NCCnovel #166 - Collect Huangquan
#166 - Collect Huangquan
Liu Feng departed, leaving Zhang Chen standing at the gate, gazing at Liu Feng's receding figure with a sigh, remaining silent for a long time.
“The Yellow Heaven Dao is truly audacious, actually wanting to infiltrate the Surveillance and Rectification Department in reverse. These people's audacity is heaven-defying.” Zhang Chen muttered before withdrawing his gaze, returning to the house to continue studying the art of talismans.
For him, the most important thing was to grind out the talisman array. No matter what changes might occur in the future, he would have the means to cope.
He had to master more skills; this was his confidence for the future.
While Zhang Chen was studying talismans in the house, Xie Lingyun arrived. After Xie Lingyun consulted Zhang Chen about the insights of Qi cultivation and talisman drawing, she gracefully departed again.
Having just seen off Xie Lingyun, Liu Feng impatiently arrived at Zhang Chen's courtyard and asked, “How is it?”
Zhang Chen smiled wryly upon hearing this: “This disciple is incompetent and has not yet passed the noble lady's assessment.”
Liu Feng was slightly disappointed upon hearing this but still smiled and patted Zhang Chen on the shoulder, carefully comforting Zhang Chen: “Don't think too much. You come from the countryside, and your foundation is inherently shallow. You just need to work hard.”
Now that Zhang Chen had gained the favor of the noble lady, even if he was the Abbot, he couldn't be too harsh on Zhang Chen. Xie Lingyun's identity was too special; the Yellow Dawn Temple would definitely spare no expense to curry favor with her. Even he didn't dare to blame Zhang Chen in the slightest.
Zhang Chen could only helplessly respond with 'Yes,' and muddled through with Liu Feng.
The following time gradually returned to peace. Zhang Chen continued to study talismans. As he studied and deduced more talismans, his experience became richer. Finally, one day half a month later, Zhang Chen finally ground out all three hundred and sixty mysterious talismans.
As the last talisman was completed, the ancient book in Zhang Chen's hand suddenly flickered. The three hundred and sixty talismans transformed into a stream of light and entered Zhang Chen's body, being absorbed by Zhang Chen. Then, Zhang Chen's golden finger interface flashed:
【16 Skill (Quasi-First Order): Nine Bends Yellow River Talisman Array (0/100000)】
【Note 1: Requires a Yellow Springs spring.】
【Points: 183400】
Zhang Chen looked at the golden finger interface and immediately smiled: “Yellow Springs? I have it! I just don't know if the Yellow Springs in the mental world can be made into talismans and moved out.”
Zhang Chen shifted his gaze from the golden finger interface and looked at the Supreme Purity Handbook, a thoughtful look appearing in his eyes.
“Why have all the engraved words on the handbook disappeared, leaving only the initial Invisibility Talisman, Water Fixing Talisman, Fire Averting Talisman, and other five talismans?” Zhang Chen was somewhat puzzled, wanting to ask the Great自在Heavenly Demon, but that fellow knew too much. It was best to keep some things from him. He had to have some trump cards and couldn't tell the Great自在Heavenly Demon everything.
“It's just that with the content on this gone, how should I explain it to Xie Lingyun? Difficult!”
Zhang Chen put down the book, stretched, and looked at the little dumpling sleeping on the bed. This girl was drinking more and more medicine now, and she was also sleeping more and more.
Zhang Chen thought and entered the mental world, appearing in front of the Yellow Springs water.
“I don't know what order the Yellow Springs water is. Even my Water Control Art can't master it.” Zhang Chen looked at the Yellow Springs spring with a pensive look in his eyes. Then, his golden finger activated:
【Detected a Yellow Springs spring, fulfilling the conditions for refining the Nine Bends Yellow River Array Talisman. Do you want to upgrade?】
“It worked! I didn't expect that the Yellow Springs in the mental world could still be collected with the golden finger.” Zhang Chen was overjoyed looking at the popped-up golden finger interface. The next moment, he didn't hesitate to say:
“Upgrade!”
