https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-253-Lei-Daozhang-Lands-a-Big-Fish-Part-2-/12587090/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-254-253-The-Battle-Unveiled-Part-2-/12587093/
Chapter 254: 253. The Battle Unveiled (Part 1)
Chapter 254: 253. The Battle Unveiled (Part 1)
Comparing it to the myriad of possibilities in his mind, the current state of the Heavenly Connection Art was indeed still in its infancy.
Moving forward, Lei Jun would need to constantly refine and perfect this technique, and as his own cultivation base continued to grow, the art would become stronger and possess more functions.
"Hmm, it's a good start." Xu Yuanzhen remarked.
Lei Jun said, "I believe that out of secrecy, Jinzhou secretly contacted the remaining members of the Southern Clan Lin family to make the ceremonial artifacts on his behalf.
But I suspect that Ye Moke isn't just prepared in this regard and may have more tricks up his sleeve."
"Hold on." Xu Yuanzhen interrupted, "You're making me quite curious about what's to come."
"I'm even more curious about what tricks you have up your sleeve, Senior Sister." Lei Jun replied.
Xu Yuanzhen said, "I've also prepared some gifts for that old fox."
Lei Jun bluntly asked, "Can you take him down?"
"It'll be challenging, and we might have to pay a certain price, but it's not impossible." Xu Yuanzhen's response was characteristic of her: "However, that's not my immediate goal."
Lei Jun raised his eyebrows, "So, what is your immediate goal?"
Xu Yuanzhen said, "I haven't decided yet. Once we make our move, we'll see if that old fox values his life."
Hearing you say this, I'm not that surprised... Lei Jun thought.
His Senior Sister indeed possessed extraordinary talent, but her ideas were often unconventional.
While everyone benefited from her strength, they also had to be prepared for her unpredictable actions.
Although Lei Jun had different views from Xu Yuanzhen in this regard, he didn't say much and simply replied, "On the other hand, this game may not only involve Ye Moke."
"That's to be expected." Xu Yuanzhen said as she seemed to be packing something, "Since the date is approaching, I'll head to Jinzhou's place directly."
"Little Junior Sister has already gone there." Lei Jun informed her.
After ending the mental connection with Xu Yuanzhen, Lei Jun also began to pack his belongings, preparing to leave the area around Taihu Lake.
Neither Xu Yuanzhen nor he intended to take action against the remnants of the Southern Clan Lin family north of Taihu Lake for the time being. They didn't plan to stop them from successfully crafting the artifacts and sending them to Jinzhou.
Since Xu Yuanzhen was already aware of their plan, it would be difficult for the other party to catch her off guard.
On the contrary, Xu Yuanzhen had secretly prepared a return gift.
When the time came, it would be a surprise who would be caught unprepared.
"Speaking of which, Senior Sister and Zhang Rui are currently in that secret realm, which corresponds to the upper-middle Qi Refining stage."
Lei Jun pondered, "I wonder what the five-star opportunity and potential hidden dangers mentioned in the contract imply."
According to Xu Yuanzhen, apart from its own existence, the secret realm might lead to another world.
Would it be similar to the exotic world they entered from Daheshan Mountain?
"Transcending time, observing the separation of the universe."
This sentence now seemed to imply that the first half wasn't referring to the Mysterious Void Mirror, and the second half wasn't just about the secret realm indicated by the upper-middle seal.
Instead, it seemed that the words "time" and "universe" were describing both the Xuanxu Mirror in the Upper Clear Thunder Palace and the strange secret realm.
Therefore, was there something peculiar about time in the secret realm or the world it led to? Lei Jun's thoughts raced as he traveled, his mind filled with countless ideas.
............
Ye Clan's ancestral home in Jinzhou.
In a deep courtyard, an elderly man sat quietly in a chair, gazing at the lush summer greenery outside the window.
Later, his eldest son, Ye Wei, arrived at the door.
The old man inside the house spoke, "Come in."
"Father." Ye Wei entered the room and stood with his hands clasped, "The Southern Clan Lin family has completed the task, and the items will be delivered soon."
Upon hearing this, Ye Moquan, the patriarch of the Ye Clan in Jinzhou, nodded slightly, "Once these last few things are settled, you should also make your final preparations."
"Yes, Father." Ye Wei replied.
He didn't leave immediately but stood there in silence.
Ye Moquan didn't rush him either and remained seated calmly.
After a long while, Ye Wei spoke, "Father, the risk you're taking this time is too great."
Ye Moquan smiled, "When one is in a position of power, there are some things that cannot be avoided. I have no intention of evading them."
He indeed didn't favor direct confrontation with others.
But that didn't mean he couldn't play such a game.
