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Chapter 132: 131. Disaster Always Follows Me Closely, But Never Catches Up
Chapter 132: 131. Disaster Always Follows Me Closely, But Never Catches Up
Lei Jun maintained his composure and didn't space out, which could have aroused suspicion in the Shu Mountain disciple before him.
He quickly read the fortune slip, and a natural look of apology appeared on his face:
"Senior Xie of Shu Mountain has kindly invited me, and as a junior, I dare not refuse. However, my master has sent me letters more than once, urging me to return to Longhu Mountain as soon as possible.
I have recently reached a critical juncture in my cultivation, which is why my master allowed me to delay my return. Now, I have already tarried for quite some time.
In the past few days, as my cultivation is coming to a close, my master has summoned me urgently, and I dare not delay any further. I have already started preparing to leave Shu Mountain and return to Longhu Mountain.
I hope to have the opportunity to visit your esteemed sect again in the future, and I would appreciate it if you could convey my apologies to your revered master, Senior Xie. Please do not take offense."
The other party remained calm and did not press the issue. "We intended to be good hosts and extend our hospitality to Fellow Lei. Since your sect's Grand Elder has urgently summoned you back to Longhu Mountain, we understand that you cannot linger. Fellow Lei, please do not worry. Our master and we disciples will always welcome you to visit Shu Mountain again."
Unlike Ji Chuan and Zhao Gang before, this Shu Mountain disciple seemed unaware of the grudge between Ji Dongquan and Yuan Mobai. He followed the proper etiquette throughout the encounter.
As for his true thoughts, only he knew.
Lei Jun watched as the other disciple's figure disappeared from view, and the smile on his face vanished.
Far away, the old observer who had accompanied the Shu Mountain disciple when he left Yushan had a worried look on his face.
They could all sense the impending storm that was about to engulf Shu Mountain.
"...Is Shu Mountain also about to follow in the footsteps of the TianShi Fu and plunge into internal chaos?" Lei Jun thought to himself.
With the TianShi Fu as a cautionary tale, the various big shots of Shu Mountain had been rather restrained in recent years.
However, the more the contradictions piled up, the more intense the eventual outbreak would be.
Lei Jun, being an outsider to Shu Mountain, was unaware of many internal affairs.
From an outsider's perspective, the internal conflicts within Shu Mountain didn't seem as sharp and intense as the Li family dispute and the Two-Sun rivalry within the TianShi Fu back then.
It didn't seem like it would escalate to the point of outright violence.
However, being an outsider didn't always grant a clearer perspective.
Only those involved truly knew the intricacies of the situation.
Shu Mountain was notoriously secretive, and many secrets were known only to the core high-level members of the sect.
Only they knew the extent of the contradictions and grudges festering within.
But based on the fortune slip, Lei Jun could guess that the internal strife in Shu Mountain was imminent.
The peak of Qingcheng Mountain, which served as the mountain gate of Shu Mountain, had drawn an extremely dangerous fortune slip, warning him to stay far away.
Stepping into that mess would undoubtedly lead to his death.
Of course, this wasn't because Shu Mountain held a deep grudge against him, a young disciple of Longhu Mountain.
It was simply the inevitable danger that came with the impending chaos.
Moreover, with Shu Mountain on the brink of internal strife, Lei Jun, as a true disciple of Longhu Mountain, found himself in the eye of the storm. If anyone intended to drag the TianShi Fu of Longhu Mountain into this mess, Lei Jun would undoubtedly be a convenient catalyst.
Whether those Shu Mountain elders were acting with malicious intent or not, the current situation at the peak of Qingcheng Mountain was extremely dangerous for Lei Jun.
The intentions of Elder Xie, who had invited him, were indeed cause for vigilance.
On the other hand, Ye Dongming of the Ye clan from Jinzhou, who had invited him to Badong, seemed to want him to stay out of the matter.
Whether this included goodwill or not was hard to say.
Lei Jun's intuition told him that at least Ye Dongming or the faction he belonged to did not want the TianShi Fu of Longhu Mountain to be dragged into the upcoming chaos.
Perhaps they were more confident in suppressing their internal rivals, so they felt that the fewer variables involved, the better, thus reducing the potential influence and disruption from external factors.
Lei Jun shook his head slightly, reining in his wandering thoughts.
Regardless, he would definitely not be going to Qingcheng Peak to get involved in the turmoil.
After sending away the inviting Shu Mountain disciple, Lei Jun continued to stay put in Yushan.
According to the fortune slip, remaining in Yushan would keep him safe and free from any troubles.
Even Elder Xie would not bother him further.
Lei Jun was content to sit back and let the storm pass, unconcerned by the rising and falling tides outside.
As for Shu Mountain, he would only keep an eye on a few individuals: He Dongxing, Ji Dongquan, Ye Dongming, and Ji Chuan.
Speaking of Ji Chuan, it had been a while since he last visited Yushan.
This could be taken as indirect proof that the situation within Shu Mountain might have already reached a critical point.
The last time Ji Chuan came to Yushan, he mentioned to Lei Jun in casual conversation that the three great demons who had besieged He Dongxing had been slain by Shu Mountain experts over the past year.
