I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times-Chapter 261: Heaven Doesn’t Favor Me—Can You Hold Out?
Chapter 261: Heaven Doesn’t Favor Me—Can You Hold Out?
The moment the Netherworld Immortal Qin Mu appeared, he went looking for Zheng Fa first.
Failing to find him, he suddenly seemed even more confident.
The drastic change in his expression made Zhenren Chengkong raise an eyebrow—why was this man so wary of Zheng Fa?
But clearly, the Netherworld Immortal Qin Mu had no intention of explaining.
He floated midair among the clouds, his robes and hair tossed by the sea breeze, as erratic as the spiritual energy surrounding him.
It was obvious he still bore injuries from the battle a few days ago.
Yet he didn’t seem to care much. His head turned slightly, and his gaze swept across the powerful enemies in front of him one by one.
“Taishang Dao, Tianhe Sect, Yaochi, Haori Mountain...” he murmured, “Master, to deal with just me, you actually brought six Soul Formation cultivators...”
“You hate your disciple that much?”
Zhenren Mingde gave the others a subtle look, and Xie Qingxue along with the others understood immediately.
They spread out and surrounded Qin Mu from all sides, completely cutting off his escape.
Qin Mu didn’t even turn his head, just stared at Head Seat Mingde with a faint, amused look, as if completely unbothered.
But Head Seat Mingde hesitated. His caution deepened, as he feared there might be an ambush nearby.
He knew this disciple to be ruthless and cunning, which was why he had decided to outnumber him to avoid any mishaps.
Yet Qin Mu’s current demeanor made him feel things were slipping out of his control again.
He didn’t dare act rashly, so he simply said, “Hate you?”
“I didn’t pass on the True Explanation of Yin and Yang to you, so you impersonated me, infiltrated the Transmission Tower, and even killed two senior brothers there,” Head Seat Mingde said, his face darkening with genuine rage. “Because of that, I had to reflect in the True Fire Cavern for three hundred years, enduring heavenly fire punishment every single day.” S
“If it were just me, fine. But over the years, more than ten disciples of Taishang Dao have died at your hands. Three of them were even possessed by you...”
“And I too, have stained my hands with the blood of Taishang Dao disciples because of you!”
“You stole true techniques, framed your master, slaughtered your fellow disciples. Shouldn’t I hate you?” Head Seat Mingde’s hair bun trembled, as if consumed by fury. “I hate myself even more—for having taught a disciple like you!”
“Now your Great Freedom Demonic Sect has suffered a crushing defeat, and you’re caught in a hopeless situation.”
“So it’s not that I wish you dead, but that Heaven itself has decreed the death of such a disloyal and unfilial man!”
As his words became increasingly angry, his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
Yet the smile on Qin Mu’s face didn’t fade. He even nodded slightly, as if agreeing with his master’s speech. But in the end, he chuckled lightly:
“Heaven’s will?”
“So Heaven truly doesn’t favor me?”
He stopped looking at Head Seat Mingde and turned his gaze to Zhenren Chengkong instead, a trace of confusion in his voice:
“My Great Freedom Demonic Sect’s Soul Formation cultivators gathering in Chen Prefecture was a top secret. The Fivefold Blood Fiend Formation was about to be completed, and yet, that day, you suddenly broke in and almost ruined everything. Was that Heaven’s will?”
Zhenren Chengkong froze.
Why had he barged into the formation that day?
Oh, right. Zheng Fa had sent him a message saying that the Great Freedom Demonic Sect was trying to resurrect the Demon Ancestor in Chen Prefecture.
The situation had been urgent. He had to rely on the Tranquility Bamboo to charge into the formation—catching the Demonic Sect completely off guard.
As he recalled, the Netherworld Immortal continued:
“Then later, I killed the Yin-Yang Rakshasa and refined the Fivefold Blood Fiend Banner...”
