https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-219-The-First-Upper-Third-Heaven-Cultivator-to-Fall-by-My-Hand/12587015/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-221-A-New-Clue-About-the-Celestial-Master-s-Robe/12587017/
Chapter 220: Offending a Taoist and Trying to Escape?
Chapter 220: Offending a Taoist and Trying to Escape?
In the distant mountain forest, Lei Jun exhaled a long breath.
Above him, the Dao Seal shone brilliantly, with the black and white qi swirling around it in a constant flux.
Ever since he started using the metal rails to assist the Spirit Gold Sword Pellet's acceleration, Lei Jun no longer depleted his spiritual power like he used to when socializing with his "cannon."
However, today's target was Tu Dong, a cultivator at the Seventh Layer of the Heaven Realm.
Even if the opponent was injured, he was still a formidable opponent with actual combat experience in the Upper Three Heavens.
Hence, Lei Jun specifically increased the concentration and output of his Yuan magnetic power.
At this moment, the metal rails in his hands were scorching hot, even slightly warped and deformed.
Lei Jun himself also felt a temporary depletion of his spiritual power.
However, with the Yin-Yang Holy Body's circulation, his spiritual power quickly recovered.
The Soil of Vitality Banner was used to create a concealed environment to prevent other enemies from approaching and seizing an opportunity to attack.
Perhaps it was a blessing that Yang Taixuan's escape route was very well hidden.
Whether it was Tu Dong intercepting Yang Taixuan or Lei Jun sending Tu Dong on his way, no one else came to disturb them.
Within a few breaths, Lei Jun's spiritual power had recovered by more than half.
As he remained vigilant of his surroundings, Lei Jun made his way to the mountain forest where Tu Dong had perished.
The opponent wanted to use the Blood Sea Nirvana technique to be reborn from death, but in this state, another blast from Lei Jun's "cannon" would only result in a more absolute death.
In the charred and burning mountain forest, set ablaze by Lei Jun's thunderous fire, not even a drop of filthy blood remained, only a few shattered fragments of magical artifacts were scattered on the ground.
Among the several cultivation paths within the Blood River lineage, Tu Dong had chosen the path of the Blood Sea Tsunami, aiming to inundate and corrupt his opponents with a vast flood of blood. This method was not as adept at self-preservation and unpredictable changes as the Blood Shadow or Blood God-child paths.
However, the Blood River lineage excelled in the study of slaughter and the path of life and death, so after Tu Dong cultivated the great ability of Blood Sea Nirvana, his means of self-preservation were equally remarkable.
Even if he couldn't resurrect himself with a drop of blood, if some flesh and blood remained, he might still have a chance to save his life.
Even if he was powerless, he could still rely on other Blood River experts to help him.
However, a cultivator at the Seventh Layer of the Heaven Realm in the Blood River lineage had not yet reached the level where they could leave behind flesh and blood in advance for resurrection. It would be challenging to maintain vitality if the flesh was separated from the body.
Thus, after Lei Jun shattered his Blood Sea Nirvana, this Blood River Elder could only die with resentment.
"Hmm, come to think of it, this should be the first Upper Three Heavens cultivator I've personally killed." Lei Jun raised his eyebrows slightly.
He felt... nothing special.
It was the same as with most of his previous opponents that he had eliminated.
Since they were a scourge, they had to be eradicated.
Before this day, there had already been Upper Three Heavens cultivators who had died because of Lei Jun.
The first was Li Ziyang, a senior fellow disciple from the Celestial Master's Mansion, revered by countless junior disciples.
Back then, when Tang Xiaotang prioritized chasing after Li Song, there was still a question of whether Li Ziyang could escape with his life.
But Li Ziyang had some attachment to the Celestial Master's robe.
Although Li Ziyang was later expelled from the Celestial Master's Mansion, there was still some residual affection among the disciples. So, Lei Jun did a little insignificant "work."
In the end, Li Ziyang went to exchange feelings with Elder Qi Shuo of Huangtiandao and Elder Cao Chu of Jincheng Stockade.
Perhaps Elders Qi and Cao were too enthusiastic, for Li Ziyang ultimately did not leave the area around Longhushan alive.
