Upon hearing Mr. Wuliu’s words, Zhang Chen chuckled coldly in his heart, but revealed a hint of interest on his face: "Has the little prince truly forgiven me? Does the prince really value me and not care about my criminal status?"
"The prince is of such stature, how could he be constrained by a mere court document?" Mr. Wuliu stood up, adjusted his clothes, and said, "Come with me."
The two walked out of the courtyard all the way, then Mr. Wuliu summoned over three hundred armored warriors, and they rode towards the ancestral vein of the Prince’s Mansion.
Zhang Chen couldn’t ride a horse, but since he possessed Dragon Qi, the horse dared not be unruly.
The group arrived at the predetermined destination. Zhang Chen gazed from afar, only to see that the celestial phenomenon in the mountains had vanished without a trace, even the Qi mechanism turned to nothingness. If he hadn’t personally witnessed the earth-shattering phenomenon before, he might have thought he was seeing an illusion.
"What a skillful maneuver by Prince Pingbian’s Mansion; how did they suppress that soaring Qi mechanism?" Zhang Chen was filled with suspicion and uncertainty.
Taking a closer look, he saw thousands of porters working hard, continuously clearing the open space, and already a flat area of five acres had been cleared at the foot of the mountain.
Upon seeing Mr. Wuliu arrive, a supervisor hurried forward to greet him respectfully: "Greetings, sir."
"How is the preparation going?" Mr. Wuliu asked.
"The land has been leveled and is now considered complete." The supervisor respectfully replied.
Mr. Wuliu nodded in satisfaction and said, "Go to the mansion to receive your reward."
"Thank you, sir." The supervisor was overjoyed, quickly knelt to the ground and bowed again.
"Drive all the laborers away," Mr. Wuliu ordered.
The supervisor promptly issued commands for his men to drive the laborers off. In no time, the entire area was empty.
Mr. Wuliu turned to Zhang Chen and said, "Boy, today I will expand your horizons and show you the Prince’s Mansion’s capabilities. In the past, the little prince didn’t hold grudges against you, so you didn’t know how deep the Prince’s Mansion’s resources are. Today, I’ll let you see for yourself."
Mr. Wuliu then addressed a nearby guard: "Come, set up the incense altar and worship the Divine Spirits."
At Mr. Wuliu’s command, altars, plaques, and offerings such as livestock were all neatly arranged. Zhang Chen looked at the tablets and saw five names inscribed, representing the titles of five Divine Spirits, with names that seemed to have a strong familial flavor.
The five plaques were respectively inscribed with:
Powerful Warrior: Gong Cheng.
Powerful Warrior: Liu Zhou
...
Mr. Wuliu recited the sacrificial text, and after a round of worship, he burned the text on the spot, which then transformed into a streak of golden light and vanished. Soon, there was a cry of shock, with guards pointing into the distance, their faces filled with horror.
Upon seeing this, Zhang Chen hurriedly looked over and saw a black cloud drifting in from the far sky. But upon closer inspection, his heart skipped a beat; it was not a cloud at all, but a Daoist Temple about three acres in size.
Five Divine Spirits, enveloped in divine radiance, carried the temple over and placed it on the cleared ground. The entire process was gentle, without the slightest sound.
The temple moved from the sky to the ground, fitting perfectly without raising even a speck of dust.
Mr. Wuliu gazed at the descending palace, his eyes filled with shock: "The power of the Divine Being truly is incredible." In the next moment, his Yin Spirit emerged to converse with the five Divine Spirits, while Zhang Chen watched Mr. Wuliu’s corporeal form closely, a murderous glint in his eyes. If he seized the opportunity to attack Mr. Wuliu now, Mr. Wuliu would certainly die. However, considering the Creation within the Earth Vein, Zhang Chen restrained his restless heart; he could discern the weight of the situation.
After conversing with the five Divine Spirits, Mr. Wuliu’s Yin Spirit returned to his body. Opening his eyes, he glanced at Zhang Chen: "Boy, now do you see the skills and means of the Prince Pingbian’s Mansion?"
