I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Vol 2 Chapter 135: A Traitor from Within

Zheng Fa had imagined many possibilities for what lay inside the grand hall—

Perhaps it would be as magnificent as a royal palace, with a throne at its center.

Or maybe it would resemble the side halls, with a towering deity statue, possibly of the main god.

Or it could simply be empty.

But never in his wildest dreams did he expect that such a grand hall would contain… a tombstone.

He stepped forward and examined the inscription.

The darkness in the hall was so dense it seemed almost tangible, and even the light from the bronze seal couldn’t fully illuminate the tombstone.

Zheng Fa could only make out a few words:

The name before it had likely been inscribed originally, but at some point, someone had deliberately erased it.

Zheng Fa grew even more puzzled.

Whoever erected this monument clearly held deep respect for the one buried here—not only carving an inscription but even addressing them as Heavenly Venerate.

Yet, they had deliberately obscured the name.

Why?

And what was even stranger—

The hall was empty.

There was only a tombstone, no coffin.

A burial site… but where were the remains?

He looked out of the hall.

The deserted Heavenly Palace was silent as the grave.

The faceless deity statues in the side halls stood in silent vigil, guarding this tomb for who knew how many millennia.

A thought suddenly struck Zheng Fa—

The Heavenly Palace was above, the mortal realm below…

And within the grand hall of the Heavenly Palace, there stood a tombstone.

Could it be that the burial site wasn’t here in the hall—

But in the mortal realm of the Heavenly Monument Realm?

Could this entire Heavenly Monument Realm… be one vast tomb?

—

The bronze seal’s light gradually dimmed as it seemed to complete its transformation, then floated toward Zheng Fa.

He reached out and caught it.

The seal had a reddish tint, and its surface was carved into the shape of a human figure—though its face remained blurred.

For some reason, Zheng Fa felt a deep sense of sorrow emanating from this faceless image.

As soon as his fingers touched the seal, a stream of profound information surged into his mind.

Zheng Fa immediately realized—

The manual had updated again.

After reading the new instructions, a wide grin spread across his face.

The Investiture of the Gods had turned into a bronze seal, but his invested territories remained unchanged—further confirming his suspicion that the Heavenly Monument Realm wasn’t as grand as it seemed.

And if his guess was right, that it was indeed a tomb…

Then as a realm, the Heavenly Monument Realm was far too small.

But as a tomb—

It was terrifyingly large.

Most of the other functions hadn’t changed much.

What really made Zheng Fa smile was—

He could now bring people into the Heavenly Monument Realm!

According to the seal’s new rules, he had been granted two Subordinate God slots.

Xiao Yuying’s warning still echoed in his mind.

At the very least, he could now bring Senior Sister Zhang into the Heavenly Monument Realm—

In the worst-case scenario, they could at least ensure their safety within it.

And just as Xiao Yuying had suggested, if he and Zhang Wuyi remained, perhaps the demon clans and the demonic sects wouldn’t dare to completely wipe them out.

—

As Zheng Fa stepped out of the Heavenly Monument Realm, Xiao Yuying was the first person he saw.

Yan Wushuang was there as well.

What confused Zheng Fa was the strange atmosphere between the two.

It felt like they had clashed—but not quite.

More like… they were competing over something valuable.

Something important enough that even Yan Wushuang was daring to go up against Xiao Yuying for it.

"Fairy Xiao? Brother Yan? You two…"

"It’s nothing. I was waiting for you."

As soon as Yan Wushuang saw Zheng Fa, he grabbed his left arm and started leading him away from the Thunder Pool.

Xiao Yuying remained silent and simply followed behind them.

Zheng Fa, being pulled along by Yan Wushuang, was completely lost.

Xiao Yuying, seeing Yan Wushuang’s urgency, smirked slightly, completely unbothered.

Yan Wushuang might be the Tianhe Sect Master’s son, but she wasn’t without status either.

