https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-219-The-First-Upper-Third-Heaven-Cultivator-to-Fall-by-My-Hand/12587015/
Chapter 218: 217. A Second-Rank Opportunity, the Dark Side of the Celestial Book!
Chapter 218: 217. A Second-Rank Opportunity, the Dark Side of the Celestial Book!
Within the True One Law Altar's cave, a page of the Celestial Book glowed with radiant light, fluttering like a piece of paper.
The dark shadow that had resembled the book's shadow earlier now detached itself and hovered in the air, vibrating around the page.
Lei Jun remained calm and collected, his attention focused on the rift valley before him, where the earth veins' spiritual energy surged like a mighty river.
The rushing river of spiritual energy seemed undisturbed.
Lei Jun's thoughts turned inward, intensifying his focus.
With the enhancement of his Yin-Yang Sacred Body, he channeled his spiritual power, manifesting it as two streams of black and white qi that extended towards the roaring underground river of spiritual energy.
After a moment, Lei Jun's mind suddenly felt as if it were overshadowed, causing his spiritual senses to waver.
The sensation was similar to the first time he had encountered the shadow of the Celestial Book.
However, this unusual feeling vanished as quickly as it had appeared, leaving Lei Jun wondering if he had imagined it.
Without hesitation, he responded to the agitation within the True One Law Altar's cave, caused by the Celestial Book and its shadow. In a near-instinctive move, he activated his Xi Rang Banner.
A dim light, resembling a fishing line, was cast out and dropped into the river of spiritual energy.
An almost imperceptible yet tangible entanglement confirmed Lei Jun's earlier sensation, indicating the presence of something within the spiritual river passing right before his eyes.
Its spiritual nature was so deeply hidden that Lei Jun had nearly missed it.
Just as he had done when capturing the page of the Celestial Book, Lei Jun attempted to 'fish' this mysterious entity with his Xi Rang Banner.
However, unlike the peaceful response of the Celestial Book, this entity, despite appearing to have its spiritual nature completely hidden, did not react calmly. Subtly, it released a profound spiritual power that swiftly dismantled the dim light generated by the Xi Rang Banner.
Despite the banner's enduring and abundant spiritual power, it was rapidly dissolving and couldn't keep up.
Such a scenario was extremely rare since Lei Jun had acquired the banner.
However, knowing that he was attempting to seize a second-rank opportunity, Lei Jun was mentally prepared.
Thus, in addition to the Xi Rang Banner, he employed various other methods, multitasking to simultaneously manipulate the Celestial Book and the shadow he already possessed.
The mysterious entity, drawn by the attraction of the Celestial Book, no longer resisted Lei Jun's attempts.
And the shadow merged with it, as if they were meant to be united.
Finally, the 'fish' took the bait.
Although the dim light generated by the Xi Rang Banner's spiritual power continued to be dissolved, the constant replenishment of power managed to sustain it temporarily.
Lei Jun's spiritual power, transformed into black and white qi, combined with the page of the Celestial Book that contained the concept of the Two Extremes of Yin and Yang, and together, they pulled the mysterious entity out of the river of spiritual energy.
Recalling the Xi Rang Banner, Lei Jun brought the mysterious entity back before him.
Lei Jun focused his gaze, but all he saw was a hazy gray blur, devoid of light or shadow, a confusing sight that seemed separated from the real world.
Even though he had captured it and brought it right before him, it still felt somewhat illusory and unreal to Lei Jun's senses.
Nevertheless, Lei Jun was certain that this entity was similar to the shadow of the Celestial Book, but even more enigmatic.
If he attempted to store it away like he had done with the Celestial Eye, using the Xi Rang Banner, it might cause damage to the banner.
Within this mysterious illusion lay a profound power that could muddle and eventually dissolve normal things in the world.
It wasn't the opposite of creation and change but rather the negative influence that accompanied them, two sides of the same coin, intimately dependent on each other.
Instead of storing it away with the Xi Rang Banner, Lei Jun chose to guide it using the page of the Celestial Book he already possessed.
