the setting sun.

"This is……"

“This is Lingxi’s true spirit.”

Lingxi?

The name sounded somewhat familiar... After a moment's thought, Zheng Fa finally remembered who it was—the Daoist partner of Venerable Tianhe, who later betrayed Venerable Tianhe and was considered one of the instigators of the Tianhe Rebellion.

"True spirit?"

“She’s dead.” The Netherworld Emperor’s voice was muffled as he looked at the treasure mirror, his expression a mixture of pain and regret. “Back then, my heart was filled with hatred. I thought she had betrayed us, and I didn’t even want to mention her name.”

"..."

"But she's dead."

Zheng remained silent.

Although he didn't know what exactly happened back then, now, this Fairy Lingxi had died quietly.

Things, naturally, didn't turn out the way everyone had imagined.

"Then the Fairy Lingxi who returned to Yaochi..." Zheng Fa was puzzled at first, then immediately realized, "The White Bone Demon Ancestor?"

"Perhaps it's him. This Mandarin Duck Mirror belonged to Tianhe back then; it was their token of love. I found it at the Tianhe Sect." The Nine Nether Emperor lowered his head. "Later, when I entered the cycle of reincarnation, I discovered that Lingxi's true spirit was about to dissipate..."

“I placed her true spirit in this Mandarin Duck Mirror.”

Zheng Fa nodded slightly and also looked at the Mandarin Duck Mirror.

Unexpectedly, the Nine Netherworld Emperor reached out and handed the Mandarin Duck Mirror to him.

"Emperor?"

"Take this mirror," said the Nine Nether Emperor. "The situation at Yaochi is not that simple."

Zheng Fa listened with increasing confusion.

“The Jade Pool Jellyfish has long since attained enlightenment, and its strength is unfathomable,” the Nine Nether Emperor said softly. “In this world, the strongest Golden Immortal is probably not Lu Yao, but the Jellyfish.”

That makes a lot of sense.

Zheng Fa had been somewhat overlooking Jellyfish, but the problem was that Jellyfish's background was no weaker than Lu Yao's, and might even be stronger.

After all, she wasn't killed by Venerable Tianhe.

He used to think that Yaochi was less talented than Lu Yao, which was why she didn't show off. But now, after hearing what the Nine Nether Emperor said, it seems that's not the case.

“It is truly strange that the Blissful Maiden of Yaochi has now submitted to Lu Yao,” the Nine Nether Emperor continued. “If the Water Mother were here, this would not have happened.”

That makes sense.

Jellyfish isn't a Taiyi Golden Immortal. Golden Immortals are currently very free to move around in Xuanwei. If they are in normal condition, they wouldn't need to let the Blissful Heavenly Maiden make decisions for them.

Given its status and seniority, a jellyfish would never directly humble itself.

"Your Majesty, are you saying that there might still be a chance at Yaochi?"

"I don't know." Emperor Jiuyou glanced at the Mandarin Duck Mirror and shook his head. "But if you want to disrupt the Great Luo Dharma Assembly, this is also a way."

"Yes."

“Lingxi was the most promising junior of the Jellyfish back then, and she was well-versed in the secrets of Yaochi.” Jiuyou sighed as he said this, “Back then, the relationship between Tianhe Sect and Yaochi was always good.”

The Tianhe Sect and the Four Sects were likely in a cooperative relationship in their early years.

It was precisely for this reason that Zheng Facong never truly trusted Yaochi and Taishangdao.

The lesson of Venerable Tianhe was too tragic.

"Although she has lost her mind, she still has some instinctive reactions, which may be of help."

Zheng Fa nodded slowly, knowing that this was the Nine Nether Emperor's good intention. He put away the Mandarin Duck Mirror and then asked the question he was more concerned about: "Your Majesty, is there a faster way to advance to the True Immortal realm?"

"Faster?" The Nine Nether Emperor glanced at him, his face twitching slightly. "Aren't you faster?"

Yan Changge, standing to the side, couldn't help but express his ample emotions when he realized that Zheng Fa's age was less than a fraction of his own.

