Chapter 76: Phoenix Spirit

East City, in front of a magnificent manor, the huge wan-character plaque originally at the center was being taken down by several old soldiers and replaced with the Zhang family.

This is an estate in East City covering a vast area, belonging to a certain county-city official under Yu Tongguang.

After Yu Tongguang's downfall, this official was jointly purged by the four great clans and many local powerful families; he is now detained in prison, and all the women in his household have been seized, awaiting punishment.

After the property of this official surnamed Wan was confiscated, Zhang Jian acquired this manor at a low price.

This also counts as the Zhang family's first proper foothold in Fengyang Prefecture City.

"This magical artifact is truly marvelous!"

At this moment in the manor, Zhang Jian was toying with the Mist Elephant Flag; he played with it in his hand, his magical power permeating the flag, his keen divine sense scanning minute details, and deep within his divine sense he could minutely 'see' that the flag's internal material structure had been altered by magical power, revealing countless strange patterns, like the basic structural substance inside a sword blade, a knife edge, or even a farming sickle.

Inside also there are special 'meridian patterns' that ensure the artifact has a channel, or even many channels, connecting inside and outside, allowing it to spontaneously draw spiritual qi from heaven and earth, or to absorb a cultivator's magical power.

At its core lies a stable spell structure.

This is a single structural unit.

"If explained using an academic system, it is somewhat similar to one of the spell positions within a cultivator's Niwan Palace; likewise, spell runes are inscribed in the divine sense, but for an artifact they are carved into the artifact's material—this is a kind of simulation!"

Zhang Jian thought to himself.

But the specific changes inside, he couldn't see clearly; his knowledge reserves were insufficient, and in the field of cultivator materials science he was still a layman.

But one can imagine that those artifacts with greater power are likely not a single structure but a complex result, just like the structures of those chemical materials.

Zhang Jian sighed inwardly.

On the path of cultivation, he is still merely a beginner.

"Indeed, slaughter is merely a side effect that comes after the realm of knowledge rises!"

Zhang Jian thought to himself.

A stream of his magical power pierced the Mist Elephant Flag, and instantly a white mist rose up, shifting in his hand between cloud, bird, and wild beast beauty… he was having a great time playing with it.

Soon Zhang Jian discovered that after a bout of output, his own magical power had been considerably depleted…

He casually put the Mist Elephant Flag away; this artifact, if used well, still has considerable utility, especially in marching and warfare—as long as he does not encounter a cultivator skilled in wind-type magic, it remains usable.

For now it can temporarily fill his vacant artifact slot.

In the long run, however, it will not do.

Through some extravagance, Zhang Jian can affirm that each cultivator at the Testing Fate Foundation Establishment stage can control and nurture only a limited number of artifacts; it is not that more is better, but rather the configuration must be scientific and reasonable!

Afterward Zhang Jian took out that crimson red pearl for inspection, but after looking it over he still couldn't study it in detail; he could only vaguely guess that it might be related to the phoenix.

After all, when he first touched this pearl, he indeed heard the Nine Heavens Phoenix Cry.

Of course, now, when he activates his magical power, he can also hear it.

"It can serve as a radio; listening to the phoenix cry when bored is not bad, and it can also cleanse distracting thoughts……"

On the recliner, Zhang Jian rose and lightly stretched his limbs, then proceeded to arrange the ancestral worship.

He deliberately waited until the Prefect's Residence fell before conducting the ancestral worship, hoping to see if he could extract more benefits from that 'forefather' in the ancestral shrine.

At that very moment, Zhang Lu also hurried in from outside with Hu Shan and other old soldiers, while far off outside there were still dozens of carts of large redwood boxes.

"My lord, I've found something good!"

Inside the manor, Zhang Jian was having the servants move gold and silver ingots; upon seeing this, Zhang Lu eagerly stepped forward to present his treasure.

"Oh?" Zhang Jian looked at Zhang Lu with surprise in his eyes.

He had personally searched inside and out of the Prefect's Residence; any truly valuable items he would naturally not let go, but aside from some antiquities and calligraphy paintings there was hardly anything left.

Especially the Qingyu Daoist he had been focusing on—this Daoist seemed to have anticipated everything, transferring all his worth and leaving him not a single benefit.

What valuable treasure could Zhang Lu still discover?

"My lord, it's books; I've hauled back the entire library of the Prefect's Residence!"

Zhang Lu at this moment wore a proud expression; he waved his hand, and Hu Shan, Xiao Xie and the others carried up one large redwood box after another, the boxes filled with countless classics.

Zhang Jian briefly flipped through a couple, then immediately realized the value of these classics and patted Zhang Lu on the shoulder.

Zhang Lu, however, was meticulous.

This item might not be particularly rare among other prominent clans, but the Zhang family lacks it.

"Well done!"

"In that case, our Zhang family can also be considered a scholarly household, passing down learning through farming and study!"

Zhang Lu gave a simple-minded smile upon hearing this, but his eyes glanced toward Hu Shan beside him, unable to conceal his pride; Hu Shan immediately gave him an annoyed look, for in his view the antiquities, calligraphy paintings, and famous scholars' scrolls from the Prefect's Residence were the true treasures, yet these Korean goods stubbornly rushed straight into the study, leaving him with no recourse.

……

Prefect's Residence—at this moment the entire residence had grown quiet, though many garrison troops remained stationed around the perimeter, preventing ordinary people from easily approaching.

On a large willow tree at the edge of the long street, several birds were now perched on its branches.

Also, a strange-looking white bird perched on a treetop, its whole body pure white like a hen, round and plump, yet the other birds acted as if they could not see it, utterly ignoring its presence.

Its gaze, however, fell upon a black-clad woman standing beneath the tree.

This black-clad woman bore a dignified and graceful appearance, her unique demeanor causing even the few birds on the treetop to show reverence and respect, ceasing their play.

"The phoenix soul is gone!"

At this moment the black-clad figure's phoenix eyes swept over the Prefect's Residence up and down, in her eyes lay a hint of intense profundity.

Like a dark ancient well, carrying a depth that devours all things.

She had been pacing around the Prefect's Residence for a long time, solely to retrieve the other half of her own remnant soul that originally belonged to her.

However, previously the Prefect's Residence was filled with tiger and dragon aura; even someone as formidable as she dared not recklessly rush inside.

Who would have thought that after only a short while away, the Prefect's Residence before her eyes had already collapsed?

And the treasure she guarded had also lost its trace.

……

Meanwhile, in a vast immortal realm, before the Two Worlds Pond, the Qingxia Goddess felt something; she slowly walked to the pond's edge, knowing that down below someone was again offering sacrifices to her, with superior incense rising.

Just this time, as she looked, her eyes flickered slightly, and what she saw was a vast sheet of golden light flying out from within, in an instant resembling a golden river.

Furthermore, a dragon-and-phoenix auspicious sign soared!

"High-grade incense offerings, a hundred thousand…"