I picked up skill fragments in the demon world

#364 - Mountain

For the major forces, the poor are like pigs. Why would they be willing to spend a lot of money on medicinal herbs?

"They're inhuman!" Zhang Chen complained in annoyance. These people spread their faith, but other than giving a little food, they don't do anything else, maximizing all value.

Zhang Chen put down his teacup and went downstairs, heading towards the Pingbian Royal Mansion.

As he walked, he gradually calmed down, thinking about the cause and effect. Countless clues, like spider silk, flickered and spread out in his mind.

"The Zhang family of the capital, the eight great families, the Pingbian Royal Mansion... It's really a big game of chess," Zhang Chen muttered to himself.

Zhang Chen increasingly felt that the various entanglements within were unusually complex.

He arrived at the Pingbian Royal Mansion, where a guard blocked Zhang Chen's path: "This is an important place of the Royal Mansion, and idlers are not allowed to linger."

"I am Zhang Chen of the Yellow Sky Dao, here to see Mr. Wuliu," Zhang Chen said.

The guard looked Zhang Chen up and down, then said, "Mr. Wuliu gave instructions long ago. Please follow me."

Zhang Chen followed the guard into the Pingbian Royal Mansion. This wasn't his first time entering the Pingbian Royal Mansion. Everywhere he looked, the Pingbian Royal Mansion was scarred and dilapidated from the fire. Countless craftsmen were diligently repairing the palace like bees.

Looking at the dilapidated palace, Zhang Chen knew clearly that he had a hand in the palace's current state.

He walked all the way to a house, where he saw Mr. Wuliu reciting scriptures.

"Sir, Zhang Chen has arrived," the guard said, standing outside the door.

Mr. Wuliu put down the scripture upon hearing this, then raised his head to look at Zhang Chen standing outside the door. After the two looked at each other for a moment, Mr. Wuliu didn't see fear in Zhang Chen's eyes and couldn't help but look surprised: "Boy, aren't you afraid?"

"Why should I be afraid?" Zhang Chen asked in return.

"This is the Pingbian Royal Mansion. As long as I give an order, thousands of armored soldiers will surround you and tear you to pieces. No matter how great your abilities, you will be buried here," Mr. Wuliu said coldly, as if he could explode at any moment.

"Heh heh, if the Prince wants to kill me, he only needs to issue an order to the Taoist temple, and someone will naturally take my life for the Prince. There's no need to send me down the mountain to kill me; that would be too much trouble." Zhang Chen directly stepped in from outside the door, sat opposite Mr. Wuliu, picked up the teapot, and poured himself a cup of tea, showing no fear at all.

If Zhang Chen hadn't eavesdropped on this guy and the Pingbian Prince's plans before, he almost would have believed the other party's bluff.

Mr. Wuliu looked at the unrestrained Zhang Chen in astonishment. Even with his temperament, he couldn't help but sigh at this moment: "As expected, dragons beget dragons and phoenixes beget phoenixes. This aspect of you is very similar to your father. Even if you rise from humble beginnings, you still have the air of a great family."

"When will you return my flying sword? As long as you return the flying sword to me, the cause and effect between us will be settled." Mr. Wuliu questioned Zhang Chen, but his words were much gentler: "Now that you have joined the Huangli Temple, you are also serving under the Prince. We can be considered allies in the same camp. I don't want to continue to entangle with you. As long as you hand over the flying sword, all our grievances will be written off. From now on, we will be friends."

He was afraid that Zhang Chen would die in the Pingbian Prince's ancestral grave, and then his flying sword would be completely lost. After he learned that Zhang Chen was hiding in the Huangli Temple to cultivate, he also sent people to Zhang Chen's residence to search, but who knew that they couldn't find the whereabouts of his flying sword, so he suspected that his flying sword was being suppressed and hidden by the other party.

"I don't have it!" Zhang Chen didn't appreciate it: "Don't talk so righteously. If you have the ability, just target me! I'm only afraid that you don't have the ability and don't dare to kill me!"

Mr. Wuliu's body trembled and his face twitched when he heard this. Even with his temperament, he was so angry that his heart was churning and he almost spat out a mouthful of old blood when he looked at Zhang Chen's appearance of 'I don't care, kill me if you have the guts'.

"You really think I don't dare?" Mr. Wuliu glared at Zhang Chen.

Zhang Chen stretched his neck out: "Come on! My neck is right here. Cut it off if you have the guts."

Mr. Wuliu closed his eyes and took a deep breath, but he really didn't dare to attack Zhang Chen. He didn't even dare to reprimand him, for fear that Zhang Chen would quit and ruin the big plan.

"The Little Prince already knows that you are cultivating in the Taoist temple, but now that the Little Prince has restored his appearance, he thinks you are a talent, so he sent word that as long as you serve the Royal Mansion well in the future, this matter will be considered settled. Spreading the word will also be a good story, setting an example for my Pingbian Royal Mansion and attracting more talents." Mr. Wuliu looked at Zhang Chen: "Your task this time is to go to the new Taoist temple to pray for the Pingbian Royal Mansion's ancestors and spread the faith to collect incense."