“That’s when I ran into Fairy Xie again.” He glanced at Xie Qingxue. “She shattered the Demon Ancestor’s Incarnated Body—that was another calamity.”
“That’s fine... I practice both demonic and immortal cultivation. I’ve survived countless near-deaths.”
“But someone actually managed to steal one of my Blood Fiend Banners right under my nose...”
“And that person was just a Golden Core cultivator!”
“No matter how meticulous I am, how could I have predicted a Golden Core would achieve such a feat?” The Netherworld Immortal, who had remained calm through Mingde’s accusations, now gnashed his teeth. This clearly struck a nerve. He laughed bitterly. “If it’s not that Heaven has abandoned me, how else can this be explained?”
Zhenren Chengkong lowered his head and did some mental math. Another possibility came to mind:
The first time the formation was broken—it was his hand, but Zheng Fa sent the message.
The second time—Xie Qingxue was the main force, but Zheng Fa was the key.
This wasn’t Heaven abandoning you.
This was Zheng Fa restraining you!
Thinking this, Zhenren Chengkong suddenly felt that the Netherworld Immortal’s earlier wariness of Zheng Fa was completely justified.
But Head Seat Mingde was unaware of his thoughts. Hearing Qin Mu’s words, he shouted, “If you know Heaven’s will, do you still wish to resist in vain?”
“Heaven’s will?” Qin Mu laughed. He turned to look at the Soul Formation cultivators around him and said, “So Heaven’s will is absolute?”
“Heaven’s will killed Tianhe Venerable!”
“And that was justified too?”
A sword hum rang out behind him. Xie Qingxue’s face was cold as frost, her beautiful eyes full of killing intent. She held the Qingping Sword and snapped, “You think you’re worthy to be compared with the Ancestor?”
“Even your Tianhe Sect dares call yourselves the orthodox Tianhe. Why can’t I compare?”
Xie Qingxue pressed her lips together. The sword qi of the Qingping Sword surged outward, slicing the drifting white clouds around her into fine strands.
After observing for a while and detecting no ambush, Head Seat Mingde couldn’t hold back any longer. He reached into the Auspicious Cloud and drew out the Tranquility Bamboo, pointing it straight at Qin Mu.
“Even if Heaven spares you today, I won’t!”
The others also activated their powers.
Xie Qingxue wielded the Qingping Sword. The Soul Formation cultivator from Yaochi had a red ribbon like the evening glow floating around her.
The one from Haori Mountain removed a longbow from his back and aimed at Qin Mu.
Zhenren Chengkong aligned his aura with two other Soul Formation cultivators from Taishang Dao, drawing attention.
Everyone was confident—Qin Mu might be powerful, but he was alone and seriously injured.
Head Seat Mingde’s strength was not beneath his.
Not to mention they had the Tranquility Bamboo and the Qingping Sword.
With all these advantages, they had no reason to lose.
Yet Qin Mu still looked utterly calm. He looked around and suddenly nodded. “Tranquility Bamboo, Qingping Sword, five Soul Formation cultivators—that’s enough.”
“Enough?”
Head Seat Mingde was startled. Then, from the corner of his eye, a blue-black light flashed.
He looked down and realized the island beneath them was trembling—like an earthquake.
No, not an earthquake!
“Retreat!”
He shouted urgently.
But it was too late!
Across a thousand-mile sea, on seven islands, seven pillars of light shot into the sky.
As the light faded, they realized those “islands” weren’t islands at all—but seven massive columns standing on the ocean floor.
Each column resembled black bronze, with a giant dragon carved of blue jade coiling around it.
The columns rose higher and higher, lifting the sea surface.
Eventually, the sea and sky fused, and the world seemed to become an underwater dome.
Head Seat Mingde and the others were all swept into the water.
Whirlpools, undercurrents, and bizarre surges of spiritual energy disoriented them completely.
“Seven-Dragon Boundless Sea Formation!” the Soul Formation cultivator from Yaochi cried. “That’s a secret Dragon Clan formation! How do you know it?”
