https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-179-The-End-of-the-Li-Clan-Part-2-/12586952/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-181-180-The-Rise-of-a-New-Celestial-Master/12586954/
Chapter 180: Fated End
Chapter 180: Fated End
The commotion in the Recling Spirit Gorge had also caught the attention of Yuan Mo Bai and Yao Yuan on Mount Longhu, where the foundation of the Wanfa Zongtan remained steadfast.
Yuan Mo Bai sighed softly. He maintained his vigilant guard over the mountain, ensuring the grand formation remained intact.
The internal strife within the Celestial Master's Mansion had already reached its conclusion, yet they couldn't afford to let their guard down, not even for a moment.
Beyond the mountains, hidden amongst the trees, not only were Tian Linlong and Qi Shuo lying in wait, but there might also be other experts lurking. Should the Celestial Master's Mansion reveal any vulnerability, these foes would pounce like a pack of wolves, tearing into their prey.
This was the very scenario Yuan Mo Bai had always feared and taken meticulous steps to prevent.
The grand defensive formation of Mount Longhu remained intact, with the giant altar encompassing the main peak, leaving no opportunity for their envious rivals.
However, if there were no openings on the mountain, the enemies outside would become the target. And indeed, it wasn't just Li Ziyang who had fallen victim to an ambush.
In the upper reaches of Jinque Creek, near the base of Yunjin Mountain, purple lightning suddenly tore through the sky.
From afar, Lei Jun turned his gaze in that direction.
Huang Tiandao's Elder, Qi Shuo.
Jincheng Stockade's Elder, Cao Chu.
Yinshandong's Elder, Tian Linlong.
The whereabouts of these individuals had already been exposed.
But who was it, battling amidst the clouds and mist near Yunjin Mountain?
Lei Jun retrieved the Divine Vision Stone and peered into the distance.
Amidst the stars, a brilliant figure like a galaxy, supported by countless tiny stars, stood out. It was the giant he was familiar with, striking a purple thunder dragon.
This figure was none other than that of his master, Yuan Mo Bai, who had demonstrated this very technique not long ago.
It was a secret divine ability of the Celestial Master's Mansion, a Taoist technique of the Fu Lu school, derived from the Life Merit and Fu Lu of the Dou Mu Star God, also known as the Life Star God.
In recent years, only three individuals within the Celestial Master's Mansion had cultivated this supreme divine ability.
Xu Yuanzhen, Yuan Mo Bai, and Li Song.
Given the display of power near Yunjin Mountain, it was clear that it wasn't Xu Yuanzhen who had returned, leaving only one possibility.
A practitioner of the Huang Tiandao.
To Lei Jun's knowledge, two individuals from the Huang Tiandao had cultivated the Life Star God ability.
One was the leader of the Eighth Layer, Taiping Daoist.
The other was the Elder of the Seventh Layer, Zhao Zongjie.
Judging by the power and cultivation of the Life Star God, it seemed likely that it was Zhao Zongjie, a Seventh Layer cultivator, who was exhibiting this prowess.
"Zhao Zongjie..." Lei Jun turned to glance at the Recling Spirit Gorge once more.
Six years ago, after the battle in which Taiping Daoist had been injured, there had been no news of him.
In recent years, the Huang Tiandao had been mainly led by Qi Shuo and Zhao Zongjie.
Rumors suggested that the two did not get along.
Given the internal factions within the Huang Tiandao, it was likely that these two were at the head of opposing factions.
Today, with the Celestial Master's Mansion in turmoil once more, the Huang Tiandao had predictably come to join the fray.
Qi Shuo had arrived, lurking beyond the mountains, even orchestrating the Three Caves' Primordial God Tribulation earlier.
Although someone had beaten him to it, ruining his plan, Qi Shuo remained patiently biding his time, eventually setting his sights on Li Ziyang. He wouldn't leave empty-handed.
On the other hand, Zhao Zongjie had also arrived, hiding near the upper reaches of Jinque Creek, by Yunjin Mountain.
No wonder the Twice Lucky and Twice Safe signs had both indicated potential danger in that direction.
However, at that time, Lei Jun had been protected by the Concealment Curtain, and Zhao Zongjie lacked the Break Illusion Stone that Qi Shuo possessed to see through it.
If Lei Jun had been more cautious and meticulous, he might have been able to evade Zhao Zongjie's notice.
Hence, regarding the situation near Jinque Creek, the orb had consecutively produced two neutral signs.
