Chapter 526: Yuan Gong, Fate (4K)

After the Star of Fate was initially integrated into the Map of Mountains, Rivers, and the State, Zhang Jian chose to emerge from seclusion.

Zhang Jian realized that merely using his own insight to attempt to comprehend a complete immortal method aligned with his fundamental nature on one side of fate was extremely difficult.

Even though he possessed the Star of Fate, a heavenly and earthly treasure containing the source of the heavenly and earthly great Dao of fate.

The power of the great Dao of fate was too unique to be fathomed.

Zhang Jian knew that to break through the Great Calamity of Destruction and prove the Dao Lord, he first needed to transcend fate.

Therefore, Zhang Jian prepared to seek a method from the Dao lineage of Tongtian Mountain in the celestial realm, hoping to exchange for a fifth-rank immortal method on one side of fate, or even a Dao Lord-level immortal method!

And not long after Zhang Jian emerged from seclusion, he happened to encounter the Water Official Emperor entering the Three Yuan Spirit Official Hall accompanied by two immortals.

Gazing at these two immortals, Zhang Jian immediately knew they were his civil and military spirit judges under his command.

And one of them was still an acquaintance of his.

"Heavenly Cauldron Uncle Master, I never expected the sect to actually dispatch Uncle Master to enter the Three Yuan Spirit Official Hall to assist me! With Heavenly Cauldron Uncle Master's help, the prestige of my Numinous Source Emperor's Mansion will greatly increase!"

That was none other than the Heavenly Cauldron Immortal Lord.

The Heavenly Cauldron Immortal Lord is a disciple of the Water Official Emperor, Tianhe True Person.

The Heavenly Cauldron Immortal Lord appears middle-aged, he is quite tall in stature, with a pale face and faint whiskers, his eyes open and closed filled with dignity; upon hearing this, he clasped his hands and smiled.

"Emperor, now that we are all in the Heavenly Court, we should address each other by official titles; your subordinate, Heavenly Cauldron, pays respects to the Emperor!"

"This..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jian was startled for a moment, while the Water Official Emperor beside him waved his hand and laughed.

"Ah Yu, the Heavenly Court has its own laws; superiors and inferiors have distinct ranks, and private transmission is not allowed!"

Zhang Jian immediately clasped his hands in agreement.

Immediately, Zhang Jian then turned his gaze to another graceful and elegant female immortal, whose entire body flowed with a dense and magnificent Dao resonance.

This is another immortal of the Taiyi level.

Although not yet having attained the true number of Taiyi, the Taiyi Dao fruit is merely in its initial formation.

Only when the Dao fruit achieves minor completion is it considered the true number of Taiyi.

Zhang Jian gazed upon her, and he sensed that this female immortal was not from the Dao lineage of Tongtian Mountain.

What flowed around her was a magnificent water and marsh aura, vast and mighty, resembling the Heavenly River.

The Water Official Emperor laughed and introduced: "This is Yun Shui Xin, a great adept of the Tianyi Sword Sect from the Tian Shui Realm; she was originally the Rain Inspector Deity of the Rain Department, and now, through a level transfer, she has entered the Three Yuan Spirit Official Hall to serve as your deputy, the Calamity Rain Civil Judge!"

Rain Department Chief Deity!

Zhang Jian's eyes flickered.

Although the Rain Inspector Deity is also a left clerk, the actual power she holds is certainly greater than that of his subordinate Calamity Rain Civil Judge.

After all, the actual power he himself holds is quite limited, let alone that of his judges.

This so-called level transfer is actually a demotion in practice.

Has this female immortal offended the Rain Department Chief Deity, the Water Virtue Star Lord?

But it doesn't seem so; Zhang Jian knows that the Water Virtue Star Lord and the Dao lineage of Tongtian Mountain have a very good relationship.

Either she is using this level transfer to avoid some great pitfall, or she wishes to seek another path for Yun Shui Xin.

Zhang Jian's thoughts turned.

"Paying respects to the Numinous Source Emperor!"

Yun Shui Xin wore a robe of deep blue water-cloud immortal attire; her face was extraordinarily beautiful, her eyes seemed to contain endless spring water power, extraordinarily gentle and captivating.

This female immortal possessed a unique spirit-lively beauty.

