I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Vol 2 Chapter 249: Blood Fiend Formation, Far Too Skilled

Before Wuzhi’s voice even reached Zhenren Chengkong’s ears, his magic weapon had already arrived!

This disciple of Leiyin Temple had a handsome face, red lips and white teeth, like a noble-born youth, but his weapon was overwhelmingly fierce.

Behind him, the Buddha’s hand had somehow acquired a Vajra Pestle. The pestle stood tall between heaven and earth, majestic like a mountain.

No—it was fiercer than a mountain!

The seated Buddha rose, raised his hand, and swung the pestle!

The Vajra Pestle struck the ground, yet made no sound, giving a weightless impression.

But everyone knew—it was anything but light.

In the sky, the sea of clouds was suddenly pierced through, like a hole had been drilled by the pestle.

The earth below sank three inches, as if unable to bear the force of that “weightless” blow. The one who took the hit head-on, Zhenren Chengkong, naturally felt it most.

He seemed to have anticipated something already. When the Netherworld Immortal raised his finger, a treasure orb appeared above his head, shielding his Yang Spirit.

But who knew how long Wuzhi had been preparing this blow—it came suddenly, and in just one breath, the treasure orb was reduced to dust, scattered in the wind.

That one breath of time gave Zhenren Chengkong a slight chance to catch his breath. He retreated into the sky, and the light on his Yang Spirit dimmed again. The destruction of that orb had clearly injured him significantly.

Xie Qingxue also retreated to the side. It was clear she didn’t want to interfere in the conflict between the Five Sects of Xuanyi, but she hadn’t left either, subtly watching the Netherworld Immortal.

This sudden scene left the people of the Jiushan Realm stunned.

Even Zheng Fa frowned.

“This Wuzhi…”

“This must be the Netherworld Immortal Qin Mu’s scheme…” the Ancestor of the Blood River sighed. “Even I didn’t know that the Tranquility Bamboo, which our Holy Sect fears most, is actually the enlightenment treasure of some Buddha.”

“Enlightenment treasure…” Zhenren Chengkong also muttered the phrase. He stared at Wuzhi, eyes deep, seeming to understand why he had turned sides. “Is that enough to make you betray Leiyin Temple?”

“Why would you say that, Daoist Chengkong?” Wuzhi’s hands remained in prayer, his smile as warm as spring breeze. “If the elders of Leiyin Temple hear that I brought back the Tranquility Bamboo, I’ll only be rewarded, not punished. How could that be betrayal?”

Zheng Fa narrowed his eyes. Beside him, Senior Sister Zhang’s voice came: “Wuzhi didn’t come for the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor—he came for the Tranquility Bamboo?” 𝙧ＡƝȪ𝐁Εȿ

That was exactly what Zheng Fa had guessed—those who reached Soul Formation had unshakable beliefs. It was unlikely someone like Wuzhi would be swayed by a few words from the Netherworld Immortal.

“Is your Leiyin Temple going to tear up the Five Sects Alliance?”

As expected, Zhenren Chengkong had also figured it out.

“Not at all. The Tranquility Bamboo is a supreme treasure of our Buddhist sect. The Taishang Dao has kept it for years—already a misstep. If you’re willing to hand it over, my Leiyin Temple will of course honor the alliance.”

Wuzhi’s tone remained gentle, but Zhenren Chengkong’s face darkened.

At the side, Xie Qingxue suddenly spoke: “Leiyin Temple—you’re a bit too hasty.”

“Fairy Xie, the Tranquility Bamboo concerns the Dao Fruit of a Buddha from our temple. If Taishang Dao could protect it, we wouldn’t be in such a rush…”

Wuzhi glanced at the bamboo, and his voice was filled with helplessness.

Zheng Fa turned to look at the Netherworld Immortal. This man had only said one sentence and now stood off to the side, smiling, watching Wuzhi and Zhenren Chengkong turn against each other, as if none of it concerned him.

