https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-259-Elder-Ye-Moquan-s-Unspeakable-Secret-Part-1-/12587102/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-260-The-Hidden-Power-of-the-Celestial-Masters-Mansion-Part-1-/12587104/
Chapter 259: Elder Ye Moquan's Unspeakable Secret (Part 2)
Chapter 259: Elder Ye Moquan's Unspeakable Secret (Part 2)
"
"Yes, Father," Ye Wei replied.
Ye Moquan's expression was calm, "Your father had intended to write a letter to Chi Yuan, but now, it's better for you to write it."
"Has Father already decided?" Ye Wei asked softly.
Ye Moquan nodded, "We're going to Cangzhou."
Cangzhou was located between Youzhou and Qingzhou, usually serving as a buffer between the Lin Clan of Youzhou and the Ye Clan of Qingzhou.
Prepare for defeat before thinking of victory.
Unless it was absolutely necessary, Ye Moquan naturally did not want to destroy his clan's ancestral land in Jinzhou.
But now that they had come to this step, they couldn't return to the Sanjin region for the time being, and the Ye Clan had to consider their next resting place.
Ye Moquan was only residing in the Zhao Wang Manor himself.
The Ye Clan had evacuated from Jinzhou in advance, and with their large population, it was impossible to relocate everyone to Youzhou.
There were several options for their new resting place, one of which was Cangzhou.
However, it was a bit too close to Qingzhou.
In the past, the Ye Clan of Jinzhou had separated from the Ye Clan of Qingzhou.
Now, they certainly wouldn't return, but after suffering a heavy blow, going to Cangzhou would definitely not be a glorious move.
However, as Ye Moquan had said before, they would have to lie low for a long time.
………………
Tian Le Mountain no longer resembled its former lofty appearance, having transformed into a rugged valley.
In addition to the Ye Clan disciples from Jinzhou who came to investigate the whereabouts of Ye Han and the others, there were also others who quietly approached.
A woman wearing straw shoes and plain clothes, her hair in a bun, appeared at the former site of Tian Le Mountain.
It was none other than Wei Qiyue, the Grand Elder of the Shu Mountain Sect.
She walked around Tian Le Mountain, deep in thought and silent.
Back then, at the outskirts of the Ye Clan's ancestral land in Jinzhou, Wei Qiyue had caught a distant glimpse of the flying Heavenly Master Sword merging with Tang Xiaotang's sword. At that moment, she had completely forgotten about the battle between Xuanyuan Zhen and Ye Moquan.
That was not a common technique of the Taoist Talisman Sect.
No matter how she looked at it, it resembled their Shu Mountain Sect's flying sword.
The Ye Clan's ancestral land was in ruins, and the scene was chaotic.
Wei Qiyue did not linger at the site but quietly left the Ye Clan's ancestral land.
She chose to go in the direction from which the purple lightning sword light had come, and by retracing her steps, she successfully found the now-devastated Tian Le Mountain.
There were secret activities of the Ye Clan disciples here, and they seemed to be looking for someone.
This indicated that there must have been arrangements made by the Ye Clan of Jinzhou here, which were then destroyed by someone.
If she followed the same direction, if there were no major surprises, the person who destroyed this place was the one who had sent the Heavenly Master Sword flying over a thousand miles to Tang Xiaotang.
Who was it?
As an Eighth Heaven Realm elder of the Taoist Talisman Sect and a revered figure of Shu Mountain, Wei Qiyue searched carefully for a while but found nothing.
At first, she thought she might have come to the wrong place, but even as she continued in the same direction, she still found nothing.
"What a cautious person. His cultivation and strength are even more extraordinary than I expected..." Wei Qiyue's heart sank slightly.
After standing in contemplation for a moment near Tian Le Mountain, Wei Qiyue raised her hand and beckoned.
A flying sword, only a foot long, floated automatically in front of her.
Wei Qi Yue reached out, her fingertips gently gliding along the sword's blade.
A layer of flowing light immediately appeared on the blade, as if containing language and words sealed within.
