I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times-Chapter 262Book 2: : Who Betrayed Us? You Could’ve Said So Earlier!
Vol 2 Chapter 262: Who Betrayed Us? You Could’ve Said So Earlier!
As soon as Senior Sister Zhang returned to the Jiushan Realm, she heard Zheng Fa’s voice transmission.
She looked him up and down. Because they knew each other too well, Zheng Fa could even read a question from her gaze—Is this really that cowardly junior brother of mine?
Zheng Fa had always been cautious when gauging enemies, never one to seek the spotlight. Yet now, the first thing out of his mouth was about holding off four Soul Formation cultivators. That was a bold tone, very unlike the old him.
“We still don’t know how Zhenren Chengkong’s situation is,” Zheng Fa said via voice transmission to avoid shaking morale, “and we can’t really count on Zhenren Tongming to come help.”
Senior Sister Zhang’s face grew even more puzzled.
“Wuzhi from Leiyin Temple, and the Seven Great Sages of the demon race…” Zheng Fa only said two lines before she immediately understood, nodding repeatedly, her expression indescribable.
Based on past experience, it seemed the Xuanyi Realm had a habit of backstabbing their teammates!
An Immortal Sect sends Wuzhi, the demons send out the Seven Great Sages—it was like the sun and moon trying to outshine each other, constantly testing the limits of loyalty.
This made Zheng Fa extremely distrustful of all of them.
Let alone whether Zhenren Tongming would give his all—if he even came—the other unfamiliar Soul Formation cultivator might be enemy or ally. Who knew?
“But we can’t just sit this out either. At the very least, we can’t let the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor be resurrected.”
They had the Tranquility Bamboo now, but its effectiveness was still uncertain—would it really be able to stop the Demon Ancestor?
The most reliable option was to block the demon race at sea, stopping them from completing the Blood Fiend Banner.
Based on the Demon Ancestor’s forces, dealing with four Soul Formation cultivators was still easier than facing the Demon Ancestor himself.
Senior Sister Zhang thought for a while and nodded inwardly. Now this was the caution she knew from her junior brother—not cowardly retreat or self-preservation, but consideration of all negative variables and choosing the least risky plan.
She thought for a moment and replied, “Only two chances!”
Zheng Fa immediately understood. The Tranquility Bamboo was a precious treasure and not easy to use. Since Senior Sister Zhang had only recently acquired the spiritual root, using it twice was probably her limit.
“Killing all four would be tough,” Zheng Fa said, “but if we can take down two, then the two of us might be able to hold off the other two.”
Senior Sister Zhang glanced at the four demon Soul Formation cultivators and offered another take: “Two’s doable, but ideally we kill three. The two of us dealing with two Soul Formation cultivators is still a bit of a stretch.”
Zheng Fa’s confidence that they could hold two came from their last campaign in Chen Prefecture. Even though they no longer had the sect masters’ Immortal Formation, they now had the Tranquility Bamboo. He figured that, when it came to these demons trained in Great Freedom Demonic Sect techniques, their strength had actually increased. 𝘳ã𝐍Ȏ𐌱Ë𝓢
But Senior Sister Zhang… clearly wanted to go big.
She added, “Best if it happens within the Jiushan Realm…”
“Lure them into the Jiushan Realm?”
Indeed, the Sun and Moon Bell had different power inside and outside the Jiushan Realm.
Outside, it could only summon the Thunder Pool. Useful against Nascent Souls and below, but against Soul Formation cultivators… last time had shown it was limited and rarely fatal.
But inside the realm… Ancestor of the Blood River would have a lot to say about that.
Then he heard Senior Sister Zhang’s voice again: “If we can avoid revealing the Tranquility Bamboo, we should.”
Upon hearing that, Zheng Fa slowly nodded and turned to look at the Ancestor of the Blood River.
The ancestor’s face showed a hint of confusion.
…
And he wasn’t the only one.
Far away, within the Seven Dragons Boundless Sea Grand Formation, Head Seat Mingde and six Soul Formation cultivators were blindly making difficult progress through the sea.
Mingde’s white hair floated wildly in the water, slapping across his face, but he didn’t care. His golden eyes were fixed on the surrounding reef caves, unwilling to leave a single corner unchecked.
Everyone around him, including Xie Qingxue, was just as tense.
But everyone knew—he was the most anxious.
They were underwater, no light above, the sea before them dark and heavy, weighing on his chest.
He was panicked—and deeply remorseful.
They were trapped in this formation mainly because of his obsession with chasing Qin Mu. That obsession had been used by his traitorous disciple, landing them in this situation.
