Chapter 410: Nine Heavens, Third Layer, Five Spirits, and Five Qi (Part 1)

Chapter 410: Nine Heavens, Third Layer, Five Spirits, and Five Qi (Part 1)



Xu Yuanzhen left to attend to her own matters.

Lei Jun sent all the latest information to his junior martial sister, Tang Xiaotang, who was in the human realm of the Foreign Khanate.

Tang Xiaotang had already sensed the presence of Buddhist monks from Mount Sumeru searching for the Land of Ruins and the Lotus Department Master, Zongga.

"It's a pity that the first person in the current world to surpass the Ninth Heaven is not from this era but an old monk from many years ago," Tang Xiaotang said with some regret.

Lei Jun said, "Zen Wisdom Venerable became famous before the historical bifurcation during the Han Dynasty. The fact that he has survived until now cannot be taken lightly."

When he first became famous and shook the Four Directions, he was no ordinary novice immortal.

During the great turmoil at the end of the Han Dynasty, Zen Wisdom Venerable must have also suffered severe damage; otherwise, there would have been news of him before this.

But now, the fact that all those experts from the Great Ming Dynasty ended up perishing in Mount Sumeru is enough to show that the Buddhist Venerable still possesses vast divine powers.

Just look at how the Great Ming crowd could suppress one-third of the Vajra Realm of Mount Sumeru to know the sharpness of their offensive when they temporarily set aside their internal strife and united.

In the end, they met with a fate close to total annihilation, according to rumors.

Zen Wisdom Venerable may have been forced to appear ahead of time, and his situation is not ideal, hence his inability to leave Mount Sumeru at present.

But for now, there is no doubt that Mount Sumeru is as solid as a golden soup.

Other Mount Sumeru monks can leave without any worries and gather to go elsewhere.

Thus, even if Zen Wisdom Venerable does not show himself, the lineup of experts that Mount Sumeru can field is still not to be underestimated.

Tang Xiaotang, however, did not pay much attention to this.

She even wanted to go and watch the fun as Mount Sumeru went to the Land of Ruins to fish for people.

It was just that she had not captured Li Yuanheng yet, which made her hesitate.

Lei Jun, on the other hand, remained on Dragon-Tiger Mountain.

He tried his best to nurture the remnant of the Primeval Heaven that Xu Yuanzhen had sent back, prolonging its existence, while also seizing the opportunity to refine his treasures with this spiritual object.

First was, of course, the Heavenly Master Seal.

Lei Jun's spiritual power condensed, and the flowing light condensed into a large number of talismans.

These talismans hung in the air without dispersing, gradually gathering to form a huge cauldron with a flashing glow.

The remnant of the Primeval Heaven was then thrown into it by Lei Jun.

Like ashes rekindled, twinkling lights began to flash within.

The Heavenly Master Seal then appeared within the cauldron formed by Lei Jun's spiritual power and talismans.

In the cauldron, the remnant of the Primeval Heaven rekindled, combining with the Nine Abyss Real Fire to send streaks of green light soaring into the sky.

Within it was a treasure in the form of a white jade seal, and its surface also began to shine with twinkling lights.

These lights seemed dazzling, but Lei Jun used the power of the cauldron's fire to peel them away from the Heavenly Master Seal.

At this moment, the Heavenly Master Seal underwent another tempering process.

Lei Jun quietly watched this scene while adjusting the fire and controlling the overall situation.

Overall, the improvement of the Heavenly Master Seal was relatively limited.

It wasn't that the remnant of the Primeval Heaven was ineffective, but that after being nurtured by the successive generations of peak experts from the Heavenly Master Mansion, the Heavenly Master Seal had already reached near-perfection based on its own foundation.

There may be more powerful treasures in this world.

But for the Heavenly Master Seal itself, it was already difficult to find any flaws, and it had reached its current best state.

It was always the most difficult to improve upon perfection.

After this new round of tempering and nurturing with the remnant of the Primeval Heaven, the Heavenly Master Seal's spirituality had increased.

