Chapter 178: 177. Reuniting the Li Xuan and Li Ming Brothers (Part 1)

Chapter 178: 177. Reuniting the Li Xuan and Li Ming Brothers (Part 1)



Ye Chifeng was indeed a rising star of the Ye Clan from Jinzhou, renowned for his literary talent and righteous sword aura. His foundation was already exceptionally sturdy.

He practiced the Yi Xing Sword, a hereditary art of the Jinzhou Ye Clan, which seemed to grant him the ability to anticipate his enemies' moves and adapt his techniques accordingly.

Although he failed to perceive Lei Jun's invisible primal magnetic force in time, Ye Chifeng immediately gathered his sword aura to protect himself.

Unfortunately for him, Lei Jun had continuously refined and adjusted his technique, and this strike was more powerful than ever before.

At the tip of the Upper Clarity Golden Bamboo that smashed towards his opponent's head, a flickering flame danced like a candlelight.

But this tiny spark exploded above Ye Chifeng's head, instantly transforming into boundless, violent thunderfire that detonated in a chain reaction.

The extremely compressed Yin Thunder of Ding Fire exploded at close range, instantly shattering the hasty defense of Ye Chifeng's sword aura.

Then, the Upper Clarity Golden Bamboo struck him squarely on the top of his head.

"Bang!"

Blood splattered as the genius of the Ye Clan had his skull cleaved open.

His body swayed a couple of times before falling backward.

Lei Jun exhaled deeply, his breath intertwining black and white.

Although the battle was brief, it was more heart-pounding and perilous than the previous confrontation with Jiang Daoren and the other Yellow Heaven Daoists at Daying Ridge.

As for Ye Qi, that was another matter.

Ye Chifeng had been hiding on the sidelines, and Lei Jun truly hadn't detected him earlier.

This Confucian scholar wasn't merely relying on a spiritual treasure to conceal himself; he had also maintained a calm and detached mental state, unperturbed by external influences.

It was as if he didn't exist at all, as if the world around him had nothing to do with him, and he quietly followed alongside Ye Qi and the others.

When Li Xuan had revealed himself earlier, Ye Chifeng had completely ignored him, leaving the interaction to Ye Qi.

If it weren't for Lei Jun's own hidden presence and sudden strike that instantly took out Ye Qi, catching Ye Chifeng off guard, he wouldn't have stood idly by while Ye Qi and the others faced danger.

In that case, Ye Chifeng would have joined forces with Ye Qi, one attacking openly while the other struck from the shadows.

It was only when he suddenly appeared and attempted to assassinate Lei Jun that his killing intent became apparent.

And coincidentally, at that very moment, the spiritual object that had been helping him conceal himself also unleashed the spiritual power it had been accumulating, which had the effect of suppressing the opponent's spirit.

Thus, in that fleeting moment, Lei Jun's mind went blank.

Although the Soil of Vitality Banner had the automatic ability to protect its master, it, too, was half a beat too slow.

But how could Ye Chifeng have anticipated that Lei Jun's soul still concealed the Heavenly Master's Seal, allowing him to snap back to his senses instantly?

If it had been any other Middle Three Heavens cultivator in this situation, they would most likely have met their end.

Even Lei Jun couldn't help but marvel at Ye Chifeng's status as a Confucian swordsman rather than a martial arts master.

Setting aside his offensive capabilities, whether it be a cultivator focusing on body refinement or weapon mastery, their speed at this level was astonishing. With the aid of a spiritual treasure for concealment and a sudden ambush, it would truly result in blood splattering within five steps.

"Now, this thing..." Lei Jun removed the bone chain wrapped around Ye Chifeng's arm.

{Bone of the Coiled Serpent}

He had a sudden realization, and the name of this object automatically appeared in his mind.

The 'Moderately Lucky Draw' mentioning a four-star opportunity was most likely referring to this item.

A little risky, so be cautious.

No aftermath.

Lei Jun put away the bone chain without examining it further.

As he put away the Upper Clarity Golden Bamboo, the Yin Thunder of Yi Earth and Gui Water quickly spread out, cleaning up the surroundings.

While taking care of the last few remaining members of the Ye Clan, he also disposed of most of the corpses.

Then, Lei Jun immediately left this stretch of the mountain forest.

Although he had passed Jinque Creek and was not far from the main peak of Longhu Mountain, cultivators of varying strengths were lurking inside and outside the mountain at this moment.

Perhaps their attention was mainly focused on the dragon-and-tiger battle unfolding at the summit, but Lei Jun remained cautious and did not linger.

