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Chapter 308: The Grand Master of the Daoist Sect with Great Wisdom, Divine Power, and Courage (Part
Chapter 308: The Grand Master of the Daoist Sect with Great Wisdom, Divine Power, and Courage (Part 2)
Chu Xiuyuan, the elderly patriarch of the Chu Clan of Suzhou, who had been resting and standing by on the sidelines, once again took the field. Together with Ye Yan, the patriarch of the Ye Clan of Qingzhou, they joined forces to seal the Void Gate.
With the "door" closed, the great battle between the Tang Empire cultivators and the Tianli cultivators in the East China Sea finally came to an end.
Of course, this did not mean that all worries were eliminated.
The instability of the Void Gate could still lead to its reopening amidst the turmoil.
Out of caution, there would still be cultivators guarding and reinforcing it in the following days.
However, as the Void Gate closed, the remaining Tianli stragglers in the human realm of the Tang Empire began to change.
Those cultivators who practiced the heterodox traditions outside of Confucian orthodoxy could still sense the influence of the Tianli's principles, but to a lesser degree.
The Confucian cultivators, on the other hand, felt a noticeable decrease in the Tianli's mountain and river aura, as if it had been cut off.
For the elderly among them, the effects were immediate, and they felt the aging and weakening effects of time and erosion.
It would be much easier for the Tang Empire cultivators to hunt them down now.
However, tasks like these would be left to Chu Kun and the others.
Lei Jun and the other Upper Realm cultivators had more pressing matters to attend to, which was the aftermath of the battle.
Their opponents were no longer the Tianli cultivators, but the heavens and the earth itself.
Due to the changes in the spiritual energy of the heavens and the earth, as well as the turmoil caused by the Void Gate, the East China Sea was now raging with towering waves and surging tides.
This chaos did not subside with the closing of the Void Gate.
The scale of the disturbance was massive, and its impact would be far-reaching, requiring a long time to settle.
Aside from the elderly Chu Xiuyuan, who needed to rest again, Ye Yan, Lei Jun, Chu Yu, and others were all working to calm the raging sea.
As this area was a coastal region close to the mainland, failure to act promptly would have detrimental consequences.
In addition to Yuhang and Mingzhou, Songjiang and Suzhou might also be affected, so the Chu Clan of Suzhou could not afford to stand by and do nothing, and the experts from the Ye Clan of Qingzhou were also lending their aid.
It wasn't until the turmoil had mostly subsided that Lei Jun and the others breathed a sigh of relief.
"In this battle, we are indebted to Elder Lei," Chu Yu said gratefully, looking at the East China Sea, which was still surging with waves but was much calmer than before.
Lei Jun replied, "Chu Shuling's words make me ashamed. It was only after I escaped the calamity that I heard from Dharma Master Faming of the Tianlong Temple that Chu Shuling and the Princess had tried to lend me aid. It is I who should be thanking the two of you."
Chu Yu said solemnly, "Elder Lei, you're too humble. The Tianli ritual offering took an unexpected turn, catching everyone off guard. If not for your presence and handling of the situation, it could have easily led to a different outcome for all of us."
Moreover, a lot of the work had been done beforehand.
Lei Jun had already slain Wang Feng, a powerful Tianli cultivator of the eighth heaven.
With this achievement, he could have just returned to Longhu Mountain, and his contribution to this battle would have already been significant.
It was unfortunate that he couldn't participate in the subsequent ambush of the Tianli main force and the sealing of the Void Gate due to unforeseen circumstances, but the imperial family of the Tang Empire wouldn't hold it against him.
When the time came for rewarding merit after the battle, Lei Jun and the Celestial Master's Mansion would surely receive their due recognition.
"This battle brought about some unexpected joys, which may be of assistance to your sect's Cangming Treasure Tree on Longhu Mountain, allowing it to sprout new shoots," Chu Yu said.
Lei Jun replied, "Oh? That is indeed a pleasant surprise."
The Celestial Master's Mansion on Longhu Mountain had been established for many years and had gone through numerous trials and tribulations. Over time, there had been many changes to the mountain, and it was now quite different from when it was first founded.
Some of these changes were due to the fluctuations in the spiritual energy of the heavens and the earth, while others were a result of damage caused by battles.
Some blessed lands and heavenly treasures that were once famous no longer existed.
With the recent surge in spiritual energy, some things that had disappeared were now resurfacing.
For example, the Lingzhi Terrace had changed when Lei Jun first entered the mountain.
However, some things had not reappeared.
The Cangming Treasure Tree was one of them.
This tree rarely bore fruit, but when it did, its vitality and aura greatly benefited cultivators of lower realms, almost like having a small blessed land within the mountain gate.
