Zhang Jian had never intended to participate in the battle within Yuanchi Pass.
The risk of this battle was too great.
Too many strong cultivators were involved.
Furthermore, there was nothing inside that Zhang Jian needed to compete for, so he planned to take the opportunity to return to the sect and see if he could find a Time Technique.
Two shadows left in a flash, while Jingming Daoist still needed to gather the cultivators of Dong Shen Temple, reorganize, and restore order in Haojing City.
Yet moments later, Zhang Jian returned.
His vast Yang God Divine Sense swept through the void as his figure advanced rapidly, arriving in front of a remaining structure in an instant.
"Xuanyang Palace!"
Gazing at this ancient palace filled with traces of battle, Zhang Jian’s eyes wavered.
The treasures that stirred the fluctuations of his three Emperor’s Fates were located here.
Zhang Jian stepped into this ancient palace, all of Dong Shen Temple’s guards protecting this palace had been slain, yet Zhang Jian could still see some corpses amid the partially collapsed halls.
Zhang Jian walked to the center of the palace, where large reliefs adorned the halls, but they did not showcase the literary and martial prowess of the Grand Ancestor of Daqian, instead depicting ancient sages suppressing demon fiends, paving the way for the glorious era of the human race.
In the center stood an enormous golden statue of the Ancestor.
It was a statue of Ancestor Xuanyang.
Ancestor Xuanyang and Venerable Xuanyang were highly revered in Dong Shen Temple, rumored to have also taught the Thunder Technique to Dong Shen Ancestor, considered an Outer Ancient Immortal.
Zhang Jian’s gaze shifted, something peculiar in his eyes, as he noticed that even with his Yang God Divine Sense, he could not detect the treasure’s whereabouts, only sensing it faintly when his Emperor’s Fate drew near.
Yet the sensation was very weak.
After searching for a while, Zhang Jian’s gaze finally settled beneath the mat of the golden statue of Ancestor Xuanyang.
With a thought, he waved his hand, moving the mat away, but found nothing unusual underneath. Another thought, and a stream of Yang God Magical Power from his hand penetrated the ground, delving deeper until he sensed a small spatial node.
"It’s well hidden!"
In Zhang Jian’s Divine Sense, this storage space disguise was concealed within the sub-layer of the Void Dharma Realm, no wonder he had initially missed it.
Even the True Monarchs of Harmonization ravaging the Imperial Palace had overlooked it.
He took out the East Emperor’s Treasure Mirror, and with its help, quickly discovered a multicolored ban deep within the void, deciphered its mysteries with the mirror’s assistance, and unlocked the dharma ban with a Divine Light.
In an instant, a stream of light flew out.
It was a small Jade Box, inside which swirled a dense Dragon Qi and Ziwei Emperor Qi.
Holding it in his hand, Zhang Jian felt the three Emperor’s Fates within his fate plate, Ziwei Star Fate, Tripod Calms Heaven and Earth, and Red Virtue True Lord Fate, stirring with a deep-seated desire.
Zhang Jian was slightly surprised.
He wondered what treasure could cause such a disturbance in his three Emperor’s Fates.
With a flick, he opened the Jade Box, and instantly a Dragon’s Roar emerged.
Seeing this, Zhang Jian’s expression changed slightly, unfurling the Map of Mountains and Rivers around him, forming a barrier that enveloped the surrounding void.
A moment later, a red light leapt out before him, like a fire dragon soaring through the air, bringing with it rolling heat waves.
Zhang Jian reached out and grabbed it into his hand.
A red light pulsed violently in the depths of his palm, seemingly ready to fly out at any moment.
Within the red light was a fiery Treasure Pearl.
Within the pearl, another red dragon coiled.
"This treasure is..."
Holding the pearl, Zhang Jian was amazed. He sensed an inexhaustible, majestic Dragon Qi and Emperor’s Qi flowing into his body, slowly condensing the Dragon Qi of his three Emperor’s Fates, subtly advancing his Life Phase.
This change brought a gleam to Zhang Jian’s eyes.
This was a Supreme Treasure for suppressing and enhancing Dragon Qi, akin to the rumored relics of ancient Saint Kings.
Gazing at the fiery dragon within, Zhang Jian recalled a legendary national treasure recorded in miscellaneous chronicles.
The Red Sky Flame Pearl.
It was rumored to be nurtured by a red dragon of heaven and earth, condensed by the dragon vein of a dynasty established by an Ancient Saint King.
The founding Saint Ancestor of Former Shu acquired it, believed to be born with a celestial destiny, and established a reign over Former Shu for over six hundred years. When Shu Kingdom fell, Daqian had searched for it extensively, but it was said to have been lost by Former Shu.
Zhang Jian had a hunch that this might indeed be the long-lost national treasure.
He wondered who had hidden it here!
Perhaps the one who hid it had perished.
So the treasure naturally went unclaimed.
Holding the fiery pearl, Zhang Jian felt that refining it into his fate plate would undoubtedly advance his fate.
"An unexpected gain indeed!"
A hint of a smile appeared in Zhang Jian’s eyes.
Actually, the Red Sky Flame Pearl was quite similar in function to the Red Dragon Pearl, though the latter was even more precious as it could suppress a nation’s fortune and nurture a dragon vein.
The marvel of this pearl lay in enhancing one’s Dragon Qi, a single function.
But that alone made it a treasure to cultivators seeking the path of a Saint King.
This unexpected benefit lightened Zhang Jian’s mood significantly for a moment.
With such a treasure, he could fully condense a fourth Emperor’s Fate or further advance one of his existing three Emperor’s Fates, either choice brimming with benefits.
Zhang Jian felt somewhat grateful to the Dong Shen Ancestor.
If not for this ancestor slaying the Primordial Spirit Master of that Saint King clan, others might have been unaware, but a Prince Shun bearing an Emperor’s Fate would certainly have sensed it.
...
Tongshan Dao Lineage, Main Lineage Jade Pool Peak
Within the majestic Daoist Palace was another Lotus Pool, its waters shimmering a milky white, with clusters of lotus flowers bearing blue stems and green leaves, many buds waiting to bloom.
As Zhang Jian refined the Tai Xiao Fiery Fire Pearl, countless white fogs in the Lotus Pool swayed violently, an invisible rhythm emanating from it.
This wave continued, drawing the attention of several elders from Tongshan watching over the path of the Lotus Pool.
With only a brief glance, they focused on a bud about to bloom, an unfolding red lotus bud.
Seeing this, a white-haired elder immediately exclaimed:
"Record it at once, note the increase in its destiny, the peak of its fortune... and go fetch the Sect Leader, tell him there’s a change in the Jade Pool!"
In no time, the sound of hurried footsteps approached from outside the hall, Jue Ming Daoist in his high crown and wide sash, donned in ancient garments, appeared first, followed by several elders with varied expressions.
Each figure entered the hall, gazing at the majestic Jade Pool within, the light of destiny shimmering in milky white, like curtains of light reaching the sky.
Numerous slender beams of light surrounded the nine giant ivory-colored columns within the hall.
Establishing such a tangible destiny-observing hall to monitor changes in the sect’s fortune is rare even within the Outer Void.
Within the Jade Pool below, lotus flowers rooted, their blue stems extraordinarily long.
Each lotus in fact had its significance, representing the status of various inner sects, true inheritances, and even elders, and the blooming ones symbolized attaining a primordial spirit, removing their names from the death registry.
Meanwhile, a distinct red lotus in the pool was particularly special, having three buds and a fourth forming amidst dense lotus leaves, a rare sight within the entire Jade Pool.