"Protector Zhan, you truly disappoint me!"

The cold voice echoed from above.

The luxurious lady in palace attire slowly stood up, a fragrant breeze following her.

Zhan Li dared not lift his head.

There was an exceptionally divine aura surrounding the beautiful woman in palace attire; she wore a mask, yet her presence felt like that of a deity walking the earth.

Indeed, she was the emissary of a deity in the mortal realm.

She was personally chosen by Lady Honghua as the temple priest and was the Grand Host of the Red Flower Assembly, with profound cultivation.

At this moment, she seemed to resonate with the colossal Eight-armed Demon God Golden Body in the center of the temple.

In Zhan Li's eyes, she appeared as if a true deity had descended.

Zhan Li dared not utter a single complaint.

As he endured the pain, the faint light on the Golden Body of the Eight-armed Demon God flickered before gathering back within.

"Since you cannot handle it, you are no longer needed for this matter. I will assign someone else to deal with it!!"

"But mistakes come with punishments. From today onwards, you are relieved of your duties as Protector and demoted to a regular believer! You will no longer enjoy the blessing of Divine Power!"

Zhan Li heard this without raising his head, only saying, "Thank you, Grand Host, for your mercy!"

The Grand Host snorted coldly, her expression far from satisfied.

At this time, a thick, chilling aura emerged around her, and with a wave of her hand, a mass of dark, black energy swirled in the depths of the temple.

A moment later, a shadow silently and out of nowhere emerged from the darkness in the depths of the temple.

The shadow seemed to walk out from the wall, exuding a dark and obscure spiritual mechanism all over.

The moment this figure appeared, Zhan Li felt a chill in his heart.

Under the gaze of these exceptionally strange eyes, his blood seemed to freeze, and his heart stopped.

"Shadow Demon, you shall take care of this matter!"

"Yes!"

The depths of Shadow Demon's eyes were as dark as an ancient well, filled with intense resentment; in a moment, its figure disappeared from the room.

Seeing the Shadow Demon leave.

A faint smile appeared in the eyes of the beautiful woman in palace attire, and then her fox-like eyes turned to the goddess within the great hall.

"Lady, everything I do is for the foundation of our lineage. You need belief and incense, but I need destiny and a slight opportunity!"

"And if I don't establish my Foundation, how can you, Lady, enhance the incense offerings and continue to enjoy such reverence!"

...

Below Dragon Locking Pass, in a simple courtyard.

Rumble!! Rumble!!

This day, a muffled thunder sound emerged in the courtyard as a scarlet thunderbolt streaked across the void.

In the distance, a discarded millstone instantly turned to powder!

Zhang Jian watched this scene, a trace of scarlet light emerging in his eyes, with a glimpse of thunder leaping in his hand; after a month of refining, he finally further imprinted the Thunder Walking Technique into the depths of his Divine Thought.

Although he couldn't completely eliminate the influence of the talisman medium, he gradually touched the threshold.

How could this not make Zhang Jian feel joy?

Next, he merely needed to stabilize this talisman within his Divine Thought, imprint it into reality, and eventually accomplish the small goal of conjuring Celestial Thunder by hand.

The progress before his eyes was indeed swift.

After a month, with the aid of Divine Thought sensing, he gradually manipulated the Celestial Thunder with precision, estimating that his Thunder Attribute Spirit Root should be extremely excellent.

Even in ordinary times, his Divine Thought could faintly sense the omnipresent Power of Heaven and Earth Thunder.

This special perception is perhaps not something many cultivators can possess.

Additionally, regarding the use of the Dragon Pearl, he now had an idea; this month turned out to be quite fruitful.

With a smile on his face, Zhang Jian loved this feeling.

It's like delving into a new field and gradually moving from shallow to deep understanding.

He glanced around.

A month ago, he specifically sought out such a dwelling in front of Dragon Locking Pass; for many commoners, such a dwelling might be the least ideal living environment.

Because the noise is too loud.

The sound of flood discharge is overly noisy.

But for him, it was a treasure land, not only allowing him to refine his state of mind but also masking the thunderous noise generated by cultivating the Thunder Technique.