Unfortunately, the treasure tree had withered away thousands of years ago.
Despite various changes and attempts to influence the spiritual energy of the heavens and the earth, the tree had never regrown.
Lei Jun, Yuan Mobai, and the others regretted this but knew that they couldn't force it and that it depended on fate and opportunity.
Hearing Chu Yu mention this now, Lei Jun was pleasantly surprised.
If the Cangming Treasure Tree could regain its vitality, it would benefit the younger disciples of the Celestial Master's Mansion for a long time to come.
"We've discovered some scattered fragments of the Azure Crystal, but they need to be gathered. I've reported this to His Majesty, and he has ordered that once they are assembled, they will be sent to your sect on Longhu Mountain," Chu Yu said.
The Azure Crystal had also not appeared in the human realm of the Tang Empire for many years.
Lei Jun bowed in the Daoist fashion and said, "Thank His Majesty for his generosity."
The two of them then chatted about the situation in the northwest.
According to Chu Yu's latest information, the efforts to seal the Void Gate in the northwest were also progressing.
However, the people of the Lone Eagle Khanate were even more fierce and tenacious than the Tianli cultivators, so the battle for control of the gate was more intense and fiercely contested.
Fortunately, the Tang Empire had also established dominance there and was just waiting to "close the door."
"The waves in the East China Sea are finally calming down, but I must be forthright and ask Elder Lei to stay a few more days," Chu Yu said politely.
"That's fine, but may I ask the reason?" Lei Jun asked, although he already had a guess.
Now that they had successfully pushed back the Tianli cultivators and temporarily calmed the external threat in the East China Sea, it was time for the Tang Empire to address the internal matters regarding Fang Yue and Ye Fen.
Fang Yue was an upright man, but he was not one to endure silently.
He wouldn't let Ye Fen's assassination attempt affect his state of mind, as he prioritized the greater situation.
However, once the turmoil settled, he would surely report this matter to the court.
As for the imperial family of the Tang Empire, they would not sit idly by either.
The Ye Clan of Qingzhou was also not idle.
Ye Fen's whereabouts were unknown, and his life and death remained a mystery.
However, it seemed unlikely that he had survived.
After understanding the general situation, the Ye Clan of Qingzhou immediately counter-accused Fang Yue of colluding with the Tianli cultivators.
In this regard, they also contacted Chu Taoyuan from the Chu Clan of Suzhou, who had suffered similarly.
Chu Xiuyuan personally investigated and, while he could only confirm that his cousin, Chu Taoyuan, had perished due to the Great Empty Monastery, Qingzhou and Suzhou quickly confirmed that Abbot Miaoxin of Tianlong Temple had been tracking the Tianli cultivator, Jiang Zhiming, before being attacked by Abbot Yuanmie of the Great Empty Monastery.
By connecting the Great Empty Monastery to Jiang Zhiming and then linking this to Ye Fen's death, they accused Fang Yue of being associated with the Great Empty Monastery and the Tianli cultivators.
Lei Jun and Dharma Master Faming captured Jiang Zhiming.
However, they couldn't get any information from him about his connection to the Great Empty Monastery, and Jiang Zhiming even seemed oblivious to the monastery's existence.
It seemed that Abbot Yuanmie had made prior arrangements to mislead Abbot Miaoxin, luring him into the trap of the Reversed Round Mirror Array.
But Abbot Miaoxin didn't fall for it, and instead, Mister Yangchao, Chu Taoyuan, walked right into the trap.
Abbot Yuanmie, having escaped Abbot Miaoxin and the Tianlong Temple monks, was now nowhere to be found.
Although Fang Yue had Ye Fen's incomplete map of the East China Sea, he lacked other clues, especially since Ye Fen was neither dead nor alive, and the Qingzhou Ye Clan completely denied any involvement, adamantly blaming Fang Yue for conspiring with others to harm Ye Fen.
Thus, both sides were at a stalemate.
Chu Yu invited Lei Jun to stay for two more days because of this unresolved case.
Lei Jun calmly agreed: "My senior martial uncle, Shangguan, has yet to return from her sea voyage, so I might as well stay a little longer to wait for her."
Chu Yu said, "Thank you for your trouble, Elder Lei."
On the surface, Lei Jun was unrelated to this matter and was unclear about the rights and wrongs of the situation.
Chu Yu and Fang Yue didn't expect him to take a stand and support them directly.
As a core high-ranking member of the Dragon Tiger Mountain's Celestial Master's Mansion, Lei Jun's mere presence, even if he remained silent, indicated the Celestial Master's Mansion's stance to some extent, and he now carried that weight.
