I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times-Chapter 263Book 2: : Dragging People into the Pit? I’m Absolutely Top-Tier at That
Vol 2 Chapter 263: Dragging People into the Pit? I’m Absolutely Top-Tier at That
Head Seat Mingde and the other six continued their advance through the grand formation, with half their focus on the darkness ahead and the other half still tied to the Jiushan Sect.
Though the formation blocked their divine sense and vision, the power of Soul Formation battles could easily affect thousands of miles. Even trapped in the array, they could still faintly sense the situation near the Jiushan Sect—
Four demon Soul Formation cultivators, their auras strange but undeniably strong. At least two of them had been in Soul Formation for many years.
Their opponent was a mere Nascent Soul cultivator from the Immortal Sect.
Zhenren Chengkong had seen Zhang Wuyi in action before, and now easily recognized her.
“A mere Nascent Soul, yet she dares face four Soul Formation cultivators alone. This Zhang Wuyi…” Head Seat Mingde didn’t finish his sentence, but his expression said it all:
He admired Zhang Wuyi’s courage and talent—but didn’t believe she could actually hold off four demon Soul Formation cultivators.
Zhenren Chengkong sighed inwardly, his attention tightly fixed on the distant clash.
Though he couldn’t see it, the ebb and flow of those auras, the fluctuations of spiritual energy, allowed him to roughly gauge the battle’s rhythm:
Zhang Wuyi was immensely gifted, able to stand her ground against Soul Formation cultivators without falling behind.
But one against four… was simply too hard.
She seemed to have switched strategies—her aura appeared and vanished intermittently, as if locked in a skirmishing fight.
“Not easy…”
Xie Qingxue muttered in admiration, saying what Zhenren Chengkong was already thinking.
Indeed, it wasn’t easy. They had all cultivated from Nascent Soul to Soul Formation and knew all too well how vast the gap was.
What Zhang Wuyi was doing now—better than even a real Soul Formation cultivator, lasting even longer than expected—was beyond impressive.
Yet none of the seven showed any joy.
Skirmishing was often a last resort when one was at a disadvantage.
Zhenren Chengkong understood Zhang Wuyi better than most. He knew she lacked the stamina for drawn-out battles, and that things would only grow harder for her. He turned to the others and said:
“She can’t last much longer…”
Head Seat Mingde nodded silently, raising a finger toward the auspicious cloud above.
The Yang Spirit seated atop it stepped forward and descended, merging into his body.
Light burst from Head Seat Mingde, illuminating dozens of miles of surrounding sea. Fish and shrimp swam into view, underwater grasses and coral caves all became clear.
“Head Seat?”
Zhenren Chengkong’s face showed concern. What Mingde was doing now was essentially burning his divine soul and spiritual energy to resist the array’s power. ℞ἈΝȮＢЁŠ
This Seven Dragons Boundless Sea Grand Formation had ancient dragon lineage origins—and had been empowered by the Netherworld Immortal’s life itself. Mingde alone could not match it.
“She’s just a Nascent Soul and dares fight like that. I’m from the Five Sects of Xuanyi, the Taishang Sect’s Head Seat. Am I worse than a Xuanyi Realm junior?” Mingde’s golden eyes were filled with determination. He added, “This was my mistake. Must someone from another sect die in my place?”
“Even if it costs me my life—I’ll find Qin Mu and break this formation!”
Zhenren Chengkong solemnly nodded. The other five also gathered their divine senses and swept their surroundings, though part of their minds still stayed focused on the faraway battle.
…
Inside the Jiushan Realm, the flood dragon Soul Formation cultivator glanced back unwillingly. Behind them was only layers of mist—the portal had disappeared completely.
Like their hope of escaping the Jiushan Realm had vanished without a trace.
Now he hesitated. He recognized the Tranquility Bamboo and knew it greatly suppressed their techniques as a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root. He could even guess how the crab Soul Formation cultivator had died:
Crushed by the Sun and Moon Bell, swept by the Tranquility Bamboo—dead in an instant, probably didn’t even feel pain.
But…
He looked at his companion beside him, who sent a voice transmission:
“What do we do?”
“What are you thinking?”
“We may have fallen into a trap, but it’s not like we have no countermeasures. The Jiushan Realm’s master is just a Golden Core, and the Nascent Soul holding the Tranquility Bamboo has clearly used a lot of energy.”
