Chapter 206

"Ancestor, what should we do now?"

Beside him, a martial general with surging qi and blood furrowed his brow.

He was tall and burly, bearing a strangely shaped great sword on his back, his fierce qi and blood surging to the heavens, vast and magnificent, as if communicating the laws of heaven and earth.

This was a rare earthly immortal demon.

An existence surpassing even the heavenly humans of the martial path.

Such martial path powerhouses were extremely rare; each one was a legend who emerged from the body-tempering martial path.

Yet these legends, under Chaomu's command, were all respectful and obedient.

"I never expected changes in the dragon vein to be discovered by those cultivators so quickly!"

Chaomu's gaze was cold and solemn; standing before the jade screen, he let out a soft sigh.

He could imagine that the Praying Heaven Grand Formation within Dongling would not remain hidden for long; sooner or later, those transcendent masters would deduce it.

The forbidden arts capable of forcibly repairing the dragon vein and suppressing the nation's fate were few in number.

These people would surely not allow the Praying Heaven ritual to proceed smoothly until thirty-six years later.

After a moment's contemplation, Chaomu immediately issued an order.

"Mobilize the Black-Clad Guards' forces across the land to search for dragon veins and seek out hidden dragons; once found, report immediately—no private action permitted!"

"Zhao Hu, during this period you must monitor the movements of all major powers in the capital; the defenses around the dragon vein must not falter!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Hu's expression shifted slightly; Chaomu's action undoubtedly acknowledged that the dragon vein had undergone change, which filled him with dread.

……

On the Observatory Terrace

At this moment, Zhang Jian stood before the altar, but he was no longer tormenting the demons in the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda; his gaze swept over the magnificent imperial city below.

The powerful transformation of his soul essence into a yin spirit not only caused his yin spirit's magical power to surge, but also brought about various changes within his body.

Not only did his reactions become more agile, his flesh received feedback, as if giving rise to all manner of marvels.

Zhang Jian realized that even without having cultivated any profound child techniques, his naked eyes had become spirit eyes.

This was because he possessed no special divine or demonic bloodline, nor any divine beast bloodline; if he did possess divine beast bloodline, he would certainly be able to awaken some special bloodline divine abilities.

"Perhaps I could independently establish a special child technique..."

This thought flashed through Zhang Jian's mind.

Zhang Jian had had this thought for a long time.

In his contemplation, he slowly withdrew his gaze!

In the distance, the imperial mausoleum remained a scene of surging dragon and tiger qi, unchanged from before!

During this period, he had been observing the feng shui layout around Dongling and deducing the mysteries within the dragon vein, yet had gained nothing in the short term!

Just then, Zhang Jian's gaze shifted slightly, only to see the square before him suddenly become lively.

At this moment, Zhang Jian's line of sight fell upon the Infant Daoist arguing with a group of girls; after listening carefully for a while, he withdrew his gaze.

This was because, due to the disappearance of the Pure Bright Daoist, the Infant Daoist and these few fellow disciples had fallen into dispute.

It was merely that one side believed the Pure Bright Daoist might have encountered misfortune, while the Infant Daoist refused to accept it.

Not long after, they saw the Infant Daoist carrying a bronze tray walking up from below the Observatory Terrace; at this moment, her eyes still bore a faint flush.

Zhang Jian glanced at the food and wine on the bronze tray, looked once, and immediately nodded.

He gestured for the Infant Daoist to put it down and leave on her own.

But this time, the Infant Daoist hesitated somewhat.

Zhang Jian then casually sat down before the sandalwood table; seeing her appearance, he smiled and said.

"Is there something you wish to ask?"

The Infant Daoist spoke softly: "Master Zhang, they all say your knowledge is vast and you know everything; do you think our master can still return?"

Zhang Jian gazed at this soft and weak girl, his eyes flickering; he paid no mind, only concerned with eating and drinking.

Seeing this, the Infant Daoist's face showed a hint of resentment; she slightly bowed her hands.

But Zhang Jian then spoke calmly.

"Left side of the library, first volume; the answer is there!"

Upon hearing this, the Infant Daoist's eyes widened slightly, then she bowed slightly and said.

"Thank you, sir!"

She set down the bronze tray in her hands and hurried off toward the library.

The library was vast, its interior filled with books to the point of overflowing.

