I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Vol 2 Chapter 138: The Always Injured Yan Wushuang

For Xiao Yuying and the Sunset Sword Immortal, things had become a bit tricky, and their expressions had turned rather sour.

Zheng Fa, on the other hand, remained relaxed.

A cold-faced celestial beauty visiting a secret realm—what does that have to do with me, Jiushan Sect's Zheng Fa?

"Master Han, can you now clearly explain what exactly this so-called Tianhe Sect secret is?"

After a moment of silence, Xiao Yuying turned to the Sunset Sword Immortal and asked.

Since they were now all in the same boat, she likely didn’t want to remain in the dark.

The Sunset Sword Immortal shook his head and said, "This… I think it's best if you don’t know."

"..."

Even Zheng Fa was a little surprised. Damn, this Fairy Lingye never misses. She sure knows a lot.

Seeing the stunned look on the Sunset Sword Immortal’s face, Xiao Yuying gave a faint smile.

"Master Han, I may not know the secrets of your Tianhe Sect," she said.

"But I’ve been to enough secret realms to know that the Soul Formation technique is flawed. I’ve just never spoken of it publicly."

Zheng Fa was speechless.

For all her bluntness, Xiao Yuying clearly also had secrets.

Her words now were likely a gesture of goodwill, showing her sincerity.

The Sunset Sword Immortal sighed. "Since you already know, Fairy Xiao, then I won’t hide it from you any longer..."

He then explained the matter of the New Method.

Unexpectedly, after hearing it, Xiao Yuying frowned deeply, as if she couldn’t understand something.

"Master Han, are you saying that the old demonic sect methods from the previous era—or rather, the current cultivation methods—cannot coexist with Tianhe Venerable’s New Method?"

She suddenly asked.

"That is my guess."

"But that doesn’t make sense..."

Xiao Yuying’s doubt left everyone momentarily stunned.

"What doesn’t make sense?"

She glanced at them, thought for a moment, and then said,

"Because the Holy Ancestor of the Demonic Sect was also striving to create a new immortal cultivation method!"

Zheng Fa’s mind shook. He looked at the Sunset Sword Immortal, whose eyes were wide with disbelief.

Seeing his skeptical expression, Xiao Yuying shook her head.

"I once visited an ancient secret realm from the early days of the last era. It contained praises for the Holy Ancestor—oh, ‘Holy Ancestor’ is the ritual title used by the demonic sect for their founder."

She seemed to be recalling something.

Slowly, she continued,

"According to those ritual verses, these demonic sect founders modified the old techniques of the era before them to create the current cultivation system."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Fa’s mind was in chaos.

Previously, Master Han’s words had given him the impression that—

Both current cultivation methods and demonic sect techniques had been inherited from ancient times, and that the demonic sect was just a relic from history, an outdated faction blocking the New Method’s progress.

But according to Xiao Yuying, those so-called demonic ancestors were also creators of a New Method...

He looked into the sky, his thoughts drifting across two entire eras, spanning nearly a million years, picturing generations of cultivators struggling toward progress...

"No wonder..." The Sunset Sword Immortal finally murmured, shaking his head. "Our Sect Ancestor once said that at least one of the demonic ancestors was a true Path Pioneer."

Zheng Fa’s heart skipped a beat.

He remembered this.

The Sunset Sword Immortal had once said this to him on their way to Jiushan Sect.

Back then, it had been a warning—not to venture recklessly into demonic sect ruins.

At the time, they had assumed that a so-called Path Pioneer was simply someone who had created certain cultivation techniques, such as the method of refining life-bound treasures.

But now, it seemed that the demonic ancestor had also been on the path of the New Method.

The group fell silent for a long time before the Sunset Sword Immortal sighed and said,

"The New Method... Ha, how difficult it truly is..."

Zheng Fa understood why the old man said this.

Across two entire eras, in the entire Xuanyi Realm, only fourteen individuals had ever possessed the highest talent and brilliance—thirteen demonic ancestors and Tianhe Venerable.

The demonic ancestors created the demonic sect’s techniques.

