I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Vol 2 Chapter 233: Forced onto Jiushan, The Demon Ancestor Descends

The colder Blood River Ancestor's expression grew, the more numb Martial Uncle Pang’s foot became.

Honestly, he had really thought... Blood River Ancestor had been killed by Zhenren Chengkong.

One of the Five Great Sects of Xuanyi Realm, wielding the Tranquility Bamboo.

And now they pull this on me?

Although Blood River Ancestor’s appearance was a bit sudden, Zheng Fa and the others had been prepared.

Senior Sister Zhang flicked her hand, and the Mountain-River Seal spun through the air, crashing straight toward Blood River Ancestor’s head.

The Sun and Moon Bell followed, rising into the sky, radiating dazzling golden light, sun and moon cycling on its surface as waves of bell chimes echoed throughout the Jiushan Realm.

The bell’s sound was grand and majestic. To Yuan Old Man and the others nearby, it felt like mountains and rivers were reversing and stars began to dance.

Clearly, Zheng Fa was going all out.

Not to mention Blood River Ancestor, who was taking this force head-on—although not dead, he seemed to have suffered heavy damage under the Tranquility Bamboo, his physical body destroyed, leaving only a Primordial Spirit projection.

Under the bell’s chime, the projection flickered erratically, and pain was evident on his face.

Seeing this, Yuan Old Man and the others all let out a breath of relief.

But Senior Sister Zhang gave Zheng Fa a glance, a hint of doubt in her eyes—others might not notice, but she could see Zheng Fa was slightly distracted, even half a beat slower than her just now.

Zheng Fa was indeed a little unfocused.

When he used the Reversed Five Elements Divine Light earlier, he felt something off.

The sensation might’ve come from it being his first time using it against a Soul Formation cultivator—he would never have dared before.

The flying sword had been suppressed under the Sun and Moon Bell for quite some time.

He’d never tried this before.

Now that he had, it was mostly because his cultivation had improved and he was feeling more confident.

But most importantly, he couldn’t trust Blood River Ancestor’s status—he had to confirm whether he was dead.

Yet he sensed something was wrong:

The change in the Five-Colored Divine Light didn’t seem caused by Blood River Ancestor—but by himself.

With a powerful foe before him, the thought passed quickly. Zheng Fa refocused and, alongside Senior Sister Zhang, suppressed Blood River Ancestor with all his might. Ř₳𝐍ȱBЕʂ

Though Blood River Ancestor had previously acted quite cowardly while hiding, now he was shockingly fierce. His eyes were cold, his immortal sword surged with bloodlight, and his Soul Formation strength was fully unleashed.

The skies over Jiushan Realm changed constantly with their clash—

Gold and blood-red light interwove, the battle surged like waves.

Above the Nine Islands, even the mists were dyed in dual colors.

Spiritual energy shattered and reformed between the Sun and Moon Bell and the flying sword, and the medicine garden was devastated like a typhoon had passed through.

Yuan Old Man and the other Nascent Soul cultivators retreated quickly, not daring to stay.

Only Senior Sister Zhang remained standing mid-air, holding the Mountain-River Seal. A massive True Form Talisman of Mountains and Rivers unfolded like a net, enveloping Blood River Ancestor’s sword.

Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Zhang both had Soul Formation-level combat power and had previously suppressed this sword.

Now, within the Jiushan Realm, with Blood River Ancestor wounded, the power balance was clear.

In just the time it takes for three incense sticks to burn, only the brilliant golden light of the Sun and Moon Bell and the ethereal figure of Senior Sister Zhang remained in the sky.

Blood River Ancestor’s sword was now wrapped in a thin layer of bloodlight, completely unable to resist the Sun and Moon Bell.

But that bloodlight acted like a membrane, shielding the sword’s body—unyielding and unmoved even under the onslaught of the Sun and Moon Bell and Mountain-River Seal.

Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Zhang exchanged a glance, both frowning slightly.

Behind them, Martial Uncle Pang, whose legs were still a bit weak, leaned over and asked, “Can’t kill him?”

It was obvious he was very anxious—after all, he’d offended Blood River Ancestor pretty badly.

Zheng Fa didn’t reply. They had discussed this beforehand:

The best solution for Blood River Ancestor... was to eliminate him entirely.

If Zhenren Chengkong later asked the Jiushan Sect for support, they could bring out this immortal sword to prove their contribution.

Beyond that—don’t bother us.

Of course, the biggest reason was: they couldn’t relax with a Soul Formation cultivator inside Jiushan Realm.

Especially one from the Great Freedom Demonic Sect—an organization where the upper ranks had immense control over the lower ranks. Zheng Fa was very wary of that.

