I drew a talisman to save the sun from its bleeding state.

Chapter 39 This pile of money won't save your life; spend it in the underworld after you die.

After lunch, Zhou Zheng began to check the equipment and thunderstones.

The equipment remained the same: a Dragon-Slaying Sword for slaying demons and monsters, a Blessing Dragon-Slaying Sword for killing people, a notebook full of talismans, a cell phone in a waist pouch, and a Blessing Pistol for ranged attacks.

【Great Blessing (Taoist Talisman Grade 2, Lower): Significantly enhances power】

[Effect: Strength +30]

[Introduction: Left sword deals high damage, right sword deals high damage]

【Blessing of Qi Sword (Second-Rank Dao Talisman, Lower Level): Consumes spiritual power to launch a qi sword to attack the enemy, or enhances the power of the shot】

[Effect: Qi sword damage +30]

[Description: It can be enhanced with spirit stones to increase its power, or it can consume spirit energy to launch energy swords]

Because he wasn't proficient enough in drawing the Great Strength Talisman and the Qi Sword Talisman, he could only manage to draw them up to the lower second rank after many attempts. Fortunately, the blessing effect of the talisman could be erased and reapplied, so it wasn't a big problem.

The Mighty Dragon Sword is for dealing with other situations. Not all battles require the use of lightning magic—of course, Zhou Zheng also has another selfish motive: to rekindle the joy he once felt as a demon hunter, using one sword to slay demons and another to kill people.

The best effect of the Qi Sword Blessed Pistol is its ability to save ammo. Combined with its mana regeneration and blood burning spells, it is essentially a pseudo-infinite ammo pistol.

The notebooks filled with talismans need no introduction; they contain everything from Five Thunder Talismans to exorcising evil spirits—the more the merrier.

Finally, there was the thunderstone that Liu Zhen gave him.

Zhou Zheng held it in his hand and examined it curiously.

[Name: Thunder Stone]

[Effect: Lightning damage +50, maximum lightning spirit power storage 500 points, lightning spirit gathering effect 50 points]

[Description: A processed lightning-elemental spirit-gathering object, a rare and precious multi-functional item... To some extent, carrying a lightning stone when you go out is a way of showing that you are a member of the Lightning Department or related to it.]

Zhou Zheng asked curiously, "I know about lightning damage; it can amplify the power of lightning magic. What's Spirit Gathering used for?"

Liu Zhen stood to the side and chuckled, "If you cultivate while holding the Thunder Stone, it can speed up your cultivation and also purify your mana to some extent. This is an essential treasure for novice thunder cultivators; it's not easy to get your hands on outside."

Thunderstone's effects are simple, direct, and effective, suitable for various environments and situations. Whether used in combat, for rituals, for placement in spirit-gathering arrays, or to enhance one's own cultivation, it excels in all these areas. These are the three most practical functions that have been carefully selected and preserved over thousands of years.

Zhou Zheng understood: "Can I put this in my fanny pack along with my notebook? Will that cause any problems?"

Liu Zhen shrugged: "I don't know. I've never done anything like putting a thunderstone on my waist. You'd better prepare a storage ring."

Zhou Zheng remained silent and put the item directly into the pocket of his waist pouch. Liu Zhen wasn't a bad person, but there's a saying: if someone is unrelated to you, you should be wary of them if they treat you badly, and even more wary of them if they treat you well. It's best to owe as few favors as possible; owing too many will only bring trouble.

Liu Zhen sighed, shook his head, and said he was truly at a loss.

After checking all the equipment and confirming that there were no problems, Zhou Zheng waited for the others to be ready.

Liu Zhen looked around, walked to the door, and started writing and drawing on the wall.

Zhou Zheng got up curiously and walked over, seeing him drawing a talisman: "What kind of talisman is this?"

Liu Zhen didn't even turn his head: "The Anjia exorcism talisman prevents evil spirits from getting close to this place, and it also has the effect of suppressing the luck. This is to prevent our crystals from being stolen after we leave."

Zhou Zheng: "You're quite fashionable, you even know how to raid other people's homes."

Liu Zhen chuckled and took out another talisman from his storage ring, sticking it onto the drawn talisman: "I can also make timid things. After we're done with these things, we can play games together. Don't treat me like an old fogey; I can also dial up and surf the internet, and even ask other people to hang out with pretty girls."

