The strange thing about Xiaodouding had not been clarified, making him anxious.
After the two finished eating meat, Xiaodouding seemed to have found something to do and did not cling to Zhang Chen. Instead, she obediently went to the bed to meditate and cultivate.
"This girl’s talent is frighteningly high, likely surpassing Xie Xuan who entered the Dao in a day more by two or three points," Zhang Chen muttered to himself.
"Cultivation can’t be rushed in a single day. You still need to progress gradually, balancing work and rest. You’ve already meditated for eight hours today, so go take a rest to avoid depleting your Essence, Qi, and Spirit." Zhang Chen stood at the door of the room, quickly speaking to stop Xiaodouding as he saw her about to meditate again.
Upon hearing this, Xiaodouding paused, looking at Zhang Chen with a surprised face, "But I feel quite energetic."
"Even so, you should still practice moderation," Zhang Chen replied.
Xiaodouding always listened to Zhang Chen and, upon hearing this, got off the bed and began to stretch and practice the True Dragon Form.
Once her blood was circulating well, she came next to Zhang Chen, full of curiosity, and asked, "The technique you taught me today, could it be the so-called immortal cultivation method?"
"It’s only part of the immortal cultivation method, not a complete one." Zhang Chen said, looking seriously at Xiaodouding, "The skills I’ve taught you must be practiced in private, and remember not to let anyone else know."
Xiaodouding nodded vigorously, "I know! I’m not a kid. I am your senior sister. Do I need you to teach me about this?"
"I didn’t expect to end up cultivating immortality too. You used to talk about it, and I didn’t believe you, but now I realize you weren’t lying," Xiaodouding said with a sigh.
Looking at the grown-up look on Xiaodouding, Zhang Chen smiled and gently touched her head, carefully instructing, "Tonight, I have to go out for a while. Stay in the room and sleep well. I’ll be back by morning."
Xiaodouding nodded, full of curiosity, "What do you go out for every night? So mysterious?"
Hearing this, Zhang Chen knocked lightly on Xiaodouding’s head, "Children shouldn’t meddle in adults’ issues."
That night
Zhang Chen transformed into a vampire bat and quietly left, making his way to the Eight Trigrams Furnace. Once there, he whispered to the guard hiding in the shadows and then returned to the cave where the furnace was located to wait.
It wasn’t long before Xie Lingyun’s Yin Spirit emerged from the moonlight and stood in front of Zhang Chen.
"It’s rare for you to call me out so late," Xie Lingyun said, walking in the moonlight and looking at Zhang Chen with curiosity.
"There’s an issue with Xiaodouding." Zhang Chen didn’t waste time, directly recounting Xiaodouding’s cultivation with the Visualization Technique and the appearance of the palace. However, he omitted Xiaodouding’s one-day Dao entry and Soul Emergence due to the shocking nature of her talent. Although he trusted Xie Lingyun, he still wanted to keep Xiaodouding’s secret safe.
Upon hearing this, Xie Lingyun furrowed her brows, shaking her head after a long pause, "I’ve never heard of the phenomena you described. Could the girl have some special bloodline, awakened by a mysterious power during Yin Spirit Emergence?"
Zhang Chen shook his head upon hearing this, "Seems unlikely! The palace carried the unique scent of incense, composed of the Power of Incense, not Bloodline Power."
"With what you said, I can’t discern the clues. Tomorrow, I’ll find an excuse to personally go to Huangli Temple and check out the girl’s anomaly," Xie Lingyun said.
Zhang Chen nodded in agreement, and after exchanging a few more words, they parted ways.
Zhang Chen returned to Huangli Temple in the middle of the night without attracting any attention.
These days, Zhang Chen had been mentally exhausted and decided not to cultivate tonight. Instead, he climbed into his bed for a good sleep.
Just as Zhang Chen fell asleep, his consciousness seemed to wander into an unknown void. A dense fog appeared, swirling and drifting in the air.
"Have I fallen into the dream realm again?" Zhang Chen gazed at the void before him, raising his guard and cursing silently, "Why am I in the dream realm again? Is someone trying through dreams to harm me? This is forcing me to upgrade the Light of the True God."
Zhang Chen resolved, upon returning, he’d gather experience points to enhance the Light of the True God. How could he leave such a big flaw? If someone tried to harm him through dreams, he seemed powerless to resist.
Just as Zhang Chen firmed his resolve and self-reflected, a mysterious force seemed to guide him to wander through the fog.
After taking about ten steps, the void in front suddenly shifted, leading him into a manor.
He was very familiar with the manor, as it was Prince Pingbian’s estate, specifically the great hall where the coffin was placed.
"Why am I dreaming of this place again? Could it be another change has occurred?" Zhang Chen thought, alarmed, knowing it was the Princess’s doing, so he stepped forward towards the hall, seeing a group of silhouettes gathered inside.
At this moment, Prince Pingbian, Mr. Wuliu, the Qingqiu Fox Race’s ancestor, along with other indistinct figures, were sitting cross-legged in circles around a body.
The Protective Golden Light of that body continually melted, with strands of Qi Mechanism flowing to the Heaven and Earth, which the nearby crowd absorbed, integrating into their bodies.
As the streams of golden light entered their bodies, their skin began to shimmer with metallic hues as if dusted with gold powder.
This scene shocked Zhang Chen greatly, "I forgot something important. The ancient power within the Princess’s body is too overwhelming. Upon entering this world, it perpetually dissipates. The power follows a law of flowing from higher to lower concentration; thus, the power in the Princess’s body will return to the Heaven and Earth. However, those present take great advantage, as when the power leaves the Princess’s body, they, being present, benefit immensely."
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