https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-290-The-Eighth-Heaven-Divine-Court-Part-2-/12587190/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-291-290-Lei-Jun-the-Famed-and-Renowned-Part-2-/12587192/
Chapter 291: 290. Lei Jun, the Famed and Renowned (Part 1)
Chapter 291: 290. Lei Jun, the Famed and Renowned (Part 1)
The azure flames began to engulf the Earth Spirit Flame Heart, which flickered with a faint blue light, the two distinct from each other as they burned silently.
As Lei Jun channeled his spiritual power to refine the Earth Spirit Flame Heart, its hue began to shift, drawing closer to the azure color of the Nine Abyss Real Fire that surrounded it.
During this process, Lei Jun also started to refine strands of the Nine Abyss Real Fire, causing azure flames to sprout within the divine court of his inner universe.
At first, the flickering flames were unstable, like flickering lamp lights, even extinguishing from time to time.
But gradually, the azure flames in Lei Jun's divine court stabilized and began to grow in size.
As the rising azure flames danced, they slowly outlined a talisman, gradually taking shape.
Lei Jun nodded inwardly.
This Earth Spirit Flame Heart was indeed extraordinary, a heavenly treasure that greatly aided the cultivation of fire and earth talismans by heirs of the Celestial Master's Mansion, comparable to the Starry Essence for those cultivating the Life Technique.
With a calm mind, he focused on his cultivation, and soon gained a grasp of the Fire and Earth Talisman Technique.
Aside from diligent cultivation, Lei Jun continued to assist with the affairs of the Mansion, his daily life unaffected.
Since he had openly inherited the last volume of the Orthodox Manual, the Celestial Master's Mansion decided to spread the news to their peers in the cultivation world, treating it as a joyous occasion.
As the people within the Mansion felt Elder Lei's growing dignity, those outside, including others in the cultivation world, also gradually caught wind of the news.
Among them were Ji Chuan from the Shu Mountain Sect and Long Tao from the Pure Yang Palace, who were currently in Longhu Mountain in Xinzhou, setting up their cave abodes outside the main peak.
When the Grand Altar of Myriad Laws at the summit of Longhu Mountain exhibited unusual activity, they were among the first to sense it.
Initially, they thought the Celestial Master's Mansion on Longhu Mountain had come under a sudden attack.
However, upon further observation, it didn't seem to be the case.
It was only after making discreet inquiries that Ji Chuan and his companion learned the truth of the matter.
After the initial shock, the two separately contacted their sects and also paid a visit to congratulate Lei Jun.
"You two are too kind," Lei Jun said, his attitude unchanged from before, remaining calm and composed.
Long Tao, an elder of the Pure Yang Palace, looked at Lei Jun, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
With the surge of spiritual energy between heaven and earth, it felt as if the tides of a new era were approaching.
Even a sacred site of the Dao like the Pure Yang Palace was walking on thin ice during such tumultuous times.
A single misstep could lead to their downfall.
The situation in the Human Daoist Country was a reflection of this.
After suffering successive calamities, the Pure Yang Palace now found itself in a different situation from the past, currently in a state of decline.
On the other hand, the Celestial Master's Mansion, which had previously hit rock bottom, now seemed to be witnessing the dawn of a revival, with a plethora of talented individuals emerging, a far cry from their past troubles.
Fate was indeed unpredictable.
Among the three great sacred sites of the Dao, the Talisman Sect had the longest history, followed by the Celestial Master's Mansion.
When it came to the reconstruction of the Heavenly Court officials in the Human Daoist Country, the lineage could be traced back to the Talisman Sect. Interestingly, many members of the Pill Cauldron Sect and the Artifact Refinement Sect were now part of this effort.
This led Long Tao to wonder if the Celestial Master's Mansion and the Talisman Sect were destined to thrive in this era.
In recent years, the Pure Yang Palace had shown signs of becoming the foremost sacred site of the Dao.
However, with the emergence of talented youths from the Celestial Master's Mansion, it seemed that even without the successive calamities, the Pure Yang Palace might still be surpassed by the Mansion in the years to come.
