I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times-Chapter 162Book 2: : A Remarkable Treasure with a Trap

Vol 2 Chapter 162: A Remarkable Treasure with a Trap

Finding such a remarkable spiritual treasure—only for it to come with a trap.

At this point, Zheng Fa was beginning to suspect the Demonic Sect probably had ways to counter this kind of thing. In this regard, cultivators of the Xuanyi Realm were likely still searching high and low. Even the Demon Ancestor clearly had misgivings about it.

But still… who would’ve thought that spiritual energy itself could be a trap?

Maybe the Demon Ancestors had all fallen into this pit.

“The Slaying-Immortals technique... I doubt it’s something that can be obtained so easily.”

Senior Sister Zhang reminded him.

“We’ll have to leave that for the future.” Zheng Fa shook his head. “But Senior Sister, I do think this thing is worth studying.”

Senior Sister Zhang suddenly understood and nodded. “It’s very helpful for understanding the Ancestor’s current condition.”

Zheng Fa then began to explain, one by one, the books he had read back in the modern world.

He wasn’t exactly an expert in the field, but having gone through so many books, the more he spoke, the more insight he gained.

Let alone Senior Sister Zhang.

Meanwhile, Martial Aunt Huang and Senior Sister Yuan, who were listening on the side, couldn’t help but lean toward each other.

“So this is the kind of life you used to live?”

“……” Senior Sister Yuan nodded.

“Must’ve been hard on you.”

…

Once the discussion with Senior Sister Zhang was over, Zheng Fa nudged the drowsy Martial Aunt Huang and Senior Sister Yuan awake. Only when they stepped out of the main hall did they realize—

The Heavenly Monument Realm was already completely empty.

Zheng Fa suddenly understood something—

Now that he had obtained the Jade Seal, unless he allowed it, others could no longer easily enter the Heavenly Monument Realm.

Martial Aunt Huang seemed to realize it too, and her eyes lit up with joy.

Regardless of the Sun and Moon Bell's nature, the disciples of Jiushan Sect in the Thunder Pool now had a safe support base.

He took the two of them straight to the medicine garden.

The Sun and Moon Bell still stood there like a small mountain, right at the center of the garden.

After hearing Zheng Fa’s theory about the Divine Path Method, both Martial Aunt Huang and Senior Sister Yuan now looked at the Sun and Moon Bell with a bit of wariness.

“Junior Brother… it really is alive?”

“Right now, it probably doesn’t have much intelligence.”

Zheng Fa said softly.

“Still looks kinda creepy though…” Senior Sister Yuan muttered.

After that, Zheng Fa tapped on his Jade Seal, and as expected, all the spiritual plants he had selected earlier rapidly matured and dropped right in front of him.

Zheng Fa looked at the medicine garden with a hint of hesitation—

He was wondering whether to ask Xiao Yuying to help him study the Spirit Wood Thunder again.

Now, Zheng Fa understood how important the thunder techniques were to the Sun and Moon Bell—back then, the Heavenly Venerate had forcefully erased the spiritual circuits from the bell, causing it to lose much of its power.

But the spiritual treasure had an instinctual drive for self-improvement.

So—refining Spirit Wood Thunder was, in essence, part of the Sun and Moon Bell’s reawakening process.

Zheng Fa had to be cautious.

To be honest, the Heavenly Venerate had left behind too little information;much of it was guesswork.

After a moment’s thought, Zheng Fa suddenly reached out and swept a beam of Reversed Five Elements Divine Light across the bell’s surface.

The Sun and Moon Bell trembled violently, suddenly springing into the air like it had awakened.

“Junior Brother?”

Senior Sister Yuan and Martial Aunt Huang tensed up.

The Sun and Moon Bell seemed to recognize Zheng Fa, flying toward him and stopping right in front of him, buzzing loudly.

“Hmm?” Senior Sister Zhang suddenly scratched her head and said, “Why does this scene feel so familiar?”

Zheng Fa sent out another wave of Reversed Five Elements Divine Light.

The Sun and Moon Bell shuddered again, then suddenly tilted over, landing on Zheng Fa’s shoulder as if trying to rub against him.

