After shooting down these six heterodox sorcerers, Zhang Jian personally stepped forward to search.
It wasn't that he didn't trust the people around him, but he knew some heterodox sects hid things at very tricky angles that non-cultivators might not be able to find.
Moments later, he found a narrow jade document on the middle-aged Daoist leader.
The jade document was also inscribed with many rope-headed symbols, which were strange spells and didn't appear to be text.
Inside, however, it contained a special meaning.
"Heritage Dharma Artifact!"
Zhang Jian glanced over it with a trace of surprise.
It was mentioned by Daoists in the Iron Immortal Temple that there were many unusual sects in the world, and sometimes after cultivators fell, they would leave behind heritages. Some left behind classics, written either in ancient golden script or in more complex characters.
Some simply created a jade document, infusing a divine thought into it as their heritage.
The jade document before him was evidently such a heritage Dharma artifact.
Zhang Jian waved his hand, signaling Zhang Lu and others to continue advancing up the mountain, thoroughly sweeping the mountain to ensure no stragglers escaped.
On the mountainside, in the main hall of the Fire Spirit Temple, looking at the huge golden body that had been erected, Zhang Jian's gaze wavered slightly.
These six Daoists had indeed put in tremendous effort.
Such a large golden body, even if cast only in bronze, was invaluable.
It was a huge Daoist Dharma body, named the Xuanyang Dharma Body.
This was a patriarch once worshipped by the Dong Shen Temple lineage, named Grand True Monarch Xuanyang.
"Young Master, should we take this golden body away and melt it...?"
Beside him, Zhang Lu looked eagerly at the towering golden body, drooling at the thought.
The Zhang Family was currently expanding vigorously and was in urgent need of money.
This golden body, once melted, would be a substantial fortune.
Zhang Jian pondered, slightly waved his hand, and smiled, "There's no need, it might still be of some use!"
He recalled the Ghost Nurturing Technique he had just obtained.
"Soul Implantation Technique!"
This Soul Implantation Technique was quite mysterious, and it was a relatively orthodox ghost nurturing method, although still eerie and bloody, its cost was much less compared to the Corpse Refining Technique he had previously acquired.
It advocates raising a spirit ghost with a life bond, complementing each other's lives, achieving mutual success.
It could even be used to establish the Foundation, and if successful, one could choose a Dharma artifact, either the Venerable Soul Banner or the Blood Soul Banner, as one's life bond artifact, continuing cultivation. At that point, the power of the Soul Implantation Technique would be terrifying.
When the soul banner sways, Yin soldiers form an array to kill, quite formidable.
The technique claims that in later stages of cultivation, one could achieve eighteen Venerable Soul Banners or eighteen Blood Soul Banners, forming a world-shattering killing array.
When the killing array appears, gods and demons avoid it!
The latter part of the cultivation technique lacked details, Zhang Jian was uncertain if it was real, but boasting such grand claims, it should hold some substance.
If Zhang Jian claimed he wasn't tempted by such a magical technique, it would be untrue.
If it was unfeasible for him, he could pass it to Zhang Yi for cultivation.
Zhang Yi's progress in the Nine Chapters of Pure Tongshan was very slow, he feared he might not reach the two hundred years of life limit, perhaps he could make achievements in ghost nurturing.
He also glanced at the temple on the mountain.
As for the enormous Xuanyang Golden Body, it had its own purpose.
These Daoists constructed such a temple to provoke incense from believers, harnessing the power to balance the ghostly force within them, preventing the spirit ghosts from backlash.
After thoroughly cleaning these Daoists from Yuping Mountain, Zhang Jian returned with the remaining treasures from the temple.
His assessment was correct, these ghost-nurturing heterodox sorcerers were indeed the ones Zhang Yun was paying an intelligence tax to.
But after some time of squander, the wealth Zhang Yun was deceived of was only partially recovered, excluding rewards to the soldiers, about half remained.
Fortunately, besides wealth, the batch of wild ginseng was still intact, Zhang Yun's misfortune turned into benefit.
...
After returning from the bandit suppression, Zhang Jian was ready to return to the Zhang Family.
The sights and sounds outside Yuping Mountain made him vigilant.
But as long as he was in the Zhang Family Ancestral Hall, he was surely safe.
On his way back to the city.
Zhang Jian encountered unusual scenes.
Wild beasts fled everywhere, hundreds of birds soared into the sky.
On the ground, countless mice and snakes rushed out from all directions into the city, as if some great disaster was approaching.
"Run quickly, flee from here!!"
"The Ghost King's arrival is imminent!"
Zhang Jian heard a chaotic voice from deep underground, filled with fear and calling.
At a glance, he saw a swarm of mice beneath the earth.
At the city gate, many citizens saw this scene, clueless yet sensing the ominousness, they hurried towards their homes.
Seeing this scene, Zhang Jian frowned, this change made him highly alert. At that moment, his gaze suddenly cast at the depths of the long street, he vaguely sensed someone observing him secretly, but upon closer inspection, there was no movement at all.
He didn't believe it was an illusion.
His divine thought had always been extremely sharp.
Thinking it over, he decided to hasten the soldiers to speed up and return to the county government to report first.
Zhang Jian didn't misperceive; in a corner of the long street, two figures in white robes, grandfather and grandson, watched people entering the city.
"Grandfather, it seems he's already noticed us?"
At this moment, the young boy being held couldn't help but lift his head, his eyes curious.
Their family's Concealing Breath Technique was renowned in the heavens and still traces were detected.
The white-robed elder gently stroked his beard, nodding slightly.
"Indeed, quite strange!"
...
Night fell.
The day's bustle quieted down as night descended.
At this time, around the Zhang Family Residence, in the darkness, gradually more birds gathered outside the Zhang Mansion.
Among them was the fleeting white bird from the Commandery Governor's Mansion.
This peculiar white bird was peering at the depths of the Zhang Family Mansion, its eyes darting around.
"The owner's scent, it should be here!"
"Half of the owner's residual soul is here!"
The bird murmured, suddenly it quieted down, its gaze filled with fear.
"The owner has arrived!"
With these words, a dense Yin Qi surged through the night, it moved rapidly as if it could cover the clouds and block the moon.
On the long street, countless birds suddenly fell silent, they saw a figure in black quickly approaching, as if emerging from the bright moon, floating to the front of the Zhang Family Mansion.
She wore black clothing, her jade-like face cold, her gaze locked onto the Zhang Mansion, her eyes reflected an abyssal darkness that could devour all, along with immense resentment, as if gathering an infinite grievance from the heavens and earth.
"Return my soul!"
The eerie voice echoed on the dark street.
She lightly shook her robe, boundless cold Qi unfurled from around her.
Inside the Zhang Family Ancestral Hall, Zhang Jian was analyzing the peculiar Soul Implantation Technique, upon sensing the eerie voice akin to demonic sound, his expression slightly changed. He touched the treasure pearl in his hand, shaking his head secretly.
He truly wasn't expecting, the so-called 'god' of the Flying Bird Race was indeed coming for him.
However, what puzzled him was, the arrival was grand, but the apparent Dao practice wasn't very strong.
His gaze fluctuated, pondering for a moment, he opened the hall door and slowly appeared outside.
But as he stepped out, one foot remained inside the door.
At this moment, he saw the long street with a figure in a Nether Phoenix Robe.
Under the ghostly moon, that tall figure was especially captivating.
His gaze fluctuated, calling out tentatively.
"Phoenix?"