This was the Shu Mountain Sect's method of long-distance communication, transmitting messages via flying swords.
Of course, other magical artifacts could also be used, but they must be artifacts that the cultivator had personally refined over a long period.
Wei Qiyue waved her hand.
The flying sword trembled, and with a flash of sword light, it flew away from her and disappeared into the distant horizon.
Wei Qiyue watched as her flying sword vanished from sight, her gaze intense.
………………
Lei Jun left the area near Duanlong Gorge and tried to contact Xu Yuanzhen and Tang Xiaotang again.
Well, his senior martial sister had already chased the Thousand-Leaf Butterfly King out to sea.
Lei Jun was used to her impulsive nature and her habit of acting on her ideas without hesitation.
What surprised him a little was Ye Moquan's current situation.
"He's not without a chance of recovery, but the impact on his divine soul will continue and intensify," Xu Yuanzhen said calmly, as if discussing the weather and the size of the waves at sea.
Lei Jun: "So, it's not just an injury, but his divine soul has already undergone difficult-to-reverse self-changes."
Xu Yuanzhen: "Exactly."
No wonder it's you... Lei Jun shook his head with a wry smile.
People are indeed different.
If he had the opportunity to finish off Ye Moquan, he would have done so without hesitation.
But now that Xu Yuanzhen had that ability, it was up to her to make the decision.
Speaking of which, the Jinzhou Ye Clan had evacuated and dispersed in advance, minimizing casualties.
Ye Han and Chu Xiuyuan were still there, ostensibly to guard against coastal attacks by great demons, but also to watch for further moves by the Tang imperial family and the Celestial Masters Mansion.
Of course, conversely, with the Empress and Xu Yuanzhen in play, the prominent families could not afford to make any more overt moves.
Aside from Xu Yuanzhen's unconventional behavior, both the Tang imperial family and the prominent families were now shifting their attention to the west.
The Pure Yang Palace had been swiftly conquered, and Guanlong was in peril.
The Western Regions' Vajra Temple had undergone a strange transformation.
These were unexpected major changes for both sides.
The unknown was always the most unsettling.
So, even though Xu Yuanzhen was absent, Lei Jun and Tang Xiaotang didn't have to worry about the Dragon and Tiger Mountain for the time being, and they could act more freely without rushing back to the mountain.
Tang Xiaotang was also interested in the events in the west and planned to head to Guanlong and the Western Regions after leaving Yuzhou, instead of returning directly to Dragon and Tiger Mountain.
Lei Jun was also curious about the west, but he had some ideas that he wanted to test urgently.
After collecting some of the materials used by the Jinzhou Ye Clan for their 'seeing words as faces' technique, Lei Jun had been conducting related research and already had some ideas in mind.
To turn his ideas into reality, he needed to return to his sect to obtain some heavenly treasures and rare resources, as well as find a unique environment to assist him.
After the Lin Clan of Jiangzhou became history, the local area was incorporated into the Tang imperial family's direct territory, and some of the blessed lands in the Kunlu Mountains that originally belonged to the Lin Clan became possessions of the Celestial Masters Mansion.
Among them was the Embracing Moon blessed land, which had the environment Lei Jun needed for his experiment.
It was a good thing that Elder Ye, the former head of the Ye Clan, might have been turned into a senile old man by his senior martial sister.
But that was a gradual process, and it wouldn't have a significant impact right away; it would become more apparent over time.
Although Ye Han and Ye Zhenxing had died, the Jinzhou Ye Clan still had many powerful cultivators.
There was even Elder Kongjian of the Hanging Temple, an Eighth Heaven Buddhist elder who, though he had entered the Buddhist path, still had his heart with the Ye Clan.
While they were lying low, Lei Jun did not forget about them.
Since this was the case, it would be better to make some preparations sooner rather than later.
