Chapter 111: Red Lotus Dao (Combined Volume)

Phoenix Nest Mountain

Since the mountain god revived, the scenery in the mountains has changed greatly.

The former desolation and gloom have vanished; the mountains have regained a vibrant scene, with spiritual essence gathering in the distance and the two flanking peaks rising into the clouds, resembling a phoenix spreading its wings.

At this moment, at the foot of the mountain, a distant procession is approaching, the pack animals' hooves clattering, and the large carts are still loaded with plenty of timber beams.

In the mountains, Feng Ling gazes at this scene, a hint of joy in her beautiful eyes, and she cannot help but say.

"Brother Zhang, this is rather extravagant!"

Zhang Jian, standing nearby, smiles and says: "Just a small token of my regard; if it were not for the mountain god's aid, the situation within and without Fengyang Prefecture would surely be quite different!"

This time, he came to Phoenix Nest Mountain to select heavenly materials and earthly treasures, and naturally did not enter empty-handed, but brought many carpenters and able-bodied youths, preparing to rebuild the mountain god's temple for the mountain god.

This is an idea he has had for a long time.

It is also his way of returning a favor; besides, he has also had people prepare many worldly gifts, or various snacks, or famous pastries from various regions, seasonal new tea, and also luxurious cosmetics and the like.

Though not particularly precious, their novelty adds a touch of brilliance to Feng Ling Mountain God's otherwise lonely years.

No wonder Feng Ling Mountain God is so delighted.

"Brother Dao, a simple feast has been prepared in the mountain; please do enter!"

Zhang Jian nods.

At this time, Zhang Lu has been following behind him; this is his second time meeting this Feng Ling Mountain God, and he clearly knows this mountain god is of phoenix form, and he is greatly astonished.

After the small feast, the relationship between the two has grown considerably closer; Feng Ling then leads Zhang Jian into the core interior of Phoenix Nest Mountain.

This is a primitive mountain cave, inside and out filled with primitive celestial gold ore; just a glance, and Zhang Jian's eyes twitch slightly—he has already seen several kinds of celestial gold needed to forge the Qianyan Cauldron: Tai Bai celestial gold, Wind Thunder celestial gold, Seven Apertures celestial gold...

Inside this primitive mountain cave now fills a rich, fragrant breeze; though it looks primitive, it has been arranged with extreme neatness, full of a refined spiritual aura, and even slightly decorated with color coordination, making it look very comfortable.

There is a feminine delicacy and softness.

But in an instant, Zhang Jian is drawn to a massive piece of celestial gold ore several zhang high before his eyes.

Its exterior is golden, while within lies a radiant, pure yang crimson gold light.

"Qianyuan Gold Mother, and so large a piece—this thing is not said to be nurtured only from a thousand-year celestial gold vein, yielding only a fist-sized small chunk?"

Zhang Jian gazes at this huge piece of Qianyuan Gold Mother, even more dazzled and lost in spirit—this Feng Ling Mountain God is truly a little rich lady.

Not only this priceless Qiankun Yuan Gold Mother, he has seen dozens of kinds of celestial gold ore; those celestial gold raw ores are extremely pure, yet before his eyes they are piled up randomly into small mounds.

Besides, another primary material has also revealed its trace.

Deep in the mountain cave, there are several pieces of ore rich in spiritual qi, mixed yellow in color, their entire bodies emitting a strong Wu Earth spiritual qi—that is another primary material for refining, Earth Mother.

"Brother Zhang, do you think my collection in this treasury is enough for you to forge your natal artifact?"

At this moment, Feng Ling's eyes hold a hint of inquiry, her beautiful eyes carrying a touch of brightness.

"More than enough—truly an eye-opener!"

Zhang Jian speaks without stint in his praise for this mountain god, and again says: "Fellow Daoist Feng Ling, every item in your treasury is worth a city; though I have taken some, I currently cannot repay you with equivalent value!"