“Wuzhi… probably didn’t act entirely by choice, and might not have even colluded with the Great Freedom Demonic Sect,” said Senior Sister Zhang.

The disciples of Jiushan Sect were also watching the chaotic situation. By now, they more or less understood what was going on.

“Yes, the Netherworld Immortal somehow knew how important the Tranquility Bamboo was to Leiyin Temple. He deliberately made Zhenren Chengkong use it up, forcing Wuzhi to act…” Zheng Fa agreed.

Senior Sister Zhang nodded and added:

“He didn’t need to collude with Wuzhi—he just needed to point out two things. One, the Tranquility Bamboo is nearly exhausted. If Wuzhi doesn’t act, Zhenren Chengkong might drain it dry.”

“Second, he hinted to Zhenren Chengkong that Wuzhi harbored ill intentions. If Wuzhi didn’t act today, and Chengkong became cautious, he’d never get another chance.”

Zheng Fa looked at the Netherworld Immortal. Since his appearance, the man hadn’t lifted a finger, yet had nearly achieved his goal.

Zhenren Chengkong was injured, and the alliance between the Five Sects was all but shattered.

He even wondered—

“Back when he tampered with the Tranquility Bamboo, had he already foreseen today?”

Zheng Fa’s words left the cultivators of the Jiushan Realm momentarily speechless.

If so, then this person was truly terrifying.

In the arena, Zhenren Chengkong and Wuzhi had clashed again.

Zhenren Chengkong finally brought out his life-bound treasure—a horsetail whisk.

With a gentle wave, it stirred a spring-like breeze. Gentle and delicate, it reversed the descending Vajra Pestle, sending it flying back.

Blocking the pestle wasn’t enough. The auspicious clouds above his head trembled and released lines of talismanic script, which fell upon his head, seemingly nourishing his Yang Spirit.

“Taishang Dao’s techniques are indeed extraordinary. I am impressed,” Wuzhi said sincerely.

“Your Dragon-Elephant Manifestation is also immensely powerful,” Zhenren Chengkong responded, his fury now subdued.

“Others look down on the Dragon-Elephant Arhat Manifestation, thinking it’s just brute force with no depth.”

“But I, foolish as I am, couldn’t learn any profound techniques after Soul Formation, so I could only study this one day after day…”

Zheng Fa looked at the Buddha behind him, silently comparing the Soul Formation manifestations he had seen.

Taishang Dao’s manifestation was the Yang Spirit—seemingly more spiritual in nature.

The Great Freedom Demonic Sect used the Law Body—it appeared fleshly, even bodily.

Leiyin Temple’s manifestation was different from both. It leaned toward the Yang Spirit, but had a more tangible, solid feel.

As he thought this, Zhenren Chengkong spoke again. He looked at Wuzhi, his gaze unclear whether it was admiration or mockery.

“Why so modest?”

“Wuzhi of Leiyin Temple, born a Buddha child. Reached Soul Formation for three thousand years, condensed the Dragon-Elephant Arhat Manifestation.”

“In ten thousand years, he’ll form the Bodhisattva Manifestation.”

“In thirty thousand years, he’ll become the first Dragon-Elephant Buddha in Leiyin Temple’s history.”

The more he spoke, the humbler Wuzhi’s expression became.

“Arhat or Buddha, it's all illusion, what’s there to boast about?” he shook his head. “The only reality in this world is…”

“Limitless Strength!”

As he said it, the Buddha behind him opened his eyes wide in fury, and the Vajra Pestle tripled in size, smashing down toward Zhenren Chengkong.

In that moment, the wind stopped, clouds stilled, and all fell silent. Between heaven and earth, only the towering Vajra Pestle remained!

Even Zheng Fa doubted—could Chengkong withstand it?

But he did—effortlessly.

Holding the Tranquility Bamboo, he casually smacked the Vajra Pestle. His face said, “Go ahead, kill me, see if I care.”

But Wuzhi cared.

The Vajra Pestle froze mid-air. A flush of red appeared on Wuzhi’s fair, handsome face.

