Chapter 173: Chapter 172: The Threefold Expandable Opportunity

Chapter 173: Chapter 172: The Threefold Expandable Opportunity

The area around the altar was already prepared as a dojo, complete with the eight gates, nine fields, battle lanterns, and dharma banners.

Incense burned endlessly in the censer, its smoke concealed by the spiritual talisman's transformed domain, preventing early exposure.

Above the altar, radiant lights flickered, and within their glow appeared three illusory layers of altars, suspended in mid-air.

From a distance, the three shimmering layers of illusory altars resembled three gates leading to three distinct worlds, each interconnected.

Hidden on the side, Lei Jun observed this scene for a moment before an inkling arose in his heart.

The illusory altar, comprised of the Three Realms, faintly revealed the profound truths of the Orthodox Master's Mansion's orthodox trilogy of scriptures, deeply integrating the wonders of the Daoist School's Cave Spirit, Cave Mystery, and Cave Truth. It served as a conduit for the essence of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity.

However, there was a slight difference.

It exuded a hint of wild and primitive aura, reminiscent of the ancient times when calamities loomed.

If the daily cultivation of the Taoist Fulu School's monks was likened to building an exquisite civilization, then what was manifested on this altar was a primitive and barbaric force, ready to unleash and destroy that very civilization.

Realizing this, Lei Jun frowned slightly.

He scanned the area with his gaze.

Finally, his eyes settled on a few individuals.

Three Daoists, clad in deep red robes, stood side by side in front of the altar on the dojo.

At first glance, they appeared as a youth and two middle-aged men.

The two middle-aged men, one male and one female, wore the attire of conferring Daoist masters, their expressions solemn.

"The time has come," said the middle-aged man. "With the Three Caves' Wild God Tribulation complete, let us begin the final ritual together."

The middle-aged woman nodded. "Elder Sister Qi sent a message that Yuan Mok Baek is already suspicious. We must not delay any further."

The three bowed towards the altar and then stepped forward, walking onto the flying bridge.

The young Daoist asked, "Uncle Jiang, Aunt Gu, after the Three Caves' Wild God Tribulation is triggered, who will be our primary target, Li Song or Li Ziyang?"

The middle-aged Daoist replied, "Under the influence of the Three Caves' Wild God Tribulation, the entire Longhu Mountain's earth veins and spiritual energy will be affected. All those who cultivate the Orthodox Master's Mansion's lineage will be injured by the countercurrent of the earth veins' spiritual energy.

Those with low cultivation will perish, while those with high cultivation will be injured. We need to approach them later and strike when they are most vulnerable. Our goal is to ensure success."

The young Daoist was slightly surprised. "Shouldn't we prioritize the Li family?"

"Who caused the death of your Shizu and Shifu?" the middle-aged Daoist asked.

The young Daoist's expression turned solemn. "My Shizu perished at the hands of Xu Yuanzhen and Li Hongyu, and my Shifu died because of Official Ning."

His Shizu was none other than Huang Tian Dao's previous elder, Yu Qingling.

The middle-aged Daoist nodded. "My Master, your Grandmaster's junior brother, also met his demise because of the previous external elder of the Orthodox Master's Mansion."

My fellow disciple died trying to save me and fell under Li Qingfeng's sword. He died because of the Li family.

However, my disciple, the one you've met, perished at the hands of Tang Xiaotang."

He glanced at the middle-aged woman beside him. "Elder Sister Gu's Shifu was killed by the Li family, but the one who took her husband's life was Yuan Mok Baek, her most outstanding disciple, who died prematurely at the hands of Xu Yuanzhen.

Elder Brother Qi's favorite disciple died at the hands of Li Zhengxuan, and the disciple he had been diligently cultivating for many years perished in the battle six years ago at the hands of Lin Shan, Official Ning's disciple from the Orthodox Master's Mansion."

"Who are these outsiders?" The middle-aged woman, Ms. Gu, asked coldly. "Here on Longhu Mountain, there are only the Li family and their lackeys."

"We are the outsiders," she added coldly.

