He only had four years left of his life, and his lifespan extension now entirely depended on the Tree of Life Coffin, so naturally, he was concerned.
"What is certain is that the Tree of Life Coffin is in the Northern Land, but it mysteriously disappeared, and nobody knows which Grand Steward hid it. Now, spies from the court and Prince Pingbian’s Mansion are going crazy, frantically searching the Northern Land and not missing a single clue, but the tree coffin is like it vanished into thin air, completely untraceable." Xie Lingyun also frowned deeply.
Hearing this, Zhang Chen scratched his head. He originally wanted to gather a clue from Xie Lingyun’s words, but now it seemed he was disappointed.
However, one phrase from Xie Lingyun, ’vanished into the sand,’ made Zhang Chen pause: Sand?
He thought of the secret room beneath Huangli Temple.
"Could it be? It shouldn’t be!" Zhang Chen murmured to himself: "How could the Tree of Life Coffin be inside Huangli Temple? If Prince Pingbian’s Mansion knew the Tree of Life Coffin was beneath Huangli Temple..."
A thought arose in Zhang Chen’s mind. Perhaps the Tree of Life Coffin wasn’t inside Huangli Temple, but if he spread the rumor...
"Your hair... is it alright?" Xie Lingyun’s eyes fell on Zhang Chen’s hair, showing a hint of concern.
"The path of cultivating immortality is full of endless dangers. I just had a mishap in my practice, it will be fine after some time." Zhang Chen concealed it without a trace.
"That’s good." Xie Lingyun nodded.
"By the way, when practicing the Visualization Technique, is there any way to help the soul grow and succeed sooner?" Zhang Chen asked, on behalf of Xiaodouding.
"Of course, for instance, the incense I gave you last time; lighting it during practice can help the soul grow. There are also various strange spiritual objects in Heaven and Earth, all having the effect of nourishing the soul, but these spiritual objects are extremely rare, and need great luck to obtain. I’ve heard that the best thing to aid in soul cultivation is something called Yellow Spring Water. It’s said that in ancient times, Yellow Spring Water was unearthed in a great tomb, and with its help, one person proved the Dao of Yin Spirit within three short years, aiming to break through to the Yang God Realm. But unfortunately, later he encountered disaster, losing one soul and one spirit of his own, and disappeared without a trace." Xie Lingyun said:
"Besides Yellow Spring Water, the most important and precious are the Soul Nourishing Wood, the purest Crystal Ball, and even Emperor’s Liquid, not to mention all kinds of strange herbs; they are innumerable."
"Yellow Spring Water?" Upon hearing Xie Lingyun’s words, Zhang Chen was moved; he actually already had it, as the Yellow Spring Water within the Nine Bends Yellow River Array was inexhaustible. Who knew he’d already obtained the best thing for Yin Soul cultivation.
Seeing Zhang Chen’s interest in Yellow Spring Water, Xie Lingyun explained, "People cultivating the soul often have flaws. Whether due to innate or acquired reasons, impurities appear within the soul, making it not so pure. So, when breaking through to the Yang God, they suffer from Celestial Thunder’s strike and die. But if there is Yellow Spring Water cleansing, it’s akin to being reborn, at least increasing a fifty percent chance of breaking through to the Yang God. Unfortunately, such a holy item is hard to find in the world. Even when it appears, it will certainly cause chaos and bloodshed."
"I’ve already cultivated into Yin Spirit, but it would take at least ten years of hard cultivation to have a chance to reach the Yang God Path. If I could get Yellow Spring Water, it could be shortened to five years, with an eighty percent chance of overcoming disasters!" Xie Lingyun’s voice was filled with longing.
Zhang Chen did not respond, deciding that next time they met, he’d give Xie Lingyun some Yellow Spring Water, hoping that Xie Lingyun’s breakthrough would also benefit him.
"I have matters at the foot of the mountain; let’s meet again in a while." With these words, Xie Lingyun rushed off, clearly very urgent and busy, coming and going in haste, which caused Zhang Chen to feel an inexplicable sense of emotion—Xie Lingyun truly treated him well.
"I must create the Water Stabilizing Rune with all my might; it may turn things around in a critical situation." Zhang Chen was more determined than ever to refine a Water Stabilizing Rune to its highest level.
After Xie Lingyun left, the Observatory Master and Zhang Xiaohua hurried over upon hearing the news and seeing that only Zhang Chen remained in the courtyard, Zhang Xiaohua’s expression turned grim immediately: "Where is Xie Lingyun?"