In terms of age, the Pure Yang Palace, as the sacred site of the Pill Cauldron Sect, also had its fair share of young geniuses.
But comparisons were inevitable.
Yue Xiling, for instance, had already attained the Eightfold Heaven Infant Transformation realm in the Pill Cauldron Sect.
Yet, the gap between him and Xu Yuanzhen from the Mansion seemed to have widened.
Jiang Yutian, a prodigy with a pure yin immortal body and exceptional talent, had successfully formed his Golden Core at a young age and cultivated to the Upper Three Heavens realm. Still, he was struggling to keep up with Tang Xiaotang.
Although she was younger than Tang Xiaotang, her progress in cultivation at the same age had always lagged behind.
Moving down the list, according to Long Tao's knowledge, there was another promising rising star in the Pure Yang Palace who had been in seclusion for the past two years, attempting to form a Golden Core and striving to reach the Seventh Heaven realm.
This was despite the successive calamities that had befallen the Pure Yang Palace, claiming the lives of some of their talented youths.
Their pool of young talent was already quite impressive.
However, compared to the Celestial Master's Mansion, with Lei Jun on one side and Zhang Jingzhen on the other, they still fell short.
And this didn't even include the late Li Zhengxuan.
Now, Lei Jun had directly soared to the Eightfold Heaven realm.
Such achievements stirred feelings of competition and prompted self-reflection. One could only attribute it to the ebb and flow of fate, choosing to bide their time and accumulate strength for the future.
At present, the threats facing the Human Daoist Country weighed heavily on everyone's minds.
The Pure Yang Palace also had to contend with the looming presence of the Buddhist sects from the Western Regions.
The three great sacred sites of the Dao were interconnected, and their unity was key to facing these challenges. Despite this, the future remained uncertain... Long Tao sighed inwardly.
Ji Chuan, on the other hand, didn't dwell on such complex thoughts. At this moment, as he congratulated Lei Jun, he, too, was filled with emotion.
He couldn't help but recall the time when they first met.
Back then, neither Ji Chuan himself nor his master, He Dongxing, nor his father, Ji Dongquan, had expected Lei Jun to reach such heights in such a short time.
Not only had he surpassed Ji Chuan by far, but even He Dongxing and Ji Dongquan, both at the Seventh Heaven realm, had now been left behind by this junior from Longhu Mountain.
And all of this had happened within a mere two decades.
To secular mortals, twenty years was an extensive period.
But for cultivators who had reached a certain level of attainment, twenty years was merely a step in their journey.
And with this single step, Lei Jun had surpassed the imaginations of countless people.
"To be honest, I didn't expect you to take this step so soon. I didn't even have time to prepare a suitable gift," Ji Chuan said candidly, as he was quite familiar with Lei Jun. "I've already contacted the Shu Mountain Sect, and they will send a proper gift later. Please give us some time to prepare something fitting."
"Long Tao nodded, "My sect has already made preparations, and we will deliver it soon."
Among fellow high-achieving cultivators, those who attained the Eightfold Heaven realm were on a whole other level compared to those at the Seventh Heaven realm.
In the past, when Yue Xiling from the Dan Ding Sect and Zhang Taegang from the Shu Mountain Sect reached the Eightfold Heaven Infant Transformation and the Eightfold Heaven Immortal Wander realms respectively, the Celestial Master's Mansion had sent congratulatory gifts out of courtesy.
Thus, Lei Jun didn't feign modesty and humbly declined. Instead, he accepted graciously, "In that case, thank you both, and please convey my gratitude to the Shu Mountain Sect and the Pure Yang Palace as well."
After chatting a little while longer, the guests took their leave, and the host bid them farewell with smiles.
Ji Chuan and Long Tao departed, while Lei Jun continued with his daily life and cultivation as usual.
Soon after, the Tang Imperial Family took action, and their speed was even faster than that of the Shu Mountain Sect and the Pure Yang Palace. They quickly sent some heavenly treasures and earthly treasures as gifts to Longhu Mountain.