After all, he had betrayed his sect for the Tranquility Bamboo. Chengkong could afford not to care—but he couldn’t…

Holding the bamboo like a hostage, Zhenren Chengkong brazenly turned defense into offense.

The more they fought, the more awkward Wuzhi became. The more restricted he felt.

Zheng Fa observed, silently admiring—Zhenren Chengkong really understood the path of shameless invincibility. But truly—if the Netherworld Immortal could use the Tranquility Bamboo, why couldn’t Chengkong?

You Leiyin Temple want it?

Then get beat!

Zhenren Chengkong tapped the Buddha’s manifestation again and again with the bamboo, and Wuzhi dared not fight back.

The tide of battle shifted dramatically.

Zhenren Chengkong seemed to have the upper hand.

Yet, the Netherworld Immortal stood calmly to the side, not the least bit anxious. He even nodded in approval toward Chengkong, as if he thought this junior had brains.

But—

Crack!

A subtle yet shocking crack rang through the air.

Zheng Fa looked toward the sound—and the Tranquility Bamboo exploded!

Withered leaves scattered. In Chengkong’s hand, only a short, green node remained—no roots, just a piece barely longer than a finger, with almost no spiritual energy left. It probably wouldn’t live much longer.

“I… I didn’t even dare to use spiritual energy…” Zhenren Chengkong stared blankly at the tiny bamboo node, muttering.

Clearly, this scene hit him hard.

But the one hit harder was Wuzhi—he hadn’t even fought back, and the Tranquility Bamboo just exploded!

Didn’t that mean he got beat for nothing?

He had wanted to reclaim the bamboo—but now, what’s the point?

Though enemies, both men now wore identical expressions of sorrow.

In the Jiushan Realm, Zheng Fa looked at the scattering dead leaves and had a thought—

Earlier, he’d wanted to borrow a few leaves from the Tranquility Bamboo to study. Zhenren Chengkong probably wouldn’t have agreed.

Didn’t Leiyin Temple want to fight for this thing?

But now… if he picked a few off the ground, it should be fine… right?

Thinking this made him a bit happy—but seeing Chengkong’s devastated face, he suppressed his grin. It wouldn’t be polite.

“Heh!”

Huh?

Did I laugh out loud?

“Netherworld Immortal!”

Suddenly, the Ancestor of the Blood River shouted. Zheng Fa looked at the Netherworld Immortal.

He seemed to have been waiting for this moment. That chuckle—it came from him.

With a wave of his hand, five Blood Fiend Banners planted into the ground, and the sky darkened again.

“Five-Point Blood Fiend Formation!” the Ancestor shouted. “Without the Tranquility Bamboo, breaking this formation won’t be easy!”

So that’s what it was!

Up until now, Zheng Fa had only just fully grasped the Netherworld Immortal’s scheme.

The Netherworld Immortal’s goal had always been to destroy the Tranquility Bamboo—if Zhenren Chengkong had used up its vitality earlier while fighting those Soul Formation cultivators from the Demonic Sect, that would’ve been ideal.

But Zhenren Chengkong seemed a bit frugal—or maybe he’d been guarding against him all along—the bamboo still had life in it.

So he forced Wuzhi to make a move.

Now, his goal was finally achieved!

With the Tranquility Bamboo—the bane of the Great Freedom Demonic Sect—destroyed, there was suddenly no one left who could suppress the Five-Point Blood Fiend Formation!

Whether it was that Zheng Fa understood it now, or Zhenren Chengkong also did!

His face changed dramatically. He waved the Tranquility Bamboo, but it was already useless against the Five-Point Blood Fiend Formation.

The five Blood Fiend Banners surrounded the Netherworld Immortal, vaguely forming a space of their own. Within that space: rolling seas of blood, the wails of countless souls.

A powerful presence was gradually taking shape within.

As that presence emerged, within the blood sea, the faint outline of a demonic god’s body appeared.

“Great Freedom Demon Ancestor!”

“Holy Ancestor!”

