https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-306-305-Lack-of-Luck-Can-Also-be-a-Pitfall-Part-1-/12588620/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-307-Lei-Jun-s-Heavenly-Flying-Sword-Part-1-/12588622/
Chapter 306: 305. Lack of Luck Can Also be a Pitfall (Part 2)
Chapter 306: 305. Lack of Luck Can Also be a Pitfall (Part 2)
If a Ninefold Heaven expert was highly adept at concealing their tracks and deliberately hid their presence, it would be challenging for the Great Cycle Heaven Reflecting Mirror to discover their whereabouts.
Hmm, these are all areas for future improvement... Lei Jun thought to himself, making mental notes.
If combined with his own Heaven-Piercing Earth-Penetrating Formula or the Heaven-Viewing Earth-Hearing Talisman, he could achieve more distant, concealed, and clearer observations while also capturing sound.
Lei Jun had already distributed some Heaven-Viewing Earth-Hearing Talismans earlier.
Most of the Heaven-Viewing Earth-Hearing Talismans had scattered with the sea waves, and some were even destroyed by the turbulent spiritual energy flow, leaving only a few remaining.
At this moment, Lei Jun connected to these scattered talismans through the Great Cycle Heaven Reflecting Mirror.
Some of the talismans were surrounded by no one.
In the immediate vicinity of some talismans, however, people were moving about.
Their conversations were intermittently transmitted to Lei Jun's ears:
"To the north of Dazhengd Island in the west, there is a large group of Pseudo-Ming rebel soldiers stubbornly resisting. Quickly gather our forces to wipe them out!"
Lei Jun turned the light of the Great Cycle Heaven Reflecting Mirror in that direction, and indeed, he saw a large-scale battle taking place on a stretch of the sea, a rare sight in the current situation.
A significant number of Heaven's Principle cultivators had not been scattered and were holding their ground together.
Hence, at this moment, they were also attracting a large number of Great Tang cultivators to surround and eliminate them.
Lei Jun scanned the area and found that most of them were martial cultivators and Confucian scholars from the School of Divine Archery.
If he recalled correctly, they were the vanguard, charging at the forefront.
Among them was a cultivator with Upper Three Heavens cultivation, a general clad in armor, who looked vaguely familiar to Lei Jun. He seemed to be Qin Wu.
Unlike his humble demeanor in front of the Ancient Sea, this warrior from the School of Military Strike was fearless in the face of encirclement, leading his troops to resist fiercely.
His martial path differed from that of the Great Tang warriors; instead of moving back and forth like lightning, he focused more on solid defense, first securing his own position.
He seemed more like a Zen martial artist from the Buddhist Sect or a cultivator from the Daoist Dan Ding Sect.
Lei Jun took a cursory glance and realized that this was not a strategy devised by Qin Wu to maintain the overall formation.
The cultivators under his command, whether they practiced body refinement or military strike, followed the same martial path as him, indicating that this was the standard for their troops.
Different histories and eras had led to the evolution of the various Daoist traditions in the Great Ming, apart from the emergence of Neo-Confucianism.
And by this era, the Great Ming's martial arts seemed similar to Neo-Confucianism, with its strict discipline and uniformity, as if all cultivators were taught by the same master or came from the same school.
There had been changes and developments.
However, these changes and developments were gradually becoming fixed.
Any new variations that arose would be in the vertical direction, delving deeper, and would not involve further breadth.
At the moment, the Heaven's Principle cultivators' uniform formation was quite impressive in this large-scale battle.
But as the only remaining troops, surrounded and without reinforcements, their fate was already sealed.
Moreover, because Qin Wu and his troops were a significant target, they attracted the Great Tang forces to mobilize their troops to surround and annihilate them, allowing some of the more scattered Heaven's Principle cultivators to escape.
Among the Great Tang cultivators, Lei Jun spotted Zhang Ziyin, the royal county lord who had previously accompanied Chu Yu.
Zhang Ziyin began to persuade Qin Wu and his troops to surrender.
The Ming Dynasty soldiers wavered.
Lei Jun listened as Zhang Ziyin's attempt at persuasion did not go smoothly.
The Heaven's Principle cultivators had differing thoughts.
Some of them harbored resentment towards Shangguan.
Some shared similar ideas as Nie Fang, feeling that since they were in another world, truly far from the emperor's reach, their thoughts became more flexible.
However, some remained unwaveringly loyal to the Ming Emperor of Heaven's Principle, glaring at those who showed signs of surrender.
There were also those who were concerned about their relatives still in Heaven's Principle.
The united front of the troops, determined to fight to the death, had completely fallen apart, crumbling like a collapsing mountain.
Regardless of their individual choices from this point on, the outcome of this battle would not change.
Lei Jun shook his head slightly and turned away from the Great Cycle Heaven Reflecting Mirror.
He continued to scan other areas.
