Chapter 350: Lei Jun's Demon-Quelling Adventure (Part 1) (Part 1)

Chapter 350: Lei Jun's Demon-Quelling Adventure (Part 1) (Part 1)





In most cases, when presented with auspicious signs to choose from, Lei Jun would opt for the most favorable option.

However, on this trip to the remote northern deserts, his primary objective was to seal off the spatial gateway that allowed the Lone Falcon Khanate to continue their incursions.

Would it be the Lonely Cloud Plains, or the upper reaches of the Qingwo River? Lei Jun carefully read through the descriptions of both options once more.

Interestingly, the description of the upper reaches of the Qingwo River was somewhat more peaceful compared to that of the Lonely Cloud Plains.

The reason for it being deemed as a mediocre sign was likely due to the relatively lower grade of the opportunity, which might not be sufficient to outweigh the potential pitfalls that could arise from such an opportunity. Hence, it was given a rather middling and average sign.

On the other hand, the description of the Lonely Cloud Plains mentioned the possibility of slight turbulence, which actually made it more intriguing.

Combining this with the timing of the auspicious signs appearing, Lei Jun speculated that his destination on this trip was likely the Lonely Cloud Plains.

By going there, he could not only locate the spatial gateway of the Lone Falcon Khanate that led to the Great Tang, but also possibly obtain a mysterious third-grade opportunity.

Considering this, Lei Jun gradually formed an idea.

Without acting unilaterally and explaining himself, he summoned the top cultivators of the Great Tang who were accompanying him, including Yue Xiling and Fang Zhu. He then calmly pointed to a location on the map:

"Previously, when I was in contact with Senior Sister Tang, she mentioned that there seemed to be significant changes in the spiritual energy veins near Lonely Cloud Plains. However, as she was preoccupied with pursuing the Long Sky Wolf, she didn't have the chance to investigate it personally.

Now, looking at the locations we currently have in mind, Lonely Cloud Plains might be the place we're looking for. Since we don't have any other leads at the moment, let's head to Lonely Cloud Plains first."

When cross-examining with Tang Xiaotang, Lei Jun attributed the source of the information to the Seven Stars of the Heavenly Tome Universe, in order to maintain the secrecy of Lei Jun's intelligence channels, he would reluctantly have to trouble his junior sister to take the fall for this, acknowledging her as the source of this insider information.

"Senior Sister Tang's cultivation is extraordinary, and her perception of such anomalies is definitely not something to be taken lightly."

Yue Xiling, Fang Zhu, and the other cultivators from Chunyang Palace and Jingxiang Fang Clan who were accompanying them expressed their agreement without any objections: "We will abide by your decision, Heavenly Master."

Without further ado, the group set off, venturing deeper into the desolate northern wilds.

High up in the skies, Lei Jun's Grand Heavenly Cycle Art Mirror also moved northwards, following their journey.

As time passed and they drew closer, Lei Jun could perceive through the Grand Heavenly Cycle Art Mirror's vision that unusual scenes were beginning to unfold in the distant grasslands.

In an area with a radius of nearly thirty meters, a gigantic blurred region stood erect like a towering gate amidst the grasslands.

It seemed as if the scenery of that slice of the void world was being kneaded and twisted by an invisible colossal force, rendering it blurry.

Beyond the gate, there seemed to be another world.

Indeed, there existed a spatial gateway at the Lonely Cloud Plains, and it was an extremely massive one.

At this moment, countless individuals could be seen gathered around the spatial gateway, numbering in the tens of thousands, forming a vast sea of people.

The crowd was deathly silent, with most of them looking frightened and terrified.

With a cursory glance, Lei Jun could tell that the composition of the crowd was complex.

Apparently, a large majority of them were Han Chinese.

However, there was also a small minority of individuals from other ethnic groups.

In recent years, the Great Tang had not encountered any significant northern nomadic tribes, and the threats on the northern border mostly came from various powerful demons.

The population of other ethnic groups was relatively sparse, scattered across the sparsely populated northern border regions.