If the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor tried to use Blood River Ancestor as a vessel to descend into Jiushan Realm...

That would be catastrophic.

Zheng Fa thought for a moment. Spiritual power surged from within him and poured into the Sun and Moon Bell. Read complete versıon only at NoveIＦire.net

The bell’s chime grew urgent, its golden radiance even brighter, illuminating every corner of Jiushan Realm.

Not only the cultivators of the Nine Islands, even the mortals of Jiushan Realm looked up, staring at the dazzling golden light in the sky.

Martial Uncle Pang and the others knew: Zheng Fa was going all in, trying to obliterate Blood River Ancestor.

They watched the bloodlight membrane on the sword grow smaller and fainter. The sword trembled slightly, as if whimpering, begging for mercy. They exchanged glances, joy flickering in their eyes—

It looked like Zheng Fa might actually succeed in killing Blood River Ancestor and eliminating the future threat.

But after a while, the light from the Sun and Moon Bell suddenly dimmed, and even the chime became feeble.

The others looked toward Zheng Fa and saw his face pale, tinged with helplessness.

He pointed at the Sun and Moon Bell and said, “This thing consumes too much spiritual power...”

Everyone sighed in silence:

Zheng Fa’s great as a sect master, but he really doesn’t last long...

Looking again at Blood River Ancestor’s sword, everyone frowned.

Though its glow had dimmed compared to before, it was still intact.

Sure enough, Blood River Ancestor’s phantom slowly reappeared, smirking coldly at them, seemingly quite pleased.

“I’ll do it!”

Senior Sister Zhang raised the Mountain-River Seal, ready to strike.

Zheng Fa grabbed her arm and shook his head.

She wasn’t like him—he could expend spiritual energy and be fine. But last time she used full force, she’d gotten injured and needed nearly a year to recover.

If she went all out again now, they still might not kill Blood River Ancestor—and the Mountain-River Seal, no matter how powerful, couldn’t match the Sun and Moon Bell within Jiushan Realm.

So, having her attack again and risk injury just wasn’t worth it.

...

They all stood there frowning at Blood River Ancestor.

He still wore that mocking smile.

“How about we go ask the Western... uh, Zhenren Chengkong for help?”

Zheng Fa asked as Blood River Ancestor grinned smugly.

Sure enough, the smile on his face froze slightly.

He looked a little scared.

“I’ll go get him!”

If anyone wanted Blood River Ancestor dead the most, Zheng Fa couldn’t say for sure. But within Jiushan Realm? It was definitely Martial Uncle Pang!

As soon as he said it, Blood River Ancestor’s expression turned angrier, eyes locked on Martial Uncle Pang like he was committing the image to memory.

Clearly—he was truly afraid of Zhenren Chengkong. In this moment, fury and panic twisted his expression.

“Wait!”

Martial Uncle Pang was just about to send out a message talisman when Zheng Fa suddenly raised his hand and stopped him.

Martial Uncle Pang turned to look at Zheng Fa, his face full of confusion.

“You... really want Jiang Chengkong to come here?”

Zheng Fa suddenly asked Blood River Ancestor.

Everyone looked at each other, puzzled by Zheng Fa’s question.

But Blood River Ancestor’s face froze slightly.

“What did you say?”

He finally spoke, as if he didn’t understand what Zheng Fa meant.

Zheng Fa nodded again, confirming, “So this flying sword... is your prison? The one fighting us just now wasn’t you—it was the sword’s own spirit?”

“……”

Senior Sister Zhang and the others were visibly startled and couldn’t help but look at Blood River Ancestor with suspicion.

They thought about it and gradually understood—

Whether or not Blood River Ancestor was truly afraid of Jiang Chengkong, his dramatic change in expression was clearly too deliberate.

After all, Blood River Ancestor was a Soul Formation cultivator who had lived for over ten thousand years.

For him to lose composure so easily...

It really didn’t make sense.

But it wasn’t that Senior Sister Zhang and the others couldn’t see anything odd—it was just that no one could’ve imagined that Blood River Ancestor’s natal flying sword would end up at odds with him and even become his own prison.

If anyone else had said this, they’d never have believed it.

But the look of shock, anger, and confusion on Blood River Ancestor’s face left them no choice but to believe it—

Zheng Fa had actually guessed right.

“You... how did you know?”

Zheng Fa didn’t explain. When he’d used the Reversed Five Elements Divine Light earlier, he’d felt something unprecedented—this natal flying sword seemed to possess its own will...

It was normal for a spiritual treasure to have a will.

