https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-163-The-Talented-and-Virtuous-Lei-Zhangshi/12586903/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-165-Prelude-to-a-New-Battle-Outside-Li-Part-1-/12586905/
Chapter 164: A New Function of the True One Altar
Chapter 164: A New Function of the True One Altar
"I haven't heard of any similar functions of the Celestial Master Seal and the True One Altar before."
After the initial excitement, Lei Jun soon calmed down and thought of a question.
Master Yuan Mobai had also never mentioned anything related to this matter.
After careful consideration, Lei Jun suspected that it might be related to the current unique state of the Celestial Master Seal and its connection to him.
The Celestial Master Seal was temporarily dormant due to the damage it had sustained and its entanglement with external forces.
Now, it was deeply embedded within Lei Jun's divine soul, closely intertwined with it.
According to Lei Jun's knowledge, this kind of state had never occurred in history, and it was a coincidental new situation brought about by a twist of fate.
Given this, the True One Altar cave might also have undergone some changes that were slightly different from the past.
Perhaps this so-called new function originated from this unique circumstance.
Lei Jun continued to observe carefully, and he found no signs of damage to his divine soul or spiritual power.
Neither the Celestial Master Seal nor the True One Altar showed any further signs of deterioration.
This put his mind at ease once again.
Of course, it was a good thing that the altar could compensate for the incomplete elixir formula, but it was not without any cost.
Lei Jun soon discovered that after a period of time, the blue flames that condensed into scriptures to repair the elixir formula would revert to a state of stagnation.
It was only when Lei Jun channeled more candlelight from the Buddhist treasure candlesticks into the altar to fuel the Nine Abyss Earth Fire that the repair process would continue.
Hmm, it's all good, just a bit wasteful of the candlesticks... Lei Jun thought to himself.
Although he lacked verification, Lei Jun guessed that if he wanted to repair other incomplete elixir formulas, he would probably have to make similar sacrifices.
He wondered, however, if the elixir formula was too severely damaged and only a few fragments remained, would it still be possible to continue the repair?
Was it necessary to have a certain amount of the original formula as a base?
Or, as long as the "fuel" provided to the Nine Abyss Earth Fire was sufficient, could it forcefully push through regardless of the severity of the damage?
Lei Jun was curious, but he temporarily suppressed these thoughts and prepared to make further attempts when he returned to Dragon and Tiger Mountain in the future.
With the discovery of this new function of the first layer of the altar, Lei Jun, who was born on a Taibai Golden Day, began to yearn for the Tianyuan Qingjing Dan incomplete formula that Xixing Qimu had mentioned before.
However, since this elixir formula originated from the Tian Shi Fu family, using it as a goal would be too obvious and detrimental to keeping his identity a secret.
There's no rush, I'll wait for another opportunity in the future... Lei Jun made up his mind.
He withdrew his spiritual consciousness from the True One Altar cave.
After putting away the candlestick, Lei Jun turned his focus back to his own cultivation.
The Buddhist treasures had nothing to do with his current practice.
His priority now was to continue refining the Great Five Elements Good Fortune Yuan Qi and, in the process, continuously cultivate his five viscera, five elements, and five qi to construct his own Dao Palace.
The Buddhist monks did not appear near Xianliu Mountain again.
However, according to the Tian Shi Fu disciples who traveled to the outside world, Buddhist disciples had been spotted near Daqing Peak.
Nevertheless, there were no rumors circulating about Master Yongxiang.
On the other hand, the ruckus caused by the White Lotus Sect gradually subsided.
The chaos in Huaisan was quelled at a speed that surprised many, due to some internal changes within the White Lotus Sect.
In contrast, the battle between the Lin Clan of Jiangzhou and Dragon and Tiger Mountain of Xinzhou had reached its climax.
Above the Poyang Grand Marsh, a earth-shattering battle unfolded, causing the clouds to shift and the spiritual veins to change course.