The middle-aged Daoist's tone was not as intense, but his words were calm and indifferent. "If we truly wanted to oppose the Li family, we would have stood with Shizu and Shifu back then, instead of siding with the Li family and becoming our enemies.

Now that we think about rebelling against the Li family, what have we been doing all this time? The current conflict on Longhu Mountain is merely an internal struggle between the remnants of traitors.

They are all scum that we need to purge. It would be best to resolve them together."

The young Daoist nodded and then said, "I just thought that since this opportunity is hard to come by, we should make the Li family our top priority to ensure none of them slip through the net."

After the three had crossed the flying bridge, the young Daoist looked up at the altar in front of him and said, "After all, it's extremely difficult to perform the ritual of the Three Caves' Wild God Tribulation. We've never been able to gather the necessary materials. If not for this, Shizu and the sect leader would not have died with their grand ambitions unfulfilled in that battle six years ago."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged Daoist, Jiang, nodded slightly. "That's why we only have one chance now, and we must not fail this trip!"

Suddenly, Ms. Gu asked, "Elder Brother Jiang, how did Elder Brother Qi suddenly gather all the materials needed for the Three Caves' Wild God Tribulation?"

Elder Jiang's expression remained calm. "Elder Sister Gu, I know what you're thinking, and as far as I know, your guess is correct."

Ms. Gu narrowed her eyes. "Elder Brother Jiang, I'm not concerned about Elder Brother Qi receiving assistance from external sources. I'm just worried that their ambitions are too grand..."

"Elder Brother Qi shares the same concerns," Elder Jiang said. "But if we want to purge the sect and reclaim the ancestral court of Longhu Mountain, we have no choice but to do this."

"I understand the logic, and I don't disagree," Ms. Gu said. "But their secrecy makes me uneasy."

She paused for a moment before asking softly, "Back then, when this person suddenly appeared on the Great River and severely injured Li Qingfeng, was it really just for personal vengeance?"

"Although I'm not sure what this person specifically wants," Elder Jiang said, "I don't think it's that simple. However, we need the Three Caves' Wild God Tribulation."

As he spoke, he looked up at the door of the altar and took the first step inside. "The time has come. Let's begin as soon as possible."

However, just as he was about to step into the altar, he suddenly felt a tingling sensation all over his body.

His soul trembled, and a warning sign emerged in his heart.

Elder Jiang turned around swiftly.

The middle-aged woman, Ms. Gu, beside him also felt a chill, sensing that something was amiss. Without hesitation, she turned to look behind her.

Even as they turned, their bodies were already surging with spiritual power, and their figures were enveloped in flickering divine light.

Then, they saw that behind the youngest Daoist, the one at the very back of the trio, a tall and imposing shadow had suddenly appeared!

The young Daoist's reaction was half a beat slower, but a warning sign flashed in his heart, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

Seeing the movements and expressions of his two uncles, he didn't turn around but instinctively surged forward, closer to his companions, while simultaneously activating the protective spiritual treasures on his body.

"Bang!"

But a shining long stick had already struck the young Daoist on the head.

In an instant, blood splattered everywhere.

The Daoist cultivators of the Talisman Scribing Sect had formidable bodily refinement.

However, if they wanted to compare defenses with Body Tempering Warriors, Buddhist Zen Warriors, those who upheld the precepts, or even the Pill Cauldron Sect cultivators from the same Daoist sect, they would need to reinforce themselves with spiritual talismans.

Without enough spiritual talismans, in a situation of a sudden ambush, then...

The young Daoist lay on the ground, blood pooling all around him. He didn't have the robust regenerative abilities of the Blood River Sect's Bo Hong.

Lei Jun had also learned from his previous encounter with Bo Hong and opted for sacrificing a bit of surprise. He fully unleashed the spiritual power of the Upper Clarity Golden Bamboo, turning the short stick into a long one, thereby increasing its lethality.

He took the opportunity to strike down one opponent first.

Due to their circumstances, most of the Yellow Sky Dao disciples were experienced in actual combat techniques.

