Mr. Wuliu was taken aback: "How could this happen?"

Currently, the fortunes of the Northern Land are rising, and with the Incense Qi of the Yellow Heaven Dao, theoretically the Ancestral Vein in the North should continuously grow stronger. So, why is it not only not strengthening, but instead continually declining?

This is very abnormal!

"Could it be because of the great drought causing the people to suffer, leading to a decline in the fortunes of the Northern Land and thus backlashing on the foundation of the Ancestral Vein?" Mr. Wuliu looked at Gu Mingyue, his voice filled with uncertainty.

Hearing Mr. Wuliu's words, Gu Mingyue scratched his head, somewhat puzzled, and said, "Perhaps."

He couldn't find the reason either. After all, the Dragon Vein Qi inherently forbids all Ten Thousand Techniques, unless it is specifically restrained by the Dragon-slaying Technique, otherwise ordinary Daoist Techniques and Divine Techniques cannot approach the Dragon Vein.

Despite the prowess of a Yang God realm expert capable of splitting mountains, their strikes do not reach the key areas guarded by the Dragon Vein, only splitting ordinary mountains.

Meanwhile, Zhang Chen stood in front of the Eight Trigrams Furnace, carefully sensing the Qi Mechanism within, and saw that under the flame of the Eight Trigrams Furnace, the earth-yellow sphere merely broke apart a single prohibition.

All the prohibitions on the small ball were integrated; breaking one prohibition meant that the ball's prohibitions couldn't withstand any longer. Henceforth, as the Eight Trigrams Furnace's flame continued to burn, and as openings in the prohibitions appeared, the breaking would become increasingly rapid.

"How long have I been in seclusion this time?" Zhang Chen asked.

Fox Fairy Nannan extended a finger, and seeing this, Zhang Chen's heart skipped a beat: "A year?"

"A month," Fox Fairy Nannan corrected.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen froze, his eyes full of disbelief: "Impossible! How could it only be a month?"

He had been unconscious in the Underworld for some time, and by his estimation, it should have been at least a month!

Then, a saying from his previous life came to mind: 'One day in Heaven, one year on Earth,' leading him to question if it might indicate that the time flow was different between this world and the Underworld.

"It is not entirely impossible! Back when I was avoiding the pursuit of Innate Mosquitoes in the Underworld, I must have been on the run for at least a month, plus the time I spent unconscious, the timelines just don't match. Perhaps the difference in time flow is the only explanation now." Zhang Chen thought to himself.

Leaving for a month could easily be explained at the Daoist Temple; he could simply say that he was delayed by some matters with Xie Lingyun.

The only worrying issue was his conspicuous white hair, and yet there was no good way to cover it. After all, there was no hair dye in this world. Using cloth dye would not work either, as it would run with sweat and couldn't hide the color.

After much thought but arriving at no way to conceal it, Zhang Chen could only tie his hair to reduce its volume, making it less noticeable.

After dealing with his hair, Zhang Chen instructed Fox Fairy Nannan to "Take care of the cave abode," and then transformed into a Vampire Bat, disappearing into the world.

Now that Zhang Chen's Blood Control Technique has advanced to the fifth tier, he immediately sensed the difference. After turning into a bat, although it was still the size of a rooster, golden yellow patterns shone on its wings. These golden patterns emitted a mystical fluctuation, continuously absorbing the Power of the Great Sun from the sky.

"The Vampire Bat's bloodline is impressive! After my bloodline evolved, it can now absorb the Power of the Great Sun?" Zhang Chen flapped his wings, and all sunlight within a twenty-meter radius twisted into beams and was absorbed by his wings.

From afar, it appeared as if a twenty-meter black hole was moving across the sky, very conspicuous and eye-catching.

"Absorbing the Great Sun Essence doesn't seem to affect me much, at least I can't see any benefits right now." Zhang Chen quickly restrained his sunlight absorption skill, gathered his Qi Mechanism, and flew low-key like a large bird among the mountains.

Currently, there are countless talents and experts converging in the Northern Land. Zhang Chen had to act discreetly, not daring to display any ostentation.

Silently, he reassembled his form in the dense forest outside the Daoist Temple, then leisurely wandered the mountains for a bit before openly heading towards the mountain gate.

Zhang Chen was a disciple of the Daoist Temple, often seen with Xiaodouding, and was quite a familiar figure within the temple. As he walked along, fellow disciples kept greeting him.

At this moment, pilgrims continuously ascended the mountain to offer Incense, and Zhang Chen unobtrusively blended in with them as he entered the Daoist Temple. He suddenly heard a distant shout:

"Zhang Chen, you've been absent from morning class this month, what have you been doing?"

Ying Zhoushu, the steward of Yellow Heaven Dao, walked out from a corridor with a stern face, calling out to Zhang Chen from afar.

Seeing Zhou Xu, Zhang Chen couldn't help but feel his scalp tingle; this was an iron-faced impartial person who adhered strictly to rules.

"Disciple... Disciple was suddenly called down the mountain by Xie Lingyun and was delayed for a month. I didn't have time to ask for leave, I hope the steward won't blame me." Zhang Chen had already thought of a plan in his heart.

Hearing this, Zhou Xu looked Zhang Chen up and down. His face revealed no emotion, but when he noticed Zhang Chen's unease, he patted Zhang Chen's shoulder: "Zhang Chen, rules must not be broken! Even if you have something that prevents you from attending, you must ask someone to take your leave. You have gained the favor of Hundred Households Xie, but don't let it get to your head. Hundred Households Xie's favor is purely personal preference; she can favor you and she can favor others too. Train diligently, and cultivate your own skills. Being low-key is the true preference."

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