Chapter 187: Drawing the Upper Sign Again

Chapter 187: Drawing the Upper Sign Again

"Oh?" Lei Jun remained calm and stood his ground without moving.

A surge of azure flames automatically engulfed him, burning the encroaching vines to ashes.

"It's somewhat similar to the Coiling Dragon Creeper, but I recall that there shouldn't be any such plant in the Upper Clarity Thunder Palace Cave," Tang Xiaotang's voice echoed in Lei Jun's ear, but she was nowhere to be seen.

Lei Jun speculated, "Perhaps there used to be a spirit seed hidden within the cave, but it never sprouted until recently due to the changes caused by the great battle, causing the spirit seed to germinate and give rise to these vines."

He requested Tang Xiaotang to spare the roots of the Coiling Dragon Creeper for the time being.

After the azure Nine Abyss Earthfire disappeared, the vines did not retract.

Although the vines possessed a strong spiritual nature, they seemed to lack spiritual consciousness in the general sense.

Thus, after the flames died down, the vines extended once more, continuing their approach towards Lei Jun.

Lei Jun first tested his spirit talismans.

Even though his Fire Sea Limitless Talisman and Wind and Fire Linked Cities Talisman were not his innate techniques, with the aid of the Yin-Yang Brush, the high-grade spirit talismans he crafted still packed a powerful punch.

Considering the surge in his spell potency due to the successive refinement of the Yin-Yang Yin and Yang Extremes, the might of his non-innate techniques could rival the innate spells of cultivators at the same level.

However, the high-grade spirit talismans had a negligible effect on the Coiling Dragon Creeper.

Under the might of an Eighth Heaven realm cultivator's abilities, the creeper was utterly decimated.

Yet, for cultivators in the middle Three Heavens realm, these peculiar vines lived up to their name.

Lei Jun switched to the Five Thunders Righteousness Talisman and the Thunderous Might of Ten Thousand Jun Talisman, but their effects were equally limited.

He then began to experiment with his innate spells.

First was the Yin Five Thunders Righteousness Spell.

The Gui Water Yin Thunder transformed into a massive amount of black thunderous water, submerging and corroding the vines.

The originally grayish-white vines turned charred black.

However, their encroaching advance towards Lei Jun only slowed slightly, as a large number of white vines continued to draw near.

The Gui Water Yin Thunder had some effect, but just like how a raging fire could not be extinguished with a small amount of water, the speed at which the Gui Water Yin Thunder eroded and destroyed the Coiling Dragon Creeper was insufficient. The majority of the blackened vines still maintained their momentum, drawing closer to Lei Jun.

Lei Jun curled his finger, and a tiny spark of light appeared at his fingertip.

Then, he snapped his fingers.

The seemingly insignificant spark suddenly exploded, unleashing a ferocious thunderous blaze that had been compressed to its limits.

The front halves of the few vines closest to him instantly turned to ash and disappeared.

Some others were snapped in half by the blast.

However, compared to the vast number of Coiling Dragon Creepers, this could only temporarily halt their advance.

A continuous stream of Ding Fire Yin Thunder was required to truly stop them in their tracks.

Lei Jun then switched to the Xin Metal Yin Thunder, transforming the thunderous electromagnetic force into sharp metallic energy.

In the five elements, metal overcomes wood.

However, the effect of the sharp metallic energy on the Coiling Dragon Creeper was not as impressive as one would expect.

Surprisingly, strands of thunderous electricity seeped out from the grayish-white vines, a sight that left one astonished.

The spirit seed had been nourished in the Upper Clarity Thunder Palace Cave on Biyu Immortal Mountain for many years, and its sudden growth had resulted in some differences compared to a normal Coiling Dragon Creeper... Lei Jun made a mental judgment.

With his mastery over thunderous arts, he seamlessly transitioned to the Yi Earth Yin Thunder.

The Yi Earth Yin Thunder was geared more towards defense, temporarily holding off the Coiling Dragon Creeper.

However, the grayish-white vines relentlessly pierced through the yellowish-brown thunderous light.

Lei Jun then derived the Yi Wood Yin Thunder, a verdant and lush thunderous light resembling bamboo and trees.

Instead of impeding the Coiling Dragon Creeper, this thunderous light ended up nourishing and fostering its growth.

Lei Jun remained unperturbed and even nodded slightly at the sight.

As the Coiling Dragon Creeper drew closer once more, Lei Jun, empowered by the Heaven Enforcer Talisman and the Five Ding Mountain-Opening Talisman, seemed to transform into a giant.

The vines that came closest were directly torn apart by Lei Jun's sheer physical strength.

However, more vines quickly entangled him.

Lei Jun moved with the agility of the wind, swiftly evading their grasp.