Even though they were suddenly attacked, and one of their own was killed, the two Yellow Sky Dao elders remained calm, their emotions unperturbed. In the first moment, they acted simultaneously.

The female warrior with the surname Gu widened her eyes and let out a low shout. Her originally petite figure was suddenly enveloped by a yellow glow and grew taller, surpassing two meters in height, as if transforming into a burly strongwoman.

It was the Yellow Sky Dao's Yellow Scarf Warrior Talisman.

Moreover, this female cultivator with the surname Gu had cultivated this Yellow Scarf Warrior Talisman as her lifeblood talisman.

In her hand appeared a giant law ruler, as narrow as a door panel, which she smashed down towards Lei Jun's head.

Her aura was comparable to that of a martial artist of the same realm.

However, Lei Jun was even more ruthless than her.

After the first strike that injured his opponent, Lei Jun's entire body was enveloped in a radiant glow, and his figure also enlarged!

Without the augmentation of the Heaven General Talisman, his stature was only slightly smaller than his opponent, who was using the Yellow Scarf Warrior Talisman.

With the boost of the Heaven General Talisman, he instantly became taller and more formidable than his opponent, like a heavenly general descending to the mortal realm. He grabbed the wide law ruler that was smashing down at him with his bare hands!

As the female crown with the surname Gu attacked, prioritizing speed, her movements were concise.

Behind her, Daoist Jiang pasted a Five Ding Mountain-Opening Talisman on her back, intending to further enhance her figure.

However, before the Five Ding Mountain-Opening Talisman could land, the seemingly towering Yellow Scarf Warrior was knocked flying by an even more towering Heavenly General!

The Yellow Scarf Warrior's figure crashed backward, slamming into Daoist Jiang and knocking him into the door of the altar.

Lei Jun didn't stop, quickly following his opponent into the altar.

However, he was greeted by rolling thunder.

The Five Elements gave birth to endless, relentless lightning, like an endless cascade of thunderbolts, displaying the ultimate yang and robust force in the world.

It was the Five Thunder Rightful Law Talisman, renowned as the Heavenly Master Talisman Technique.

Five massive talisman marks hung above Lei Jun's head, forming a talisman array that unleashed the might of five thunderbolts crashing down on him.

Turning to Daoist Jiang, despite his disheveled state, the whisk at his waist shone with a radiant light, forming a translucent white glow that protected him. It was clearly a top-notch protective spiritual treasure.

With this treasure guarding him, Daoist Jiang was unharmed after being knocked into by the Yellow Scarf Warrior. He still had time to unleash the Five Thunder Rightful Law Talisman to counter Lei Jun, who was pursuing them into the altar.

In comparison, the female cultivator with the surname Gu, who had transformed into the Yellow Scarf Warrior, was in a worse situation.

The yellow glow around her body had faded, and Lei Jun's strike had directly shattered her Yellow Scarf Guardian form.

The law ruler was snatched away by Lei Jun, and half of the female crown's body seemed to have been pulverized by Lei Jun's blow; she was now a bloody mess.

She hissed, "You... Lei Jun!"

On the other side, Daoist Jiang remained silent. He brought his hands together to form a seal in front of his chest, then pulled them apart.

Instantly, his spiritual power condensed and took on a physical form, emitting dragon roars and tiger cries.

While the display couldn't compare to the might of the Yang Thunder Dragon or the Yin Fire Tiger, the spiritual power that took the shape of a dragon and tiger still possessed sentience.

It was the Dragon and Tiger Dual Spirits, an advanced technique of the Daoist Talisman Scribing Sect, renowned alongside the Five Thunder Rightful Law Talisman and the Stepping on the Magical Array Technique.

Next, the tiger coiled and the dragon soared, with the Wind Tiger coiling in front of Daoist Jiang and the female crown with the surname Gu, temporarily protecting the two of them.

The Cloud Dragon, on the other hand, gracefully soared and flew from the side to attack Lei Jun.

Lei Jun endured the five thunderbolts crashing down on him.

However, he remained calm in the face of adversity.