As Zhang Chen thought, the Yellow Springs spring in the mud twisted and transformed into a spring composed of countless talismans. The countless talismans gathered according to some mysterious law and merged with the three hundred and sixty talismans that Zhang Chen had comprehended, transforming into golden yellow paper talismans.
Although it was called yellow paper, it was only similar in appearance. Its essence was neither silk nor cloth, but it flickered with a faint yellow divine light, and even had lines that Zhang Chen had never seen before flowing on it.
That's right, what flowed on the yellow paper was not talismans, but golden yellow lines.
The golden yellow lines were looming, moving like spiritual snakes, looking extremely mysterious.
A total of three hundred and sixty-five talismans were arranged according to some unique law, transforming into a talisman, rotating according to some law.
At this time, Zhang Chen's golden finger interface flashed:
【16 Skill (First Order): Nine Bends Yellow River Talisman Array (0/100000)】
【Note 1: Coverage area is thirty-six meters. If a cultivator enters it, even immortals will have difficulty crossing.】
“Huh…” Zhang Chen looked at the Nine Bends Yellow River Array Talisman, a look of surprise appearing in his eyes, because the note on the Nine Bends Yellow River Array was very interesting: 'Coverage area is thirty-six meters. If a cultivator enters it, even immortals will have difficulty crossing.' This wasn't a normal introduction.
“Could it be that the Nine Bends Yellow River Array is at its peak when it is completed? But why are there still points to upgrade later?”
Zhang Chen secretly pondered the reason: “I'll know if I upgrade it once. It's just a hundred thousand points anyway. This Nine Bends Yellow River Array is related to my final trump card, so there can't be any mistakes.”
Zhang Chen thought, and a hundred thousand points instantly evaporated:
【16 Skill (Second Order): Nine Bends Yellow River Talisman Array (0/1000000)】
【Note 1: Coverage area is three hundred and sixty meters. If a cultivator enters it, even immortals will have difficulty crossing.】
【Points: 83400】
“Sure enough, the Nine Bends Yellow River Array is at its peak when it is completed. Even if you continue to upgrade it, it will only upgrade the coverage area of the Nine Bends Yellow River. As long as someone enters it, they will encounter calamity. However, the coverage area is too short, only three hundred and sixty meters. Those Yang God experts can split mountains and rocks, move mountains and fill seas. If they refuse to enter my Nine Bends Yellow River Array and move mountains to smash me, I'm afraid I can't withstand it either. But if you trick the other party into the talisman array, or increase the coverage area of the talisman array, then the Nine Bends Yellow River Talisman Array will be heaven-defying.”
Zhang Chen was happy in his heart. With this talisman array, as long as he arranged it well and tricked the Yang God expert in, he could also weaken the other party's cultivation.
“Although the Nine Bends Yellow River Array is only second-order, the power it can exert all depends on the person who uses it. If the person who uses the talisman array is powerful, even a twelfth-order monster will be knocked down to the mortal world for you to see. If it falls into the hands of someone who doesn't know how to use it, the Yang God expert is not a fool, of course, they won't rashly break into the talisman array.” Zhang Chen secretly pondered: “The application of the Nine Bends Yellow River Array Talisman lies in single-mindedness.”
As Zhang Chen thought, the three hundred and sixty talismans gathered in one place, instantly transforming into a bright yellow talisman, falling into the cyan lotus evolved by Zhang Chen's mana.
“A bit interesting, I wonder if there will be a chance to test the power of the Nine Bends Yellow River Talisman Array.” Zhang Chen secretly said.
The next moment, his mana was exhausted, Zhang Chen exited the meditative state, and then looked at the sky outside: “It's still early today, there's a good opportunity to study.”
Zhang Chen took out the book sent by Xie Lingyun and began to read and learn to write.
