https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-357-Lei-Tian-Shi-Sets-Up-an-Array-Part-1-/12598637/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-358-357-The-Plot-Unveiled-Part-1-/12598639/
Chapter 357: Lei Tian Shi Sets Up an Array (Part 2)
Chapter 357: Lei Tian Shi Sets Up an Array (Part 2)
However, the lining of their kasaya was red.
The red lining indicated that they belonged to the Lotus Department, one of the five divisions of the Sumeru Vajra Sect, each associated with a specific color. The Vajra Department, to which Jia Sheng belonged, was represented by the color blue.
The dozen or so Lotus Department monks stopped in front of Jia Sheng and Zhao Yu'an and greeted them, "Shifu, Zhao Zhenren."
The one who spoke was a beautiful woman, dressed in monastic robes with a light veil draped over her. She walked barefoot across the desolate northern frontier of the Great Tang.
Jia Sheng and Zhao Yu'an calmly returned the greeting, "Sister Yingjin, you're too kind."
The woman, named Yingjin, was one of the Eight Great Consorts of the Lotus Department.
Within the Great Song Dynasty, it was the Lotus Department of the Sumeru Vajra Sect that operated and managed affairs.
Although the five divisions of the Sumeru Vajra Sect shared resources and gathered in Sumeru, they had an unspoken agreement that each division would focus on cultivating their respective human realm without interfering in the others' affairs. Their interactions were limited to within Sumeru itself.
Hence, the Lotus Department did not enter the Great Tang, and the Vajra Department did not involve themselves in the Great Song Dynasty.
This time, however, Galata and Jia Sheng had broken with convention, causing some debate within Sumeru.
The current situation in the Great Song Dynasty was also delicate.
Among the four major foreign khanates, the Lonely Eagle Khanate was not a successful venture of the Lotus Department.
This time, it became an opportunity.
The two departments quickly reached a tacit understanding.
They maintained the division between the two human realms.
Therefore, the Lotus Department's trip was represented only by Yingjin, one of the Eight Great Consorts. She played a mediating role and would not easily involve herself in the affairs of the Great Tang.
Similarly, after Jia Sheng and the Vajra Department monks returned to the Great Tang with the Lonely Eagle Khanate, they would not have any disciples staying in the Great Song Dynasty for an extended period.
The Three Springs Palace of the Daoist Sect was likely to take issue with this arrangement.
In the Great Song Dynasty, the Lotus Department had taken the opportunity to extend its influence into the Lonely Eagle Khanate.
In the Great Tang, the Vajra Department was also waiting.
The Sumeru Buddhist Sect had, to some extent, exposed its true strength, causing the Three Springs Palace to be on guard while also attracting the attention of the strong experts from the Lonely Eagle Khanate.
However, as the Lonely Eagle Khanate was determined to invade the human realm of the Great Tang, Zhao Yu'an and the Three Springs Palace maintained a calm facade, only providing assistance from the sidelines.
The conflict between the Buddhist and Daoist sects would be decided at a later date.
Although the Lonely Eagle Khanate was ambitious, the Sumeru Buddhist Sect was even more formidable than expected, and Zhao Yu'an believed that the high-level experts of the Lonely Eagle Khanate were well aware of this.
At this moment, the void portal shook once more.
Leading the way were nine eagle feather banners, followed by a group of even more formidable warriors riding on powerful beasts.
More than half of them rode on Huanglong Shifeng beasts, which were not as swift as the previous cavalry but caused the earth to tremble with each step, their presence awe-inspiring.
Zhao Yu'an, Jia Sheng, and Yingjin bowed together and said, "We welcome the Khan."
The last to emerge from the human realm of the Great Tang were the heavy cavalry of the Lonely Eagle Khanate, a formidable force that seemed to shake the void with their collective presence, causing even the void portal supported by the Vajra Buddhist light to tremble.
Then, a single eagle cry pierced through the air, silencing the continuous thunderous roars that had filled the area.
Regardless of whether they were the heavy-armored Huanglong Sihuang Beast or the agile Qinglong Sihuang Beast, every beast lowered their heads in unison.
A massive shadow spread its wings and emerged from the group of heavy beasts, soaring high into the sky.