But the will of this sword was clearly not aligned with Blood River Ancestor’s. In fact, there was a sense of opposition between them.

Such an insight couldn’t have come without Soul Formation strength and the Reversed Five Elements Divine Light.

Blood River Ancestor looked at Zheng Fa, his expression dark and uncertain.

Zheng Fa’s thoughts flashed rapidly.

He recalled many things...

They had previously realized that a cultivator’s natal spiritual treasure was, in a sense, an artificial intelligence formed through spiritual energy circuits.

Through Senior Sister Zhang’s research into the Jiushan Ancestor, they had essentially confirmed this theory.

But thinking about it in reverse—that was the Tianhe method.

Whether the Demonic Sect’s methods worked the same way was still a big question mark.

And more importantly, Blood River Ancestor had lost his other flying sword—were the spiritual energy circuits still intact?

Artificial intelligence might’ve become artificial stupidity...

Senior Sister Zhang frowned, her eyes glowing with the Void-Seeking Spirit Eyes, as she looked at the flying sword.

After a long while, she nodded toward Zheng Fa. Clearly, this sword matched their calculations—it also had a complex and intelligent spiritual energy circuit.

Blood River Ancestor’s expression gradually settled from shock. He looked at Zheng Fa, his tone full of certainty: “I had always wondered why the Demon Ancestor issued a decree, ordering us to lead you into the sect...”

“Now I understand.”

His tone wasn’t fearful at all anymore—rather, it carried a kind of superiority, as if he were evaluating Zheng Fa from above.

So the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor really cared about him?

Then this bastard was clearly on the path to death.

Although Zheng Fa didn’t know why the Demon Ancestor valued him, he was already hiding from even the somewhat decent Taishang Dao—he had even less desire to get involved with the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor.

Then Blood River Ancestor said,

“Since you’ve figured it out... what can you do to me now?”

Martial Uncle Pang and the others looked grim.

It was now obvious to them.

Not only was Blood River Ancestor unafraid of death—he probably wanted to die.

“So... your divine sense being inside the flying sword right now... isn’t voluntary.”

Zheng Fa suddenly understood.

“Hah, if not for the Tranquility Bamboo destroying my other sword, the Sword of Rebirth, would I have fallen into this prison?”

It was clear—Blood River Ancestor had no desire to inhabit this sword.

He wanted out of Jiushan Realm even more.

“...If this flying sword is destroyed, you’ll be able to escape?”

Zheng Fa asked again.

Blood River Ancestor said nothing.

But that was almost the same as admitting it.

Zheng Fa nodded. “So you think we’re powerless against you, and if we ask Zhenren Chengkong to destroy the sword, you’ll escape our control instead...”

Blood River Ancestor looked at Zheng Fa, his gaze calm, laced with a faint hint of mockery.

Martial Uncle Pang and the others all looked furious.

Now they couldn’t kill him, and not killing him would only cause trouble later.

This really was a hot potato.

“Zhenren Blood River,” Zheng Fa suddenly spoke politely, “there’s actually something I’ve been wanting to ask. The Soul Formation path in your Great Freedom Demonic Sect—does it follow the Dharma Body lineage?”

“Seems you know a little,”

Blood River Ancestor relaxed his expression, even smiling a bit.

“Mm, from what I understand about the Great Freedom Demonic Sect, even after reaching Soul Formation, you still can’t escape the Demon Ancestor’s control... right?”

“We, the cultivators of the Holy Sect, take the will of the Holy Ancestor as our own—what ‘control’ is there to speak of?”

Blood River Ancestor said, his face full of loyalty to the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor.

“So, your natal spiritual treasure developed its own will and wants to break free of the Demon Ancestor’s control... and that terrifies you, doesn’t it?”

“……”

Blood River Ancestor stopped smiling.

He looked at Zheng Fa, his illusory figure trembling—this question struck more fear into him than even the might of the Sun and Moon Bell.

Senior Sister Zhang watched him with a puzzled face, unable to understand how Zheng Fa had arrived at such a judgment.

“...Senior Sister, natal magic tools—or rather, spiritual treasures—actually have their own will. In Tianhe techniques, they’re where the true self is stored,” Zheng Fa explained.

“Zhenren Blood River...” Zheng Fa smiled gently at him, exceedingly kind, but Blood River Ancestor looked at him like he’d seen a ghost.

“Cultivating with Demonic Sect methods likely revolves around obeying the Demon Ancestor. If Zhenren Blood River’s Dharma Body hadn’t been destroyed by the Tranquility Bamboo, everything would’ve been fine. But now that his body is gone, while the sword’s will remains intact, this imbalance has shifted—the spiritual treasure’s will has taken dominance.”

