The voice resonating with a soft beauty unexpectedly belonged to a pitch-black, large carp, which swam through the deep watery region like a spirit within, completely ignoring the fierce undercurrents.
The White Flood Dragon opened its dragon eyes, filled with anger.
"Go, hurry to the Mortal World and bring back my Dragon Pearl. If you can retrieve the Dragon Pearl, I’ll grant you Flood Dragon Essence Blood to help you transform into a Flood Dragon!"
The black carp swayed its tail, and a calm voice softly replied:
"Father, how can I discover the whereabouts of the Dragon Pearl?"
Hearing this, the White Flood Dragon lifted its head high, and a frost-colored Dragon Scale fell from above, landing on the black carp.
"I bestow upon you a Life Scale. As long as you get within a certain range of the Dragon Pearl, you will definitely sense its whereabouts. Should anything go amiss, this Life Scale can save your life once!"
The Dragon Scale instantly landed on the black carp, and an intense Spiritual Mechanism erupted from the carp’s body, vanishing into the undercurrent in an instant.
...
Underneath Phoenix Tail Mountain, Zhang Jian led a dozen strong men escorting carts towards the Commandery City, while on the other side of the official road, Zhang Kui was garrisoning at the mountain stronghold, waiting for the second batch of reinforcements from the Zhang Family to arrive, planning to transport the wealth from the mountain.
The journey from Phoenix Tail Mountain to Fengyang Commandery City took several days.
A group of hangers-on slowed Zhang Jian’s progress, though he didn’t seem in a hurry.
At that moment, all his focus was on the Wind Walking Technique, using the surplus of Wind Travel Talismans in his hands to continually sense traces of wind in the air. Gradually, it seemed as if his feet connected with the wind’s essence in the void, his form transforming into a wisp of wind. Though sometimes it was unsteady, he began to feel a rhythm.
Zhang Jian had long understood that the essence of wind was the result of air movement caused by sunlight heating, variations in local air pressure. In other words, by striving to sense the rhythm of air pressure changes, repeatedly simulating it, and identifying certain patterns, he could certainly accelerate his comprehension of the Wind Walking Technique.
For Zhang Jian, cultivating Immortal Techniques was also an academic discipline, even more profound and abstruse than the Imperial Examinations or the martial artist’s path of Inner Cultivation.
But as long as one was adept at thinking, they could transform those ethereal theories into concrete data, thus quickly enhancing their speed in Magic Cultivation.
Zhang Jian called this professionalism.
And those warlocks he encountered before, in Zhang Jian’s view, were not very professional.
It could also be said to be a Heart of Sincerity, a Supreme Dao Heart, just different terms for the same concept.
At this moment, as Zhang Jian’s gaze fluctuated, understanding the principle of thermal expansion and contraction, along with the Wind Walking Technique’s ability to moderately reduce the gravitational effect on him, after several attempts, he began to float steadily four or five meters off the ground.
In an instant, several Wind Travel Talismans adhered to his legs and feet, his form darting forward like an arrow leaving the bowstring, his speed significantly surpassing what it was before.
Yet, he couldn’t precisely reach an accurate position.
"Success!"
In the thickets, Zhang Jian brushed off the leaves on his body, his eyes glowing with a bright smile.
Properly utilizing Spiritual Power could sometimes enhance efficiency manyfold, and the damage potential was completely different.
At that moment, a group of strong men watching were in awe as if witnessing a Celestial Being.
There had long been rumors in the Zhang Family that the Young Master of the Zhang Family was an "Exiled Immortal descended to the mortal world," and the scene before them was indubitably convincing.
A dozen or so men were now excited beyond measure, and working for such a Zhang Family, they counted themselves as subordinates of an ’Exiled Immortal,’ and took pride in it.
Zhang Jian paid no attention to the boisterous soldiers, continuing to adjust his understanding of the ’Wind Walking Technique’.
Once both the Wind Walking Technique and Thunder Walking Technique reached certain expertise, he could attempt the Wind and Thunder Unification, which would greatly enhance the potential damage they could inflict.
At this time, a hesitant voice called Zhang Jian back from his highly focused state.
"Young Master, it’s getting late, and the brothers are getting tired. Could we find a place to rest and have a meal?"
This came from an old soldier named Hu Shan. Zhang Jian remembered the old soldier’s name because among the 500 soldiers the Zhang Family dispatched, this old soldier was one of the eldest; it was said he had served in the Court’s Border Army in his younger years, a soldier of many battles, only returning to his ancestral land due to his age.
Upon his return, he had no family left, and incidentally, the Zhang Family was recruiting a Guard Team, so he joined, sustaining himself.
Zhang Jian nodded, and the group prepared to make do for the night in a decrepit Earth Temple near a mountain defile.
It was a collapsed Mountain God Temple.
Desolate, the Mountain God’s Golden Body was blurred, eroded by the wind and rain.
The Mountain God’s head lay fallen to the ground.
However, from the strong men, Zhang Jian learned the name of the place, known as Phoenix Nest Mountain.
Old Hu Shan was quite talkative, all the while gathering firewood and lighting dry grass to ward off mosquitoes, snakes, and insects in the temple, he chuckled. "Young Master, I’ve heard from the older generations that there was indeed a Phoenix that appeared in Phoenix Nest Mountain long ago. There were often sounds of melodious bird songs heard on Phoenix Nest Mountain, enchanting to listen to. During those years, many scholars from nearby villages would come to observe or meditate!"
"The Phoenix Nest Mountain God Temple was nothing like this, it was so prosperous with incense that several people together couldn’t embrace the beams. My mother even brought me to worship when I was a child!"
There was a hint of reminiscence on Hu Shan’s tanned face, slight melancholy.
By the fire, everyone sat at a distance, the heat searing.
They only used the fire to ward off wild beasts, not to truly keep warm; for in such a midsummer night, the bonfire was exceedingly blazing.
At present, a strong man couldn’t help but ask.
"Old Hu, why has the Mountain God Temple fallen into such disrepair?"
Looking around, the Mountain God’s Golden Body had collapsed, the ground strewn with rubble, a desolation unbounded.
Hu Shan set aside the firewood in hand, shaking his head.
"I don’t know either, only heard that strange things happened around here, many people died, which later scared everyone away. My mother wouldn’t even allow me to inquire about it, fearing it would attract bad things!!"
The young soldier, hearing this, couldn’t help but grumble a bit: "Surely there aren’t so many... strange happenings!"
As he spoke, he couldn’t help but glance towards Zhang Jian. At this, a cold wind swept across, and he tightened his coat, suddenly fearful, causing everyone to burst into laughter.
By the campfire, Zhang Jian’s expression also revealed a trace of amusement.
His gaze swept over the Mountain God’s severed head, and with his Spiritual Sense, he hadn’t detected any Spiritual Mechanism in the fractured Golden Body.
After everyone finished their dry rations, they soon one after the other fell asleep, leaving only a few old soldiers to keep watch.
Zhang Jian opted for meditation instead of sleep, but in the dead of night, he suddenly opened his eyes.
’Cry!’
He unexpectedly heard a resonant phoenix cry in an instant!