As it glided, its wings seemed to blot out the sun.
Snow Country Bear King, who was already irritated from being entangled by Berg and the others, felt his sole eye glowing with intense light.
The enormous figure gliding across the sky particularly caught his attention.
It was a mighty demon comparable to a Human Race Nine Heavens cultivator, just like him.
A colossal sky eagle.
However, what truly chilled the Snow Country Bear King's heart was the dark figure standing atop the giant sky eagle's head.
Although the figure didn't make any moves, the Snow Country Bear King felt an overwhelming sense of danger.
"Beridge, what's going on here?" the figure asked.
Berku blocked the path of the Snow Country Bear King. "Berku pays his respects to the Khan. This beast bear merely stumbled upon us, and I aimed to capture it and present it to the Khan."
The tall man standing atop the sky eagle's head stood with his hands behind his back, his silhouette seemingly blocking out the sunlight in the sky.
He was none other than Hari Ge'er, the Khan of the Lone Eagle Khanate.
He sized up the Snow Country Bear King with his eyes before nodding slightly. "A sturdy build indeed. Good, I'll take it."
Although the Snow Country Bear King felt a chill in his heart, he was enraged by their attitudes at the moment, and his wild and bloodthirsty nature was stirred once more. He roared towards the sky.
The sky eagle let out a piercing cry, instantly drowning out the giant bear's roar.
Upon seeing this, Lone Eagle Khan Hari Ge'er revealed a smile. "Alright, Broken Tree, you and Da Dun Bai head south together. Xu Ri Gang and his men will be temporarily assigned to you."
"Yes, Khan," Berg responded.
"As you command, Da Dun Ba Ri!"
A towering figure emerged from the group of heavy riders. It was a formidable alien warrior, resembling a humanoid beast. "Don't spoil the Khan's hunting mood. We'll go ahead and capture this land of Han people, awaiting the Khan's arrival."
The war cries of the alien experts and the roars of countless beasts echoed in unison, shaking the clouds.
After organizing their troops, all but the heavy riders who served as the escort for Lone Eagle Khan Hari Ge'er began to spread out in all directions, rolling southward like a tidal wave.
Jia Sheng Shangren and Yang Jin Mingfei exchanged glances and nodded, leading their people to retreat slightly. However, they didn't immediately head south but stayed on the outskirts, awaiting the arrival of the Lone Eagle Khan.
Zhao You'an, the head of the Three Springs Palace, calmly bid them farewell and then followed the main force southward.
Some light riders from the extraterrestrial race delivered a Blue-Green Four-Headed Beast to Berg Forest.
Although Beridge was not a rider-heritage warrior, he didn't refuse the beast's offer of a ride.
After climbing onto the Qinglong Sihuang Beast's back, a more massive figure appeared beside him.
It was a pitch-black giant wolf with sinister green eyes, exuding a fierce aura. Its size dwarfed even the Huanglong Sihuang Beast, resembling a small mountain.
Sitting atop the giant wolf's head was a man named Da Dun Ba Ri.
Looking at Berg, he burst into laughter. "Berg, have you lost all your elite forces from the Setting Sun Tribe? What about Mei Han and the others?"
Ber: "They are all brave warriors. It was my negligence that led to underestimating the humans of this world."
Da Dun Ba Ri snorted and turned to look at Jia Sheng Shangren, Yang Jin Mingfei, and the others. "And then you got involved with these monks?"
However, Ber said, "I only contacted them later. It wasn't like that at first."
Da Dun Ba Ri retracted his gaze. "Oh?"
Berki's eyes were focused on the southern region.
For an eagle of the grasslands to be chased by humans was not a glorious matter.
But what was even more disgraceful was what happened afterward.
Someone had helped him escape his pursuers.
Later, he came into contact with people from the Western Regions' Vajra Division and received their assistance in successfully opening the Void Gate to summon the Khanate army.
However, the person who initially helped him deliberately concealed their identity, and he couldn't figure out who they were.
There was no need for the Western Regions' monks to go to such lengths.
So, the first person was undoubtedly a Han human.
Their Han race was also fighting amongst themselves.
Being helped by a Han human was not a disgrace.
Being clueless was.