Without adding other materials or changing the fundamental framework, this treasure had basically reached its perfect state.

Lei Jun calmly put away the Heavenly Master Seal.

Then, he took out his Taqing Bajing Treasure Cape and placed it into the cauldron, subjecting it to another round of tempering and nurturing with the Nine Abyss Real Fire and the remnant of the Primeval Heaven.

Compared to the Heavenly Master Seal, which had been meticulously refined over the years by successive generations of Heavenly Master Mansion experts, Lei Jun's Taqing Bajing Treasure Cape was also extremely profound, but its foundation was much thinner.

However, from another perspective, the room for improvement was much greater.

The profound power of the remnant of the Primeval Heaven was fully demonstrated at this time.

The Taqing Bajing Treasure Cape, each strand of the cape grass like a dragon, undulated continuously in the emerald green sea of fire within the cauldron.

This was one of Lei Jun's most reliable treasures, not only for its powerful concealment ability but also for its formidable defensive power.

However, in this aspect, it was not as good as the Heavenly Master Robe, which had been nurtured and refined by many people over the years.

When it came to defensive capabilities, the Heavenly Master Robe was still the first choice for the current Dragon-Tiger Mountain Heavenly Master Mansion.

At this moment, the most noticeable change brought about by Lei Jun's refining of the Taqing Bajing Treasure Cape with the remnant of the Primeval Heaven was the significant improvement in its defensive power.

As time passed, the effect became more and more pronounced, almost catching up to the Heavenly Master Robe, which had been tempered and nurtured for many years.

Lei Jun paid no heed to the passing of time, focusing solely on refining his treasures.

Later, once the Taiqing Baijinguan Treasure Cloak has gone through enough refinement, he will replace it with the Shangqing Yuche Sagebound bamboo and put it through the same treatment.

This was a preliminary plan, but Lei Jun already had a draft in mind.

That was to further enhance the offensive capabilities of the Supreme Pure Jade Bamboo.

This treasure was unique in that it could attack an opponent's spiritual soul with great effect.

After undergoing refinement with Xuan Dark Dust and the Nine Firmaments Heart Thunder, the Shangqing Sacred Bamboo can transition from a physical state to a ethereal one, passing through multiple ethereal layers to strike at an enemy's spiritual core.

Generally speaking, ordinary people would be left in a state of debilitation for a short period even if their spiritual souls were not shattered by the Celestial Jade Bamboo.

However, there were a few opponents with extremely resilient spiritual souls.

Being struck by the Shangqing Divine Bamboo in an unprepared state would certainly be uncomfortable, but for a cultivator, the outcome would be preferable to encountering other spiritual relics.

For example, there was Li Hang, the Imperial Lord of the Daoist Country in the Great Song human realm, who had attempted to seize the Heavenly Master Seal but was struck back by Lei Jun's staff not long ago.

He was at the fourth layer of the Ninth Heaven, and although he had not yet achieved the Five Qi Embracing the Yuan, his infant yang spirit was almost as solid as his physical Yuandan.

Lei Jun would not just focus on Li Hang alone.

Lei Jun's attention wasn't solely focused on the alchemists of the Daoist Dan Ding Sect, either.

It could be inferred that the Buddhist monks of the Chi Jie lineage, who were even more renowned for their protective abilities, would also have exceptionally resilient souls.

Fortunately, Lei Jun and Dragon-Tiger Mountain did not have any enemies from that faction at the moment.

However, it didn't stop Lei Jun from considering and preparing in advance.

He had already devised a solution, and although he couldn't guarantee that it would be immediately effective, he believed it would produce results.

That was to cultivate the Three Qi of Dan Ling and create an entirely new and profound transformation within the Great Vehicle Dao Scene.

It was named the Two Extremes Eye.

After this period of silent cultivation, Lei Jun had successfully managed to derive an understanding of the two extremes of the primordial magnetic field and, through the Three Lights of Mist and Smoke and the Two Extremes Immortal Body, he had managed to give birth to the brand-new transformation of the Two Extremes Eye.

