I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Vol 2 Chapter 60: True Transmission

"Watch closely." The Sect Master suddenly turned to Zheng Fa and smiled faintly. "This is our sect’s true transmission—‘Divine Thunder Art of Shenxiao’!"

This was the first time Zheng Fa had seen his master unleash his full strength.

Above them, dark clouds loomed heavily, covering the sky.

Blue lightning danced wildly like dragons and serpents, illuminating the entire Jiushan Sect.

His master stood beneath the thunderclouds, hands clasped behind his back, strolling as if taking a leisurely walk in the courtyard. The fierce winds whipped his robes, making them billow and snap.

With a simple point of his finger, a bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky, striking directly at the shadowy figure of the middle-aged man.

Lightning techniques were inherently the purest and most destructive of all energies, perfectly countering the dark arts of the Demonic Sect.

What’s more, this man was in a soul state, lacking a physical body for protection, making him even more vulnerable to the power of thunder.

As he watched, Zheng Fa’s expression gradually grew serious.

"Senior Brother Zheng, what are you thinking?"

Beside him, Zhou Qianyuan noticed his expression and couldn’t help but ask curiously.

"I’m thinking… in the past, have I not shown enough respect to my old—no, to my esteemed master?"

As soon as Zheng Fa said this, he felt his master glance back at him with a meaningful look. Then, his attacks seemed to grow even fiercer.

…

The middle-aged man from the Demonic Sect dodged for a while but soon realized that if this continued, he was doomed.

Gritting his teeth, he abruptly stopped moving. His shadowy form flickered, splitting into two. One half of him braced itself and took a direct hit from the heavenly lightning—face first.

Meanwhile, the other half didn’t hesitate at all, turning and fleeing straight out of Jiushan Sect.

Yet, the Sect Master didn’t pursue him, seeming content to watch him escape.

The middle-aged man’s face lit up with relief, as if he had just barely escaped death.

But before he could even reach a hundred steps away—

A transparent, glass-like purple barrier suddenly appeared before him.

The barrier, shaped like an upturned bowl, sealed off the surrounding space.

The purple hue of the barrier was composed entirely of condensed lightning, appearing even more menacing than the thunderstorm behind him.

The middle-aged man froze in place, his face filled with despair.@@novelbin@@

"Daoist friend, my ‘Heavenly Thunder Formation of the Zhou Sky’ has not been revealed for many years," the Sect Master said with a leisurely smile. "Please, be my honored guest and experience it firsthand." ṜаNỌβȧ

The middle-aged man looked at the purple lightning before him and seemed to realize he was completely trapped.

Without a word, he surveyed his surroundings, then calmly placed his hands together in a mystic seal, chanting softly like a devout believer.

At first, his voice was faint, but gradually, it grew louder, reverberating faintly throughout Jiushan.

He repeatedly chanted a four-line incantation:

"In the primordial void, the Great Free Sky rules supreme."

"Boundless divine might, countless mystic arts."

"Lend me thy strength, my solemn prayer."

"In reverence of thy name, let its radiance shine upon the world."

Chanting again and again, it was as if he was summoning a power from beyond the Nine Heavens.

The shadowy middle-aged man’s form slowly became solid, condensing into a blackened physical body. The aura surrounding him became overwhelmingly oppressive, sending a chill down Zheng Fa’s spine.

It felt like some ancient existence was descending upon them through this man’s vessel.

"Fall back!"

The Sect Master’s expression was no longer relaxed as he shouted toward Zheng Fa and Zhou Qianyuan.

Without hesitation, Zheng Fa grabbed Zhou Qianyuan and retreated at full speed.

Even as he fled, he noticed his master flicking out several golden talismans, reinforcing the Heavenly Thunder Formation, preparing for battle.

…

Gradually, the middle-aged man stopped chanting.

His expression had completely changed.

The previous panic and terror were gone, replaced by cold arrogance.

