https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-264-I-Am-Truly-Happy-for-My-Senior-Brother-Part-1-/12587125/
Chapter 264: I Am Truly Happy for My Senior Brother (Part 2)
Chapter 264: I Am Truly Happy for My Senior Brother (Part 2)
In the vast expanse of history, there had not only been precedents of such occurrences, but they were also quite common, with almost every dynasty experiencing similar rumors.
After all, in the current age, the fate of an imperial dynasty was intricately tied to both the unity of its people and the vitality of its land.
This was not a subjective conjecture but an objective reality.
Thus, for an imperial dynasty to endure, it had to adapt to the changing landscape.
Relocating the capital, or even moving it back and forth between two locations multiple times within the same dynasty, was not entirely incomprehensible, and there were even examples of the imperial capital shifting between two locations over the course of a millennium.
The final decision on where the imperial capital would be located was never set in stone.
As for the possibility of the Tang Dynasty moving its capital back to the old location, the reason was naturally the series of intense battles that had taken place over the past year.
In the span of just half a year, four major upheavals had occurred in Jiangzhou, Youzhou, Jinzhou, and Guanlong, where the Pure Yang Palace was located.
Strictly speaking, none of these conflicts had resulted in the complete annihilation of the local powerhouses.
However, from a geographical perspective, these four major battles had completely destroyed the foundations and assets of the local giants.
The sacred sites, ancestral lands, and mountain gates of these holy sects or eminent clans were built in harmony with their surroundings, intimately connected to the flow of spiritual energy in the area, thus granting them a formidable advantage in terms of location.
When their mountain gates and ancestral lands were not only attacked but also thoroughly devastated, it inevitably disrupted the local geographical veins.
To influence the fate of a nation required more than just a simple action.
However, the intense conflicts in Jiangzhou, Youzhou, Jinzhou, and Guanlong, one after another, had undoubtedly impacted the vitality of the Tang Dynasty's land.
While it wouldn't lead to the collapse of the empire, such upheaval would necessitate a corresponding response from the Tang court to stabilize the country's destiny.
At the moment, there didn't seem to be any major moves in that direction, but it appeared that the imperial capital of the Tang Dynasty was highly likely to return to Guanlong and Chang'an.
In that case, it wouldn't be surprising that Empress Zhang Wantong had been residing in Chang'an for so many years.
"Perhaps the location of the dragon's head is still undecided, wavering between Chang'an and Luoyang," Yuan Mobai said. "It might take some time, or another major event, for things to settle down completely."
To some extent, that implied that yet another major power, or even multiple powers, would suffer.
"In Luoyang, Crown Prince Zhang Huizhen has been entrusted with governing the country, but most of the time, he merely observes and listens, citing his inexperience and lack of ability as reasons for his passive role," Yuan Mobai continued. "Currently, there isn't a situation where two suns vie for dominance. The day-to-day affairs of the court are mainly handled by the Secretariat, with important matters being reported to Chang'an for the Emperor's decision."
"The Crown Prince is still biding his time," Lei Jun commented. "Although he has come of age, he is still relatively inexperienced compared to the Emperor."
"His cultivation progress has been remarkably swift. It was rumored that he had already reached the Sixth Heaven a couple of years ago," Yuan Mobai said.
If Crown Prince Zhang Huizhen attained the Upper Three Heavens, it might indeed create a whole new dynamic.
"There hasn't been much news from Changjie Island in the East China Sea," Yuan Mobai continued. "Although demons occasionally wreak havoc along the coast, Sea King Ju and the Thousand Leaf Butterfly King have both remained out of sight for the past few years."
"On the other hand, there have been some disturbances in other regions," Yuan Mobai said calmly.
In the northern lands, the two top demons, the Snow Country Bear King and the Longheaven Wolf, engaged in fierce combat.
Previously, they had joined forces to invade the Pure Yang Palace, trample Mount Zhongnan, and wreak havoc in Guanlong.
However, after the Snow Country Bear King was injured by Xiao Xuelin and Jia Sheng, the situation changed drastically.
Although the Snow Country Bear King managed to escape back to the northern frontier, his weakness invited a betrayal from his former ally, the Longheaven Wolf, who turned on him.
The two northern demons then became locked in a bitter struggle.
The Snow Country Bear King, gravely wounded and unable to match his opponent, had no choice but to flee, with the Longheaven Wolf in relentless pursuit.
Other northern demons were also drawn into the maelstrom of conflict between these two colossal beings.
While the central lands of the Tang Dynasty enjoyed a period of tranquility after years of turmoil, the northern frontier was engulfed in the battles between these powerful demons.
In contrast, the situation in the southwestern regions of the Tang Dynasty was quite different.
Previously, the demons of the Snowy Plateau had clashed intensely with the southern demons.