The flood dragon guessed right—his companion did have an idea.
“If that’s the case, let’s take a hostage and make them let us go!”
That wasn’t a bad plan. The flood dragon was tempted. “Who?”
“Anyone else, and they might not care. Either the Jiushan Realm’s master, or that Nascent Soul female cultivator. The latter’s weaker, but clearly difficult. Might not catch her in one move.”
The flood dragon felt that made sense.
“Let’s pretend to surrender…” 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎
Their plan took mere moments to discuss, but Zheng Fa’s Sun and Moon Bell was already rising above them, menacing and poised to strike. Senior Sister Zhang raised her right hand, the aura from the Tranquility Bamboo in her grip sending shivers down their spines.
“Wait! We surrender!”
The flood dragon and his companion quickly shouted. The latter retracted their law body, transforming into a female cultivator.
Her style was drastically different from East Continent women—two white jade shells over her chest, a short skirt made of strung-together clamshells swaying around her waist, revealing and concealing in turn.
Aside from that, she wore nothing. Bare arms, thighs, shoulders, and feet—all laid out before Zheng Fa.
Clearly quite… bold.
The flood dragon, now in the form of a blue-faced man, stood quietly beside her, feigning humility.
Zheng Fa, however, was anything but relaxed. The Sun and Moon Bell above rotated slowly, stars and moons swirling, ready to strike.
Seeing this, the demon woman didn’t give up. She bit her lip and revealed a black jade ring. Holding it up, she said to Zheng Fa, “I know the Sect Master doesn’t trust me. I’m willing to offer my Soul Imprint!”
Zheng Fa’s expression shifted.
A Soul Imprint wasn’t a small thing. Lin Bufan’s was still in his hand, which was why Zheng Fa naturally trusted him more.
He didn’t expect this demon cultivator to be so decisive.
Frowning, he thought for a moment, then said, “Alright.”
The demon woman gave a grateful cry, not approaching, but letting the jade ring slowly float into the air and drift toward Zheng Fa.
It floated slowly, but just as it got within ten feet—it suddenly trembled, swelled, and turned into a seaweed rope aiming to bind him.
Zheng Fa had been on guard. Just as he prepared to dodge, the demon woman gave a seductive smile.
Her whole body shimmered like glowing white jade, almost translucent.
Under her barely-there skirt, it was like a black hole, pulling at Zheng Fa’s mind.
A seduction technique!
Inheriting the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor’s charm arts, combined with Soul Formation cultivation, and delivered face-to-face.
She was confident—not just a Golden Core like Zheng Fa, even a Soul Formation cultivator would be dazed for three or five seconds!
One breath’s time—enough to capture him!
She almost started laughing with pride, glanced at the flood dragon—and saw panic, not triumph, on his face.
Turning back—
A streak of light had already flown far off. Zheng Fa hovered in midair. The rope didn’t even come close. She could barely see his face…
So fast!
Just as that thought hit, above her, the Sun and Moon Bell came crashing down with a deafening boom.
The flood dragon took a step forward—but from the corner of his eye, a green shadow flickered.
He turned to see Senior Sister Zhang, Tranquility Bamboo in hand, lightly tapping her other palm, as if wondering where to hit him.
“…”
He reached down, rubbed his knee—like saying, I was just… standing too long. Leg’s a bit numb.
“How didn’t you fall for my charm?”
What really puzzled the demon woman was this—otherwise, even if Zheng Fa ran, it would’ve been too late.
Seeing she was pinned under the bell, Zheng Fa slowly descended. Hearing her question, he thought silently—of course, it’s the Yin-Yang Fish Jade Pendant in my sea of consciousness.
He hadn’t trusted her from the start. While "thinking," he was channeling most of his focus into his sea of consciousness, using the pendant’s protection.
But he couldn’t say that aloud.
He said nothing. She asked again, unwilling to give up.
Out of humanitarian concern for letting captives die with clarity, Zheng Fa thought a moment and said:
“I have a good memory.”
“Good… memory?”
That only confused her more.
“Your earlier form… was too ugly,” Zheng Fa said sincerely, like he meant it. “I couldn’t forget it. That broke the charm.”
“……”
She said nothing. Looking at Senior Sister Zhang, her eyes were pleading—unclear if for mercy or a swift end…
She didn’t seem to think Zheng Fa’s reasoning was very “humane.”