In fact, not only are these heavenly and earthly spiritual materials he needs to forge his natal artifact, he has also discovered many other extremely valuable heavenly and earthly spiritual materials in the treasury.

For instance, one piece, another piece, emitting seven-colored radiance—pure gold!

The spiritual qi it emits is like a phoenix's nirvana!

It must be a piece of extremely valuable pure gold!

There are many more good things; each spiritual material, if spread abroad, would surely let many cultivators bid high prices for it.

For cultivators, resources are forever lacking.

Zhang Jian does not know whether this mountain god herself is wealthy, or whether all gods are the same, each guarding a treasury?

Zhang Jian leans toward the former!

After all, the phoenix does not alight where there is no treasure.

Feng Ling Mountain God, hearing this, laughs and says: "Brother Zhang, just take what you need; let me tell you frankly, if any heavenly and earthly spiritual material is lacking, you may simply mention it—we mountain gods actually have special channels, mutual exchange and support!"

"Lacking spiritual materials can also be purchased through special channels!"

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Zhang Jian is somewhat surprised.

Feng Ling Mountain God, facing Zhang Jian's surprised expression, shakes her head and says: "Brother Zhang, your understanding of the Dao of Gods should be limited; while we mountain gods manage our own divine bureaus, we also face the predicament of lacking special supplies; long ago, mountain gods already began trading with many cultivators, and even set up mountain ghost markets and the like!"

"Besides, some mountain gods born in spiritually abundant mountains and rivers will also make agreements with major sects, specially designating areas, leasing them to cultivator families to nurture spiritual herbs, or as spiritual fields! To exchange for cultivation resources!"

A hint of shrewdness, common to many women, appears in Feng Ling's eyes.

Zhang Jian also feels greatly enlightened; no wonder Feng Ling Mountain God's treasury holds so many treasures of various kinds.

"As for our Double Phoenix Mountain Range's specialty, there are actually several celestial gold veins below; originally, there were also small plots of Geng Metal spiritual fields, which additionally produced special Metal-element spiritual fruits, spiritual medicines—alas, they were taken advantage of by bandits and destroyed in an instant!"

Speaking to the end, Feng Ling Mountain God still holds a grudge.

Zhang Jian feels somewhat speechless, but he does not hold back when bringing it up.

He indeed needs these celestial gold to smelt as material for his natal artifact.

As for taking the heavenly and earthly spiritual materials from Feng Ling Mountain God, he can later compensate in other ways.

He believes there is an opportunity.

For example, after the Zhang family gradually gains control of Fengyang Prefecture, he can help Feng Ling Mountain God establish more mountain god temples, increasing incense offerings.

These are things many gods desire but find hard to obtain.

Zhang Jian also understands in his heart that if the kindness of saving a life can only be exchanged for repeated taking without return, such kindness will soon be exhausted; only with mutual exchange can it last long.

Although now he is receiving help from Feng Ling Mountain God, in the future there will also be repayment.

He believes Feng Ling Mountain God also clearly understands this, which is why she so strongly supports him.

Zhang Jian wandered around in the mountain god's treasury, and after leaving, he did not directly take the spiritual materials away; instead, he made an appointment with Feng Ling Mountain God for a time, to come and take these materials only after he has fully comprehended the entire refining method.

The spiritual materials are placed deep in the mountain god's mansion, also safer that way.

In the Phoenix Nest Mountain, the phoenix spirit manifested a graceful figure; her gaze followed Zhang Jian's departing silhouette, and a smile flickered in her expression.

As Zhang Jian had thought, the phoenix spirit not only intended to repay him, but also held high hopes for his future path, which prompted such generosity.

This is the angel round.

Of course, there is another reason: every time she interacts with Zhang Jian, she feels a sense of ease, as if an invisible natural affinity surrounds him, causing countless thoughts in her heart to flow out effortlessly.

These few spiritual materials are nothing to her!