At this moment, the Great自在Heavenly Devil saw Zhang Chen give up reading, so he approached with curiosity, a smile on his face: "You finally know to listen to advice, understand that I wasn't trying to harm you. I told you that talisman array wasn't something you could research. It's good that you gave up early, so you don't get trapped in it and can't escape."
Zhang Chen glanced at the Great自在Heavenly Devil, too lazy to pay attention to him, and instead lowered his head to continue reading.
Seeing that Zhang Chen ignored him, the Great自在Heavenly Devil felt he had embarrassed himself and went to the threshold on the side to bask in the sun.
Zhang Chen held the book in his hand, but his mind was on the matter of the Imperial Daughter's Tomb: "I have already mastered various methods, so I should be able to explore the Imperial Daughter's Tomb, right? It's just that the feng shui of the Imperial Daughter's Tomb is difficult to break, which is a problem. Also, I don't know if I have that Xie Xuan's mark on me. If Xie Xuan marked me, it would be troublesome."
Zhang Chen pondered for a moment, then said to himself, "But now I have the Nine Bends Yellow River Talisman Array, so even if there really is Xie Xuan's mark, I might be able to trick him."
Just as various thoughts were flowing through Zhang Chen's mind, suddenly a bell rang, this time ringing a full nine times. This was unprecedented since Zhang Chen joined the Taoist temple.
Zhang Chen pulled the sleepy Little Bean Sprout out of bed and quickly got up to walk towards the square.
"Zhang Chen, what happened? Why are you dragging me up in such a hurry?" Little Bean Sprout's eyes were drowsy, and her voice was full of dissatisfaction.
She was sleeping too deeply and had forgotten the time.
Zhang Chen touched Little Bean Sprout's head: "The bell rang nine times. If we go late, our butts might get spanked."
"The bell rang nine times?" Little Bean Sprout was stunned when she heard this. The sleepiness disappeared, and she immediately became energetic: "That shouldn't be. Something big is going to happen."
Accompanying the two to the square, they saw many disciples gathered together, the atmosphere serious as they discussed something in low voices.
Little Bean Sprout and Zhang Chen squeezed in, and then saw more than a dozen bloody corpses lying quietly on the ground.
"That's… Third Senior Brother, Fourth Senior Brother, Fifth Senior Brother…"
Cheng Yu looked at the dozen or so corpses on the ground, his face pale, and a look of shock appeared in his eyes.
"Zhang Chen, these senior brothers are all top talents in our Taoist temple. Now they have all died tragically. I'm afraid something big is going to happen," Little Bean Sprout's voice was full of seriousness.
"Is there anyone in the pugilistic world who dares to attack the Yellow Heaven Dao?" Zhang Chen asked curiously.
Little Bean Sprout said with a serious face: "The border troops, feudal kings, and nobles in various places don't really take my Yellow Heaven Dao seriously."
Zhang Chen was surprised to hear that the Yellow Heaven Dao's prestige seemed a bit low, so he comforted, "If the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up. Don't be afraid! The abbot and master will take care of it."
Before long, Liu Feng led the elders to arrive. Liu Feng's face was as dark as water. Looking at the corpses on the ground, his heart was bleeding.
"Such a blood feud will not be let go! Anyone who dares to assassinate my Yellow Dawn Temple's disciples, my Yellow Heaven Dao will never let them go," Liu Feng's voice was full of coldness.
"Elder Wu, lead three hundred disciples down the mountain immediately to investigate all the clues and see who is attacking my Yellow Dawn Temple," Liu Feng's voice was full of ice.
Among the elders, an inconspicuous middle-aged man walked out, selected three hundred disciples, and immediately walked down the mountain.
Then there was the Yellow Dawn Temple's Buddhist service for salvation. Even Zhang Chen couldn't be idle and had to participate in the funeral ceremony with the Yellow Dawn Temple's disciples. Fortunately, Zhang Chen had already comprehended talismans, otherwise it would have delayed his cultivation.