More importantly—

When it came to wealth in the Xuanyi Realm, she had never feared anyone.

Whatever Yan Wushuang could offer Zheng Fa, she was confident she could offer ten or even a hundred times more.

She was curious to see what move Yan Wushuang would pull.

—

A short distance later, they encountered Senior Sister Yuan, who had come to fetch Zheng Fa.

She cast him a questioning look, but Zheng Fa, still clueless about the situation, could only shake his head.

As they continued walking, Yan Wushuang glanced behind him—

Xiao Yuying was still following at a leisurely pace, showing no signs of leaving.

And Senior Sister Yuan certainly wasn’t going anywhere either.

Gritting his teeth, Yan Wushuang finally asked,

"Brother Zheng, do you have someone you admire?"

"…?"

Zheng Fa blinked, confused.

Why was he suddenly asking this?

"My Tianhe Sect has many senior and junior sisters, all of exceptional beauty and gentle temperament, perfect as lifelong companions…"

Zheng Fa’s expression turned odd.

Yan Wushuang sounded serious!

Behind them, Xiao Yuying pursed her lips in thought.

She hadn’t expected Yan Wushuang to take such an unorthodox approach!

The problem was—

She worked alone.

And her friendships were the kind that could collapse at a moment’s notice.

She couldn’t just conjure up ten times the number of celestial maidens to offer Zheng Fa…

Meanwhile, Senior Sister Yuan widened her eyes in disbelief, glancing back and forth between them.

"Uh…" Zheng Fa didn’t even have to think about it before declining. "The celestial maidens of the Tianhe Sect are, of course, outstanding, but I have no such intentions…"

"Not interested in sect maidens…" Yan Wushuang stroked his chin, not even letting Zheng Fa finish before deepening his thoughts. "No problem. I also have connections in the Xuan-Nü Sect. If you come with me, I can arrange for you to meet the Holy Maiden’s direct disciples…"

—

How could one describe the Xuan-Nü Sect?

It was essentially the largest chain of foot-washing parlors in the Xuanyi Realm.

Every woman there possessed remarkable skills, each worth a fortune.

The Su-Nü Sect, which ran brothels in Jiushan Market, was nothing more than a village tavern in comparison.

Moreover, the Xuan-Nü Sect straddled the line between righteousness and heresy.

Rumors suggested it was actually a branch of a demonic sect—

But no one had ever found proof.

Which only spoke to its secrecy and power.

Yan Wushuang’s connections were seriously impressive!

This time, Zheng Fa hesitated slightly, glanced at Senior Sister Yuan, and then said, "Uh… I’m not really interested in that either."

Behind him, Xiao Yuying quietly let out a breath of relief. Yan Wushuang’s approach was getting a little too wild…

"You don’t like Immortal Sect female cultivators, and you’re not interested in Demonic Sect saintesses either…" Yan Wushuang frowned at Zheng Fa, deep in thought.

"Brother Yan?"

"Junior Brother Zheng, if you prefer men, I also know a few… all outstanding talents of the Immortal Sects!" Yan Wushuang suddenly declared. "If you’re looking for women, I won’t claim to be the best matchmaker, but if you’re looking for men, I can guarantee no one in this world can outmatch my resources!"

—

Wait, what kind of insane social circle does this guy even have?!

Behind them, Xiao Yuying’s face was frozen in shock.

She didn’t even feel disappointed anymore.

She just felt like her eyes had been opened to an entirely new world.

Yan Wushuang at full force was truly terrifying.

"Brother Yan!" Zheng Fa saw this getting more and more ridiculous—even Senior Sister Yuan was looking at him weirdly—so he quickly waved his hands. "I’m really not interested!"

"Well… I don’t have any direct contacts in the demon clans, but I do know a few cultivators who are into that sort of thing. I can introduce you, and you all can exchange experiences!"

"…"

Off to the side, Senior Sister Yuan, who had been frowning in concern, suddenly relaxed.

