https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-218-217-A-Second-Rank-Opportunity-the-Dark-Side-of-the-Celestial-Book-/12587014/
Chapter 217: Fearing a No-Show
Chapter 217: Fearing a No-Show
The description of the fortune slip reminded Lei Jun of when he had first obtained a page of the heavenly book.
Back then, gaining a page of the heavenly book itself had been a purely beneficial opportunity, free of any risks or troubles.
However, his subsequent connection with the heavenly book and the True One Altar of the Celestial Master Seal had led him into the starry world within the book, setting off a chain of cause and effect.
When he had obtained that shadow of the heavenly book earlier, there had been no foreseeable consequences either. But now, it seemed that this opportunity, if further explored, might also hold hidden complexities, depending on whether he chose to take that step or not.
A single page of the heavenly book corresponded to a third-grade opportunity, but now it seemed like a second-grade one, which made Lei Jun secretly vigilant.
Numerous thoughts flashed through his mind, but he didn't hesitate for long. He first reminded Yuan Mobai, "Master, are you going straight to Zhu'an Gorge? There might be a big disturbance in the internal strife of Ge Po Mountain. Yuan Shanji won't just sit idly by and let the news leak out, and Sang Lu will surely seek to hold him accountable. I believe he has made other arrangements."
Yuan Mobai smiled and nodded, "I have the same thought. I won't take unnecessary risks. We shall proceed with caution."
With his master's reassurance, Lei Jun set his mind at ease.
Yuan Mobai nodded to his disciple and then left.
Lei Jun, following the hint of the upper-middle fortune slip, went against the current and headed upstream along the Zhu'an River.
As they had expected, there was no good to be had in Zhu'an Gorge at the moment, and no feast worth attending.
Before Lei Jun even reached his expected destination, the Qianxin Mountain area, the direction of Zhu'an Gorge behind him was already stirring with upheaval.
First, there was a thunderous rumble, and the sky was filled with dark clouds.
Lei Jun turned back and saw that amidst the changing colors of the wind and clouds, the silhouettes of the Wind God, Thunder God, and Cloud God appeared, dancing in groups, graceful and enchanting, summoning the wind and invoking thunder, shaking the heavens and the earth.
Elegant and classical music resounded, grand and majestic, capturing the soul.
It was the pinnacle of the Ghost God Sacrifice Dance of the Wu Men Shen Wu lineage—the Nine Songs, Yun Zhong Jun.
But soon, another majestic melody rose, along with a cloud of black and white mist rising from the center of Zhu'an Gorge.
In the black and white mist, a illusory door seemed to open, and within it appeared a solemn and majestic shadow of a deity, as if presiding over life and death, connecting the living and the dead, standing at the boundary between mortals and the deceased.
Although Lei Jun was seeing this for the first time, his broad knowledge of the Tian Shi Fu's collection of books immediately helped him recognize it. It was another great divine ability passed down from Ge Po Mountain, the sacred site of the Wu Men Shen Wu lineage.
The Ghost God Dance, the Wu Ling Sacrifice Array, the Nine Songs—Da Si Ming!
Ge Po Mountain's legacy is known for its widely renowned and famous sacrificial arrays: the Nine Songs, Guo Sang, and Li Hun, used to venerate ghosts and spirits.
A step further are the array techniques practiced by the Middle Three Heavens cultivators: the Nine Songs, Xiang Jun, Xiang Fu Ren, He Bo, and Shan Gui, used to honor the earth gods.
Above that are the divine abilities of the Upper Three Heavens, used to venerate the heavenly gods:
The Nine Songs: Shao Si Ming.
The Nine Songs: Da Si Ming.
The Nine Songs: Dong Jun.
The Nine Songs: Yun Zhong Jun.
And the strongest ghost god array of Ge Po Mountain, which hasn't been seen for many years: the Nine Songs, Dong Huang Tai Yi.
According to Ge Po Mountain's elders, Yun Zhong Jun symbolizes the god of nature who controls the wind, clouds, thunder, and lightning, while Da Si Ming is the god who presides over life, death, and longevity.