Thus, this mysterious illusion, fused with the previous shadow of the Celestial Book, returned to the True One Law Altar's cave.
When it merged with the page of the Celestial Book, it even overwhelmed the book, causing it to fall silent temporarily.
However, no harm came to the Celestial Book.
Finally, the mysterious entity stabilized, transforming from an illusion into something more tangible.
It appeared to be a book as well, but its form was ethereal, like a shadow.
It also resembled the initial shadow of the Celestial Book, but enlarged and more substantial.
At this moment, the shadow seemed like a complete book, turning the tables on the single page of the Celestial Book, which now looked sparse in comparison.
Yet, when brought together, they fit harmoniously, without conflict.
Lei Jun's consciousness, focused on the Celestial Book within the True One Law Altar's cave, suddenly gained a new understanding:
【Dark Side of the Celestial Book】
This shadow book was likely the counterpart to the complete main chapter of the Celestial Book, the two being inseparable and two sides of the same coin.
Currently, Lei Jun only possessed a single page of the main chapter, but the dark side of the Celestial Book before him seemed complete.
This left Lei Jun with a bewildering sense of absurdity, as if his head were heavier than his feet.
Lei Jun took a deep breath, calming his mind and collecting himself before leaving the deep valley where he had been standing.
He returned to Qianxin Mountain and gazed into the distance toward Zhu'an Gorge, where the intense battle still raged on, reaching a fever pitch.
The abnormal changes in the earth veins were extraordinary and might have been caused not only by the battle between Sang Lu, Yuan Shanji, Li Tianqing, and Xiong Gang but also by the hand of another.
Lei Jun's intuition led him to speculate that Yang Tai might have arrived earlier than expected and was present for today's events.
However, given the fierce battle unfolding in Zhu'an Gorge, Lei Jun had no intention of intervening immediately and instead chose to wait for a more opportune moment.
He found a relatively peaceful place and, only then, refocused his attention on the Celestial Book and its dark shadow within the True One Law Altar's cave.
Under the influence of the dark side of the Celestial Book, Lei Jun felt that even his path to the starry universe within the book was being interfered with.
Unfazed by the change, he calmed his mind and contemplated the dual nature of the universe.
In this moment, the difference between his previous level of understanding, Tongming, and the current level, Qingjing, became apparent, allowing Lei Jun to quickly grasp the essence of this new insight.
At this point, the dark side of the Celestial Book seemed to become one with the book itself, the two indistinguishable from each other.
Lei Jun's consciousness reentered the starry universe within the book, and the Taibai Jinyu, representing him, began to shine brightly.
As Lei Jun beheld this universe once more, he experienced a completely new sensation.
While the other six stars of the Seven Luminaries were still veiled in luminous mist, making their identities unclear, the starry river that he and the others had explored before now appeared entirely different in his eyes.
Originally, the brilliant starry river had two ends: one split into seven branches, each connected to one of the Seven Luminaries, seemingly symbolizing that the main chapter of the Celestial Book was divided into seven pages or seven volumes.
The other end, however, was concealed within a radiant light, making it difficult to discern.
Now, the true destination of this previously obscured end of the starry river was finally revealed to Lei Jun.
This end of the starry river had no true terminus but instead formed a massive loop.
And the luminary that was connected to this loop was one of the seven branches at the other end! Or, in other words, it was one of the Seven Luminaries.
The other six luminaries were only connected to one end of the starry river.
But this particular luminary was linked to both ends, as if the entire brilliant starry river was guarding and encircling it.
...The Sun Luminary! As Lei Jun witnessed this scene, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
The main chapter of the Celestial Book was not just divided into seven pages but possibly into even more.
And the Sun Luminary possessed not just one page but multiple pages of the main chapter.
If not for Lei Jun obtaining the dark side of the Celestial Book, he might never have uncovered this truth.
According to Lei Jun's speculation, the Sun Luminary was most likely the current emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Empress Zhang Wantong.
