Seeing Zhang Jian block that sword light, Liu Rui was about to speak, but the Golden Radiance Saint Mother stopped her.
The Golden Radiance Saint Mother descended upon Zhang Jian, then suddenly laughed and said.
"Are you Zhang Daosheng, the Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture?"
Zhang Jian faced the watchful gaze of the Golden Radiance Saint Mother with a calm demeanor and gave a slight bow.
"Junior Zhang Jian greets Senior!"
"Junior’s current position is Minister of the Imperial Treasury and also Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture!"
The Golden Radiance Saint Mother glanced at Zhang Jian and suddenly smiled.
"Do you know the purpose of our visit, my disciple and I?"
Zhang Jian thought for a moment, then smiled and said.
"Junior guesses that Senior is just passing by, meeting us by chance, and giving a greeting. Now that the greeting is over, you must be on your way. Junior won’t keep you any longer!"
Zhang Jian said this and took a half step back, intending to leave with Jingming Daoist.
But then, the Golden Radiance Saint Mother waved her hand, and a divine light fell to the ground. Instantly, countless golden light runes circulated in the depths of the void, forming a grand barrier. The golden light from the runes enveloped the area.
Seeing this, Zhang Jian’s brows remained still, but there was a hint of unusualness in his eyes.
"Senior Saint Mother, what is your intention?"
The Golden Radiance Saint Mother’s expression was calm, but Liu Rui sneered.
"What intention, it’s simple! You and these four people beside you will leave your lives here!"
Zhang Jian glanced at Liu Rui, someone he was naturally not unfamiliar with.
Not long ago, he personally instigated Jingming Daoist to send Liu Rui into the Celestial Prison, and now she was out again.
He pondered and looked at the Golden Radiance Saint Mother.
"Senior Saint Mother, is this also your intention?"
The Golden Radiance Saint Mother took a faint glance at Zhang Jian, and his nonchalant attitude displeased her slightly. The smile on her face faded.
"Youngster, you are interesting, but today you and these people with you won’t leave!"
At the same time, as she lightly tapped her magic staff, an invisible spiritual pressure rushed toward Zhang Jian.
The grand spiritual pressure descended, yet Zhang Jian’s expression remained unchanged, as pure yang magical power circulated around him.
Pure yang magical power—this is a characteristic of a Primordial Spirit Master.
At this time, it had already manifested in advance on Zhang Jian’s body.
His magical power had become harmonious, his Dao heart perfected, and his Yin Spirit had even prematurely transformed into a Yang Spirit. If he hadn’t been intent on further solidifying the foundation of the Map of Mountains and Rivers and aiming to condense the Time Mark, he could have already challenged the Reincarnation Life and Death Tribulation to erase his name from the Death Registry.
The Golden Radiance Saint Mother’s eyes revealed a trace of surprise at the pure yang light emanating from Zhang Jian.
In her spiritual gaze, Zhang Jian had hidden his magical power exceedingly well. His aura, even the fluctuations of his magical power, soul, and life plate characteristics that cultivators should possess, were completely concealed.
Thus, she couldn’t read Zhang Jian’s Dao practice, only previously sensing through magic that the ’Scholar Zhang’ before her had extraordinary Dao practice.
Now seeing him use magic, she was further convinced that he was a ’Primordial Spirit Master’ and prepared not to hold back any longer.
At that moment, Zhang Jian laughed, suddenly shouting to the void.
"Master, do you see this? Someone wants to bully the young here, making a move against our ’young talents’ of the Tongshan Dao Lineage!"
In the void, True Monarch Zhanmo had long been present, quietly watching, intending to discern some of Zhang Jian’s hidden depths through this situation.
Seeing Zhang Jian directly reveal her presence, she felt a bit helpless.
Her true body manifested in the void, and under the slightly solemn gaze of the Golden Radiance Saint Mother, her figure appeared instantly before Zhang Jian.
Clad in a tight-fitting profound robe, with ink-black long hair simply pinned by a simple ink jade hairpin, she resembled a stunningly handsome man, it would be easy to mistake her if not for the absence of an Adam’s apple.
Her heroic jade face wore a cold frost, she first glanced at Zhang Jian and scolded.
"You rascal, clearly capable of solving this yourself, yet you drag your Master into it!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Jian immediately pleaded his innocence: "Master, with the Golden Maiden Sect’s reputation, how could your disciple resolve this?"
True Monarch Zhanmo gave Zhang Jian a glance, then turned her gaze to the Golden Radiance Saint Mother.
"True Monarch Zhanmo?"
By now, the Golden Radiance Saint Mother had recognized True Monarch Zhanmo’s identity.