Zhang Chen quietly drank his tea without saying a word, only listening to Mr. Wuliu talking nonsense.

"Now you come with me and prepare to work in the Taoist temple. Currently, you are the only deacon in the Taoist temple, which is a bit lonely and deserted, but it's better because it's quiet. This is the Royal Mansion's test for you. Don't be unable to bear the loneliness and secretly run away."

Mr. Wuliu was afraid that Zhang Chen would not be able to bear the loneliness and would run away, ruining the big plan, so he kept brainwashing Zhang Chen and promising him a bright future: "The Little Prince values your methods very much. You should read more scriptures and study here for a while. In a few days, the Royal Mansion will have other important tasks for you. At that time, you will be able to make contributions and become a noble."

Hearing Mr. Wuliu's words, Zhang Chen sneered in his heart, but a hint of interest appeared on his face: "The Little Prince really forgave me? The Prince really values me and doesn't care about my criminal status?"

"What kind of person is the Prince? How could he be bound by a document from the imperial court." Mr. Wuliu stood up, tidied his clothes, and said: "Come with me."

The two walked out of the courtyard, and then Mr. Wuliu ordered more than three hundred armored soldiers to ride horses all the way to the Royal Mansion's ancestral veins.

Zhang Chen couldn't ride a horse, but he had the Dragon Qi on him, so the horse didn't dare to act presumptuously.

The group came to their destination. Zhang Chen looked into the distance and saw that the soaring anomaly in the mountains had disappeared without a trace. Even the aura had turned into nothingness. If he hadn't seen the earth-shattering anomaly with his own eyes before, he would have thought he was seeing things.

"The Pingbian Royal Mansion has good methods. How did they suppress the soaring aura?" Zhang Chen was surprised and uncertain.

Looking more closely, he saw thousands of laborers doing hard labor at the foot of the mountain, constantly clearing the open space. He saw that a flat area of five acres had already been cleared at the foot of the mountain.

A supervisor saw Mr. Wuliu arriving and hurried forward to pay his respects: "Greetings, Sir."

"How are the preparations going?" Mr. Wuliu asked.

"The land has been leveled and is now considered complete," the supervisor said respectfully.

Mr. Wu Liu nodded upon hearing this, and said with great satisfaction, "Go to the manor to receive your reward."

"Thank you, sir!" The foreman was overjoyed and quickly knelt on the ground to give another salute.

"Drive all the laborers out," Mr. Wu Liu instructed.

Upon hearing this, the foreman immediately gave the order and told his men to drive the laborers away. Before long, the entire open space was empty.

Mr. Wu Liu turned his head to look at Zhang Chen: "Boy, today I will open your eyes and let you see the methods of the Prince's Mansion. In the past, it was the Little Prince who didn't bother with you, so you didn't know how deep the foundation of the Prince's Mansion is. Today is a good day to let you see."

Then Mr. Wu Liu said to the guard beside him, "Someone, set up an incense table to worship the gods."

At Mr. Wu Liu's command, offering tables, memorial tablets, and sacrificial offerings such as livestock were all neatly arranged. Zhang Chen looked at the memorial tablet and saw five names engraved on it, representing the titles of five gods. However, these titles seemed familiar yet unfamiliar, with a strong family flavor.

The five memorial tablets were inscribed with:

Strongman: Gong Cheng.

Strongman: Liu Zhou.

......

Mr. Wu Liu recited the sacrificial text, and after offering sacrifices, he directly lit the sacrificial text on the spot. Then, the sacrificial text turned into a golden light and disappeared. Before long, there was a sudden exclamation, and the guards pointed to the distance, their faces filled with horror.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Chen quickly looked over and saw a black cloud floating in the distant sky. However, when Zhang Chen took a closer look, he couldn't help but be shocked. What black cloud was that? It was clearly a Taoist temple the size of three acres.

Five gods, surrounded by divine light, carried the Taoist temple and placed it on the cleared open space. The whole process was gentle and quiet, without any sound.

From the Taoist temple being moved to landing on the ground, it fit perfectly, without even a speck of dust being stirred up.

Mr. Wu Liu looked at the palace that had landed, his eyes filled with shock: "The power of gods is truly incredible." The next moment, his Yin spirit left his body to talk with the five gods, while Zhang Chen looked at Mr. Wu Liu's body at close range, a hint of killing intent revealed in his eyes. If he took the opportunity to attack Mr. Wu Liu at this time, Mr. Wu Liu would undoubtedly die. However, thinking of the creation within the earth vein, Zhang Chen still suppressed the restlessness in his heart. He could still distinguish what was more important.