As his vision shifted, Lei Jun's heart suddenly stirred.
He almost thought he was mistaken.
The light of the Great Cycle Heaven Reflecting Mirror quietly turned back.
A figure hiding in a secluded place came into Lei Jun's view.
He was a young monk with a handsome face but sharp and unruly eyes, clad in a black kasaya.
Although Lei Jun had never met this person face to face, he was very familiar with his portrait.
It was none other than Yuanmie, the young abbot of Dakong Temple.
Nearly ten years ago, he had been full of vigor and had gone to kick down the mountain gate of Vajra Temple.
However, the abbot of Sumeru Temple, Jia Sheng, had led a large number of experts to stop him, causing Yuanmie to suffer a setback.
Before the monks of Dakong Temple could recover from the blow, they were attacked by Shangguan Yunbo and Xiao Xueling, who wielded the World-Conquering Golden Lance and the Mountain River Sword, resulting in heavy casualties.
Including Yuanmie's master, the previous abbot of Dakong Temple, Jixiang Dharma King, most of the temple's experts were annihilated, and Yuanmie himself barely escaped with injuries.
Just as Dakong Temple was showing signs of resurgence, they were struck down again, forcing them to retreat and lie low.
According to rumors, Yuanmie had led the remaining members of Dakong Temple back overseas.
Since then, they had not set foot in the Central Plains for many years.
Times had changed, and Yuanmie seemed to have recovered from his injuries.
As they were already active at sea, it was not surprising that Dakong Temple would pay attention to the large-scale turmoil in the East China Sea, especially with the presence of cultivators from Tianlong Temple, the orthodox Buddhist sect.
Among them was the abbot, Miaoxin, and several key figures of Tianlong Temple.
However, instead of targeting the Buddhist cultivator Famming, Yuanmie had set his sights on Abbot Miaoxin of Tianlong Temple.
But after encountering a setback at the mountain gate of Vajra Temple, Yuanmie had become more subdued.
He did not immediately launch a sneak attack on Abbot Miaoxin but chose to observe from a distance.
Lei Jun turned the light of the Great Cycle Heaven Reflecting Mirror to find Abbot Miaoxin.
The old monk, accompanied by several disciples, was pursuing a Heaven's Principle cultivator.
"This person's name is Jiang Zihua. He has already attained the Seventh Layer of the Seven Heavens and is a prominent Confucian scholar. If we don't prevent him from returning to Heaven's Principle, the consequences could be dire."
Abbot Miaoxin instructed his disciples, "At the very least, we must confirm his whereabouts. If he returns to Heaven's Principle, so be it. But when you're searching, don't act rashly. If you detect any signs, report back to me immediately."
The disciples responded in unison and began their search.
Later, someone came to report, "Abbot, there seems to be a Confucian scholar's trace on a desolate island to the east. It might be that Jiang benefactor."
"Reverend Miaoxin nodded, "You will keep guard on the outskirts, I will go and take a look."
The disciples all acknowledged his instructions.
However, Lei Jun furrowed his brows at this moment.
This was because he noticed that as Reverend Miaoxin's golden Buddhist light parted the wind and rain on the sea, heading eastward, Yuanmie, the abbot of Dakuang Temple, who was watching this scene, actually revealed a smile on his face.
Although he didn't say anything, that smile was captured clearly by the Great Cycle Heaven Reflecting Mirror.
It was filled with a sense of smug satisfaction.
Then, Yuanmie quietly followed, making his way towards the desolate island.
Lei Jun's eyebrows twitched as he witnessed this.
So, was that a trap set by Yuanmie over there?
If the monks of Tianlong Temple colluded with the demons of Dakuang Temple, it would be hard to hide it from Reverend Miaoxin's spiritual senses.
So, was it that Yuanmie had colluded with that Heavenly Principle cultivator named Jiang Zhiming, and together they set up an ambush?
Or perhaps, Jiang Zhiming had nothing to do with it, and from start to finish, it was all Yuanmie who used some special means to deceive the monks of Tianlong Temple, thereby misleading Reverend Miaoxin?
There might be some kind of setup by Dakuang Temple on that island to the east.
Yuanmie had planned to deal a severe blow to Reverend Miaoxin.
And at that time, he would suddenly make his move.
Lei Jun's gaze followed the Great Cycle Heaven Reflecting Mirror as it turned towards Reverend Miaoxin.
He recalled a conversation he had previously had with his senior martial brother, Wang Guiyuan.
Although Lei Jun had no intention of probing into his senior brother's background, as he had to interact with the monks of Tianlong Temple on this trip to the East China Sea, Lei Jun asked Wang Guiyuan about the situation.
There was one sentence that Lei Jun remembered clearly:
"If not for the abbot suppressing it, the situation in the temple would be even more serious and rampant."
