https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-317-316-Three-Arrows-Shot-Together-from-Dragon-and-Tiger-Mountain-Part-2-/12588655/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-318-Treading-Cautiously-into-Opportunities-Part-2-/12588664/
Chapter 318: Treading Cautiously into Opportunities (Part 1)
Chapter 318: Treading Cautiously into Opportunities (Part 1)
Lei Jun's curiosity was piqued by Lu Ping Mountain, Lixian Mountain, and Tiangu Ridge. However, he maintained a calm demeanor and continued bidding farewell to Crown Prince Zhang Hui and his entourage.
After exchanging farewells, Lei Jun watched quietly as the Eastern Palace carriage departed.
The Tiangu Ridge had issued a medium-level divination slip, indicating potential danger that corresponded to Lei Jun's personal assessment. The outcome for others who ventured there remained unknown.
The phrase "A Young Dragon's Perilous Journey" likely alluded to the risks that Crown Prince Zhang Hui might encounter on his trip.
Although the Crown Prince had maintained a proper demeanor in front of Lei Jun, the various rumors Lei Jun had heard did not paint a favorable impression of him.
While Lei Jun currently had no intention of taking any action, he also had no desire to offer any warnings.
For now, let everyone live their own lives and pursue their dreams.
Lei Jun was more intrigued by the upper-level divination slip regarding Lu Ping Mountain and what it specifically indicated.
A risk-free opportunity of the third grade seemed quite appealing...
"From now on, it's just us fellow disciples, so we can plan our itinerary more freely." Lei Jun said calmly to Lin Shan, "It's rare for Hua Jie to venture out, so I'll take him to appreciate the beauty of nature. Brother, would you like to join us?"
Lin Shan calculated the time, "Hmm, there's no rush in the next few days, so traveling around would be nice."
The three of them didn't hurry directly towards Lixian Mountain and the Yunxiao Mountain Range. Instead, they took their time exploring the surrounding landscapes.
Guided by Lei Jun, they naturally arrived at the vicinity of Lu Ping Mountain.
As soon as they reached Lu Ping Mountain, Lei Jun discreetly used his spiritual sense and perception to search the area, but he found nothing at first.
The great earth's karma was at play here.
Perhaps it was related to the disturbance in the earth veins... Lei Jun pondered.
He remained calm and stood at the summit of Lu Ping Mountain, watching Zhuo Bao Jie curiously examining the wild medicinal herbs on the mountain, and Lin Shan sitting cross-legged in the forest, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
Lei Jun's gaze lingered on Lin Shan for a moment.
Currently, within the Celestial Master's Mansion of Longhu Mountain, aside from the legitimate descendants of the Zhang and Shangguan clans, Lin Shan was one of the closest associates of the Tang imperial family among the regular disciples of the Celestial Master's Mansion.
This was partly influenced by his mentor, Shangguan Ning, and partly due to Lin Shan's own efforts.
Lin Shan had taken the initiative to seek the position of instructor at the Imperial College.
In the blink of an eye, nearly twenty years had passed.
Of course, Lin Shan had not wasted his time.
Although a significant portion of his time and energy was devoted to teaching at the Imperial College, his wide social circle in the imperial capital had allowed him to establish extensive connections and create opportunities for himself.
He couldn't compare to Lei Jun, whose every move caused a stir, and whose mere trip to Luoyang attracted attention from all directions.
However, as a sixth-tier elder of the Celestial Master's Mansion who was not yet a hundred years old, Lin Shan was already one of the most influential core members under the high-ranking masters. With his dedication, he had achieved significant gains.
Now that he was attempting to break through to the seventh tier, it felt like a natural progression.
The tribulations and dangers between major cultivation tiers were always fraught with unexpected challenges, and no one could guarantee success. However, from Lei Jun's perspective, Lin Shan's chances of breaking through to the seventh tier were quite high, and he wouldn't be any less likely to succeed than Chu Kun.
Of course, Lin Shan's age and length of cultivation were significantly higher than Chu Kun's.
While he interacted frequently with the Tang imperial family, he had always been cautious when it came to the issue of the Eastern Palace heir.
That was why when Lei Jun bid farewell to Crown Prince Zhang Hui earlier, Lin Shan had also refrained from saying more, and he had no related thoughts at the moment, maintaining his calm and composure.
Standing on Lu Ping Mountain, Lei Jun's gaze seemed to be gazing into the distance, towards the shores of the great river to the west.
However, within the depths of his pupils, the Tian Tong Di Che divination art was already in motion.
In the vast sky above, the Great Zhou Heaven Mirror, under Lei Jun's control, turned its mirror light towards the direction of Tiangu Ridge.
At that moment, Crown Prince Zhang Hui and his party were entering the Tiangu Ridge area.