Senior Sister Zhang shook the Tranquility Bamboo. Gold-green light scattered like stars, falling onto the demon woman. She let out a scream—then fell silent.
The flood dragon cultivator flinched, not daring to speak.
Though Senior Sister Zhang’s face was pale as snow, clearly drained, his earlier hesitation—and the death of his companion—killed any will to resist.
“Die or surrender!”
Senior Sister Zhang said coldly.
The flood dragon’s expression twisted. He was, after all, a Soul Formation cultivator of flood dragon blood—noble and proud. It stung.
At that moment, the Ancestor of the Blood River spoke: “Surrender. With your temperament, you’ll do just fine in the Jiushan Realm.”
The flood dragon froze, looking over. The Ancestor’s face was full of sincerity—like he truly believed it was the best path.
Already wavering, the flood dragon gritted his teeth and actually offered his Soul Imprint.
He didn’t dare act up—he placed it on the ground and lowered his head. “Jiao Wuji, willing to surrender!”
Given past tricks, Zheng Fa didn’t rush to grab it. He released a beam of Five-Element Divine Light, then nodded and stored the ring away.
Jiao Wuji exhaled softly—not sure if he felt relieved or defeated. But Zheng Fa didn’t care.
From his storage bag, he pulled out a thick stack of contracts.
With all sorts of shady characters now in the Jiushan Realm, Zheng Fa was growing more cautious.
Jiao Wuji had surrendered under pressure and was strong. So Zheng Fa wasn’t just going to bind him with a Soul Imprint—he was also going to have him sign a whole pile of agreements. Just in case.
From the very beginning, Zheng Fa wouldn’t let him near anything confidential—unless it was someone like the Ancestor of the Blood River—
The kind who didn’t say a word but got the job done.
If the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor were revived, that guy would probably panic even harder than Zheng Fa. Otherwise, why would he keep undermining the Great Freedom Demonic Sect both in public and behind the scenes…
Jiao Wuji flipped through page after page of the contract stack, his face growing more rigid by the second, until he finally saw one titled Silkworm Breeding Agreement and couldn’t help shouting: “Arousal induction?”
“Me? A Soul Formation cultivator? Inducing mating in bugs?”
“What the h*ll are you yelling for?” the Ancestor of the Blood River snapped. “What, you look down on me or something?”
“You…” Jiao Wuji jabbed a finger at the contract, glaring at the ancestor. “This is what you meant when you said surrendering would be ‘just fine’ in the Jiushan Realm?”
“If you care about dignity, sure, life’s not great—you can always kill yourself,” the Ancestor of the Blood River gave a light hum from his sword body, full of contempt, then looked at Jiao Wuji and asked, “But you, you care about dignity? I mean, as a person—no, a demon?”
“……”
“There you go then.”
“……”
“What are you looking at me for? Sign it!”
…
Zheng Fa shook his head quietly. He could even see a hint of twisted joy in the Ancestor of the Blood River’s face from dragging others down with him.
Then again, people who spent too long in biology experiments ending up a little psychologically warped wasn’t that surprising…
Just as he was about to leave the Jiushan Realm and deal with the last demon Soul Formation cultivator, a sword rainbow shot over from Letu Island. Yan Wushuang’s voice called from within the light: “Zheng Fa! I’ve come to help you!”
Zheng Fa turned his head and saw Yan Wushuang land in front of them, face set with resolve.
He first glanced at Jiao Wuji, who was clenching his teeth while signing contracts, a hint of confusion in his expression.
Then he stared at the two Soul Formation demon corpses on the ground for a long time, seemingly in a daze.
Finally, he turned to look at Senior Sister Zhang.
She was still holding the Tranquility Bamboo, having used it earlier to intimidate the flood dragon Soul Formation cultivator.
Yan Wushuang stared at the bamboo for a long time, then suddenly stammered, “Is that… is that…”
Zheng Fa didn’t say a word—just nodded.
Yan Wushuang lifted his eyes and glanced around. Suddenly, it was as if he understood something.
His broad shoulders shrank in, and his big hands clutched his broadsword tightly, making him look small, pitiful, and helpless.
Seeing Zheng Fa looking at him, Yan Wushuang suddenly shouted, “I… I have a life-saving technique from my dad!”
Zheng Fa paused, then laughed, patting him on the shoulder. “What are you thinking, Brother Yan? You’re one of the people I trust most in the Jiushan Sect!”