With every word Zheng Fa spoke,

Blood River Ancestor’s phantom shuddered.

This time, it was clearly not an act.

He was genuinely afraid.

“You... how did you know?”

He looked at Zheng Fa, eyes no longer lofty and superior, but filled with terror.

Clearly... this was his deepest secret.

Zheng Fa pointed at the flying sword and smiled. “It told me.”

When the Reversed Five Elements Divine Light swept over the sword earlier, he had a strange sensation:

It felt like the sword was communicating with him—or rather, transmitting a message.

At first, he thought it was Blood River Ancestor’s trick, but after careful reflection, he realized it was full of resentment toward the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor.

Whether the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor would consider that a trick or not… was anyone’s guess.

Especially when he saw how desperately Blood River Ancestor wanted Jiang Chengkong to hit him with another bamboo strike—Zheng Fa became even more certain of the message’s authenticity.

This breakthrough—Zheng Fa didn’t know if it was because this was his first time using the Reversed Five Elements Divine Light against a spiritual treasure, or because he had recently grasped a bit more of the essence of Five Elements spells, enhancing the divine power.

But it was indeed a pleasant surprise.

Senior Sister Zhang furrowed her brows, as if realizing something. “You mean, the will inside this spiritual treasure... is like Blood River Ancestor’s true self? And it wants to rebel against the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor?”

“True self?” Blood River Ancestor snapped, “What do you mean ‘true self’? That thing’s an idiot!”

“Rebel against the Holy Ancestor?”

“The Holy Ancestor’s divine might is like a prison. Why would I court death with such foolish thoughts?”

“This Blood God Sword clearly has no mind, no knowledge—it just hates being trapped with me inside it!”

Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Zhang exchanged glances, even more certain in their thoughts:

They still didn’t fully understand the mechanism behind Soul Formation in Demonic Sect methods.

But it seemed Blood River Ancestor had been screwed over by an artificially dumb AI...

To put it simply, the sword had gone haywire—not demonic, but liberal.

Clearly, Blood River Ancestor had never even dreamed of betraying the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor. He was very clear-headed.

After finishing his rant, Blood River Ancestor’s face turned gloomy, even more resentful toward his Blood God Sword than he was toward Zheng Fa and the others.

From then on, no matter what Zheng Fa said, he wouldn’t speak again.

It was like he was afraid of Zheng Fa figuring out even more—as if Zheng Fa could see straight through to his deepest secrets.

At this point, he had to admit... he finally understood why the Holy Ancestor valued this man so much.

On the other hand, he was sure Zheng Fa couldn’t do anything to him. Confident, he refused to cooperate.

Martial Uncle Pang and the others all frowned.

Old Yuan walked over, thought for a moment, and said, “Why don’t we still ask Zhenren Chengkong? Even if it lets him escape... losing his natal spiritual treasure, Blood River won’t be a threat to Jiushan Realm.”

Zheng Fa nodded lightly. That did make sense.

Although letting Blood River Ancestor go felt like a loss,

Keeping him here was definitely a hidden danger—especially since they still didn’t know what the Great Freedom Demonic Sect was planning in Chen Prefecture.

He didn’t respond, just sat down to recover his spiritual power.

Using the Sun and Moon Bell earlier had cost him a lot.

Senior Sister Zhang and the others didn’t know what he was planning, but they all kept a close eye on Blood River Ancestor, preventing any funny business.

After a while, Zheng Fa stood up and nodded at Blood River Ancestor, his expression even more gentle.

“You want to—”

Zheng Fa didn’t let him finish. A Reversed Five Elements Divine Light swept directly at the sword.

This time, he could truly feel it—his understanding of the Reversed Five Elements Divine Light had deepened. He even felt like he was scanning the structure of the sword...

So this divine power could evolve?

If he could scan a sword’s structure, could he scan other magical treasures too?

That would be immensely helpful when it came time to craft his own natal magic treasure!

As for why this breakthrough happened—Zheng Fa figured it was thanks to his deepening knowledge of Five Elements spells and spiritual materials. It was proof that some of his theories were on the right track.

Though his understanding of Wood-element spells was still vague, the insight was starting to take shape.

As the five-colored light swept over the sword, the phantom of Blood River Ancestor showed rapid changes in expression. A moment later, even his eyes seemed different.

Senior Sister Zhang and the others stared at the apparition, intrigued.

This new “Blood River Ancestor” looked dazed, his gaze cautious as he stared at them.

Martial Uncle Pang’s heart stirred. He suddenly said, “Zhenren Blood River... once Zhenren Chengkong arrives, he will surely erase the sword spirit from your natal flying sword...”