Fortunately, during the Great Southern Mountain campaign, Elder Cao Chu of Jincheng Stockade went to reunite with Li Ziyang.
He was accompanied by Ye Lingxi, the proud daughter of heaven from the young generation of Jinzhou Ye Clan.
Thanks to the Blood River Sect Leader, Wei Ancheng, in addition to the deaths of Cao Chu and Ye Lingxi, Ye Han, an Eighth Layer cultivator of the Heaven Realm from the Ye Clan, and Elder Gao Pu of Jincheng Stockade, were also severely injured.
Elder Gao Pu basically lost all the evil souls and zombies he had painstakingly accumulated over half his life.
It's not easy for a senior to accumulate wealth, and Lei Jun could empathize.
He thought that General Shangguan Peng was a good person who could help Elder Gao Pu recover.
As it turned out, Elder Gao Pu also thought so.
All in all, Lei Jun had seen off four cultivators at the Seventh Layer of the Heaven Realm.
He really just saw them off.
May the generations of ancestors of Longhushan bear witness, when they left, disciple Lei Jun didn't even exchange a single word with them.
Until today...
He finally saw off a cultivator at the Seventh Layer of the Heaven Realm with his own hands.
This was the first, and he hoped it would be the last, for he was a virtuous and peaceful cultivator who sought the Dao, avoided conflict, disliked combat, and was kind to others... Lei Jun remained calm and collected.
As he breathed, the black and white qi flowed out and swirled around him.
Soon, the strange glow condensed once again.
It was the same glow that Yang Taixuan had borrowed from the stone to escape, which was then intercepted by Tu Dong.
Seeing this, Lei Jun finally put down the last bit of worry he had.
He had previously considered that his attack might have been too intense, possibly destroying these clues as well.
But facing a Blood River Elder at the Seventh Layer of the Heaven Realm, even though the opponent was injured, Lei Jun still needed to prevent him from having a chance to retaliate or escape, so he chose to go all out.
Lei Jun breathed a sigh of relief as he secured the remaining traces of what he sought.
He left behind any other potential remnants of the Blood River Sect to avoid any possible pursuit by the master of the Blood River from the Ninth Heaven.
With the lingering glow in his possession, he departed from the mountain forest.
Once he had moved far enough away from the area that would severely interfere with the Thousand-Mile Transmission Talisman, Lei Jun began to study the faint glow while simultaneously contacting his master.
During the upheaval in Zhu'an Gorge, Yuan Mobai had not shown himself, possibly because his friend had not encountered any danger and thus, did not require his assistance.
Nevertheless, it was only after contacting Yuan Mobai that Lei Jun felt completely reassured.
"We are all safe, Master Zhongyun, so there is no need to worry," Yuan Mobai's voice remained as gentle as ever.
Lei Jun replied, "I am also doing well, Master. I have made some minor gains, which I will share with you in detail later. For now, I have some information regarding Yang Tai's whereabouts."
"Whether or not Yang Tai has truly obtained clues related to our sect's Heavenly Master's robe is still unknown. It would be ideal if you could pursue him, but remain cautious."
Yuan Mobai's voice turned solemn, "I have just received the latest news. Wei Ancheng has withdrawn from the sacred ancestral grounds of Yinshan Gorge, and his current whereabouts are unknown!"
Hearing this, Lei Jun exhaled softly, "Indeed, we must be vigilant."
The Blood River Sect, in collaboration with Jincheng Stockade, had launched an attack on Yinshan Gorge, prompting aid from Reincarnation Abyss and Song Granny Mountain. This had led to a rare large-scale battle in South Huang, with the five great masters of the Wu Clan gathering in Yinshan Gorge.
While Yinshan Gorge, Reincarnation Abyss, and Song Granny Mountain had managed to withstand the pressure temporarily, the initiative in the battle still lay with Wei Ancheng.
As the current de facto number one master in South Huang, he could attack or retreat as he pleased.
It was obvious to anyone that if he chose to act more flexibly instead of continuing his relentless assault, he could not only mobilize his own people but also force his opponents to follow suit, keeping them constantly on the move. Whether or not he would make such a decision depended solely on Wei Ancheng's own wishes.
His previous consecutive assaults on Jincheng Stockade and Yinshan Gorge had been aimed at establishing a momentum to swallow South Huang and unify the Wu Clan.