Her big round eyes gleamed with newfound wisdom.

Seeing where this was going, Zheng Fa didn’t even bother responding.

He just cupped his hands in a quick salute and bolted, dragging Senior Sister Yuan with him.

If he stayed any longer, his entire reputation would be ruined!

—

The moment they arrived back at the sect’s quarters, Senior Sister Yuan immediately ditched Zheng Fa and sprinted toward Senior Sister Zhang’s courtyard.

"Senior Sister Zhang! Senior Sister Zhang! Bad news! Junior Brother Zheng—"

Senior Sister Zhang appeared in the courtyard, frowning slightly. "What about Junior Brother Zheng?"

"He’s about to get stolen by another man!"

"…"

Senior Sister Zhang gave her a once-over, then shook her head as if dismissing nonsense.

"I’m serious! It’s that Yan Wushuang!"

"…"

Senior Sister Zhang chuckled and shook her head, clearly skeptical.

"He said he wanted to introduce the Tianhe Sect’s senior and junior sisters to Zheng Fa!"

Her brows furrowed slightly.

"But Junior Brother Zheng refused!"

She nodded approvingly.

"Then Yan Wushuang tried to introduce him to the Xuan-Nü Sect’s demon women!"

Senior Sister Zhang’s expression turned cold. She murmured, "Yan Wushuang…"

"But Junior Brother Zheng refused that too!"

A satisfied smile appeared on Senior Sister Zhang’s face.

"Then Yan Wushuang tried to set Zheng Fa up with men!"

"That’s impossible for Junior Brother Zheng to accept."

This time, before Senior Sister Yuan could even say how Zheng Fa reacted, Senior Sister Zhang stated it outright.

"Huh? Senior Sister, how do you know?"

"Look at the way he looks at you and me," Senior Sister Zhang scoffed. "Does that seem like a man who prefers men?"

"…"

Senior Sister Yuan glanced at Senior Sister Zhang, then lowered her head in realization.

"Oh… but I still don’t trust Xiao Yuying!"

Senior Sister Yuan didn’t look relieved at all.

"Xiao Yuying?"

Senior Sister Zhang’s heart skipped a beat.

Xiao Yuying was, of course, beautiful—her legs were absurdly long.

More importantly, her cultivation talent and wealth were absolutely on par with her own.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because when Xiao Yuying heard Yan Wushuang’s offers and Zheng Fa’s refusals, her reaction was exactly the same as yours!"

"…"

Senior Sister Zhang’s brows furrowed slightly.

She recalled Xiao Yuying’s previous praise for Zheng Fa—words even she herself couldn’t bring herself to say.

The more she thought about it, the more she felt Xiao Yuying had ulterior motives, long before now.

Zheng Fa had once said Xiao Yuying was only interested in his lightning technique talent.

Senior Sister Zhang thought about it and felt… removing those last three words also made perfect sense!

A faint unease stirred in her heart.

She looked up to see Senior Sister Yuan sitting beside her, grinning from ear to ear, looking absolutely delighted.

"What are you so happy about?"

Lost in thought, Senior Sister Yuan answered automatically, "Well, Yan Wushuang didn’t offer him demon clan women, and Zheng Fa never refused…"

"…"

Senior Sister Yuan clapped a hand over her mouth, realizing she’d slipped up.

"Uh… Senior Sister, I didn’t mean to keep that from you…"

Senior Sister Zhang glared at her.

She hadn’t expected that even someone right by her side would betray her!

"Senior Sister, I swear I’m not trying to compete with you!" Senior Sister Yuan practically swore an oath. "But if Xiao Yuying does manage to steal Junior Brother Zheng, then I won’t hold back!"

"…"

—

The moment Zheng Fa stepped into Senior Sister Zhang’s courtyard, he immediately felt that something was off.

The way she was looking at him—

It was as if she were looking at some kind of pervert.