She had truly kept her capabilities hidden.
Her connection to the main chapter of the Celestial Book seemed deeper than that of the others, and her understanding of it was likely more profound.
However, it was unclear if she had any involvement in the others obtaining their respective pages of the book.
She had always maintained a poker face, but how much did she know about the identities and backgrounds of the others?
Did she also know about the existence of the dark side of the Celestial Book? As Lei Jun observed that the other luminaries remained quiet, he shook his head slightly and carefully inspected his Taibai Jinyu again, finding no external changes.
The influence of the dark side of the Celestial Book was as subtle as its own existence, almost imperceptible, making it difficult for others to detect.
Initially, it seemed unlikely that his secret had been exposed.
However, whether the Sun Luminary, who possessed more pages of the main chapter, could discern anything remained to be seen and required further observation.
No wonder the aftermath was said to be intricate and required careful handling... Lei Jun suddenly smiled.
He reined in his wandering thoughts and withdrew his consciousness from the starry universe within the book, turning his attention back to the dark side of the Celestial Book itself.
Sensing that this mysterious shadow book also showed signs of differentiation, Lei Jun became intrigued.
The main chapter of the Celestial Book gave birth to the Seven Luminaries.
But he wondered if this dark side could also give rise to something similar, like a hidden or secret luminary.
With limited time at hand, he decided to delve into this matter later at a more opportune moment.
For now, there might be another function that could prove useful... Lei Jun pondered.
Compared to the main chapter of the Celestial Book, which expounded on the principles of the universe, the immediate benefit of this dark side seemed rather negative.
It could disintegrate and even reduce many things to their original state.
Lei Zhengrong couldn't help but have some devious thoughts as he compared it to what he already knew.
"Whoosh!"
In the distance, at Zhu'an Gorge, the situation was rapidly evolving.
Lei Jun frowned slightly and summoned the Celestial Eye.
The divine eye appeared and then vanished in an instant.
The ancient mirror displayed the distant scene, and Lei Jun noticed that another flash of blood-red light had suddenly appeared, but instead of joining the battle, it sank into the turbulent Zhu'an River.
Taking advantage of the abnormal changes in the earth veins, Yang Tai, who was about to achieve his scheme, saw this and his expression changed instantly.
"Kill him!" Xiong Gang coldly hummed.
The blood light that fell into the Zhu'an River turned out to be another Blood River Sect elder, Tu Dong, who had reached the Seventh Heaven realm.
"Uncle Xiong, let me see what you and the others are up to behind Master's back," Tu Dong said with a sneer.
Instead of aiding Xiong Gang, who was of the same Blood River lineage, he took advantage of the Zhu'an River and dove underwater to investigate the changes in the earth veins and the ritual Yang Tai was performing.
At this moment, Yuan Shanji and Xiong Gang were facing intense pressure from Sang Lu and Li Tianqing, and they had no spare attention to spare.
However, Tu Dong's respite was short-lived as he soon cursed angrily underwater.
The Zhu'an River suddenly turned blood-red, as if the entire river had transformed.
The river, which was already divided and overflowing, became even more distorted and scattered, spraying in all directions.
As the waters of the Zhu'an River dispersed, the light of the Confucian ritual could be seen flickering from the cracks in the valley, and the aura of culture soared into the sky.
But strands of strange black smoke entwined with this cultural aura, rising up from the underground together.
The land was already in chaos due to the battle between the four great experts and the turmoil of the earth veins, and now the ground began to collapse in large chunks, resembling doomsday.
Tu Dong fled in a sorry state from the surrounding sea of blood.
Even an Upper Third Heaven elder of the Blood River Sect was so flustered, causing the onlookers' faces to pale in fear.
Yang Tai stared at the black smoke entwined with the cultural aura, his face turning grim.
His follower exclaimed in shock, "That's... the soul-enslaving technique of the Cycle Abyss?!"
Yang Tai and the elder from the Ge Po Mountain, Yuan Shanji, both exclaimed in unison, gritting their teeth, "...Sun Li!"