Zhang Jian glanced around, his eyes showing a hint of reluctance; if possible, he'd indeed wish to stay here a while longer, but unfortunately, Qi Yi's grand birthday was approaching, and he needed to put in some effort.

The reason being that Zhang Yi and Madam Zhang Qi sent word some time ago.

Asking him to find more thoughtful birthday gifts.

The cause was that Zhang Yi received news that for this birthday at the Qi Mansion, his concubines and uncles were 'not playing fairly,' preparing to outdo each other, so naturally, the Zhang Family had to prepare something extra.

Otherwise, relying solely on antiques found in ancient tombs might not outcompete others.

The Zhang Family now needed to leverage the Qi Family's influence to open the situation, even if they didn't need the Qi Family's force in the future, but at least they couldn't let the Qi Family become an obstacle, so Zhang Yi temporarily asked him to be more thoughtful.

...

Zhang Jian planned to stroll through several old streets in Fengyang County.

As Zhang Jian returned to the Qi Mansion, he saw a graceful, beautiful young girl approaching, dressed exquisitely. The girl wasn't very old, with twin buns; spotting Zhang Jian, her bright eyes shone as she greeted him first.

"Brother Zhang!"

"Linlang?"

Zhang Jian had long spotted this cousin, a slight smile on his face, yet there was something odd in his eyes. Nonetheless, he nodded and smiled, "Is the Gu Family's younger sister preparing to go see the flowers in the garden?"

Gu Linlang, with pure eyes, fixed her gaze on Zhang Jian and said, "Brother Zhang, I heard the Golden Chrysanthemums in the garden are blooming exceptionally brilliantly. I want to see them. Brother Zhang, why don't we go enjoy the flowers together?"

She did not shy away from Zhang Jian's gaze, with a look of longing in her eyes.

Zhang Jian shook his head and smiled, "I'm afraid I must decline Linlang's kind offer. Today I've already arranged with a few peers from the commandery to visit the Iron Immortal Temple in the east of the city for a prayer, so this might be..."

Zhang Jian politely declined.

Gu Linlang pouted, "What a pity!"

Zhang Jian laughed as he noticed, "Meeting next time isn't a problem!"

Zhang Jian still felt somewhat helpless at heart.

Ever since the first encounter at a family banquet, this cousin of the Gu Family frequently invited him. Zhang Jian was somewhat aware of her intentions, but he didn't feel inclined to engage.

Although Gu Linlang wasn't considered a highly opportunistic noblewoman, it was likely her family's elders' demands, yet he didn't have the time or inclination to get involved.

However, he hadn't expected the Gu Family to seriously consider an alliance through marriage with the Zhang Family now.

Zhang Jian found it somewhat amusing. Since when had he become a sought-after prize, with daughters of such noble families proactively showing interest?

However, if the Gu Family were to marry into the Zhang Family, it would certainly be a big win for them.

Not even counting the current power and influence of the Zhang Family, merely the existence of two cultivators within it was beneficial for the current Gu Family, akin to delivering coal in a snowy weather.

But for the Zhang Family, the Gu Family wasn't the sole option.

The 'accidental encounter in the garden' swiftly reached the ears of those perceptive to such matters.

Inside the second household

Madam Qi Wan frowned slightly. Gu Linlang's repeated attempts to approach Zhang Jian naturally didn't escape her notice or certain attentive members within the Qi Family.

Madam Qi Wan couldn't understand why the Gu Family, disregarding differences in status, would have their noble daughter stoop low just to interact with an outsider male. It seemed somewhat unbelievable.

As a noble commandery, the Gu Family's influence wasn't inferior to the Qi Family's.

While Zhang Jian was considered outstanding, with a noble girl of the Gu Family's status, she could entirely set her sights on those high-ranking officials or among noble families.

Were the Zhang Family, these local nobles, though somewhat wealthy, truly appealing enough?

"Even a young advanced scholar with potential, it would at least take over a decade, or even decades, to make an impact..."

Madam Qi Wan pondered but still felt it necessary to intervene to some extent.

Zhang Jian was 'the best son-in-law candidate' in her eyes.

Even if he were to be given to the Gu Family, it should only be after her two daughters had made their decision.

It was absolutely unacceptable for others to interfere!

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