Beside him, came simultaneous cries from Senior Sister Zhang and the Ancestor of the Blood River.

The Netherworld Immortal, who had laid out such a deep scheme, was clearly a patient man.

But now he acted decisively, not waiting a moment longer, beginning right there to summon the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor!

And he had picked the perfect time—the Tranquility Bamboo was destroyed, the Five Sects of Xuanyi had no reinforcements, and it seemed no one had any recourse.

“Qingxue!”

Zhenren Chengkong shouted.

Zheng Fa looked toward Xie Qingxue. At this moment, Zhenren Chengkong was placing all his hopes on her?

The Netherworld Immortal also turned to look at Xie Qingxue.

“Xie Qingxue…” his expression showed a trace of confusion.

The Tranquility Bamboo had shattered, the Demon Ancestor was about to descend, and with nothing left to fight over, Zhenren Chengkong and Wuzhi stopped fighting, standing guarded.

“Uncle-Master, your schemes are unmatched, and I’ve fallen for them too. But there’s one thing—you’ve been away from Xuanyi for too long. Qingxue is still young;

some secrets, you probably didn’t have time to learn.”

Zhenren Chengkong spoke slowly, smiling as he looked at Xie Qingxue, “I knew the Tranquility Bamboo couldn’t be used for long—but why did I keep using it anyway?”

“……”

The Netherworld Immortal’s face tightened, and Zhenren Chengkong continued, still in that leisurely tone: “Because, among the disciples of the Five Sects, I’m not the only one who can break your Five-Point Blood Fiend Formation!”

The meaning of his words was clear to everyone…

Xie Qingxue!

This Tianhe Sect Senior Sister, who had done little so far, was Zhenren Chengkong’s hidden trump card.

Xie Qingxue stared at the Blood Fiend Banners, her expression solemn.

She gently floated into the air, her long black hair stirring without wind, her body cloaked in blue profound light.

“Disciple Xie Qingxue…” her face bore a sorrow that couldn’t be put into words, but also complete determination. “Requests the Ancestral Master’s sword!”

Ancestral Master?

The Ancestral Master of the Tianhe Sect—or rather, the one all Tianhe disciples referred to—was only one person!

Not just Zheng Fa—even the Netherworld Immortal inside the formation lost all of his earlier composure. His tone no longer gentle but hoarse with alarm: “The sword of the Tianhe Venerable… your Tianhe Sect still dares…”

“Junior disciples are unworthy, naturally ashamed,” surprisingly, Xie Qingxue answered him directly. Then she continued, “But the Ancestral Master once struck down the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor. Today, I shall fulfill his legacy!”

As she spoke, a small green sword flew from her body and expanded into a meter-long blade in the air.

The longsword looked extremely simple—an unadorned blade, a wooden hilt, not a single decoration.

It didn’t even radiate spiritual energy!

“This Greenpeace Sword was the Ancestral Master’s companion sword before his enlightenment…” Xie Qingxue’s eyes fell on the sword, and a distant look passed over her face, as if recalling something. She whispered, “Qingxue was fortunate enough to resonate with it in the Sword Hut, and with this sword, ascended to Unity.”

Zheng Fa’s heart stirred. The Tianhe Sect’s Soul Formation method seemed once again different from the others.

He had always been curious about what exactly this Unity method entailed.

Xie Qingxue didn’t make him wait long. Her figure flashed—and vanished. But the Greenpeace Sword let out a light hum.

Zheng Fa blinked in realization.

Before he could finish the thought, the Greenpeace Sword had already pierced through the Five-Point Blood Fiend Formation!

As expected of the Tianhe Venerable’s companion sword—it seemed to transcend realms, ignoring the banners entirely, stabbing directly at the Netherworld Immortal!

He had no time to react!

The sword passed cleanly through his chest, then pierced the demonic god’s figure in the sea of blood behind him!

The blood sea exploded.

The Netherworld Immortal slowly looked down at his chest.