This transformation was also a brand-new evolution born from the Primordial Magnetic Sea in Lei Jun's Divine Court Universe and the Primordial Magnetic Star Track within the current Great Vehicle Dao Scene.

It embodied the principles and state of constantly accumulating and then suddenly erupting, contrasting with the Three Lights of Mist and Smoke, which solidified and preserved the essence.

Although it could only be utilized within the Great Vehicle Dao Scene, the Two Extremes Eye could not only empower refined metal objects such as flying swords but also enhance Lei Jun's other supernatural powers and spells, thus increasing their potency.

After nurturing and enhancing the Taqing Bajing Treasure Cape successfully later on, Lei Jun planned to further refine the Upper Clarity Jade Celestial Bamboo by combining the power of the Two Extremes Eye and the Yuan Tian Remnant.

After that, there was still the Jade Clarity Zhou Tian Magic Mirror.

Lei Jun calmed his mind and quietly continued his cultivation and nurturing of his treasures.

Time passed quietly.

In the following year, Lei Jun turned seventy-five.

In his daily life, he did not forget his responsibilities as the Celestial Master, managing the affairs of the mansion and instructing his disciples.

As autumn turned to winter, the new year approached, and Celestial Master Lei presided over the new session of the Dragon-Tiger Transmission Ceremony.

After the ceremony, Lei Jun did not rush to continue his cultivation.

Zhuo Bao Jie, who had previously ascended to the Seventh Heaven, was now also following his master, Lei Jun, to the outside of a cave mansion.

There, their senior martial brother, Wang Gui Yuan, who shared the same master, was also waiting.

Lei Jun stood in the center, with Wang Gui Yuan, dressed in a deep red Daoist robe, half a step behind him.

Although Zhuo Bao Jie was wearing the high-achieving master's purple robe, in this situation, he was another step behind Wang Gui Yuan, quietly standing behind his master and senior martial brother.

After a while, the cave mansion shook and finally opened.

"May you have infinite blessings and longevity. Congratulations, Master, on attaining the Great Vehicle High True Immortal Realm," Lei Jun and Wang Gui Yuan said in unison.

Behind them, Zhuo Bao Jie also followed suit, congratulating his master and grandfather respectfully.

A young man in his twenties, dressed in purple, appeared from within the cave mansion. As always, he wore a gentle smile, making those who looked upon him feel as if they were bathed in spring breeze.

It was none other than Yuan Mo Bai.

"Palace Master." He first returned the greeting according to etiquette and then smiled, "There were quite a few setbacks, but fortunately, everything fell into place in the end."

"Your third senior brother is currently tied up in the Ming Dynasty and couldn't make it back, but he is also happy for you, Master," Lei Jun said.

As he spoke, he took out a Heaven-Sight Earth-Hearing Talisman.

Sure enough, Chu Kun's voice came from the talisman, "May you have infinite blessings and longevity. Congratulations, Master, on attaining the Great Vehicle High True Immortal Realm!"

Yuan Mo Bai smiled and said, "Be careful of Zhong Guang over there."

As they spoke, they entered the cave mansion together.

Yuan Mo Bai maintained proper etiquette even when facing the current Celestial Master, who was also his disciple.

Lei Jun, on the other hand, remained unchanged, feeling much more relaxed and at ease in front of his master than usual.

After chatting for a moment, he asked curiously, "Master, how is your third life-bound supernatural power coming along?"

Yuan Mo Bai was different from most cultivators in this world.

Before he had even crossed the tribulation, the foundation for the life-bound supernatural power that he would cultivate next had already been laid.

This was also a part of his cultivation.

It embodied the principle that Yuan Mo Bai had always taught Lei Jun and his other disciples—that the most suitable supernatural powers and spells were those that fit one's own nature.

Therefore, he had never practiced the Yin Fire Tiger or the Yang Thunder Dragon.

His second life-bound supernatural power, the Nine Revolutions and Nine Refinements Palm Soldier Method, and his current third life-bound supernatural power were both created by Yuan Mo Bai himself.