However, with the situation in South Huang becoming increasingly complex, this master of the Blood River might not continue his relentless attacks.
What kind of moves had Yang Yuqi, Yang Tai, and Yang Fei, father and sons, made, and to what extent had they caught Wei Ancheng's attention?
Lei Jun had originally been using that faint glow as a clue to track Yang Tai.
Now, he slowed his pace.
He entered the True One Law Forum Cave Heaven and proceeded to the second layer of the forum, where he examined the chart.
Most of the starlike lights that had been scattered across it earlier were now gone.
The light representing Zhu'an Jiang, which had stabilized earlier, indicating his safety, had now disappeared.
Fortunately, there were still a few flickering lights remaining.
This indicated that these were locations where the earth vein spiritual energy was abnormal, marked for reference.
The fact that the direct descendants of the Sui dynasty had been able to set up so many sites to disturb the earth veins was already astonishing, and the extent of their hidden power was beyond expectations.
However, after all this time, most of the sites had been exposed and subsequently destroyed.
The spots currently flashing on the chart in front of Lei Jun were likely the last few remaining.
"Golden Aurora Fortress, Jade Mountain, Sleeping Dragon Lake..." Lei Jun referred to the general terrain map of South Huang, gradually matching the lights on the chart with their actual locations.
As he studied the residual glow used to track Yang Tai, his thoughts became clearer.
Although Yang Tai's spiritual object was mysterious, its foundation lay in the flow of earth vein spiritual energy.
His final destination was likely not controlled by his own will or completely random, but rather, a fixed-point movement.
As one of the designated landing points, it was one of the spots secretly set up by the direct descendants of the Sui dynasty to disturb the earth veins, and by utilizing the ritual there, Yang Tai would be guided back.
Based on the residual glow, his most likely destination was Sleeping Dragon Lake...
Just as this thought crossed Lei Jun's mind, the light sphere in his consciousness suddenly flashed, and words appeared:
["Transplanting flowers and trees, fortunes change, aware of danger and avoiding it, choosing a wonderful path to transform good fortune."]
Oh?
It seemed there was another mystery at play.
Lei Jun's interest was piqued, and four fortunes flew out from the light sphere:
["Upper-middle fortune: Proceed to Golden Dawn Institute and obtain a fourth-grade opportunity. There is currently no danger, but the cause and effect will become more intricate, so be cautious. Good fortune."]
["Middle fortune: Do not delve further into South Huang, wait quietly for the clouds to rise and fall, do nothing, gain nothing, lose nothing. Neutral."]
"Middle Fortune: Proceed to Jade Mountain, there is an opportunity to obtain a fourth-grade opportunity, but there may be danger, be cautious. Neutral."
"Lower Middle Fortune: Proceed to Sleeping Dragon Lake, gain nothing, encounter great danger, narrowly escape death, and be extremely cautious. Ill fortune."
Lei Jun carefully read through the four fortunes, deep in thought.
The prediction indicated that proceeding to Sleeping Dragon Lake was the most dangerous option.
Could it mean that Yang Tai's journey was a bait, intended to lure him, Lei, or pursuers like Tu Dong, into an ambush?
The description of this middle-lower fortune was extremely grim, bordering on an extremely ill omen.
It even gave Lei the impression that it was more perilous than the middle-lower fortune mentioned in the previous chapter about the lower reaches of the Zhao River and the middle-lower fortune in the previous chapter about delving deeper into Zhu'an Gorge.
"Hmm, very well, then I shan't go there." Daoist Lei remained calm and readily accepted this advice.
As for the other two locations, Golden Aurora Fortress and Jade Mountain, they yielded an upper-middle fortune and a middle fortune, respectively.
Both fortunes hinted at the possibility of acquiring a fourth-grade opportunity.
One path seemed to be risk-free but might entail intricate cause-and-effect entanglements afterward.
The other path might involve a certain degree of danger, dragging a fourth-grade opportunity down to the level of a middle fortune.
Lei Jun carefully studied the description of the upper-middle fortune.
The wording seemed vaguely familiar.
When he had obtained the clues about the Heavenly Master's Seal and the Heavenly Master's Robe at Nine Star Ridge outside Longhushan, the phrasing had been quite similar... Lei Jun nodded slowly.
