Chapter 35

"Xuanyuan Neican Miaolu" is an unparalleled method for opening the meridians, a true tradition of ancient mysticism, but those who succeed are easily envied by heaven. After achieving success, a thunderbolt will descend, not harming the body, not injuring the soul, not terrifying the mind, not disturbing the spirit, but producing a thunderous sound, a calamity of the five elements, shaking the foundation of the cultivator and blocking the path to heaven.

Those who cannot avoid it will lose all their previous efforts, and their hard work will be in vain, leaving them with no hope of cultivation.

However, the creation of heaven and earth is wondrous, and there is always a glimmer of hope. Before the thunderbolt descends, there are subtle signs. If the one facing the calamity has a way to deal with it, they can avoid the disaster and achieve the mystic power.

Zhang Yan had been informed of the secrets by Luo Xiao in advance. When the weather changed, he sensed it and knew that a thunderbolt would soon come to ruin his cultivation and foundation.

"Daoist friend, please hide quickly!"

Luo Xiao's expression turned serious. She and Zhang Yan had taken a blood oath, and if one died, the other would die as well. If Zhang Yan's cultivation was destroyed, she would have no hope of immortality. With a life span of only a hundred years, how could she tolerate this? Therefore, when the thunderbolt approached, she became anxious. Black mystic light swept across the ground, and she immediately dug a shallow pit in the cave, just large enough for one person to lie in.

Zhang Yan did not hesitate. He sealed his senses with primordial essence and lay down in the pit. Luo Xiao quickly covered him with broken stones and loose soil.

After everything was done, thunder suddenly roared in the sky, the sound making Luo Xiao's heart tremble.

The thunder was powerful and grand, different from ordinary thunder. The sound of lightning actually penetrated the layers of the cave, as if it were right next to her ear.

Fortunately, there was only a loud noise, no lightning or fire. Even so, as a demon cultivator, Luo Xiao instinctively feared the heavenly thunder.

At this moment, she realized why the two clam kings had not been seen. They must have sensed the approaching thunderbolt and found a place to hide. This terrifying thunder made even her uneasy, let alone the two unenlightened demons.

Seven days later, the thunder finally subsided.

Without waiting for Luo Xiao to dig him out, Zhang Yan leaped out of the ground. In that instant, he suddenly felt his body become lighter, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. A different kind of energy began to grow deep within him, like the force of life when all things sprout, unstoppable and irresistible, breaking through the soil with him.

Only then did his cultivation reach perfection, crossing the first gate of the great path.

At this moment, he turned his head and saw the two clam kings had flown back, perched at the cave entrance, chirping mournfully. They clearly knew the mystic pearl was gone. However, after fighting with Du Bo, they were not unscathed. After losing the mystic pearl and being frightened by the thunderbolt, they were now listless and weak.

Luo Xiao's eyes twinkled, and she said, "Daoist friend Zhang, why not take these two clam kings while you have the chance, find a new spiritual place to settle, and in a year or two, you will have another clam field, and perhaps even another mystic pearl."

Zhang Yan shook his head. "Not a good idea. The yin clam is the property of the Lingcang Sect. If I take it, not only the Du family but also the Lingcang Sect will investigate this matter, which would involve too many people. It's better to stop at an appropriate point. However..." He paused and continued, "The tunnel created by the yang clam is too obvious. When the Du family and the Lingcang Sect come to investigate, they will surely discover it. This will not only make the nearby clam field unsafe but also reveal the matter of the mystic pearl. We need to find a reliable method to prevent this."

In his view, they needed to create a false impression that Du Bo had killed the twelve people, but the specific reasons did not need to be too clear, leaving the investigators to puzzle over it.

If the matter of the mystic pearl were to leak, it would provide a clear target and narrow the scope, which would be disadvantageous to him. Therefore, not only the yang clam but also all the spiritual clams in the nearby clam field needed to be taken away.

"This is simple. Unlike the yin clam, the yang clam likes to move its nest. We can find a new place to settle it." In Luo Xiao's view, the formation of a mystic pearl is a rare event, and taking the yang clam would not immediately connect to this matter. As for the spiritual clams, she now had a spatial bag, so handling them would not be a problem.

The good thing was that the twelve people were killed by Du Bo himself, making him the first suspect for both the Du family and the Lingcang Sect.

However, this person was already dead, and after opening the meridians, a cultivator is half a step into the realm of immortals, not easily found by divination. Therefore, this matter would likely end without resolution.

As for Zhang Yan, with his strength, no one would suspect him. A mere cultivator who had not yet opened his meridians, if someone said he did this, it would be laughed off as a joke.

After discussing, the two immediately swept away all the spiritual clams from the yang clam's location. With tens of thousands of spiritual clams, a single spatial bag could not hold them all, and Luo Xiao had to make several trips to handle it. As for the yang clam, she found a new cave thousands of miles away while it was weak and placed it there.