Zhang Jian smiled slightly, and with a wave of his hand, he helped both of them rise.

This movement was unhurried and composed, naturally bearing the dignity and decorum of an emperor.

On the corridor, the Water Official Emperor walked ahead, Zhang Jian's steps lagged half a beat, and behind him followed the Heavenly Cauldron Immortal Lord and Yun Shui Xin.

Around the corridor, the courtyards were filled with numerous artificial hills and streams; the streams were surrounded by countless rare flowers and exotic grasses.

Among them were not lacking true immortal herbs and divine medicines.

However, every single flower and grass is under the jurisdiction of the female immortals of the Yaochi Holy Land; other immortals may not arbitrarily pick them.

At this moment, there were also rows upon rows of jade maidens and heavenly maidens walking gracefully from the side; in the distance, their laughter could be heard, but upon noticing Zhang Jian and his party, they hurriedly stopped to pay respects.

"Upper Immortal (Upper God)!"

The procession walked straight through, and for such a scene, they seemed to have grown accustomed to it.

At this moment, the Water Official Emperor laughed and said.

"Ah Yu, now that your immortal retinue is gradually taking shape, according to heavenly law, the Heavenly Court permits you to equip around five hundred elite heavenly soldiers for your command, and you may also have two temple guardian divine generals; you may at any time carry the Emperor's talisman edict to go to the heavenly soldiers' camp and the divine generals' palace to make selections!"

Zhang Jian slightly nodded.

Although five hundred heavenly soldiers are not of much use, they are still the prestige of the Numinous Source Emperor's Mansion.

He prepared to later have the Heavenly Cauldron Immortal Lord go to the heavenly soldiers' camp by the Tianhe River to make selections.

Zhang Jian again mentioned the matter of the immortal method on one side of the great Dao of fate.

The Water Official Emperor gazed at Zhang Jian, his eyes showing some surprise, then immediately said.

"Ah Yu, it seems you are preparing to make preparations for impacting the Dao Lord realm, but unfortunately, our Tongtian Mountain Dao lineage also lacks a supreme immortal method on one side of fate; however, there is a place that certainly has the secret method you need!"

After a slight pause, facing Zhang Jian's curious gaze, he spoke in a deep voice.

"The Hall of Heavenly Books!"

"The Hall of Heavenly Books?"

Zhang Jian's expression flickered with slight astonishment; the Water Official Emperor slightly nodded and said.

"The Hall of Heavenly Books is the treasury of scriptures in the Heavenly Court, inside filled with classics as vast as smoke and sea!"

"The Hall of Heavenly Books also offers outward sales services, but the prerequisite must be that one is a celestial immortal or deity, especially some high-level classics; for the celestial beings' sequence, as well as their fortune contribution and merit ranking, there are requirements; besides this, if celestial beings of high sequence purchase, they will also receive discounts!"

"Still need luck contribution?"

Zhang Jian furrowed his brow slightly; he had just arrived, and he feared his luck contribution would be insufficient!

"Since I have nothing to do today anyway, I'll take you to have a look first!"

Seeing Zhang Jian's expression, the Water Official Emperor had a hint of a smile in his eyes.

At that moment, he took the lead and headed toward the direction of the heavenly palace halls.

Zhang Jian followed closely behind.

The two moved swiftly, and after half an incense stick's time, they arrived upon a vast and magnificent star.

It was no longer resembling a fairy island, but a colossal star.

Around the star spread vast, ocean-like righteous qi, as well as another aura utterly distinct from immortal light and divine power.

"The power of knowledge, the radiance of truth!"

Zhang Jian sensed this change, and his eyes lit up.

Since his mortal days, he had spent his early years almost entirely in the imperial palace's deep library pavilion, all the way until his cultivation was perfected and he achieved the primordial spirit.

After attaining the primordial spirit, he had been constantly traveling about—founding the state, stabilizing the Great Xia Dynasty, and accomplishing the hegemony of a sage king.

Now returning to this ancient and elegant place, Zhang Jian felt a hint of emotion in his eyes.

"The Heavenly Scripture Hall!"

In the distance, Zhang Jian saw a magnificent main hall, and around it stood magnificent immortal pavilions.

At a glance, there seemed to be countless immortal lights, and the fragrance of books flowed forth from within.