Zhou Zheng was overwhelmed by this trendy yet outdated mix of styles, so he changed the subject: "Why did you put up another talisman after you finished drawing it?"

Liu Zhen: "It's a smokescreen. Whoever tears this talisman down is a traitor."

Zhou Zheng nodded: "That's true."

While they were chatting, everyone got ready. This time, because of Liu Zhen, the armed security team was canceled, and they only called on Tang Ying, who could drive.

Zhou Zheng, Xiao Xue, Tang Ying, and Liu Zhen headed straight for the abandoned old development zone, meeting up at the same abandoned villa as before.

The banner left here last time was still hanging, but Xu Fan had no interest in holding the sign to welcome people. He sat anxiously near the entrance, only getting up when he saw the car arrive.

As soon as Zhou Zheng opened the car door, Xu Fan rushed up to him: "Brother, explain yourself! What ancient demonic beast is hunting down the Xu family? Am I, the illegitimate son, going to be killed too?"

Zhou Zheng landed firmly on his feet, smiled, and said, "I was just joking with you. It's only a possibility, not a certainty that I'll kill you."

Xu Fan said with a bitter face, "But I used my connections to investigate the Xu family. Some of the people who were still alive a few years ago have passed away one after another in the last year or two for various reasons. On the surface, it seems normal, but this is very abnormal!"

Zhou Zheng's smile faded: "Passing away one after another?"

Xu Fan nodded vigorously: "Yes, if Brother Zhou hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have known my relatives passed away so quickly. These days, even beggars can survive, and you can learn a skill to live... How could they have passed away so quickly?"

Zhou Zheng: "Tsk, you'd better find some clues, otherwise we can't help you."

Xu Fan quickly turned sideways and walked forward: "Okay, let's go this way, there must be clues in the villa."

The four people quickly followed.

As Zhou Zheng walked, he told Xu Fan about the clues he knew, and the more Xu Fan listened, the more tense his expression became.

Xu Fan: "I really have committed a sin by being born with the Xu family bloodline. I've only enjoyed a tiny bit of good fortune, and I've suffered a lot of hardship."

Everyone entered the villa and, led by Xu Fan, walked down the right-hand corridor on the first floor, continuing until they reached a storage room.

Xu Fan cleared away the clutter, took out an open safe, inside which were only a few yellowed sheets of paper. He took them out and handed them to Zhou Zheng, looking at him expectantly.

Zhou Zheng glanced at it twice, activated his destiny calculation, and then looked at Xu Fan: "That's all you found? A few cards with money in them and a password book? That's it?"

[Destiny Prediction: You can spend time and energy to predict the past, present, and future of a person or thing.]

Destiny prediction is an upgraded version of accurate divination, with even better results.

Xu Fan: "...It's already good enough that I, an illegitimate child, know this. What else could I possibly know?"

Zhou Zheng said sincerely, "Then you can just wait to die."

This pile of money won't save your life. Go to the underworld after you die and spend it; it'll be enough for ten lifetimes.

Xu Fan immediately squatted down and hugged Zhou Zheng's leg, wailing, "Brother Zhou, you can't just stand by and watch me die! I'm innocent! How would I, an illegitimate child, know any secrets!"

Zhou Zheng sighed and looked at Liu Zhen. At this point, they had no choice but to ask the big boss for help.

Liu Zhen chuckled twice, suppressing his laughter as he scanned the entire abandoned villa with his divine sense. Pointing to the floor, he said, "There's another secret room down there, but we need to find the password first, lest some kind of anti-theft mechanism destroys everything inside."

Zhou Zheng handed the few thin sheets of paper to Xu Fan, gently kicked him aside, walked to the spot Liu Zhen pointed to, wiped the floor with his foot, and noticed that the joints of a few floor tiles were different. He used the Mighty Dragon Sword to pin them together, revealing a heavy metal hidden door beneath the floor, large enough for a person to pass through.

Xu Fan: "...I don't know the password. My nephew has already been sent to the underworld. It will take some effort to contact him."

I even used my connections to get it delivered super fast.

Zhou Zheng activated his Fate Deduction ability to see the password, quickly tapped the keypad to enter it, and opened the hidden metal door: "Don't you have that black mist ability? Can't you just mist in?"

Xu Fan said embarrassedly, "It can be vaporized, but only a little bit. Failing to pass through this kind of hidden door will result in death."