Judging from the significant numbers gathered here, they seemed to have come from multiple small tribes.

Compared to the Han Chinese, they appeared slightly more at ease, but their hearts were also filled with trepidation.

Adults held their children quietly in their arms, covering their mouths to prevent them from making any noise or running about.

Not too far from the crowd, a large number of corpses had already been piled up, with blood staining the ground and dyeing the nearby grasslands red.

Not only would those who dared to resist meet their end here, but even those who merely whispered or discussed would likely face the same fate, slaughtered on the spot.

Scattered around the crowd were individuals from the other ethnic groups, riding on strange giant beasts.

These individuals were different from the ordinary captured commoners and herders, as they possessed cultivation and exuded a fierce aura.

They were from the Lone Falcon Khanate.

Most of those present were warriors.

These warriors from the Lone Falcon Khanate had eyes sharp like eagles, keeping a close watch on their large captive population.

Any slight commotion would likely be met with their ruthless slaughter.

However, there were orders from above, and these captives were to be taken away from this world of humans.

In front of the spatial gateway, a large banner stood erect.

Below the banner, a formidable warrior from the other ethnic group sat atop a strange beast that was over fourteen meters long. Its body resembled that of a dragon, yet it was not a dragon; its form resembled that of a horse, yet it was not a horse. Its scales shimmered with a mix of azure and viridian, and its eyes flickered with a sanguine hue, exuding a savage aura.

This strange beast was currently lying quietly on the ground, but in the distance, there were several similar beasts, though their bodies were not as massive nor did they exert the same intimidating presence as the one in the lead.

Though they did not possess the same majestic presence as a true dragon, they all exuded a fierce and bloodthirsty aura.

The warrior from the other ethnic group sat atop the leading strange beast, his face expressionless as he wiped his blade.

One of his subordinates, a young warrior from the Lone Falcon Khanate, was reporting to him:

"Brother, we are all set. We can send them back to the 'gateway' now."

The warrior named Deda sheathed his blade and replied, "Be meticulous in handling these individuals. Their bodies are frail and their vital energy is deficient. If we're not careful, they might not make it through the 'gateway' and could all perish along the way."

His subordinate, the young warrior from the Lone Falcon Khanate, assured him, "Brother, rest assured. We've been preparing for a long time, and even though there have been new arrivals during the preparation process, there won't be any issues."

Deda, the warrior from the other ethnic group, nodded slightly, "Good."

His young subordinate from the Lone Falcon Khanate sighed, "It's a pity that we don't have those treasures that can accommodate and transport multiple individuals through the 'gateway' simultaneously. I heard that there are people in the southern borders of the Song Dynasty who can refine such treasures. It would have saved us a lot of trouble."

As he spoke, his gaze briefly shifted towards the distant horizon.

In the distance stood a few figures clad in dark green robes with headgear.

"Those Daoists from Sanchun Palace, always harping on about rules and regulations, yet they're of little help in such a situation. They can't even refine treasures that can help people traverse the 'gateway'. Hmph!" The young warrior from the other ethnic group scoffed.

Deda's eyes didn't even spare a glance in their direction, "The eagles of the vast wilderness take care of their own prey."

The young warrior from the other ethnic group standing before him straightened his posture, "Yes!"

Deda surveyed the terrified crowd numbering in the tens of thousands, then turned his gaze towards the spatial gateway, "Inform the king and the others. Let's send these people through the 'gateway' quickly and make room for the new arrivals."

"Yes!"

After receiving the affirmation, the young warrior from the other ethnic group immediately commanded the others to begin their task.

He then lowered his voice and inquired further, "Brother, are they all to be incorporated into the lower tribe?"

The Lone Falcon Khanate classified the populations they conquered or captured as the lower tribe, placing them beneath their own nation in terms of status.

The young warrior from the other ethnic group was seeking clarification on the disposition of the small portion of captives who were not of Han Chinese ethnicity.

Tracing their origins back, their ancestry thousands of years ago was ambiguous.

