Chapter 405: Tang Xiaotang's New Interest

Chapter 405: Tang Xiaotang's New Interest

The people of Jiu Li practiced the heritage of the Wu Men, and most of them had robust physiques.

Li Ying, despite being a woman, had a tall and slender figure that exuded a sense of power.

This was the first time Lei Jun had seen a woman taller than Tang Xiaotang since coming to this world. She was only an inch or two shorter than him and Shen Qubing.

As far as he knew, she practiced the lineage of Wu Men incantations.

However, it was said that with the enhancement of various incantations, their combat style actually leaned towards close-quarters combat, starkly different from the Reincarnation Abyss cultivators of the human Wu Men.

Back in the day when Li Yuanheng and Li Zhongding competed for the hegemony of Dihai, the Wu Li tribe was an ally of the Tan Li tribe, led by Li Yuanheng.

Prior to that, the Tan Li, Wu Li, and two other tribes joined forces to oppose the Luo Abyssal Demon.

Subsequently, due to the attack by "Li Zhongding" and several other tribes, the Tan Li and Wu Li tribes suffered significant losses.

Not only was Li Yuanheng wounded, but the previous head of the Wu Li clan also passed away because of the joint attack by the Luo Yuan demon and "Li Zhongding."

After his passing, the leadership of the Wu Li tribe was passed on to his daughter, Li Ying.

Initially, Li Ying, as the new leader, continued to support Li Yuanheng.

However, Li Yuanheng's choice to reopen the portal between Dihai and Louyuan, enabling the chaotic demons of Louyuan to pour into Dihai for his own escape, significantly disappointed Li Ying.

On the contrary, when Lei Jun, a human from the Xuanyuan tribe, slew the Corpse Flea King and "Li Zhongding," Li Ying felt a sense of peace as she recalled her deceased father and tribespeople who had perished.

However, due to the past conflicts between the Jiu Li and Xuanyuan tribes, Li Ying couldn't help but exhibit a cautious demeanor as she stood alongside Shen Qubing, facing Lei Jun.

Lei Jun, with a calm expression, addressed her, "Lady Li."

Compared to human cultivators, Li Ying's emotions were more evident on her face when she felt complex.

Nonetheless, she calmed her mind and, following the customs of the Wu Men, exchanged greetings with Lei Jun, "Heavenly Master Lei."

Lei Jun lightly nodded, deciding to refrain from discussing the ancient history between the Jiu Li and humanity. He expressed his doubts by saying, "There are certain things I would like to clear up regarding Dihai. As for the remainder of the issues, Lady Li, you can address them with Tian Qing, General Shen, and the Blood River Sect at a later time."

Li Ying was slightly taken aback by his words, but she soon understood his intention.

The Heavenly Master of the Longhu Mountain, the leader of the Daoist Talisman Sect, standing before her, seemed to lack a strong sense of aggression and expansion.

However, he did seem to mind the presence of those who had once held hostility towards him and the humans.

"What does Heavenly Master Lei wish to ask?" Li Ying inquired, her wariness not entirely dissipated, but her tone remained crisp and decisive.

Lei Jun asked, "Is the current name of the Jiu Li, 'Tan, Ju, Lu, Wen, Wu, Po, Guang, Fu, and Bi,' something that has been passed down since ancient times, or did it emerge later?"

Upon hearing his question, both Shen Qubing and Li Ying were stunned.

"The stars endure, but the emergence of star names varies. Furthermore, to my knowledge, the grouping of these nine stars didn't originate as far back as ancient times," Lei Jun explained.

"When did the Jiu Li start using this set of names?" he continued.

Li Ying's expression turned even more solemn upon hearing his question, and after a moment of contemplation, she replied, "To be honest, I'm not certain about the exact timing either. But it's definitely not something that has been passed down since ancient times. It should be something that started a few thousand years ago. Even my ancestors, my parents, don't know the specifics. It wasn't that long ago, but it was indeed many years back."

Lei Jun pondered, "The Jiu Li has always been... well, led by the Tan Li, right?"