"Although Qingzhou, Suzhou, and other places have expressed their readiness, but..." Ye Wei hesitated.
Ye Moquan remained calm, "This time, we don't need to worry about whether they will do more. As long as they don't do less, we only need to be prepared in case they try to take advantage of us."
"There's no sign of that for now." Ye Wei said.
"That's enough." Ye Moquan nodded slightly, his gaze returning to the window.
After Ye Wei bowed and took his leave, the room fell silent once more.
............
Beyond Longwai, nearing the Western Regions.
Under the scorching summer sun, the yellow sand of the vast desert exuded extreme heat.
Scattered across the sand were several small black figures—monks clad in black robes, their expressions solemn and devoid of laughter.
They appeared dignified and awe-inspiring, but an unusual aura permeated their beings, enveloping the surroundings.
Whether it was the current scorching heat or the bitter cold of winter, everything within this region would be shattered and eradicated.
These black-robed monks were all disciples of Dakuang Temple.
And their leader was a young monk draped in a dark golden kasaya.
This monk had a tall stature, and among the stern-faced crowd of Dakuang Temple, he uniquely wore a faint smile, appearing to be in his early twenties.
In fact, his actual age wasn't that big either, as he was currently not yet fifty years old.
However, his fame had spread early on.
It was during his rapid rise that Dakuang Temple returned to the land.
His dharma name was Yuanmie.
The former disciple of Dakuang Temple.
The new abbot of Dakuang Temple.
His mentor was the previous abbot of Dakuang Temple, Jixiang.
Jixiang had not perished and was currently standing behind Yuanmie.
Earlier, he had voluntarily passed on the position of abbot to Yuanmie, stepping down to become the Dharma King.
Jixiang Dharma King was certain that Yuanmie would be a more suitable abbot for Dakuang Temple, and under his leadership, the righteous era of Dakuang Temple would finally arrive.
In the current Tang Dynasty, Yuanmie's reputation had indeed surpassed that of his mentor, Jixiang Dharma King.
Although most of it was infamy.
It was Yuanmie who had led the charge when Dakuang Temple first returned to the land and breached the mountain gate of Bodhi Temple, one of the four orthodox Buddhist sacred sites.
Afterwards, they traveled thousands of miles to intercept another Buddhist sacred site, Vajra Temple, to welcome the new abbot, killing and injuring many of their opponents.
Later on, when attacking Tianlong Temple, Yuanmie had already succeeded Jixiang Dharma King as the new leader of Dakuang Temple.
With his fame came a trail of bloodstains.
Generally speaking, a cultivator who successfully cultivates the Seventh Heaven Realm within a hundred years is recognized as a genius with untapped potential and the possibility to continue climbing higher.
A cultivator who achieves the Seventh Heaven Realm before the age of fifty is undoubtedly a genius among geniuses, a freak of nature.
And Yuanmie...
He was a master of the Eighth Heaven Realm of Dakuang Temple, having not yet reached the age of fifty.
Among his peers, those who could compare to him were the former Empress Zhang Wantong and Xu Yuanzhen of the Heavenly Master's Mansion, as well as the current Heavenly Master Tang Xiaotang, Future Miroku of the White Lotus Sect, and Li Tianqing of Songpo Mountain in the Southern Wilderness, among a handful of others.
On the other hand, in the Great Tang Dynasty, there were only four leaders of major powers under a hundred years of age.
The current emperor, Empress Zhang Wantong.
The contemporary Heavenly Master, Tang Xiaotang.
Xiao Hang, the master of the Xiao Clan outside Long Province.
And last but not least, Abbot Yuanmie of Dakuang Temple.
"Abbot, the mountain gate of Vajra Temple is still closed, prohibiting all entry and exit," a black-robed monk whispered to Yuanmie.
Yuanmie smiled, "It will open soon."
His master, Jixiang Dharma King, spoke, "There's something strange going on inside Vajra Temple, and those Confucian scholars have noticed it too. They're trying to ally with Tianlong Temple and persuade us to turn our attention to Vajra Temple, but it's just a test."
"It doesn't matter, everyone has their own agenda," Yuanmie said.
"Without their little scheme, I would still want to see what secrets Vajra Temple is hiding. Now that the battle in Jinzhou is about to begin, people will gather from all directions, and no one will disturb us. This is perfect." Yuanmie opened his palm, and a shimmering dark golden light orb appeared above it, exuding a blend of purity and extinction that captivated every Dakuang Temple disciple present.
"Moreover, there might be some extra gains." Yuanmie flexed his fingers, causing the orb to fluctuate.
The Four Surnames and Six Desires often communicated and traded with Dakuang Temple.
Previously, when Dakuang Temple was exiled overseas, the supplies and support they received from the inland were provided by various famous aristocratic families.