An identical Five Thunder Rightful Law Talisman appeared and transformed into a thunder array, with the five elements endlessly circulating and generating infinite lightning, rising from below to counter the descending thunderbolts.

Thunderbolts clashed endlessly, but Lei Jun didn't bother to observe the outcome. He simply strode forward and casually threw the giant law ruler he had just snatched, instantly shattering the Cloud Dragon.

Then, he took another step forward and smashed the Wind Tiger with his stick.

However, during the brief moment when the Wind Tiger and Cloud Dragon had bought them time, Daoist Jiang performed the Stepping on the Magical Array Technique again.

Accompanied by sparkling specks of light, they transformed into countless shining talismans, like dazzling stars and brilliant nebulae, encircling Daoist Jiang and the female crown with the surname Gu.

Under Daoist Jiang's feet, a tiny illusory altar formed within the actual altar, despite the limited space.

It was one of the mystical abilities of the Three Heavens cultivators of the Daoist Talisman Scribing Sect, the Dao Palace Talisman Array.

With the talisman array deployed, it synergized with the Stepping on the Magical Array Technique, instantly turning this confined space into Daoist Jiang's home ground.

Any techniques he used or spiritual energy he manipulated from now on would be twice as effective.

However, it only lasted for a moment.

Another Dao Palace Talisman Array appeared and collided with Daoist Jiang's array, the two forces pressing against each other. In the end, both arrays were partially broken and unable to provide the advantage of home ground.

Of course, it was Lei Jun's Dao Palace Talisman Array.

And as he entered the altar, Lei Jun didn't walk in a straight line. With a few seemingly aimless steps, a radiant light began to surround his body.

With Lei Jun's mastery of the Heavenly Steps, this internal strife among the Talisman Scribing Sect cultivators was all but decided.

Lei Jun's accumulated experience allowed him to unleash the same spells with even greater power than other Talisman Scribing Sect cultivators.

Although Daoist Jiang was skilled in his art, he was still no match for Lei Jun's proximity.

Just then, on Lei Jun's side, there was a flash of electric light.

The electric light resembled arrows nocked and ready to fire.

Without turning his head, Lei Jun knew that beside him, the severely injured female crown with the surname Gu was forcibly enduring her injuries, channeling her spiritual power to summon a high-grade spirit talisman called the Flying Electric Shooting Combat Talisman.

This talisman transformed electricity into arrows, and in the hands of an expert from the Taoist Talisman Scribing Sect, it was extremely powerful. Even though it might not compare to the expert archers of the Confucian School of Divine Archery, it was not to be underestimated. It could strike from a distance, break through defensive spells, and was especially unpredictable at close to medium range.

However, this "arrow" never got a chance to fly.

Because, before the electric arrow could be loosed, there was the silent and unexpected spread of pitch-black thunder liquid, more unpredictable than a hidden arrow. It crept onto the female crown with the surname Gu.

The thunder liquid sizzled and exploded, and with the female crown already severely injured, the attack of the yin thunder of the Gui Water was too much. She let out a painful cry as her body flipped and was quickly engulfed by the thunder liquid.

The pitch-black thunder liquid also pursued Daoist Jiang.

The protective white light emitted by his whisk clashed violently with the thunder liquid, as thick and viscous as ink.

He quickly took out another talisman.

But suddenly, in front of Daoist Jiang, a small flame appeared.

The flame was faint, like a candlelight.

But in the next moment, it exploded with a bang!

Although it didn't have the endless expanse of the yin thunder of the Gui Water, the yin thunder of the Ding Fire had a more intense burst of power. The violent force was compressed into a tiny point before exploding.

The combination of water and fire thunder shocked the protective white light, causing it to dim.

Lei Jun seized this opportunity to strike again.

The white light instantly vanished.

The whisk in Daoist Jiang's hand snapped in half.

However, Daoist Jiang ignored Lei Jun's approaching presence and invoked the spirit talisman: "Chi!"

In an instant, endless thunderbolts appeared within one layer of the altar.

The thunderbolts even caused the altar to collapse.

