In the beginning, he was ranked alongside An Shigeng as a spoiled brat.

In my short ten years in this mortal realm, I have been blessed with great fortune and have collected many treasures.

As he spoke, Zhang Xiaoshan raised his hand and summoned three treasures—

The Thunder and Fire Order of the Capital, the Mirror of the Five Emperors for Subduing Demons, and the Banner of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements!

These are all top-tier magical artifacts, in no way inferior to the Four Symbols Demon-Subduing Mirror before them, and perhaps even superior, beyond comparison.

For a moment, Qingwei looked at Zhang Xiaoshan with surprise in her eyes.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Xiaoshan gained so much from this experience. In comparison, the Four Symbols Demon Subduing Mirror was of little help to him.

However, with a value comparable to top-tier magical artifacts, even the Five Elders of Shu Mountain couldn't help but admire Zhang Xiaoshan's generosity.

Thump! Thump! Thump...

The nine tolls of the bell were the signal for the disciples to assemble.

Normally, the nine-ringed bell is only heard during major events such as demon attacks on mountains or sacrificial rites for succession.

However, at this time, the Five Elders decided to select most of the elite disciples of Mount Shu to go down the mountain to help Zhang Xiaoshan build a dam. After all, it was right at their doorstep, and they could provide timely support if anything happened.

As for the safety of Mount Shu?

The reason why Mount Shu stands firm is not only because of these old guys, but also because of the incredibly powerful Mount Shu Sword Formation.

Three thousand sword immortals emerge from Mount Shu!

Streaks of light streaked across the sky, shaking all the demons and monsters in the Shu Mountain region.

A cultivator who can fly on a sword through the nine heavens is at least an elite disciple at the Golden Core level.

Even with their overwhelming sword aura and the resonance created by mutual support, the three thousand sword immortals of Mount Shu must be at least at the ninth level of Qi Refining to be able to traverse tens of thousands of miles with their swords.

This shows how terrifying the strength of the Shu Mountain sect is; on the surface, it is in no way inferior to the Kunlun Taoist sect or the Shu Mountain and Emei sects!

"Fellow Daoist Chunyang, what should we do?"

The three thousand disciples of Mount Shu were all dressed in flowing white robes, exuding an air of otherworldly elegance.

Xu Changqing, the eldest disciple of Shushan, was extremely handsome and had a gentle and refined temperament.

The dozen or so direct disciples of Mount Shu, all of whom were at the Golden Core stage, looked at Zhang Xiaoshan with dissatisfaction but were mostly puzzled about what he was up to.

Even the Five Elders of Shu Mountain had to temporarily obey Zhang Xiaoshan's orders, which shows that their plan was quite ambitious.

"Senior Brother Xu, the tasks for all of you today are very simple: reinforcing steel bars, refining cement, and preparing sand and gravel!"

The surrounding area is surrounded by mountains, with limestone strata and stubborn rocks everywhere.

Furthermore, cement refining does not require any factory. Zhang Xiaoshan's Nanming Li Huo can directly refine lime into cement, which is both fast and of high quality.

"Stretching steel bars? Making cement? Preparing sand and gravel?"

What are these? And what is Changqing going to do?

"Senior Brother Xu, this time I plan to build a dam here, and the five seniors of Shu Mountain also support it, otherwise they wouldn't have sent you fellow disciples here."

As for how to do it, it's like this...

As he spoke, Zhang Xiaoshan divided himself into two groups, with Xu Changqing and several core disciples as the main members.

Led by Xu Changqing, a thousand disciples assisted Bai Suzhen in maintaining a 50-mile-long isolation barrier.

Of the other two thousand disciples, five hundred assisted Zhang Xiaoshan in refining cement; five hundred disciples dug deep foundations and wove steel reinforcement frames; five hundred prepared to crush stubborn rocks into small pebbles; and the last five hundred disciples were responsible for dredging fine sand from the riverbed.

The three thousand sword immortals were all arranged perfectly; even moving mountains would be a piece of cake.

Chapter 946 The Curtain Falls on the Mortal World, Returning to Kunlun

In just three days, a magnificent castle, stretching for sixty miles, suddenly appeared on the once empty and undulating river.

This dam, like a mountain, stands blocking the Ba River. Not only is the dam's level hundreds of feet above the water, but it also spans fifty miles across the waterway and extends for another ten miles on each side, completely blocking the Ba River from rising.

At this moment, the three thousand sword immortals looked at their masterpiece and were filled with surging emotions.

Beneath their feet was a massive mountain lying across the Ba River.

The massive and imposing building is like a miracle.