At this moment, the Nine Songs, Da Si Ming's ghost god sacrifice array, opened up in the sky above Zhu'an Gorge, as if connecting the gates of life and death, allowing communication between the two realms. The solemn and silent air of death seeped into the world of the living, not with malevolence, but with an aura of authority, coldness, and mystery.
The sacrifice arrays of Yun Zhong Jun and Da Si Ming unfolded together above Zhu'an Gorge, neither giving way to the other, as if the two worlds were pressing and colliding against each other, causing even the void to twist.
With just a glance back, Lei Jun understood why the light sphere had indicated that going directly to Zhu'an Gorge would result in a middle-to-lower fortune slip.
The Upper Three Heavens experts of the Wu Men Shen Wu lineage were deploying their ghost god sacrifice arrays, each with its profound mysteries, but all of them were shaking the void.
If it was just a cultivator from the Seven Heavens, it wouldn't be a problem.
But Sang Lu and Yuan Shanji were both cultivators of the Eight Heavens. As they deployed their arrays and shook the void, if Lei Jun were to use the True One Altar's cave heaven to escape, there was a high chance that they would sense the existence of the cave heaven.
However, with Lei Jun's current distance from Zhu'an Gorge, there was no cause for concern.
For now, he continued on his way, heading toward his predetermined goal, Qian Xin Mountain.
Along the upper reaches of the Zhu'an River, Lei Jun entered the Qian Xin Mountain area. As there were no special changes here yet, he calmly climbed to the summit and waited.
When he looked back at Zhu'an Gorge, he saw that the space there was even more distorted, and the top experts of the two Ge Po Mountains had already started to clash with their true fires.
Sang Lu, as expected of Ge Po Mountain's current top expert, not only maintained her Yun Zhong Jun sacrifice array but also deployed a new one.
And it was also the Nine Songs, Da Si Ming.
The situation at hand was not a simple two-front battle between Sang Lu and Yuan Shanji, but rather Sang Lu interfering with and vying for control of Yuan Shanji's Da Si Ming sacrificial array, while the Yun Zhong Jun array continued its relentless assault.
Thus, a storm brewed, with raging winds, flashing lightning, and crashing thunder, forcing Yuan Shanji to retreat step by step.
Suddenly, a blood-red light pierced through the skies from Zhu'an Gorge, slicing through the rain and thunder.
Lei Jun's eyes lit up at the sight.
With the distance between them and Sang Lu's group, and their attention mostly focused on each other, Lei Jun could afford to be bolder with his actions.
He took out his Celestial Eye Mirror while still on Qianxin Mountain.
Above Qianxin Mountain, a pair of gigantic eyes seemed to appear for a brief moment, only to vanish just as quickly.
On the ancient mirror floating in front of Lei Jun, an image appeared:
An elderly man with a sinister look on his face, aged around fifty or sixty, brandishing a blade as he soared into the sky. The blade's glow resembled blood, attacking from all directions with a wild and domineering aura that sent chills down one's spine, even from a distance.
The Blood Battle Mountains and Rivers technique, a divine ability that could only be cultivated by experts from the Upper Three Heavens of the Blood River Sect... Lei Jun understood as soon as he saw it.
Comparing the man's features to the portraits he had seen, he confirmed that it was indeed the Blood River Sect's elder, Xiong Gang, an expert of the Eighth Heaven.
Previously, it was he who caused Jiang Dongyu of the Shushan Sect to meet his end in Lunang Valley.
According to the earlier intelligence from Shangguan Peng, Xiong Gang had left Lunang Valley and headed towards Silver Flute Rock.
Shangguan Peng had even intended to use Xiong Gang as a pawn to carry out his plan.
However, after Shangguan Peng himself traveled to the lower reaches of the Zhu'an River and met his end at the hands of Yang Yuqi and Gao Pu, there had been no further news about Xiong Gang. Unexpectedly, Xiong Gang had also quietly relocated to Zhu'an Gorge to assist Yuan Shanji of Gebo Mountain.