Li Ying candidly answered, "That's correct. The Tan Li has always been the leading tribe among us, producing a plethora of experts. While we can't say they've always been in the lead, most of the time, over these many years, it has been the case."

"Thank you, Lady Li, for clearing my doubts," Lei Jun expressed his gratitude.

After bidding farewell to Shen Qubing and Li Ying, he left on his own.

Due to the previous grand battles, he might not have been able to navigate other places, but he knew the direction to the ancestral land of the Tan Li tribe.

Li Ying could guess his destination, but she kept it to herself.

Meanwhile, one of Shen Qubing's subordinates approached him with a report.

The subordinate glanced at Li Ying and then addressed Shen Qubing, "Is it about the Blood River Sect's Elder Li and the Ju Li tribe's Li Bin?"

Shen Qubing replied, "Go ahead and speak."

The subordinate then reported, "General, Elder Li of the Blood River Sect has slain Li Bin of the Ju Li tribe!"

Upon hearing this news, Li Ying took a deep breath.

This occurred when Li Bin, a member of the Ju Li tribe, conspired with the Corpse Flea King, manipulating Li Zhongding's corpse to stage a treacherous assault on the Tan Li and Wu Li tribes. This vicious act took place amidst the pandemonium caused by the Luo Yuan demons' incursion into Dihai, resulting in the tragic death of her father, the previous chief of the Wu Li tribe.

If she hadn't met up with Lei Junior, she would have been heading toward finding Libin, along with Lier Tianqing.

"Where is Elder Li heading now?" Shen Qubing inquired.

The Tang soldier replied, "His current whereabouts are unknown, but there are rumors that Elder Li has gone to find Bi Li's tribe leader, Li De."

Shen Qubing nodded slightly.

He had grown familiar with the Song Pure Yang Palace's former senior, Wen Xi, as they had encountered each other in the past. He had even heard about the calamity that befell the ancestral land of Ge Po Mountain, caused by the Po Li and Bi Li tribes, resulting in the demise of the former saint, Sang Lu.

Several years earlier, because of the urgency to intercept the Nine-winged Golden Cicada, Li Tianqing had missed his chance to enter Dihai. However, he would not let this opportunity pass him by again.

Meanwhile, Li Ying gazed at the dim Dihai in silence.

The Corpse Flea King and Li Bin died one after the other, Li Yuanheng fled, and the great demon Luoyuan was also driven back.

The catastrophe in Dihai finally came to an end.

But for the Jiuli, the loss was so devastating that it was beyond the simple description of a setback. What would happen to Dihai from now on was also worrying.

.................................................

Lei Jun wasn't that concerned about what would happen to Dihai next.

Personally, he had no grudges with Li Yuanheng, and he had come here this time mainly to assist his junior martial sister, Tang Xiaotang.

As long as Dihai no longer produced people like Li Yan and Li De, who eroded the human realm, Lei Jun himself wasn't concerned about the internal changes in the Jiuli.

What interested him now was the person who had caused the Jiuli to change their name.

This matter seemed simple, but it couldn't withstand careful scrutiny.

The Jiuli in Dihai had always been closed off and guarded, and it wasn't something just anyone could achieve to make such a huge change to their traditions as a whole.

Combining the timing, Lei Jun inadvertently felt that it was related to that massive change in the world back in the late Han dynasty.

There was still a lack of evidence at the moment, but Lei Jun intuitively felt that the changes in the Jiuli of Dihai had also occurred around that time.

Back then, there were still ascendant immortals in existence. He wondered if it had anything to do with them?

Lei Jun was currently quite interested in beings related to the immortal realm.

He arrived at the ancestral land of the Tan Li clan.

To be precise, this could only be considered the old site.

The vast majority of the Tan Li clan members had evacuated with their clan leader, Li Yuanheng, and left Dihai to take refuge in the human realm of the Exotic Khanate, relying on the land of no light there.

It should be said that Li Yuanheng had made some preparations beforehand.