His eyes swept over the Sect Master, as if acknowledging that he was a formidable opponent. But then, without hesitation, he turned and charged toward Chen Ting!

Zheng Fa was momentarily stunned before he realized the man’s intent—

A traitor is even more despicable than an enemy!

"Stop!"

A furious shout erupted from the side.

Zheng Fa turned his head and saw Uncle-Master Pang racing toward Chen Ting, attempting to save his disciple.

However, now that this middle-aged man had borrowed the power of the Great Free Demon Ancestor, his speed was blindingly fast.

Uncle-Master Pang had already reacted late, and his speed was simply not enough to catch up.

It was clear that he wouldn’t make it in time.

Chen Ting looked at the approaching Uncle-Master Pang and suddenly smiled.

Then, he began chanting a spell of his own:

"With my blood, I offer tribute before thee."

"With my soul, I pledge myself at thy side."

"From the primordial chaos, the Nine Hells surge forth…"

"Grant me my true form, to serve eternally."

As Zheng Fa watched in horror—

The once overconfident middle-aged man abruptly froze, his triumphant expression twisting into utter terror.

At the same time, Zheng Fa felt a sudden chill creeping up his spine, as if some unspeakable entity had just locked its gaze onto him.

And then—

Right before his eyes—

Chen Ting, like a gust of wind and sand, disintegrated into nothingness.

What puzzled Zheng Fa even more was that the middle-aged man was also vanishing—just like Chen Ting.

No matter how he roared in frustration or tried to strike at Chen Ting, he couldn't stop his own fate.

Within five breaths, both of them had completely disappeared before Zheng Fa and the others.

Just as Zheng Fa thought they had been reduced to nothingness, a figure slowly reappeared before them—it was Chen Ting.

He seemed unchanged. Yet at the same time, he was completely different.

What caught Zheng Fa’s attention was the faint mark now appearing on Chen Ting’s forehead. It looked similar to the unique sub-talisman Zheng Fa had once seen in Lin Bufan’s blood—but not quite the same.

Chen Ting's aura was significantly stronger than before, as if he had undergone a complete transformation.

Beside Zheng Fa, Uncle-Master Pang gazed at him with a complicated expression.

Chen Ting suddenly turned to Zheng Fa and spoke:

"Zhang Wuyi was lost in the Thunder Pool. The Great Free Demon Sect has been searching for her whereabouts."

Zheng Fa was stunned—this was the truth behind Senior Sister Zhang’s disappearance?

Then, Chen Ting turned and bowed three times to Uncle-Master Pang and said,

"I may be unworthy, but I have never killed a fellow disciple."

"……"

Uncle-Master Pang pressed his lips together, remaining silent.

After saying those words, Chen Ting turned and left without another word.

From afar, his half-sung, half-chanting voice drifted back to them:

"The Dao-seeker's heart is like iron, unshaken by wind and rain."

As his figure faded into the distance, the Sect Master suddenly turned to Uncle-Master Pang and asked,

"You’re not stopping him?"

"……"

Uncle-Master Pang shook his head, unwilling to say anything more.

The Sect Master, however, looked a little perplexed and muttered,

"If I didn’t hear wrong… didn't Chen Ting just sacrifice himself to the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor? But wasn't he a member of the Great Free Demon Sect? How did he get involved with Nine Nether Demon Ancestor?"

Zheng Fa was taken aback. Wasn’t this blatant betrayal?

"……How should I know?" Uncle-Master Pang grinned helplessly. "But if I had to guess, my disc—ahem, Chen Ting probably didn’t want to be possessed, so he pulled this stunt instead. He used us to stall for time and then sacrificed both himself and that guy together."

"No," the Sect Master said after a brief silence, "Three of them."

"Three?"

The Sect Master sighed.

"Chen Ting took a True Blood Pill, which merged his bloodline with that middle-aged man’s. By sacrificing himself, he dragged the middle-aged man down with him. And most impressively—he even managed to sacrifice the divine power of the Great Free Demon Ancestor itself."