He went with the flow, traveling downstream along Jinque Creek and heading towards the mountainous area further away from the creek. He was chasing after Li Xuan and the others who had left earlier.

As it turned out, Lei Jun's caution was justified.

Soon, someone approached the area around the Jinque Creek ferry.

The newcomer had three long beards, a clear and thin scholarly appearance, a sword at his waist, and a graceful demeanor.

It was the Suzhou Chu Clan's Upper Three Heavens realm housekeeper from before.

He had been temporarily blocked by the Longhu Mountain's mountain-guarding formation and couldn't break through the giant altar covering the main peak alone, so he had no choice but to wait outside the mountain.

What was happening outside the mountain wasn't a concern for the Chu Clan housekeeper at the moment.

What would determine the future direction of the Celestial Master's Mansion on Longhu Mountain was the outcome of the battle between the high-achieving elders on the main peak.

However, a faint sense suddenly arose in the heart of the Chu Clan housekeeper.

After some thought, he finally decided to come and check things out at the Jinque Creek ferry.

Although Lei Jun had done a simple cleanup of the scene, this Seven Heavens realm Chu Clan housekeeper could still discern a lot with a single glance: quite a few people had died, most of them killed by the Daoist Thunder Law.

The key was that those who had died seemed to be Confucian cultivators.

Were they people from the Jingxiang Fang Clan?

Or the Lin Clan of Jiangzhou?

Or perhaps his own Suzhou Chu Clan?

During this dispute within the Celestial Master's Mansion, even the Chu Clan was not united in their opinions.

The attention of the Chu elders was mainly focused on the Wu and Yue disturbances and the East China Sea demon disturbances.

Hence, the Chu Clan did not have the energy to interfere in this civil war on Longhu Mountain.

Only this Chu Clan housekeeper had stepped forward to support Li Song, the Grand Elder of the Celestial Master's Mansion, with whom the Chu Clan had always been on good terms.

However, upon closer inspection, he discovered that the Confucian scholars killed here were more likely from the Ye Clan of Jinzhou in the north.

It was within expectations that Li would contact external forces for assistance.

At this moment, the Chu Clan housekeeper was only speculating as to how deeply the Ye Clan of Jinzhou had become involved...

"Boom!"

Purple lightning tore through the sky, shooting out directly from the main peak of Longhu Mountain in a domineering display.

The Chu Clan housekeeper composed himself and dodged the attack.

The purple lightning wasn't aimed directly at him but was a result of the intensified battle between Tang Xiaotang, who wielded the Celestial Master's Sword, and Li Hongyu, who wore the Celestial Master's Robe, on the main peak.

As the nine-colored light veered, sword lights transformed from purple lightning slashed out from the mountain, carving enormous fissures in the mountains surrounding the main peak.

As Lei Jun traveled through the mountains, he was careful to conceal his presence while also remaining vigilant against the purple lightning sword lights that could descend from the heavens like divine punishment at any moment.

Suddenly, his heart stirred, and he slowed his pace.

There were people up ahead.

They were all disciples of the Celestial Master's Mansion.

But they weren't Li Xuan and the other Li siblings from before.

There were also some familiar faces among them.

Shangguan Hong was there, and he and several other disciples of the Celestial Master's Mansion looked a bit disheveled as they discussed something animatedly:

"Was that person just now really Chen Yi, Master Yao's disciple from before?

"It should be that traitor..."

"Was there anyone who was close to him before and could identify him?"

Shangguan Hong, who had been silent all this time, sighed. "It's Chen Yi, alright. We entered the mansion together in the same year."

The crowd fell silent for a moment.

After a while, someone spoke up, "He killed Feng He, our junior martial brother..."

His tone was distant.

It was hard to tell if he was angry or pleased; a mix of emotions filled the air.

Shangguan Hong and the others wore complicated expressions on their faces.

Lei Jun, standing nearby, raised an eyebrow.

The so-called "Feng He, our junior martial brother," should refer to Lin Shan's disciple, Li Fenghe.

He was Li Xuan's son.

And Li Ziyang's only grandson.

Originally, he had intended to become a disciple of the former Young Celestial Master, Li Zhengxuan. However, after a series of twists and turns, he ended up following the lineage of Shangguan Ning and became a disciple of her senior disciple, Lin Shan.

In recent years, he had kept a relatively low profile.

Who would have thought that now, he would meet his end at the hands of Chen Yi, the traitor?

Now that the Li family and the outsiders were at war, Shangguan Ning, who was injured, had not intervened. She only appealed for both sides to cease fighting.

Most of her disciples had also left the mountain to patrol the outskirts, staying clear of the internal strife.