"It's really not enough; ten thousand years is too long."

Zheng Fa also asked Shuyu Longzhu and Yun Wuji about this matter. According to the two of them, there are nine tribulations from the time a Loose Immortal is to the time a True Immortal is to be born.

The first five paths will arrive five thousand years after one becomes a Loose Immortal.

The last four paths will not arrive until the ninth millennium.

Finally, after another thousand years of nurturing, it will be able to advance to the level of a true immortal.

Of course, no one usually thinks this time is short. On the contrary, most wandering immortals will cultivate methods to avoid and evade calamities, extending the calamity indefinitely, wishing they could prepare more and more.

Do you know what the Nine Tribulations of a Loose Immortal are?

"The first five kalpas are the five decays of heaven and man, the immortal body kalpa, and the last four kalpas are the four dharma kalpas of emptiness, solitude of the Dao, chaos of the law, and crimson light."

Zheng Fa also found out the details very clearly.

"The Five Signs of Decay of Heaven and Man is a test of your immortal body. Only when your immortal body is mature will this calamity be triggered... Five thousand years is the time required for your immortal body to mature. I don't know anyone who has a way to shorten this time."

"But I have indeed heard of a method for the last four tribulations."

Zheng Fa was greatly encouraged.

"The last four tribulations are called Dharma tribulations, which are the process of finding your true Dharma when the Daoist Dharma is about to perish. As the saying goes, Yin gives rise to Yang, and Yang gives rise to Yin. If you want to trigger the tribulations, you need rare and precious materials that are incompatible with your Daoist Dharma path. Use them to grind away your Daoist Dharma and artificially trigger the tribulations."

"But such treasures are very hard to find."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Fa fell into deep thought. What natural treasures were incompatible with his own?

He himself said that all his Taoist magic actually originated from... Fusang wood?

I wouldn't say 100%, but it's about 60% or 70%.

The thing that counteracts it is...

Zheng Fa suddenly looked up, glanced at Emperor Jiuyou, and chuckled: "It seems you'd better make a trip to Yaochi."

After saying this, the Nine Nether Emperor's expression suddenly turned serious. He stared at Zheng Fa and said, "I know you are only seeking speed because of Lu Yao, but the tribulations of a Loose Immortal should not be underestimated."

Zheng Fa knew this was a good intention, so he cupped his hands in agreement and asked, "May I ask Your Majesty, how can one overcome the Nine Tribulations of a Loose Immortal?"

"The Five Signs of Decay of Heaven and Man are testing your immortal body. In fact, you can resist this by relying on your body, or at least weaken it." Emperor Jiuyou gave very careful guidance. "Only the Four Tribulations are extremely dangerous, when you are ignorant, without self or things, and no one can help you."

He had heard similar descriptions from both Shuyu Longzhu and his companion. They couldn't even explain what the Four Tribulations would entail, as if they had lost their memories and were only vaguely aware of it.

Zheng Fa previously understood the Loose Immortal Tribulation as a Heavenly Tribulation for checking for duplicates, which occurred within this tribulation.

However, since the Nine Nether Emperor was a Taiyi Golden Immortal, he naturally expected him to have different opinions.

“These four tribulations are extremely strange. If I say too much, it will only harm you.” Unexpectedly, the Nine Nether Emperor was in a difficult position.

"Saying too much will only hurt me..."

The Nine Nether Emperor nodded solemnly, his expression growing increasingly serious:
"Regarding this calamity, I only have eight words to give you..."

Zheng Fa listened intently, and only then did the Nine Nether Emperor speak, word by word:
"My Way arises spontaneously and will never perish through countless eons."

……

Watching Zheng Fa leave with a knowing look on his face, Yan Changge pondered for a long time before turning back to ask the Nine Nether Emperor, "Does Your Majesty truly believe he can disrupt the Great Luo Dharma Assembly?"

"Whether I believe it or not is not important." The Nine Nether Emperor gazed down at the foot of Yin Mountain.

"unimportant?"