Back when he had advanced from the Seventh Heaven to the Eighth Heaven, he had already laid the foundation for the Nine Revolutions and Nine Refinements Palm Soldier Method.

And now, as he progressed from the Eighth Heaven to the Ninth Heaven, it was the same.

Shan Pi had the innate ability to control water and fire.

Thus, Yuan Mo Bai's third life-bound supernatural power focused on this, forsaking the traditional Yang Thunder and Yin Fire of Dragon-Tiger Mountain and instead specializing in the water and fire yin-yang methods that suited him better.

Previously, when Yuan Mo Bai, Lei Jun, Xu Yuan Zhen, and Chu Kun had traveled together, they had paid attention to searching for various related spirit fires and water veins.

"I call it the Yin-Yang Jie E Method," Yuan Mo Bai said, explaining the name of his cultivation method.

"The achieved law image is called the Yin-Yang Star Lord Law Image," he continued, describing the manifestation of his cultivation.

Instead of entering the Upper Clarity Thunder Palace Cave Heaven or the Myriad Laws Grand Altar as they had in the past, the master and disciples demonstrated their arts within Lei Jun's Great Vehicle Dao Scene.

Although it seemed limited to the finite space within the cave mansion, the Xuan Huang Universe within contained its own world.

In the boundless dark universe, black and white intertwined around Yuan Mo Bai's body.

The black and white separated into four paths.

Black flames merged with white water currents, and black water currents merged with white flames.

Together, they evolved into a taiji diagram of black and white.

Then, a gigantic figure stepped out from the taiji diagram.

Lei Jun raised his eyebrows slightly at the sight.

Wang Gui Yuan tightened his facial muscles, controlling his expression.

Zhuo Bao Jie, on the other hand, was stunned.

This was because the figure, aside from being extremely large, resembled the Celestial Master Mansion's Grand Elder, Zhuo, in his non-transformed state.

It was clearly a giant panda.

Unlike ordinary pandas, which were usually cute and lovable, this one exuded a formidable aura. Its entire body was made up of black and white flames and flowing water, and underneath the black and white surface, Lei Jun and the others could sense the starry radiance and power contained within, as if it were poised to unleash a devastating attack.

The first thing that came to Lei Jun's mind was Yuan Mo Bai himself.

"The embodiment of the Yin-Yang Star Lord is well deserved."

Lei Jun's expression remained unchanged as he said, "However, just as the embodiment of the Nine Heavens Thunder Ancestor is often referred to as the Yang Lightning Dragon, and the embodiment of the Nine Abyss Fire Ancestor is often called the Yin Fire Tiger, we might also give your embodiment of the Yin-Yang Star Lord a nickname, such as... the Yin-Yang Bear?"

Wang Guiyuan, standing beside him, turned his head to the side.

Zhuo Baojie, who had been staring wide-eyed at the massive embodiment of the Yin-Yang Star Lord, now looked back at his master.

The very humanized look in his eyes at that moment clearly conveyed:

At least show some maturity, even if you are a Heavenly Master and a true giant of the Daoist world.

Coughing sounds could be heard from the Heaven-seeing and Earth-hearing Talisman that was being used to communicate with Chu Kun.

There was no need to guess that the Talisman was connected to the Tian Shi Manor's Elder Chu, Lei Jun's senior martial brother.

This was because he was thinking the same thing.

However, unlike Lei Jun, he would not have voiced it so bluntly...

The most calm one, however, was Yuan Mo Bai.

"You..."

Looking at his own massive embodiment of the Yin-Yang Star Lord, then at Lei Jun's solemn and serious expression, he finally just sighed.

Master, your embodiment of the Yin-Yang Star Lord looks like this. Even if I don't call it that, someone from the outside world will eventually bring it up... Lei Jun felt no shame at all.

With three generations present, they chatted for a while before Yuan Mo Bai asked about the current situation in the outside world.

Lei Jun and Wang Guiyuan took turns introducing the important people and events of the past few years.

