Within the red light, there seemed to be a crimson dragon shadow swimming, diving into the Zhang Family's ancestral tomb like a fish in water.
With more changes, Zhang Jian could no longer see clearly.
He had never practiced any magic for Qi observation.
It was only after the Red Dragon Pearl entered the ancestral land that he sensed an invisible red light from the profound void descending into his body, merging with the brilliance of his Life Seal, as a brand-new green Life Plate emerged with a hint of purple within it.
But at its core, it was filled with red light.
As if a blazing firelight were burning fiercely.
This Life Plate appeared, and Zhang Jian vaguely felt a significant increase in his affinity with a certain special Spiritual Mechanism between heaven and earth.
"It's fire!"
Zhang Jian's eyes wavered; he knew he must have a Fire Attribute Spirit Root within him, and with this unfamiliar Life Plate's blessing, future cultivation of fire attribute magic would surely be much smoother.
"It is related to the Red Dragon and should be a precursor Life Plate to the Hidden Dragon Fate; let's call it the Red Virtue True King Fate!"
Zhang Jian did not have much understanding of Life Plates, but he felt the name Red Virtue True King fit perfectly.
After the Red Dragon Pearl transformed into a dragon shadow and delved deep into the ancestral land, Zhang Jian summoned Jian Yao, the master craftsman, to form a patrol team, designating this area as a forbidden zone that ordinary people could not easily approach.
Once the Red Dragon Pearl entered the ancestral land, it would give rise to various divine wonders and alter the surrounding feng shui patterns, nurturing a Dragon Vein, which must not be discovered by others to avoid calamities.
...
On Vermilion Phoenix Mountain, as a strand of red light shot straight into the sky, such a spectacle drew the attention of many eyes.
Several deities in Fengyang County were presumably aware.
Fengyang County's City God Chen Qingyuan, Bai Shui Dragon Monarch, and a Daoist in a purple robe deep in Fengyang County also noticed the red light appearing in the eastern sky.
"That direction is Fengxi County, Shuangfeng Mountain Range?"
In the County City God Temple, Chen Qingyuan paid a bit of attention, but those abnormal signs flashed by, too brief to determine the exact location.
He quickly withdrew his gaze.
As the county city god, he wasn't too concerned; gods and the mundane world exist parallelly, and he couldn't interfere too much, nor did he wish to get involved carelessly, for fear of being cast down from his Divine Position; neutrality was best.
This has been the attitude of the gods since ancient times.
Unless evil spirits ran rampant on their turf, clashing with their divine duties, disrupting the operation of the City God Divine Department.
Compared to the unconcerned attitude of the two deities in and out of Fengyang County, Yuhe Daoist's eyes flickered with intrigue.
He suspected some treasure might have been born within the Shuangfeng Mountain Range, but despite his curiosity, he couldn't leave; he received news that an elder from Dong Shen Temple had particular ideas about the Feng Ling Ghost King within the Shuangfeng Mountain Range, planning to go in person to try converting or subduing the Feng Ling Ghost King within the mountain range for Dong Shen Temple as a protector.
He must prepare in advance to welcome the elder.
...
At the Zhang Family Mansion in Fengxi County, Zhang Jian returned to find the residence in a bustle.
It wasn't due to any joyful event, but because Third Uncle's household was in chaos.
"This damn scoundrel, how are we supposed to live from now on, and you fool, believing their nonsense, bought that pile of useless junk, now our wealth is all swindled away!"
From afar, Zhang Jian saw a slightly plump, tall woman in a floral dress weeping and crying, while Third Uncle Zhang Yun stood aside with a grim face, looking irritable.
He muttered, "You can't blame me; I'm no immortal who can foresee everything!"
The woman was Third Uncle's wife, Madam Zhang Qian.
Hearing Zhang Yun, she burst into curses, leaving Zhang Yun at a loss!
Zhang Jian asked Zhang Lu to inquire briefly and understood the situation; some foreign pharmacists had come to Fengxi County not long ago, claiming to have a batch of mature wild ginseng, catching Zhang Yun's attention.
Zhang Yun, having been in business, thrived in Fengxi County by leveraging the Zhang family's influence and had amassed some wealth by now.
