In front of the pavilion, a servant boy saw Zhang Yan coming out and bowed, saying, "Shang Zhen, Just Now, there's a jade letter delivered to you, asking for Shang Zhen to take a look."
Zhang Yan stopped in his tracks and said, "Let me take a look."
The servant boy quickly took out the jade letter, bent over, and placed both hands on top of it.
Zhang Yan took it and opened it. It was a letter of greeting, and at the end of it, it was written "Song Wuwei". These days, not only did he read the local records, he also tried to understand the Luo Mountain Monastery that he was about to deal with. This Song Wuwei was one of the ten Shang Zhen of the monastery under the sect master, and he had also cultivated to the second stage, a cultivator who had cut off his past body.
He suddenly had a feeling that this person might be of help to him, so he took out a Jade Talisman from his sleeve and handed it to him, saying, "Send this talisman to Fellow Daoist Song's abode. If he comes, quickly report to me."
The servant boy said respectfully, "I'll remember."
Zhang Yan waved his sleeve and dismissed him. He then walked to the front of the pavilion. There was a clear stream here, and there were many beautiful flower petals drifting down from the upper reaches. If that was all, it would be normal. Every petal had an inscription carved on it, but the content was obscure, making it impossible for anyone to understand its meaning.
He looked up and saw a tall mountain. The peak of the mountain was shrouded by a ball of hazy clouds. With his cultivation, it was easy for him to force his way through, but since he was here as a guest, it was not appropriate for him to do so. Thus, he said, "Men."
There was a flash of light, and the Array Spirit appeared, bowed and said, "Shang Zhen, do you have any orders?"
Zhang Yan raised his sleeve and pointed upwards. "What's the upper reaches of this place?"
The Formation Spirit took a look and replied, "Shang Zhen, this place used to be the yard of a Spiritual Master with the surname Ruan. However, this Spiritual Master didn't have any descendants. Back then, he only kept some strange monsters that were captured from the outer world. After the Spiritual Master reincarnated, these strange monsters stayed here for his sake. Over the years, they have all died off. Only an old bull named 'Crooked Horse' is still there. Because it is honest, the Immortal Masters in the sect let it live out its retirement here. If it disturbs Shang Zhen, I will teach it a good lesson or drive it out."
Zhang Yan was slightly moved as he asked, "In that case, this old bull isn't from Xuan Hongtian?"
The formation spirit replied, "Yes."
Zhang Yan nodded and took another look at the clouds on the mountain peak. His gaze was deep and profound. He didn't ask any more questions and admired the beautiful scenery along the river for a while before returning to the pavilion to cultivate.
On the second day, the child came to report that Spiritual Master Song had arrived.
Zhang Yan ordered, "Invite Spiritual Master Song in."
After the boy left to pass on the order, he sat for a while and then came out of the hall. He came to the door of the hall and waited for a while. Soon, he saw a handsome Daoist with a jade hairpin in his hair walk in.
Zhang Yan raised his hand and bowed, "This must be Daoist Song, I greet you."
Spiritual Master Song looked at him and bowed back, "I dare not, Daoist Zhang is greeting me."
Zhang Yan smiled and turned around, "Daoist, please come in and talk."
The two entered the room and sat down. The formation spirit came up to serve them tea.
Daoist Song waited for the teacup to be set up. He picked it up and took a sip before putting it down. He said, "I came here to say one thing." His gaze focused on Zhang Yan's face. "Fellow Daoist, you really shouldn't have come here."
Zhang Yan's expression was normal as he said, "Oh, why do you say that? Can you tell me the reason?"
Spiritual Master Song stared at him and said, "Do you know that before you came, the sect was preparing to use the divine item to make a fuss? Our sect's Spiritual Master He could have used it to reach the sky in one step and our Luo Mountain Monastery could have avoided a calamity. But because of you, this plan didn't come to fruition. Our Luo Mountain Monastery might even have gained an enemy because of this. If that's the case, how would the people of our Luo Mountain Monastery be willing to hand over the divine item to you?"
Zhang Yan smiled and said, "If not for this, would you have smoothly handed the divine item to I?"
Spiritual Master Song chuckled and said with a hint of self-mockery, "I don't think they were willing. After all, they've guarded it for millions of years and have long regarded it as their own." He stood up and said, "There are many pros and cons to this. You're only one person after all. Don't let this delay you."
After saying that, he cupped his hands and said no more. He turned around and left.
Zhang Yan sent him off with a pensive look on his face. He could see the true intentions of this person. He was clearly here to advise him, but in reality, he was deliberately revealing a lot of information to him. However, why did he do this? This was something worth pondering.
It was very likely that this information was not difficult to obtain. Even if the other party did not tell him, he would learn about it sooner or later. However, the significance of being informed in advance was different. If he feared the power of Mount Luo Monastery and wanted to retreat, there would naturally be less conflict. But if he had some means to force the Mount Luo Monastery to submit, or if the two sides were to fight in the future, it could be considered as leaving him some face here in advance.
However, he had already made up his mind. No matter what the other party did, as long as they did not openly fight, it would not affect him much.
After thinking about it, he waved his sleeves, got up, and returned to the inner chamber. He continued to meditate.