Soul Formation cultivators weren’t easy to kill—but the Greenpeace Sword seemed to have erased every trace of vitality from him.

His gentle, jade-like face suddenly crumbled like shattered stone, turning to gravel, falling to the ground.

Xie Qingxue’s figure reappeared before the crowd.

She didn’t even have time to speak—she just sat cross-legged, regulating her breathing. She didn’t seem unscathed. In fact, she looked injured.

Zheng Fa frowned and looked at Senior Sister Zhang, who seemed to catch his meaning: “It’s a bit like me.”

Indeed, the Tianhe Sect’s Unity method resembled hers.

Senior Sister Zhang had merged herself with Jiushan, borrowing the power of its ancestral master to fight.

And the Tianhe Sect’s Unity method—it seemed to fuse the cultivator with a magic weapon… strangely similar in effect!

That explained some things for Zheng Fa:

Among the Five Sects, the Tianhe Sect had the shortest history, and their ancestral master, the Tianhe Venerable, had been betrayed and even become taboo.

So the question was—

Why was the Tianhe Sect still part of the Five Sects? The most update n0vels are published on novel_fіre.net

Why had the Taishang Dao and others kept their legacy instead of erasing them?

And now, the Tianhe Sect even flaunted their heritage, using the Tianhe Venerable’s name to stand as a leader among the five.

Even their betrayal back then seemed a bit… irrational.

But with the Unity method, it was different.

They could draw on the power of their predecessors’ weapons…

Maybe their betrayal wasn’t without purpose. Maybe they were coveting those very weapons?

Zheng Fa’s thoughts turned over, and his heart relaxed a little—because the sea of blood in the formation was already dissipating, and the Netherworld Immortal had turned to ash.

Even Wuzhi looked relieved—though he had wanted the Tranquility Bamboo, he clearly didn’t want the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor to revive.

Zheng Fa glanced toward the Ancestor of the Blood River, curious about his expression—only to see him frowning, eyes fixed on the pile of ashes left by the Netherworld Immortal.

“What is it?”

“The Netherworld Immortal… cultivated two methods.”

Zheng Fa’s head snapped up. Within the formation, a taiji diagram of gold and blood-colored light appeared!

The taiji turned—and from the ashes, a hand suddenly sprouted!

The hand braced against the ground, and a figure slowly stood.

It was Qin Mu—the Netherworld Immortal—who had just appeared to die!

Only now his expression bore none of that former gentleness—only wild, vicious malice. His body no longer shone with golden light, but blood radiance. It looked like flesh and blood!

A Law Body!

This Qin Mu didn’t just have a Yang Spirit—he had a Law Body too!

Seeing this, not just Zheng Fa—both Zhenren Chengkong and Xie Qingxue’s faces were filled with despair.

The Netherworld Immortal hadn’t emerged unscathed. He took several deep breaths, eyes landing on Wuzhi and Zhenren Chengkong—he seemed wary of them. Then he reached out and struck a blood incantation toward one of the Blood Fiend Banners.

“Stop him!” Zhenren Chengkong suddenly shouted.

Then he took to the air, whisk in hand, striking at the Netherworld Immortal.

Wuzhi also clenched his jaw—once again switching sides—and raised the Vajra Pestle toward the Netherworld Immortal.

Only Xie Qingxue remained seated, regulating her breathing, unmoving.

The strange taiji above the Netherworld Immortal’s head rose up, blocking the Vajra Pestle. He turned to strike back at Zhenren Chengkong. One against two—he didn’t fall behind. In fact, he seemed to be gaining the upper hand!

Just as Zhenren Chengkong sank deeper into despair—

A golden streak of light shot into the formation behind him. Zheng Fa’s figure appeared, casting out the Five Elements Divine Light, seizing one of the Blood Fiend Banners, then turning into a rainbow light again, flying back into the Jiushan Realm—and slamming the door shut.

That movement—dash, grab, close—was done in one smooth, practiced motion. So skilled, it looked like a fugitive from a legal drama making a clean escape…