Moreover, his senior disciple had just joined the sect and was in a critical period of cultivation, so Lei Jun didn't want to be away from the mountain for too long. Therefore, after considering it for a while, he decided to put aside his curiosity about the Vajra Temple in the west and the Pure Yang Palace for the time being and head to Kunlu Mountain first to conduct research and experiments on some Confucian methods of 'seeing words as faces'.
"Have fun, Junior Martial Sister."
Lei Jun: "But don't forget, at most half a year, by the New Year, remember to be back at the mountain by the 15th of the first month for the new ordination ceremony."
Tang Xiaotang: "Don't worry, I won't forget."
This would be her second ordination ceremony since she took over as the Celestial Master.
For the ordination, which only happened once every six years, Celestial Master Tang still felt a sense of novelty.
As for the transmission of degrees, which happened every three years, she had grown tired of it and didn't want to preside over it herself...
However, Celestial Master Tang was more concerned about another matter:
"When will Senior Martial Sister be back? After seeing her fight with that old fox from the Ye Clan, I'm even more eager to spar with her myself!"
"That's hard to say, you know her style." Lei Jun said, "But with your current gap in cultivation, there's no need to rush, is there?"
Tang Xiaotang was nonchalant: "It doesn't matter, some things need to be tried in such situations."
Lei Jun: "In that case, I'll notify you when Senior Martial Sister returns."
Celestial Master Tang was satisfied and ended the transmission, heading west: "Perfect."
Lei Jun, on the other hand, headed south while contacting his master, Yuan Mobai.
As he chatted with his master about his trip to Jinzhou, he directly asked his master to coordinate and gather the various heavenly treasures and rare resources he needed and send them directly to the Embracing Moon blessed land in Kunlu Mountain, so that he could get to work as soon as he returned.
On the other hand, Yuan Mobai was also summarizing the various messages he had received and relaying them to Lei Jun.
"His Majesty the Emperor intends to leave the capital of Luoyang and personally travel to the old capital of Chang'an?" Lei Jun raised his eyebrows slightly.
This would be the second time the Empress had led a campaign in person since the pacification of the East Sea demons.
However, it seemed to be about more than just the demon unrest in Guanlong.
"The area around the mountain gate of the Vajra Temple in the Western Regions has transformed, revealing a vajra manifestation for hundreds of miles. Moreover, the sound of Buddhist chants and meditation can be heard endlessly, attracting believers from all directions."
Yuan Mobai spoke slowly, "Such means have never been seen since the founding of the Vajra Temple."
Lei Jun: "The current new abbot of the Vajra Temple, even if his progress has been accelerated by the consecration ceremony, shouldn't be able to achieve this so quickly, and it's not necessarily him anyway, so..."
"The Vajra Temple has always been shrouded in mystery, and the origins of its founding ancestor were already a mystery." Yuan Mobai said slowly: "The sudden changes now may be related to the origins of the Vajra Temple."
Lei Jun was deep in thought: "Master, when I was guarding the Imperial Library, I once read a book that mentioned a concept in passing... Nine Heavens and Ten Earths."
Yuan Mobai: "It's not impossible."
The Nine Heavens and Ten Earths are all self-contained worlds, with their own sun, moon, and natural laws, surpassing the human realm. They are like immortal paradises.
While each individual realm may not be as vast as the human world, they are still incredibly huge and often contain wondrous natural powers, giving rise to infinite variations.
Back then, Yuan Mobai and others had stumbled into the Nine Li Secret Realm.
The Nine Li Secret Realm served as a bridge and may have connected to another world among the Ten Earths. Unfortunately, due to time constraints and unclear circumstances, Yuan Mobai and his group dared not linger in the secret realm, thus missing the opportunity to discover the world beyond.
Lei Jun and his master suspected that the Nine Li Secret Realm led to the Earth Sea, one of the Ten Earths, on the other side.
In ancient times, the people of the Nine Li Tribe retreated to the South Wilderness, constantly retreating until they finally entered the Earth Sea and disappeared without a trace.
Like the Earth Sea, the other realms among the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths gradually faded from history, becoming inaccessible to the mortal world.