“Can’t you guess why I came to Donghai Prefecture?”
The Netherworld Immortal’s voice echoed with laughter.
“Demon Clan!” Zhenren Chengkong shouted. “You got this formation from them!”
The sea hid countless powerful aquatic demons, many of them with long lifespans.
Because of this, the five sects never dared to provoke them lightly.
But...
“Why would they give you such a formation?”
That was what puzzled everyone. Such a powerful formation—how did Qin Mu obtain it?
The Netherworld Immortal remained silent, clearly unwilling to answer everything.
Meanwhile, Head Seat Mingde and the others regrouped, exchanging glances. To their surprise, their expressions were still calm.
The formation was powerful, but not limitless.
Qin Mu was injured. Even if he weren’t, they wouldn’t be afraid.
Zhenren Chengkong suddenly understood why Qin Mu had checked whether Zheng Fa was present—this formation covered too wide a range to evade.
But if Zheng Fa were here, when the formation activated, only he could instantly traverse a thousand miles and seize one of the giant columns!
That would have disrupted the whole formation.
He looked at Head Seat Mingde. His senior seemed to turn his head slightly, avoiding eye contact—clearly, he had thought of the same thing.
Head Seat Mingde fell silent for a moment, then looked at the Soul Formation cultivator from Yaochi and asked, “Do you know the nature of this Seven-Dragon Boundless Sea Formation?”
She looked perplexed.
“This formation has no offensive capability.”
Everyone was stunned.
“The Seven-Dragon Boundless Sea Formation is one of the top illusion formations from the ancient Dragon Clan. Its greatest effect is to trap enemies.”
“Trap?” Xie Qingxue looked up abruptly and gazed beyond the formation. “He’s targeting Donghai Prefecture!”
“Fairy Xie is correct.” The Netherworld Immortal’s voice came again, sounding like praise. “Master, you brought most of your forces here to hunt me down.”
“I wonder—outside this formation, how many Soul Formation cultivators are left?”
Head Seat Mingde gritted his teeth, glancing at the others with a guilty look. “I was too stubborn...”
“Just break the formation!” Xie Qingxue cut him off sharply, raising her brows. “Schemes are nothing but tricks!”
“No... the Seven-Dragon Boundless Sea Formation has special properties,” the Yaochi Soul Formation cultivator said, more confused than ever. “We can’t escape, but neither can the one who set it up...”
“...What do you mean?”
“This formation has no core—or rather, the core is the person who cast it,” she explained. “Which means, unless the caster dies, the formation won’t collapse. Not even he can leave.”
Zhenren Chengkong was stunned. “So casting it is suicide?”
“This was one of the Dragon Clan’s last-resort techniques. Mutual destruction, essentially.”
Zhenren Chengkong immediately understood—Qin Mu had never planned to survive this.
Xie Qingxue frowned, staring into the endless sea around them. “So unless we kill the Netherworld Immortal, we won’t get out?”
The Yaochi Soul Formation cultivator nodded slightly.
“Fairy Xie, otherwise how could the Seven-Dragon Boundless Sea Formation be considered one of the top formations?” Qin Mu spoke again, seemingly still smiling. “To obtain it, I had to promise the demon clans—if I don’t die, none of you leave.”
“……”
“Otherwise, how could they dare assist our Holy Sect?”
As he spoke, waves of spiritual energy rippled in the distance, as if a massive force was emerging from the deep sea.
Only now did Zhenren Chengkong fully understand Qin Mu’s scheme:
He used Head Seat Mingde’s hatred for him to lure the strongest figures of the Immortal Sects into the formation.
Then he staked his own life to convince the Soul Formation cultivators of the demon clans—after all, he had killed the Yin-Yang Rakshasa. Without such a price, those demon clans probably wouldn’t have trusted him.