These were various divine ability scriptures, or perhaps the ancient sages' handwritten manuscripts emitting divine light and radiance on their own.

The planet beneath their feet, this true star, seemed to be entirely composed of immortal scriptures.

Before the Heavenly Scripture Hall, another group of white-robed immortals bustled about, and upon sensing the arrival of the Water Official Emperor and Zhang Jian and his companions, a white-robed immortal hastily descended.

"Junior Immortal Su Wuwang pays respects to all exalted immortals and supreme gods; I do not know if the four exalted immortals and supreme gods require entering the Heavenly Scripture Hall to purchase scriptures!"

This was a youthful immortal, refined and gentle, his eyes warm and moist, filled with the spiritual light of wisdom.

The Water Official Emperor's expression remained calm.

"I am the Water Official Emperor of the Three Yuan Emperor's Mansion; summon your hall's master, the Ape Lord—this matter here is beyond your authority as a mere junior immortal!"

Upon hearing this, the white-robed immortal's face startled, he slightly nodded, and immediately re-entered the Heavenly Scripture Hall.

However, the Water Official Emperor accompanied Zhang Jian into the Heavenly Scripture Hall.

Gazing ahead, Zhang Jian slightly narrowed his eyes.

Countless glimmers of wisdom and radiance of truth dazzled him so much he could barely keep his eyes open.

Zhang Jian had also entered many immortal sects' and Daoist traditions' libraries before, including the library of the Agricultural Emperor.

The Agricultural Emperor's library was already considered vast and magnificent, but compared to the Heavenly Scripture Hall of the Central Heavenly Realm, it was like a minor witch seeing a great witch.

This was not because the Agricultural Emperor's library lacked books, but because the heavenly realm's collection was astonishingly numerous!

"What a treasure trove!"

Gazing upon this place, Zhang Jian's Dao heart deep within also felt a hidden tremor.

He saw many book immortals busy within.

These were spirits nurtured from the sea of books who had attained immortality.

Their number here was actually extremely large.

Not long after, a tall immortal with wide sleeves fluttering, disheveled long hair, and a gourd hanging at his waist strode out from outside the hall, smiling as he spoke.

"So it's the Old Brother Tianhe arrived; Old Brother, it's rare for you to come to my Heavenly Scripture Hall—could it be you wish to exchange for some Dao Lord-level immortal arts?!"

"But speaking of ugliness, this time we cannot continue offering the nine-tenths discount!"

His face was slightly flushed, and around him lingered a strong aroma of immortal brew.

The Water Official Emperor heard this and laughed.

"Younger brother, this time it's not me seeking you, but the Lingyuan Emperor of my Three Yuan Spirit Official Mansion who wishes to purchase a fate-side immortal art from your Heavenly Scripture Hall—please show it to us!"

Upon hearing this, the white-clad immortal instantly turned his gaze toward Zhang Jian.

Zhang Jian's heart stirred; this white-clad immortal's eyes were exceptionally bright and quite special.

Zhang Jian guessed the other might have cultivated some special child technique.

The Ape Lord glanced at him and immediately nodded.

"I've long heard that a Lingyuan Emperor ascended to the heavenly realm from the mortal world, and upon entering the heavenly realm, he directly entered the high-ranking sequence, taking the eighth position—now seeing him, he truly is extraordinary!"

"You overpraise me, senior!"

Zhang Jian slightly humbled himself, and the Ape Lord waved his hand.

"Just call me Ape Lord!"

His eyes seemed to have seen something on Zhang Jian, his expression instantly turning solemn, speaking in the manner of one handling official affairs.

"You want fate-side immortal arts? That might be difficult!"

Zhang Jian noticed the Ape Lord's change in attitude, inwardly puzzled, and asked.

"I need Dao Lord-level fate immortal arts; if conditions truly aren't met, fifth-level fate immortal arts will do!"

Beside him, the Water Official Emperor watched this scene, his expression slightly stirred, then sent a mental transmission.

"A Yu, did you kill a strong one of the ape tribe in the lower realm?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jian's eyes flickered with a strange hue; seeing Zhang Jian's strange look, the Water Official Emperor smiled awkwardly, then sent a mental transmission.