He must be one of Yuan Shanji's backup plans, or at least one of them.
Judging by this, it seemed that Yuan Shanji was indeed well-prepared... Lei Jun nodded as he watched.
This could even be a trap, set up by insiders and outsiders specifically targeting Sang Lu, the Sacred Master of Gebo Mountain. Taking advantage of Sang Lu's campaign to punish the sect and clean house, they intended to ambush and assassinate her, or at the very least, inflict heavy damage!
But...
Lei Jun looked around.
Even though Sang Lu of Gebo Mountain had come alone without any powerful allies, relying solely on Yuan Shanji and Xiong Gang would not be enough to pose a threat to Gebo Mountain's top expert. At most, Sang Lu would fail to clean house, but she herself should still be able to retreat safely.
Wasn't the backup plan of Yuan Shanji, or the Sui Dynasty descendant, lacking in some way?
Lei Jun was puzzled.
Yuan Shanji and Xiong Gang, who were in the middle of the battle above Zhu'an Gorge, cursed inwardly.
Yuan Shanji kept a gloomy expression without saying a word, while Xiong Gang voiced his frustration aloud, "Where the hell is that bastard?!''
Although he had never truly submitted to Sang Lu, Yuan Shanji knew that it would be impossible to take her down with just the two of them.
Aside from colluding with the Sui Dynasty descendant and utilizing the terrain and earth veins of Zhu'an River, they had also made another arrangement—inviting a third expert of the Eighth Heaven from the Wu Clan to join them.
An elder from the Curse-Chant lineage's holy land, Reincarnation Abyss.
But now, where was he?!
"Brother, it seems your tricks have run out." Amid the wind and rain, a woman's voice rang out, "It's time to end this."
It was Sang Lu of Gebo Mountain, "Tianqing, make your move."
A young man appeared abruptly within the Yun Zhong Jun array, "Yes, Sacred Master."
As soon as he finished speaking, a scorching sun rose, piercing through the clouds like the dawn, shining through the wind and rain. It illuminated the world with its dazzling brilliance, vibrant and magnificent.
The Nine Songs, Dong Jun!
On Qianxin Mountain, Lei Jun looked at the image of the young man from Nanhuang reflected in the mirror and slightly raised his eyebrows, "Li Tianqing..."
Just as Lei Jun, Tang Xiaotang, and other outstanding disciples of the Tian Shi Fu had become famous and renowned throughout the world, the top disciples of other major forces were also well-known.
Nanhuang was relatively closed off and shrouded in mystery, so occasionally, some unexpected geniuses would emerge, but there were also established figures who would suddenly disappear or perish.
In recent years, there were three geniuses from the Wu Clan who had risen to prominence:
Xing Feng of the Blood River Sect.
Tian Cheng of Yanshan Gorge.
And Li Tianqing of Gebo Mountain.
They were not only renowned within the five lineages of the Nanhuang Wu Clan but also famous in the north, in the Central Plains of the Great Tang Dynasty, attracting attention from all sides. They could be compared to the pride of the Great Tang of the same generation.
The absence of reincarnation pools in the Golden City Fortress is quite consistent with the customs of the Southern Wasteland.
There used to be one, but not anymore...
The top genius of Reincarnation Abyss in recent years went missing quite some time ago. He disappeared without a trace, and no news of him ever surfaced, sparking endless speculation within and outside of Reincarnation Abyss.
Of course, Reincarnation Abyss isn't the only unfortunate party.
The most outstanding young successor of the Golden City Fortress had been confirmed dead over a decade ago.
As for the reason for his demise...
It was due to internal strife.
During "Ghost King" Zong Han's process of unifying and consolidating power in the Golden City Fortress, it was inevitable that conflicts would arise.
One couldn't say that Zong Han didn't value talent.
However, he wouldn't consider the issue of valuing talent when dealing with enemies who stood against him.
In addition, Tian Cheng, the proud daughter of heaven from the Gu Technique holy land, Yinyan Cave, had been injured in a confrontation with the Blood River Sect not long ago. She managed to retreat and narrowly escaped death.