He did not immediately retreat but chose to remain within a limited range, exchanging blows with the vines.

A large number of vines were either torn or crushed by him.

However, as time passed, more and more vines surrounded him from all directions, encroaching on his available space.

Eventually, he even struggled to find a place to set his feet.

As the countless Coiling Dragon Creepers enveloped him from all sides, Lei Jun came to a halt and unfurled the Soil of Vitality Banner.

A vast amount of yellowish-brown spiritual light sprang forth, enveloping Lei Jun within and isolating the ferocious vines on the outside.

Despite the sheer number of vines, the dim yellow spiritual light continuously generated soil and rocks, confining them.

After a prolonged struggle, the Coiling Dragon Creepers eventually exhausted their strength and were overwhelmed, becoming entangled and buried by the soil and rocks generated by the Soil of Vitality Banner.

The greatest advantage of the Soil of Vitality Banner in defense was its inexhaustible endurance.

As long as it was not breached by an explosive force within a short period, it would generally hold firm without issue.

Under Lei Jun's control, the Soil of Vitality Banner began to suppress the Coiling Dragon Creepers.

After a period of suppression and counter-suppression, the Coiling Dragon Creepers were ultimately uprooted by Lei Jun using the Soil of Vitality Banner and temporarily sealed within the soil and rocks.

This could be a useful refining material... Lei Jun pondered.

After suppressing the Coiling Dragon Creeper, Lei Jun continued his stroll through the mountains without encountering any further abnormalities.

As he walked, he adjusted his condition, absorbing the nourishment of the spiritual energy from Biyu Immortal Mountain.

Looking back, he saw that in addition to the purple thunder that filled the sky above the mountain's peak, there were also flashes of golden thunder from time to time.

Without the Heaven Master's Robe and the dormant Heaven Master's Seal, the problems are far from over... Lei Jun frowned inwardly.

With the demise of the four great elders of the Li family, the Heaven Master's Mansion was, to some extent, in a similar situation as the Yellow Heaven's Way, with the thunderous arts of the Heaven's Law lost and unpassed.

The complete Three Caverns and Three Realms True Scripture was preserved within the Heaven Master's Robe and the Heaven Master's Seal.

However, the whereabouts of the Heaven Master's Robe remained unknown.

The True One Law Altar derived from the Heaven Master's Seal could only unveil the mysteries of the Fire Law and the Earth Law.

Although the Heaven Master's Sword could attract the Nine Heavens Godly Thunder, it did not contain the inheritance of the thunderous arts of the Heaven's Law.

With her exceptional comprehension like Tang Xiaotang, she might be able to draw parallels and make references from the profundities of the Heaven Master's Sword, further perfecting her self-created thunderous arts.

However, for others, it was impossible to delve into the mysteries of the Nine Heavens Godly Thunder.

Naturally, they would also be unable to cultivate the Nine Heavens Thunder Ancestor Incarnation.

Unconcerned with the inheritance of the sect's traditions, Lei Jun focused solely on the practical combat techniques, and the Yang Thunder Dragon was undoubtedly of utmost importance in this regard.

Aside from its sheer power, the Yang Thunder Dragon was also integral to another mighty technique of the Heavenly Masters Mansion: the Dragon-Tiger Combo.

With the Heavenly Masters Mansion currently in a state of crisis after suffering successive disasters, the significance of the Yang Thunder Dragon was all the more pronounced.

After reaching the Eighth Heaven realm, Tang Xiaotang cultivated only the Fire and Earth Scripture Seals outside of the Life Scripture Seal.

With her innate genius, she independently created an entirely new Thunder Scripture, crafting the Pure Yang Immortal Thunder, also known as the Golden Thunder, to complement the Purple Thunder of the Nine Heavens Godly Thunder.

However, this Thunder Scripture was intimately linked to her Pure Yang Immortal Body.

At least for the time being, it seemed exclusively suited to her, and there was little prospect of it being popularized.

"What do you plan to do with the Coiling Dragon Creeper now that you've collected it?" Tang Xiaotang asked curiously after she had withdrawn her power. "Although it's enduring and can regenerate endlessly, it's rooted in its spiritual root. If the roots are removed, it will perish. The roots can't be divided, so it's basically impossible to increase the quantity by transplanting it."

"I know," Lei Jun replied. "I'm thinking of using this spiritual plant to refine a spiritual artifact. I have some ideas that we can try out."

"Then it's up to you," Tang Xiaotang said, leaving the decision to him.

Lei Jun accompanied her as she exited the Upper Clarity Thunder Palace Cave.

Tang Xiaotang returned to the Hall of Heavenly Masters.