The various places in Shu Mountain that had been plagued by demons had finally seen a decrease in such occurrences recently.
Perhaps the lessening of external pressure was also one of the reasons why the internal contradictions within Shu Mountain could no longer be suppressed.
The ensuing events unfolded swiftly, just as expected.
Merely two days later, on a fateful night, a dazzling radiance arose in the distant horizon, illuminating half the sky.
Alone in his mountain lodge at the back of Yushan, Lei Jun, who had not yet retired for the night, stood atop a cliff, gazing northward.
He beheld a brilliant, majestic, yet chilling radiance piercing the night sky.
For a moment, it exuded an ethereal beauty.
The radiant light did not approach Yushan but instead streaked towards a more distant location, like a rainbow stretching across the heavens.
It was the glow of flying swords! Not from a mid-level Shu Mountain disciple, but from a higher realm.
Even the sword light produced by He Dongxing, a great sword cultivator of Shu Mountain, during his battle with the mighty demon did not compare to this awe-inspiring display.
It was not that He Dongxing lacked skill, but the battlefield at that time was ever-changing, and he had to adapt accordingly.
Now, Lei Jun witnessed the full power of Shu Mountain's upper realm sword cultivators, who had been cultivating their strength, accumulating their energy, and possibly enhancing it further with sword and magic arrays, without concern for their own safety, and focusing all their attention on delivering a single devastating blow.
In legends, such flying swords could slay enemies from a thousand miles away, like celestial beings descending from the heavens. It was acknowledged by all that among the various cultivation traditions, the Confucian School's divine archery and the Daoist School's external alchemy flying swords had the longest-range attacks.
Not only did they have long-range attacks, but they also possessed a certain degree of mystical ability to identify targets from a distance.
As a result, other cultivators sometimes faced attacks beyond their line of sight or sensory range.
This was the origin of the fearsome reputation of Confucian archers and Daoist flying swords.
Of course, other cultivation traditions had their unique strengths as well. Confucian archers and Daoist flying swords were not infallible, and it was hard to predict whether they would hit their targets or achieve the intended effect.
However, when it came to Confucian archers of the sixth heaven and above, and Daoist alchemists, one had to be vigilant.
Now, as Lei Jun gazed northward, he beheld the ultimate display of Shu Mountain's upper realm cultivators' prowess in the art of sword control.
And there was more than one of them.
Lei Jun witnessed two magnificent and majestic sword lights soaring into the sky, one after the other, heading towards the distant horizon.
Such a display of all-out swordplay required the cultivator's full concentration of essence, qi, and spirit, and it was impossible to fire consecutively or be distracted.
This was the culmination of the concerted efforts of two great sword cultivators of Shu Mountain.
Lei Jun discerned the direction from which the sword lights emanated.
The origin seemed to be Huanglong Mountain, a place of spiritual beauty north of Yushan and another prominent site of Shu Mountain.
As for the destination of the sword lights, it was too far away for Lei Jun to identify accurately.
From his vantage point at Yushan, the sword lights appeared to rise from the horizon, streak across the sky, and then descend beyond the distant mountains.
He could only roughly make out that they were moving from right to left, from east to west.
Lei Jun surmised that the target was none other than the mountain gate of Shu Mountain, Qingcheng Peak.
The internal strife within Shu Mountain had finally erupted.
No wonder the fortune slip warned of danger in the north, specifically mentioning Huanglong Mountain. Lei Jun recalled the content of the slip and understood the implication.
There were at least two upper realm elders of Shu Mountain stationed at Huanglong Mountain, setting up their "artillery positions" or "missile silos" to strike their own sect's mountain gate.
From the appearance of the two sword lights, it was evident that they had prepared extensively, and it was not something that could be accomplished overnight.
The reference to "uncovering hidden truths and attracting calamity" in the fortune slip alluded to Lei Jun possibly discovering their scheme if he had recklessly gone to Huanglong Mountain.
They were poised to strike, and his intrusion would have resulted in his capture and imprisonment, at best.
Considering the fortune slip, the likelihood of them silencing him permanently was higher.
His status as a true disciple of Longhu Mountain would not serve as a protective charm but instead might hasten their decision to take his life.
As for going to the mountain gate of Shu Mountain, Qingcheng Peak, there was no need to elaborate further.
It was a perilous battleground.
The physical clash had already begun there...
Lei Jun watched as the sword lights streaked across the sky and then disappeared from view.
Due to the distance, even with the aid of the divine-vision mirror stone, he could not discern the situation at Qingcheng Peak from Yushan.
However, he surmised that the attackers would not rely solely on long-range strikes from Huanglong Mountain.
There would undoubtedly be simultaneous assaults at Qingcheng Peak, and it was even more likely that the battle had already commenced there, with Huanglong Mountain providing additional long-range "fire support" and surprise attacks.
If Lei Jun had gone to the mountain gate of Shu Mountain, as the fortune slip suggested, he might have had some luck in navigating the chaos and gained a seventh-grade opportunity or even more.
