https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-402-Who-are-you-Taoist-priests-of-the-Fulu-Sect-/12600358/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-403-The-Heavenly-Palace-s-Old-Subordinates-Part-2-/12600377/
Chapter 403: The Heavenly Palace's Old Subordinates (Part 1)
Chapter 403: The Heavenly Palace's Old Subordinates (Part 1)
The Confucian Chanting Sect, when compared to the Scholastic and Divine Archery Sects, places a greater emphasis on spiritual cultivation and communion with the heavens.
While they do not shed their physical bodies like the practitioners of the Daoist Artifice Sect, the cultivators of the Chanting Sect view their physical forms merely as vessels for their spirits.
Thus, it is common for the great Confucian scholars of the Chanting Sect to experience astral projection.
Even if their physical bodies are destroyed, their spirits can still find a way to persist between heaven and earth.
At this moment, Liang Zhuo was shocked as he witnessed the Guangmo Sword bisecting his body. He quickly released his spirit from his mutilated corpse.
However, as the treasure sword flew towards him, it erupted with fierce lightning that not only devoured Liang Zhuo's remains but also engulfed his spirit, causing it immense pain.
Liang Zhuo attempted to resist and break free, but in an instant, more sword lights flashed across the pitch-black universe, ending his life.
He did manage to recover from his initial astonishment.
But what followed was even greater bewilderment.
He could only perceive the dharma sword's manifestation, while the Daoist practitioner of the Talisman Sect remained hidden somewhere within this universe.
Moreover, where had Monk Baima and the other Buddhist monks of the Sumeru Lotus Sect gone? What of Salue Heng and the others outside this Daoist Grand Dao scene?
Liang Zhuo had many more questions running through his mind.
But he could no longer continue his train of thought.
His spirit, shredded by the flying sword, was now completely engulfed by the ensuing lightning.
Lei Jun, whom he had been thinking about, was not currently present in this Grand Dao scene.
Putting aside Chu Duomingfei and the others from the Lotus Sect, Monk Baima's cultivation level was higher than Liang Zhuo's, so Lei Jun naturally focused more of his attention on Monk Baima.
Compared to Liang Zhuo, Monk Baima had an even worse temperament.
This was because Lei Jun had consecutively shattered her Wheel of Perfect Clarity and her Dharma body, resulting in her death.
After dealing with Liang Zhuo and the Sumeru Lotus Sect disciples, Lei Jun dispersed his Grand Dao scene, and the darkness receded, revealing the real world once more.
The great battle outside had also come to an end.
The Chieftain of the Jilong Tribe of the Golden Khanate, Salu Heng, had perished.
He was a Mounted Martial Saint who excelled in the riding and archery style, and his speed in advancing and retreating was exceptionally fast.
However, his personality was courageous, warlike, and competitive, and he did not choose to flee when he had the chance.
As a result, he found himself trapped within Tang Xiaotang's Grand Dao scene, and escaping became much more challenging.
On the other hand, though the Chief of the Greedy Tribe of Earthsea, Li Yuanheng, had suffered a severe injury and was "killed" on the spot by Tang Xiaotang...
"This bastard used Gu magic to cheat death and revive himself!" Tang Xiaotang's face showed her displeasure, but her eyes remained clear and calm.
The manifestation of the Eye of Heaven's Heart above her head also maintained a bright, clear, and tranquil gaze.
"A Descended God of the Nine Heavens who cultivates Gu magic would indeed possess such means, even when severely injured," Lei Jun commented.
Tang Xiaotang humphed, "Unacceptable. I'm going to find him!"
As she turned to leave, she suddenly remembered something and took the Heavenly Master's Seal from her waist, returning it to Lei Jun.
"Keep this for now. We'll take it one step at a time. After I deal with that member of the Nine Li Tribe, we'll go find that scoundrel who tried to take the Heavenly Master's Seal."
Lei Jun took the Heavenly Master's Seal with one hand and spread the other, revealing some ancient-looking talismans. These were the ones left behind after he had attacked the other party's Nascent Soul Spirit and forced them to retreat.
The Daoist cultivator from the Dan Ding Sect had attempted to seize the Heavenly Master's Seal using his spirit magic and these talismans.
"The so-called... Southern Red Emperor?" Lei Jun mused, "Elder Sister mentioned him before."
"No mistake, it's him!" Tang Xiaotang affirmed.
When Xu Yuanzhen first entered Penglai, she had interacted with several Daoist cultivators, and later, she had discussed them with Lei Jun, Tang Xiaotang, and their fellow disciples.
Thus, Lei Jun and Tang Xiaotang knew that in addition to the Northern Black Emperor, Huang Xuanpu, and the Western White Emperor, Han Qingtao, there was at least one other figure known as the Southern Red Emperor.
