Return to the past!
What a great opportunity this is. If I were to plan a little ahead, I might gain unexpected rewards.
Isn't it like planting spirit medicine in ancient times? Will there be a substantial harvest?
"I cannot speak lightly. If my slight misstep affects the time and cause-and-effect, resulting in a broken timeline, I'm afraid it will collapse, causing catastrophe to even me, your ancestor." The voice of the Great Freedom Celestial Demon was filled with reverence, "Do you know how great the consequence would be if it leads to a deviation in the cause-and-effect of time and space? Even with my cultivation, I would be annihilated and buried deep within the time-space."
"And me? Have I changed time and cause-and-effect?" Zhang Chen asked.
Upon hearing this, the Great Freedom Celestial Demon looked at Zhang Chen strangely: "You? You are very peculiar! I've never heard of anyone being able to travel back upstream through the river of time; you are the only one! You are unique! Since you can return to the past, there is naturally an inherent cause-and-effect, so you don't need to be afraid or troubled."
Zhang Chen sighed lightly at these words: "It's a pity I missed the chance to plan!"
His voice was filled with regret, then he glanced at the boundless sea. The next moment he used the Water Escape Technique to traverse the ocean, but after flying for half a day, the coastline was still not in sight, and Zhang Chen had to stop, then with a flicker, he disappeared from the spot.
In the Daoist Temple, Zhang Chen opened his eyes and pondered everything that happened in the past time-space: "If everything before happened in the past time-space, then the Ascension Pool...? In truth, there is only one Ascension Pool between heavens and earth; the Ascension Pool in historical time-space is the Ascension Pool of the current time-space."
"Can I seek clues about Xu Erniu through the Ascension Pool? Or discover the final outcome of the great battle back then through it?" Zhang Chen thought of this and suddenly stood up, his fists clenched tightly. There was an inexplicable intuition within his heart that within the Ascension Pool, there lay the clues he sought.
"What happened to Xu Erniu in the end? What about Xiu Liu? Since Xiu Liu has already stepped into the realm of result, he should have a chance to survive the river of time, right? And that Old Peacock, with its means of reversing chaos using the Five Elements, it should survive, right? Was it the Ancestral Master of Longevity who won the final battle, or the Innate Peacock? Or did they both perish under the thunder punishment?" Thoughts churned and intertwined within Zhang Chen's mind, his heart chaotic and confused, not knowing what to do.
"I must secure that Ascension Pool!" Zhang Chen resolved secretly to himself.
A night of heavy snow, Zhang Chen sat by the fireplace, sleepless throughout the night, brooding over all the troubling matters.
There are many people he could worry about, and even more things to be concerned over.
The next day, Zhang Chen felt the Crystal Core within his body pulse slightly, a familiar sense of absolute control surged into his heart, and the feeling of having everything under control, which he experienced in ancient timespace, once again enveloped him. The creation he acquired in that distant time and space was finally fully mastered this time.
Then Zhang Chen began to manipulate his Qi Blood, once again displaying a weary appearance as he donned winter clothes and a cloak to sweep the snow in the courtyard.
After sweeping for a while, Zhang Chen suddenly recalled that he had seemingly mastered the Water Control Technique and wished to use it to handle the snow on the ground, yet when the Water Control Technique was activated, the snow did not budge an inch.
"This skill is too rigid. Merely controlling water cannot control even a snowflake." Zhang Chen was quite speechless.
Without any other option, Zhang Chen spent half a day clearing a path, then stewed some mutton joyfully, arriving by the window, basking in the sun by the furnace.
All these were supplies from Prince Pingbian's Mansion, and Zhang Chen used them without any concept of thrift, adhering to the idea that wasting one more penny from the Prince's Mansion was equivalent to weakening the opponent. Zhang Chen joyfully indulged in all kinds of extravagance and waste, lighting two stoves in the room just for comfort.
After seven or eight days,
Mr. Wuliu, sporting panda eyes, came to the Daoist Temple again, circling around it for quite a while with a mysterious air, before leaving, scratching his head and wearing a puzzled expression.
Watching Mr. Wuliu's departing figure, Zhang Chen found it amusing. Now the energy in his Devouring Space was filled up once again, and he started drawing from the energy emulated by the Ascension Pool to refine the Heaven and Earth Treasure Mirror. As for upgrading skill levels, the Skill Points gap Zhang Chen required was too large, better to refine the Heaven and Earth Treasure Mirror well first, increasing his chances of finding the Tree of Life Coffin.
For him, extending his lifespan was the most crucial matter at hand, and he must hurry to address it, as the Tree of Life Coffin was hidden in the Northern Land. Zhang Chen had to locate the Tree of Life Coffin before leaving the Northern Land.
Time passed swiftly, and a month later, Zhang Chen refined the second layer of heavenly restriction within the Heaven and Earth Treasure Mirror.
By then it was already New Year's Eve, and Zhang Chen stood under the eaves of the Daoist Temple, calculating that the next day would be the thirtieth of the lunar year, colloquially known as New Year's Eve.