As a result, the imperial family of the Tang Empire adopted an even tougher attitude, suppressing Qingzhou and Suzhou.
Whether it was the imperial family or the Ye and Chu clans, despite the ongoing power struggle, none of them intended to completely sever ties at this point.
While the Ye Clan of Qingzhou and the Chu Clan of Suzhou intended to lay low and recover, the imperial family of the Tang Empire also hoped that they would contribute by guarding and blocking the 'door' connecting Tianli and the human realm of the Tang Empire.
In the end, most of the blame fell on Abbot Yuanmie of the Great Empty Monastery and the Tianli cultivators.
However, Ye Fen couldn't completely clear his name.
Ye Yan publicly visited Fang Yue, offering consolation and compensation.
Fang Yue's name once again spread throughout the world.
However, he didn't pay much attention to his newfound fame.
After calmly accepting the court's rewards, he left the East China Sea.
On the one hand, his thoughts had already turned to the third academy he was establishing in Jianye.
On the other hand, he wanted to inspect the specific defense systems along the coast to ensure that the previous battle in the East China Sea hadn't negatively impacted the coastal residents.
Lei Jun and Chu Kun, the two martial brothers, waited for their senior martial aunt, Shangguan Ning, to return from her distant voyage.
Shangguan Ning failed to find Xu Yuanzhen, and after reuniting with Lei Jun, the three of them departed from the East China Sea together.
Chu Kun took this opportunity to travel with Fang Yue, inspecting the coastal dikes and checking on his displaced relatives along the way.
Lei Jun and Shangguan Ning, on the other hand, returned to Dragon Tiger Mountain.
"The Azure Crystal? That's indeed good news. There's hope for the revival of the Cangming Treasure Tree." Yuan Mobai smiled and nodded.
Lei Jun said, "Later, the court will send it to our mountain. I hope that the Cangming Treasure Tree will be able to revive."
"In addition to that, I obtained something else during this trip." Lei Jun took out two reddish gourds emitting purple light.
Upon seeing them, Yuan Mobai recalled the records in the ancient books and asked, "The Brahma Breath Celestial Gourd, the Brahma Celestial Breath Magical Gourd?"
When Lei Jun nodded, Yuan Mobai smiled and said, "Life is full of surprises. Many extinct treasures of the human realm of the Tang Empire still exist in the other human realm."
"And vice versa," Lei Jun added.
"Since it's your opportunity, you should handle it as you see fit," Yuan Mobai said. "This treasure is indeed suitable for your current cultivation."
One person could only use one Brahma Spirit Gourd, as having more would be wasteful.
Besides using one for himself, Lei Jun had another one.
The primary task for the Dragon Tiger Mountain's Celestial Master's Mansion at the moment was to accumulate resources, strengthen their foundation, and expand their influence. Only then could they gradually revive the sacred earth vein of the Daoist Sect.
However, this didn't mean that the Celestial Master's Mansion would stop trying to raise their upper limit.
Therefore, Lei Jun wisely allocated the second Divine Energy Elixir for the benefit of the other Eighth Heaven cultivators in the sect, either his master, Yuan Mobai, or his junior martial sister, Tang Xiaotang.
As for his senior martial sister, Xu Yuanzhen, there was no need to wait for her. For a Ninth Heaven cultivator, the Brahma Qi Immortal Gourd would have very limited use and would almost be a waste.
"I don't need it," Tang Xiaotang said with a smile after emerging from her seclusion.
Hearing her words and seeing her expression, Lei Jun understood, "Congratulations, Junior Martial Sister. Your cultivation has improved again, reaching the perfect state of the Eighth Heaven, achieving the Upper Scene realm."
Tang Xiaotang smiled, "Thank you!"
Next, her goal was to break through to the Ninth Heaven and strive to surpass Xu Yuanzhen.
Once she achieved the perfect state of the Upper Scene realm, her focus would mainly be on overcoming the tribulation between the Eighth and Ninth Heavens.
Thus, the Brahma Qi Immortal Gourd wouldn't be of much use to her.
Lei Jun looked at his master, "Then it's settled. One gourd, one user."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Mobai couldn't help but smile.
Lei Jun didn't delay his return to the mountain this time.
That night, he sat in his cave abode.
The reddish gourd emitting purple light was opened, and strands of clear qi rose from it, confined by Lei Jun's spiritual power within the room. The intangible clear qi gathered into a ball, its outer layer seemingly engraved with red markings.
Lei Jun calmed his mind, inhaling and exhaling, and began to refine these strands of clear qi that resembled engraved red markings.
His divine inner scene within the God's Court also changed faster than expected before his trip to the East China Sea.
PS: 7k chapter
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