Chapter 56: No Injury with Smoke, Daoist Inner Scene

The night was endless, the heavy rain was pouring.

The experience of that year when he was twelve was like a nightmare, especially in recent days, making Zhang Fan suffer.

But in his most recent dream, he had seen a different scene.

In the dark night, he vaguely saw where he was. It was a high mountain, rolling and undulating, as if hidden in mist. On the dilapidated, ancient stone stele at the foot of the mountain, there were only two dragon-snake seal characters:

Long Hu!!!

"How does he know?"

Zhang Fan stared blankly at the six characters in the 【Millennium Old Demon】 dialogue box, not even caring about the teacup he had crushed in his uncontrolled state.

"What's wrong? What's wrong? Did you run into a moron online?"

Jiang Hu, who was beside him, leaned over at the sound.

Zhang Fan used both hands to switch pages and threw the broken teacup directly into the trash can.

"Nothing..." Zhang Fan was absent-minded and shook his head.

"Don't let your consciousness-spirit be restless. If you meet a moron online, you should be happy." Jiang Hu hurriedly comforted him.

"Happy? Why?" Zhang Fan was stunned.

"This shows that the times are progressing, the country is developing, and people's living standards are rapidly improving. It's not that the people online have become morons, but that the internet has spread to the morons..."

"This prosperous age is as you wish."

"..."

Zhang Fan narrowed his eyes slightly and stared at Jiang Hu: "You really know how to comfort people."

"There's an even better way..."

Jiang Hu looked left and right, took a flyer out of his bosom, and stuffed it into Zhang Fan's hand.

"A new foot massage shop opened in the plaza. Shall we go relax after work?"

"【Contentment Brings Happiness】!?"

Zhang Fan looked at the name of the foot massage shop and saw two promotional slogans written on the flyer:

Washing to welcome guests from all over the world, health care for heroes.

"See? Contentment brings happiness..." Jiang Hu stomped his feet, looking somewhat excited.

"Let's talk about it after payday."

Zhang Fan stuffed the flyer back. Now he had no heart to get his feet massaged.

Originally, after returning from Zhenwu Mountain, Zhang Fan's goal was very simple: cultivate hard, reach the 【Gao Gong】 rank early, and make up for the lifespan lost by awakening his supernatural powers. If he could be promoted to the 【Celestial Master】 rank in his lifetime and return the Zhenwu Jade Tablet to Zhenwu Mountain, that would be even better...

Carrying this thing on him, he always felt like he was carrying a time bomb, and he didn't know when trouble would come knocking.

Besides that, if he could achieve great success in Daoist arts and live an ordinary life of eating, drinking, and playing, that would be even better.

But...

Since returning, Zhang Fan discovered that his life had undergone earth-shaking changes compared to before...

He seemed unable to return to the quiet and ordinary days of the past.

Thinking of this, Zhang Fan dismissed Jiang Hu, turned around, and opened the dialogue box with 【Millennium Old Demon】...

"What do you mean?"

"Speak..."

"Who exactly are you?"

Zhang Fan sent three messages in a row. Just at this moment, Millennium Old Demon's pitch-black avatar turned gray...

"Logged off!? Damn..." Zhang Fan cursed in a low voice and took a deep breath, trying his best to calm his restless consciousness-spirit.

"Forget it..."

The two words that the obsessions of the human world fear most are: forget it!

"I'd better just cultivate hard."

Zhang Fan understood clearly that the top priority now was to cultivate hard and improve his strength.

Whether it was to make up for the lost lifespan, get rid of the trouble of the Zhenwu Jade Tablet, or live an ordinary life of eating, drinking, and playing... all of this required powerful cultivation.

If he possessed enough strength, even if he encountered an expert like Wang Tao, Zhang Fan wouldn't be so stretched, needing Jiang Lai to protect him with her life.

You must know, he didn't even know how well Jiang Lai had recovered now.

"Jiang Lai..."

Thinking of this, Zhang Fan subconsciously clenched his fists. Since Zhenwu Mountain, Jiang Lai had saved him I don't know how many times. He had never been so thirsty to become strong as he was now.

"I am now considered an 【Art Apprentice】..."

Among the nine ranks of Daoist priests, crossing the 【Qi Worker】 rank is the 【Art Apprentice】.

Now that Zhang Fan had practiced the 【Marshal Tian Peng Teeth】 in the 【Northern Emperor's Art】, he could be considered to have officially stepped into the ranks of 【Art Apprentice】.

"Still not enough!!" Zhang Fan felt a trace of pressure.

Above the Art Apprentice are the Mysterious Master, above the Mysterious Master are the Spirit Commissioner, and above the Spirit Commissioner is the Gao Gong...

Zhang Fan still had a long way to go.

The only fortunate thing was that 【Night-Is-Not-Bright】 gave him a relatively safe and stable space and time to grow.

"If only there were some way to achieve success quickly."

Zhang Fan was thoughtful. After finally waiting until work was over, he packed his things and left.

"Time is running out for him!!"

In the office, Bai Buran held his thermos cup, looking at Zhang Fan's retreating back through the window, muttering softly.

If Long Hu Mountain was reopened, the Zhenwu Jade Tablet would definitely be welcomed back. Zhang Fan would have to go no matter what. Without the cultivation of Gao Gong, in that kind of scene, he really wouldn't be able to handle himself.