Sensing his guilt, Zhenren Chengkong sent a voice transmission: “Head Seat, though we’re trapped, our lives aren’t in immediate danger. Besides, who would’ve thought the Netherworld Immortal had this kind of formation—and would sacrifice himself to power it.”
“He cultivates demonic methods and has a chance to revive. We don’t. That’s one thing… but that disciple is ruthless and cunning.” Mingde shook his head, unconsoled. “If I’d listened to you and brought Zheng Fa… things wouldn’t be like this.”
Zhenren Chengkong froze. He didn’t expect the Head Seat to be reflecting at a time like this.
“Ridiculous… I looked down on that Zheng Fa, but now I have no choice but to hope he can hold off the demons.”
“If he can’t…” Mingde glanced around at his companions, “I’ll be the one who doomed you all.”
Zhenren Chengkong pursed his lips, unable to offer any more comfort.
At the moment, their lives weren’t in danger, but who knew when they’d get out? If it took too long and they emerged to find the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor waiting…
His own sect had backup plans—but he didn’t!
Just the thought made Zhenren Chengkong’s scalp tingle. He pushed his divine sense to search among the underwater flora and fish, especially the shadows, where he repeatedly probed.
That Soul Formation cultivator from Yaochi had at least delivered one piece of good news: the Netherworld Immortal’s life was now tied to the formation, limiting his mobility.
But that was the only good news. The rest were all bad:
The seawater was infused with ancient formation power, drastically shrinking their divine sense range to less than one ten-thousandth of normal.
And this formation stretched at least a thousand miles. For six people to search it all would be incredibly time-consuming.
Worse yet, they couldn’t rush it. The Great Freedom Demonic Sect specialized in hiding, and this seabed was pure darkness. The Netherworld Immortal could be lurking in any shadow.
They couldn’t even spread out too far, lest they fall into his trap.
Everyone understood the urgency, all scouring their surroundings—but there was visible frustration in their expressions.
Compared to the others, Xie Qingxue had one more layer of concern. She looked toward the cluster of demonic aura. Though she couldn’t see what was happening there, the sheer pressure from the four demon Soul Formation cultivators told her plenty about their strength.
She didn’t know… whether the Jiushan Realm could stop those powerful demons, save the mortals of East Sea Prefecture, and protect her junior brother.
…
Yan Wushuang was panicking.
Zheng Fa had evacuated everyone to the other islands, leaving only himself, Senior Sister Zhang, and the Ancestor of the Blood River on Heavenly Palace Island.
With no time to explain, Jiushan Sect disciples didn’t understand what was going on—but anyone could tell from the setup that this was a defense against an impending invasion.
Yan Wushuang took a deep breath, his broadsword flying into his hand. His brow furrowed as he pondered.
He wasn’t alone. Several Nascent Soul cultivators from the Supreme Elder ranks were also watching Heavenly Palace Island with serious expressions.
On the island, Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Zhang exchanged a glance and nodded.
Beside them, the Ancestor of the Blood River looked conflicted, as if hesitating.
Senior Sister Zhang leapt out of the Jiushan Realm. Behind her came Zheng Fa’s voice transmission:
“Senior Sister, if it’s hopeless, let it go! Whether it’s the Blood Fiend Banner, the Demon Ancestor’s revival, or the Xuanyi Realm—they’re not worth more than you. Worst case, I’ll go join Taishang Dao!”
She chuckled, and the Jiushan Seal above her head glowed brighter, landing before the demon army.
Behind her was the Sun and Moon Bell transformed into a vast Thunder Pool.
“Just you?”
Seeing her alone, one of the demons—a green-faced Soul Formation cultivator—spoke.
Senior Sister Zhang didn’t respond, seeming rather disdainful.
The Mountain and River Seal above her head manifested nine towering peaks, standing in front of the countless demon army.
Her aura was overwhelming. It wasn’t until then that the green-faced cultivator realized—this person was just a Nascent Soul!
“You’re just a Nascent Soul, and you dare stand in our way?”
“A Nascent Soul is enough for you.”
Senior Sister Zhang finally spoke, her tone flat and steady, as if stating a universal truth.
The green-faced one could still endure it, but the other three Soul Formation cultivators all showed irritation. In the Xuanyi Realm, the gap between Nascent Soul and Soul Formation was like a chasm.
This female Nascent Soul cultivator wasn’t just provoking one—it was four Soul Formation cultivators.
Truly infuriating.
But Senior Sister Zhang acted like she didn’t see their anger. She continued, “As long as I stand here, none of you will take a step past this Thunder Pool.”
Her tone was still as calm as still water, but the words made it even more insulting.
