Julu Commandery, within Nanhua Mountain.
This mountain was originally nameless, but because Zhang Jiao gathered herbs here and coincidentally met Immortal Nanhua who imparted The Essential Arts of Pacifying Heaven to him, the locals called it "Nanhua Mountain".
Hidden among the mist-shrouded mountains was a manor named "Taiping Manor".
This manor was located in a hidden place in the mountains, little known to outsiders. The people within the manor kept to themselves, rarely interacting with the outside world, making it particularly mysterious.
Of course, no one would have thought that this inconspicuous manor hidden among the mountains and forests was the main headquarters of the Yellow Heaven Holy Sect!
At this time, in a side room of the manor, a severely injured young man was lying on a couch, his face pale and his breath faint.
Two people stood by the couch: a middle-aged man and a young maiden.
The middle-aged man was in his early forties, wearing a yellow Daoist robe and a Yellow Turban. His skin was fair, his face clean, and he had a beard below his chin, giving him a somewhat ethereal and virtuous appearance.
The maiden was about seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing a goose-yellow embroidered dress, which made her figure appear graceful and slender. Her skin was fairer than snow, her black hair fell to her shoulders and back, and her bright eyes were clear.
The young man on the couch was precisely Chu Yan. The man in the yellow robe was the one who saved him below Yingtao County, and also the head of the thirty-six Yellow Turban commanders, the foremost figure under the Zhang brothers—the Upper Divine Envoy, Zhang Mancheng.
He was Zhang Jiao's direct disciple, having studied the techniques in The Essential Arts of Pacifying Heaven, and had now reached the sixth level.
Rumor had it that The Essential Arts of Pacifying Heaven was a divine book, said to have been bestowed upon Zhang Jiao when he went into the mountains to gather herbs and coincidentally met Immortal Nanhua.
This book encompassed everything, containing not only techniques of the Eight Trigrams and divination, but also methods for prolonging life and cultivating Dao. However, to cultivate the methods within, one needed not only aptitude but also destiny.
Zhang Jiao's encounter with the immortal was his destiny. Therefore, in this world, only Zhang Jiao's direct bloodline could cultivate it to completion.
Although Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang were Zhang Jiao's closest kin, their aptitude was ordinary, and they only reached the fourth level in their lifetime.
As for Zhang Mancheng, his aptitude was excellent, but he was not of Zhang Jiao's direct bloodline, so reaching the sixth level was already his limit.
Within that sixth level, there was a technique called the "Outer Body Incarnation" technique. During the battle of Wan City that day, Zhang Mancheng relied on this method to escape with his life.
As for that young maiden, she was Zhang Jiao's only daughter, named Zhang Ning. When the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, she was hidden by Zhang Jiao and had been diligently cultivating The Essential Arts of Pacifying Heaven, not participating in the uprising. Therefore, few people knew that Zhang Jiao had a daughter.
This girl was naturally intelligent and of Zhang Jiao's bloodline. She had now cultivated The Essential Arts of Pacifying Heaven to the eighth level, just one step away from the ninth level.
Among the Yellow Turban, those who knew of her existence, besides her father and two uncles, were only these four commanders: Zhang Mancheng, Guan Hai, Zhang Niujiao, and Bocai.
When Zhang Jiao was nearing his end, he entrusted his daughter to these four people, and at the same time, he revealed a great secret.
The Yellow Heaven Treasure Trove!
That was a treasure left behind by Zhang Jiao, containing countless gold and silver, enough to raise a million strong soldiers!
But to open the Yellow Heaven Treasure Trove, one must use the power of the ninth level of The Essential Arts of Pacifying Heaven.
This, perhaps, was also a contingency left by Zhang Jiao.
The wealth of the Yellow Heaven Treasure Trove, the banner of the Holy Maiden of Taiping, and the power of the ninth level of The Essential Arts of Pacifying Heaven...
Perhaps in Zhang Jiao's view, only with all three of these could the Yellow Heaven Great Cause be restored!
At the beginning of this year, Zhang Ning emerged from seclusion, and the four of them gathered the remaining forces, built this Taiping Manor in the mountains, and formed the Yellow Heaven Holy Sect.
Zhang Ning served as the Sect Leader, the four were Protectors, and below them were twelve Divine Envoys, all of whom were among the thirty-six commanders from back then.
...
At this moment, Zhang Mancheng looked at Chu Yan on the couch and asked with concern, "Junior Sister, A'Yan... How is he?"
Zhang Ning furrowed her delicate brows and sighed softly, "I have given him the talisman water to drink, and he is temporarily out of danger. But his injuries are too severe; we still need to combine our powers to save his life."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Mancheng immediately shook his head and said, "No, your The Essential Arts of Pacifying Heaven is about to break through to the ninth level. Expending your vital energy now will jeopardize this important matter. I can transfer the power myself."