“……”

Senior Sister Yuan’s eyes widened and she muttered, “Isn’t this just another one trying to hog attention?”

Zheng Fa fell silent too. He’d only been testing things—

The Reversed Five Elements Divine Light might’ve been his innate divine power, but he still didn’t really understand how it worked.

It was probably because his cultivation was still too low.

If it were something else, he might not have dared test it with this divine light, but he knew far too little about the Sun and Moon Bell to feel at ease…

He hadn’t expected the Reversed Five Elements Divine Light to be this effective.

Looking at the Sun and Moon Bell rubbing up against his shoulder, Zheng Fa got the feeling—

this thing had been tormented by the Heavenly Venerate so much that it had practically no consciousness left, and maybe… it had mistaken him for someone else.

Then suddenly, Senior Sister Yuan said, “Junior Brother, could it be… you made a mistake?”

“……”

“This thing looks so cheap—are you sure it’s as powerful as you say it is?”

The Sun and Moon Bell’s spiritual intelligence really was extremely degraded—it seemed like it wanted to communicate, but the messages it sent were like baby babble.

Zheng Fa suddenly felt a bit... guilty.

The former Heavenly Venerate had poured his heart and soul into this thing and got nothing in return. In the end, perhaps out of despair, he tried to destroy it—and left it with a heavy blow.

Only for Zheng Fa to inherit it instead, like a wedding dress made for someone else.

It was like… how should he put it…

Like a stunning beauty who got hit by a car, lost all her memories,

and you just happened to walk past her hospital room…

She looks at you and calls you "husband."

What can you do?

Just smile… quietly. Loud laughter would be awkward if the Venerate comes back from the grave in a rage.

…

Zheng Fa spent a while carefully trying to communicate with the Sun and Moon Bell, and finally confirmed its state—

The Heavenly Venerate had already heavily damaged it.

After two entire eras, it had basically been reduced to nothing but instinct.

Or rather, if you saw its spiritual energy circuits as a computer—then the Sun and Moon Bell was like a machine that had lost all data, crashed every app, and could barely boot up.

The Reversed Five Elements Divine Light was originally a method for forming temporary connections with a spiritual treasure, but… since this thing didn’t seem to have a master anymore, it immediately mistook Zheng Fa as its previous owner.

Feeling the jumbled messages coming from the bell, Zheng Fa’s smile faded a little.

“Martial Nephew Zheng? How is it?” Martial Aunt Huang couldn’t help but ask.

“This Sun and Moon Bell is really incomplete. Its functions are extremely limited now…” Zheng Fa sighed softly.

Senior Sister Yuan nodded in agreement, muttering, “Told you… it even looks cheap…”

But Martial Aunt Huang shook her head. “Judging from what the Thunder Pool can do outside, this thing probably isn’t as simple as you say.”

Zheng Fa nodded.

“This Sun and Moon Bell has only some basic instincts left—and the Thunder Pool is by far its most powerful function.”

“In addition, it can alter the flow of time.”

Martial Aunt Huang’s eyes widened. “That’s…”

“There are restrictions,” Zheng Fa explained. “One, it needs a massive amount of Heavenly Merits. Two—if it’s just altering time around a single plant or something, that’s doable. But to speed up a cultivator’s training time? The cost in Heavenly Merits is way too high.”

“This isn’t an ordinary magical treasure.”

Zheng Fa nodded slightly. “If it weren’t special, the Heavenly Venerate wouldn’t have used it to become a major power in the Divine Dao Era.”

No doubt about it—the Sun and Moon Bell was great for building a faction.

“The most important thing is—I can move the Thunder Pool now!”

Zheng Fa said quietly.

The Sun and Moon Bell and the Heavenly Monument Realm were two sides of the same coin. The Thunder Pool was just an overflow of the realm’s rules. Now that he had control over the bell, he could naturally move the Thunder Pool as well.

Martial Aunt Huang and Senior Sister Yuan’s eyes lit up—they both looked excited.