Han Qingtao was the former leader of the Great Ming Shushan Sect, a cultivator of the Nine Heavens realm, and a Grand Daoist Immortal of the Daoist Artifice Sect.
As for the Southern Red Emperor, he was also a Grand Daoist Immortal of the Dan Ding Sect, just like Huang Xuanpu, and a direct descendant of the Pure Yang Palace lineage.
However, due to the current division of the human realm, his specific origins were unclear.
But they had a good understanding of his Daoist techniques and abilities.
"The spirit magic he used to ambush and attack you just now was probably the Yin Spirit Edge, derived from the Pure Yang Mother Qi," Lei Jun said.
This was a secret spirit art that the Pure Yang Palace of the Great Tang did not possess.
However, its origins could be traced.
The Great Tang's Pure Yang Palace had a top-tier Daoist martial art known as the Pure Yang Mother Fist, which was one of the foundational ultimate arts of the Pure Yang Palace lineage. It was simple yet pure, and infinitely profound.
Many of the Pure Yang Palace's ultimate arts originated from this art.
Among them, the two most supreme arts were the Yang Extreme Primordial Qi and the Yin Extreme Treasure Ding.
The Southern Red Emperor was also well-versed in the Pure Yang Mother Fist, the Yang Extreme Primordial Qi, and the Yin Extreme Treasure Ding.
However, in addition to these, he also understood another spirit art, which was believed to be derived from the Pure Yang Mother Fist.
Its name was the Pure Yang Mother Qi, Yin Spirit Edge.
The Yin Extreme Treasure Ding, formed from the Daoist martial art of the Pure Yang Mother Fist, integrated offense and defense, with a focus on defense.
On the other hand, the Yin Spirit Edge, as a spirit secret art, was a purely offensive technique. It was extremely sharp, appearing and disappearing without a trace, as if it came out of thin air. It directly bypassed all defenses and concentrated on piercing the spirit, making it incredibly lethal.
Fortunately, Tang Xiaotang possessed exceptional talent, and she had detected it early on.
Having first formed the Pure Yang Immortal Body and then the Primordial Dao Body, she constantly tempered and refined her spirit, making it exceptionally resilient. Combined with the protection of the Heavenly Master's Seal, the Yin Spirit Edge was rendered ineffective.
"He didn't track us from the Earthly Sea, his appearance here suggests that his roots are in this Human Realm."
Lei Jun speculated, "While we can't be absolutely certain that his roots are here, it's highly likely."
He turned to look at Zhu Junjie, who was standing beside them.
Zhu Junjie's eyes remained calm as he asked, "Are you two talking about the Human Path Country?"
Lei Jun replied, "It seems that Layman Zhu is well-informed about the situation."
Zhu Junjie said, "To be honest, Zhu has limited knowledge, but listening to your conversation, I was able to piece some things together..."
Tang Xiaotang interrupted him and asked eagerly, "Who was that Ninth Heaven Dan Ding Sect cultivator who ambushed me?"
Zhu Junjie answered, "As far as Zhu knows, the only Grand Vehicle Golden Immortal with such cultivation in the Dan Ding Sect is Li Hang, the master of Pure Yang Palace."
The Pure Yang Palace of the Great Song.
"So it's Li Hang," Tang Xiaotang said, then waved her hand at Lei Jun and Zhu Junjie before transforming into a golden light and rushing off into the distance.
She was still busy pursuing Li Yuanheng, who had cheated death and been reborn.
"Our sect's Senior Sister Tang hates evil as much as she loves justice. Please don't take offense at her impoliteness, Layman Zhu," Lei Jun said.
Zhu Junjie shook his head. "How could I, Daoist Lei? I should be the one expressing my gratitude for the help of the two Golden Immortals from your sect."
After he finished speaking, Zhu Junjie bowed to Lei Jun.
Lei Jun returned the courtesy with a Daoist salute. "Layman Zhu is too kind. My sectmate and I were merely passing by."
After the exchange of greetings, Zhu Junjie's gaze swept over Lei Jun's nine-colored cassock, and he paused for a moment before asking, "May I ask... is your surname Lei, Daoist?"
"I am Lei Jun from Longhu Mountain in the Great Tang Dynasty," Lei Jun introduced himself.
A look of realization flashed in Zhu Junjie's eyes as he said, "So you are indeed the Heavenly Master of the Great Tang's Longhu Mountain. Zhu is fortunate to make your acquaintance."
"Has Layman Zhu heard of me from the northwest of this Human Realm?" Lei Jun asked.
"Indeed," Zhu Junjie replied. "The one who was here earlier was your sect's Tang Zhenren, wasn't she? Your names are well-known in the Great Song as well."