Now, in Donghai Prefecture, there were only Zhenren Tongming and another Soul Formation cultivator from a different sect. Including Jiushan Sect, there were at most four Soul Formation-level combatants.
More importantly, the demon clans probably weren’t targeting those Soul Formation cultivators, but rather...
“Refining the Blood Fiend Banner anew?”
Xie Qingxue voiced his suspicion.
Head Seat Mingde’s expression darkened further. He knew full well that his obsession with this disciple had now jeopardized the greater cause.
“Break the formation!”
Xie Qingxue moved like a sword, the Qingping Sword humming as it swept away the frustration clouding everyone’s hearts.
She said, “If we can’t break the formation, then we find the Netherworld Immortal and kill him!”
“……”
Everyone looked around at the murky seawater engulfing them, dark and heavy, with no visibility.
Worse still, the water contained bizarre spiritual energy that disrupted their divine sense, spiritual vision, artifacts, and secret techniques—none could see through the formation.
In such a vast sea, trying to find a demon cultivator skilled in concealment wasn’t something that could be accomplished in a short time.
But seeing Xie Qingxue’s resolute expression, the others all nodded.
Xie Qingxue took the lead, but her gaze drifted toward the gathering demon clouds in the distance, her eyes filled with doubt—had she just handed her junior brother over to the demons?
...
Zheng Fa and the others were stunned as well.
They were so far away—how were the demon clans still charging toward them?
At the moment, the Sun-Moon Bell hovered near the coast. Zheng Fa, along with Senior Sister Zhang and the others, stood in the main hall of Tiangong Island.
A light screen stood before them, projecting the chaos at sea:
Hurricanes, shattered clouds, waves as tall as mountains.
Demonic energy, blood-red light, and an uncountable horde of demon clans.
They rode the waves, wielding magical artifacts, staring greedily at the land.
What made Zheng Fa frown was that these demon clans were filled with demonic energy, quite similar to the aura of those from the Great Freedom Demonic Sect.
He turned to the Ancestor of the Blood River and asked, “Are they cultivating techniques from the Great Freedom Demonic Sect?”
The Ancestor of the Blood River observed for a moment before nodding.
“The connections between the demon clans and the demonic sects run deeper than we imagined.”
This horde looked like thousands strong, each one carrying the aura of demonic cultivation.
Clearly, this wasn’t something cultivated overnight.
The Great Freedom Demon Ancestor had likely already joined forces with some powerful beings from the demon clans.
“This matter... I’ve heard a bit about it,” Yan Wushuang suddenly said. “There’s a rumor in the sect that although the demon clans have powerful beings, they lack fundamental techniques.”
“Hmm?”
“And that’s why they’re so divided.”
“...What do you mean by ‘fundamental techniques’?”
Yan Wushuang shook his head, seemingly unsure, and only said, “The Five Sects of the Xuanyi Realm and the demonic sects all have foundational methods. Their techniques align, which allows them to act in unity.”
Zheng Fa suddenly had a realization.
He’d heard before that although the demon clans had bloodline inheritance, they were fragmented. Now it seemed the true reason was the lack of fundamental techniques?
He looked at the Ancestor of the Blood River, who seemed to understand what he meant: “If our Holy Sect has a fundamental technique, it would be the bloodline passed down by the Holy Ancestor.”
At these words, everyone frowned.
That was not good news.
The demon clans lacked a fundamental technique, and the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor might have found a way to fuse his bloodline with theirs.
Which meant the demon clans could now cultivate his methods, uniting under one path, with no more internal strife.
And the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor would gain a vast number of new followers—his power would skyrocket.
In that case, the biological experiments of the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor... must have been quite effective!
Even those so-called deviant experiments involving stimulating plants—perhaps those demonic cultivators weren’t actually perverts.
Well... still a bit perverted.
Thinking about how he used the Ancestor of the Blood River, Zheng Fa suddenly felt he and the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor had a few things in common...