Although she rarely involved herself in daily affairs, now that the new Heavenly Master had ascended the throne, the High Merit Pavilion had become a thing of the past. Yuan Mobai, Yao Yuan, and Shangguan Ning would report matters to the new Heavenly Master at the Hall of Heavenly Masters and coordinate and discuss matters, making the final decisions together.

Lei Jun, on the other hand, headed towards the Treasure Pavilion.

In addition to the opportunity to enter the Upper Clarity Thunder Palace Cave, he had received other rewards for his meritorious deeds.

Considering that he was now an elder of the mansion, he was allowed to go to the Treasure Pavilion and choose whatever he needed.

Lei Jun had been contemplating his options, and while he had made a mental note of the matter, he hadn't selected anything yet.

Now, with the unique harvest of the Coiling Dragon Creeper, his thoughts became more active as he contemplated refining a spiritual artifact.

Lei Jun wanted to refine a spiritual artifact that would complement his electromagnetic cannon... No, scratch that, his Yuan Magnetic Sword Pellet.

Through his actual combat experiences, Lei Jun had come to realize the shortcomings of the Yuan Magnetic Sword Pellet.

Firstly, it consumed an enormous amount of energy.

Secondly, its accuracy needed to be improved.

While the Divine Eye Stone was helpful for aiming, it had limitations in terms of distance, and his field of vision could be obstructed or affected, and there was also a risk of his opponent detecting it.

Therefore, in addition to the Divine Eye Stone, Lei Jun considered adding another method to locate his enemies and improve his accuracy.

He set up an altar and a ritual platform, then ascended the platform to begin the ritual for refining the spiritual artifact.

Most of the materials he had obtained from the Treasure Pavilion were auxiliary materials.

The main materials laid out before Lei Jun were the block of Antarctic Cold Iron, the Coiling Dragon Creeper's spiritual root that he had cut, and the Thousand-Mile Sound-Transmitting Talisman that he had crafted himself.

Once the vines were separated from their roots, they lost their spiritual nature, so Lei Jun needed to use the Coiling Dragon Creeper's spiritual root as his raw material.

"This means the quantity is relatively limited, and I'll need to use it sparingly," Lei Jun sighed.

If it weren't for the Broad Method Spirit Crystal that Ji Chuan had given him, he wouldn't have been able to embark on this plan so soon.

Lei Jun also cut the Antarctic Cold Iron into pieces, then used the Coiling Dragon Creeper's spiritual root, the Thousand-Mile Sound-Transmitting Talisman, and the Broad Method Spirit Mist generated by the Broad Method Spirit Crystal as the main components, along with the other materials, to begin his experiment.

Initially, the first two attempts failed, resulting in the waste of the original materials.

Lei Jun remained calm and composed, constantly fine-tuning and adjusting his approach to perfect his plan.

On the third try, he finally started to see some progress.

Although the final product's quality fell short of his expectations, Lei Jun now had a good grasp of the overall process.

He nodded in satisfaction and proceeded with his fourth attempt.

The refinement was successful, but it still fell short of his desired effectiveness.

And so, he moved on to the fifth attempt... which ended in failure. This time, he had been too ambitious, and his plan needed further adjustments.

The sixth attempt... Success at last! Lei Jun stood at the top of the third layer of the True One Law Altar, his body surrounded by sparkling light talismans that resembled a dazzling galaxy as he stepped on the stars.

Floating amidst the "stars" was white mist, complementing the "constellations" and forming the Broad Method Cloud Mist.

Lei Jun retracted his hand, and the aura of the Nine Abyss Earthfire supported by the True One Law Altar also faded away.

In front of him was a command flag, fluttering in the wind.

Lei Jun nodded slightly, dispelling the dazzling starlight talismans around him, and then took the command flag and left.

He departed from the mountain gate quietly and secretly.

The Sword Valley, where the Heaven Master's Sword had reappeared that day, still remained, with its deep valley serving as Lei Jun's natural testing ground.

Upon reaching the bottom of the valley, he planted the command flag between the rocks.

Then, he unleashed the Dragon-Tiger Dual Spirits, transforming his spiritual power into a Cloud Dragon and a Wind Tiger.

The Wind Tiger passed through the command flag.

Suddenly, pale light radiated from the flag, and multiple chains of light extended from it, resembling dense vines that entangled and captured Lei Jun's Wind Tiger.

The Wind Tiger struggled but couldn't break free.

Lei Jun then retracted his spiritual power and moved away from the flag.

As he distanced himself, the Wind Tiger and Cloud Dragon that he had created naturally dissipated.

However, the grayish-white light chains on the surface of the command flag remained.

Lei Jun increased the distance between them to beyond the normal perception range of a cultivator at the Five Heavens realm.

He focused his senses.

The air around him seemed to distort, filled with a vast amount of Yuan Magnetic Force.