The spirit talisman invoked by Daoist Jiang was clearly a top-grade, high-level spirit talisman crafted by a Three Heavens cultivator.

Even if it meant destroying the altar, he didn't care at this moment. He only wanted to strike down Lei Jun in front of him.

Fortunately, the altar was sturdy and withstood some of the damage.

Otherwise, Great Elderberry Ridge on this side would have suffered the same fate as Qiluogu that day, swept away by the endless thunderbolts.

Amidst Daoist Jiang's expectant gaze, Lei Jun remained calm and composed.

He calmly brought out his Soil Qi Flag.

As the flag fluttered, a large amount of earthy yellow spiritual light emerged, giving birth to earth and stone that surrounded and protected Lei Jun, isolating the rolling thunderbolts.

With Lei Jun's cultivation base steadily rising, the amount of spiritual power he could channel through the Soil Qi Flag also increased accordingly.

Although the thunderbolts continuously shattered the earth-based essence qi produced by the Soil Qi Flag, the flag had already blocked the most violent initial burst.

Soon after, to conserve the power of the Soil Qi Flag, Lei Jun put it away and summoned his own yin five thunder righteous law talisman, the Yi Earth Yin Thunder, to form a second layer of protection.

With this second layer of protection shielding him from the thunderbolts, Lei Jun enhanced himself with the Wind and Thunder Talisman and swiftly retreated from the collapsing remains of the altar.

The battle between the two sides had erupted suddenly and intensely, and the outcome was decided in a very short time.

In fact, the Yellow Sky Dao disciples outside the altar had just managed to surround the area.

As they drew close, they were met with a sweeping strike from the top-grade thunderbolt talisman.

Although it was crafted by a Three Heavens cultivator of the Yellow Sky Dao, the disciples were caught off guard and could only suffer a devastating blow.

Even as they tried to dodge and block, they were mowed down like grass.

Daoist Jiang's true target, Lei Jun, continued to retreat, evading the final violent burst of thunderbolts.

Then, he quickly stopped.

As his feet pressed against the ground, the mountain rocks caved in and collapsed.

Amidst the flying dust, Lei Jun retreated and then advanced again, appearing in front of Daoist Jiang in the blink of an eye.

Daoist Jiang had expended a large amount of spiritual power and hadn't had time to recover when his vision blurred.

A gleaming long stick struck him on the head.

"Bang!"

Daoist Jiang staggered, blood flowing down his face as he fell backward.

Lei Jun exhaled a long breath, his breath separating into black and white.

Under the influence of the Yin-Yang Sacred Body, his spiritual power flowed endlessly in a harmonious cycle of yin and yang.

The Northern Xuanming Palace within his Dao Palace was also constantly circulating spiritual power, supporting Lei Jun and sustaining his combat prowess despite his continuous bursts of power.

Lei Jun surveyed his surroundings.

Apart from Daoist Jiang, the young Daoist and the female crown with the surname Gu were buried under the collapsed altar.

Lei Jun said, "Honestly, if I had been born two hundred years earlier, I would have defected from the Heavenly Master's Mansion with you."

He shook his head. "But now, there's no point in saying these things. I can't let this so-called Three Caverns Wild God Tribulation bring indiscriminate destruction to Longhu Mountain."

At this moment, he couldn't help but feel a sense of life's irony.

However, Lei Jun quickly reined in his wandering thoughts and stopped indulging in such musings. His mindset quickly returned to calmness.

He quickly cleared the surrounding area.

The altar built by the Yellow Sky Dao was destroyed by their own spirit talismans.

The Three Caverns Wild God Tribulation they had prepared naturally also vanished into nothingness.

With the collapse of the altar, most of the related ritual artifacts and materials were also damaged.

However, Lei Jun discovered that something had survived.

As he dug through the rubble of the altar, a wild and unrefined aura washed over him.

Lei Jun took a closer look and noticed a pair of matching gems shimmering with a faint blue light.

Was this the third-grade opportunity mentioned in the upper levels? Lei Jun wondered.

PS: 5k chapter.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end