Of course, now that Lei Jun's Concealment Curtain had been exhausted, if he were to venture in that direction again, the risk would increase exponentially.
But all of this was now irrelevant to him.
Someone else had stepped into the fray.
Li Zhengxian was heading in that direction as he evacuated.
His cultivation and strength were naturally far beyond that of a Middle Three Heavens cultivator.
However, in the previous battle, he had already been wounded by Tang Xiaotang's sword.
As he fled, he was ambushed by the well-rested and prepared Zhao Zongjie.
Even with Li Zhengxian's exceptional cultivation, he now found himself in a perilous situation.
He could only do his best to defend himself and even resort to taking a direct hit from Zhao Zongjie to create an opportunity to escape.
Zhao Zongjie, presented with such a rare opportunity, was not about to let his prey get away. He pursued Li Zhengxian relentlessly.
The two of them fought as they retreated, their battle taking them far into the distance.
At least Li Zhengxian only had to face Zhao Zongjie alone.
On the other hand, Li Ziyang was being besieged by two formidable opponents.
Already injured, Li Ziyang's fate, given this dire situation, would not be any better than that of a Middle Three Heavens cultivator.
Qi Shuo and Cao Chu were determined to achieve their goal.
Li Ziyang, the former esteemed Elder of the Celestial Master's Mansion, followed in the footsteps of Li Hongyu. Today, he too perished at the edge of Mount Longhu.
However, after seemingly joining forces to deal with Li Ziyang, Qi Shuo and Cao Chu did not continue their collaboration to target the Celestial Master's Mansion on Mount Longhu.
Instead, the two of them turned on each other, engaging in a fierce battle.
The entire Recling Spirit Gorge, including the surrounding mountains, had been reduced to ruins by the consecutive intense battles, transforming the once majestic mountains into flat land, and then into deep valleys.
Whether it was Lei Jun below the mountain or Yuan Mo Bai above, watching the distant scene unfold, neither was particularly surprised.
Both Qi Shuo and Cao Chu held grudges against the Celestial Master's Mansion.
If they couldn't breach Mount Longhu, they would take out their anger on the isolated Li Ziyang.
However, Cao Chu's situation was unique.
His cultivation was in the South Wild Ghostly Dao lineage, which specialized in refining evil souls and creating undead creatures.
While fighting enemies, he also had the opportunity to strengthen his own power by using the corpses of his foes.
Although Qi Shuo wanted nothing more than to kill Li Ziyang, he didn't want to see Cao Chu refine Li Ziyang's soul or corpse, turning it into a puppet under his control.
Qi Shuo, who considered himself the orthodox successor of the Taoist Fu Lu school, did not want to see the pinnacle techniques of the Fu Lu school fall into the hands of the South Wild Ghostly Dao in such a manner.
And just like that, immediately after joining forces to take down Li Ziyang, Qi Shuo turned on Cao Chu.
The battle between the two didn't last long.
Because Tang Xiaotang had returned.
In one hand, she held the Celestial Master's Sword, and in the other, she carried a person.
To be precise, in her other hand, she held the corpse of an elderly man.
Li Song.
The former highest-ranking Grand Elder of the Celestial Master's Mansion in Longhu Mountain had met his end that day.
In the past, he had witnessed all the trials and tribulations of the Celestial Master's Mansion since the first Celestial Master, Li.
Now, his death seemed to mark the end of the Li family's rule over the Celestial Master's Mansion in Longhu Mountain.
That day, the internal strife within the Celestial Master's Mansion came to a conclusion.
Although there may have been twists and turns along the way, the final outcome was a resounding victory for the outsiders and a crushing defeat for the Li family.
However, the Celestial Master's Mansion as a whole had once again suffered a heavy blow.
The Celestial Master's Robe was lost.
Several high-ranking elders had perished.
Nevertheless, taking advantage of Longhu Mountain's weakened state was not something that just anyone could do.
With Tang Xiaotang's return, Qi Shuo and Cao Chu naturally did not linger, just like Tian Linlong and the others who had left earlier. They evacuated the outskirts of the Celestial Master's Mansion in Longhu Mountain.
"Li Ziyang was killed?" Tang Xiaotang had initially felt some regret that she could only pursue one target at first.
But upon learning of Li Ziyang's ambush and death, she couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Serves him right!"
After the great battle, the area was left in ruins.