After Mr. Wu Liu talked with the five gods, the five gods turned and left, disappearing into the blue sky. Then, Mr. Wu Liu's Yin spirit returned to his body, and after opening his eyes, he glanced at Zhang Chen: "Boy, do you now know the abilities and methods of my Pingbian Prince's Mansion?"

Zhang Chen revealed a shocked expression at the right time. Hearing Mr. Wu Liu's words, it was as if he had recovered from his senses. He stammered and dared not speak, looking at the Taoist temple with a complex expression, and then lowered his head.

"Let's go, come with me and take a look. This Taoist temple will be your residence from now on."

Mr. Wu Liu was very satisfied with Zhang Chen's expression, thinking that Zhang Chen was intimidated by the aura in front of him, and immediately felt that the depression in his heart had disappeared.

Then, Mr. Wu Liu led Zhang Chen to the front of the Taoist temple, and saw three characters written on the plaque of the Taoist temple: Helu Temple.

"This Taoist temple was a Taoist temple in the Northern Lands ten years ago. Its incense was still thriving, but unfortunately, it didn't know the general trend and blocked the Yellow Sky Sect from spreading its teachings. The Yellow Sky Sect slaughtered the Taoist temple overnight." Mr. Wu Liu stood in front of the gate and looked at the Taoist temple, sighing softly, his voice filled with emotion: "Later, it was taken into the Prince's Mansion and became the Prince's other courtyard for entertaining distinguished guests and enjoying the scenery."

"There are books in this Taoist temple, as well as various classics, all left by the former Helu Temple. You can read these books at will," Mr. Wu Liu said.

Zhang Chen nodded upon hearing this, his eyes sweeping across the Taoist temple in front of him, a strange look revealed in his eyes, because he had seen this Taoist temple before, it was the Taoist temple on the small island of the Pingbian Prince's Mansion, but it was not the Taoist temple with the Feng Shui Grand Formation. However, this Taoist temple was not simple either. As soon as Zhang Chen approached, he had already sensed that the flow of Feng Shui energy within it was not normal.

The two walked into the Taoist temple, and saw that the entire Taoist temple was a three-courtyard house, with countless palaces of all sizes, from the alchemy room to the kitchen, all fully equipped.

"You don't have to worry about purchasing supplies in the future. The Prince's Mansion will send people to bring you all the necessities of life. The only thing you have to do is to worship the ancestors of the Prince's Mansion enshrined in the main hall of the backyard. Without the permission of the Prince's Mansion, you must not leave the Taoist temple for half a step. I will send someone to keep an eye on you." Mr. Wu Liu paused here: "Don't think too much, the Prince doesn't want to put you under house arrest, but just thinks that since it is praying for blessings and chanting scriptures, it needs to be done day and night without interruption, and it needs to be done for a full three years."

Zhang Chen nodded upon hearing this: "I naturally know."

Then, Mr. Wu Liu led Zhang Chen to the main hall in the backyard, and saw hundreds of memorial tablets densely packed in front of the main hall, all of which were the ancestors of the Pingbian Prince's Mansion.

Mr. Wu Liu looked sideways at Zhang Chen, and said, "From tomorrow onwards, you will offer incense three times a day, morning, noon, and evening, without stopping once. Chant scriptures three times a day, without missing once. This is your task, and you must not slack off in the slightest!"

In his heart, he was thinking: 'The entire Taoist temple has been arranged by the Prince's Mansion for decades, and it has long been covered with a Feng Shui Grand Formation, and the key formation eye is in this main hall. As long as Zhang Chen lights incense and offers it to the main hall in front of him, the Feng Shui Grand Formation will be activated at the moment he inserts the incense, and the layout of the Pingbian Prince's Mansion will be completed. Zhang Chen, this kid, will become a sacrifice for the Little Prince. Sacrificing his own lifespan to fulfill the Little Prince's creation.'

Zhang Chen was not a fool. With his cultivation, he had of course noticed the clues, but at this time, Mr. Wu Liu was by his side, so he could not take a closer look.

Then, Mr. Wu Liu led Zhang Chen through all the main halls, introduced all the arrangements one by one, and then left in a hurry.

As Mr. Wu Liu left, the gate of the Taoist temple was tightly closed, and the whole world suddenly became quiet. Zhang Chen stood in the Taoist temple, his eyes looking at the layout of the Taoist temple in front of him, revealing a thoughtful look:

'Mr. Wu Liu said to the Pingbian Prince before that he would guide the mysterious creation aura in the dragon vein into my body, why don't I feel anything?'

He couldn't wait any longer!

This was a point score delivered to his door, a creation delivered to his door, there was no reason for him not to accept it.

Zhang Chen opened his Dharma Eyes and carefully looked at the Taoist temple in front of him, but he really didn't see anything unusual. Then he opened his Devouring Eyes, but there was still nothing unusual. He couldn't see any traces of the Feng Shui Grand Formation at all, which made Zhang Chen a little suspicious, could it be that the Pingbian Prince's Mansion had made a mistake.