Although Wang Guiyuan was not very explicit, his overall evaluation of Reverend Miaoxin was positive, and there seemed to be a bond of friendship between them.
So, after some brief contemplation, Lei Jun made a hand seal in front of him.
In his eyes, the Tian Tong Di Che formula flowed, as if suddenly pausing.
Along with this pause, a spirit talisman that was drifting with the waves, originally inconspicuous, suddenly emitted spiritual light.
Then, it ignited.
The talisman burned and instantly transformed into a spiritual radiance, spreading across the sea.
Although the sea was turbulent, with wind and clouds raging, causing spiritual energy to fluctuate and interfering with the perception abilities of cultivators, both Reverend Miaoxin and Yuanmie were cultivators of the Eighth Layer of the Eightfold Heaven Realm, with keen perception.
They immediately sensed the disturbance in the sea.
Reverend Miaoxin became vigilant.
He pressed his palms together, forming a dharma seal, and chanting a Buddhist mantra. The Great Virtue Heavenly Dragon Dharma Seal was achieved, and a golden dragon coiled around his body, illuminating the surroundings.
After being alerted, Reverend Miaoxin specifically focused his attention and soon noticed the approaching Yuanmie.
Yuanmie, who had been cautious and concealed his presence, was startled as he drew closer.
But before he could do anything, the surrounding sea suddenly stirred.
Yuanmie was initially startled, thinking that he had walked into someone else's trap.
However, the startling movement in the sea quickly subsided, and Yuanmie didn't discover anything further.
At this moment, he couldn't afford to investigate further.
As he drew closer, he could no longer hide, and he had been detected by Reverend Miaoxin.
"The compassion of the Buddha, so it's you, an evil demon."
Reverend Miaoxin, usually calm and peaceful, now had a solemn expression: "Have you colluded with Heavenly Principle's Jiang Zhiming?"
Yuanmie had always been strong and unruly. It was only because of his previous setback that he forced himself to be more cautious and not take things lightly.
But his original temperament had not changed completely. Ambushes and sneak attacks were not his forte, and now that he had been exposed, he didn't waste any more words. Black qi entwined around his body, and in mid-air, he transformed into a large black Buddha.
What a pity. It was a waste of my efforts in setting up that trap on the island over there. But it doesn't matter... Yuanmie glanced casually at the distant desolate island and then withdrew his gaze.
Now that it had come to a direct clash, it was more to his liking!
He opened his palms and reached out towards Reverend Miaoxin: "Watch as I subdue you!"
Reverend Miaoxin's countenance was solemn, and the golden dragon coiling around his body immediately flew out to engage the black Buddha that Yuanmie had transformed into.
The two of them directly engaged in a fierce battle in the sea.
As for Lei Daozhang's Heaven-Viewing Earth-Hearing Talisman, which had already turned to ashes, neither Reverend Miaoxin nor Yuanmie had the leisure to investigate further, given their current battle.
The sea was already tumultuous, and now with their intense fight, it became even more so.
Without needing to use the dark power of the heavenly book to erase any traces, all evidence of what had transpired would soon be gone.
Even if Yuanmie and the others had the opportunity to search the area later, they wouldn't find anything.
Lei Jun watched this unfold and then looked away.
With only Yuanmie present and no special ambush, there shouldn't be a major problem now that Reverend Miaoxin had already detected him.
"Hmm?"
Just as he was thinking this, Lei Jun was about to shift the view of the Great Cycle Heaven Reflecting Mirror when he suddenly captured the appearance of another person approaching from the distance.
The Great Cycle Heaven Reflecting Mirror focused on this person, and it turned out to be another familiar face.
It was Yang Chao, also known as Chu Taoyuan, the elder of the Chu family from Suzhou. He had once come to Dragon Tiger Mountain in a personal capacity to assist Li Song. Now, he held a sword in his hand and was approaching from another direction.
He seemed to be injured and was looking for a quiet place to rest for a moment.
And then...
Elder Chu set his sights on that small island.
As Reverend Miaoxin and Yuanmie fought, they gradually moved away from the island.
With the turbulent spiritual energy in the area, their battle was loud and intense, but it was also moving further and further away.
Soon, only the lonely island remained, bearing the brunt of the wind, rain, and waves.
Until Elder Chu set foot on the island.
Lei Jun watched this unfold: "Hmm..."
This time, it really had nothing to do with me.
I had no idea that Elder Chu would appear here.
As for him stepping into the trap that was meant for Reverend Miaoxin, well, that's between him and the people of Dakuang Temple.
Alright, maybe they won't be able to talk it out... Lei Jun watched through the Great Cycle Heaven Reflecting Mirror as a huge black lotus suddenly bloomed on the island, enveloping it entirely.
PS: This is a 7k chapter. Today's writing went smoothly, so I will continue writing, and I will try to bring you another chapter tonight, but the timing is uncertain. I will do my best.
(End of Chapter)
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