The green-faced one was clearly losing patience—his face looked even greener.
He didn’t seem like much of a talker. Spiritual energy surged around him, and the sea beneath his feet whipped up into a tornado. As the water crashed back down, a strange law body appeared in Senior Sister Zhang’s view.
It was a flood dragon, with a small bump on its head, green scales, and yellow eyes like a snake’s—cold and lifeless.
It had four limbs—wait, not limbs.
Two claws. Two hands!
It stood on the waves with its claws, holding a massive halberd in its hands.
He seemed to be the leader among the four. Once he revealed his law body, the other three followed suit—and when Zheng Fa saw them, his eyes practically burned.
One looked like a crab—six legs and two massive pincers.
The other two were some kind of bizarre patchwork designs, like a post-modern collage.
The Great Freedom Demon Ancestor was way too free-spirited… definitely had an artistic personality. Biologically unethical, even.
Zheng Fa glanced at the Ancestor of the Blood River and asked in a low voice, “Is it possible your sect didn’t tell you about them because… these things are too ugly to show?”
The Ancestor of the Blood River looked thoughtful, as if that actually made a lot of sense.
…
Ugly, yes—but these grotesque law bodies were the culmination of the Demon Ancestor’s life’s work!
Each had its strange strengths. That flood dragon, for instance, could control water and wind—and after training in the Great Freedom Demonic Sect’s techniques, had gained even more powers.
Zheng Fa looked into its yellow eyes, and goosebumps ran down his arms. A chill shot through his whole body.
“This…”
“It’s a sacred technique of our Holy Sect,” the Ancestor of the Blood River nodded.
Zheng Fa’s expression grew solemn. The Great Freedom techniques specialized in manipulating hearts and minds—and these grotesque law bodies combined the best of both worlds.
He looked at Senior Sister Zhang’s back.
Facing four Soul Formation cultivators, her posture looked especially upright. She glanced at the four of them and curled her lip in distaste, as if they were too ugly to bear.
That expression was too obvious, making the four even angrier.
Zheng Fa was fully focused on watching when suddenly two sets of footsteps came from behind. Turning around, who else could it be but Martial Uncle Pang and Old Yuan?
“Master? Martial Uncle? Weren’t you supposed to be calming the disciples…”
“With your Martial Aunt Huang holding the line, that’s enough. How could we old fogies hide in the back while you juniors are out there fighting…” Old Yuan interrupted.
“Can Junior Niece Zhang hold them off alone?”
Martial Uncle Pang asked.
Zheng Fa had no choice but to explain, “Senior Sister Zhang and I are trying to lure them into the Jiushan Sect and kill them using the Tranquility Bamboo.”
“...Lure them in?”
“Yes, we’ll have better odds—and no outsiders will see the Tranquility Bamboo!”
“That won’t be easy…”
Martial Uncle Pang shook his head.
“We just hope to provoke them enough.”
“Gotta say, that look of disdain is pretty convincing,” Martial Uncle Pang commented while watching the light screen.
“Martial Uncle, knowing her as I do, I don’t think she’s acting.”
…
Outside, Senior Sister Zhang had already engaged the flood dragon Soul Formation cultivator in battle.
The Jiushan Seal transformed into towering peaks, crashing down from the sky, smashing clouds and stirring fierce winds as it smashed toward the demon army.
Facing the falling mountains, the flood dragon Soul Formation cultivator didn’t retreat at all. He raised his halberd high, runes flashing across its surface.
Layers of seawater surged beneath his feet, forming a massive hand of rolling blue waves. The hand lifted upward, effortlessly supporting the nine mountains.
Mountains and sea, locked in a momentary stalemate.
But the expressions on Senior Sister Zhang and the flood dragon couldn’t have been more different.
Senior Sister Zhang’s face had gone pale.
The flood dragon, on the other hand, wore a mocking smile, as if saying she was overestimating herself.
Clearly, the cost of this stalemate was not the same for both sides.
And more than that, Senior Sister Zhang suddenly withdrew the Jiushan Seal, placing it before herself for defense.
Boom!
Her figure was sent flying backward, landing in the Thunder Pool.
Where she had just stood, a six-legged, double-clawed crab law body had appeared.
Clearly, while she was locked in a standoff with the flood dragon, this one had made a move as well—trying to launch a sneak attack.
Zheng Fa’s heart clenched. He tapped the Sun and Moon Bell with his index finger, and countless bolts of lightning turned into a web.
The web dropped in front of Senior Sister Zhang, barely stopping the crab Soul Formation cultivator who was charging in again.
This crab was unbelievably fast. He seemed to carry no magic tools, but those two massive claws cut through the lightning web with a single snip, continuing to chase after her relentlessly.