"You're quite slippery. Do you think you can protect your Falling Sun Tribe by offering this demon bear to the Khan?" Da Dun Ba Ri sneered.
"Ber didn't respond to his taunt but said, "I didn't have good luck. There used to be a powerful demon wolf here, stronger than yours, but unfortunately, it was killed by the humans."
Alongside Lone Eagle Khan Hari Ge'er, Da Dun Ba Ri was renowned as one of the two Martial Saints of the Lone Eagle Khanate. He was a rider-heritage warrior who specialized in heavy cavalry.
Upon hearing Berg's words, his eyes lit up, and he immediately regretted, "What a pity! Too bad!"
Berkley: "I heard that there is also a Snow Region Divine Eagle in these snowy fields, comparable to the Nine Heavens realm. I think the Khan would be pleased to hear about it."
Da Dun Ba Ri turned his head and smiled. "The Khan already has Hu He Cha Gai. No other eagle, no matter how good, can enter the Khan's eyes. So, give it to me instead!"
He kicked the giant wolf beneath him.
Although the giant wolf wasn't as fast as the various swift beasts, its charging speed was still awe-inspiring, causing the earth to tremble.
Meanwhile, in the sky above, the colossal sky eagle folded its wings, and in an instant, it plummeted to the ground like a falling star, pouncing towards the Snow Country Bear King.
Amidst the earth-shattering roars, the entire plain seemed to be trembling.
However, Beroak, Dunbarry, and the other Lone Hawk Khaganate warriors, as well as Zhao You'an, the head of the Three Fountains Palace, all remained calm and composed.
"What about the Chaoluo Army and the others?" Bermudez asked calmly as he watched Dadunbari and his men charge forward, addressing another extraterrestrial warrior at the Eight Heavens level, Xurigan, who had been temporarily assigned to Dadunbari's command.
Xu Ri Gan said, "Zhao Luomen and the others won't be coming. Under the order of the Khan, they returned to the Red Sun Grassland to avoid anyone having ulterior motives now that we've come here."
Ba Mu Ge nodded, "Alright."
Da Dun Ba Ri led the cavalry charge at the forefront.
Ba Mu Ge commanded the other warriors, following Zhao You'an and his disciples from the Three Springs Palace.
This invasion force far surpassed the scale of the previous two, like a heavy axe chopping through the northern frontier, slicing towards the southern territories of the Great Tang Empire.
................................
Although the previous search operation had been hindered by the Snow Country Bear King, the imperial family of the Tang court still quickly sensed the disturbance in the north.
However, the speed of the enemy's southward advance was astonishing.
This time, there was no need for an imperial edict.
Zhao Wang Zhang Teng, who was stationed in the north, had no choice but to face the invading force, as the people's sentiments and expectations were on him. He wasted no time and headed west to clash with the vanguard of the Lone Eagle Khanate.
The Martial Saint of the alien race, Da Dun Ba Ri, engaged in a fierce battle with the Martial Saint of the Great Tang, Zhang Teng.
The two powerhouses fought a monumental battle on the outskirts of the Great Tang Empire's northern border, in the Yin Mountains region.
But unlike the previous incursions by a single tribe acting on its own, this time, the Lone Eagle Khanate sent an elite force consisting of selected experts from multiple tribes.
In response, the Tang court swiftly mobilized a large number of top experts to the north.
Including the Buddhist sacred site of Xuan Tian Temple in Yunzhou, the Lin Clan in Youzhou, and the Ye Clan in Cangzhou, each sent their elders to lead a group of disciples to join the battle, following the commands of Prince Zhao Wang.
General Shangguan Yunbo was currently in the old capital of Chang'an in Guanzhong.
Therefore, this time, the heavy responsibility of leading the reinforcement fell on Lu Zhen, the second-in-command of the Shence Army, along with Shen Quibing and others, commanding several divisions of the Shence Army to aid the northern frontier.
Changshan King Zhang Junhai, Huayang King Zhang Rui, and Chunyang Palace Elder Yue Xiling each selected their best disciples to accompany them.
Xiao Xuelin set out from the imperial capital of Luoyang with the Mountain River Sword and headed north to Yinshan.