Seeing such fine ginseng, he was pleased and immediately sent people to engage, and after verifying the goods were genuine, proceeded eagerly to trade, only to find the ginseng vanished by nightfall.
After hearing from Zhang Lu, Zhang Jian sighed, "It seems someone used heterodox methods to deceive, but to dare swindle my Zhang family is truly blind!"
Zhang Jian chuckled, having no intention to act; such heterodox methods were likely just using a little magic to deceive, and the practitioner probably had no real Dao Practice, otherwise they wouldn't need to trick people, they could sell their skills to the wealthy for gold and fortune!
Zhang Jian promptly stepped forward, and Zhang Yun, noticing him, brightened and rushed over.
"Ah Yu, you're back from the Commandery City? Did you hear? You have to stand up for me, your third uncle!"
He lamented bitterly.
Madam Zhang Qian also stopped crying, tears in her eyes as she looked at Zhang Jian.
"Brother Jian, you must help your third aunt get the silver back; without this money, your third uncle and a few younger brothers will have nothing to live on!!"
Zhang Jian smiled and reassured them, knowing his Third Uncle was not very bright, and his business success relied entirely on Zhang Yi's influence, with traders in and out of Fengxi County respecting him.
But even so, there was still some inherent stupidity tax each year.
He then said, "Rest assured, Third Aunt, inside and out of Fengxi County, we have our eyes watching everywhere; it shouldn't be long before we find their trail!"
With the Zhang family's current influence and resources, as soon as an order is given, there are naturally people from all walks ready to lend a hand.
Monetary power is the most practical.
Moreover, there are a thousand elite soldiers under County Captain's command, and once the location is found, deploying some troops for encirclement, a few volleys would be enough to suppress everything.
Seeing Zhang Jian nod, Zhang Yun and his wife were immediately relieved of worry.
...
Zhang Jian met privately with his Fourth Uncle, Zhang Kui, then returned to the Zhang Family Mansion.
The two Life Plates condensed by the Life Seal within him were indeed wondrous, needing time to familiarize himself with them.
Each Life Plate had its focus, but unfortunately, Zhang Jian currently had no fire attribute magic to test the new Life Plate's impact on his cultivation.
In the courtyard, Zhang Jian gazed at the Dragon Roar Sword in his hand, recalling the scene of previously slaying the Qing Yu Daoist with a single sword.
The combination of Sun and Moon Swordsmanship with the Lung Gold Sword Talisman exerted power far beyond mere Sun and Moon Swordsmanship or Lung Gold Sword Talisman alone.
He had truly mastered the Flying Sword Technique.
Yet it was just the beginning; true flying sword technique allows one to launch the longsword, controlling it from afar.
He had previously witnessed Daoist Tianxu wield the Purple Sun Magical Sword to nearly cut a 300-year-old Blood-sucking Leech in two.
Through repeated practice, Zhang Jian gradually found that sensation.
The key still lay in that inexplicable connection with heaven and earth, needing to integrate it into the Dragon Roar Sword; both forming a unique resonance, like a spiritual magnet, enabling the Dragon Roar Sword to return anytime, no matter where it flew.
Moreover, it should return flexibly, without being easily intercepted.
He looked up at the bright moon gradually hanging overhead, swinging the Dragon Roar Sword repeatedly.
Professionalism is honed with diligence and ruined by play; achievements are formed by thought and destroyed by carelessness!
As Zhang Jian once told Bai Shui Dragon Monarch, even if his Dao Practice advanced rapidly, he dared not slack off in the slightest.
On the contrary, he greatly enjoyed this process.
Every bit of progress in swordsmanship was incredibly precious!
...
At this moment, in the suburbs of Fengyang County, a new Daoist temple was under construction.
The three crimson characters "Fire Spirit Temple" appeared like flames.
A man in Daoist robe, carrying a longsword, scanned the base of the mountain, his expression souring.
"Who changed the mountains' path, ruining my Spirit-Gathering Feng Shui Formation?"
His eyes darkened as he scanned the surrounding mountains; a few nameless small hills lay nearby, but what he saw was his temple's gathered Spiritual Mechanism like sitting atop a funnel, continuously leaking.
This infuriated him.
He had painstakingly chosen a feng shui treasure land where Spiritual Mechanism gathered, only to be sabotaged now?