"My Sea Calming Divine Pearl was whisked away by that Divine Being, how did it end up in the backyard?" Zhang Chen was puzzled, but unfortunately, there was no suitable opportunity to check the backyard.
"You guys come over here, let’s go repair the damaged hall in the backyard."
A craftsman from the mountain village waved at Zhang Chen and Xiaodouding, and they went together to the backyard to help the master repair the damaged doors and windows.
A group of people busied themselves in the backyard, repairing the halls one by one, and when they reached the last courtyard, Zhang Chen could sense that his Sea Calming Divine Pearl was in the newly built Miluo River Water God Temple.
Zhang Chen, holding timber, casually walked into the Miluo River Water God temple’s hall, and saw a sculpture inside. The gender of the sculpture was indistinguishable, but his Sea Calming Divine Pearl had replaced one of its eyes, embedded in the sculpture.
As if sensing Zhang Chen’s approach, the Sea Calming Divine Pearl emitted a faint light, responding to Zhang Chen, but then a rune on the pearl flickered, and the light dimmed again.
Zhang Chen calmly opened his Devouring Dharma Eye, his eyes scanning the entire hall, seeing that incense faith in the void was converging toward the sculpture, all being devoured by his Sea Calming Divine Pearl.
Witnessing this scene, Zhang Chen suddenly realized, "So that’s it, that Ancient Divine Lady is engaged in thievery too. But that’s my Sea Calming Divine Pearl, I need to find a way to get it back."
As he couldn’t provoke the Ancient Divine Lady, he opted for a peaceful retreat, exiting the hall without bothering further, planning to return when his cultivation was stronger to retrieve it later.
"Alright, alright, you Ancient Divine Lady, using your higher cultivation to forcibly occupy my Sea Calming Divine Pearl, aren’t you?" Zhang Chen silently mocked in his heart.
Luckily, the Sea Calming Divine Pearl was something he painstakingly acquired, an inseparable part of him, otherwise, he would have suffered heavy losses.
Yet, thinking about the red Thousand Thousand Knots between him and the Divine Lady, Zhang Chen was perplexed, unsure of its purpose, feeling as if he was intricately linked to her through it.
Zhang Chen subconsciously moved his left ring finger, and with his eyes on the sculpture, despite the Divine Lady stealing his Sea Calming Divine Pearl, he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity instead of anger.
"Strange, I have no relation to her, why do I feel an inexplicable closeness to her?" Zhang Chen was puzzled.
He gave the sculpture a curious glance, but didn’t dwell on it, turning to join the repair work.
Zhang Chen was quite busy, on one hand contemplating Qi Cultivation Second Heaven, and on the other, studying the Mountain-moving Technique.
He had already reached the entry-level of Qi Cultivation Second Heaven, and as for the Mountain-moving Technique, he needed time to figure it out, but he believed it wouldn’t take long.
Time passed quickly, and with the joint effort of thousands of disciples from the Daoist Temple and tens of thousands of conscripts from Prince Pingbian’s Mansion, the entire Daoist Temple was fully repaired within just half a month.
Yet, the temple was no longer the same, many familiar faces had vanished completely during that night.
Half a month later, with the temple restored, Zhang Chen returned to his carefree, laid-back life, but he still refrained from exploiting the incense faith of the temple, feeling it wasn’t the right moment yet, since the temple was swarming with people, and there might be higher-ups secretly monitoring, patience seemed prudent.
Of course, he wasn’t idle; he’d already unearthed some clues. The most powerful in cultivation, Gu Mingyue, had left the temple to absorb mysterious particles in the Two Realms Passage. But for safety, he still planned to wait and see, for time was his ally, and stability meant victory.
As far as the Mountain-moving Technique was concerned, Zhang Chen had gained some insights, believing that in another half month, he could master its skill set.
While Zhang Chen leisurely spent his days, Xie Lingyun appeared at the temple, dusty and weary, heading straight to Zhang Chen’s courtyard.
"How come you have time to visit today, sister?" Zhang Chen showed a hint of surprise upon seeing Xie Lingyun.