The conflicts between demons granted a respite to the Tang court and the various sects of the South Wilderness, temporarily alleviating the pressure of having enemies on all sides.
However, there were reports that the battles between the Snowy Plateau demons had come to a temporary halt in the past two years.
Although both sides had suffered losses, it was rumored that some of the top demons, equivalent to human cultivators at the Eighth or even Ninth Heaven, still survived.
This news naturally drew the attention of human cultivators, both within the Tang Dynasty and in the South Wilderness.
Especially for the South Wilderness.
"During the expulsion of Wei Ancheng, both the Blood River Sect and the Golden City Fortress suffered damage, but the other major factions of the South Wilderness also incurred losses," Yuan Mobai said. "In the past few years, they have been recuperating, but recently, there have been signs of instability within the South Wilderness."
He lifted his gaze, looking southward, "It seems to be related to the Nine Li."
"Master, do you want to go and take a look?" Lei Jun asked.
Yuan Mobai shook his head. "The situation is delicate at the moment. Being greedy for more will only distract us. For now, let's focus on the matters at hand."
Although Wei Ancheng, the leader of the Blood River Sect, had failed to assassinate Jing Ge during the Jinzhou battle, he hadn't returned empty-handed. Merely observing the battle had likely brought him some benefits.
Lei Jun nodded in agreement.
With this, Wei Ancheng might seek an opportunity to make a comeback in the South Wilderness.
The return of the southern demons from the Snowy Plateau, coupled with the possible resurgence of Wei Ancheng and the Blood River Sect, made the situation in the South Wilderness extremely volatile and unpredictable.
"Master, what about Senior Brother?" Lei Jun changed the subject.
"Not long after you entered seclusion, he also began his closed-door cultivation," Yuan Mobai replied.
"Has Senior Brother entered the Upper Clarity Thunder Palace Cave Heaven?" Lei Jun asked.
A smile appeared on Yuan Mobai's face. "He has been there once."
Upon hearing this, Lei Jun stroked his chin but didn't pursue the topic further.
"After the Lin Clan of the South surrendered to the imperial court, the Imperial Academy initiated its expansion," Yuan Mobai said. "A second Imperial Academy has been established in Chang'an, and Xiao Chunhui has stepped down from his position as the headmaster. His successor is Yongshan, a scholar from the Jingxiang Fang Sect."
Lei Jun nodded slightly.
Fang Yue, the former acting director of the Academic Palace, had already been handling most of the Academic Palace's affairs, while Xiao Chunhui had entered the Political Affairs Hall to participate in the governance.
Now, more than three years had passed, Xiao Chunhui had stepped down, and Fang Yue had officially taken his place, and everything proceeded smoothly.
As for the expansion of the Academic Palace, it was because the influence of several major aristocratic families had waned in the past few years, creating a power vacuum.
After chatting with his master for a while longer, Lei Jun accompanied Yuan Mobai to familiarize himself with the current affairs of the mansion.
Although the High Achievement Pavilion had become a thing of the past, with the current Celestial Master, Tang Xiaotang, in seclusion and unconcerned with external affairs, a new situation naturally emerged where the high-achieving elders jointly discussed and handled matters.
With Lei Jun's help in sharing some of the responsibilities, Yuan Mobai, Shangguan Ning, and Zhang Jingzhen could finally breathe a little easier.
However, this situation did not last long.
Lei Jun himself did not intend to shirk his duties, but he had other matters to attend to.
"The Huangtian Sect?" Yuan Mobai maintained his smile, but his expression turned slightly more solemn than usual. "The Huangtian Sect Altar?"
Lei Jun nodded. "Yes, Master. It's about that disciple of the Huangtian Sect, Kang Ming, whom I mentioned before."
With Lei Jun's secret support and cultivation, coupled with Kang Ming's own dedication to his practice, after several years, he finally had a chance to overtake his peers.
Currently, the competition between Kang Ming and the other two rising stars of the Huangtian Sect, Chen Ziyang and Han Wuyou, was extremely intense and gradually reaching a fever pitch.
Due to the restriction that only one disciple from the Huangtian Sect could visit the Huangtian Sect Altar at a time to cultivate and strive for the Upper Three Heavens realm, Kang Ming and the others were all striving for this opportunity.
Given their circumstances, missing this chance did not mean they would never have another opportunity in the future, but their path forward was far from secure.
"The Huangtian Sect..." Yuan Mobai fell into a brief silence.
After a moment, he asked, "What are your thoughts on this, Chongyun?"
Lei Jun replied, "The Li family is already history, and the Huangtian Sect, as a historical remnant, is best dealt with if we have the chance. I believe our Daoist Talisman sect should turn over a new leaf. As for how to handle it specifically, I think we should treat each person differently."