At that moment, he could clearly sense the command flag he had left behind earlier.

The flag served as a guide, pointing him towards his target's location.

At the same time, it restricted the target's movement.

With this, even if there were obstacles or direct line of sight was blocked, making it difficult for the Divine Eye Stone to observe, Lei Jun could still grasp the target's position.

The first strike of the Yuan Magnetic Sword Pellet was the most crucial.

When the opponent was unaware, Lei Jun, a talisman-sect cultivator, could unleash an attack comparable to, or even surpassing, the archery of Confucian scholars and the flying swords of Daoist cultivators from certain angles. This surprise attack was most likely to be effective.

Even if it didn't kill the opponent instantly, as long as it inflicted damage, the subsequent second, third, and further attacks would be easier to land.

On the other hand, if the first strike missed, the opponent would become cautious and start moving quickly to dodge, significantly increasing the difficulty of hitting them with the following attacks.

"Hmm, it's initially viable. It can be named the Yuan Magnetic Entangling Dragon Flag," Lei Jun nodded. "Next, let's proceed to the second step."

A single Yuan Magnetic Entangling Dragon Flag could only control a limited area, making it easier for the target to evade.

Lei Jun's plan was to refine more of them so that he could set them up in formations to cover a large area, making it impossible for the target to avoid them.

In addition to increasing the quantity, another direction for improvement was to infuse the spirit of the Soil of Vitality Banner into the flags, making them more covert and difficult for the target to detect.

Lei Jun sensed the faint Yuan Magnetic Force transmitted from a distance and took out another magical artifact.

It resembled a copper tube, yet also looked like a sword sheath.

It was designed to complement his Yuan Magnetic Sword Pellet.

Lei Jun calmly raised his hand, and the sword pellet was drawn into the "sword sheath" in one smooth motion.

To address the positioning issue, Lei Jun decided to use the Yuan Magnetic Entangling Dragon Flag to assist the Divine Eye Stone.

Regarding the problem of excessive spiritual power consumption, Lei Jun's initial idea was to forge a metal track.

This task wasn't particularly challenging for him; the main work would be in the subsequent test shots and fine-tuning.

With the Broad Method Spirit Crystal that Ji Chuan had given him, which derived the Broad Method Cloud Mist, Lei Jun found it easier to improve the metal "sword sheath."

After firing two "shots," Lei Jun nodded in satisfaction. While spiritual power consumption was still high, it was undoubtedly more economical than the previous method of compressing it with his hands.

After restoring his spiritual power and energy, he returned to the "target" area, where a large section of the mountain rocks had been penetrated or collapsed due to his attacks.

The Yuan Magnetic Entangling Dragon Flag itself was not his target, so it remained intact, although the pale light had currently faded.

Lei Jun cleaned up the site and left the deep valley, returning to the mountain gate.

Instead of going back to his residence, he headed towards Master Yuan Mobai's mansion.

They had previously arranged to discuss some matters.

"After the appointment, you and Zhongyun will also have formal assignments," Yuan Mobai said.

Lei Jun replied, "I will do my best, but I fear my youth and lack of experience may hinder me."

Yuan Mobai smiled and shook his head. "You've done very well over the past six months. Yao Yuan and Shangguan Ning both speak highly of you."

He mentioned a few possible assignments to Lei Jun, all of which were places that would undergo adjustments. He wanted to hear Lei Jun's thoughts on the matter.

In addition to communication between the higher-ups, the mansion would also discuss matters in advance with the individuals involved when making personnel arrangements.

Naturally, they wouldn't allow someone to pick and choose the best assignments.

However, Elder Lei had demonstrated his integrity and uprightness in the matter with the Treasure Pavilion, earning praise from everyone. Now, as long as his requests were reasonable, the mansion would help make up for any shortcomings.

As Lei Jun listened to Yuan Mobai introducing the situations, the light sphere in his mind suddenly flashed and displayed words:

> The new elder is diligent in his duties, but the aftermath continues. New challenges arise, and one must discern fortune and misfortune to keep calamity at bay.

Three fortune-telling lots then appeared in the light sphere:

> Upper-upper lot: Appointed as the guarding elder of the Hall of Executions, you will obtain a fourth-grade opportunity. There will be no risks or troubles in expanding it afterward. Great fortune!

> Middle-middle lot: Appointed as the guarding elder of the Hall of Executions, and also taking on other duties such as the Wind-Inspecting Elder. There will be no additional gains or risks. A neutral outcome.

> Middle-lower lot: Appointed as the Wind-Inspecting Elder, responsible for inspecting various branch mansions and sub-mansions in different places. This path is fraught with hidden dangers and risks. Exercise extreme caution. Great calamity!

PS: 5k chapter

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end