... Night gradually shrouded Yujing City.

Zhang Fan walked on the road, thinking about the boss's instructions: cultivate to Gao Gong before the ninth day of the ninth lunar month next year...

Was this possible!? "Did he really take me as a cow or a horse?" Zhang Fan muttered in his heart.

"Zhang Fan!"

Just at this moment, a call came from a small alley nearby.

Zhang Fan stopped his steps, turned around to look, and saw a familiar figure.

"You are... the client from the daytime?" Zhang Fan looked at the young Daoist priest before him and recognized him instantly.

"My name is Cao Wushang, from the Bai He Temple."

Cao Wushang introduced himself and slowly walked out from the depths of the alley: "I've been waiting here for you because I want to ask you something."

"What is it?"

Zhang Fan was secretly vigilant. Now he had to take the name Bai He Temple seriously.

"Someone saw that before the He family incident, you were very close to Wang Tao." Cao Wushang said indifferently.

For this He family incident, he was fully responsible, and he had mastered all the intelligence at the first opportunity.

"I didn't know his identity." Zhang Fan explained.

Who could have thought that the delicate senior sister Wang Tiantian would turn into Hai Pig Wang Tao of the Thirteen Zodiacs!? For this, Zhang Fan had felt nauseous for a long time.

"Mm, the ignorant are not guilty..." Cao Wushang nodded: "However..."

He changed the subject and suddenly said: "I specifically mentioned it in front of Bai Buran today, but he brushed it off lightly..."

"If there really was no trickery, he could have explained it clearly..."

"Two possibilities..."

Cao Wushang held up two fingers: "Either you have a relationship with the Wu Wei Gate, and the so-called misunderstanding is not a misunderstanding..."

"Or, your own identity is problematic, which is why Bai Buran is being evasive..."

At these words, a playful smile appeared on Cao Wushang's face: "I personally tend toward the second possibility..."

"But whether you have a relationship with the Wu Wei Gate, I'll know after investigating..."

As he spoke, Cao Wushang walked toward Zhang Fan: "Come with me."

"Come with you? Do you have law enforcement power to make me come with you?"

Zhang Fan's brows twitched, and he said coldly.

"So you want to suffer some hardship?" Cao Wushang stood still, his robes moving without wind.

Hum...

Almost at the same moment, Zhang Fan actually turned into an afterimage and disappeared from his sight.

"Marshal Tian Peng Marshal Tian Peng, Nine Origin Evil Child!"

The incantation vibrated, his hands formed seals, and the intense Yin Qi suddenly turned into evil. Two fangs turned from virtual to real, manifesting from Zhang Fan's shoulder, violently stabbing out, directly crashing into Cao Wushang.

"Northern Emperor's Art, Marshal Tian Peng Teeth!"

Cao Wushang's pupils suddenly contracted. Under the impact of the 【Marshal Tian Peng Teeth】, his entire person flew out like a cannonball, crashing into the depths of the quiet alley, shattering a wall, and kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Come, want to go another round?" Zhang Fan said coldly, flying forward.

"Great Sect Law, No Injury with Smoke!!"

Just at this moment, a slow voice came from the lingering dust. Immediately after, Cao Wushang walked out slowly, surrounded by smoke and dust, but there wasn't even half a scar on his body, and his clothes weren't even damaged.

"So the Northern Emperor's successor who has been making such a stir in Yujing City is you..."

Cao Wushang's look at Zhang Fan changed suddenly. In his original lightness, there was now a terrifying brilliance.

"Bai Buran's small temple really is full of monsters..."

The slightly excited words echoed in Zhang Fan's ears. His gaze jumped, and he saw smoke and dust surging. Cao Wushang was like a withered leaf, drifting and floating, landing in front of him.

"Today I will teach you on behalf of Bai Buran what true Daoist arts are!"

"Great Sect Law, Appearance Matches but Spirit Departs!"

As he spoke, Cao Wushang pointed a finger, landing on Zhang Fan's forehead, on the square inch where the soul-aspect resides.

Appearance matches but spirit departs, the appearance remains, but the soul-aspect shifts...

This is the method of the dove occupying the magpie's nest, capable of entering another person's body with one's own soul-aspect to spy on the other's secrets.

Hum...

In an instant, Zhang Fan's body violently shook, his forehead burning like fire.

The next moment, Cao Wushang's soul-aspect entered his body.

Hum...

Heavy rain poured, thunder vibrated, and the scene around made Cao Wushang's soul-aspect freeze.

"This is the Inner Scene!!!?" Cao Wushang was stunned.

Daoist cultivation, soul-aspect activation, can see the ten thousand eight thousand outer scene images, that is, the changes in the light of heaven, earth, sun, moon, stars, and clouds.

Besides that, one can also observe the inner scene within the body, which is the image of flesh, blood, tendons, bones, viscera, and soul-aspect.

Rumble...

Swift thunder and lightning, wild wind roaring, only the heavy rain was wild, but everything around was pitch black, unable to see half a glimmer of light, a sense of extinction surging from all directions.

"This... this is... The Great Night does not brighten... This... how is this possible?"

Just at this moment, Cao Wushang's soul-aspect suddenly became alert. On his face finally appeared deep shock and fear.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 57 =====