However, Dakuang Temple was not a subordinate of the Four Surnames and Six Desires.
Nothing is indestructible.
To some extent, according to the tenets they believed in, the Confucian scholarly families were also existences that should be destroyed.
It's just that for Dakuang Temple, the primary and most direct enemy were the Four Buddhist Sacred Sites, so for now, they cooperated with the Four Surnames and Six Desires, each taking what they needed.
Dakuang Temple had its sights set on the Four Buddhist Sacred Sites, and they had their own ideas about which one to choose. They had been eyeing Tianlong Temple in the south for a long time.
The leaders of the various scholarly families wanted to divert their attention to Vajra Temple, so naturally, they would make some gestures first.
Hence, the light orb in Yuanmie's palm.
However, Yuanmie himself had already set his eyes on Vajra Temple.
Vajra Temple currently appeared weak and closed off, but no one knew what was going on inside.
Yuanmie's visit this time was not like the initial attack on Bodhi Temple, where he intended to wipe them out from the start.
This time, he approached Vajra Temple mainly to test and confirm his suspicions.
Of course, if Vajra Temple couldn't show their strength, this visit would have a different outcome.
"As for the other aspects, I'll leave it to Master. If there's a major change in Jinzhou, please notify me," Yuanmie said as he put away the fluctuating light orb and instructed Jixiang Dharma King.
.................
Lei Jun left the Taihu Lake area and headed north.
While on the road, he contacted Tang Xiaotang, who had already arrived in Jinzhou in advance.
"A lot of people have arrived, and most of them are staying in the outskirts for now," Tang Xiaotang said casually.
In some cases, when top experts engage in duels, both sides may discourage onlookers.
However, this time, Xu Yuanzhen and Ye Moke didn't intend to clear the area.
Tang Xiaotang and the others were currently waiting in the outskirts because the main participants hadn't arrived yet.
"Fang Du from Jingxiang, Chu Peng from Suzhou, Ye Fen from Qingzhou, Lin Lishan from Youzhou..." Tang Xiaotang casually listed a few names, all of whom were core members of the various famous clans.
Each one of them was an Eighth Heaven Realm Confucian master, representing their respective families in Jinzhou to witness the battle between Ninth Heaven Realm experts, a rare sight.
As for whether they had other intentions or arrangements, that was up to them.
"The representative of the Tang Imperial Family this time is Changshan King, and that Suzhou vixen is also here," Tang Xiaotang said.
Lei Jun understood upon hearing this.
The Suzhou vixen Master Tang Tian referred to was naturally Chu Yu.
As for the other person, he was a royal expert, Changshan King Zhang Junhai.
Due to various reasons, the royal Zhang family was strictly speaking, the number one family in the Great Tang Dynasty, with numerous experts, although they were relatively dispersed.
Moreover, people had different hearts.
The former Wu King, now the Zhao King, and the former Huayang King, who used to hide his true intentions well but actually played both sides, were all like this.
What about this Changshan King?
"The representatives from Chunyang Palace are Elder Lu and Elder Guan," Tang Xiaotang continued, "I heard that Yue Xiling has been in seclusion recently, probably trying to break through to the Eighth Heaven Realm."
Elder Lu, or Lu Jindian, of Chunyang Palace often interacted with Tian Master's Mansion, so Lei Jun and Tang Xiaotang were quite familiar with him.
As for the Elder Guan that Tang Xiaotang mentioned, Lei Jun recalled that he should be a renowned senior of Chunyang Palace named Guan Jing.
This person had exceptional cultivation, also an Eighth Heaven Realm Infant Transformation cultivator like Lu Jindian, but strictly speaking, his cultivation was even higher than Lu Jindian's. He had long since reached the fourth level of Infant Transformation, making him one of the top experts in Chunyang Palace, second only to Huang Xuanpu Immortal.
The fact that he came with Lu Jindian showed how much Chunyang Palace valued the battle in Jinzhou.
However, Lei Jun was more concerned about another person, "Huang Immortal from Chunyang Palace isn't here?"
Tang Xiaotang, "I heard that he left the palace specifically for this battle, but the details are unclear."
She suddenly snorted, "By the way, that little girl also came. It's rare for Chunyang Palace to let her out."
The statement seemed abrupt at first.
But Lei Jun immediately knew who Tang Xiaotang was talking about, "Jiang Yu came with Elder Guan and Elder Lu?"
(End of chapter)
This was indeed somewhat unexpected."
Jiang Yu was the junior disciple who had previously joined Chunyang Palace. She possessed the Pure Yin Fairy Body constitution and was said to have talents that far surpassed her peers, with her cultivation and strength advancing by leaps and bounds.
(End of Chapter)
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