I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times-Chapter 176Book 2: : Thunderlight Illuminates the Mountains and Rivers

Vol 2 Chapter 176: Thunderlight Illuminates the Mountains and Rivers

Soon, the group that Zheng Shan was in rejoined the main force led by Sect Master Yuan.

The migrating crowd, already in the tens of thousands, suddenly swelled to around 300,000 people.

Sect Master Grandpa treated her quite well, but he always looked worried, which made her hesitant to approach.

“Senior Brother, how’s the situation?”

After sending the disciples to maintain order, Martial Uncle Pang walked up to Sect Master Yuan and asked in a low voice.

“Not great.” Sect Master Yuan shook his head. “The Great Freedom Demonic Sect is serious this time. I’ve been cautious the whole way, avoiding people while traveling, and still ran into seven or eight Nascent Soul cultivators from the Demonic Sect...”

Martial Uncle Pang’s expression grew solemn at those words.

By now, they all knew that Soul Formation cultivators seemed to be restricted and rarely appeared.

But even Nascent Soul cultivators were rare and formidable.

“What about the Hundred Immortals Alliance?”

A hint of admiration flickered across Sect Master Yuan’s face. “Zhenren Tongming made a decisive move and ordered all sects in the Hundred Immortals Alliance to retreat. Seems he’s trying to consolidate the alliance, to prevent further exploitation and to provide mutual aid.”

Martial Uncle Pang thought it over and understood Tongming’s reasoning—

He might not have cared about the Hundred Immortals Alliance's unity before.

But with things going downhill so fast, he wouldn’t allow another Spirit Beast Sect incident to happen again.

Did people really think Soul Formation elders were pushovers?

Even so... he didn’t have much faith in Zhenren Tongming.

He looked up at his Senior Brother and saw the same pensive look on his face. Clearly, he was thinking the same thing:

The Hundred Immortals Alliance had only one Soul Formation cultivator, while the Great Freedom Demonic Sect had the Demon Ancestor behind them. The disparity was obvious—just the Ancestor of the Blood River alone was enough trouble for Zhenren Tongming.

“Zhenren Tongming has a wide network. Maybe he’ll find some help.” Sect Master Yuan shook his head. “As for us, heading back might not be so simple.”

Martial Uncle Pang nodded. Looking back at the over 300,000 common folk behind them, he felt a bit helpless too.

Though they were Nascent Soul cultivators, traveling with so many people wasn’t easy.

These folks were, on one hand, connected to the Jiushan Sect.

On the other hand, they’d heard rumors about the rise of the Great Freedom Demonic Sect and fled out of fear, following the cultivators.

But leaving their homeland meant an uncertain future for them.

The moving crowd was noisy but silent at the same time, with a faint sense of unease hanging in the air.

“Zheng Fa says the Sun and Moon Bell can now be moved. We’ll keep going forward—he’ll come meet us.” Sect Master Yuan shared some good news. “Should be about four or five days until we regroup.”

“That makes things a lot easier.”

A smile appeared on Martial Uncle Pang’s face. His spirit stirred, and he looked toward the sky.

Martial Aunt Huang flew over from a distance, carrying a yellow leather pouch in her hand.

She handed the pouch to Martial Uncle Pang, who tossed it to the ground. It turned into a portal the height of two people. The portal glowed brightly, and inside was a warehouse filled with piles of grain stacked four or five people high, stretching as far as the eye could see.

“All disciples, come get grain and distribute it.”

Martial Uncle Pang announced loudly.

Those who had been migrating with them saw the mountain of grain, and the anxious atmosphere eased noticeably.

...

The crowd joyfully handed out rations, but Martial Uncle Pang noticed the heaviness on Martial Aunt Huang—Senior Sister Huang’s face.

“What’s wrong?”

He exchanged a glance with the Sect Master and asked via voice transmission.

“The price of grain has skyrocketed,” Martial Aunt Huang said. “I heard the Great Freedom Demonic Sect has already taken over quite a few cities. Now, all grain trade needs their approval.”

Martial Uncle Pang immediately understood. “The cost isn’t the issue—we’re not lacking in gold or silver... but if they control the grain trade, feeding all these people...”

He looked at the sea of people spread across the hills, an endless mass.

“On my way back, I ran into disciples of the Great Freedom Demonic Sect... they seemed to be heading this way.”

Martial Aunt Huang added.

Sect Master Yuan furrowed his brows and looked toward the northwest. In the distant sky, several black silhouettes appeared, like vultures searching for prey, their cold eyes fixed on the crowd.

“Nascent Soul cultivators from the Great Freedom Demonic Sect...”

Martial Uncle Pang said.

“No worries. We’re afraid of them, and they’re afraid of our Jiushan Sect too...” Watching those figures hesitate to approach, Sect Master Yuan quickly figured out why and said, “The Ancestor of the Blood River took a big hit—these guys are probably feeling uncertain.”

Martial Uncle Pang activated the Void-Seeking Spirit Eyes and peered into the distance, then nodded. “Senior Brother is right. Looks like they’re here to scout.”

The Sect Master thought for a moment and said, “No rush. Don’t move hastily—once Zheng Fa gets here, we’ll be safe.”

Martial Uncle Pang immediately understood his brother’s strategy of holding still, and agreed it was a smart move.

Panic would only reveal their weaknesses.

But more and more people from the Great Freedom Demonic Sect were surrounding them.

The Nascent Soul cultivators stayed back, but they didn’t hesitate to sacrifice their lower-tier disciples—one wave of Foundation Establishment disciples after another came to harass them.

The three from Jiushan Sect weren’t afraid of these small fry.

But the civilians they brought along were just mortals, and naturally couldn’t feel as secure.

“Shan’er?”