"Treat them as members of the lower tribe for now. We'll deal with them accordingly after sending them back," Deda replied without any hesitation.

"Even if their ancestors once possessed proud bloodlines, they have all become cowardly and weak now. We'll address the matter in due time."

The young warrior from the foreign tribe was about to leave when he suddenly saw Dada's face turn solemn.

The Qinglong Sihuang Beast beneath him, which had been resting with its eyes closed, suddenly opened its eyes and stood up.

At this moment, the giant beast, with a body length of more than four zhang, stood tall like a house rising from the ground, even though it was on all fours.

The huge head of the exotic beast and Dada on its back turned their heads simultaneously and looked into the distance, "The outer scouts are under attack! Be on guard, everyone!"

"How is this possible?!'

The young foreign warrior below him exclaimed in shock, "There are so many fake 'gateways' and traps outside, and not a single one of them sounded the alarm. Could it be that the Han people found our real 'gateway' right away?"

Dada lashed out with his horsewhip, knocking the young warrior to the ground, "Stop blabbering, be surprised later. Move now!"

The young foreign warrior tumbled on the ground and got up, not bothering to speak anymore, he rushed towards the void gateway.

He was not alone, but rather rushing back to the human world to report to the Lonely Eagle Khanate.

At the same time, other warriors of the Lonely Eagle Khanate on Lonely Cloud Plain were also rushing to various places to deliver messages, as per Dada's orders.

However, unfortunately, the Great Tang cultivators arrived even faster than they had anticipated.

Before the young foreign warrior could rush into the void gateway, a purple column of lightning descended like divine punishment, turning him into a charred black mess!

At the same time, purple, golden, and cyan light streams intertwined and descended from the heavens, forming an incredibly vast and illusory three-layered altar, round on top, octagonal in the middle, and square at the bottom. It seemed illusory and transparent, yet it was incredibly solid.

This massive altar directly enveloped the commoners and herders who had been encircled and trapped on Lonely Cloud Plain.

The Lonely Eagle Khanate warriors who were monitoring the crowd were repelled by an invisible force and struggled to get close.

Those who were unlucky enough to be standing at the edge of the altar were instantly killed.

Inside the altar, the few Lonely Eagle Khanate warriors who had been walking among the crowd were now filled with dread and anxiety, even more so than the ordinary people around them.

But before they could make any further moves, from the bottom layer of the altar, a large amount of greenish-blue flames rose from the ground.

The greenish-blue flames appeared in clusters, east and west.

With pinpoint precision, each cluster of flames engulfed a Lonely Eagle Khanate warrior, while not harming a single commoner or herder standing nearby.

Those foreign warriors with cultivation and robust bodies, at this moment, turned into flaming figures, consumed by the flames.

As the greenish-blue flames burned, they also fixed the warriors in place, preventing them from approaching the commoners and herders.

The commoners and herders did not witness this gruesome scene.

In their vision, they only saw themselves and their companions enveloped in a gentle mist of light.

The foreign warriors who had been watching them menacingly earlier were now nowhere to be seen.

The unknown environment and situation caused momentary chaos among the crowd, and everyone became more fearful.

However, the glowing mist seemed to have a calming effect, and soon, the crowd quieted down. Standing in the thin mist, they felt as if they had entered a fairyland.

Outside the massive altar, woven from purple, golden, and cyan light streams, a full-scale battle erupted on Lonely Cloud Plain.

Lei Jun strolled forward with his hands behind his back, calmly approaching the huge void gateway.

Beside him, Yue Xiling, Fang Zhu, and other Great Tang experts appeared one after another, launching attacks on the Lonely Eagle Khanate warriors outside the massive illusory altar.

Dada's face turned ashen, and he rose into the sky, riding on the Qinglong Sihuang Beast.

Yue Xiling, the high-achieving elder of Chunyang Palace, leaped into the air as well.