It was true that the Li family had become history, but in the past, the enmity between the Celestial Master's Mansion and the Huangtian Sect had been so intense that many had died on both sides.
To put it bluntly, both sides had the blood of their counterparts on their hands.
To dissipate this enmity was not as simple as saying, "Let bygones be bygones, and let's start anew."
Although if he had come to this world two hundred years earlier, Lei Jun might have chosen to join the Huangtian Sect.
But arriving two hundred years later made a significant difference. By now, he had personally slain more than a few disciples of the Huangtian Sect.
However, there were differences among the disciples of the Huangtian Sect.
Over the past two hundred years, deep grudges had formed, but a new generation had also emerged.
Most of the younger disciples of the Huangtian Sect, influenced by their sect's leader and their own survival environment, held deep-seated enmity with the Dragon and Tiger Mountain Ancestral Hall and frequently clashed with them.
However, a small minority, due to their focus on quiet cultivation, rarely interacted with the Dragon and Tiger Mountain Ancestral Hall.
Kang Ming was one such disciple.
Not only was he like this, but his master had also not perished at the hands of the Celestial Master's Mansion disciples or the imperial court's suppression. Instead, his master had died while attempting to overcome the heavenly tribulation during his cultivation.
When Lei Jun had secretly supported and cultivated Kang Ming a few years ago, he had already investigated his background thoroughly.
There were indeed a few disciples like Kang Ming, but they were a minority.
These seeds might have the potential to blossom into something different.
From Lei Jun's perspective, he had no intention of completely eradicating the Huangtian Sect.
If there was a glimmer of hope for reconciliation, he would do his best to preserve it, even if they had been strangers in the past.
The only regret was that seeds like Kang Ming were few and far between and did not hold dominant positions within the sect.
In this situation, they had to start by breaking through the Huangtian Sect Altar and dealing with the Taiping Daoists and their followers.
If force was necessary, Lei Jun would not hold back.
"Go ahead, Chongyun," Yuan Mobai said with a smile.
Lei Jun bowed to his master and then took his leave.
With the previous groundwork, he no longer needed to rely solely on the secret support of the heavenly book to assist Kang Ming.
He had already obtained information about Kang Ming's whereabouts.
All he needed to do was create some seemingly coincidental opportunities for Kang Ming.
Thus, with the earnest help and expectations of Elder Lei of the Celestial Master's Mansion, Kang Ming, the altar master of the Huangtian Sect, made rapid progress in his cultivation.
He thoroughly completed his accumulation and summary at the Six Heavens Dao Seal realm, perfecting his Dao Seal and leaving only the final step to reach the Upper Three Heavens realm.
Although his background and support were not as strong as Chen Ziyang's and Han Wuyou's, it was crucial for the Huangtian Sect to nurture new high-achieving elders at the Upper Three Heavens realm due to their current limitations.
Therefore, Kang Ming stood out and successfully caught the attention of Zhao Zongjie, who notified him and arranged for him to visit the Huangtian Sect Altar!
"It's done," Lei Jun said to Yuan Mobai at the Celestial Master's Mansion on Dragon and Tiger Mountain.
"It's in the ocean, overseas," Lei Jun replied.
Yuan Mobai asked, "What about Senior Uncle Yuan Zhen?"
Lei Jun said, "I've already contacted Senior Sister Zhang. She said she would come along."
Zhang Yuanzhen, who was currently cultivating in a cave on Wu Mountain, replied nonchalantly when she heard about the Huangtian Sect Altar from Lei Jun, "In that case, let's go together. After dealing with the Huangtian Sect, I'll take the opportunity to visit Changjie Island in the East China Sea."
The Huangtian Sect was a sect established by traitors who had defected from the Celestial Master's Mansion, and they were now enemies.
At the same time, they were also rebels wanted by the Great Tang Empire.
In this situation, Lei Jun, a reputable Daoist of the Great Tang, naturally did not forget to report this information to the authorities.
Finding the Huangtian Sect Altar would likely also mean finding the core figures of the Huangtian Sect, such as Taiping Daoist.
When the imperial family of Tang heard that the Celestial Master's Mansion had a lead, they were surprised but immediately sprang into action.
In addition to Chu Yu, an expert at the Eighth Heaven realm, and a Godly Strategy Army general at the Seventh Heaven realm, they were also accompanied by a Buddhist monk from Tianlong Temple in Suzhou, Elder Miaoyi.
Elder Miaoyi often ventured out to sea and was familiar with the environment in the East China Sea, so he joined the group of high-level cultivators from the court.
"You go with them, and I'll act alone," Zhang Yuanzhen said calmly. "Anyway, you know the location."
Thanks to Senior Sister Zhang for taking the fall for being the source of the intelligence.
"Yes, Senior Sister," Lei Jun replied.
PS: Chapter 7k4
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