“R-Really?”
“Of course. Here—sign a contract.”
“……”
That last line was a joke—Zheng Fa truly trusted him. Yan Wushuang had done a lot for the Jiushan Sect;he wouldn’t really kill him.
But those demons outside? Zheng Fa did plan to kill them all…
“Senior Sister Zhang, rest for a bit. Later we’ll strike together—we can’t let the last Soul Formation cultivator escape.”
Zheng Fa glanced at the demon army in the light screen and said coldly.
Beside them, Jiao Wuji opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but could only lower his head and remain silent.
Outside, that demon Soul Formation cultivator wasn’t stupid. Sensing something off, he was leading his disciples toward the sea.
Seeing this, Zheng Fa pointed the Sun and Moon Bell toward the demon army and gave chase.
The bell wasn’t fast, but the Soul Formation cultivator was dragging a bunch of low-tier demons—so their speed wasn’t great either.
Zheng Fa wasn’t in a rush. He just needed to tail them. Once Senior Sister Zhang recovered her spiritual energy and divine soul, they’d strike together.
As soon as the bell followed, the demon cultivator realized things were bad. His face changed dramatically, and he led the army to dive into the sea.
Zheng Fa frowned. The sea had always been demon territory. He was a bit wary of that.
Behind him, Jiao Wuji quietly exhaled, seemingly relieved.
Just as Zheng Fa hesitated, multiple immense spiritual power fluctuations erupted from the seabed—far more terrifying than the arrival of the four previous Soul Formation demons!
Zheng Fa gripped the Sun and Moon Bell and pulled the Jiushan Realm back, afraid something unexpected might happen.
Senior Sister Zhang couldn’t afford to rest—she stood by him with the Tranquility Bamboo in hand, her face solemn as she stared at the dark depths in the light screen.
If there was an ambush below, Zheng Fa was ready to run.
They’d already had to use every trick they had to barely win against four Soul Formation cultivators.
Now the enemy was prepared, and Senior Sister Zhang couldn’t use the Tranquility Bamboo again so soon—there was no way he could carry the burden of protecting the Xuanyi Realm’s citizens.
But if there really was an ambush—
Why had Jiao Wuji surrendered so quickly?
He turned to look at Jiao Wuji—and saw that his face looked worse than Senior Sister Zhang’s. He wasn’t just pale—he looked panicked and angry.
Zheng Fa’s heart skipped a beat. A guess formed as he looked back at the sea.
Moments later, the sea split apart. A robed scholar stepped out from the seabed, wind beneath his feet, cupping his hands toward the Jiushan Realm.
Wearing Confucian robes, with familiar features—it was none other than the Great Sage Qingyun.
So the ones hiding under the sea… were the Seven Great Sages?
Zheng Fa felt the presence of multiple hidden auras beneath the sea. He looked at Qingyun, uncertain why they were lurking below—
Why he chose to appear now,
Where the demon army had gone—
None of it made sense.
All of it made him uneasy.
Qingyun looked very friendly. Smiling, he said, “Old friends reunited—might I enter the Jiushan Realm and have a word?”
Zheng Fa glanced at Senior Sister Zhang and saw surprise on her face too—if Qingyun entered alone, he’d actually be at a disadvantage.
Which meant he was sincere in seeking peace.
She nodded slightly and put away the Tranquility Bamboo.
Zheng Fa raised his hand and welcomed Qingyun into the Jiushan Realm.
As Qingyun stepped in, Jiao Wuji glared at him furiously. He looked absolutely livid.
Qingyun seemed surprised to see him behaving so obediently. His eyes drifted to the two corpses on the ground, and his brow twitched.
Then he looked at Zheng Fa again—and his smile grew even warmer.
“Truly, not seeing each other for a day feels like three autumns… In just a few years, I didn’t expect the Jiushan Realm to grow so powerful.”
Qingyun sighed. His tone was genuinely sincere, with a trace of shock he didn’t bother to hide.
He’d dealt with the Jiushan Sect early on—knew exactly what they were like before. Now they’d killed two Soul Formation cultivators and captured another all in one day… the implications were staggering.
There was even some unease on his face.
Zheng Fa didn’t care about the compliments. He asked, “Great Sage Qingyun… what are you doing here?”
He had a guess, but remained cautious. If the Seven Great Sages were aiding the Great Freedom Demonic Sect, there was no way Jiushan could stop them.