They’d already agreed: if the Thunder Pool could be moved, they would use the Heavenly Monument to go pick up Senior Sister Zhang and the others…

As for whether they could block off the Great Freedom Demonic Sect’s secret realm…

Honestly, Jiushan Sect was small;they’d already borne more than their fair share.

Still, before returning to Jiushan Sect, Zheng Fa wanted to find Xiao Yuying.

He hadn’t looked for her earlier because he was worried the Sun and Moon Bell’s spiritual intelligence would awaken.

Now, he wanted to look for her—because the thing might be too dumb.

The weaker the Sun and Moon Bell’s intelligence, the harder it would be to use, and the more spiritual energy it would consume.

On the other hand, he had another idea:

to inscribe his own spiritual energy circuits onto this treasure.

…

Before returning to Jiushan Sect, of course, he needed to gather the disciples still in the Thunder Pool.

Just as he exited the Heavenly Monument, Zheng Fa saw a group of people waiting for him outside.

Xiao Yuying was there, obviously.

Yan Wushuang was also there, but more importantly—Sunset Sword Immortal, Old Man Han, had come too.

Now that was unusual—the Thunder Pool was highly suppressive toward high-level cultivators. Most Nascent Soul or above wouldn’t willingly enter it.

But Old Man Han had come.

Zheng Fa could feel that their gazes on him… were very complicated.

It was like seeing the top student of your class—you knew he had a bright future, you should get along with him…

but when you looked at him, you still couldn’t help feeling insanely jealous.

Thinking this way, Zheng Fa understood why they were all waiting here.

“Several days ago, we were expelled by the Heavenly Monument and can no longer enter,” Xiao Yuying said.

“Take a look at the monument.”

Zheng Fa looked up—the rankings that once listed everyone’s names were gone. Even his own name had vanished.

“Brother Yan, didn’t you say… the Tianhe Venerable’s name was still on the Heavenly Monument?”

Zheng Fa was confused.

“...Well, maybe that was just the Ancestor’s personal habit…”

“……”

“I know, our Ancestor liked writing his Dao name all over the place,”

Old Man Han suddenly chimed in.

…So basically, the Tianhe ‘So-and-So Was Here’ kind of graffiti?

Zheng Fa was increasingly convinced the Tianhe Venerable had no class.

…

After chatting for a bit, the other cultivators crowded around, trying to strike up conversations.

Only then did Zheng Fa realize what they’d been hanging around for…

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

A while later, Zheng Fa had already gotten acquainted with quite a few cultivators.

They were sharp enough to know when to retreat—seeing that Xiao Yuying, Yan Wushuang, and Old Man Han clearly had something to say to him, they politely took their leave after a few pleasantries.

Only those three remained.

Zheng Fa knew exactly why Xiao Yuying was waiting for him.

That was about their deal.

But the other two—especially Old Man Han—left Zheng Fa a bit puzzled.

“The Heavenly Monument Realm…”

Old Man Han let out a sigh. “The Heavenly Monument Realm of our Tianhe Sect is basically useless now.”

“Huh?”

Zheng Fa had never heard of this before.

“You must have taken control of that so-called Fate-Suppressing Spiritual Treasure, right?”

Zheng Fa nodded.

"The Heavenly Monument Realm of our Tianhe Sect—its Fate-Suppressing Treasure hasn’t revealed itself for a long time... the realm itself has been empty for ages.”

“Why is that…”

Zheng Fa asked in surprise.

“Heh… do you know what our Ancestor’s Life-bound Treasure was?”

“……”

Zheng Fa began to understand.

“They betrayed the Ancestor, even tried to seize his Life-bound Treasure—who would’ve thought, though the Ancestor was ambushed, the treasure vanished from the world, and no one could survive in the Heavenly Monument Realm anymore.”

“That’s one of the reasons why our entire Tianhe Sect has always been obsessed with producing another Tianhe Venerable.”

Zheng Fa nodded.

To be honest, what shocked him more was something else—

He had wanted to inscribe new spiritual energy circuits onto the Sun and Moon Bell, essentially because he didn’t trust it and wanted it to reflect his own will.