"Is this bet something he's making a plea to us, or are we asking him for a glimmer of hope?"

Yan Changge paused for a moment, then suddenly understood what the Nine Nether Emperor meant, and unconsciously began to look forward to it as well.

Zheng Fa was unaware of the mental support Yan Changge had given him. After leaving the underworld, he did not return to the Nine Mountains Realm, but went straight to the modern world.

After the Daoist of Creation died, half of the Nine Luminaries Heaven was destroyed. The cave in the modern world is actually connected to Xuanwei.

It's just that it's concealed by the Primordial Purple Qi, so others can't perceive it.

The modern world was placed by Zheng Fa near the underworld, not far from the Nine Mountains Boundary, just in case.

What is Zheng Fa doing?

In the nursing home, Tang Lingwu looked at Zheng Fa with some worry.

Since returning to the modern world, Zheng Fa hasn't uttered more than a few words, keeping the Jade Tablet of Creation in his hand as if he were trying to comprehend the Daoist teachings recorded within.

Later, he went to the newly built library in Hongshan and brought back a bunch of books, which he read one by one.

Tang Lingwu studied the books Zheng Fa had borrowed and found that he read a wide variety of books, including a lot of mathematics, a lot of computer science, as well as physics, motion, systems, and even a few books on biology, neurology, or genes.

Sometimes, Zheng Fa seems to be unable to find certain references, and someone has to search for them specifically.

She had never seen Zheng Fa like this before, so she was naturally a little worried.

Old Man Bai was initially quite worried, but after observing for a few days, he found that the old man was eating and drinking as usual, and didn't seem to care at all.

Seeing that Tang Lingwu was really worried, he comforted her, "It's a good thing."

"What good thing?"

“I’ve seen this kind of thing many times,” the old man said with a smile. “The proof of a theorem has reached its final stage, a new theory is about to emerge, an experiment is about to end…”

"At this moment, he will feel a sense of impending breakthrough, a desire to break free from his cocoon, and he will be unable to see anyone else, focusing solely on his thesis."

Old Bai looked at Zheng Fa with a somewhat gratified expression: "Zheng Fa is just like that."

Tang Lingwu turned to look at Tang Mudao and the others, and seeing that they were all nodding, she felt slightly relieved.

Tang Mudao gave an analogy: "This is somewhat similar to the enlightenment spoken of in the Xuanwei Immortal Realm."

Tang Lingwu nodded slightly, and then felt a little relieved.

Several months later, Zheng Fa finally emerged from this state.

Tang Lingwu and the others then went to greet them. The old man asked, "Have you figured it out?"

"Just a little bit more, just a little bit more." Although he said that, a glint flashed in his eyes, clearly indicating that he had gained a lot.

Seeing this, Old Man Bai became anxious and asked, "Do you have a paper? Let me see it!"

Zheng Fagang was about to speak when a thought suddenly struck him, and he took out Lu Yao's gold invitation.

A few more words were added to it, indicating the time and place of the Great Luo Dharma Assembly—six months later, at Leiyin Temple.

……

At Leiyin Temple, the Crystal Buddha, enraged, ascended a pagoda.

"World Honored One!" He walked to the top floor, looked at Lu Yao, and asked in confusion, "Why are you so tolerant of Zheng Fa? My nephew Bai Lian, he..."

Lu Yao put down the prayer beads in his hand, slowly opened his eyes, looked at the crystal Buddha, and shook his head, saying, "You don't understand?"

"……Yes!"

"If Leiyin Temple wants to unify Xuanwei, it must embrace all rivers."

"But if we don't avenge Bai Lian, how can outsiders respect Lei Yin?"

Lu Yao laughed, his tone exceptionally gentle, "Liuli..."

Upon seeing Lu Yao's smile, the Glass Buddha hurriedly lowered his head, as if he dared not look directly at him.

"Please forgive me, Venerable One."

"You did it all for Leiyin Temple, what crime have you committed?" Lu Yao said softly. "I am also heartbroken to lose my disciple, but resentment and separation are ultimately just dreams and illusions."

