Chapter 172 - 172 72 Behind the Scenes

Chapter 172: Chapter 72: Behind the Scenes Chapter 172: Chapter 72: Behind the Scenes Zheng Fa walked through the market, making his final grand purchase before entering the Thunder Pool. Master Pang had given him very detailed information in the jade tube; some of it could even be identified as Master Pang’s own wording—this meant that Master Pang had not just been idly playing games, but had actually been to the Thunder Pool. According to Master Pang, the Thunder Pool was a place where the Heaven and Earth Laws were aberrant— That is to say, the Thunder Pool operated under different rules compared to other places in the Xuanwei Realm. To summarize from the jade tube, the three main differences were: First, the power of Thunder Skills greatly increased, while the power of non-Thunder Skills was much weakened. Master Pang speculated in the jade tube—after observing with his Void Spirit Eye that the attributes of the spiritual energy near the Thunder Pool differed from other places, possibly due to the influence of the Thunder Dao Heavenly Stele. On the other hand, using Thunder Skills was more dangerous; among Spirit Talismans, Thunder Talismans were considered the least stable, and this instability was even greater within the Thunder Pool. A moment of carelessness could lead to the Heavenly Thunder you conjure striking and killing yourself. Finally, and most troublesome—was that the place was particularly sensitive to Divine Sense. The jade tube stated that once Divine Sense at or above the Foundation Establishment Stage was exposed in the Thunder Pool, it would attract Heavenly Tribulation—much like a human lightning rod. Similarly, because Divine Sense is contained within Spiritual Power, overly strong Spiritual Power would also be penalized. This meant that cultivators with higher cultivation faced great limitations in the Thunder Pool. Master Pang concluded in the jade tube: “In the Thunder Pool, although cultivators above the Golden Core are restricted, in truth, those below the Foundation Establishment are more at risk of losing their lives... From what I have observed, those who can survive for a long time in the Thunder Pool are definitely those who conceal their sharpness and act modestly.” Zheng Fa partially agreed with Master Pang’s words— With Divine Sense being restricted, the likelihood of being ambushed greatly increased, so surely some would try to take advantage of these conditions to deal with their enemies. On the other hand, the Thunder Pool functioned like a fire extinguisher, suppressing anyone who dared to act arrogantly. His intention in entering the Thunder Pool was to practice and refine his Dharma Body, so indeed, discretion was the better part of valor. Zheng Fa first bought many essential elixirs: Yuan Condensing Pills, which were reserved for the coalescing of the Primordial Talisman. Fasting Pills, which Zheng Fa rarely consumed before, but given there was nothing like spirit grain inside the Thunder Pool, he had to make do. There were also Qi-increasing pills, a type of Qi Refinement elixir—simple in effect, providing spiritual energy to enhance cultivation. In this era, to buy Qi-increasing pills for cultivation was quite a luxury. The elixir itself was not expensive, three for one Spirit Stone... well, slightly expensive. However, Zheng Fa could also be considered one of the wealthiest disciples in the Qi Refinement Realm. Over the past few months, he had income from selling Spirit Talismans with Han Qi’s group, a share of the profits from the drama, and a salary from managing the workshop. Even after deducting his cultivation expenses, he had saved up over a hundred Spirit Stones. But to cultivate using Qi-increasing pills needed one pill per day, which meant ten Spirit Stones a month. After buying a month’s supply of pills, Zheng Fa still felt quite the pinch. After finishing with the elixirs, Zheng Fa went to the Hundred Treasures Tower—a Magical Artifact store operated by the Chongyue Sect of the Hundred Immortals Alliance. The Chongyue Sect, as one of the upper nine sects within the Hundred Immortals Alliance, was famous for crafting Magical Artifacts. Of course, compared to other Magical Artifact stores, the prices here also matched its reputation... The first floor of the Hundred Treasures Tower had a large open space in the middle. There were three small boats displayed in the center. A circle of cultivators