His speed was terrifying, and Senior Sister Zhang could only rely on Zheng Fa’s support to hold him off.
But the flood dragon Soul Formation cultivator had already brought the other two with him.
…
After all, Senior Sister Zhang was just a Nascent Soul. Fighting one Soul Formation was already tough. Now, facing four, danger loomed close—defeat was imminent. Suddenly, a glowing portal opened behind her and wrapped her inside.
The portal seemed to fear being pursued, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
The four demon cultivators all froze, halting in place.
“Cave-Heaven World?”
The crab Soul Formation cultivator said softly.
“The Jiushan Sect does have a Cave-Heaven World—called the Jiushan Realm…” the flood dragon nodded slightly, pointing at the Thunder Pool in front of them. “That’s the treasure formed from it.”
“So should we…”
“No need to worry about them,” the flood dragon shook his head. “Bring the boys, head straight to shore—the Blood Fiend Banner comes first!”
The crab Soul Formation cultivator clearly wasn’t satisfied. “That female cultivator’s just a Nascent Soul, dared to look down on us—how can we let that go?”
“Once the Demon Ancestor is revived, her time will come!”
Hearing that, the crab could only grit his teeth and nod. “Let her live a few more days then!”
The four of them rallied the younger demon cultivators behind them, planning to shield them while bypassing the Thunder Pool.
But while they wanted to let Senior Sister Zhang go, she wasn’t about to let them off!
The moment they moved, the Thunder Pool moved with them!
That in itself wasn’t a problem—this Thunder Pool was still slightly slower than them.
But that Nascent Soul female cultivator, after resting briefly inside the Jiushan Realm, seemed recovered. Every time they were about to shake off that annoying Thunder Pool, she’d leap out again and tangle with them briefly.
After a few moves, outmatched, she’d retreat back into the Jiushan Realm.
But in just that bit of time, the Thunder Pool would catch up again and block their path once more.
“…”
This was like a cursed plaster—refusing to come off—infuriating all four demon cultivators, filling them with rage, but there was nothing they could do.
“Should we just go through the Thunder Pool?”
One of the demon cultivators suggested.
“Not a good idea. We’ll be fine, but the juniors won’t…” the flood dragon shook his head, looking back at the demon army. “This is all we’ve got for now. Here’s what we’ll do: you all go first and bring the Demon Ancestor to land—I’ll stay behind to stall them.”
“Stall what? She’s just a Nascent Soul, repeatedly provoking us. It’s not like we’ve never seen Cave-Heaven Treasures before. Let’s just charge into the Jiushan Realm and tear that Thunder Pool apart!”
The crab cultivator was already furious from being harassed and couldn’t hold it in anymore, openly objecting.
“Not wise… We’ll be too suppressed inside a Cave-Heaven World.”
As they spoke, the portal to the Jiushan Realm appeared again. All four knew that female cultivator was coming back.
By now, they were familiar with her strength and no longer concerned—just annoyed.
But the next moment…
“Bold move!”
Senior Sister Zhang didn’t attack them directly this time. Instead, she dropped straight into the middle of the demon army.
Though only a Nascent Soul, she wielded a Soul Formation-grade treasure. With one slam of her grand seal, over a thousand low-ranked demon cultivators were crushed to death.
Seeing this, even the cautious flood dragon Soul Formation cultivator roared in rage. They’d been driven out of Great Freedom Heaven and had no real foothold left. These juniors were their descendants, their support in summoning the Demon Ancestor.
Now this female cultivator clearly had no intention of letting them go.
More importantly—her tactics were downright vile.
Even the usually cautious flood dragon was now agitated and angry. Earlier, they held the initiative, which was why he had proposed splitting up.
But now, the Jiushan Sect was using the Cave-Heaven Realm to turn defense into offense.
That was even worse.
Splitting up wasn’t impossible, but it would mean sacrificing some of their younger generation—which he couldn’t bear.
At this point, the crab Soul Formation cultivator couldn’t take it anymore. He insisted, “I have the Ten-Thousand-Mile Lateral Dash technique. I’ll check out that portal first, then we’ll decide!”
The flood dragon thought for a moment, then finally nodded slowly.
…
One incense stick’s time later, Senior Sister Zhang returned to Heavenly Palace Island.
Outside the portal, the crab Soul Formation cultivator flashed past, his immense divine sense sweeping across all Nine Islands of the Heavenly Palace.
“The Jiushan Realm’s master is just a Golden Core!” he said to the flood dragon cultivator, then added again, “If you’re still afraid of that Cave-Heaven treasure, I can hold it off for a while! You just need to kill that female cultivator and the master of this realm—the Thunder Pool will collapse instantly!”