After this lengthy conversation, Phoenix Spirit also felt much more relaxed; a hint of smile appeared on her face, and her spirits were renewed.

The Twin Phoenix Mountains stretch vast and boundless; she intends to seize the opportunity to revisit the major mountain deity ghost markets to purchase some spiritual seeds for cultivation.

……

The turmoil within and beyond Phoenix Yang Prefecture continues.

It has not ended due to the Yu family's defeat.

The Qi and Zhang families have not completely divided the vacant positions among themselves just because they became available.

Hoarding benefits ultimately cannot last long.

The two great families actually have no intention of hoarding everything.

"It's just a pity that my Zhang family's foundation in the prefecture city is still somewhat insufficient; many benefits cannot be fully enjoyed, so I can only yield them!"

In the Zhang family residence, Zhang Yi felt deep regret.

"These positions are already quite good; they are merely temporarily held by the Qi family and the imperial court. Relying on my father's abilities and methods, we will reclaim them all within a few years and fully control the entire Phoenix Yang Prefecture inside and out!"

At this moment, Zhang Jian wore a smile; he had considerable confidence in Zhang Yi.

Zhang Yi shook his head and said: "A Yu, the core of my Zhang family still rests upon you. If the Qi family did not show favor for your sake, they would not yield so much, nor would they grant my father such favorable treatment!"

Zhang Yi sees things clearly.

"A Yu, we have received news that the imperial envoy sent to investigate is already en route. What are your thoughts?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jian laughed: "Father's greatest strength lies in handling such crises; in this matter, I will simply follow your instructions!"

Hearing this, Zhang Yi's face showed a hint of smile, and he gently nodded.

During this period, Zhang Jian's brilliance has already surpassed that of his father; this brings him relief and joy, though mixed with a touch of melancholy. Now, receiving Zhang Jian's praise, his heart instantly swelled with delight.

"By the way, during your journey you were attacked by that demon beast; the two personal maidservants your mother selected for you also perished unfortunately. Your mother is already selecting new ones for you, and they will certainly not be inferior to those two!"

Zhang Jian originally wanted to refuse, but after thinking it over, he let it be.

For many years, the maternal authority that Zhang Qi Shi should have had has been almost entirely stripped away by Zhang Yi; if he consistently refuses, it would inevitably hurt Zhang Qi Shi's feelings.

At this moment, Zhang Jian's mood is also quite good.

The Zhang family's mundane affairs are temporarily handled by Zhang Yi, allowing him to calm down and focus on cultivation.

After dealing with worldly affairs for a period, he discovered that he actually prefers to immerse his thoughts in cultivation.

Only after experiencing many things does one come to know where one's deepest perseverance lies.

And one can more clearly perceive how precious it is!

Zhang Jian feels that his innermost heart is becoming increasingly calm and focused.

Half a month passed in a flash; Zhang Jian did not again concern himself with the outside world's wind and rain. He calmed his mind and wholeheartedly refined his spiritual power; the gaseous sweet dew condensed in his dantian grew ever closer to the state of jade nectar.

Spiritual power pure, condensed.

Besides, Zhang Jian continuously contemplates the《Golden Cauldron Marvelous Method》, pondering the mysteries of the Primordial Golden Cauldron.

To forge the Primordial Golden Cauldron requires not only corresponding heavenly materials and earthly treasures, but also knowledge of rune studies; one must integrate special runes into the material during forging to unleash the material's various functions.

This is not a process that can be completed overnight.

Zhang Jian currently has no particular study of rune learning, so he can only set it aside temporarily.

Fortunately, he also knows that not every cultivator who undergoes fate-testing foundation establishment can smoothly forge their own natal magical artifact, so he is not in a hurry.

After communicating with the dragon maiden Bai Liying, he learned that most fate-testing foundation establishment cultivators basically just 'take' a magical artifact, erase its original imprint, stamp their own imprint, and use it as their natal artifact to nurture.

Obviously, the natal magical artifact forged this crude way differs essentially from those specially created by orthodox immortal sects.