surrounded them, all looking and commenting on the small boats with great interest, but few were placing orders. The clerks in the store were not in a rush, smiling as they stood by, not even calling out, looking unconcerned about whether people would buy. And they truly had no fear of not being able to sell. These small boats were known as Calamity Boats, extremely popular in the Thunder Pool market. Zheng Fa came here for the Calamity Boat as well. The Calamity Boat was a yellow-grade Magical Artifact. According to the classifications in the Xuanwei Realm, the levels of Magical Artifacts could generally be divided into the four grades of heaven, earth, profound, and yellow, with Magical Treasures and Spiritual Treasures mentioned above them. As a yellow-grade Magical Artifact, the Calamity Boat had relatively simple functions— It had a certain movement capability. It also had certain protective capabilities. In the Five Dragons Heavenly Palace, it wouldn’t even count as little brother. But the advantage of this Magical Artifact was that it had relatively strong protection against Thunder Skills, and its control required only Qi Refinement Realm cultivation. Therefore, the Calamity Boat was very popular in the Thunder Pool market. Even its price surged due to the demand. Zheng Fa heard that, in other markets, a Calamity Boat would cost around fifty Spirit Stones. But here—seventy Spirit Stones! The Chongxuan Sect was indeed ruthless! After buying the elixirs, Zheng Fa’s fortune amounted to just seventy Spirit Stones. His ingrained habit of frugality made it really hard for him to part with them. But considering it was about his safety in the Thunder Pool, Zheng Fa made up his mind. He looked around at the other cultivators, didn’t rush to make a purchase, but instead walked outside and found Elder Brother Yang, who was patrolling the market, and asked him to order a boat on his behalf. “Elder brother, what is this for?” “Elder brother, after all, I am just a Qi Cultivation practitioner...” Zheng Fa explained to Elder Brother Yang, hinting that he wanted to keep a low profile. Elder Brother Yang was a Foundation Establishment practitioner, and although spending dozens of Spirit Stones was a considerable amount, it would not cause too much trouble. “Elder brother, you are being...” Elder Brother Yang paused, as if searching for a polite adjective, “Quite unlike Sister Zhang!” Zheng Fa translated this in his mind: You’re so timid! Soon, Elder Brother Yang made the reservation for a Calamity Boat in the Hundred Treasures Tower. Zheng Fa watched with his own eyes. Upon Elder Brother Yang’s return, he seemed to have a bit of an ‘I am meddlesome’ expression. When he came out, he was beaming with joy. Following him were numerous female cultivators, stuffing sachets and handkerchiefs into his hands... By the time he handed the Calamity Boat to Zheng Fa, there was still a hint of powder on him and a silly smile on his face. “Junior Brother, if you have events like this again in the future, come find me!” Senior Brother Yang said earnestly. “Senior Brother...” Zheng Fa watched as he put those sachets and handkerchiefs into his Storage Bag and couldn’t help but remind him, “These women, who come for the Spirit Stones, I’m afraid have ill intentions.” “No problem, I didn’t have any good intentions either.” Senior Brother Yang waved his hand dismissively. “?” “Besides, I don’t have any money!” Zheng Fa couldn’t help but clasp his hands together in respect, actually feeling that this senior brother had some great wisdom. ... It was only after entering the Thunder Pool that Zheng Fa understood why the Calamity Boat was so popular— He had seen the scenes of a sea disaster in videos from modern times: Dark clouds covering the sky, gales stirring up waves, making one feel utterly powerless and as if they were the only person between heaven and earth, adding to the despair. Now, that scene unfolded before Zheng Fa’s eyes. The thunder clouds in the sky were inherently heavy on the heart. The surging waves beneath the boat, upon closer inspection, turned out to be streaks of lightning, and the blue torrents were also violently twisting lightning serpents. Without the Calamity Boat, Zheng Fa would have to withstand the rolling thunder with his flesh. Although he had practiced the Five Thunders Body and had a strong resistance, facing these forces with his body would inevitably consume his mind and spirit. But with