Everyone had complex feelings about the Li family's disciples.

However, since Li Fenghe was Lin Shan's direct disciple, his death at the hands of a traitor who had betrayed the sect left Shangguan Hong and the others feeling ashamed.

Lei Jun looked at the distant Jinque Creek, which flowed endlessly, and shook his head in wonder.

Six years ago, Chen Yi had exposed his secret blood river cultivation technique on the banks of this very creek. He had injured several disciples of the Celestial Master's Mansion before fleeing.

And today, six years later, he had taken advantage of the chaos to return to Longhu Mountain and had even taken the life of the Li family's only remaining direct descendant?

"Shangguan, junior martial brother!"

At that moment, a gust of wind blew in from the distance.

A woman in red robes with a refined aura and a beautiful countenance approached.

Upon seeing her, Shangguan Hong and the others quickly greeted her, "Senior martial sister Zhang."

The newcomer was Zhang Jingzhen.

Her eyes scanned the surroundings, and she asked, "I just received news that Feng He, our junior martial brother, is in trouble?"

Shangguan Hong nodded, "Yes, earlier, several young disciples were patrolling outside the mountain when they accidentally discovered Chen Yi's whereabouts. He suddenly attacked and injured several people, including Feng He, our junior martial brother."

Zhang Jingzhen frowned slightly, "Chen Yi, wasn't he targeting Feng He, our junior martial brother, from the very beginning?"

Although Chen Yi had already been labeled as a traitor who needed to be eliminated, Shangguan Hong remained objective in his explanation, "I heard that he wanted to find an opportunity to sneak back to the mountain, but he was discovered. Senior Martial Brother Lin sensed something and went after him. Chen Yi fled and took the opportunity to strike, injuring Feng He and the others who were nearby."

Lei Jun, standing by, listened thoughtfully.

After not seeing Chen Yi for a few years, it seemed that he hadn't changed much. He still appeared rebellious, but his actions were purposeful, and he avoided petty conflicts. However, his methods seemed more ruthless than before.

This time, taking advantage of the internal strife within the Celestial Master's Mansion, he had secretly returned to the vicinity of Longhu Mountain, but it didn't seem like he was here for revenge.

At least, revenge wasn't his primary goal.

It seemed more like he had come back to the mountain to search for something.

With his cover blown and his primary target out of reach, Chen Yi had lashed out in an attempt to break free and vent his frustration, injuring Li Fenghe and the others.

It was hard to say whether this was bad luck for Chen Yi or for Li Fenghe.

Why had Chen Yi returned to Longhu Mountain, and what was he searching for?

"Then, where is Chen Yi now?" Zhang Jingzhen asked.

Shangguan Hong replied, "Senior Martial Brother Lin is pursuing him, but his current situation is unknown. Also... erm, Senior Martial Brother Li... erm, just now, when he learned about this, he also went east to join the pursuit."

His wording was a bit vague, but Lei Jun understood that he was referring to Li Xuan.

Zhang Jingzhen glanced eastward, "With only Senior Martial Brother Lin, he should be able to capture Chen Yi on the spot, right?"

Shangguan Hong quickly said, "Senior Martial Sister Zhang, Chen Yi has already reached the Fourth Heaven realm!"

Zhang Jingzhen's eyes flickered, "The Fourth Heaven? Chen Yi?"

She had access to more information, and she knew that after Chen Yi had fled the mountain, he had joined the Demon Guard and quickly achieved the Triple Heaven Law Altar realm.

But from the time he had left the mountain to the present, only six years had passed.

How could he have reached the Fourth Heaven, entering the intermediate stage of the Triple Heaven?

This rate of improvement was unprecedented. Aside from Lei Jun, no one in the Celestial Master's Mansion in recent years had achieved such speed.

How had Chen Yi accomplished this?

Even though the spiritual energy in the atmosphere had been rich and conducive to cultivation in recent years, such speed was still outrageous.

And...

"He only has the first two volumes of the Orthodox Unity of the True One; how could he have possibly crossed the tribulation between the Triple Heaven and the Fourth Heaven?" Zhang Jingzhen furrowed her brows.

Chen Yi had not completed his initiation and fled the mountain before receiving the higher-level spirit talismans and more profound Taoist scriptures.

Normally, it would be impressive enough for him to reach the third level of the Law Altar.

His foundation was already set, and it would be difficult to change his path.

If Chen Yi tried to switch to another Taoist school of thought, aside from the myriad difficulties, even if he took a huge step back and successfully started over, it wouldn't make sense for him to climb to new heights and break through to the Fourth Heaven in such a short time.