Tianhe Venerable created the Tianhe cultivation method.

And yet, to this day, Soul Formation still remained incomplete...

...

They had reached a dead end in this discussion.

But now that so much had been laid bare, they at least had a foundation for cooperation.

"So, Master Han, you’re saying that this secret realm might be connected to the legacy of Tianhe’s New Method, and we should avoid getting entangled in its karmic ties?"

Xiao Yuying asked.

"Yes... but now..." Master Han sighed, "we’ve already become a target for others."

"I don’t care about the treasure-hunting cultivators," he continued.

"But what I do fear is them believing that we’ve obtained the secret realm’s treasures or cultivation techniques."

"At this point, even if we leave, others will assume we’ve secretly taken something."

"..."

Xiao Yuying frowned.

Despite her usual fearless nature, she clearly wasn’t comfortable with this situation.

Yan Wushuang, on the other hand, suddenly had an idea.

"If secrecy is the goal..."

"Hmm?"

"Why not just kill everyone?"

"..."

Xiao Yuying gave the Sunset Sword Immortal a strange look.

Zheng Fa internally sighed—Tianhe Sect is truly blessed to have a sect leader’s son like this.

"We can’t just kill everyone! And besides, we’re righteous cultivators! Righteous!"

Master Han smacked Yan Wushuang on the head.

Zheng Fa thought for a moment and then suddenly said, "I have a contingency—uh, I mean, an idea."

The Sunset Sword Immortal immediately perked up. "Let’s hear it."

"You two should fight."

Xiao Yuying and the Sunset Sword Immortal both paused before quickly catching onto Zheng Fa’s plan.

"You’re saying that since our alliance is too conspicuous, we should stage an internal conflict to make them lower their guard?"

Zheng Fa nodded. "And it should look real."

"After a fight, if we appear too weakened, it’ll be easier to convince others that we’re no longer competing for the treasures."

Xiao Yuying and the Sunset Sword Immortal exchanged glances before nodding slightly.

"This would indeed give us a good reason to withdraw..." Master Han stroked his chin. "But how do we make it look real?"

Xiao Yuying replied, "With so many Nascent Soul cultivators around, any fake battle won’t fool them. It’s best if someone actually gets injured."

After saying that, both of them turned to look at Yan Wushuang.

Yan Wushuang froze, then pointed at himself.

"Me?"

Both of them nodded.

"Why not Master Han—"

A flicker of Nascent Soul energy surged from Han Lao’s body, appearing and vanishing in an instant.

"...Fairy Xiao… Forget it!" Yan Wushuang then pointed at Zheng Fa. "Why not this celestial maiden? She was the one who suggested it!"

Zheng Fa was stunned.

Yan Wushuang, you don’t dare to mess with two Nascent Soul cultivators, so you’re bullying a Foundation Establishment stage weak little fairy instead?

"She’s not suitable."

To his surprise, Xiao Yuying immediately shook her head and refused.

Yan Wushuang pursed his lips and turned to look at the Sunset Sword Immortal.

This cold-faced celestial beauty had Xiao Yuying protecting her.

But he had Han Lao!

And in terms of strength, Han Lao was the stronger one!

He turned to look at Han Lao—only to see the old man slowly nodding at him. "She’s indeed not suitable."

"...Master Han? Whose side are you even on?"

…

With their plan settled, the four continued deeper into the secret realm.

The further they went, the deeper and darker the blood-red hue of the ground became. The dim red landscape radiated a sense of tragedy.

After half a day’s journey, the Bronze Hall that Xiao Yuying had mentioned finally appeared before them.

The upper part of the hall was shaped like a pagoda.

The lower part was a large, square structure.

Due to the passage of time, the hall no longer looked bronze-colored but had turned into a dull, blue-black shade.

At this moment, the sun was setting, painting both the sky and earth in shades of red.

But this Bronze Hall stood in stark contrast—a patch of ominous black in the midst of a crimson world.

The building directly faced them. At its front, a small door bore a symbol that looked extremely familiar to Zheng Fa—Tianhe Venerable’s seal.