She instantly found the direction to the left; on the left, she saw a small sandalwood table, where Zhang Jian usually read.

There was also a unique privy, convenient for Zhang Jian to play the zither and paint, along with brush, ink, paper, and inkstone; in the corner, the Infant Daoist saw a painting hanging on the wall.

It was a most peculiar ink painting!

Countless ink lines intertwined, forming towering mountains ten thousand ren high, yet a slender figure slowly advanced along the perilous paths of the mountains, passing through layer after layer of barriers.

That figure was a youth wearing a raincoat!

Gazing upon this scene, the Infant Daoist was momentarily bewildered.

"Is this depicting my master? Or perhaps... me?"

The Infant Daoist's eyes held a hint of contemplation; yet upon that figure, she felt a kind of unyielding resilience that even ten thousand ren high mountains could not stop.

This resilient light of will allowed her, whose heart and mind had been tightly wound, to gradually relax, able to infect the spirit; she seemed to naturally rediscover her motivation.

At this moment, following her gaze downward, she saw a line of small characters emerge.

"Seal away eloquence, reject cleverness; store the scroll, nurture spirit, become foolish and dull. Firm in heart, one purpose for the future; the Great Way will never fail those who walk it!"

Gazing at this line of small characters, the Infant Daoist's eyes flickered.

"Master, are you telling me that my master will be fine, and I only need to focus on my cultivation?"

This thought made Daoist He Ying unable to suppress a look of joy.

But after pondering it carefully several times, Daoist He Ying fell silent again.

Indeed, her current cultivation is too weak; even if her master encountered some problem, she could do nothing about it, so she truly ought to calm her mind and cultivate diligently, not wasting Master Jing Ming's expectations of her in vain.

……

And after Daoist He Ying departed, a yellow-robed Daoist emerged from the side of the Observation Heaven Terrace, appearing as if he had materialized out of thin air.

His curious voice came through.

"Master seems intent on guiding this little girl?!"

"After all, he has been delivering my meals for several months; though he appears frail, his nature is stubborn, he can endure hardship, and he possesses this wisdom—why not fulfill his potential?"

Zhang Jian smiled faintly.

In truth, he was merely acting on opportunity; if he could restore a pearl's luster, it would also be a pleasant matter.

At the same time, Zhang Jian turned his gaze toward this yellow-robed Daoist and said.

"Senior has been observing me from the shadows for several months, and today you finally revealed yourself! May I dare ask how you are to be addressed?"

The yellow-robed Daoist laughed heartily upon hearing this. "It's simple—I am named Huang He!"

"So you are the True Person Huang He!"

Zhang Jian nodded. During this period, he had also inquired about matters concerning divine beasts within the Dongshen Observatory; the observatory keeps many spirit beasts, among which are not lacking powerful aberrant beasts bearing divine beast bloodlines.

But the strongest should be the mount of the Dongshen Sect's founder—a yellow crane that has attained the Dao for two thousand years.

Though it is an aberrant beast's body, it has long since attained a Yin Spirit form.

Upon hearing Zhang Jian's words, Daoist Huang He felt astonished in his heart and said, "I never imagined that Mr. Zhang, residing on this Observation Heaven Terrace, would be so fully aware of external affairs, as clear as observing fire—such divine ability truly astonishes!"

"Your great name, True Person, is known to all within and without the Dongshen Observatory."

Daoist Huang He laughed heartily upon hearing this.

"Mr. Zhang is truly a remarkable person."

"However, I observe that your Daoist methods bear traces of a reclusive Daoist lineage; I do not know from which Daoist lineage you come?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jian pondered slightly, but also did not conceal anything, and smiled.

"I have the fortune to have entered the Tongshan Daoist lineage, and currently cultivate under the Slaying Demon Master!"

"Disciple of the Slaying Demon True Lord?"

Upon hearing this, Daoist Huang He nearly choked.

Seeing his expression so exaggerated, Zhang Jian blinked his eyes; Daoist Huang He, seeing this, immediately gave an embarrassed laugh.

"No wonder Mr. Zhang, at such a young age, has cultivated his righteous aura to such a degree!"

Upon mentioning the Slaying Demon True Lord, Daoist Huang He expressed extraordinary admiration, his attitude clearly changing!