"Commander Xie has gone back." Zhang Chen stood up, greeted Liu Feng, and then replied to Zhang Xiaohua.
"How could you just let her leave like that?" Zhang Xiaohua was instantly anxious; Xie Lingyun had rarely come to Huangli Temple, and he hadn’t even spoken to her yet. If this continued, when would he ever catch up to Xie Lingyun?
"Commander Xie makes her own decisions; how could I change her mind?" Zhang Chen said helplessly.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiaohua was left speechless, and Liu Feng, curious, asked:
"Why was Xie Lingyun in such a hurry, coming and going in such a rush, just to see you? Did she really come in such a hurry to only meet you?"
Though it seemed like a curious question, the undertone was filled with a hint of murderous intent.
Hearing this, Zhang Chen glanced at Liu Feng; the old man probably already suspected something, but Zhang Chen had already prepared an excuse and dealt with it casually.
Liu Feng and Zhang Xiaohua were left with no choice but to turn away and leave.
Watching their figures fade, a scheme flashed through Zhang Chen’s mind, while Xiaodouding remarked: "Senior Brother, it seems we have trouble."
"Trouble has always been there; it’s only temporarily suppressed due to interests." Zhang Chen patted Xiaodouding’s head.
Upon hearing this, Xiaodouding fell silent: "When will we be free from so much trouble?"
"As long as our strength grows to a certain point, we can solve all troubles. Don’t be impatient, little girl; just focus on cultivating well." Zhang Chen stroked Xiaodouding’s head.
Watching the two leave, Zhang Chen turned back into the house, transformed into water, seeped through the cracks in the floorboards, into the soil, then moved quietly out of Huangli Temple, turned into a Vampire Bat, disappeared between Heaven and Earth, and reappeared in the Underground Dragon Palace beneath the Yangtze River. After setting up the Nine Bends Yellow River Array, he took out the prepared Jade Purification Bottle, filled two bottles with Yellow Spring Water, then retrieved the Nine Bends Yellow River Talisman Array and departed.
Zhang Chen, transforming into a water stream, traversed underground, accidentally passing by a Daoist Temple, when suddenly a conversation caught his attention, stopping his flow.
"Senior Brother, at this rate, when can we take over the Inspection and Supervision Department? I can’t wait any longer; this Xie Lingyun is unyielding, and we have no opportunity to get close to her." Zhang Xiaohua’s voice was full of complaints: "Father sent me to Huangli Temple, firstly for the Water God’s blessing to restore my looks, and secondly to get close to Xie Lingyun, accomplishing the Northern Land’s great ambition. But as it stands, winning over Xie Lingyun seems far-reaching!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Feng fell silent, and after a long pause, he said: "I’ve already requested the Great Virtuous Master to refine ’A Thread Connects a Thousand Miles of Destiny’; if Xie Lingyun is sensible, then in the future, the Inspection and Supervision Department and Prince Pingbian’s Mansion will be one family. If she isn’t, haha, when the Water God bestows blessings, we’ll use this excuse to trick her, then take her down. By then, when we confront the Crown Prince, he’d have no choice but to accept us as in-laws."
"What is A Thread Connects a Thousand Miles of Destiny?" Zhang Xiaohua asked puzzledly.
"It’s a poison made from incense, relying on the power of faith from believers all over the world, it contains the seven emotions and six desires. If refined into a Secret Treasure, even a Yang God Power would fall victim." The old Daoist smirked coldly.
"That bitch Xie Lingyun, she refuses a drink only to drink a forfeit. If she won’t be sensible, I won’t be to blame. Once the deed is done, even Xie Xuan can only pinch his nose and accept me as a son-in-law." Zhang Xiaohua’s voice was filled with mockery.
While they were speaking, they paid no attention to the fact that a stream was flowing less than a meter underground.
Upon hearing the conversation above, Zhang Chen’s heart surged with shockwaves. He never thought such a vicious thing could exist in the world.
"A Thread Connects a Thousand Miles of Destiny? What a thing!" Zhang Chen was internally shaken, and as he pondered, the two above had already dispersed, and then Zhang Chen silently returned to his little retreat, with stormy waves in his heart, and a thought arose:
"If this news is leaked, the Inspection and Supervision Department will surely retaliate against Prince Pingbian’s Mansion, but I have no evidence, only my word. I wonder if I can use the Inspection and Supervision Department to eliminate Zhang Xiaohua?"
If he could use the Inspection and Supervision Department to get rid of Zhang Xiaohua, it would be the best outcome, and Zhang Chen would probably laugh himself awake even in his dreams.