Although he had a chance to control the Corpse Flea King and seize control of the "Li Zhongding" with his gu worm techniques, that was still a great demon equivalent to a Nine Heavens cultivator, and Li Yuanheng himself was still injured.

So he also made plans in case he failed this time.

Therefore, the Tan Li clan's evacuation and relocation this time was not hasty.

Most of the items in the ancestral land had been sorted out and successfully taken away.

A very small number of items that were indeed difficult to relocate in a short period of time were also properly disposed of and cleaned up.

Whether it was gu techniques, curses, or blood rivers, they all had their own means of destroying and cleaning up traces.

Therefore, the ancestral land of the Tan Li clan was now basically a blank slate.

Lei Jun walked in between them, and from time to time, there were still remnants of gu insects and curse power fluctuations.

"Zizi zizi..."

The sound of electricity rang out, and purple thunderbolts surged around Lei Jun, with fierce and masculine Nine Heavens Divine Thunder transforming into electric snakes that shuttled through the area, purging all the sinister energy that remained here.

In his pupils, the Tian Tong Di Che Fa Lu quietly flowed, flashing with a faint light.

After careful differentiation, Lei Jun left behind a few traces.

The electric snakes transformed into purple thunder dragons and devoured the clues that Lei Jun looked at differently, but they did not destroy them immediately.

Lei Jun first cleaned up roughly, and then started to ponder carefully.

The noteworthy traces were condensed into one spiritual talisman after another by his spiritual power.

Lei Jun studied them carefully.

After an unknown amount of time, he waved his hand and put away the other spiritual talismans, leaving only one in mid-air.

Then Lei Jun took out the Seal of the Heavens.

The Seal of the Heavens flashed with a flickering light.

The remaining spiritual talisman in mid-air also had a spiritual light flashing on its surface.

"Is it someone related to the previous Celestial Palace?" Lei Jun understood, "No wonder they changed the name of the Jiuli with the reliance on the stars."

It was just unknown if that person was still alive.

Opening the Immortal Gate and entering the Immortal Realm would further increase a cultivator's lifespan.

But for most people, there was still a limit to their lifespan.

Several thousand years had passed since the late Han dynasty, and most of the beings active back then would have long passed away by now if they hadn't continued to improve their cultivation, even if they hadn't met with any disasters or calamities.

Lei Jun used the Seal of the Heavens to press down on the spiritual talisman.

The spiritual talisman immediately ignited with wisps of green smoke.

The green smoke curled and did not disperse, as if it was constantly deducing something.

Lei Jun patiently waited.

During this period, everything in Dihai gradually settled down.

On the side of the Secret Pavilion, after the offensive of the Great Ming Empire declined, there were no further movements, and there were even signs of them beating a further retreat.

It didn't seem like they were biding their time for a big move, but rather that the Great Ming Empire was once again staging their traditional internal power struggle.

On the other hand, Junior Martial Sister Tang Xiaotang didn't disappoint in the human realm of the Exotic Khanate, and she had caused another big incident.

First, after consecutively losing Saruo Heng and several other top experts, creating a power vacuum in the former Song territories conquered by the Golden Khanate, the Golden Khanate did not ignore it.

Although the Golden Khan himself still did not appear in person, a top expert from the northwest came south.

The leader of the Sumeru Lotus Department, Zongga, a Buddhist Hand Seal cultivator who had reached the fifth layer of the Nine Heavens realm, arrived in the former Song territories in the south.

Whether it was the Golden Khanate or the Sumeru Lotus Department, they both attached great importance to the changes in the former Song territories, and they were even willing to take a defensive stance against the White Deer Khanate and the Gray Wolf Khanate, making some concessions.

A Nine Heavens cultivator like Zhu Junjie, the Great Scholar who Pacifies the World, would be a force to be reckoned with if left unchecked.

Moreover, Zhu Junjie alone could not have directly ended Saruo Heng, Baima Shangren, Liang Zhuo, and many other experts.