Furthermore, they had tested the strength of the concrete dam, which was remarkably defensive. Scratching the edges and corners with a flying sword was no problem, but to completely destroy it, even with Xu Changqing's strength as the top disciple of Shu Mountain, he could only embed the flying sword within it for seven or eight zhang at most, not even reaching ten zhang.

Moreover, the dam is five thousand feet thick, comparable to a mountain.

As for the Earth Escape Technique?

The entire dam is made of concrete, with densely packed steel bars inside, so it can't be avoided by earth-遁术 (earth-遁术 is a type of magic that can be used to escape from a dam).

They tried it, but they couldn't burrow down using earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of burrowing technique).

First, the steel bars (metal) have the wrong properties; second, the ground is too hard.

Only extremely advanced earth-遁 (earth-遁) techniques could possibly break through the strength of concrete.

It should be noted that the dam nowadays has no restrictions or formations; it is simply a waterway project.

In addition, the dam has a flood discharge outlet every 500 zhang (approximately 150 meters), and a huge hydraulic kinetic energy device in the middle can provide the mechanical city with incredibly powerful kinetic energy.

At this time, Xu Changqing and the others were already clear about Zhang Xiaoshan's plan. They knew that the Royal Merchant Guild would build a super-large mechanical city on this dam, and that the water conservancy power would be the core of the entire mechanical city.

At the same time, they could also imagine what a magnificent and wondrous place this mechanical city would be once it was completed.

However, they merely admired Zhang Xiaoshan's ingenious idea.

What they were truly wary of was what Zhang Xiaoshan had revealed this time.

Whether it was refining cement or quickly drying the 5,000-foot-thick concrete, Zhang Xiaoshan used his trump card—the Southern Ming Fire.

Seven years!

Mortals may have forgotten the extraordinary phenomenon of the phoenix rising from the ashes and soaring to the heavens that day.

However, the disciples of Mount Shu clearly remembered that, according to legend, a senior immortal, while slaying demons, casually killed the Dragon Lion Demon King with a single sword strike, using the Southern Bright Fire.

That's a thousand-year-old demon king with ancient bloodlines!

Therefore, after seeing Zhang Xiaoshan's Southern Bright Fire, this long-standing mystery in the cultivation world was completely solved.

But no one could have imagined that the legendary senior from the immortal sect was actually their junior brother from Kunlun. How could they not be shocked and wary?

Moreover, Zhang Xiaoshan did not hide anything and answered Xu Changqing's questions one by one.

Since the Southern Ming Fire had already been exposed, Zhang Xiaoshan naturally had no need to hide it.

The Five Elders of Mount Shu only uttered the words "such a demon," and then offered no further response.

This is a rare opportunity for the direct disciples of Kunlun. Their Shushan sect is a prestigious and righteous sect, and they would never commit such a murderous act of robbing treasure, especially since it involves fellow disciples from the Xuanmen sect.

However, what the Five Elders of Shu Mountain regretted the most was that Kunlun had gained another monstrous disciple with the Xuan Yin Physique, in addition to Zhang Xiaoshan.

Pure Yang and Profound Yin—this may be the will of Heaven.

"White Fairy, the relocation of the trading company is now in your hands."

As for the design plans for the mechanical city?

Senior Brother Xu, I'll trouble you and your fellow disciples from Mount Shu to take charge of this. The core of the Mechanized City lies in its water conservancy.

In addition, the flood discharge outlet should ideally be controlled by Shushan. After all, once the flood discharge outlet is opened, it will flood at least a hundred miles, or even a thousand miles, of land.

Therefore, each time the gate is opened, extreme caution must be exercised, and the timing must be precise.

The most dangerous thing is when people's hearts yearn for change and trends dictate their actions.

"Junior brother, rest assured, Shushan will not shirk its responsibility in such an important matter!"

They already knew the function of the dam: to store water, release floodwaters, and irrigate farmland—a truly beneficial thing for all people.

Therefore, the flood discharge outlet is of paramount importance, and the consequences for anyone who tries to profit from it are predictable.

If it weren't for the presence of a celestial being protecting this place, all the disciples of Mount Shu would have stationed here to prevent them from being used by demons and monsters to harm the common people.

Moreover, the design blueprints for the mechanical city and the various ingenious mechanical workshops made several of the Chang generation of apprentices somewhat envious.

Although these are blueprints from the human world, they reveal the ultimate in mechanical engineering.

At least in their view, this art of mechanism is equivalent to another great path.

···

A month later, Zhang Xiaoshan left the capital of Dali with Princess Liyang.