Lei Jun's vision followed the mirror light of the Great Zhou Heaven Mirror as it scanned the surroundings of Tiangu Ridge.
Suddenly, he sensed something and made a discovery.
Hidden within the mountain ridges, there were already people present, lurking while setting up some kind of arrangement.
Buddhist techniques?
However, they were slightly different from the traditions of Tianlong Temple, Xuantian Temple, and Putuo Temple, the orthodox Buddhist sacred sites.
White Lotus Sect...
Lei Jun's Great Zhou Heaven Mirror focused its mirror light, and his vision became even clearer, revealing that countless white lotus seeds had already been buried in the mountains of Tiangu Ridge.
At the same time, two White Lotus Sect monks were stealthily hiding there.
Both of these monks possessed extraordinary cultivation, at least at the eighth tier.
One of them, who appeared to be a middle-aged man, even gave Lei Jun the subtle feeling that he might be superior to Abbot Miaoxin of Tianlong Temple.
He was most likely an eighth-tier perfected master of the White Lotus Sect.
His Buddhist powers and spiritual insight were profound, and his aura was restrained, causing Lei Jun's Great Zhou Heaven Mirror and Tian Tong Di Che divination art to almost miss him, nearly overlooking his presence unintentionally.
"Monk Jing Shan?" Lei Jun guessed in his mind.
With his Buddhist aura restrained, the monk's features appeared somewhat blurry, making it difficult for Lei Jun to see him clearly.
However, aside from the leader of the White Lotus Sect, the Future Maitreya, there shouldn't be anyone else in the sect who had reached this level of cultivation.
The most likely person was the highly influential elder of the White Lotus Sect, Monk Jing Shan.
Before the rise of the Future Maitreya, Monk Jing Shan had always been renowned as the second most powerful practitioner in the White Lotus Sect.
Even after the Future Maitreya's rise, most people believed that while he might shake Monk Jing Shan's position, he would still fall short of matching his strength in a short period.
It was only in recent years, after the Future Maitreya displayed his extraordinary talent in the Southern Wasteland, that people began to compare the two in terms of strength and cultivation level.
Although there were claims that Monk Jing Shan had a higher cultivation level and was more experienced, in the eyes of the world, he could no longer suppress his young junior.
Recently, Monk Jing Shan had been rather quiet.
But with Lei Jun's presence in Luoyang coinciding with the White Lotus Sect's latest move, it seemed that the sect was about to stir up trouble once again.
Was it because the White Lotus Sect's leader, Jing Jiu, who had made a brief and impressive appearance, had not been seen for a long time?
However, it was rather peculiar that Jing Shan and the others had left the imperial capital of Luoyang, only to make such a bold move at Tiangu Ridge today.
Were they targeting Crown Prince Zhang Hui?
Preserving the Crown Prince might lead to a split within the Tang imperial family, or even incite chaos.
This would undoubtedly align with some of the White Lotus Sect's demands...
Lei Jun was deep in thought when his mind stirred once more.
As the Great Zhou Heaven Mirror shifted its focus, it reflected the figure of another person approaching Tiangu Ridge from a different direction.
As this person drew closer, their appearance became clearer in Lei Jun's vision.
The newcomer had a youthful face and an air of solemn dignity; it was unmistakably the Future Maitreya of the White Lotus Sect.
As the Future Maitreya stepped into Tiangu Ridge, the mountains suddenly trembled.
Beams of pristine Buddhist light soared into the sky, enveloping the entire mountain range as if a colossal white lotus had blossomed and then retracted, forming two palms joining together in a gesture of prayer.
The entire mountain range was encompassed within these palms.
In addition to the Future Maitreya, the Eastern Palace carriage that had entered the area was also caught within this enclosure.
Jing Shan and his companions' target was indeed not Crown Prince Zhang Hui and his entourage, but their fellow sect member, the Future Maitreya.
Zhang Hui and the others had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Lei Jun stood still on Lu Ping Mountain, quietly observing the events unfolding in the distance.
Although no sound reached him, the light of the Great Zhou Heaven Mirror became even more focused.
Even through the closing white lotus palms, Lei Jun could still discern what was happening inside.
Ordinarily, if the Great Zhou Heaven Mirror concentrated its light in such a manner, a perceptive and insightful opponent might sense its presence.
However, with Jing Shan and the Future Maitreya locked in confrontation, their attention would be entirely focused, leaving no room for distraction.
Under these circumstances, Lei Jun's observation through the Great Zhou Heaven Mirror could be more relaxed.
At this moment, Lei Jun witnessed the intense battle between the Future Maitreya and Jing Shan within the closing white lotus palms.