But unexpectedly, the Tianhe Venerable had already done exactly that!

And… it actually worked!

That made him even more interested in the Tianhe Method—especially the Slaying-Immortals technique.

He also understood the Tianhe Sect’s desperation—

Controlling a Fate-Suppressing Treasure meant surviving a spiritual energy decline.

Of course they were in a hurry.

With that in mind, Zheng Fa looked again at the Heavenly Monument—

Perhaps obtaining the Sun and Moon Bell was far more valuable than he had originally thought...

…

“What about you all?”

Yan Wushuang’s face turned red. “Wushuang Society’s operations are too risky... I was wondering, could I occasionally use your Heavenly Monument Realm as a place to rest?”

“Wushuang Society?”

“Oh, the new name I picked. How’s it sound?”

Yan Wushuang said eagerly.

Zheng Fa couldn’t help but sigh. “You really do have the spirit of the Tianhe Venerable...”

Yan Wushuang wasn’t just being reckless—

He knew full well he was doing something considered treasonous… Naturally, he had his eyes on the Heavenly Monument Realm.

He probably had the idea even earlier.

But meeting Xiao Yuying… that must’ve shattered the dream.

And then there was Zheng Fa.

Zheng Fa fell into thought.

This wasn’t a simple matter… was the Heavenly Monument Realm truly impenetrable?

At least the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor dared to challenge it.

“This matter... isn’t impossible.” Zheng Fa thought it over. What he was doing was already quite risky—Yan Wushuang’s trouble? Well… might as well charge extra!

“Brother Yan, didn’t you say you’ve got connections all over the Xuanyi Realm?”

In Zheng Fa’s eyes, Yan Wushuang’s greatest value was his network—and his business mind.

Jiushan Sect might soon become a thorn in the side of some people.

But they couldn’t afford to cut ties with the Xuanyi Realm—they needed resources.

And the more he looked at the Hundred Immortals Alliance, the more useless it seemed...

Which meant Jiushan Sect needed new trade routes.

Yan Wushuang froze for a moment, then instantly understood. “Brother Zheng, I’ll give up my share of the profits from the talisman imprints! I’ll cover all the talisman paper and spirit ink expenses through Wushuang Society!”

“Brother Yan, let’s save this talk for another time when we can discuss it in detail.”

Zheng Fa smiled and replied.

Yan Wushuang’s face turned pale. “How about… I rename Wushuang Society to Zheng Fa Society?”

“No way, that’s your baby, Brother Yan. You built it with your own two hands—how could I take it?”

“……” Yan Wushuang let out a deep sigh. “I’m just afraid someday it won’t be mine anymore.”

Zheng Fa wasn’t worried that Yan Wushuang wouldn’t work with Jiushan Sect—

What he wanted was money.

Without a stable base, you couldn’t survive.

And Yan Wushuang wasn’t stupid…

Yan Wushuang left with Old Man Han.

Only now did Zheng Fa realize—somehow, Yan Wushuang had convinced Old Man Han.

Now even the Sunset Sword Immortal was guarding him.

He was even willing to enter the Thunder Pool…

Or maybe, Yan Wushuang had a trump card that could move the old sword immortal.

…

“Fairy Xiao, please enter.”

Zheng Fa extended a hand, and a glowing portal opened in the air.

Xiao Yuying nodded and stepped through the portal, looking like she trusted Zheng Fa completely.

To be honest, Zheng Fa keenly sensed a shift in her attitude.

Before… it’s not that Xiao Yuying was unpleasant. In fact, she had always shown goodwill.

But it was a lofty kind of goodwill.

Now that Zheng Fa held the Sun and Moon Bell, her demeanor had subtly changed—

For example, before, she would never have stood silently by while he spoke with others.

“Fairy Xiao, please wait a moment—I need to gather my fellow disciples. I’d rather avoid any accidents,” Zheng Fa said apologetically. “I want to return to Jiushan Sect as soon as possible.”

“Alright. I have nothing urgent anyway. I’ll just cultivate here while I wait.”

Xiao Yuying nodded, completely understanding—

very easy to talk to.