"This old fellow is an ancient immortal of the ape tribe who attained the Dao, his origins are extraordinary; his usual temperament is bold and unrestrained, but he especially dislikes immortals who have slaughtered the ape tribe—fear we won't get a discount!"

The Water Official Emperor's words carried regret.

Zhang Jian felt somewhat helpless; he hadn't expected that upon reaching the heavenly realm, he would still encounter such a strange immortal.

The celestial apes of the Heavenly Realm also brought the demon monkeys from their other realms!

At this moment, however, the ape elder spoke again.

"If you wish to exchange for a Dao Lord-level immortal technique, you must first be a high-ranking sequence holder of Sequence Seven or above; second, you must have external martial prowess exceeding five million as an immortal; and third, your fortune contribution must reach ten scales or more!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jian furrowed his brow.

He could understand the requirement of being a high-ranking sequence holder of Sequence Seven or above, but he did not know what the later requirements of external martial prowess and fortune contribution were based upon!

"The Merit Jade Register—I have copied another copy from the Merit Hall; it should be sufficient!"

The Water Official Emperor smiled slightly and immediately handed Zhang Jian a piece of cloth stamped with the Merit Hall's seal.

Zhang Jian's gaze fell upon the counter.

Yet he saw that upon the cloth was his complete information.

His origin, as well as all the major deeds he had accomplished, were all recorded therein.

Including his suppression of the ancient demon spring in the mundane world thirty thousand years ago, slaying the demon king's primordial spirit, and the Holy King's reign, governing the world with merit.

On the Merit Register, although his ranking had never entered the top thousand, he was still listed within the top three thousand.

"Thirty-three million merit points!"

Gazing at this yellow cloth stamped with the Merit Hall's seal, the ape elder also showed slight surprise.

However, thinking of Zhang Jian's identity as the Foreign Realm Human Emperor, it was not so surprising.

"And the fortune scales!"

Zhang Jian's eyes narrowed.

He was certainly lacking in fortune contribution.

After all, he had just arrived and had not yet had the chance to do anything—what contribution could there be?

The Water Official Emperor stood beside him, and upon hearing this, he laughed directly:

"As for the fortune scales, just use the public account—take the expenses from the Three Yuan Spirit Official Hall; later, when you have achieved merit, you can repay it!"

"That would also work..."

Zhang Jian looked toward the Water Official Emperor.

The Water Official Emperor smiled and said:

"Each department has its own fortune lotus pond, just like the fortune lotus ponds of the various peaks of the Tongshan Dao Lineage in the Zhou Mountain Realm; this too was learned from the Heavenly Realm. As one of the Three Great Emperors of the Three Yuan Spirit Official Hall, you inherently possess a portion of authority, and may draw a certain quota—just remember to repay it afterward; otherwise, over time, using the public account will bring restrictions, and your celestial retinue will also be restricted!"

Zhang Jian nodded upon hearing this.

This was not difficult.

He had always been 'honest and steadfast' and would not owe debts without repaying.

The ape elder glanced at the Water Official Emperor, seeming to hesitate for a moment. Zhang Jian, seeing this, fixed his gaze straight ahead; the smile on his face slightly faded. If the ape elder insisted on making things difficult for him on this matter, he would likewise not let it go easily in the future.

Bearing the Star of Fate, he at this moment faintly saw that this ape elder bore calamitous energy, and would soon meet misfortune!

"Very well!"

After a moment, the ape elder produced a register and handed it to Zhang Jian.

It contained sixth-rank immortal techniques.

Sixth-rank immortal techniques are also called Dao Lord-level immortal techniques, eternal immortal techniques.

Among them, the immortal techniques on the fate side are not many.

The Infinite River Chart, the Taihao Nine Palaces Golden Seal, the Taiqing Immortal Easy Classic, the Jade Emperor Miro Divine Banner Eight Methods, the Ziwei North Pole Central Heaven Great Law, the Huangting Heavenly Movement True Explanation, and the Reverse Future!

Seven fate-side immortal techniques, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.

Most are left by renowned great beings of heaven and earth.

Each is marvelous.

Zhang Jian also felt somewhat dazzled.

After thinking, Zhang Jian finally decided to choose the Infinite River Chart as his secret technique.

Because he favored one of the special abilities of this fate-side immortal technique.