Although most of the Golden Khanate cultivators present at that time had perished, Li Hang did not hold back when it came to Lei Jun and Tang Xiaotang, and he helped them gain a lot of fame in the human realm of the Exotic Khanate.

Without Lei Jun's instruction, Zhu Junjie also wasted no time in spreading the news about Li Hang and the Diguo of the Great Song Human Realm, making it common knowledge.

With the addition of the Greedy Li Clan from the Earth Sea, who had withdrawn to this human realm with Li Yuanheng, the Golden Khanate was not just facing a fire in their backyard, but an entire sea of flames.

No matter how unwilling they were, they had no choice but to send more experts south to stabilize the situation.

Based on Tang Xiatang’s account, this time around, the Lotus Minister Zongga provided greater resources and backing than he did during Gyatso’s initial arrival.

Of the three great treasures of the Sumeru Lotus Ministry, Zongga brought with him the Solitary Vajra Pestle and the Amitabha Peacock Throne, while the Mother Tu of the Fapoluo Secretarial Bodhisattva Ministry did not make an appearance. With these two treasures, Zongga's combat power was at its peak.

Even so, Zongga couldn't confidently say that he could suppress a group of experts like Lei Jun, Tang Xiatang, Li Yuanheng, Li Hang, and Zhu Junjie by himself.

His primary purpose in coming was to stabilize the situation and prevent it from deteriorating further.

Fortunately, these experts didn't all get along, and some even harbored enmity towards each other.

Among the five ministries of the Sumeru Vajra Realm, the Lotus Ministry has always placed the most emphasis on spiritual cultivation and wisdom perception.

Zongga didn't engage in a direct confrontation with Tang Xiatang and the others either.

However, with such a Ninth Heaven Dharma body perfection Buddhist master by their side, Tang Xiatang's actions were inevitably affected, causing her to temporarily lose the trail of Li Yuanheng.

If it were another time, Tang Xiatang would have been furious.

This time, she wanted nothing more than to stuff Zongga's head into a lotus pod, but for now, something else had caught her attention.

When one door closes, another opens. After losing the trail of Li Yuanheng, Tang Xiatang unexpectedly stumbled upon another opportunity.

"The legacy of an early Taoist predecessor of the Great Song Chunyang Palace?"

In the Earth Sea, at the site of the former Greedy Li Clan's ancestral land, Lei Jun was arranging the spirit talismans in front of him, which were shrouded in mist, while chatting with Tang Xiatang.

With Lei Jun's Heaven-Seeing and Earth-Hearing Talisman, his eyes shone with the light of the Heaven-Penetrating and Earth-Thorough Method, allowing him to communicate with Tang Xiatang and even see what she saw.

"It's not just a simple legacy." Tang Xiatang giggled, "I did some organizing, and I think I can pretend to be someone else like you did with Chen Elder from Shushan."

"..."

Lei Jun was left speechless for a moment.

He still remembered how Tang Xiatang had found it amusing when he, as Chen Donglou, had killed Fu Dongsen, the former head of the Great Tang Shushan School. She had then declared that she wanted to find a disguise and play around as well.

However, given Tang Xiatang's temperament and habits, it was hard to imagine her perfectly impersonating someone else without giving herself away...

"Well... Little Senior Sister, they say that contrast is important. If the personality and behavior of this identity are almost identical to yours, it will be easy to see through."

Lei Jun said, "Of course, the most important thing is to match the original temperament and style of this identity."

"Okay, I'll give it a try!" Tang Xiatang's voice was full of excitement.

For Tang Xiatang, impersonating the other party's pure Yang Palace's true biography was actually a little easier.

Although her innate talent had been transformed into a Taecho physique, her pure Yang foundation remained intact, and she could effortlessly summon the pure Yang true flame. Her physical vitality and endurance were remarkable, and her spiritual shielding abilities were also far superior to those of ordinary individuals, thanks to her exceptionally potent Great Vehicle Dao internal energy cultivation.

What would be the expression of Great Tang Chunyang Palace's Lu Jinduan, Wang Xuan, and others if they heard this news?