the Calamity Boat, most of the thunder strikes could be blocked, making it much easier for him. For a moment, he actually felt that the seventy Spirit Stones he spent were somewhat worthwhile... Especially when he saw others frantically dealing with thunder strikes from all directions, he couldn’t help but feel a real sense of satisfaction. Zheng Fa followed the map given by Senior Sister Zhang, slowly making his way through the Thunder Pool. His eyes shone with a silvery gleam, using the Void Spirit Eye to observe the surroundings. Whenever there was any conflict, he would keep his distance—as Zheng Fa had previously thought, conflicts in the Thunder Pool were indeed frequent, with people fighting everywhere. After wandering around the Thunder Pool for seven or eight days and sensing disturbance of Spiritual Energy in the Void Spirit Eye, it seemed there was a skirmish. Zheng Fa intended to drive the Calamity Boat away. But a few familiar figures made Zheng Fa stop the boat and frown towards that area—after a long while, he slowly drove the Calamity Boat forward. Those few shadows had been deploying Heavenly Demon Absolute Shadow... This was the secret technique of the Great Freedom Demon Sect, something Zheng Fa had witnessed being used by Lin Bufan. And Senior Sister Zhang had disappeared in a conflict with the Great Freedom Demon Sect. Zheng Fa slowly approached, relying on the Void Spirit Eye, he could see the two conflicting parties from a great distance. One was those who had used the Heavenly Demon Absolute Shadow, presumably disciples of the Great Freedom Demon Sect. The other was someone Zheng Fa also recognized—the disciple of Tianhe Sect. He stood alone in the void, facing several people with a faint smile on his face, as if he didn’t care about being outnumbered at all. What caught Zheng Fa’s attention was—there was a third party at the scene that neither of the two sides had discovered. A person lurking outside the Divine Sense of the group was also overlooking the conflict, and most of the gaze was fixed on the disciples of the Great Freedom Demon Sect. Judging from the figure, it turned out to be an acquaintance— The former True Inheritor of Jiushan Sect, the former undercover agent of the Great Freedom Demon Sect, the darling of Nine Nether Demon Ancestor—Chen Ting. Seeing him staring intently at those disciples of the Great Freedom Demon Sect, ready to intervene at any moment, Zheng Fa unaccountably thought of Master Pang’s teachings... His own master truly had a discerning eye. He saw right through that Chen Ting perfectly inherited Master Pang’s true teachings! With this in mind, he couldn’t help but stop behind Chen Ting to watch how the situation at the center would unfold. “Disciples of the Great Freedom Demon Sect?” the Tianhe Sect disciple spoke up, “Have you, the shrinking turtles for tens of thousands of years, now dare to ambush me here?” “...We were actually pursuing others, not ambushing you.” Those disciples of the Great Freedom Demon Sect exchanged glances and actually clarified. Hearing this, Zheng Fa took another look at Chen Ting. “It doesn’t matter, today I’ll follow in the footsteps of the ancestral master, exterminate demons and purify the universe!” That disciple of the Tianhe Sect didn’t seem to care about the explanations of these people, conjuring a broadsword in his hands. Those disciples of the Great Freedom Demon Sect had to brace themselves. If there were those who harbored deep-seated hatred against the Demon Sect, Tianhe Sect was definitely one of them. Fighting had become a habit! Zheng Fa noticed that Chen Ting’s shoulders relaxed slightly, seemingly happy that his ruse to divert trouble was successful. The broadsword in front of the Tianhe Sect disciple transformed into a brilliant blue radiance that shot up into the sky, cleaving directly at those disciples of the Great Freedom Demon Sect from above his head. Above their heads, a shadowy black Qingyun cloud emerged, and from within the cloud, the hazy figure of a Demon God stretched out its hands, attempting to block the sword light. Unexpectedly, the sword light suddenly flashed, slashing straight towards Chen Ting’s direction. “You petty and lowly person dare to scheme against me?” The Demon God above their heads held its arms up, looking somewhat stunned. Chen Ting... was even more stunned. Zheng Fa... Zheng Fa moved even farther away. The routines of the Xuanwei Realm are indeed plentiful!