Zhang Chen appropriately displayed a look of astonishment. Hearing Mr. Wuliu’s words, he seemed to come back to his senses, too awed to speak, and he cast a complex glance at the Daoist Temple before lowering his head.
"Come, let’s go in and take a look. From now on, this Daoist Temple will be your residence."
Mr. Wuliu, seeing Zhang Chen’s expression, was pleased, thinking Zhang Chen was overwhelmed by what he saw, and he felt his own frustrations dissipate.
Mr. Wuliu then led Zhang Chen to the front of the Daoist Temple, where the plaque read: Helv Temple.
"This temple was a Daoist Temple in the Northern Land a decade ago, with flourishing incense offerings, but unfortunately, it didn’t understand the situation and blocked the Yellow Heaven Dao from spreading its teachings, leading to its massacre overnight by the Yellow Heaven Dao," Mr. Wuliu stood at the gate looking at the temple, sighing with emotion: "Later, it was acquired by the Prince’s Mansion, becoming a place for the prince to entertain guests and tour the mountains."
"Inside this temple are books and various texts, all left by Helv Temple from years past. Feel free to peruse them." Mr. Wuliu said.
Zhang Chen nodded upon hearing this, his eyes scanning the temple with a hint of peculiarity, for he had seen this temple before. It was the same one from the small island of Prince Pingbian’s Mansion, though not the one with the Feng Shui Grand Array set up in it. However, this temple was no ordinary place; as soon as Zhang Chen approached, he sensed the abnormal flow of Qi of Feng Shui within.
The two walked through the temple, which consisted of courtyards with multiple halls and chambers, all equipped from alchemy rooms to kitchens.
"You don’t need to worry about supplies in the future. All living expenses will be sent by the Prince’s Mansion. Your only task is to worship the ancestors enshrined in the rear hall of the temple. Without the Prince’s permission, you must not step outside the temple. I’ll have people monitoring you," Mr. Wuliu paused, then added, "Don’t overthink it, the prince doesn’t intend to imprison you, just believes that since it’s about blessings and chanting, it requires continuity without interruption, for a full three years."
Zhang Chen nodded: "Of course, I understand."
Then, Mr. Wuliu led Zhang Chen to the main hall at the back, where numerous plaques were enshrined, representing the ancestors of Prince Pingbian’s Mansion through the ages.
Mr. Wuliu glanced sideways at Zhang Chen: "From tomorrow, you will offer incense three times a day—morning, noon, and night—without missing any. Recite the scriptures three times daily, not missing a single one. This is your task, and you must not falter!"
He thought to himself: ’The entire Daoist Temple has been set up by the Prince’s Mansion over decades, with the Feng Shui Grand Array pervading it, the key node in this main hall. Once Zhang Chen lights incense to honor the hall, the moment he places the incense, the array will activate, and the layout of Prince Pingbian’s Mansion will be complete. Zhang Chen will become a sacrifice for the little prince—sacrificing his own life to fulfill the creation of the little prince.’
Zhang Chen was no fool; with his cultivation, he sensed something amiss. However, with Mr. Wuliu nearby, he could not scrutinize it closely.
Mr. Wuliu then led Zhang Chen through all the halls, explaining the arrangements before hurriedly leaving.
As Mr. Wuliu departed, the gates of the Daoist Temple closed, and the entire world fell silent. Zhang Chen stood within the temple, examining the layout with contemplation:
’Earlier, Mr. Wuliu said to Prince Pingbian that the mysterious creation’s Qi within the Dragon Vein would fill my body, so why haven’t I sensed anything?’
He was growing impatient!
This was a gift of points and creation; of course, he couldn’t refuse it with a smile.
Zhang Chen opened his Dharma Eye, scrutinizing the temple and indeed saw nothing unusual. Even after opening the Eye of Devouring, there was still nothing unusual, no sign of the Feng Shui Grand Array, making Zhang Chen wonder if there was a mistake by Prince Pingbian’s Mansion.