Lei Jun calmly accepted the gifts and expressed his gratitude to Zhang Jingzhen and Shangguan Ning, who had acted as intermediaries.
However, later that day, Lei Jun received another "gift," which was rather unexpected.
It originated from the secret side of the Heavenly Tome.
It came from Luo Hu.
It was Kang Ming from the Yellow Heaven Dao.
Or to be more precise, it was "Wen Zhao Qian" from the Human Daoist Country.
Lei Jun stared at the text that appeared on the secret side of the Heavenly Tome, deep in thought:
"Emperor...?"
Kang Ming's message this time was rather limited. He only mentioned that someone in the higher echelons of the Human Daoist Country had spoken of the existence of such an Emperor.
As for the details, even Kang Ming didn't know much.
But just this title was enough to spark people's imaginations.
Lei Jun looked up at the sky and, after a moment of contemplation, decided to inform his master, Yuan Mobai, and his senior martial sister, Xu Yuanzhen, about this news.
Then, he temporarily left the mountain and gave this reward to Kang Ming as a token of appreciation.
Earlier, Chu Kun had given him a Yuan Tianmu Crystal.
With this treasure, Kang Ming could first attempt to break through from the Dan Ding Sect's cultivation and achieve the Upper Three Heavens realm. Later, he could slowly plan for the Huang Tian Sect altar on the Huang Tian Dao side.
After handing over the item, Lei Jun didn't ask any further questions and returned to the mountain, leaving the rest to Kang Ming.
Kang Ming obtained the treasure and fell into deep thought.
After a while, his eyes shone with determination, and he carefully put away the Yuan Tianmu Crystal, preparing for his upcoming Tribulation.
..............................
In the depths of the ocean, north of the East Sea, close to the Northern Ice Sea, the two great treasures of the Shu Mountain Sect, the Taiyi Xiantian Tower and the Qingxiaofu, were currently combined and resting at the bottom of the sea.
The Qingxiaofu was deeply embedded in the seabed reef, while the Taiyi Xiantian Tower remained visible above the water.
With the two treasures combined, they could barely maintain the foundation of a holy land.
However, the Human Daoist Country kept a low profile and rarely sent people out.
But they weren't isolated; instead, they were extremely well-informed.
At this moment, the people from the Human Daoist Country who were inside the Qingxiaofu received some unpleasant news.
"A true genius, only fifty years old and already at the Eightfold Heaven realm. Even Zhang Taegang and Liao Jie are inferior to him." Hong Jie, the Great Elder of the Shu Mountain Sect, sighed softly.
On the other side, a crane-haired, child-faced Daoist said slowly, "No matter how young he is, the Celestial Master's Mansion now has one more Eightfold Heaven realm cultivator, which is one more obstacle for us."
Beside them, Fu Dongsen, the former sect leader of the Shu Mountain Sect, spoke up, "We must not underestimate Lei Jun and Lei Zhongyun. They shouldn't be regarded as ordinary cultivators from the Celestial Master's Mansion.
Not long after Lei Jun reached the Seventh Heaven realm, he killed Lin Chi of Jiangzhou, who was at the same level as him.
If we say that Lin Chi was influenced by many external factors that day, then Qi Shuo of the East Sea had no excuses for his defeat.
Once or twice might be a coincidence, but later, in the South Wilderness, he also defeated Tao Zhun from the Blood River lineage of the Wu Clan, who was also at the Seventh Heaven realm.
Time and again, it cannot be a coincidence.
This is a genius who progresses rapidly in his cultivation and is exceptionally skilled in combat!"
Hong Jie said, "Indeed, those who achieve the Eightfold Heaven realm are bound to have outstanding performances at the Seventh Heaven realm. But in my opinion, we should pay even more attention to Lei Zhongyun from the Celestial Master's Mansion.
Even though he's only at the God Court First Layer realm, his strength might still surpass his peers at the Eightfold Heaven realm."
The crane-haired Daoist, Rong Guangchen, nodded slightly, "Just like Xu Yuanzhen and Tang Xiaotang, who are also from the Celestial Master's Mansion."