However, the clam kings were skilled at moving underground and could not be contained for long. So she took a drop of her blood, which would allow her to track the clam wherever it went, to prevent it from finding the yin clam again.

After everything was handled, Zhang Yan could not immediately return to the sect. He still had an important matter to deal with: finding a reasonable explanation for his meridian opening.

The jade liquid pools were either held by major sects or privately owned by mystic families.

Meridian opening could not be done without a jade liquid pool. In the eyes of his seniors and peers in the sect, Zhang Yan was not from a mystic family, so how could he achieve meridian opening after a trip down the mountain? The cultivation method could be explained as a gift from a senior, which others could not achieve, but he could. Others could only say it was his good fortune.

However, the jade liquid pool was a necessary part and needed a reliable explanation to avoid suspicion.

Zhang Yan had already planned this in advance.

After Lady Cao Ying of Linchuan County sent a thousand pounds of divine sand, she mentioned that a disciple of the Beichen Sect, who had previously been persistent in pursuing her, changed his attitude after learning that Cao Ying had connected with Zhang Yan. He became extremely polite and even visited her, asking for an opportunity to meet Zhang Yan.

The Beichen Sect was a second-rate sect, far inferior to the Lingcang Sect, but it still had a foundation, having established a cave heaven and blessed land. Zhang Yan planned to use this person.

Moreover, since this person was eager to connect with him, he must have some ulterior motive. If Zhang Yan asked him to find a jade liquid pool, he would likely not refuse.

After opening his meridians, Zhang Yan was not in a hurry. Since Luo Xiao was a demon cultivator, traveling in broad daylight would attract unwanted attention, so they decided to stay in a nearby town and send a letter to Lady Cao Ying's residence.

A few days later, the Beichen Sect disciple hurriedly arrived.

His name was Yan Zhenping, about thirty-five years old, with a short beard on his chin, wearing a crimson robe with crane patterns, a headband, and black boots. His attire did not look like that of a cultivator but rather a noble official.

Upon seeing Zhang Yan, he immediately showed a fawning attitude. Without asking for a reason, he said, "In the Beichen Sect, there are several declining families with jade liquid pools but not high status. I will find a few for you."

Zhang Yan said indifferently, "No need for too many."

Yan Zhenping, being quick-witted, immediately understood and said, "I will make sure to satisfy you."

About ten days later, Yan Zhenping brought a middle-aged man who looked like a farmer to meet Zhang Yan.

This man was very perceptive, knowing what not to hear or ask. After bringing the man, he immediately left, and Zhang Yan nodded, thinking he might be useful.

"I am a disciple of the Lingcang Sect's lower academy and need to use your family's jade liquid pool."

Upon revealing his identity, the middle-aged man was surprised, then became even more respectful, but there was a hint of nervousness in his expression. "If the immortal master needs it, how can I refuse? Please use it as you wish, but..."

Yan Zhenping had already told him that this was a guest from a major sect, but he did not expect it to be the Lingcang Sect, one of the sixteen major sects in Donghua Continent. As a lower academy disciple, he could be a direct descendant of a mystic family and a future pillar of the sect, owning a cave heaven and blessed land. He dared not offend him, and even the Beichen Sect could destroy his entire clan with a wave of the hand.

Seeing his hesitation, Zhang Yan asked, "What is the difficulty?"

The middle-aged man did not dare to look up and said in a low voice, "Our Han family has produced many great cultivators in the past, and one ancestor even transcended the void. Therefore, we have a first-class jade liquid pool. However, in the past hundred years, no one in our family has become a foundation-building cultivator. By my generation, it has been reduced to a fourth-class pool. I don't know if it meets the immortal master's requirements."

Zhang Yan was not concerned. "It's fine. As long as it can be used. In exchange for using your family's jade liquid pool, you can ask for anything, and I will help you once."

The jade liquid pool's stone fetus needs to be cultivated for a hundred to a thousand years to gradually improve its class. If this man said it had been sealed for a hundred years but only reduced to a fourth class, it was likely a first-class pool. However, Zhang Yan did not care; he just needed a cover to explain his meridian opening.

The middle-aged man hesitated several times and finally gathered his courage to say, "If a member of my family is suitable for cultivation in the future, I hope the immortal master will help him." After saying this, he was anxious, wondering if the other party would be angry.

Zhang Yan looked at him. This man was clever. If he succeeded in cultivation and a member of his family was suitable, he could help them enter the Lingcang Sect, a significant step up. This was a good deal.

"Agreed!" Zhang Yan immediately said, "I will help one member of your family enter the sect within two hundred years. As for their future, it depends on their own efforts."

The middle-aged man was overjoyed and bowed deeply. "Thank you, immortal master." After standing up, he added, "Please follow me. The jade liquid pool is in the Yinluo Mountain, only two days' journey from here."

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