However, in that environment, the more likely outcome was that he would have lost his life before reaping any rewards.
Such matters were not something Lei Daoist Master would involve himself in.
Although he was curious, he wondered if He Dongxing, Ji Dongquan, Ji Chuan, and the others had participated.
As a branch of the Shu Mountain Sect, the Rain Mountain Temple would undoubtedly be more concerned and anxious about the sudden changes than Lei Jun.
The old master of the temple did not leave Rain Mountain.
Instead, he restrained his disciples, comforted their anxious hearts, and admonished everyone to remain calm and not to interfere in external affairs or descend the mountain.
From Lei Jun's observations, this elder seemed to maintain a relatively neutral stance.
Being in the ancestral court of the Shu Mountain Sect, it was difficult to stay untouched by the swirling vortex.
As a branch, the Rain Mountain Temple, under the firm control of the old master, was still able to maintain its foothold.
However, it was uncertain if he could persist in this manner...
Although the External Elixir and Artifact Refining cultivators tacitly avoided discussing related matters with Lei Jun, he still managed to glean some information about the current internal strife in the Shu Mountain Sect through the private restlessness and gossip of its members.
The current news indicated that the conservative faction within Shu Mountain had finally reached their limit and was now pressuring the Sect Leader, triggering an insurrection akin to rebellion.
The two sides officially broke out into conflict at the ancestral mountain gate, with the battle erupting on the summit.
A significant number of neutrals were drawn into the fray, causing sides to shift and the storm to intensify.
There were already quite a few casualties, and the situation showed signs of further escalation.
... The most terrifying rumor was that, on the very night the great battle broke out, three of the Shu Mountain elders had perished.
Although many had a foreboding feeling, the brutality of this battle still exceeded the expectations of most.
The calamity that befell the Celestial Masters Mansion of Longhu Mountain in the past was now playing out on the summit of Shu Mountain.
Fortunately, I didn't go to the ancestral court of Shu Mountain or Huanglong Mountain. In a sense, this could also be considered as the disaster always being one step behind me... Lei Jun thought to himself, somewhat mockingly.
The internal contradictions within Shu Mountain had been building up for many years, becoming more and more intense, and the outbreak at this moment was almost inevitable.
For now, Lei Jun could only patiently wait and watch as this great battle drew to its final conclusion, curious to see how it would end.
He quickly calmed himself and remained in his lodge on Rain Mountain, continuing his own cultivation undisturbed by external matters.
The cultivation method of the External Elixir and Artifact Refining cultivators gave Lei Jun some ideas for analogous practices.
In his lodge, Lei Jun sat cross-legged, with one hand forming a seal in front of his chest and the other stretched out, fingers splayed.
He had polished several metal shuttles with metal.
These shuttles now floated in mid-air.
Lei Jun extended his hand, and the tips of his outstretched fingers seemed to be connected to the shuttles by invisible threads.
Under Lei Jun's control, these shuttles flew up and down in a whirling dance.
In the air, there was a buzzing sound of electricity.
Lei Jun was not using his own invisible spiritual power to levitate these shuttles but was instead deriving minute lightning bolts from his spiritual power to control them.
Yin Five Thunder Talisman.
Xin Metal Yin Thunder.
This was one of the minor achievements Lei Jun had attained after refining his Five Thunder Talisman, improving it to the level of a Prime Thunder Talisman, and then further refining it into the Yin Five Thunder Righteousness Talisman.
In addition, there were also the Yin Thunder of Yi Wood, Ding Fire, Ji Earth, and Gui Water.
And the one Lei Jun was currently experimenting with was the Xin Metal Yin Thunder.
In close-range situations, he could easily manipulate small targets like these with his own spiritual power.
However, if he didn't consciously refine them, while he could still make the shuttles whirl and dance, they lacked a certain agility.
Moreover, they couldn't reach far distances.
The External Elixir and Artifact Refining sect had their unique refining methods for similar artifacts, with their own intricacies.
But if Lei Jun simply imitated them, not only would he achieve half the results with twice the effort due to the differences in cultivation methods, but he would also end up with discounted effects, all while consuming his own time and energy.
Now, he was attempting to control these metal shuttles using his own Xin Metal Yin Thunder.
As expected, they moved as effortlessly as an extension of his body.
For now, this experiment was still on a small scale.
Later, Lei Jun planned to try with larger objects and increase the distance.
This was all in preparation for his more advanced ideas.
Regarding the Thunder Arts and the mysteries of lightning power, Lei Jun had many more conceptions, directly related to his future Second Law and Third Law, which he would cultivate upon reaching the Three Heavens realm.
After choosing the relatively stable and versatile Stepping on the Stars and Fighting the Stars as his First Law, Lei Daoist Master intended to let loose a little with his Second and Third Laws...
"Hmm?"
Just as Lei Jun was putting away his artifacts and stepping out of his lodge for a walk in the mountains, he suddenly sensed something.
There seemed to be some presence in the mountains.
The corner of his eye also caught a glimpse of a huge shadow flashing by in the forest.
PS: First update of the day.
(End of Chapter)
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