Although this didn't necessarily mean that there were definite clues about the Heavenly Master's Robe at Golden Aurora Fortress, this upper-middle fortune was worth a try.
Lei Jun left the True One Law Forum Cave Heaven and changed his course. Instead of heading to Sleeping Dragon Lake, he made his way toward Golden Aurora Fortress.
As he traveled, he once again contacted Yuan Mobai, subtly reminding his master to be cautious.
Later, Lei Jun arrived at Golden Aurora Fortress.
He didn't rush into action but instead concealed himself, secretly searching and observing the area.
Upon initial inspection, he found that while there were some remnants of the Sui Dynasty's loyalists who had established a base and performed rituals to disturb the earth vein spiritual energy, there were no signs of Yang Tai or clues related to the Heavenly Master's Robe.
Lei Jun patiently waited without taking any action.
During this time, Yuan Mobai contacted him and shared some of the latest news:
"After learning that Wei Ancheng left the sacred ancestral grounds of Yinshan Gorge, Sang Lu and Li Tianqing of Song Granny Mountain also stopped pursuing the fugitive Elder Yuan Shanji of Song Granny Mountain.
Although they wanted to clear the door, Sang Lu remained vigilant.
However, as soon as they halted their pursuit, Yuan Shanji, who had been fleeing earlier, turned around and counterattacked.
Even Bear Gang, a Blood River Elder who had escaped earlier and was not Sang Lu's primary target, reappeared and joined forces with Yuan Shanji to counter-attack.
Their goal wasn't necessarily to defeat Sang Lu and Li Tianqing but rather to engage in a protracted battle and hold them back.
As for their location...
"...it's at Sleeping Dragon Lake," Yuan Mobai said slowly.
Lei Jun sigated, "Wei Ancheng."
Although Yuan Mobai wasn't as certain as Lei Jun about the danger of Sleeping Dragon Lake, when he learned that Yuan Shanji and Bear Gang were holding back Sang Lu and Li Tianqing at Sleeping Dragon Lake, he immediately thought of the missing Wei Ancheng.
The Blood River Sect Master's target was Sang Lu, the leader of Song Granny Mountain.
Among the five major traditions of the Wu Clan, the God-Dance lineage was the best at setting up defenses and fighting, and Song Granny Mountain's sacred ancestral grounds were also recognized as the most stable.
Launching a direct assault on Song Granny Mountain and fighting Sang Lu elsewhere were two entirely different challenges.
Whether Wei Ancheng had planned this from the start or was simply taking advantage of the situation, he was now uniting the chaotic forces of the Blood River Sect, the Sui Dynasty's loyalists, and his own subordinates, exhibiting a semblance of a united front.
However, it was unclear what Yang Yuqi thought about this development.
Yuan Mobai said, "Be extra cautious going forward. Wei Ancheng has suddenly changed his strategy, and the civil war within the South Huang Wu Clan is about to reach a climax."
Lei Jun acknowledged his master's warning.
He remained even more calm and collected at Golden Aurora Fortress.
Although he didn't know if Yang Yuqi, Yang Tai, and Yang Fei, father and sons, had reached an agreement with Wei Ancheng, if he had recklessly and single-mindedly pursued Yang Tai without any second thoughts, he would have likely ended up rushing straight into Sleeping Dragon Lake and into Wei Ancheng's trap.
However, Yang Tai wouldn't stay at Sleeping Dragon Lake for long.
Even if the Sui Dynasty's loyalists and Wei Ancheng's faction had reached an understanding, Yang Tai's current identity was special, but his cultivation and strength were insufficient. With the precious materials for pairing with Dragon Eye mostly consumed and no immediate plans to target the God-Dance lineage, he wouldn't stay in such a dangerous place where a battle between peak experts was imminent.
Lei Jun waited patiently.
In less than a day, the person he was waiting for arrived.
Yang Tai, dressed in fine brocade, his face as deep as water, approached Golden Aurora Fortress with a few new attendants and servants by his side, his mind seemingly occupied with heavy thoughts.
In the mountains, Elder Lei clapped his hands, welcoming Young Master Yang, who had delivered himself right to his door.
(End of Chapter)
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