Although Lei Jun and his companions were stationed on the outskirts, their attention was focused on the marsh, anxiously awaiting news.
"Hmm?"
One day, Lei Jun's heart stirred, and he took out a sound-transmitting talisman.
In addition to the transmissions from the ancestral court of Dragon and Tiger Mountain, he had another source of information—his master, Yuan Mobai.
However, Yuan Mobai rarely used this method of communication.
But today, there was finally some activity.
Lei Jun invoked the spirit talisman.
The resulting message surprised him, which was a rare occurrence.
After the initial shock, he fell silent.
The Lin Clan of Jiangzhou, led by their new clan head, Lin Zhe, had joined the battle of Poyang Grand Marsh.
What drew even more attention was their unexpected use of an ancient Confucian grand ritual.
Rituals were the highest achievement of Confucian inheritance, especially ancient grand rituals, which were rarely seen in the world today.
As the Lin Clan of Jiangzhou was a prestigious family that had passed down Confucian teachings for generations, it was not surprising that they possessed such means.
What caught people off-guard was that the grand ritual employed by Lin Zhe and the others did not belong to the Lin Clan of Jiangzhou.
Instead, it originated from the Lin Clan of Youzhou.
Among the Five Surnames and Seven Families, the two Lin clans shared a common ancestor.
The Lin Clan of Jiangzhou was established when a branch of the Lin Clan of Youzhou moved south and crossed the river many years ago.
However, after the split, the relationship between the two clans was not amicable and could even be described as hostile.
Within the seven great aristocratic families, the two Lin clans were the most distant and even considered each other as adversaries, denouncing the other as heretics.
However, this time, the Lin Clan of Jiangzhou unexpectedly performed the grand ritual of the Lin Clan of Youzhou.
To some extent, it was also the oldest and most core ritual of the entire Lin Clan lineage.
It was powerful and caught everyone off guard.
And the target was solely focused on one person.
Xu Yuanzhen!
She was not only recognized as the current top expert of the Celestial Master's Mansion but also the one who had personally initiated this war by assassinating Lin Zhen.
The Lin Clan of Jiangzhou did not choose to avoid the strong and strike the weak, nor did they opt for a strategy of weakening their opponent first.
They had prepared for a long time, and when they made their move, it was a stunning one, aiming straight for the Celestial Master's Mansion's strongest point.
Perhaps, from the very beginning, they never intended to seek a minor victory to regain face but instead sought a way to gracefully back down.
Lin Zhe, the new clan head of the Lin Clan, chose to aim for a major victory in the first major upheaval since his ascension.
He might not have been solely motivated by a desire to avenge his nephew, Lin Zhen.
But he wanted to use this opportunity to unite the Lin Clan and establish his own authority.
The cautious and meticulous planning during the initial stages suddenly erupted in this moment, like a startling thunderclap.
Even Yuan Mobai admitted that this move was somewhat unexpected by the Celestial Master's Mansion.
However...
There were also some things that took Lin Zhe by surprise.
And that was Xu Yuanzhen's ability.
This peerless genius, who had repeatedly proven her talent and strength, once again astonished everyone by turning the tables on her attackers despite the sudden ambush.
She withstood the Lin Clan's grand ritual and almost turned the situation around.
"What do you mean by 'almost'?" Lei Jun raised his eyebrows.
His master, Yuan Mobai, rarely used such ambiguous wording.
Lei Jun guessed that the situation might be too complex, and the Celestial Master's Mansion was still sorting out the details.
Fortunately, Yuan Mobai didn't keep him waiting too long.
Soon, more detailed information arrived.
The Lin Clan's grand ritual was interrupted midway.
The resulting distorted power almost drained half of the Poyang Grand Marsh.
With the shattering of the void, the disciples of the Celestial Master's Mansion and the Lin Clan of Jiangzhou had no choice but to retreat.
Three people at the very center of the battlefield eventually disappeared into the shattered void.
They were:
- Xu Yuanzhen of the Celestial Master's Mansion.
