Daoist Competition

Zhang Yan was able to slay Guo and Pang, clearly demonstrating that his Divine Skills and Mana are extraordinary and should not be taken lightly.

Therefore, even the three elders of the Zhenluo Alliance had to give him face, even if they could not exploit him for the alliance, they did not wish to offend him over a minor matter.

After the three deliberated, Che Ziyi sent someone to deliver the message to Zhang Yan, agreeing to lend him the Earth Fire Sky Furnace, and also sent a Daoist boy to convey the Dharma Decree to both Wei Shudan and Liang Changgong, ordering them to assist Zhang Yan in refining the treasure, without disobeying the order.

Upon receiving the decree, Liang Changgong naturally had no objections.

Although Wei Shudan had some grumblings, he knew that his current status was due to the alliance’s efforts in grooming him, so he dared not defy the elders’ orders and promptly complied.

However, he had not met Zhang Yan beforehand and did not know what kind of Dharma Treasure materials he was to refine. At this point, he no longer cared about saving face, and proactively visited the Liang Mansion to inquire until he understood clearly.

Although the two were both Artifact Refining Experts, materials like these Great Demon Relics are hard to come by in the world and have never been sacrificially refined before. If they get damaged during the refining process, no one could bear the responsibility, so they needed to thoroughly prepare in advance.

After some communication, the two ordered their disciples to go out separately to purchase the necessary Treasure Materials.

Because many items were needed, some had to be collected from Pingdong Land and deep mountain gullies, resulting in more than one hundred disciples from the two mansions being sent out, while all other matters were postponed.

This caused a major stir, and everyone in the Zhenluo Alliance knew the two masters were about to jointly refine a Dharma Treasure, causing quite a commotion. After the news spread, many Artifact Refining enthusiasts traveled from afar just to observe the duo’s refining techniques.

Zhang Yan was not surprised upon hearing this.

He already knew in his heart that refining a top-notch Dharma Treasure is not something that can be accomplished within a year or a half, especially when borrowing the Earth Fire Sky Furnace, making it impossible to keep it hidden. Thus, during the treasure refining, he had to watch over to prevent any mishaps.

If someone covets in secret, there’s no need to think much, the only solution is the way of slaughtering.

Since entering this Flying Island, he has not ventured out, instead staying in the Dao Palace to concentrate on cultivation, waiting for the right time to refine the treasure.

Given his current Cultivation, absorbing ordinary Spiritual Energy offers little benefit to his cultivation practice. Fortunately, this Flying Island is floating above the Cloud Peak, where a section of the mountain peaks breaks through to the Extreme Sky, attracting Gang Ying Heavenly Sands from beyond the skies, sufficient for his cultivation.

On this day, at the hour of You, as usual, he awoke from meditation and was about to begin studying the Five Elements Escape Technique when suddenly he heard a voice outside saying, "Is True Master Zhang present? I am Liang Changgong, seeking an audience with the True Master."

Zhang Yan’s spirit lifted, smilingly saying, "So it’s Daoist Liang visiting. Please come inside to talk."

Liang Changgong stepped inside, and this time he did not come alone, for beside him was an elderly man in a cloth robe. Upon seeing Zhang Yan, the man stepped forward, clasping his hands, and said with a loud voice, "Greetings to True Master Zhang. I am Wei Shudan, paying my respects."

Zhang Yan noticed his tall stature, long arms reaching past his knees, a beardless white face, a pointed cone-like head, and long hair draping over his shoulders, giving him an unusual appearance compared to ordinary people. He could not help but take a few more glances, and said, "So Your Excellency is Daoist Wei, long heard of your great name. For this treasure refining, I will rely on both of you."

Wei Shudan quickly said, "How could the True Master say so? I dare not spare any effort."

Liang Changgong added, "True Master Zhang is too courteous. The two of us have come for this matter today. Now all Treasure Materials are already prepared, but we do not know when it would be best to start the furnace?"

Zhang Yan thought for a moment and asked, "Is there any particular saying regarding this?"

Liang Changgong replied, "For ordinary refining furnaces, we must align with the timing, sacrifice demons, but the Earth Fire Sky Furnace does not have such requirements. However, the first batch of Refining Fire requires the True Master to use your own Essence Blood for the sacrificial refinement. Once the furnace fire burns for seven days, we can begin refining."

Zhang Yan smiled slightly and said, "In that case, it’s better to do it now than later, I shall accompany both of you to ignite the furnace fire right away."

He swept his sleeve, gathering a swirl of Gang Flow, and the two were involuntarily brought along as they broke through the air, leaving the Feiyu Dao Palace in the blink of an eye.

The location of the Earth Fire Sky Furnace is in the Luqi Mountain, five hundred li outside Double Moon Peak. To prevent unauthorized entry, besides the Prohibition Array, there are hanging sky lanterns around it, with disciples arranged to patrol day and night.

In just a moment, Zhang Yan arrived at the mountain, collecting the Gang Flow, and the three landed on a hill.