With the platinum-colored Pure Yang True Fire blazing around her, Yue Xiling seemed to sprout wings, taking on the form of a vermillion bird, displaying the agility rarely seen in a Daoist cultivator of the Pill and Cauldron Sect.

However, Dada and his Qinglong Sihuang Beast were as agile as the wind, their movements flexible and swift. With a twist in the air, they dodged Yue Xiling, who was also rising into the sky.

Then, a short bow appeared in Dada's hand.

With a twang of the bowstring, the Qinglong Sihuang Beast opened its mouth, and spiritual energy intertwined with demonic energy, forming tangible arrows of greenish-black qi in the air.

The arrow rain flew towards Yue Xiling.

Having dealt with the Lonely Eagle Khanate before, Yue Xiling was not surprised by this turn of events. Her body transformed into that of a vermillion bird, soaring in the air to dodge most of the arrows.

Some of the greenish-black arrows still hit their mark, displaying incredible power as they extinguished a significant portion of the Pure Yang True Fire surrounding Yue Xiling.

However, the arrows' power was diminished by the fire, and they could not harm Yue Xiling's infant-transformation stage golden core.

Fang Zhu of the Jingxiang Fang Clan arrived, sword in hand. From a distance, he slashed out with his sword, sending rolling waves of sword energy towards Dada.

Dada held not only a short bow but also a long saber.

He attacked with both weapons, swinging his saber while a faint layer of greenish-black appeared on its blade.

The body of the Qinglong Sihuang Beast beneath him also took on a greenish-black hue.

Man and beast lunged forward together, their movements light and fierce as they slashed with the saber.

The Lonely Eagle Khanate warrior's attack was wild and domineering, exuding a sense of reckless trampling over all things.

The Great Tang Confucian cultivators fared better against them compared to the rationalist cultivators.

Moreover, after suffering significant losses at their hands, the Great Tang's famous Confucian families joined forces, sharing information and researching countermeasures, and their efforts had borne fruit.

However, Dada's attacks were still fierce and relentless, slicing through the boundless sword energy before him.

In the next moment, the massive Qinglong Sihuang Beast and Dada on its back flashed and disappeared from their original spot, as if they had torn through the void and shifted away.

But as they reappeared in the distance, a vast expanse of pitch-blackness enveloped them.

The yin-infused lightning and water were silent and deadly.

Dada and the Qinglong Sihuang Beast were forced to halt their movements.

In that moment of hesitation, Yue Xiling had caught up.

Dada had no choice but to dodge while shooting arrows in rapid succession at Yue Xiling and Fang Zhu.

However, his eyes glanced towards the direction of the void gateway.

This glance caused Dada's heart to sink into the abyss.

Over there, Lei Jun was looking him up and down.

Fang Jian, standing beside Lei Jun, whispered, "Is that the unique martial arts lineage of the Lonely Eagle Khanate?"

Lei Jun nodded, "Indeed, and he's already cultivated to the Eighth Heaven Realm. His mount is called the Qinglong Sihuang Beast, possessing dragon blood, but it's impure and mixed.

The Lonely Eagle Khanate has secret methods for taming and cultivating them, so they have quite a number of these beasts."

Upon hearing this, Fang Jian scanned the Lonely Cloud Plain and indeed spotted other Qinglong Sihuang Beasts, smaller in size, apart from the one beneath Dada.

This was another sect of martial arts cultivators who had first appeared in the human realm of the Great Tang during the Lone Eagle Khanate's initial incursion.

Mounted on beasts, they were not unfamiliar to the people of the Great Tang.

However, in the human realm of the Great Song, or perhaps the Lone Eagle Khanate, a completely new sect of martial arts cultivation had emerged.

This sect of cultivators focused not only on refining the physical body's qi and blood but also diverged greatly from martial body refinement and martial strikes. The cultivator's power was not solely concentrated on themselves.

Instead, while cultivating and tempering their physical bodies, they also tamed and controlled spiritual beasts.

To some extent, it could even be said that they refined a spiritual beast or demon beast to submit to their will, becoming a mount that they could ride.