And after hearing Zhang Jian’s words, the Golden Radiance Saint Mother knew trouble was at hand and immediately spoke up: "I never expected the renowned ’Grand Scholar of the Academy of Literature and Martial Arts’ of Daqian would be the disciple of True Monarch Zhanmo. I have indeed been impolite!"
True Monarch Zhanmo snorted coldly upon hearing this.
"Hmph, Fellow Daoist Jin Guang was quite impressive just now. I’m not sure how my disciple offended Fellow Daoist Jin Guang to be targeted like this? Could it be that I have offended Fellow Daoist Jin Guang?"
A hint of a dangerous glint flashed in the eyes of True Monarch Zhanmo.
Faced with such intimidation, the Golden Radiance Saint Mother was a bit displeased, but she quickly restrained herself, slightly bowing.
"Fellow Daoist Zhanmo, this is merely a misunderstanding. I indeed didn’t know Scholar Zhang was a disciple of the Tongshan Dao Lineage and your disciple, Fellow Daoist Zhanmo!"
After thinking for a moment, she took a glance at Zhang Jian.
"Since I’ve disturbed your esteemed disciple, I will naturally compensate. This Divine Jade contains some of the Thick Earth Dao Rhyme, which might enhance your disciple’s magical power; consider it compensation, how about that?"
Having said this, she waved her hand, and a stream of light flew toward Zhang Jian, landing in his hands.
It was a yellow jade pendant, flowing with a layer of intense innate spiritual mechanism, formed from Houtu Earth Essence contaminated spirit jade vein. It could be considered an Earth attribute Divine Object.
The Golden Radiance Saint Mother saw Zhang Jian use the Blessed Land’s Wondrous Technique and assumed Zhang Jian’s cultivation focused on Earth attribute Daoist Technique, thus offering this Earth attribute Heavenly and Earthly Treasure as compensation.
After saying this, she grabbed Liu Rui beside her and in an instant vanished in a stream of light.
Watching them escape, Zhang Jian raised an eyebrow, looking at True Monarch Zhanmo, he immediately complained.
"Master, you just let her go when she was after your disciple’s life!"
True Monarch Zhanmo coldly chuckled at his words.
"Otherwise, what do you propose, have me and that old fellow engage in a fierce battle, and you, this disobedient disciple, watch the spectacle from the side?"
Hearing this, Zhang Jian was a bit speechless.
True Monarch Zhanmo observed his expression and sneered: "Cultivation isn’t just about fighting and killing. That Golden Radiance Saint Mother isn’t easy to deal with. That old fellow has cultivated for thousands of years and has several unique skills. I might not be able to kill her; if she survives, it would be a great threat to you and your fellow disciples!"
"Now that she’s conceded, there’s no need for me to act further!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Jian pursed his lips: "Disciple thought you were righteous and prepared to display your prowess!"
Hearing this, True Monarch Zhanmo chuckled in exasperation.
"You disobedient disciple, I haven’t yet addressed your issue. I don’t know where you learned such an advanced Concealing Breath Technique, who told you to conceal all your cultivation technique qi mechanisms?"
"If earlier you revealed even a bit of ’Treasure Record’ magical power, would the Golden Radiance Saint Mother treat you so rudely?"
Startled by these words, Zhang Jian paused.
True Monarch Zhanmo waved dismissively: "Be smarter next time. Concealing your magical power is fine, but we are a renowned and righteous sect, not some demon spawn. Next time reveal the Treasure Record magical power, and those experts in the Cultivation Realm will know you are a cultivator from our Tongshan Dao Lineage and will extend some courtesy, not rashly attack you!"
Hearing this, Zhang Jian nodded, indicating he understood.
He was not intentionally provoking a conflict.
Slightly apologizing, he then wrapped Jingming Daoist and his group in a stream of light, sending them first to Fengyang County.
True Monarch Zhanmo watched Zhang Jian’s distant figure, then glanced once more in the direction of the Golden Radiance Saint Mother’s departure.
In truth, if not for Zhang Jian and the others being present earlier, and with other True Monarchs of Harmonization lurking around, she would have already drawn her sword with her temperament.
But for the Dao skill of this last disciple, she showed some restraint.
But now that Zhang Jian and others were sent away, she had no more scruples, and a hint of coldness flickered in her eyes.
The disciples of the Tongshan Dao Lineage are not so easily bullied!
And at this moment, True Monarch Zhanmo’s expression changed, and she suddenly looked towards the firmament.
Not only her, but Zhang Jian, who was departing, also changed his expression, gazing at Middle Heaven.
A massive purple star was suddenly stained with intense blood, and amidst the brilliance, the purple star instantaneously dimmed from Middle Heaven.
Emperor Jingwu has passed away!