Besides, Zhang Jian is gradually devoting some energy to the《Nine Heavens Wind-Riding Thunder-Control Method》, and also to the divine nurturing technique《King Cauldron Demon-Suppressing Secret Record》!

The latter can visualize the State King Cauldron Dharma Appearance, allowing continuous cultivation of a divine appearance through it.

Once that divine appearance takes form, it possesses myriad wonders, enabling the operation of corresponding soul techniques to suppress qi flow, which is truly marvelous.

The《King Cauldron Demon-Suppressing Secret Record》is a secret record that shares lineage with the《Paulownia Mountain Pure Treasure Record》, and even has excellent auxiliary effects on the cultivation of the latter.

Zhang Jian precisely recognized this, so he used that precious quota to exchange for this volume of marvelous method.

Otherwise, the great power techniques in the Ancestral Hall are indeed not lacking.

But in Zhang Jian's view, where could those great power techniques compare to the foundation of longevity?

……

"Eldest Young Master, the sunshine is rare and bright; otherwise, let's go out for a walk—you've been cooped up in the small courtyard for half a month!"

At this moment, inside the small retreat, Zhang Lu, bored and listless, gazed at the quiet Zhang Jian opposite him, muttering under his breath.

Zhang Jian has undergone arduous cultivation for half a month; as his personal attendant, Zhang Lu naturally must attend to him.

However, he has not had leisure time either.

Zhang Yi hired several manor workers as teachers to instruct him in martial arts; each day, part of his time is also spent being lectured by several scholars on sage teachings, making these tedious days unbearable for him.

"I can't sit still anymore!"

Zhang Jian chuckled lightly; at this moment, his mind was recalling a certain technique.

The《Nine Heavens Wind-Riding Thunder-Control Method》has already been pondered by him to reveal some mysteries; its effect on his spiritual roots within his body is now manifesting.

However, the structure of the Nine Heavens Wind-Riding Thunder-Control Method is far more complex than that of simple wind and thunder techniques.

Especially the calculation method: if one relies solely on simple soul simulation imprinted deep in the divine sense, it remains extremely difficult.

Zhang Jian finds it hard to imagine: if not for his strong soul and the simultaneous possession of two exceptional wind and thunder spiritual roots within his body, ordinary cultivators would still not know how long they would need to spend just to get started.

At this moment, having just grasped something profound, Zhang Jian was no longer particularly inclined to go out.

Zhang Lu chuckled at this, tempting: "I heard that quite a few horse caravans from elsewhere have arrived in Fengyang recently, bringing all sorts of good things—various local specialties, such as fermented sauce!"

Since tasting that fermented sauce at the Qi mansion's banquet, Zhang Lu has been constantly thinking about it.

Zhang Jian laughed and scolded: "You glutton!"

Zhang Jian suddenly asked: "By the way, has that Jade True Daoist from the Qi mansion shown up lately?"

Zhang Jian still worried about that Jade True Daoist said to be able to turn stone into gold; unfortunately, after Yu Tongguang's death, the Jade True Daoist who used to frequently bring back messages suddenly disappeared.

"No!"

Zhang Lu shook his head, then suddenly said: "However, the Red Lotus Dao has been quite active lately, as if preparing for some major event?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jian's eyes flickered. "Have you investigated it clearly?"

He has always been wary of the existence of the Red Lotus Dao.

He clearly understands the influence such folk sects have over the populace; if the Red Lotus Dao harbors ill intentions, it would be no small obstacle for the Zhang family, who aspire to control Fengyang Commandery.

It is even a time bomb.

During this period, Zhang Jian has continuously ordered people to secretly investigate the Red Lotus Dao, preparing to find an opportunity to completely eliminate this hidden danger.

Zhang Lu shook his head. "Not yet!"

Zhang Jian then said: "Try to contact Paper Man Zhang to confirm exactly what the Red Lotus Dao is preparing to do?"