It was as if they were refining a magical treasure.

From then on, both parties mutually nourished each other's qi and blood, and the rider could also borrow the power of the spiritual beast, working together to attain all sorts of divine abilities.

Also because of this, in addition to the Confucian divine archer lineage, there was the path of the martial rider in the cultivation of warriors, although the two were completely different in nature.

One of the most notable examples was the ability to ride the Qinglong Sihuang Beast and harness its power to achieve short to mid-range divine archery, known as the Dragonfang Arrow.

Since the Lone Eagle Khanate had mastered the secret methods of taming and cultivating the Qinglong Sihuang Beast on a relatively large scale, they were able to mass-produce martial rider cultivators with archery abilities.

Within their ranks, they were referred to as roaming riders.

Lei Jun watched this scene with great interest.

With his current vision, insight, and cultivation, he far surpassed his peers, and after a few glances, he had a general understanding of the situation.

Compared to the Confucian divine archers, the roaming riders had similar average speed and mid to close-range killing power, but they might be inferior in terms of mid to long-range capabilities.

However, the roaming riders who rode the Qinglong Sihuang Beast, like Duoda, had a much faster movement speed and agility compared to the Confucian divine archers.

To tame and control spiritual beasts, martial rider cultivators did not solely focus on their physical bodies but also cultivated their spiritual souls.

Therefore, if one were to compare the cultivators' inherent strength, the roaming riders would be inferior to the martial body refinement and martial strike sects in all aspects.

Nevertheless, the combat power of the martial rider cultivators was closely linked to their spiritual beasts.

Taking the Qinglong Sihuang Beast as an example, the roaming riders, like Duoda, not only possessed impressive long-range archery abilities with the help of their mounts but also had formidable close-range combat capabilities. Their speed was also not inferior to most martial strike and martial body refinement cultivators of the same realm.

Considering that martial cultivators excelled in bursts of power but generally lacked endurance, the roaming riders, with their Qinglong Sihuang Beasts, might have some advantages in long-distance charges.

Therefore, while Duoda's Dragonfang Arrow was ineffective against Yue Xiling, a master of the Pure Yang Palace of the Dan Ding Sect, he still held the upper hand in terms of battlefield mobility. Yue Xiling, on the other hand, couldn't easily stop him.

Only with Fang Zhu's interception from the outskirts did Duoda become more cautious.

Even so, he still found numerous opportunities to break through with his light cavalry.

What truly gave Duoda pause was not the fierce battle but the seemingly calm and collected high-level Taoist who paid more attention to the void gateway.

Lei Jun raised his hand, and his spiritual power transformed into a swirling Taiji diagram of black and white, beginning the process of sealing the void gateway.

Fang Jian and the other disciples of the Celestial Master's Mansion also joined the battle, assisting the other Great Tang cultivators in surrounding and attacking the soldiers of the Lone Eagle Khanate on Lonely Cloud Plain.

As Lei Jun channeled his spiritual power, he remained vigilant, keeping an eye out for any possible reinforcements from the Lone Eagle Khanate through the void gateway.

There were indeed people guarding the other side of the gateway, and the disturbances caused by Lei Jun's actions had caught their attention. They attempted to stop him, but without a top-notch expert on their side, they couldn't affect Lei Jun's actions.

Although the void gateway couldn't be completely sealed off immediately, Lei Jun's efforts temporarily interrupted the exchange between the two realms.

According to the confessions obtained from captured soldiers of the Lone Eagle Khanate, their khanate was formidable, and their khan was an extraordinary individual. This didn't seem like an empty boast, so Lei Jun speculated that the current situation on the other side might be due to the khanate dealing with some other important matter or powerful enemy. Perhaps the force that had invaded the Great Tang's realm was merely a detachment? Lei Jun pondered as he continued his efforts to seal the gateway.

The methods they used to stabilize the void gateway also showed some level of sophistication.

As Lei Jun studied and dismantled their techniques, most of the spiritual objects used in their rituals disintegrated.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end