But all that was speculation. The immediate problem was—those demon clans were clearly heading straight for them!
There were fishermen along the coast, sailing in small boats to cast their nets.
As the demon clans surged forward, waves capsized their boats. Countless fishermen were swept up by the tide, watching in despair as these monsters drew closer.
But to everyone’s surprise, although the demons licked their lips at the sight of these mortals, not one of them made a move to devour.
Instead, they just captured them and tossed them into one place. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖
Seeing this, Zheng Fa grew even more anxious. He pointed at the Sun-Moon Bell, and a forest of thunderbolts rose up to block the incoming horde.
The reason those demon clans spared the mortals was all too clear—they were going to be used to refine the Blood Fiend Banner!
Zheng Fa had already planned to save the mortals. Now, he had no choice but to act!
Controlling the Sun-Moon Bell, he unleashed hundreds of lightning bolts like arrows, piercing through the army of demon clans.
Senior Sister Zhang didn’t need a word. She revealed herself, and the Jiushan light she wielded turned into a barrier that enveloped the mortals and flew inland.
When those fishermen landed on solid ground, they were still dazed, as if in a dream.
Once they came to, many of them knelt down and kowtowed toward the floating, ethereal Senior Sister Zhang.
Zheng Fa and the others struck so suddenly that they actually saved over half the fishermen, which stunned the demon army and made them momentarily halt their tide.
“Who dares block my warriors?”
A booming voice like a hurricane roared from within the demon ranks.
The demons parted, revealing a green-faced man in silver armor riding the waves.
His eyes were yellow, pupils slightly pointed, and he carried a long halberd—not like a cultivator, but more like a mortal general.
But no one from Jiushan Sect dared underestimate him.
Because he radiated the aura of a Soul Formation cultivator.
What shocked Zheng Fa and the others was that this man also cultivated techniques from the Great Freedom Demonic Sect—he was clearly one of their Soul Formation-level cultivators!
That meant the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor’s influence over the demon clans was far deeper than they had realized.
Zheng Fa even had a bold thought—perhaps the sea-dwelling demons were the first to cooperate with the Demon Ancestor, and the ones Jiushan Sect had encountered earlier were all later experiments.
He couldn’t help but glance at the Ancestor of the Blood River again.
The old ancestor looked stunned too. After a long while, he muttered, “...I really didn’t know!”
“……”
Judging by his expression, he truly didn’t seem to be lying.
Moments later, Zheng Fa understood why the Blood River Ancestor didn’t know.
Because three more Soul Formation cultivators stepped out from the demon horde—each of them exuding the aura of Great Freedom Demonic Sect techniques.
Zheng Fa quickly did the math.
Without counting the time for experiments, raising this many Soul Formation cultivators would take far more than ten thousand years.
The Ancestor of the Blood River—might just be too young for that.
Thankfully, there were no other Soul Formation cultivators among the demon clan army.
Nor did they see any pure-blooded demon Soul Formation cultivators like the Great Sage Qingyun.
“What about the so-called Seven Great Sages?”
Zheng Fa wondered to himself.
...
“The Seven Great Sages didn’t come? The demon clans are not worth working with!”
It wasn’t just Zheng Fa who was puzzled. Even the Netherworld Immortal sounded full of questions, almost furious.
The auras of the demon Soul Formation cultivators in the distance weren’t concealed at all—Xie Qingxue and the others could roughly gauge their strength.
All the more so for the main array controller, the Netherworld Immortal.
Zhenren Chengkong understood the key point better than anyone. After thinking it through, he also realized what had happened:
The Seven Great Sages... had likely tricked the Netherworld Immortal.
He laughed and said, “Uncle Qin, you calculated everything so thoroughly. You even sacrificed yourself to stall us just to earn the trust of the demon clans.”
“But did you ever consider—after you betrayed Taishang Dao and killed the Yin-Yang Rakshasa, how could the Seven Great Sages possibly trust you?”