Meanwhile, the White Lotus Sect's treasure, the Nine-Petaled Lotus Platform, seemed to be drawn away from the Future Maitreya by an invisible force.
Lei Jun fixed his gaze, and within the white lotus palms, amidst the radiant beams of light, he saw countless Buddhist pagodas, Bodhi trees, treasure trees, lotuses, treasure banners, and sarira relics flashing with holy light.
Together, they formed a miniature Buddhist pure land.
In the center of this pure land, the White Lotus Sect monk who had hidden with Jing Shan on Tiangu Ridge earlier was now sitting cross-legged, eyes closed, silently chanting sutras.
Lei Jun recognized his face and, after recalling some portraits and paintings he had seen before, he identified the monk as Jing Si, another eminent monk of the White Lotus Sect.
Jing Si appeared aged, but at this moment, his entire body was enveloped in radiant light, resembling a colossal white lotus that blended seamlessly with the surrounding pure land.
He assisted Jing Shan in maintaining this pure land, constantly interfering with and drawing the Nine-Petaled Lotus Platform away from the Future Maitreya, preventing him from using it, and even attempting to take it away.
...It's almost like they've reached a point of rupture and rebellion, Lei Jun thought to himself.
Are they determined to take away the Nine-Petaled Lotus Platform, the sect's most precious treasure, even if they can't defeat the Future Maitreya himself?
Such drastic actions imply that they view the current leader, the Future Maitreya, as non-existent, suggesting that there may have been significant internal changes within the White Lotus Sect recently...
Lei Jun's gaze shifted from Jing Si to Jing Shan.
Within the White Lotus Sect, Jing Si cultivated a Buddhist path of discipline and precepts, while Jing Shan practiced the martial and spiritual path of Buddhism, seeking enlightenment through physical and mental training.
Although his movements didn't seem fast, every gesture and action contained both the subtlety of holding the universe within a mustard seed and the power to move mountains and fill the seas.
As the white light flowed, he seemed to transform into a jade Buddha, devoid of any sense of fragility. Instead, he exuded an aura of indestructibility and eternal solidity, embodying the great freedom of the vajra.
After the top experts of the Bodhi Temple perished, Jing Shan, a monk from the White Lotus Sect, was indisputably the foremost master of Buddhist martial arts.
His attacks were like mountain collapses, making it challenging for others to defend against him.
While the Future Maitreya also understood the Buddhist path of martial arts, in terms of pure martial skill, he was still slightly inferior to Jing Shan at this moment.
However, the Future Maitreya's mastery of Buddhist doctrines had reached a level where understanding one principle meant understanding all, and he was on the verge of enlightenment, seeing the true nature of the Buddha.
As Jing Shan's Zen fist clashed with the Future Maitreya's, the latter seemed to utter something, a mixture of chanting sutras and making a vow.
Suddenly, the image of the white peacock king appeared, and with the peacock's power boosting his strength, the Future Maitreya was able to match Jing Shan, who was at a slightly higher level, without any disadvantage.
At the same time, his other hand continuously formed Buddhist hand seals.
The Solitary Iron Seal generated stability and calm, ensuring that his mind and body remained unshaken and unwavering.
The Outer Lion Seal caused the heavens and the earth to resonate, instilling the courage to become even more fearless and bold in the face of adversity.
The Inner Lion Seal enhanced his control over himself and, by extension, his grasp of the Nine-Petaled Lotus Platform.
With the simultaneous use of these three great seals, the Future Maitreya stabilized the Nine-Petaled Lotus Platform, thwarting Jing Si and the pure land before them.
These were undoubtedly secret techniques unique to the Buddhist school of hand seals, esoteric knowledge not passed down within the White Lotus Sect.
However, at this moment, the Future Maitreya seemed to have no secrets, effortlessly wielding these techniques.
Lei Jun, observing through the Great Zhou Heaven Mirror, nodded repeatedly, confirming that the Future Maitreya had indeed improved in both divine powers and spiritual strength compared to a few years ago in the Southern Wasteland.
As a bystander, Lei Jun could only imagine the deeper feelings of Jing Shan and Jing Si, who were directly confronting the Future Maitreya's formidable might.
This young junior, who had once hidden his true abilities, was finally forced to reveal them in the Southern Wasteland. Now, with no need for restraint, he displayed talents and strengths that far exceeded the impressions formed over the past years.
Unfortunately, they were on different paths.
"If the two of you insist on acting in such a manner, it is tantamount to betraying the sect. In that case, please forgive this disciple for any disrespect." The Future Maitreya spoke calmly.
Jing Si remained silent, while Jing Shan, with his palms pushing out, forced back the white light of the peacock and said in a steady tone, "The one who has betrayed the sect is you.
(End of Chapter)
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