"I missed you, so I came to check on you." Xie Lingyun, accompanied by armored warriors who secured the courtyard, wearing a blue dress, sat across from Zhang Chen:
"Something big has happened in the Northern Land, have you heard?"
"Something big? What kind of big?" Zhang Chen curiously looked at Xie Lingyun, as he had no inside information living in the mountains.
"In the place where Liu Feng’s Divine Body exploded, a nameless presence suddenly appeared, opening a passage to a mysterious unknown world. Mysterious particles continuously leak from that world, not only enhancing cultivation and strengthening bloodlines, but even extending life." Xie Lingyun gazed at Zhang Chen.
Hearing this, Zhang Chen seemed thoughtful, "I did hear something about this."
"What’s crucial is, I heard that the Ancient Divine Being was actually a female corpse dug up by Prince Pingbian’s Mansion, who, for unknown reasons, revived and escaped, opening a mysterious passage at the Water God’s self-explosion site." Xie Lingyun’s eyes fixed on Zhang Chen:
"I secretly sent experts to receive you from the city that day, but couldn’t find any trace of you..."
Xie Lingyun’s probing was evident. Zhang Chen had mentioned making a move on Prince Pingbian’s Mansion, and then chaos ensued there, with experts fearlessly slaughtering despite the mansion’s Dragon Qi, disappearing into the night, and then the female corpse revived.
Xie Lingyun believed Zhang Chen was definitely involved; at the very least, he knew what transpired that night.
Zhang Chen, hearing Xie Lingyun, pondered briefly and then said, "Actually, the female corpse was never dead; I merely struck a deal with her, helping her with something."
Hearing this, Xie Lingyun was now certain of Zhang Chen’s involvement, somehow tied to the major events that unfolded. Without probing further, she shifted the topic to something seemingly unrelated, "Is there really an Immortal Realm in this world? Can Immortal Techniques even break Dragon Qi’s suppression?"
Zhang Chen smiled in response, understanding Xie Lingyun was curious about his ability to act unfettered by Dragon Qi at Prince Pingbian’s Mansion, and about the space passage’s origin, he leisurely replied, "Immortal Techniques are also suppressed by Dragon Qi, I just had special means. As for the Immortal Realm? Maybe there is! But let me clearly tell you, beyond that space passage is definitely not the Immortal Realm you think of."
"Not the Immortal Realm? Do you know what’s there?" Xie Lingyun’s eyes brightened.
"The First Heaven of the Spiritual World," said Zhang Chen.
Upon hearing this, Xie Lingyun was momentarily breathless, she knew what the First Heaven of the Spiritual World was, and knowing that made her even more shocked, engulfed with intense curiosity, "Really?"
"Of course it’s true," replied Zhang Chen.
Silenced, Xie Lingyun’s accelerated heartbeat was apparent to Zhang Chen.
Though it wasn’t the legendary Immortal Realm, the First Heaven of the Spiritual World was equally astounding.
The ancient records unearthed from grand tombs lavishly described the Spiritual World, with treasures like the Peach of Immortality, Ginseng Fruit, Nine Revolutions Golden Pill, any of which could grant extraordinary abilities.
Xie Lingyun’s excitement was inexpressible, for even if it was only the First Heaven of the Spiritual World, would the others—the Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Heavens—be far behind?
Xie Lingyun’s eyes sparkled with delight, "Are you sure?"
If she could know the world’s origin first, research its details, and prepare adequately, her future gains could only grow.
"The world beyond is very dangerous, you must be extremely cautious," Zhang Chen warned Xie Lingyun.
With a profound look at Zhang Chen, Xie Lingyun then said, "Don’t worry, I won’t enter unless fully prepared."
Mentioning this, Xie Lingyun added, "My father predicts that the space passage will stabilize in half a month, then we can attempt to enter. The passage can remain open for at least a year, and whatever fortune one extracts from it will depend entirely on their own skills. Should I bring you along? It’d be good to have each other’s back!"