The northwest of this Human Realm referred to the direction where the Canglang Khanate and the White Deer Khanates were located.
Zhu Junjie and the other remnants of the Great Song had been in a difficult situation lately, but they had not completely cut off contact with the outside world.
Through the news that came sporadically from the north, they had heard about the previous experiences of the Lone Eagle Khanate and learned some related information about the Great Tang Human Realm.
Here, the news about the Great Tang was relatively vague and often revolved around a few key names.
At the top of the list were Emperor Zhang Wantong of the Tang, and Lei Jun and Tang Xiaotang of Longhu Mountain.
After meeting Lei Jun and Tang Xiaotang, Zhu Junjie had his suspicions.
The Fu Lu sect of the Daoist tradition had more than one Grand Vehicle Golden Immortal, and one of them was a female crown bearer with the surname Tang. The other was a Heavenly Master of Longhu Mountain, just as described in the ancient texts, wearing a nine-colored cassock...
Their identities were as clear as day.
When he heard Lei Jun introduce himself, Zhu Junjie felt that his suspicions were confirmed.
Of course, there were also some unexpected aspects.
The news about the Great Tang that reached this Human Realm was often rough and filled with inaccuracies.
Although Zhu Junjie had heard of Lei Jun and his companion before, witnessing their display of power firsthand—even without engaging them as enemies—was still a breathtaking experience. He felt that the previous rumors had not only failed to exaggerate their strength but had actually underestimated these two Golden Immortals of the Daoist sect.
However, Zhu Junjie quickly regained his composure.
It was inevitable that the news about the Great Tang that reached this Human Realm would be delayed.
Moreover, the information that Zhu Junjie and the others received was not even first-hand.
As the saying goes, a day apart feels like three autumns.
The Lei Heavenly Master and the Tang Zhenren before him were obviously very young, talented, and capable of making rapid progress at any moment.
The rumors in the Great Song corresponded only to their abilities from an earlier time.
It was not surprising that there had been some changes since then.
Wasn't Zhu Junjie himself the same? Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to withstand the encirclement and suppression of the Golden Khanate.
"Layman Zhu just mentioned Li Hang..." After exchanging a few more words with Zhu Junjie, Lei Jun brought the conversation back to the previous topic.
Zhu Junjie explained, "I have also heard of the name Human Path Country, but they kept a low profile in the past and remained hidden. It was only in recent years that their existence was revealed to the world.
The one who leads them is known as the Southern Red Emperor, and his identity and whereabouts have always been shrouded in mystery. If Heavenly Master Lei confirms that the ambusher earlier was the Southern Red Emperor, then Zhu believes that he is indeed Li Hang.
The soul secret technique, Yin Shen Feng, is a unique skill of the Pure Yang Palace, and the only person with such cultivation is Li Hang."
Lei Jun nodded slightly.
The accumulation of time and history in the Great Ming Human Realm far exceeded that of the Great Tang Human Realm, with a difference of a full two thousand four hundred years.
While the gap was not as extreme in this Human Realm, it still amounted to over a thousand years.
Under such circumstances, it was entirely possible for the Pure Yang Palace of the Great Song to innovate and create new divine abilities based on their original collection of Daoist techniques.
Thus, from the Pure Yang Mother Fist, they developed the Pure Yang Mother Qi and Yin Shen Feng.
As Zhu Junjie spoke, Lei Jun gained a deeper understanding of this Human Realm.
The Pure Yang Palace used to be the foremost sacred site of the Daoist sect in the Great Song. However, it had once gone through a major split, with a significant number of its disciples leaving to establish a new Daoist sect called Sanchun Palace.
After that, the Pure Yang Palace remained within the territory of the Great Song Dynasty.
The Sanchun Palace, on the other hand, journeyed westward.
Eventually, the Sanchun Palace joined the Lone Eagle Khanate, one of the four major khanates of the foreign races, in their western expedition.
And ultimately, they met with a great calamity along with the Lone Eagle Khanate.
Nowadays, there were still descendants of the Sanchun Palace in the far western lands of this Human Realm, but they were no longer a force to be reckoned with.
The Pure Yang Palace in the Great Song had also been through tough times, almost declining alongside the Great Song Dynasty.
In recent years, the Golden Khanate had finally conquered the Song Dynasty. Although the Pure Yang Palace did not perish alongside it, it was rumored that led by its leader Li Hang, some of its disciples had set sail and gone into hiding beyond the seas.
There were also those who, like Liang Zhuo and his companions, pledged their allegiance to the Golden Khanate.
However, due to the presence of the Sumeru Lotus Ministry, the situation for these descendants of the Daoist sect was not ideal.
(End of Chapter)
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