Fu Dongsen agreed, "Yes, we should at least regard Lei Jun as a cultivator at the God Court Second Layer realm."
Even among cultivators at the Eightfold Heaven realm, there could be significant differences in their cultivation and strength.
While all of them came from renowned sects and had solid foundations, the Eightfold Heaven realm was further divided into four layers within each sect.
And in most cases, there might be a clear dividing line in terms of combat prowess among the four layers of the Eightfold Heaven realm.
For example, when Ye Han from Jinzhou and Gao Pu from Jinchengzhai, both at the Eightfold Heaven realm, faced Wei Ancheng at the Ninth Heaven realm, they could only flee for their lives, and whether they could escape depended on luck.
However, Sang Lu, the Saintess of Gebo Mountain, and Feng Gui, the Saintess of Reincarnation Abyss, also faced Wei Ancheng, and although they were at a disadvantage, they didn't immediately find themselves in perilous situations.
Aside from the differences in the characteristics and strengths of their sects' combat techniques, their individual strengths also varied compared to Ye Han and Gao Pu.
Moreover, since each sect had unique traditions, the specific location of this dividing line might differ as well.
Take the Daoist School of Talismans and Registers as an example. This dividing line fell between the inner and outer landscapes of the God Court.
Whether a cultivator could cultivate the outer landscape of the God Court and manifest an outer universe had a significant impact on their performance in actual combat.
If it weren't for the fact that the third layer of the Eightfold Heaven realm, the outer landscape of the God Court, was so unique, Fu Dongsen would have even considered raising Lei Jun's assessment by another level.
Reflecting on past experiences, they had thought that they had paid enough attention to this junior from the Celestial Master's Mansion. Still, the facts later proved that their so-called attention had underestimated him.
"Without the outer landscape of the God Court, we can treat him as a Second Layer cultivator of the Eightfold Heaven realm. But among the Eightfold Heaven cultivators of the Talisman Sect, he's probably still the strongest in that tier."
Fu Dongsen finally said, "When he was at the Seventh Heaven realm, he was able to cultivate two Great Dharma Images simultaneously. Now that he's reached the Eightfold Heaven realm, he has three."
The others nodded slightly.
Hong Jie brought up another matter, "The Celestial Master's Robe might have fallen into the hands of a monk from the Sumeru Vajra Department, and the Celestial Master's Seal has been missing for years despite their recent searches."
Rong Guangchen said, "If all else fails, we can only turn to Longhu Mountain. Although the Celestial Master's Seal didn't appear during the Li Outer War, it did emerge during an earlier attack on Longhu Mountain when the sect was in turmoil. Since it can't be found anywhere, we can only try our luck again, especially with the Grand Altar of Myriad Laws."
"For absolute certainty, now is not the time," Fu Dongsen said.
Rong Guangchen sighed softly, "Indeed, we can only wait..."
His expression was slightly complex.
The others present knew the reason for his hesitation.
As time passed, they didn't receive any other news, but they did learn that the Celestial Master's Mansion had added another Eightfold Heaven cultivator.
However, it was precisely at times like these that they had to bide their time.
Everyone present was a well-known figure who had weathered many storms over the years, so they naturally had the patience to wait.
But it was undoubtedly a tormenting wait.
..............................
In the mortal world, the winds of change were blowing, and the times were shifting rapidly.
Few dared claim that they could accurately predict the course of events.
Even Chu Xiuyuan, the elderly patriarch of the Suzhou Chu Clan, wouldn't boast as such.
At this moment, he stood by the East Sea, his white hair tousled by the sea breeze.
Beside him stood a middle-aged man with an equally graceful demeanor—Ye Yan, the head of another prominent family, the Qingzhou Ye Clan.
"Longhu Mountain has been through two hundred years of turmoil, and now it's gathering momentum," Chu Xiuyuan said.
The old man's expression was calm as he spoke.
In the past, the relationship between the Suzhou Chu Clan and the Celestial Master's Mansion on Longhu Mountain had been amicable.
(End of Chapter)
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