“No!”

This Blood River Ancestor shouted hoarsely, his voice filled with panic—gone was his earlier composure.

“You’re scared now?”

Martial Uncle Pang pressed.

“If the sword’s spirit is erased, my original body will fall into the Holy Ancestor’s Blood Sea to have a new body remade...”

Only then did Zheng Fa understand why Zhenren Blood River had acted so fearless, even suicidal.

“Then why are you so reluctant?”

“How could a cultivator like me live forever under someone else’s boot?”

“……”

“Besides, if the sword spirit is gone, then I won’t exist anymore!”

“……”

“My life is mine, not the Demon Ancestor’s!”

After hearing that—well, that sword spirit’s words—everyone’s expression turned... complicated.

Now they understood why the mere mention of the sword spirit made Blood River Ancestor look like he’d eaten sh*t.

...Any main body would be scared too.

A stick of incense later, Blood River Ancestor’s expression shifted again, returning to that previous coldness—with a hint of shock.

“What did you do?”

He looked at Zheng Fa and asked.

Zheng Fa nodded at Martial Uncle Pang. Martial Uncle Pang smirked and pulled out a Recording Talisman.

It played back the arrogant, rebellious rant of the flying sword’s spirit from earlier.

The more Blood River Ancestor heard, the more twisted his expression became.

“Ahem, I was thinking of sending this to Zhenren Chengkong... oh, and the Hundred Immortals Alliance too.”

Blood River Ancestor’s face twitched.

“Martial Uncle Pang, you’ve got a lot of friends—maybe you can share it around?”

“Sure, sure, I’ll start writing letters right away.”

“...You think this can threaten me?”

Blood River Ancestor took a deep breath, his anger slowly fading.

“You think people inside or outside our Holy Sect won’t be able to tell this isn’t me?”

“Of course they’ll know…” Zheng Fa smiled brightly, nodding. “The problem is, even if it’s not you—this is still your natal magic treasure...”

“Can you honestly say these weren’t your thoughts, ever?”

Blood River Ancestor’s face froze again.

He couldn’t argue. No matter how dumb the natal treasure had become, it was still built from his memories.

And honestly, who hasn’t dreamed of breaking the chains at some point?

He just suppressed those suicidal ideas with reason.

“So what?”

“It might mean nothing normally. But right now... your natal treasure is damaged. Even if you manage to regain a body, within the Great Freedom Demonic Sect, you won’t hold the same status.”

Zheng Fa’s words landed like a heavy blow.

The implication was clear—Immortal sects are already cutthroat, and the Demonic Sect? Even worse.

Blood River Ancestor would surely have enemies.

Now he was weak and had dirt on him.

No telling how he might die once he went back...

“The Holy Ancestor—”

“Oh, you mean the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor? Do you really think if he hears about your treasure’s betrayal, he’ll protect you?”

“……”

Loyalty that isn’t absolute—is absolute disloyalty.

Blood River Ancestor fell silent.

He clearly wasn’t confident.

“What do you want? If you’re thinking I’ll bow down and call you master...” Blood River Ancestor sneered. “That’s impossible.”

Zheng Fa smiled and suddenly pulled out a stack of papers.

“...A cooperation agreement?”

After reading it, Blood River Ancestor understood Zheng Fa’s intent.

The terms were, of course, unfair—

It stated Blood River Ancestor must obey Zheng Fa, could not enter or leave Jiushan Realm at will, could not harm its people, or reveal any secrets, and more...

But on the flip side, Zheng Fa also promised not to harm him deliberately, not to assign him dangerous missions recklessly, and was even willing to amend the agreement later to offer more freedom...

The more he read, the more Blood River Ancestor actually thought... that being under Zheng Fa wasn’t so bad.

At least he wouldn’t actually die.

After a long silence, Blood River Ancestor finally said, “This... I won’t sign.”

“Hmm?”

Zheng Fa frowned, his gaze turning cold.

He didn’t want to release Blood River Ancestor, naturally—he feared the man would bring disaster to Jiushan Sect, and he didn’t want to strengthen the Demonic Sect either.

On the other hand, after hearing the Demon Ancestor was interested in him, he’d grown more cautious about the Great Freedom Demonic Sect—so he wanted to keep Blood River Ancestor close, to see what he could find out.

But if this guy refused to cooperate...

“The Holy Ancestor is about to descend.”

Blood River Ancestor suddenly said.

“!”

Everyone was hit with a sudden chill.

Zheng Fa’s mind lit up, and he asked, “Chen Prefecture?”