- Lin Zhe, the new clan head of the Jiangzhou Lin Clan.
- Lin Feng, an elder of the Jiangzhou Lin Clan at the Eighth Heaven realm.
The three of them had unknown fates, and their whereabouts were a mystery.
The Battle of Poyang Grand Marsh ended in an unexpected and bizarre stalemate, with both sides suffering heavy losses.
The battle itself was drawing to a close.
Undoubtedly, the Lin Clan of Jiangzhou had incurred heavier losses.
Including Lin Zhen and the others, they had effectively lost five upper-tier experts in a short period.
Although the disciples of the Celestial Master's Mansion were shocked by the strangeness and fierceness of the battle in Poyang Grand Marsh, they quickly regrouped and seized the initiative to continue their offensive against the Lin Clan.
The Lin Clan retreated, recalling their forces to defend their ancestral land in Jiangzhou.
The battle basically concluded with the Celestial Master's Mansion as the victor.
The only question remaining was perhaps the fate of the senior sister, Xu Yuanzhen.
After worrying for several days, Lei Jun suddenly received a transmission from Yuan Mobai.
The news was good.
There was news of Xu Yuanzhen.
But it wasn't perfect.
She was temporarily stranded in the void, affected by the chaotic currents, and it was unknown when she would be able to free herself.
The intermittent messages she sent back, however, left both Yuan Mobai and Lei Jun speechless:
"Don't look for me..."
"I'm having fun..."
"Oh, and Lin Feng is dead..."
Lei Jun could only shake his head and smile bitterly at her nonchalance in such a situation.
Well, regardless, at least she was safe.
Lei Jun lowered his hand, and his eyes glinted.
Although Xu Yuanzhen was temporarily stranded, she was unharmed, and he could breathe a sigh of relief.
In contrast, there were probably some people who felt a renewed sense of tension.
The Li Clan.
How others viewed the outcome of the previous battle was uncertain.
But some members of the Li Clan were probably more than satisfied, so much so that they would want to burn incense and offer sacrifices to their ancestors in celebration.
The greatest source of instability within the Mansion and the greatest external enemy had both nearly perished together.
Could there be anything more wonderful than this?
The Li Clan seemed to see the opportunity to reshape the Celestial Master's Mansion in their image just within their grasp.
Of course, it wasn't that they didn't want to strike while the iron was hot and eliminate the Lin Clan of Jiangzhou, their age-old rival, once and for all.
The Lin Clan of Jiangzhou was a threat to the entire Dragon and Tiger Mountain, and the enmity between the two sides went back a millennium, with countless deaths and bloodshed on both sides. This was true regardless of whether it was the Li Clan or the other external clans.
However, the Ye Clan of Qingzhou had sent a representative to arrive in Jiangzhou at the first opportunity.
With the Lin Clan of Jiangzhou retreating to defend their ancestral land, it would be difficult for outsiders to launch a strong offensive.
Even after gaining the upper hand, the Celestial Master's Mansion did not persist with their offensive.
Aside from leaving people to monitor the movements of Jiangzhou, most of the members of the Celestial Master's Mansion retreated back to Dragon and Tiger Mountain to rest.
With Xu Yuanzhen absent, the Li family's hidden intentions resurfaced.
However, the news of Xu Yuanzhen still being alive soon spread, dashing the hopes of some members of the Li family.
...
Far away to the north of the great river lies the ancestral land of the Ye Clan in Jinzhou.
In the ancestral mansion, an elderly man was reading a piece of paper in his hand, going over every word and sentence carefully.
In front of him, several people stood silently.
After a long while, the elderly man put down the letter and looked at the people in front of him. "Has someone from Qingzhou already gone to Jiangzhou?"
A middle-aged man replied, "Yes, it is said that it was Hong Zhen."
The old man nodded slightly. "In that case, let's leave Jiangzhou be for now."
The middle-aged man spoke softly, "What about Xinzhou?"