"Yes……"

The Crystal Buddha clasped his hands together, whether he was persuaded or dared not refute it was unclear.

Lu Yao ignored his thoughts and continued, "Remember this: we wish to save all living beings. In the future, whether it is the Nine Mountains Sect or the Zheng Fa Sect, they will all be subjects of Lei Yin."

The Lapis Lazuli Buddha retorted, "I observed from Mount Jiu that this person is not one to compromise or yield."

"It's not up to him."

Lu Yao's tone was full of certainty.

The Buddha of Lapis Lazuli was stunned for a moment, then seemed to understand, and put his hands together again, looking completely convinced.

……

As the words on the gold plaque appeared, the smile on Old Man Bai's face gradually faded, and the people at the nursing home fell silent.

The wind blew across the lake in front of the courtyard, and amidst the shimmering waves, everyone's worries and concerns were intertwined, and no one knew what to say.

"Be extremely careful on your journey to Leiyin." Old Man Bai's usual relaxed demeanor vanished as he earnestly cautioned, "Don't be impulsive. Survival is paramount. Temporary success or failure is nothing. Fortune changes every thirty years. If all else fails, you can hide here and cultivate until you reach the Golden Immortal realm. No, wait until we both reach the Golden Immortal realm, then we'll go out side by side and cause trouble for Lu Yao. Just don't..."

She kept rambling on and on, without end.

Zheng Fa knew the old man was concerned about him, and feeling grateful, he smiled and said, "Teacher Bai, don't worry, I have the ability to create clones. If something really happens, I'll be able to save my life. Besides, my Jade Tablet of Creation and the Fusang Wood are both here, so it's very safe..."

Old Bai stopped talking, sighed, and said, "Of course I know you're a cautious person, but that Lu Yao shouldn't be underestimated..."

Teacher Tian tugged at his sleeve, as if to stop him from continuing.

Old Bai turned his head and saw Teacher Tian winking at him. Only then did he see Tang Lingwu gritting her teeth, her eyes wet, looking at Zheng Fa with worry and a touch of self-reproach.

Old Man Bai couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

Zheng Fa looked back at Tang Lingwu, and heard her say, "I... Teacher Bai and I are waiting for you here."

She sniffed, her small face full of stubbornness: "If you don't come back, I'll go to Leiyin Temple and find Lu Yao."

Zheng Fa looked at her with gentle eyes. He reached out and opened his palm, and a golden lotus slowly rotated in his palm.

"This is……"

"This is a token of the sage's lineage."

In the Nine Luminaries Heaven, after the creation of humankind, Zheng Fa received a token from each of the sages.

This token contains the sage's teachings, and whoever receives it is practically the successor to his lineage.

According to the Five Saints, he could only choose one token.

Zheng Fa had not made a choice because he was hesitant, especially because he was very curious about the Daoist Master and kept thinking about what would happen if he chose the lineage of the Supreme Dao.

On the other hand, he was also afraid that there was something wrong with this thing.

But now that the Great Luo Dharma Assembly is about to begin, he has a plan in mind:

If Lu Yao has set a trap, then he will choose to break the deadlock with the Golden Lotus.

If not, he would choose the token of the Supreme Sage and try to see if he could change the Supreme Dao's mind—which is why he was confident in making that bet with the Nine Nether Emperor.

"You mean, this was given to you by the two saints, Jieyin and Zhunti? A treasure passed down through generations?"

Old Man Bai exclaimed in surprise.

Legends of the primordial era have been passed down in modern times, not to mention that with the rise of the immortal path, this thing is almost becoming a popular field of study.

Old Bai was also a voracious reader of novels, and the names of these two sages were widely known.

"Yes, even with this treasure in hand, I am not at the mercy of others at Leiyin Temple."

Old Bai was stunned for a long time, his worry completely disappearing. He looked at the gold invitation in Zheng Fa's hand with a strange expression: "Does Lu Yao... know that he has invited the successor of Buddhism?"

(End of this chapter)