This gives a glimpse of the bloodshed and chaos in the Southern Wasteland.
On the other hand, Li Tianqing of Ge Po Mountain had already been renowned as the youngest Grand Shaman of the Divine Dance lineage. Although he wasn't Sang Lu's direct disciple, there were rumors that Sang Lu was grooming him as her successor, and his fame as a proud talent spread far and wide in and beyond the Southern Wasteland.
What caught Lei Jun's attention was that today's East Lord sacrifice formation, resembling the true Great Sun, collided head-on with the Blood River Sect's elder, Xiong Gang, of the Eighth Heaven.
Has Li Tianqing already broken through to the Eighth Heaven realm?
Considering his age, this rate of progress, while not comparable to Tang Xiaotang's, is still extremely astonishing.
Although the spiritual energy of the heavens and the earth is surging nowadays, favoring the cultivation of young talents, the previous assessment of Li Tianqing's talent and potential seemed to have underestimated him... Lei Jun gazed toward the direction of Zhu'an Gorge, deep in thought.
Yuan Shanji's side had fewer people.
On the other hand, Sang Lu had the newly advanced Li Tianqing by her side.
Not only did the disparity in their numbers fail to meet Yuan Shanji's expectations, but the balance also tipped further against them.
The situation forced Yuan Shanji to consider a retreat.
However, for Yang Yuqi, although the situation was unfavorable, an opportunity presented itself.
With three Grand Shamans of the Eighth Heaven from Ge Po Mountain joining forces, the Ghost God sacrifice formation shook the void, causing extreme turbulence in the spiritual energy of the land.
"Make your move!" Yang Yuqi made a decisive call.
He led his followers and immediately began setting up a sacrificial ritual, further destabilizing the flow of spiritual energy in the land.
This wasn't to establish a new dragon vein for a country, but to perform another type of ritual.
In an instant, the already devastated Zhu'an Gorge area underwent another earth-shattering transformation.
The earth cracked open, intersecting with the water veins of Zhu'an River, splitting the river into two. The river and the cracks formed a "cross" shape, and the violent spiritual energy of the land turned into gale-force winds that soared into the sky.
In an instant, the mountains and rivers were overturned, the clouds and mist churned, and the heavens and the earth seemed to be hanging upside down.
Seeing that the situation was turning against them, Yuan Shanji and Xiong Gang began to contemplate their retreat. At this point, they didn't mind the chaos getting even more out of control, so they tacitly approved of the Sui Dynasty descendant's actions and even added fuel to the fire.
This sudden change caught Sang Lu and Li Tianqing of Ge Po Mountain off guard. However, with two Grand Shamans of the Eighth Heaven working together, they withstood the upheaval of the heavens and the earth and remained focused on Yuan Shanji.
As the earth cracked and the spiritual energy of the land went into chaos, the fissures and deep valleys spread in all directions, and the severed Zhu'an River overflowed, creating the spectacular sight of a hanging river.
Lei Jun, situated on Qianxin Mountain, felt the violent tremors spreading to his location, causing Qianxin Mountain to shake.
Far from being alarmed, he felt relieved, knowing that the changes indicated by the upper-middle fortune slip were about to unfold at Qianxin Mountain, which was upstream of Zhu'an River.
Just like Qilu Valley and other places, Qianxin Mountain was also affected by the land veins, resulting in a massive earthquake as if a subterranean dragon was turning over.
The main peak of Qianxin Mountain collapsed, and a massive fissure formed in the valley, creating a deep chasm that plunged into the darkness, resembling a giant beast opening its jaws to devour anyone who ventured near.
Violent earth vein energy formed gale-force winds that surged skyward.
Lei Jun patiently waited for the fierce winds to gradually weaken before descending into the chasm.
At a certain depth, he could see the surging earth vein energy, resembling a roaring underground river.
Zhang Yuan had also been affected by the shadow of the heavenly book due to the flow of earth vein energy... Lei Jun pondered.
As he was thinking, he felt the page of the heavenly book and the accompanying shadow within the True One Altar cave heaven tremble.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