"I'll think about it some more." Tang Xiatang seemed reluctant to let go for the time being.

In the eyes of others in the Human Realm of the Exotic Khanates, Tang Xiatang had temporarily disappeared, and her whereabouts were unknown.

Some people breathed a sigh of relief because of this.

Some people became even more anxious.

In the Earth Sea, Lei Jun used the Heaven-Penetrating and Earth-Thorough Method to connect his vision with one of the Heaven-Seeing and Earth-Hearing Talismans that Tang Xiatang had left behind.

At this moment, what appeared before his eyes was a middle-aged Taoist priest wearing a black and white Taoist robe and a Taoist headscarf.

This Taoist priest looked dignified and truly like an immortal with his lofty and righteous air.

...if he hadn't suddenly lost his composure and burst out laughing.

"Zheng Chen, in terms of seniority, Li Hang should call me Master Uncle!" Tang Xiatang laughed heartily.

Lei Jun: "Elder Zheng, I am Lei Jun from Longhushan."

The middle-aged Taoist priest, who was Tang Xiatang's incarnation, also smiled and said, "Greetings to the Heavenly Master of Longhu Mountain."

Although she wanted nothing more than to find her nephew Li Hang and have a heart-to-heart talk with him, Tang Xiatang thought it over and decided to continue trying to find Li Yuanheng.

Much to Lei Jun and Tang Xiatang's surprise, the Golden Khanate, which had been dominating this human realm for many years, had indeed been running into bad luck lately.

Just as the Lotus Minister Zongga had finally come south, the troubles didn't stop at Tang Xiatang, Li Hang, and Zhu Junjie, but kept coming one after another.

Before Zongga could even catch a break from Tang Xiatang's disappearance, a void portal reopened in the southwest.

One of the Nine Heavens and Ten Realms, the Yellow Springs, which had been closed off due to the surging waves of the River of Forgetfulness and the sinking of the White Bone Ships, reappeared in the world.

While the closure in the Great Tang Human Realm remained intact, the void portal connecting the Yellow Springs to the Human Realm of the Exotic Khanates had reopened.

The Yellow Springs Zhongli Shushan lineage did not invade this human realm on a large scale.

However, Zongga vaguely sensed that some top powerhouses from the Yellow Springs had arrived in this mortal world.

The master behind such a feat was most likely Ji Yao, the Sect Leader of Rishu Mountain himself.

Compared to the Great Tang, he was undoubtedly more familiar with this side of the Exotic Khanate.

What made the people of the Golden Khanate even more anxious was that, in addition to the Yellow Springs, even the Return to Nothingness, one of the Ten Lands, had suddenly become connected to this side of the Exotic Khanate as well.

Unlike the Great Ming, this was the first time this world had communicated with the Return to Nothingness.

But the result was the same.

Demonic beasts ran amok.

Zong Ga, the master of the Lotus Sect, had never expected that the more he tried to put out the fire, the more places it would ignite.

However, what caught the attention of many was that even with the situation having escalated to such a degree, the Golden Khan had still not made an appearance.

In the eyes of those with hidden motives, this was a rather unsettling signal.

Within the Earthly Sea, Lei Jun was surprised by the series of changes in the Exotic Khanate, but he remained unmoved and continued his cultivation at his own pace.

Aside from reminding his junior martial sister, Tang Xiaotang, to be more vigilant, Lei Jun's days proceeded with his continued research on the lingering mist that burned on the spirit talisman.

Time had passed by in great abundance, but from countless fragments, Lei Jun gradually pieced together the bits he needed.

He had to thank Li Yuanheng.

Although their starting points may have been different, the other party had also privately investigated the events of that year.

For Li Yuanheng, who had already attained perfection in the Ninth Heaven, he too yearned for the mythical immortal realm.

The people possibly related to the Nine Lis of old had also piqued Li Yuanheng's interest, prompting him to explore.

Having realized this, Lei Jun had a moment of enlightenment.

Later, as expected, the various clues left by the mist indeed pointed towards the Exotic Khanate, or to be more precise, the Great Song realm of old.