The attention of the Chu Clan in Qingzhou and the Han Clan in Suzhou was focused on the East China Sea and the gate of Penglai.
However, Ye Jiong of the Qingzhou Ye Clan and his followers, who were deeply influenced by Qingzhou, were ordered by the emperor to go north to aid the battle.
In Jingxiang, as they needed a heavyweight figure to guard against another invasion from the Huangquan Li Shushan, Fang Jingsheng, the current clan leader of the Fang Clan, did not go north.
Instead, his older brother, Fang Huansheng, led a group of clan experts to reinforce the northern border.
In Guanlong, Weiyang Palace.
Zhang Dongyuan, a descendant of the imperial family and elder of the Shushan Sect, happened to be visiting and tending to Weiyang King Zhang Zhen, who had been injured in a previous battle with the alien experts.
Zhang Zhen's injuries had healed, but he had not yet fully recovered his vitality and still looked weak.
"Our sect has already sent disciples to the north. I will go ahead first."
Zhang Dongyuan bid farewell to Zhang Zhen: "Your Highness doesn't need to rush. It's better to stay in Guanlong for now to prevent any other unforeseen events."
As he was visiting, Zhang Dongyuan did not bring the Qingming Sword or the Ziwei Sword with him.
However, since he was going to reinforce the northern border, the Shushan Sect had decided that Ji Chuan, a fellow sword cultivator who had recently reached the Seventh Heaven, would bring the Qingming Sword with him and meet up with Zhang Dongyuan later.
"I apologize for the trouble, Elder Zhang," Zhang Zhen said, his face pale and his vitality not as vigorous as before. "This battle is crucial, and Weiyang Palace cannot afford to fall behind."
He instructed his eldest son to come in: "Haoyu, go ahead with your men first, and ask Elder Zhang to guide and teach you. I will restore my vitality and set off soon."
Weiyang Wang's heir, Zhang Haoyu, bowed to Zhang Dongyuan, "Greetings, Elder."
Zhang Dongyuan said, "Your Highness is too polite."
................................
Lei Jun and the others in Tian Shi Manor also received the court's message.
The current information did not mention any activity from the Western Buddhist Sect.
The Western Summit Golden Corps seemed to remain still.
However, Lei Jun remained vigilant.
He was just puzzled.
If the Summit Iron Fist Department had contacted Ba Mu Ge in addition to their connection with the Lone Eagle Khanate, Tang Xiaotang should have discovered something when she was closely monitoring the West earlier.
If the Western Buddhists had only contacted Ba Mu Ge later, how did Ba Mu Ge shake off his pursuers before that?
He shook his head slightly, reining in his thoughts and focusing on the present.
"I've notified the senior and junior sisters. The junior sister is preparing to return from the East China Sea, and I believe it won't be long."
Chu Kun instructed, "I still have some matters to wrap up, but after that, I will head north as well."
Following the orders of the central court, the Celestial Master, Tang Xiaotang, would lead the reinforcement to the north first.
High-ranking elders Chu Kun and Zhang Jingzhen would take their disciples north to await Tang Xiaotang's arrival.
For now, Celestial Master Lei Jun would remain stationary to prevent any disturbances in the south.
However, Lei Jun had a premonition that this time, he might need to head north or even west.
He sat cross-legged, quietly observing the silver cone, two Nine-Grade Eclipse Sun Lotuses, and numerous talismans in the emerald green fire sea before him.
The talismans seemed to form an array.
Lei Jun's fingers drew patterns in the air, his spiritual power converging to weave a huge talisman measuring about ten feet in size.
Using this talisman as a base, numerous talismans fell into it, driven by Lei Jun's spiritual power, gradually merging into a map.
Viewed from a distance, the map resembled the Yin-Yang Taiji diagram.
Lei Jun, having cultivated the Nine Heavenly Thunder, took his fire cultivation to a new level.
Nine Heavenly Thunders.
Heavenly Time Fire.
Heavenly Immortal Thunder.
He repeated this process three times, intertwining Yin and Yang, as if tempering the array.
Finally, combining the real and the illusory, a true array emerged before Lei Jun.
PS1: 8k for 4 chapters
PS2: It's already the 23rd of April. Well, then, happy birthday to me! (^▽^)
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
