The words of the Flood Dragon Demon Old Monk gave Zhang Kui a headache.

But thinking about it, it made sense. These demons have explored the world far more than humans over thousands of years. How could they not have some protective means?

Even the original purpose of the Lanjiang Water Mansion to suppress the Buddha Mother of the Jialuo Race might not be so simple.

“What’s beneath the General’s Tomb?”

Thinking of this, Zhang Kui frowned and asked.

“This old monk has heard a little about it…”

The Flood Dragon Demon Old Monk shook his head slightly, “Speaking of which, the line of the General’s Tomb was once part of the human race, though a branch of the ancient human tribe, each born with celestial phenomena, extremely powerful.”

“Back then, their strongest was called General Tu Meng, who led the tribe to explore the Underworld and gained the Shadow Soldiers’ legacy.”

“But what emerged was a Demon Banner, full of spirituality. Within its demonic light, anomalies grew; all the clansmen mutated and turned on each other. Fortunately, General Tu Meng managed to suppress the Demon Banner with his life, although he also fell into slumber.”

“Those many capital corpses on the plains outside the General’s Tomb are remnants from that time, and those people now are remnants of soldiers from the post-war period.”

“This old monk suspects, after all these years, that the Demon Banner has likely long merged with General Tu Meng’s body. Once it emerges, it will cause chaos, so my young friend should proceed with caution.”

“Thank you, elder, for the advice.”

Zhang Kui was a bit speechless. He recalled using the Nether Soil stone coffin to explore the General’s Tomb, where the massive fleshy path at the bottom indeed held something eerie, which turned out to be this object.

Regarding the Underground Buddha Mother of the Lanjiang Water Mansion, the Flood Dragon Demon Old Monk also explained how to deal with it. The bizarre aspect of this thing lies in its hint of Buddha nature, undergoing endless calamities yet undying.

The pervasive Red Lotus Karmic Fire is its nemesis; the stronger the Buddha Mother, the purer the Red Lotus Karmic Fire will be. By then, if a trace of the Fire of Origin emerges, Zhang Kui can retrieve it.

This would be his reward, able to use the Karmic Fire to thoroughly refine the Buddha Mother’s remains, extracting that strand of Buddha nature, allowing the Flood Dragon Demon Old Monk to reincarnate and cultivate anew.

Zhang Kui suddenly understood their intention.

No wonder they dared not let others know; if the Buddha nature were extracted, the old monk would have the foundation for achieving the Dao upon reincarnation.

A straightforward deal, beneficial for both sides, Zhang Kui happily agreed.

After leaving the Lanjiang Water Mansion, Zhang Kui finally piloted the Dragon Ship towards Jiangzhou.

Initially, he considered sweeping the General’s Tomb away, but now it seems he will have to wait, at least until he finds out what’s the deal with that Demon Banner…

…

The sky was overcast and drizzling coldly, with rustling dry leaves casting a desolate mood. The continuous mountains in the distance loomed hazily, like a wash of ink.

This is the eastern wilderness mountain range of Jiangzhou. Because it is near the General’s Tomb, not even Demon Ghosts wish to approach, but now there was a human army at the mountain’s base, with camp tents stretching endlessly and warhorses neighing.

Inside the central army tent, several men in white robes and high crowns strode out, accompanied by Helian Wei in a black cloak.

As they walked, they emanated powerful energy, with raindrops avoiding them of their own accord. Leaves danced, their forms flickering, and they quickly reached the top of a nearby high mountain.

The leading man, thin-faced with dark eye sockets, took out a Compass, looking around with flashing divine light in his eyes.

His name was Lin Huan, originally a loose practitioner of the Astronomical Bureau, with an extraordinary talent for cultivation but obsessed with miscellaneous studies, having accompanied Elder Huayan on many tomb excavations.

When chaos erupted in Haojing, he happened to be exploring an Ancient Secret Realm, thus escaping disaster.

The Kaiyuan Divine Dynasty established the Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow Four Pavilions. The Profound Pavilion is responsible for archaeology, skill research, and magical artifact creation, perfectly aligned with his interests, and after joining, he quickly rose to the position of steward.

“Hiss…”

Lin Huan stared at the Compass, frowning.

“True Man Zhang said that the Qi Dynasty’s Secret Collection is here, yet the surrounding mountain terrain is scattered and the earth veins are chaotic, unlike a Secret Realm’s existence…”

Another man in white laughed and said, “Steward Lin, do not overthink. True Man Zhang has his calculations for sending us here; you will understand in time.”

Afterward, the group gazed further east, where vague blood-red clouds covered the sky, emitting a soaring evil qi and rolling thunder—this was where the General’s Tomb lay.

“Isn’t it a bit too close?”

Their eyes showed some fear, and a Profound Pavilion cultivator couldn’t help but mutter.

They were not adept at fighting, mainly focusing on research. The thought of conducting large-scale excavations next to the General’s Tomb made them quite nervous.

“There’s no need to worry, everyone.”

Helian Wei, also staring in the direction of the General’s Tomb, coldly stated, “This time, not only are two Mahayana Demon Marshals accompanying us, but True Man Zhang will also arrive soon. Just focus on your tasks and leave the rest alone.”

This formation… are they planning to fight?

The Profound Pavilion cultivators exchanged glances, their scalps tingling.

Now, Zhang Kui’s name is renowned throughout the world, and past events have become the most popular stories in teahouses. There are heroic versions of demon slaying, highly exaggerated narrative versions, and even the most popular sensational versions with female ghost fox demons…

But regardless of the version, every story begins with his hometown being ravaged by evil spirits, and True Man Zhang narrowly escaping.