No wonder Li Yuanheng had led the Nine Lis to flee towards the Exotic Khanate.

He had secretly investigated this place before, hence his familiarity with the local environment, such as the Land of No Light.

The relevant opportunity, however, had originated from Li Yuanheng's pursuit of the immortal, which had then led him to this realm.

The mist on the spirit talisman swirled and finally came to life, pointing towards a distant direction.

As Lei Jun observed, the direction indicated by the mist was indeed where the portal connecting the Earthly Sea and the Exotic Khanate was located.

After informing Tang Xiaotang and Shen Quibing, he set off, following the trail left by the mist.

Upon re-entering the Exotic Khanate, Lei Jun did not linger in the Land of No Light.

He concealed his cultivation and aura, and under the cover of the Taqing Bajing treasure, it was as if he did not exist in this world.

The mist led towards the north, the heart of this world's original lands.

Lei Jun quietly observed as the mist hovered in this region, eventually sinking silently into the ground.

Although this realm had consecutively become connected to the Earthly Sea, Yellow Springs, and the Return to Nothingness, the void here was exceptionally stable. The mist sank into the ground and dissipated without a trace, failing to open a new portal.

Lei Jun roughly estimated their location and felt that it resembled the initial landing site of Youyin from years ago, the same place that had caused the Great Song Dynasty much grief and led to the complete downfall of their northern territories.

Back then, the Great Song Dynasty had even suffered the complete occupation of their northern lands, forcing them to retreat to a small corner of survival.

It was only later, due to rumored internal strife within Youyin, that the Great Song Dynasty had a chance to reclaim their lost lands.

Unfortunately, not long after that, the rise of the Great Wilderness Tribe in the northwest and the southward expansion of the Golden Khanate had followed suit.

The Great Song Dynasty ultimately could not withstand these successive blows.

And just like that, Youyin had also never reappeared since then, remaining untraceable for many years.

According to Lei Jun's current intelligence, there had been no news of Youyin in any of the other human realms in recent years as well.

Lei Jun contemplated the scenery of the northern lands before him, deep in thought.

Later, Tang Xiaotang's message interrupted Lei Jun's train of thought:

"The icy waters of the Return to Nothingness spread far and wide, giving rise to many great demons. But there seem to be quite a few good things as well. How about we give it a shot and try our luck?"

This proposal was quite in line with her habit of frequently shifting her interests.

However, before Lei Jun could reply, a glowing sphere suddenly appeared in his mind, from which words began to emerge:

【The winds of the four directions gather, and with a single thought, the Return to Nothingness shall respond.】

Four divinations then followed:

【Upper-Middle Sign: Proceed to the Kyushu Estuary, where there is a chance for a Third-Rank opportunity. There may be slight turbulence, but there is no risk at present, and with prudent management, there will be no worries. Auspicious.】

【Upper-Middle Sign: Proceed to the southern foothills of Changfeng Mountain, where there is a chance for a Fourth-Rank opportunity. There is no risk at present, and there will be no worries afterward. Auspicious.】

【Middle Sign: Proceed to any place other than the Kyushu Estuary, the southern foothills of Changfeng Mountain, and the outskirts of Huangye Lake, where there will be no additional gains nor losses. Neutral.】

【Lower-Middle Sign: Proceed to Huangye Lake, where there is a chance for a Fourth-Rank opportunity. However, peril lurks at every step, and escaping unharmed will be challenging. Inauspicious.】

Lei Jun carefully read through the divinations, and his attention was first drawn to the last one, the Lower-Middle Sign.

It was very rare to come across a divination that described a path of "peril at every step" with his current cultivation. This warranted attention.

A Fourth-Rank opportunity was indeed tempting, but when paired with such a description, it was undoubtedly a path of doom.

In comparison, the two Upper-Middle Signs were much more appealing.

However, this Lower-Middle Sign could also become somewhat more appealing...

After some contemplation, Lei Jun contacted Tang Xiaotang: "Junior Martial Sister, where are you currently?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end