The Netherworld Immortal within the array seemed stifled and said nothing for a long time.
Xie Qingxue also figured it out: “You people of the Great Freedom Demonic Sect might not care about death, but the Seven Great Sages of the demon clan—once they die, that’s it...”
“A bunch of shortsighted fools!” the Netherworld Immortal cursed, clearly feeling he had been scammed.
Zhenren Chengkong chuckled, “Let me guess—you handed over the Great Freedom Heaven to the Seven Great Sages? Including yourself, just to get the demon clans to act?”
“……”
The Netherworld Immortal gave no reply, but Zhenren Chengkong grew more confident. He said, “But you didn’t expect that, once the Seven Great Sages gained the Great Freedom Heaven, they wouldn’t trust you anymore. They’d rather remain safely in their corner than fight to the death for your demonic sect.”
“……”
Still no response from the Netherworld Immortal, but the waves within the Seven-Dragon Boundless Sea Formation surged even more violently, as if expressing his fury.
“In fact, these four Soul Formation demon cultivators must be your sect’s last hidden trump card, right?” Zhenren Chengkong said, the smile on his face widening. “Now that they’re here, does anyone still practice Great Freedom Demonic Sect methods in the Great Freedom Heaven?”
Though Zhenren Chengkong’s words were guesses, they seemed to hit the Netherworld Immortal’s sore spot.
“The Seven Great Sages! They betrayed the Holy Ancestor!” he shouted angrily. “Those fools have no idea what the decline of spiritual energy means—they think they can survive just by hiding in the Great Freedom Heaven?”
“They even purged dissidents inside the Great Freedom Heaven!”
“The state the demon clans are in now—they deserve it!”
His rage was clear for all to hear.
Even Head Seat Mingde laughed now. He asked,
“You betrayed Taishang Dao back then—why couldn’t the Seven Great Sages betray your demonic sect now?”
He even sounded gentler when mentioning the Seven Great Sages.
“Four Soul Formation cultivators... are enough!” Unexpectedly, the Netherworld Immortal suddenly calmed down. “Now that you all are trapped here, who in Donghai Prefecture can stop four Soul Formation cultivators?”
The smile froze on Head Seat Mingde’s face.
“They just need to finish refining the Blood Fiend Banner and summon the Holy Ancestor back to life...” said the Netherworld Immortal. “The Seven Great Sages... what do they matter?”
Zhenren Chengkong silently calculated. Currently, outside the formation were Zhenren Tongming and another Soul Formation cultivator. Counting Zheng Fa and Zhang Wuyi, they had four Soul Formation-level forces.
So as long as the Immortal Sect’s Soul Formation cultivators gathered and held off the four demon Soul Formation cultivators, then found the Netherworld Immortal and broke the Seven-Dragon Boundless Sea Formation, it was doable.
But...
He looked toward the direction of Jiushan Sect. The demon clans were all headed that way, and Zhenren Tongming and the others lacked teleportation techniques. There was no telling if Zheng Fa and the other two could hold out for that long.
Last time, Zheng Fa had the help of an Immortal Formation and only barely held off two Soul Formation enemies. Now they were up against four, and had no Immortal Formation to rely on.
Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but feel worried.
Xie Qingxue seemed to sense his concern. She shouted to everyone, “Break the formation quickly—before something goes wrong!”
Head Seat Mingde and the others understood the urgency and began searching the formation for any sign of the Netherworld Immortal.
...
Zheng Fa also stared at the demon army before him.
He couldn’t let them enter Donghai Prefecture. If they succeeded in refining the Blood Fiend Banner, it would be a huge problem.
But he wasn’t counting on reinforcements from Zhenren Tongming and the other Soul Formation cultivator.
Gazing at the demonic aura covering the demon army, Zheng Fa sent a voice transmission to Senior Sister Zhang:
“Senior Sister, with the Tranquility Bamboo, could we kill them all?”