"……"

Hearing this, everyone present was left speechless.

"I noticed the mark on Chen Ting’s forehead," the Sect Master continued. "His bloodline purity has likely reached the level of a ‘Holy Son’ in the Nine Nether Demon Sect… which means the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor must be very pleased."

Zheng Fa couldn't help but grimace.

Senior Brother Chen Ting was ruthless.

Zheng Fa had known all along that Chen Ting had no intention of staying in Jiushan Sect.

The way he had disguised himself as Senior Sister Zhang in the past…

The fact that he had been a spy for the Great Free Demon Sect…

Neither were things Jiushan Sect would ever forgive. If Uncle-Master Pang had been a little more ruthless, he might have even executed him outright.

Still, Zheng Fa hadn’t expected Chen Ting to pull something this extreme.

The Sect Master sighed as he came to terms with everything. A hint of regret flickered in his eyes.

"You trained your disciple well," he said to Uncle-Master Pang.

Uncle-Master Pang looked frustrated. "I always knew there was something off about him, but his determination was unmatched. And really, what cultivator doesn’t have their own secrets?"

"…What a pity."

The Sect Master patted Uncle-Master Pang’s shoulder and sighed.

"But I must say—his style of handling things… bears quite the resemblance to yours."

"……Huh?"

Uncle-Master Pang's eyes widened as he stared at the Sect Master.

Then, the Sect Master suddenly turned to Zheng Fa.

"By the way, if Senior Niece Zhang is lost in the Thunder Pool, it may have something to do with you."

"…Huh?"

"The Thunder Pool is the best place to cultivate the ‘Divine Thunder Art of Shenxiao.’"

Zheng Fa fell silent.

He was currently cultivating the ‘Five Thunder Body’, and in the future, he would inevitably transition to the ‘Divine Thunder Art of Shenxiao’.

After witnessing his master’s power today, he knew that this true transmission was incredibly formidable.

But just like how ‘Five Thunder Body’ required Xuanlei Stones, the ‘Divine Thunder Art of Shenxiao’ demanded even rarer and more precious resources.

—

Zheng Fa arrived at Tang Lingwu’s house, bringing along Old Bai.

Although the gaokao results hadn’t been released yet, the three of them had already decided to head to Jingcheng ahead of time.

The main reason?

Zheng Fa had now reached the seventh level of Qi Refining and was ready to start cultivating the ‘Lingshan Method.’

For both Zheng Fa and Old Bai, this was a big deal.

The three of them were a little excited.

"You’re leaving for Jingcheng now?"

Tang Lingwu’s mother, Aunt Ye, seemed reluctant to part with her daughter. "Can’t you wait another month?" she asked, puzzled.

Zheng Fa and the other two exchanged glances—then, in perfect sync, they shook their heads.

"Then… I’ll go with you!"

Aunt Ye looked at her daughter and suddenly made up her mind.

"I don’t have much to do at home anyway."

Zheng Fa and Old Bai exchanged another look—this time, looking troubled.

Their trip wasn’t just casual travel. They were planning to experiment with the ‘Lingshan Method’ and see if they could formally start Tang Lingwu’s cultivation.

To do that, they’d need to set up the ‘Lingshan Method’ formation, which required Awakening Talismans.

And once they began training, strange phenomena might occur.

If Aunt Ye tagged along, they wouldn’t be able to hide those strange occurrences from her.

Tang Lingwu pouted and grabbed her mother’s arm, shaking it gently.

"We have important business to take care of. Outsiders aren’t allowed!"

"……"

Aunt Ye froze for a moment, unable to find the words to respond.

Before she could say anything else, Tang Lingwu pulled Zheng Fa and Old Bai into the car, urging the big-shorts-wearing driver to start driving.

As the black sedan gradually disappeared from sight, Aunt Ye turned to the maid beside her and asked,

"…Who’s the outsider here?"