Zhang Chen stood under the eaves for quite some time before heading to the main door, opening it to see the guards standing in the cold wind, and called out: "Tell Mr. Wuliu to prepare a few big red lanterns to hang up for me! Also, prepare some yellow paper."
The guard glanced at Zhang Chen, his armor was covered with frost, and then saluted Zhang Chen respectfully before quickly disappearing into the cold wind.
It didn't take long for Zhang Chen, as Mr. Wuliu soon had someone send over eight big red lanterns and red paper.
Zhang Chen lit the lanterns, hanging them under the eaves, and then cut and wrote couplets on the red paper, pasting them on the door, feeling that the courtyard now had a bit of a festive atmosphere for the New Year.
Late at night, Zhang Chen sat alone in front of the stove, eating hot pot, while the cold wind howled outside, occasionally accompanied by the sound of firecrackers.
As Zhang Chen ate beef in solitude, a knock sounded at the door: "Zhang!"
The door then swung open, and Chen Xu walked in, carrying two jars of wine, bringing the chilly wind along.
Chen Xu was wrapped in a large robe, with remnants of snow clinging to it, holding the two wine jars in his hands. He placed the jars in front of the stove and stretched out his hands to untie his cloak.
"Why are you here?" Zhang Chen asked.
Chen Xu chuckled and said, "Isn't it New Year's Eve? I thought you might feel lonely here at the Daoist Temple, so I came to drink with you."
He sat across from Zhang Chen, patting the wine jar in front of him, and said with a grin, "Hundred-year-old huadiao! I bought it especially in Goulan County town."
Looking at the shivering Chen Xu, Zhang Chen couldn't help but feel a surge of gratitude.
Zhang Chen poured a bowl of hot tea for Chen Xu, but Chen Xu held it down: "Let's drink wine! What's the point of drinking plain tea?"
Zhang Chen was momentarily stunned by his words, then nodded: "Alright, let's drink wine!"
Zhang Chen picked up a wine jar, poured a jug of wine, and filled a cup for Chen Xu. Chen Xu raised the cup towards Zhang Chen and said, "To you, Zhang!"
Zhang Chen took a sip from his cup, then set it down, picked up chopsticks, picked up a piece of beef, chewed it slowly, and finally asked, "How are things outside?"
"The Northern Land is a mess. All sorts of martial world people are swarming in, searching everywhere for the mysterious things that fell from the Immortal Realm. There are constant fights, yet numerous lucky ones have soared into the sky, transforming from ordinary mortals into beings wielding mysterious power. Prince Pingbian's Mansion has recruited quite a few experts recently, so we should be careful dealing with them in the future," Chen Xu said.
Zhang Chen nodded in response, as the chaos in the Northern Land was within his expectations. After all, when the Two Realms Passage opened, countless mysterious things were brought out from the Spiritual World, creating countless achievers.
However, the Ba Snake Remnant Soul gave Zhang Chen some concern, prompting him to heighten his vigilance.
"There's another matter, which is the frequent military movements in the Northern Land these past two months. It's feared that a million troops have been dispatched from the White Bone Great Wall by Prince Pingbian and are heading inland," Chen Xu added, as if recalling something.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen tapped his fingers on his knee, watching the glow of the furnace: "Prince Pingbian might be planning a rebellion, or he could be coming here for his ancestral tomb."
This February, Zhang Shicheng is bound to undergo Dragon Transformation, and there will likely be those attempting to disrupt things. Prince Pingbian deploying a million troops in advance to guard here is, after all, quite logical.
Of course, there could also be other possibilities, ones that Zhang Chen couldn't speculate about.
After three rounds of drinks, Zhang Chen looked at Chen Xu: "Do you practice cultivation?"
Chen Xu shook his head: "I don't have a master or a cultivation technique."
Zhang Chen said, "I'll teach you a Visualization Technique, which can guide you onto the path of cultivation and hasten the advancement of your bloodline level."
Zhang Chen remembered how those skills helped him greatly when he survived a time travel incident. It's only right for him to repay this favor.
"You have a cultivation technique? And you're willing to teach it to me?" Chen Xu's eyes lit up with joy at Zhang Chen's words.
After all, a cultivation technique related to the mysterious is a well-guarded secret of this world, a foundation passed down by aristocratic families. Chen Xu had excavated numerous great tombs, uncovering many treasures but never a cultivation technique, highlighting its preciousness.
Zhang Chen gently touched Chen Xu's forehead with his finger, transmitting the Visualization Technique of the Demon Race discovered in the True Dragon Tomb directly into Chen Xu's mind.
At Zhang Chen's advanced level of cultivation, the visualization image that once couldn't be memorized appeared clearly in his mind with just a thought, without any mistakes.
Upon receiving the Visualization Technique, Chen Xu's pupils dilated rapidly, his breathing became heavy, and his chest heaved. Then he raised his bowl with both hands, respectfully saying to Zhang Chen, "Zhang, I toast you with this bowl of wine! In the future, if you need anything, if I, Chen Xu, utter even half a word of objection, may I be an ungrateful wretch."
Though he had acquired the Ba Snake bloodline, its evolution was excruciatingly slow, hardly comparable to the benefits of a cultivation technique.
With a cultivation technique, his bloodline's evolution will be much faster!