"If it weren't for that, Senior Martial Brother Lin wouldn't need to go through the trouble of chasing him. He would have captured him on the spot," Shangguan Hong said with a bitter smile.

"It's precisely because it was unexpected that Senior Martial Brother Lin didn't investigate immediately and let him escape. Now, he has to pursue him," Shangguan Hong explained, his smile fading as he turned serious. "I heard that Chen Yi's current Taoist school of thought is closer to the Blood River lineage of the South Wilderness Shamanism, but it's also distinct. It still retains many wonderful aspects of our Taoist Talisman Sect, which is truly heretical!"

Lei Jun listened quietly from the side.

His first thought was...

Other people's lives were truly exciting, always full of sparks and lightning.

After the young genius was expelled by the decadent sect, had the wheels of fate finally started turning, paving the way for him to forge his unique path of righteousness and evil?

Lei Jun shook his head repeatedly, bringing his wandering thoughts back to the present.

Well, if it was related to the Blood River lineage, it somewhat explained why Chen Yi's cultivation had progressed so quickly.

This path of shamanic cultivation was a classic example of "fighting to nurture the battle."

As long as one didn't die early, one would rise quickly.

This was true for everyone, from Wei Ancheng to the average Blood River disciple.

Chen Yi's presence in the Demon Guard meant that he would inevitably witness bloodshed, whether it be his own or that of others.

During the Western Regions Demon Rebellion, the Demon Guard followed Emperor Zhang Qilong in full force.

It was surprising that Chen Yi had survived until now, given his cultivation in the Blood River technique, which granted him a slow but steady improvement.

However, what was once a peripheral auxiliary art to him had now become his primary focus.

This left only one small problem.

How did he transition from a Daoist Talisman practitioner to a Blood River cultivator of the Shamanic path? Even if he didn't completely shift paths, he was now in a state of dual cultivation, mastering both the Talisman and Blood River arts.

Setting aside the implications of such a practice, could it have been what allowed him to successfully cross the tribulation between the Triple Heaven and the Fourth Heaven?

Zhang Jingzhen shared a similar doubt with Lei Jun.

The difference lay in the fact that she seemed to have caught a faint glimpse of inspiration.

Previously, she had a vague feeling that the other half of the chapter she had been desperately seeking was somehow nearby.

Now, it seemed that her earlier efforts at the Immortal Cave of Thunder Peak, where the Immortal Springs were located, had been misguided.

However, her senses had faded once more.

Could the other half of the chapter be with Chen Yi, who had fled from Li Shan?

As Chen Yi was now far away and had escaped again, Zhang Jingzhen's senses had faded once more... She pondered this in her heart.

The faint glimmer of insight she had caught was gradually becoming clearer.

If Chen Yi's return to Longhu Mountain wasn't for revenge, then why had he come back? Zhang Jingzhen suddenly recalled an incident from over a decade ago:

During that initiation ceremony, Chen Yi had desperately sought to become a direct disciple of the Celestial Master, just like her, but had failed.

Even the slight conflict between Chen Yi and Tang Xiaotang could be traced back to that time.

Could it be that Chen Yi's intentions back then weren't just about becoming a direct disciple of the Celestial Master, but also about entering the Immortal Cave of Thunder Peak?

Did he know about the existence of the chapter hidden within the Immortal Springs back then? Zhang Jingzhen was shocked by this thought, but she kept her composure and instructed Shangguan Hong and the others, "The current situation is complex, so stay alert and be mindful of your safety."

Shangguan Hong and the others nodded in agreement.

Zhang Jingzhen headed east.

Lei Jun, hidden in the shadows, did the same.

He vaguely sensed that Zhang Jingzhen's attention towards Chen Yi seemed to be focused more on the person himself rather than on Li Fenghe's death.

However, Lei Jun had no intention of questioning her about it at the moment.

Targets had to be prioritized.

Chen Yi's sudden appearance and Li Fenghe's death had caught Lei Jun off guard, but it wouldn't sway his primary objective.

Lei Jun's target remained Li Xuan.

He searched for him with intent.

Li Xuan and the other Li siblings had dispersed, and Li Xuan's whereabouts were currently unknown.

Lei Jun secretly followed one of the Li disciples and patiently kept track of his movements.

Finally, the disciple contacted Li Xuan using a Thousand-Mile Sound Transmission Talisman.

Although the transmission was intermittent due to the turmoil caused by the battle that had disrupted the heavenly spirit energy, Lei Jun managed to piece together Li Xuan's orders:

"Surround the Sword Valley to the east..."

There was no such place as the Sword Valley on the eastern side of Longhu Mountain.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end