The flood dragon Soul Formation cultivator was still hesitating.
The crab added, “Those Seven Great Sages betrayed us and drove us out of Great Freedom Heaven. Now that we’ve run into this Jiushan Realm, why not just take it over?”
The flood dragon’s expression twitched—he was clearly starting to consider it.
“All the other Cave-Heaven Worlds are held by the Five Sects of Xuanyi or the major Demonic Sects. Where else would we find one as weak as the Jiushan Sect? If our juniors had a Cave-Heaven to fall back on, they’d no longer be in constant danger. We could retreat or advance at will—wouldn’t that be far better than now?”
The words made sense, and even the flood dragon cultivator began to waver—but his cautious nature kept him deliberating.
The more the crab talked, the more convinced he felt of his own logic—and he was growing impatient.
After probing the Jiushan Realm and getting harassed by a mere Nascent Soul like Senior Sister Zhang, he’d originally planned to let her go. But who’d have thought she’d be such a pest?
“That woman is just a Nascent Soul, yet she dares provoke us like this—I have to kill her!” he said to the flood dragon. “You might fear that Cave-Heaven treasure, but I’m not scared!”
“…”
“I’ll go in first! If the master of this realm fights me using that big bell, the portal won’t close. You two can just follow me in!”
The flood dragon cultivator had nothing more to say. He wasn’t exactly not angry himself—but his overthinking made him the de facto leader of the four.
…
In the void, the portal shimmered. Senior Sister Zhang once again appeared in the midst of the demon army. But this time, as she retreated back into the Jiushan Realm and the glowing portal began to shrink away, the crab cultivator shot inside in a flash.
The flood dragon and the other two watched the portal.
Just as the crab had said, it seemed that in order to fend off outside invaders, the portal had stopped closing. Bursts of spiritual energy pulsed from within—it sounded like a fierce battle had begun!
…
On Letu Island, many disciples watched in panic as a massive crab law body entered the realm.
They didn’t know Zheng Fa’s plan, nor had they ever seen an outsider invade the Jiushan Realm—naturally, they were at a loss.
If Martial Aunt Huang weren’t holding things together, the panic would’ve been even worse.
Just as everyone was whispering, a streak of sword light shot up—Yan Wushuang was flying toward Heavenly Palace Island.
“Where are you going?”
“My dad gave me a life-saving technique!” Yan Wushuang shouted back. “I can help!”
Seeing him so determined, Martial Aunt Huang didn’t stop him.
Outside the realm, the flood dragon Soul Formation cultivator saw the portal leaking an incredibly pure and massive wave of demonic energy—and froze.
“This Jiushan Realm is that weak?”
That demonic aura clearly came from the Great Freedom Demonic Sect’s techniques. The fact that it was so unrestrained meant not only had the crab cultivator not been defeated—he might’ve taken the upper hand.
Even the Thunder Pool in front of them was unraveling, and the Sun and Moon Bell’s projection in the sky dimmed, as if the master of the Jiushan Realm couldn’t maintain the Thunder Pool while dealing with the invader—let alone stop the rest of them.
Seeing the growing spread of demonic energy, the flood dragon decided there was no need to rush.
He weighed the value of a Cave-Heaven World, glanced at the demon army behind him, and finally clenched his jaw. He said to one of the others, “You stay here and guard the juniors. The two of us are going in—let’s take this Jiushan Realm!”
With that, he led another Soul Formation cultivator through the portal.
The moment he entered the Jiushan Realm, he froze.
On Heavenly Palace Island, a grotesque crab-like creature lay on the ground—already dead.
“We’ve been tricked!”
He whirled around—but the portal that supposedly couldn’t close if they resisted? Already gone without a trace.
Floating above was a sword, lazily drifting through the air, radiating pure demonic aura.
That aura was carefree and unrestrained—like it owned the place.
The flood dragon cultivator gritted his teeth, staring at the illusionary image of the Ancestor of the Blood River on the sword.
“You dare betray the Holy Ancestor?”
“You’re slandering me!” the Ancestor shouted. “When did I ever betray the Holy Ancestor!”
“…”
“I didn’t even do anything—just taking a little stroll, can’t I?”
The flood dragon cultivator was about to speak when a wave of icy dread swept over him. Turning his head, he saw that woman—the one who only knew how to smash people with magic tools—now holding a slender stalk of bamboo.
That bamboo… looked awfully familiar…
You could’ve just said you had that thing!
If you had, we’d have known it was all a misunderstanding!
Who’d still be mad after that!?