The old man took out a small, exquisite box—a Confucian dimensional box that contained a small world within.
He pushed the box towards the middle-aged man. "Send this to Xinzhou. The Li family will know what to do."
The middle-aged man hurriedly took the box. "Father, do you mean... Li Hongyu?"
The man was well aware of what was inside the box.
It was a rare and precious treasure.
This treasure was of great benefit to practitioners of the Taoist Talisman sect's thunder law.
While it may not be enough to determine the outcome of a battle, for a Taoist Talisman sect expert standing at the threshold between the Seventh and Eighth Heavens, obtaining this treasure would provide an opportunity to break through to the Eighth Heaven.
The Ye Clan of Jinzhou had possessed this treasure for many years.
"This was originally meant for Li Zhengxuan, but he lost the Celestial Master's Sword," the elderly man said.
Losing the Celestial Master's Sword did not mean that Li Zhengxuan had no future or qualifications.
Rather, it indicated that he would face a huge obstacle in his heart.
Unless one day he could retrieve the Celestial Master's Sword with his own hands.
Otherwise, this incident would haunt him like a shadow.
Normally, it wouldn't be a problem.
But if he wanted to cross the heavenly tribulation between the Seventh and Eighth Heavens, it was almost certain that he wouldn't have the slightest chance.
Even with the assistance of the treasure within the dimensional box, it would be futile.
Unless Li Zhengxuan retrieved the Celestial Master's Sword himself, daring to face the heavenly tribulation would only lead to one outcome—death.
However, the Li family needed one more Eighth Heaven realm master.
With Li Zhengxuan out of the picture, their hopes rested on either Li Hongyu or Li Ziyang.
"Father, what about Li Hongyu? Does she have a chance?" the middle-aged man asked softly.
"She's at a crossroads, one step away from ascending to the heavens or falling into the abyss," the elderly man replied.
The people in the room nodded silently.
Li Hongyu was once considered a genius on par with her brother, the former Celestial Master Li Qingfeng.
But after making a wrong move and falling behind, she had never been able to catch up.
To some extent, it had become a mental block for her.
Li Hongyu never acknowledged Li Qingfeng's superiority, yet she constantly lived in his shadow.
Now that Li Qingfeng had perished, Li Hongyu did not feel relieved.
Instead, she faced a crucial moment of deciding her next move.
If she could seize this opportunity to rise again, it would indeed be a chance for her.
As for the other high-achieving elder of the Celestial Master's Mansion, Li Ziyang, he couldn't be said to have no chance at all, but compared to Li Hongyu, he was slightly inferior.
"However, we can keep an eye on him," the elderly man said. "In the event of a major change, some plans can be entrusted to Li Ziyang. He may be more suitable than Li Zhengxuan or Li Hongyu."
The middle-aged man acknowledged, "Yes, Father." He took the dimensional box and left.
The elderly man looked at the remaining people and asked, "What are your thoughts?"
One of them spoke softly, "Uncle, do we still need to support the Li family? Although the Lin family of Jiangzhou is weak, the Celestial Master's Mansion is also vulnerable at the moment. If we want to eliminate them, now is the perfect opportunity."
The elderly man did not show any impatience. "Firstly, the situation in the north has already reached a critical point, and it would be unwise to divert our attention to the south. Secondly, Xu Yuanzhen is still alive and has fallen into the hands of outsiders."
The people present nodded silently.
A top expert with no attachments and whose movements were difficult to control was one thing.
But if that person was truly unfettered and unencumbered, the danger they posed would be doubled.
In ancient times, there were many wandering top experts.
However, as time passed and the modern era approached, such figures became rarer, and this was not without reason.
"How are the preparations in Youzhou going?" the elderly man asked.
One of the people in front of him respectfully replied, "The news from Youzhou indicates that everything is ready."
The elderly man nodded slightly. "Then, all that's left is to wait for the right moment."
(End of Chapter)
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