In the past, storytellers made things up, talking about the Red-haired Demon Monarch or Black-faced Ghost King, but now everyone knows the name of that power: the General’s Tomb.

Are they really going to attack this time? Then why were we called here…

The group couldn’t help but let their minds wander.

Just then, a majestic voice came from the murky clouds above: “Praying for Clear Weather, disperse!”

Instantly, it was as if a giant hand was stirring heaven and earth; a sudden gust of wind blew fiercely, the drizzle stopped, and the overcast skies rapidly cleared away.

In the blink of an eye, the sky was clear and blue, the winter sun lazily cast its warmth, sparkling on the water droplets on the yellow, fallen leaves in the mountains.

A small dot rapidly approached from the thousands of meters high sky, it was the Dragonbone Divine Ship.

Seeing this astounding scene, everyone was shocked into silence, and Steward Lin Huan of the Profound Pavilion found his lips dry, “Praying for Clear Weather Divine Skill…”

Ever since Zhang Kui incorporated the Praying for Clear Weather and Praying for Rain skills into the Divine Path system, the incense offerings to the Divine Court Bell have been increasing at a visibly rapid pace.

After all, the people depended on the weather for their livelihood, and favorable weather was usually linked to national prosperity and peace. Although the autumn harvest was over, the Divine Skill still exerted its power.

For example, in Zezhou, it had been raining heavily for days, on the verge of becoming a flood disaster. In previous years, the people could only flee to the mountains, resulting in great casualties, but now, with dozens of cultivators holding a joint ceremony, the Taishi True God’s Golden Body descended, and a great disaster vanished without a trace.

Seeing this situation, everyone’s anxiety immediately dissipated. With True Man Zhang here, it was the General’s Tomb that should be concerned.

Zhang Kui naturally didn’t know what everyone below was thinking and instructed the Yellow Turban Warriors to slowly steer the Dragon Ship down.

He hadn’t summoned the Profound Pavilion idly; he had other plans in mind, intending to use the Qi Dynasty’s Secret Collection to train troops.

In this world, there are many ancient secret places, and almost all Forbidden Lands developed by inheriting remnants from ancient times.

The human race may have the Divine Path, but they can’t afford to miss opportunities. How could he find them all alone? The strength of the Profound Pavilion was naturally crucial.

Tomb Raider Captains, Faqiu Zhonglangs… For grave digging and treasure hunting, it obviously requires an organized system to be more effective.

……

As the Dragon Ship landed, everyone hurried forward.

“Greetings, True Man Zhang!”

“No need to stand on ceremony, everyone.”

Zhang Kui smiled slightly and didn’t hide it, explaining the reason he summoned them. After listening, everyone couldn’t help but feel a rush of excitement.

The Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow Four Pavilions each had their own unique qualities, but undoubtedly, they would be the pillars of the future Divine Dynasty. They never expected Zhang Kui to value them so highly and personally nurture them.

“We will surely live up to True Man Zhang’s expectations!”

Zhang Kui laughed heartily and tossed the Bronze Disc in his hand over, “This is a clue to the hidden treasures. I know nothing about the Qi Dynasty and can’t understand it. You’ll have to find it yourselves.”

Lin Huan hurriedly caught it and looked carefully, seeing the Bronze Disc mottled with green patina, densely inscribed with characters resembling tadpoles, vaguely forming a giant sun.

“Witch Language?!”

Lin Huan exclaimed involuntarily.

“Oh, you recognize it?”

Zhang Kui became interested. Although the main script of this world had changed, most could be recognized, implying that in ancient times, the universe was unified, and scripts were no exception.

But besides these, many secret scripts exist, such as Witch Language, Demon Language, Tian Language… Numerous ancient sects that disappeared also had their own inherited scripts.

Zhang Kui may possess a lot of cultivation knowledge, mostly force-fed by the system, but asking him to study these was genuinely demanding.

This was one of the reasons for establishing the Profound Pavilion.

Lin Huan scratched his head in distress, “Reporting to True Man Zhang, in some ancient sites, I’ve discovered links to ancient Witchcraft Path, and often encounter such tadpole-script inscriptions. However, I’ve only studied it a bit and am not proficient.”

“Then continue your research.”

Zhang Kui chuckled, “If you need people or resources, just ask. If you can take this opportunity to decode the Witch Language, it will be a great merit.”

Merit?

Everyone suddenly became excited, gladly accepting the task. They took the Bronze Disc into the big tent, requested materials, and invited experts, bustling about joyfully.

Zhang Kui smiled gently without interrupting.

He might not understand script deciphering, but he had his ways—cheating directly.

After the Golden Core Ninth Transformation last time, he still had over a hundred points left. He immediately leveled up the Land Recognition Skill to its maximum, with thirty-nine stars shining in his mind.

Land Recognition (Max Level): Passive Skill

Skill Description: The study of Feng Shui.

This time, the skill indoctrination lasted long, and vast knowledge of earth veins, spirit veins, and mountain and earth pivots was imprinted in his mind. Once his eyes reopened, the world was entirely different.

Zhang Kui could see that, even though the mountains and rivers appeared chaotic and disordered, they concealed the foundation of Yin Yang and the Five Elements transformations. The land was like a chessboard, with earth veins as the warp and woof, playing out endless marvels…

Suddenly, he frowned and turned to look in the direction of the General’s Tomb, where a surge of air and murderous aura rose skyward.

“Goodness, I haven’t even acted yet, and you’re already fighting among yourselves like mad…”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep