https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-368-367-Things-to-Do-as-the-Celestial-Master-First-Update-/12599238/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-370-Enlightenment-Ascends-Natural-Progression-Unveiled-Part-1-/12599490/
Chapter 369: Unparalleled in the Southern Lands (Second Update)
Chapter 369: Unparalleled in the Southern Lands (Second Update)
At the Master's Mansion on Dragon and Tiger Mountain, Yao Yuan was currently facing the trial of crossing the heavenly threshold between the Seventh and Eighth Realms. He had been in seclusion for quite some time.
Similarly, another acquaintance of Lei Jun and his master, Yuan Mobai, Elder Liu Xiao, was also facing the heavenly trial between the Sixth and Seventh Realms. He had been in seclusion for a while as well.
Yao Yuan's disciple, Ke Sicheng, used to be renowned alongside Lin Shan and Li Xuan as a true disciple of the Master's Mansion. However, his spiritual growth had been delayed due to injuries sustained in his early years.
Over the years, he had gradually gained confidence, and although he had not yet started his seclusion, he was making preparations to challenge the heavenly trial between the Sixth and Seventh Realms.
Lei Jun and Luo Haoran naturally hoped that everyone would succeed in their endeavors.
However, when it came to trials, others could not lend a hand, and it all depended on the cultivator's own abilities.
During the New Year Grand Ceremony, Lei Jun presided over the event.
At the ceremony, Qin Cawei was officially appointed as an elder and took charge of the gardens after the ceremony, guiding and instructing other disciples of the mansion.
This new role allowed her to experience a different aspect of managing the gardens, and she embraced the change without resistance. Although she still often worked in the gardens herself, she also commanded her junior disciples efficiently.
After the New Year Grand Ceremony, Lei Jun began to frequent the Grand Assembly Hall more often.
Within the hall, two copies of the Ancient Wisdom Tables were preserved.
Under the influence of the Ancient Wisdom Tables, Lei Jun felt as if he were ascending to a higher realm, gazing upon the vast starry river once again.
This time, he was accompanied by the Azure Lotus Crystal and the Celestial Ascension Technique.
In the current environment, Lei Jun continued to nurture these two treasures.
The Azure Lotus Crystal, like flowing water, became even more enchanting.
As for the Celestial Ascension Technique, it seemed to be suppressed.
However, Lei Jun was not concerned.
He believed that after this suppression, it would surge forth like the gushing yellow springs, manifesting the dual-flower ascension spirit just as it had in the past.
For now, he proceeded with caution, making subtle adjustments to ensure perfection in the final crucial moment.
Even without truly performing the ritual, Lei Jun felt that his thoughts and ideas seemed more lively and agile, simply by being in such an environment.
After some contemplation, he took out two items.
One was the Cosmic Star Dust, and the other, the River of Life Sand.
Each grain of sand, no matter how small, contained a wondrous aura of energy and a unique understanding of the universe.
And with Lei Jun's presence in the Ancient Wisdom Tables, the vast array of energy-infused talismans caused the two distinct types of sand, vast in quantity, to appear even clearer before him.
Lei Jun waved his hand.
High above in the sky, his Celestial Cycle Mirror reappeared.
After nurturing it for a while, Lei Jun used the radiant light of the mirror to illuminate the countless grains of sand.
Soon after, he summoned a single grain of sand before him and began to carve intricate patterns upon it.
Countless talismans and understandings of the universe merged into the sand, transforming into array-like carvings on the tiny grain.
The already lively sand now seemed to possess a spirit of its own.
However, Lei Jun was not satisfied and shook his head slightly.
"I still need more materials," he said, looking at the multitude of sand before glancing back at his Celestial Cycle Mirror, understanding what was needed.
With a gentle wave of his hand, the Celestial Cycle Mirror rose back into the sky, hovering high above.
Lei Jun then put away the sand.
As winter faded and spring arrived, new developments emerged in the Southern Wilderness.
Fortunately, it was not bad news about the opening of the Demon Gates or the rampage of great demons.
Instead, it was about the sacred mountain of the Wu Clan, the Mystic Mountain, finally having a new Master ascend to the position.
"The lineage of Mystic Mountain has finally regained some of its vitality," Lei Jun said to his junior fellow disciple, Chu Kun, as they discussed the matter, both of them feeling a sense of relief.
Having experienced their own sect's rise from the depths of despair, they could empathize with the struggles of Mystic Mountain.
Chu Kun asked, "So, it's finally He Dao who will take up the position of Master of Mystic Mountain?"
Chu Kun's expression turned serious as he heard these words, and the smile on his face faded. "There are external enemies as well as traitors."
In the past, among the sacred sites in the Southern Wilderness, the Goddess Dance lineage's Mount Ge Po was relatively peaceful and stable.
However, a series of incidents had occurred there recently.
Years ago, when the previous generation's master of the Blood River Sect, Wei Ancheng, and the former Sui Dynasty royal, Yang Yuqi, were active in the Southern Wilderness, a senior member of Mount Ge Po named Yuan Shanji, had caused an internal strife.
Subsequently, after Wei Ancheng and Yang Yuqi met their downfall, Yuan Shanji also disappeared.
Over the years, Mount Ge Po had been relentlessly pursuing Yuan Shanji and his disciples.
Later, both Yang Yuqi and Wei Ancheng perished, but Yuan Shanji still remained at large.
His whereabouts were unknown, which remained a thorn in the side of Mount Ge Po.
However, compared to another person, Yuan Shanji's problem was insignificant.
Li Tianqing.
This person's issue was even more vexing.
Looking back now, the relationship between Li Tianqing and the Nine Li Tribes of the Earth Sea seemed to be more complex than what the outside world had initially speculated.
After the situation calmed down, the Goddess Dance lineage looked back and realized that there might have been misunderstandings about Li Tianqing's role in the Earth Sea incident and the death of the previous Holy Master of Mount Ge Po, Sang Lu.
However, Li Tianqing had gone into seclusion with the Blood River Sect after Xing Feng took over as the new master, making it difficult to revisit the past.
As far as Chu Kun knew, in recent years, Mount Ge Po had started to downplay the pursuit of Li Tianqing.
Now that Wen Xi had taken over the Goddess Dance lineage, it signaled that everything was entering a new phase.
Nevertheless, Mount Ge Po had lost what could have been their most outstanding successor in nearly a thousand years.
"Mount Ge Po has extended an invitation, and since you are currently recuperating from your injuries, I'll take this trip south," Chu Kun said. "I don't often visit the Southern Wilderness, so this trip will be a good opportunity to explore and try my luck. Who knows, I might even find the Earth Surge Star I've been seeking."
As a significant power in the southern region of the Great Tang Dynasty, north of the Southern Wilderness, the Grand Master's Mansion of Dragon and Tiger Mountain could not be ignored regarding any developments in the south.
The initial interactions between the two parties had been pleasant.
For this grand occasion, Mount Ge Po would surely invite guests from the Grand Master's Mansion to attend the ceremony.
Compared to the Taoist sacred sites like the Grand Master's Mansion, this was an extremely rare occurrence for the Southern Wilderness Shamanic sites, both in ancient and modern times.
Not only were they inviting Han people from outside the Southern Wilderness, but even among the Shamanic lineages, it was uncommon for members to attend another sect's celebrations.
For the Shamanic sects of the Southern Wilderness, they had mostly been enemies throughout history.
The past few years had been a rare period of calm for the Southern Wilderness.
Mount Ge Po, by inviting guests from other Shamanic lineages to witness the succession of their new Holy Master, was taking a step forward in fostering better relations.
They even invited guests from the Grand Master's Mansion in the north.
Although Mount Ge Po did not publicly invite guests from the imperial family of the Tang Dynasty, as far as the Grand Master's Mansion knew, they had communicated privately.
"Alright, since you're interested, I'll leave this trip to you," Lei Jun said with a smile. "You're also a person of great opportunity. Keep an eye out for a thousand-sided mirror jade while you're at it."
"Sure, I'll keep an eye out," Chu Kun replied.
After making the necessary preparations, Chu Kun, as a high-ranking elder of the Grand Master's Mansion, set out on the journey to the Southern Wilderness, accompanied by some of the Mansion's disciples.
As the publicly invited representative of the Grand Master's Mansion, Chu Kun was greeted by an elder from Mount Ge Po as soon as he entered the Southern Wilderness. They escorted the group from the Grand Master's Mansion to the current location of the Mount Ge Po sacred site.
The original location of Mount Ge Po's mountain gate was very close to the Earth Sea gateway in the Southern Wilderness.
Although the Earth Sea gateway had been sealed, Mount Ge Po chose to establish their new mountain gate elsewhere instead of returning to their ancestral land, where their ancestors had cultivated for many years.
Now that the Earth Sea was in turmoil again, it seemed to validate their decision.
Establishing a new mountain gate and rebuilding their foundation was undoubtedly a challenging task.
The relatively stable environment in the Southern Wilderness in recent years, with less conflict between the various sects, was precisely what the Goddess Dance lineage needed.
This peaceful scenario could not have been achieved without the consistent efforts of the contemporary Heavenly Master and Dragon and Tiger Mountain over the years—urging the imperial family of the Tang Dynasty to refrain from further southward expansion into the Southern Wilderness, and persuading the Shamanic sects in the south to exercise restraint and reduce internal strife.
The people of Mount Ge Po were grateful for these efforts.
Although the current Heavenly Master was recuperating from the war with the Buddhist sects in the Western Regions, his fellow disciple, Elder Chu, had come to attend the ceremony, and they were most welcome.
...This exchange of visits, to some extent, also signaled to the outside world that the two great sacred sites of Taoism and Shamanism were strengthening their ties.
For the current Mount Ge Po lineage, the benefits far outweighed the drawbacks.
Chu Kun was well aware of this and did not object.
Before he left, he and Lei Jun had discussed how the Goddess Dance lineage had generally been the most peaceful and stable among the Shamanic sects in the Southern Wilderness, and their resurgence would be beneficial to the region.
(End of Chapter)"It's a pity that Elder Chu's luck was rather average this time around,"
While he did acquire some new items, he failed to obtain the Earth Surge Star he sought and the Celestial Mirror Jade desired by Lei Jun, causing Elder Chu to secretly sigh in disappointment.
However, he maintained a positive attitude, neither showing nor feeling any disappointment. He first stayed as a guest at the Azure Peak, preparing to tour the area after the ceremony concluded.
The soon-to-be new Grand Master of the Azure Peak, Wen Xi, was extremely busy and remained unseen before the ceremony.
...........................................
At the abandoned ancestral site of the Azure Peak,
Wen Xi, who should have been extremely busy, appeared here instead.
He walked alone through the mountains, sensing the restlessness in the surrounding void.
In the distance, a young man with a slender build native to the Southern Wilderness was also paying attention to the void.
Wen Xi approached him.
"The void portals can reopen at any moment," the young man said casually without turning around. "It's a pity that even our ritual array can't be easily reinforced, otherwise, we wouldn't have this problem."
"Yes," Wen Xi agreed.
He paused slightly before speaking again. "Elder Brother..."
"I won't be able to attend the ceremony. I'm here to congratulate you on taking over the Azure Peak sect."
The former heir of the Azure Peak and now a guest elder of the Blood River Sect, Lei Tianqing, smiled. "You know I'm always broke and quite stingy too."
"I know that all too well," Wen Xi smiled back. "I've never expected gifts from you. We've always been the ones supporting you."
He sighed softly. "It's enough that you came."
"My master passed away early. My later progress in cultivation was thanks to the guidance of the Grand Master."
Lei Tianqing looked at the former site of the Azure Peak, which was also where the previous Grand Master, Sang Lu, had perished. Although her remains had been collected and reburied at the new mountain gate, this place still held significance.
He spoke calmly. "When the Grand Master was attacked and perished, the situation was chaotic, and I was lost. I don't blame the others for their intense reactions, but after all that happened, I won't be returning to the Azure Peak."
Wen Xi remained silent upon hearing this.
Lei Tianqing looked at him and smiled. "You taking over the Azure Peak sect is a good thing. I believe that if she knew, the Grand Master would also be very happy.
By the way, I recently found some traces of Yuan Shanji's whereabouts. I'll investigate further later."
"Elder Brother, if you need anything, please reach out. For all of the Azure Peak, Yuan Shanji is a traitor who must be eliminated," Wen Xi said.
Lei Tianqing waved his hand. "Okay, fine. Someone is approaching. I'll take my leave."
With that, he disappeared from his spot.
Wen Xi saw him off with a sigh.
...........................................
In the vast expanse of the world, from the southern lands to the distant north.
Although there were rumors of great demons appearing and signs of disturbance in the void portals in the Southern Wilderness, the situation never truly escalated into full-blown chaos.
In contrast, the distant north, which seemed almost like a mirror image of the south, was facing genuine trouble.
A great demon, the Black Mountain Lord, had appeared.
After the Long Sky Wolf and the Snow Country Bear King successively perished, the Black Whale King and the Black Mountain Lord had the opportunity to ascend.
The originally Eighth Tier great demon, the Black Mountain Lord, successfully broke through to a level equivalent to a Ninth Tier human expert.
Instead of immediately heading south to invade the northern borders of the Empire, it set its sights on the north.
There, the Empire had recently established pastures and forests to tame and raise magical beasts.
Countless magical beasts were already restless and unruly, and when they were startled and frightened, they unleashed their wild nature.
The National Master, Tang Xiaotang, was eager to head north to face this challenge.
However, the Governor of the You State, Zhang Teng, being closer to the situation, took the initiative and arrived at the northern pastures first, encountering the Black Mountain Lord before Tang Xiaotang could, leaving her glaring at the situation.
Within the Dragon and Tiger Mountain, Lei Jun and his master, Yuan Mobai, sat facing each other.
"The Governor truly can't let go, can he?" Yuan Mobai asked.
"Yes, he's quite persistent," Lei Jun agreed, passing a report to his master.
The Overlord of the East Sea, the great demon Sea King, reappeared near the coast, showing signs of landing.
"Chaos is rising, and the nation's fortune is declining... The
Chapter end
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