After a busy day, Zhang Chen and Little Bean Sprout returned to their house late at night. Cheng Yu said with a puzzled expression: "Several senior brothers are the pillars of my Yellow Dawn Temple. Who would disregard the relationship and kill the senior brothers? It stands to reason that when the senior brothers go down the mountain to preach, they are mainly stable and will not easily offend people."
Little Bean Sprout's voice was full of disbelief.
Zhang Chen sat under the lamplight and shook his head: "I don't know the situation down the mountain, so it's hard to make a judgment, but the Yellow Heaven Dao is a big family with a big business, so it must have some enemies. Maybe it's obstructing someone else's interests!"
Little Bean Sprout sighed: "Several senior brothers are dead. Now it's easier to compete for the twelve true inheritance qualifications in our Taoist temple. The only person with competitiveness is the Second Senior Brother, and the rest are not to be feared. As long as you defeat the Second Senior Brother, the competition will be settled."
Zhang Chen's pupils shrank when he heard this, and his eyes looked at Little Bean Sprout: "How is the Second Senior Brother's martial arts cultivation compared to the Third Senior Brother and the others?"
"It's hard to say who would win," Little Bean Sprout said.
"How could it be such a coincidence? Just before the competition, all the competitive true inheritance senior brothers died?" Zhang Chen asked suspiciously.
"You're not saying…?" Little Bean Sprout wasn't stupid either, and she immediately perked up when she heard this.
"Isn't it too coincidental?" Zhang Chen said.
"That's impossible. I broke the Second Senior Brother's legs. How could he have that ability?" Little Bean Sprout said.
"What about Elder Chuanwu? And the forces behind Elder Chuanwu?" Zhang Chen said.
Cheng Yu fell silent when he heard this, and sighed after a long time: "These are all your guesses, and they are not accurate."
The Pingbian Royal Mansion was too involved.
Zhang Chen fell silent when he heard this, and then silently meditated and cultivated. This world was too dark.
Xie Lingyun arrived the next day, three days earlier than the agreed seven days.
"Why did Sister come three days early?" Zhang Chen asked.
Xie Lingyun, dressed in white, walked into the hall and sat down. After sensing that no one was eavesdropping around, she signaled Zhang Chen to sit down: "The situation down the mountain is chaotic. Yesterday, many people from the Yellow Heaven Dao died, including more than three hundred from your Yellow Dawn Temple, as well as an elder. I'm here to see if you've been implicated."
"What?" Zhang Chen was shocked when he heard this. Elder Wu had just taken three hundred disciples down the mountain yesterday, and they were all wiped out overnight?
"This is a major case, and the perpetrators' methods are very secretive. I haven't found any clues either," Xie Lingyun said.
"Is someone targeting the Yellow Heaven Dao?" Zhang Chen asked.
"Most likely," Xie Lingyun said, "But there are no clues as to who is targeting the Yellow Heaven Dao. However, in the Northern Lands, there are not many forces that can hide from the Surveillance and Investigation Department with such methods. The most likely is the Pingbian Royal Mansion, but the Pingbian Royal Mansion has no reason to do so."
Zhang Chen's eyes flickered when he heard this, but he didn't say anything more. Instead, he took out the Supreme Purity Handbook and said with a slightly embarrassed expression: "There's something I don't know how to tell Sister."
"What can't you and I say? In these Northern Lands, even if you poke a hole in the sky, I can cover for you," Xie Lingyun said nonchalantly.
Zhang Chen looked at Xie Lingyun, his eyes a little tangled: "It's just that something went wrong with this Supreme Purity Handbook."
"The Supreme Purity Handbook is damaged?" Xie Lingyun's eyes fell on the Supreme Purity Handbook.
"That's not it."
"As long as the Supreme Purity Handbook is not damaged or lost, even if it's a big problem, it's not a problem for me. Don't worry, I'll cover for you," Xie Lingyun patted her chest and guaranteed.