Whether it was the Nine Heavens or the Ten Earths, all connections to the human realm were severed.
Thus, over the years, they gradually became legendary tales, rarely spoken of, and even fewer people knew of their existence.
However, as time passed, with the surging spiritual energy of the heavens and the earth, signs of the reappearance of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths seemed to be increasing.
The Nine Li Secret Realm in the South Wilderness may lead to the Earth Sea.
The secret realm that Xuanyuan Zhen and Zhang Rui of Huayang Kingdom ventured into seemed like a gateway to another world among the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.
Now, the Vajra Temple has undergone such a transformation.
"In the past, among the Nine Heavens, only the Saha and Sumeru, and among the Ten Earths, only the Endless Earth, were related to Buddhism." Lei Jun mumbled to himself.
"The ancient and peculiar martial arts true intent that Yuanzhen and you discovered, which combines martial arts with Confucian teachings, has never been seen before in the Great Tang or in history."
Yuan Mobai said, "Perhaps, it originates from one of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths."
Lei Jun suddenly asked, "Master, what about the Daoist School?"
Yuan Mobai spoke calmly, "Kunlun, Penglai, and Huangquan have not appeared in the world for thousands of years, and no one knows what they have become."
Lei Jun nodded silently.
He changed the subject, "The old fox of the Ye Clan has taken refuge in the Zhao Wang Manor. Now, it's as if he's advertising his presence to the world."
The Zhao Wang Manor had been interacting frequently with the Ye Clan of Jinzhou in recent years, even mediating the relationship between the Ye Clan and the Lin Clan of Youzhou. Rumors of this had been spreading.
However, private interactions were one thing.
Bringing it out into the open was another matter.
While it was presented as a private arrangement, Zhao Wang's assistance to Ye Moquan was, to a certain extent, equivalent to publicly acknowledging the divisions within the royal family of Zhang Tang.
Yuan Mobai: "Zhao Wang still harbors ambitions."
Lei Jun pondered, "The Lin Clan of Youzhou and the Ye Clan of Jinzhou were supposed to be his strong allies, but now both clans have suffered heavy losses..."
Yuan Mobai: "If not for this, Her Majesty would not have felt secure enough to leave the capital.
With the Northern and Southern Lin Clans and the Ye Clan of Jinzhou all encountering disasters, and if we count the Xiao Clan of Longwai from before, four out of the five prominent families have been weakened, making this the weakest moment for the aristocratic families in recent centuries.
Before leaving the capital, Her Majesty has already decided to establish the Political Affairs Hall within the Ministry of Rites, allowing more officials to participate in political affairs."
Lei Jun: "A reduction and redistribution of power, and even a seizure of power."
The establishment of the Political Affairs Hall in the Ministry of Rites was undoubtedly an encroachment on the power of the Left and Right Chancellors of the Ministry of Works.
Dividing the power of the chancellor.
"But what will happen in the capital now that Her Majesty has left?" Lei Jun asked.
Yuan Mobai: "The Crown Prince has come of age. In Her Majesty's absence, he will oversee the country and manage daily affairs. Important documents and urgent matters will be sent to the old capital, where Her Majesty will reside and work to quell the demon unrest and deter the Western Regions."
As the Empress had no children of her own, and with the Crown Prince having come of age, this arrangement was inevitable once she left the capital.
As for how long it would last, it depended on the progress of the demon unrest in Guanlong and the Western Regions Buddhist calamity.
After ending his conversation with his master, Yuan Mobai, Lei Jun continued on his journey.
As he traveled south from the Three Jin region, Lei Jun slowed his pace when he reached Zhongzhou.
He walked and observed carefully, and the more he saw, the more familiar it seemed.
However, the terrain and landscape he had witnessed beyond the 'door' of Dahei Mountain, which led to the strange world where Xuanyuan Zhen was located, seemed to have been taken straight out of this vast human realm.
But now, as he looked out across the expanse of Zhongzhou, he couldn't find any similar traces.
PS: 8k chapter
(End of Chapter)
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