A few days later, while he was sitting and observing, he suddenly sensed something. His eyes flashed, and a cloud of mist suddenly flew in from outside. He saw a strange face rushing left and right, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not get out.
Seeing that the mist was shrinking, the strange face revealed a look of panic and begged for mercy, "Please spare me, please spare me. I have no ill intentions. I'm only here to deliver a letter."
Zhang Yan made the mist dissipate a little, and said calmly, "Who are you, and who are you delivering the letter for?"
The ghost face said, "Please forgive me for not knowing your name, master. I was ordered to come here to tell you something."
Zhang Yan did not say anything, but looked at it calmly.
The ghost face quivered, and did not dare to hesitate. The space between its eyebrows opened, and a curtain of light shone down, on which many words flashed.
Zhang Yan looked at it. It was talking about what Spiritual Master Song had said not long ago, but it was more detailed, and the cause and effect were clearly explained, as if everything had happened personally.
After the ghost face released the light, its eyes became dull. When the light faded, its body trembled, and turned into green smoke. In a few breaths, it completely disappeared, leaving no trace from beginning to end.
Zhang Yan did not do anything. This was an arrangement made by the owner of the letter. This person's skills were not weak, and there were only a few people in Xuanhong Heaven who could do such a thing. As for the purpose, there were too few clues, and it was still unclear.
He thought to himself, "So Mount Luo Monastery originally arranged for He Xianyin to be Daoist companions with the Heavenly Daughter of Zhiwang, and the two of them would work together on the divine item. This way, even without the title of guarding the divine item, with Heavenly Daughter of Zhiwang as an ally, they could still ensure the peace of Xuanhong Heaven. If He Xianyin was lucky enough to achieve something with this item, there would be no need to fear external enemies."
This was a good plan, but it was a pity that he was not the fated person like the founding master said, and was destined to not get the item. Otherwise, the Mystic Stone would not have returned to its owner after it was taken out.
Spiritual Master Song had mentioned He Xianyin previously, and did not mention the matter with Heavenly Daughter of Zhiwang. It seemed that they were from the same sect, and so he stopped there.
While he was thinking, the child outside the door said, "Shangzhen, Wanzhen is here."
Zhang Yan raised his head and said, "Please come in."
Not long after, Venerable Wan walked in. After greeting him, Venerable Wan sat down and handed him a jade slip. He said, "This contains all the records related to Mountain Lord Che Yan. Venerable Wan can take a look."
Zhang Yan accepted it, glanced at it, and put it to the side. He said with a smile, "I heard that you want to do a few things for I, but I don't know how many. Can you give me a specific number so that I can have a plan?"
"This …"
Wanzhen Zhenren could not help but hesitate. Mount Luo Monastery had come up with these excuses to make things difficult for Zhang Yan. But if they were to give an accurate list of the specific things, and if the Spiritual Master really succeeded, then wouldn't they be trapped in a cocoon of their own making? This was not his groundless worry. Zhang Yan was a fated person who was guided here by the Great Underworld Patriarch. Who knew if he had some powerful tricks up his sleeves?
Seeing his troubled appearance, Zhang Yan became even more certain of his judgment. He smiled and said, "If it's not possible, it's fine. I was just asking casually."
Wanzhen Zhenren sighed in relief, cupped his hands, and said, "Thank you for your understanding, Fellow Daoist. There are some things that I cannot decide on my own." He paused, then said, "But when I return, I will think of a way to convince my fellow sect members and give you a definite answer."
Zhang Yan's expression was carefree. He said, "It's fine. In a few days, it's very likely that I will go to the hiding place of that vicious demon to investigate. It's just that I'm not one of your people, so it's inconvenient for me to come and go. Do you have a letter of communication with me?"
Wanzhen Zhenren was very generous this time. He said, "I've already prepared it for you." He took out a jade disk from his sleeve and handed it over.
Zhang Yan took the jade disk and looked at it a few times. Wanzhen Zhenren had given it to him so easily. This item was probably not as simple as a letter of communication. It also had the function of monitoring his whereabouts at any time.
However, this was not a problem. He did not plan to do anything within the sphere of influence of Xuanhong Heaven. Once he went beyond the heavens, he would not need this item anymore.
Wanzhen Zhenren saw that all the items had been delivered and said his goodbyes. Zhang Yan did not urge him to stay and stood up to send him off. Then, he returned to his residence and sat down. He picked up the jade slip and scanned it with his consciousness. The records inside were extremely detailed. It included Mountain Lord Che Yan's cultivation time, his cultivation progress, what kind of divine abilities he had, what kind of strength he had, and where he usually lived.
However, now that he understood Mount Luo Monastery's goal, he naturally would not continue down this path. Because continuing on this path was destined to be fruitless. As for the information on this jade slip, it was not without value. At the very least, it let him know that there was definitely something wrong with this Mountain Lord Che Yan. If he were to meet him in the future, he would have a good idea.
On the other hand, in the lower realm where Mountain Lord Che Yan resided, there was a "side branch" that Mount Luo Monastery mentioned. He could take this opportunity to pay a visit.
… …
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