Princess Liyang, with her Xuan Yin Meridian, possessed the most suitable physique for cultivating the Taiyin Qi Refining Technique. Therefore, Zhang Xiaoshan's act of bringing Princess Liyang to the Yaochi Immortal Palace can be considered a great achievement.

In addition, there is the process of condensing the golden elixir, which also requires abundant and rich spiritual energy.

The reason why Yaochi Immortal Palace is called Yaochi Immortal Palace is because the palace is not only rich in spiritual energy, but also has a Taiyin array eye, which is extremely suitable for women to cultivate the Taiyin Treasure Scripture.

Of course, Zhang Xiaoshan is an exception!

Therefore, bringing Princess Liyang to the Kunlun Daoist sect was not merely to help her open the Xuan Yin Meridian.

As for worldly matters?

When the Royal Trading Company headquarters was established, the Royal Trading Companies of various countries were shocked and horrified upon receiving the news.

Not only because of Zhang Xiaoshan's sudden decision, but also because of the awe-inspiring emergence of the Ba River Dam, and the presence of the Shu Mountain sect within it, all the major royal families dared not harbor the slightest thought of disobedience.

The founder is a direct descendant of Kunlun, the mysterious and powerful woman in white is the Grand Master of the Merchant Guild, and now even the Shu Mountain sect has appeared...

At this point, the awe that the various royal families held for the headquarters of the Royal Trading Company had reached its peak.

Even the major immortal sects (Qian Zhaohao) were puzzled after receiving the news, wondering what the Shushan Sword Sect and Zhang Xiaoshan were up to.

After all, a secular merchant guild could attract the attention of two major Daoist sects and a highly skilled immortal cultivator as a protector.

The emergence of the Bashui Dam also intrigued them.

Although the interception of the Ba River will not cut off the water source of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, it is undoubtedly a matter of great impact.

Shushan could not possibly be aiding and abetting evil; they must have some ulterior motive.

For a time, the still-under-construction city of government offices welcomed wave after wave of cultivators from various immortal sects who came to investigate.

The water storage and flood control, the irrigation of fields during the dry season, and the mechanical city under construction—such ingenious ideas made all the immortal cultivators admire Zhang Xiaoshan's boundless imagination.

The reinforced concrete defenses, in particular, opened up a new door for them.

I never imagined that such a simple dam could contain so many mysteries.

Chapter 947 Return to the Celestial Palace, Two Women Meet Again

Majestic Kunlun Mountains, vast and boundless rivers and mountains!

At this moment, on the flying sword, Princess Liyang, dressed in a light white dress, with a slender waist and shapely hips, was looking at the sea of ​​clouds and mountains below with longing in her beautiful eyes.

Ahead, Zhang Xiaoshan, dressed in white, was riding his sword at a speed exceeding Mach 10, having no time to look at anything else.

Although he knew that those who possessed the Southern Bright Fire belonged to the immortal sects, Zhang Xiaoshan had come up from the lower realms and understood the darkness in people's hearts, which even cultivators were no exception to; otherwise, there would be no distinction between immortals and demons.

Those old guys might not make a move on the surface, but that doesn't mean they won't do it secretly.

The allure of the Nanming Fire Seal? It's comparable to an ancient artifact.

Moreover, he was currently without Bai Suzhen protecting him, which was the time when his safety was at its lowest. Therefore, he increased the speed of his flying sword to the extreme and rushed back to the Kunlun Sect.

Knowing about the Kunlun Daoist sect and the Yaochi Immortal Palace, he was truly safe.

After traversing countless mountains, Zhang Xiaoshan finally landed on a shimmering, colorful, and auspiciously cloud-covered peak.

The disciples guarding the mountain gate also surrounded Zhang Xiaoshan from the air as he soared through the sky.

All around, countless beautiful female sword immortals in colorful robes appeared overhead, their swords pointing at Princess Liyang. Startled, she quickly hid behind Zhang Xiaoshan, her expression pitiful.

Is this the Jade Pool Immortal Palace?

Zhang Xiaoshan had introduced her to Yaochi Immortal Palace, which was the only branch of the Kunlun Daoist sect that only accepted female disciples. Apart from Zhang Xiaoshan, who was a male disciple, all the other disciples were women.

When I saw it today, it certainly lived up to its reputation.

As for why Zhang Xiaoshan was able to become a disciple of Kunlun Immortal Palace...

Although Zhang Xiaoshan didn't say it, Bai Suzhen had mentioned that Zhang Xiaoshan's talent was unparalleled in the cultivation world, perhaps due to the Palace Master's appreciation for his talent.

"Step back. This is the Palace Master's direct disciple—Junior Brother Chunyangzi, who has returned from his training today!"