"Absolutely not!" Zhang Ning refused resolutely, "If you try to save him alone, I'm afraid you will exhaust all your power! Boss Niujiao is already dead; you and A'Yan absolutely cannot afford any more mishaps."
"But if The Essential Arts of Pacifying Heaven cannot be cultivated to the ninth level, we cannot open the Yellow Heaven Treasure Trove. How can the Great Virtuous Teacher's great cause be restored?" Zhang Mancheng said, "At worst, I'll swallow my pride and go beg that Guan Hai. Anyway, he stayed here because of the Yellow Heaven Treasure Trove; he naturally knows the stakes involved."
"But..." Zhang Ning furrowed her delicate brows and said hesitantly, "Guan Hai has long had ulterior motives. I worry that if he interferes and secretly acts during the power transfer, won't both you and A'Yan be in mortal danger?"
Zhang Mancheng also frowned and said in a deep voice, "But haven't you thought that if you are unable to break through to the ninth level because of this and cannot open the Yellow Heaven Treasure Trove, I fear he will rebel instantly!"
As Zhang Mancheng spoke, he looked at Zhang Ning with a solemn expression.
Zhang Ning couldn't help but ponder deeply in her heart.
Indeed, Zhang Mancheng's concerns were not unfounded.
Since her father and uncles died, the remnants of the Yellow Turban had fallen apart. Among the thirty-six commanders from back then, some were dead, and some had scattered. Even those who remained had their own agendas. As the Holy Maiden, she actually couldn't command many people at all.
Among these people, Guan Hai was the most prominent!
Guan Hai, like Zhang Mancheng, was also a direct disciple of Zhang Jiao and a person of excellent aptitude. He had also cultivated The Essential Arts of Pacifying Heaven to the sixth level.
Furthermore, this person's martial arts were extraordinary. He wielded a seventy-catty heavy golden-backed mountain-cleaving saber and possessed the courage of ten thousand men, making him the foremost fierce General of the Yellow Turban!
Guan Hai held extremely high prestige in the Yellow Turban Army. More than half of the thirty-six commanders were his former subordinates!
When Zhang Jiao was alive, he could still suppress him, but Zhang Ning, a mere orphaned girl with only the title of Holy Maiden, had no prestige whatsoever. Besides a few followers who were fiercely loyal to Zhang Jiao, even within the Yellow Heaven Holy Sect now, many people were his supporters.
In the battle of Yingtao County, four of the twelve Divine Envoys had already died.
The remaining Divine Envoys were almost all Guan Hai's former subordinates. Zhang Ning also knew well that Guan Hai's ambition was not small; he wasn't truly supporting her, but rather wanted to obtain the treasures in the Yellow Heaven Treasure Trove.
If the treasure trove could not be opened, would he become enraged and openly rebel?
But if the treasure trove was opened, and he tried to seize it, how could she restrain him with her own ability?
Zhang Ning felt deeply troubled for a moment.
After much thought, Zhang Ning opened her beautiful eyes, and a sharp glint flashed in them.
"Senior Brother, which army supported Yingtao County today?"
Zhang Mancheng said, "I have sent people to investigate. The person leading the army is the County Magistrate of Guangping County, named Zhang Chen."
"Zhang Chen..." Zhang Ning mused, "Is he... very strong?"
"This person is indeed not simple," Zhang Mancheng said. "Previously, Yu Du's ten thousand soldiers were defeated by him. This time, he brought only a little over ten thousand soldiers, yet he defeated Zhang Niujiao's fifty thousand! Moreover, he must have many capable people assisting him..."
Zhang Mancheng said, glancing at the unconscious Chu Yan, "The reason A'Yan was severely injured was that a General with a spear broke his ultimate move, 'Double Flying Swallows.' Anyone who can break this move must be a top-tier expert. Furthermore, I also saw two units of special soldiers on the battlefield; they were very powerful."
"Oh?" Zhang Ning couldn't help but be surprised. "Special soldiers?"
Zhang Mancheng said, "One unit consisted of archers, wielding double crossbows, their arrows never missing. With just a few hundred men, they killed over ten thousand of our brothers! The other unit was infantry, their morale soaring, fearless of death, fighting with increasing bravery even when surrounded. It was these two units that caused us heavy losses! To train such soldiers, he must have excellent Generals under him."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ning couldn't help but reveal a slight smile. "It seems this Zhang Chen is indeed not simple. Since that's the case, let him deal with Guan Hai for us..."
Zhang Mancheng couldn't help but be startled upon hearing this.
"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. This Zhang Chen must be in Yingtao County right now. Let our people keep a close watch; I want to know everything about him."
...