Yet, the flames of war had finally been extinguished.
...
In the distant northern lands, during the harsh winter, snowflakes fell like cotton.
In the Ye Clan's ancestral land in Jinzhou, an elderly man sat in the main hall of the grand mansion, gazing out the window at the snowy landscape.
A middle-aged man stood before him, reporting in a low voice, "The latest news, Li Zhengxian... met his end on the Great River!"
Six years ago, the former Celestial Master, Li Qingfeng, and the former clan leader of the Lin Clan, Lin Qun, had perished together on the Great River.
And now, six years later, the former Junior Celestial Master, Li Zhengxian, had also met his end on the same river.
The one who took his life, aside from his pursuer, Zhao Zongjie, an elder of the Huang Tiandao, was Lin Wuwei of the Lin Clan of Jiangzhou.
"Who did it?" The elderly man retracted his gaze from the window.
"Lin Wuwei, of the Lin Clan of Jiangzhou," replied the middle-aged man before him.
The elder nodded. "As expected, the most talented and ambitious person among the Lin Clan's side branches. Daring and audacious."
After the battle at Poyang Lake, the Lin Clan of Jiangzhou had suffered heavy losses and was forced to retreat to their ancestral land in Jiangzhou.
They even had to rely on support from the Ye Clan of Qingzhou to withstand the subsequent pressure from Longhu Mountain.
As internal strife plagued the Celestial Master's Mansion, the Lin Clan of Jiangzhou did not fare any better, facing pressure from the Xiang Faction of Jingxiang upstream.
However, there were still daring individuals within the Lin Clan of Jiangzhou who dared to take advantage of the chaotic situation.
The Li family had been driven out of Longhu Mountain, partly due to the Lin Clan's actions during the battle at Poyang Lake.
The Li family of Xinzhou and the Lin Clan of Jiangzhou remained mortal enemies.
With the disappearance of Xu Yuanzhen, the Lin Clan of Jiangzhou sought to turn the tables by targeting someone else.
Li Zhengxian, who was in hiding, became their target.
Lin Wuwei took the opportunity to strike, intercepting the former Junior Celestial Master who was being pursued by Zhao Zongjie.
Already injured and with a pursuer on his trail, Li Zhengxian stood no chance against another ambush by a Lin Clan Grand Scholar. In the end, he met his end on the Great River, just like his father, Li Qingfeng.
The similarities between father and son caused the Ye Clan elders in Jinzhou to sigh with emotion.
However, their sighs were brief.
The Ye Clan elders were more concerned about another pressing matter.
Li Hongyu had perished in the skies above Longhu Mountain.
Li Ziyang had died in Recling Spirit Gorge.
Li Song had been slain by Tang Xiaotang herself.
And now, Li Zhengxian had fallen on the Great River.
Four Grand Scholars of the Li family, all with cultivation at the Upper Three Heavens realm, had all perished without exception!
This outcome surprised even the elders in the Ye Clan's ancestral land.
The worst-case scenario they had anticipated was the Li family's defeat in the internal strife, but as long as Li Song and the others didn't stubbornly fight to the death, they could still retreat and regroup outside Longhu Mountain.
But now...
"The Li family's luck has run out," the elder sighed.
"After this chaos, the Celestial Master's Mansion has been further weakened, but there are signs of new growth, like withered trees sprouting new buds," he added, a hint of a smile on his face.
The middle-aged man before him stood with a solemn expression, his head lowered, not daring to speak.
"I don't regret taking action against the Bodhi Temple," the elder said with a slight smile. "Although, in hindsight, we should have paid more attention to the Celestial Master's Mansion. But how can everything go as planned?"
The middle-aged man whispered, "They are all troublesome places."
The elder nodded. "Indeed."
He slowly rose from his seat and walked to the window, once again gazing at the snowy landscape outside. "Still no news from Chi Feng and the others?"
The middle-aged man replied in a low voice, "It seems that something might have happened to them. Given the chaotic situation at the time, it's difficult to determine who is responsible, but the suspects are likely from Longhu Mountain."
The elder nodded, not pursuing the topic further. Instead, he said, "With the Li family gone, we need to rearrange our plans regarding the Celestial Master's Mansion. I hope it's not too late."
The middle-aged man looked up. "Father?"
The elder said, "For now, let's put everything else aside and focus on the Celestial Master's Mansion."
"Yes, father," the middle-aged man replied, lowering his head.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