Zheng Shan stood on tiptoe, looking up at the sky.

Above, black clouds mixed with blood-red ones, and the wind carried a faint stench. They could almost hear countless wailing spirits whispering and howling by their ears.

The wind at night was especially eerie.

She couldn’t sleep.

Zheng Shan turned around to see her mother calling her.

Zheng’s mother looked worried. “People are saying... we’re surrounded by those Demonic Sect folks?”

Zheng Shan nodded. They hadn’t moved for a whole day—anyone could tell why. They were surrounded on all sides by Demonic Sect disciples, eyes glinting with malice.

“There are also rumors that we’re running out of food...”

Zheng’s mother added.

Nearby, Huang Yu stood with his father, Steward Huang. They heard the comment and both looked grim.

Steward Huang thought for a moment and said, “None of the Zhenren dare to leave. Probably can’t buy any more grain. We don’t seem to be lacking for now... but who knows how long it’ll last.”

“Come to me.”

Just as Zheng Shan was about to speak, Martial Aunt Huang’s voice rang in her ears. She froze, glanced at her mother, and from her mother’s expression, it was clear she’d heard it too.

The group made their way to the center of the camp.

Zhenren Huang no longer wore a smile when she saw them.

She instructed, “From now on, stay close to me. Don’t run off, got it?”

Zheng Shan nodded obediently, hesitated for a moment, then mustered the courage to ask, “Zhenren... we’re not leaving anymore, are we?”

Zhenren Huang glanced at her and said, “Even if they can’t leave, I can still take you with me.”

Zheng Shan didn’t quite understand what that meant.

But off to the side, Huang Yu and his father, Steward Huang, were both quietly shaken—those words had two layers of meaning.

One, the three Zhenrens were already preparing for the worst.

The other, it showed just how much importance Jiushan Sect placed on the Zheng family.

They weren’t sure whether to feel joy or sorrow…

…

The following day, the surrounding Demonic Sect cultivators grew bolder, edging closer, and more disciples came to harass them.

Zheng Shan often saw Sect Master Grandpa suddenly disappear, followed by streaks of golden lightning slashing across the sky, scattering the black clouds in fear.

But after each burst of lightning, the black clouds crept three steps closer.

By midday, Zheng Shan tilted her head to look at the sky, eyes wide, searching for the sun—but she couldn’t see it. Overhead was nothing but black and red clouds, casting a dim light over the world.

Zheng Shan instinctively tightened her grip on Martial Aunt Huang’s sleeve.

“Don’t be scared, just stay with me.”

Martial Aunt Huang patted her twice and said gently.

“I’ll take you out of here soon.”

“Zhenren…” Zheng Shan seemed to understand and looked at all the others, “What about them?”

Martial Aunt Huang’s silence gave the young Zheng Shan a sudden, unfamiliar sense of heaviness.

Perhaps sensing what she was thinking, Martial Aunt Huang patted her head and didn’t speak for a long while.

Eventually, she softly said, “If we stay, we’ll only end up getting these mortals killed…”

It sounded like she was trying to explain to Zheng Shan.

“The people of the Great Freedom Demonic Sect are getting bolder. If real fighting breaks out, we won’t be able to protect them.”

Zheng Shan nodded in confusion.

“What will happen to them?”

Martial Aunt Huang paused, seemingly tempted to lie. But looking into Zheng Shan’s clear black-and-white eyes, she couldn’t do it. She just answered honestly, “I don’t know…”

“…”

“This is Xuanyi… mortals’ lives have never been in their own hands.”

Zheng Shan stood there dazed, feeling that this sentence was even more terrifying than the night whispers she couldn’t shake.

She looked at the densely packed tents around her, the blank expressions of the people, and thought about their unknown fates.

At that moment, even the math problems that had troubled her for two years started to feel oddly comforting…

“You all, enter my Five Dragons Palace!”

That evening, Martial Uncle Pang called out to Zheng Shan and the disciples of Jiushan Sect.

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The crowd started to stir—they seemed to realize something.

Zheng Shan was held tightly by her mother. She turned to look into the distance.

The golden heavenly lightning grew more and more intense, but still couldn’t stop the black clouds from closing in.

The night sky turned so dark, it was suffocating.

Cries began to spread through the crowd.

At first, quiet sobbing.

Then panicked wailing.

Finally, desperate howls of anguish.

Amid that overwhelming wave of grief, Zheng Shan buried her face in her mother’s neck—and somehow, tears began to fall.

Suddenly.

A bell rang out from the distance.

“Zheng Fa is here!”

Martial Uncle Pang exclaimed with a mix of shock and joy.

Zheng Shan snapped her head up and saw a scene she would never forget for the rest of her life.

A golden bell appeared in the sky.

Its tolling drowned out the cries of hundreds of thousands of people.

Each chime brought a hundred bolts of lightning.

After a hundred peals, the black clouds that had once shrouded the sky scattered like fleeing ghosts, leaving only the golden bell above and the bright moon at the horizon.

The night became calm, soothing—like the tension of the past few days had all been a dream.

Then, she heard a familiar voice beside her ear.

“Don’t be afraid.”

The golden bell descended and transformed on the ground into a glowing archway. Inside stood the figure she had dreamed of day and night.

“Big Brother!”

Zheng Shan jumped down from her mother’s arms, not even bothering to wipe her tears, and ran straight to Zheng Fa.

Zheng Fa scooped her up and lifted her in his arms, weighed her a bit, and nodded, seemingly satisfied with how much she weighed.

Standing nearby, Senior Sister Zhang, Senior Sister Yuan, and the little Golden Crow—two women and a bird… or rather, one man and two birds—looked at the smile on Zheng Fa’s face, then at Zheng Shan. Their expressions all held a hint of thoughtfulness.