In the center of the symbol was a hole, likely where the massive lock Xiao Yuying had mentioned should be.

However, it seemed Zheng Fa wouldn’t have to play the role of a locksmith anymore—because now he was back to being a scriptwriter.

…

A crowd of cultivators had already gathered around the Bronze Hall.

Zheng Fa quickly scanned them, and their sheer presence made him nervous—

The red mist along the way had been eerie and deadly, so any cultivator who had made it this far was clearly powerful.

Among them were several Nascent Soul cultivators Zheng Fa had seen before. The rest, apart from Nascent Soul, were mostly Golden Core stage, like Yan Wushuang.

Cultivators at Foundation Establishment level like Zheng Fa?

Almost none.

That realization made him feel uneasy.

But then—

He noticed that the other cultivators looked even more uneasy when they glanced at him!

Zheng Fa blinked—then suddenly understood.

Left side, the Sunset Sword Immortal.

Right side, Fairy Lingye.

Yeah, I’d be nervous too!

…

The cultivators who had arrived earlier had likely been stopped by the locked door.

Now, with the arrival of the Sunset Sword Immortal and Xiao Yuying, they grew even more wary—

Xiao Yuying’s Treasure-Seeking Dao Body was famous across the Xuanyi Realm.

Meanwhile, the Sunset Sword Immortal and Yan Wushuang were true Tianhe Sect elites.

Who knew if there were secret mechanisms inside the Bronze Hall that only they could access?

The cultivators exchanged glances and, without a word, formed a loose encirclement around the four of them.

Zheng Fa froze.

Wait, do they want to kill us off as the strongest competitors?

They’re not afraid of offending the Tianhe Sect?

But after a moment, he realized—

They had actually left one path open for the four of them.

The path led straight to the Bronze Hall’s door.

Now he understood their intentions.

They don’t want to kill Xiao Yuying and the Sunset Sword Immortal—too risky.

They just want to make sure they don’t hog the treasures for themselves.

Han Lao and Xiao Yuying glanced around and then at each other before stepping forward toward the Bronze Hall.

"This place is indeed a relic of our Tianhe Sect ancestors!" Han Lao reached out, seemingly about to open the hall’s door.

"Wait!" Xiao Yuying suddenly spoke up.

"Hmm?"

"Let’s discuss how to split the treasures first!"

"This belongs to my Tianhe Sect!" Han Lao snorted coldly.

Hearing this, Xiao Yuying suddenly seemed flustered.

"But we agreed—"

…

The surrounding cultivators exchanged uncertain glances, but they weren’t fully convinced yet.

Xiao Yuying and the Sunset Sword Immortal bickered back and forth, their voices growing heated.

Then—

The Sunset Sword Immortal’s hand flickered with rainbow light, summoning a short, round immortal sword.

Xiao Yuying, not backing down, flared with treasure light, revealing four or five magical artifacts around her.

Without warning, the two actually started fighting.

The Sunset Sword Immortal was a renowned grand cultivator, so Xiao Yuying quickly found herself at a disadvantage.

Clenching her teeth, she suddenly flung a jewel from her sleeve—

—which slammed straight into Yan Wushuang and sent him flying toward the Bronze Hall.

"Xiao Yuying!"

Han Lao erupted in rage and immediately chased after him.

"Let’s go!"

Xiao Yuying, as if realizing she couldn’t keep fighting, grabbed Zheng Fa and fled.

Zheng Fa could barely keep up, but he managed to steal a glance at the surrounding cultivators.

Their faces were full of relief—mixed with the gossip-loving expression of someone watching a great drama unfold.

Looks like our acting worked.

Then—

With a loud BANG, Yan Wushuang’s head slammed straight into the Bronze Hall’s door.

And—

The door opened.

A furious voice boomed from within—

"Tianhe traitors! How dare you return here?!"

A terrifying, murderous aura surged forth from inside, sweeping over everyone present.

Even the strongest cultivators felt their hairs stand on end.

Zheng Fa was completely dumbfounded.

Wait…

So in the Xuanyi Realm, using your HEAD as a key is actually a thing now?!