The one who ruined Yang Tai's plan was none other than Sun Li, the elder from the Cycle Abyss whom Yang Tai and Yuan Shanji had jointly contacted to help. Sun Li was a veteran of the Cycle Abyss and one of the few Great Witches in the Southern Wasteland's Shamanic Curse lineage who had reached the Eighth Heaven realm. He usually acted alone, and even the current Holy Master of the Cycle Abyss couldn't easily command this elder, who was both qualified and powerful.
At this moment, the Cycle Abyss and Ge Po Mountain were helping Yin Shan Canyon resist the Blood River Sect and Golden City Fortress, but Sun Li couldn't be reached.
Yuan Shanji, Xiong Gang, Yang Tai, and the others had worked hard to lure him, but today, Sun Li stood them up, causing Yuan Shanji's plan to ambush Sang Lu to fall through.
What was even worse was that the elder from the Cycle Abyss had actually arrived.
However, he had his own plans.
At this moment, he was deep within the earth veins, taking advantage of Yang Tai's opportunity!
How could this not make Yang Tai and Yuan Shanji furious?
Lei Jun stood on Qianxin Mountain, observing the situation in Zhu'an Canyon through the Heavenly Eye Mirror. Although he didn't know the specifics of Yuan Shanji and the others' plans, he could now guess some of it.
Especially now that his intuition had improved, he could now easily grasp the underlying principles and infer the general situation from specific details.
Gazing at the soaring cultural aura and the ritual patterns in the distance, Lei Jun could roughly deduce their purpose.
"A Confucian Eighth Heaven cultivator, in preparation for breaking through to the Ninth Heaven, not only utilizes the earth veins' spiritual energy but also involves some spatial mysteries. No wonder they chose the moment when the Ghost God Sacrifice Array distorts the void during the battle between the Ge Po Mountain and Shamanic Curse lineage." Lei Jun understood.
However, he wondered what this elder from the Shamanic Curse lineage of the Cycle Abyss intended to do as he intercepted them.
It seemed that this person corresponded to the risk indicated by the drawn lot.
And Tu Dong had charged right into it.
From the reactions of Xiong Gang and Tu Dong, it seemed that they were not on the same side.
In that case, although Wei Ancheng had reached the Ninth Heaven realm with formidable might, the Blood River Sect was not entirely unified internally.
Xiong Gang seemed to be closer to the Sui Dynasty descendants, Yang Yuqi, and Yang Tai.
As for Tu Dong, he appeared to be Wei Ancheng's die-hard loyalist.
Unfortunately, both sides were suffering losses now.
As the ritual fell into chaos, the situation worsened. However, Yuan Shanji and Xiong Gang seized the opportunity amidst the chaos to break free from Sang Lu and Li Tianqing, fleeing into the distance. As for Sun Li, who had stood them up, they would deal with him later.
Sang Lu and Li Tianqing pursued closely.
Yang Tai also had no time to settle the score with Sun Li. Although he was frustrated by the failure, he didn't linger and quickly retreated.
At this moment, Lei Jun finally made his move.
He had never paid attention to the internal strife within the Ge Po Mountain.
However, since Yang Tai had come knocking on his door, Lei Jun didn't want to let this opportunity slip by.
Nevertheless, as he pursued Yang Tai, Lei Jun remained vigilant.
Previously, when he drew lots to seek auspiciousness and avoid ill fortune, the glowing sphere hadn't mentioned anything about Yang Tai.
Was it because Yang Tai didn't have any clues related to the Celestial Master's Robe, or was there another reason? Lei Jun's gaze remained calm and steady as he quietly gave chase, his mind alert.
PS: I've been sleeping a lot lately, as I've been bedridden all the time, but my schedule has been irregular. Perhaps sleeping less due to adjusting my sleep schedule was also a reason for my weakened immune system, so now I prioritize getting more sleep over maintaining a strict schedule. As long as I have enough rest, I can code more words.
(End of Chapter)
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