“I came to explain,” Qingyun said with a smile.
“Explain?”
“Let me make this clear, Sect Master Zheng—we, the Seven Great Sages, are not aligned with the Great Freedom Demonic Sect!”
“……”
“Those four just now? They’re traitors of our demon race. They stirred up chaos in the Seven Sage Heavens. After their plot was foiled, they escaped!”
Seven Sage Heavens?
Oh, Great Freedom Heaven, huh.
Renamed pretty fast.
“We came here to stop those traitors from endangering Xuanyi and reviving the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor.”
“……”
“Thanks to Sect Master Zheng’s divine might, helping our demon race purge these traitors—we are endlessly grateful!”
Zheng Fa stared at the self-righteous Great Sage Qingyun. This guy definitely looked like someone who’d read a few books—he sure could talk!
Didn’t he see that Jiao Wuji’s teeth were about to crack from clenching?
Qingyun seemed to know Zheng Fa didn’t quite believe him. With a wave of his hand, the ground was suddenly filled with corpses of various spirit beasts.
Most eye-catching among them—was a giant turtle shell.
It was massive, no smaller than the bodies of the two demon Soul Formation cultivators from before.
This… was the last Soul Formation cultivator that had fled earlier.
But the rest of the corpses puzzled Zheng Fa—they weren’t sea-type beasts but various land-based monsters.
“Previously, we were pressured by the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor to launch a surprise attack on the Hundred Immortals Alliance…”
“These were the fools who killed the alliance disciples.”
“……”
Hearing this, Zheng Fa thought back—
Indeed, during that conflict, Great Sage Qingyun hadn’t killed anyone!
His strikes had even seemed… perfunctory.
Noticing that Zheng Fa seemed to understand now, Qingyun smiled and said sincerely, “Back then, the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor was too powerful—and he’d built up considerable support within the demon race. We, the Seven Great Sages, truly had no choice…”
“Now that the Great Freedom Demonic Sect is falling apart, we no longer fear anything. So we killed these traitors, as an apology to you and the Hundred Immortals Alliance!”
“……”
Once Qingyun left, Zheng Fa’s brows were still tightly furrowed.
“The Seven Great Sages aren’t trustworthy. If the Great Freedom Demonic Sect weren’t already losing, they wouldn’t have made a move.”
Martial Uncle Pang said what Zheng Fa was thinking.
The Seven Great Sages were hard to trust. They hadn’t dared act until the Jiushan Sect had already killed three demon Soul Formation cultivators…
Which clearly meant they were solidly on the side of whoever was winning.
If the situation had been reversed, that ‘Seven Sage Heaven’ would probably have been called Loyal Heaven of the Great Freedom Ancestor…
“He’s just spouting nonsense!” Jiao Wuji shouted angrily. “When we brought our disciples out of Great Freedom Heaven, they told us they’d stay hidden to avoid any mishaps!”
“And you believed that?”
Martial Uncle Pang looked astonished.
“Of course not! But we were already in a weak position inside Great Freedom Heaven. Our goal was to revive the Holy Ancestor—whatever secret plans they had didn’t matter!” Jiao Wuji gritted his teeth. “Besides, those people might be useless, but they wouldn’t dare offend us outright!”
“Didn’t expect they’d really turn on us!”
“They’ve got Great Freedom Heaven—ha, Seven Sage Heaven now—safe and sound. You lot can’t revive the Ancestor anymore. Why wouldn’t they turn on you?” The Ancestor of the Blood River let out a soft chuckle, sounding quite approving of the Seven Great Sages. “Honestly, they probably don’t want the Ancestor revived at all.”
Zheng Fa nodded. He was thinking the same thing. After all, if you stole someone’s house, of course you’d be scared they might come back.
“If our Holy Sect were still strong, we could’ve kept those schemers in line. But after Chen Prefecture, our Soul Formation cultivators were mostly wiped out. That’s probably when their true intentions began to show.”
Jiao Wuji didn’t say anything, but judging by his expression, the Ancestor of the Blood River had hit the mark.
“Now that three out of the four of you are dead, of course they’d flip on you…” the Ancestor shook his head. “Counting it up, doesn’t that leave just the Netherworld Immortal as our last Soul Formation cultivator?”
“You’d have to be an idiot not to betray us!”
Zheng Fa stared at him. The logic was sound—
But why did he look so damn proud about figuring it out?