After listening, Yuan Mo Bai fell into deep thought. "In the Great Tang, peace and stability have been achieved in recent years, bringing a rare opportunity for recuperation and growth. However, unrest stirs in other places, gradually gathering and forming hidden currents that will eventually affect the Great Tang as well, sooner or later..."

"I share the same judgment, Master. At present, we can only focus on improving ourselves," said Lei Jun.

Indeed, as Yuan Mo Bai had said, ever since the Battle of Luoyang, peace had reigned in the Great Tang.

The same was true within the Great Tang's Dragon Tiger Mountain Tian Shi Manor.

Not only Zhuo Baojie and Yuan Mo Bai, but other members of the Manor had also been quietly cultivating.

The abundant spiritual energy in the Great Tang had lasted for a long time, and for cultivators there, it was a rare opportunity that everyone hoped to seize.

Just after Yuan Mo Bai achieved the Great Vehicle High True, congratulations came from all over the world, and Zhang Jingzhen, a disciple of the Dragon Tiger Mountain Tian Shi Manor, also returned to the mortal world from Datong.

After offering her congratulations to Master Yuan, Zhang Jingzhen reported to the Manor and began her closed-door cultivation.

She was making her final preparations to break through to the Eighth Heaven.

Although she dared not claim absolute certainty, Zhang Jingzhen's personal intuition this time was even stronger than when she had broken through from the Sixth Heaven to the Seventh Heaven.

Although it was the boundary between the Middle Three Heavens and the Upper Three Heavens, advancing in cultivation became increasingly difficult the higher one went.

However, Zhang Jingzhen herself had changed compared to that time.

Ever since she had let go of some things, Zhang Jingzhen felt that her mind had become more peaceful, which was beneficial to her cultivation.

Not only Lei Jun, but even Chu Kun had broken through to the Eighth Heaven faster than her, yet Zhang Jingzhen's heart remained calm without any major waves.

She continued to cultivate quietly according to her own pace.

If there was anyone from the outside world who could stir her emotions, it was not Chu Kun, nor Chen Yi, who had appeared in the Earthly Sea in recent years.

Instead, it was Han Qingtao, the so-called Western White Emperor of the Daoist Country in the Great Ming, and the former leader of the Shu Mountain Sect in the Great Ming.

As a high-achieving elder of the Dragon Tiger Mountain Tian Shi Manor, Zhang Jingzhen had access to most of the outside world's information and secrets.

Understanding the related affairs of the Daoist Country in the Great Ming was also a piece of cake for her.

Upon hearing about Han Qingtao, Zhang Jingzhen had mixed feelings.

It was as if she was looking at a fully enhanced version of herself.

In terms of talent, achievements, and even ambition, they were very similar.

Both were born into the imperial family and chose to walk down a different path by devoting themselves to a sacred Daoist land. Both hoped to stand out on this alternative path.

To some extent, Zhang Jingzhen had failed and let go.

Han Qingtao had succeeded, but the future was still uncertain for her.

Zhang Jingzhen asked herself sincerely. If she had not let go in the past and then learned about Han Qingtao's achievements, would she feel envious and long for the same?

Would she think that was the ideal version of herself that she aspired to become?

She shook her head slightly, expelling the irrelevant thoughts from her mind.

At the moment, Han Qingtao intended to establish a Daoist Country and covet the Manor's Wanfa Zongtan (All Methods Sect) and the Tian Shi Seal, just like Huang Xuanpu had in the past. She was a potential enemy of the Manor.

And Zhang Jingzhen, even if her strength was not comparable, was still as different from Han Qingtao as fire and ice.

Her current thoughts were solely focused on improving herself in cultivation.

Zhang Jingzhen calmed her mind and began her new closed-door cultivation.

A death closed-door cultivation.

Lei Jun and the other high-ranking members of the Manor approved without hesitation.

He himself was also quietly cultivating, while simultaneously tempering and nurturing his magical treasures with the power of the Yuan Tian Remnant.

Time flew by during cultivation, and one lost track of the passing seasons.

After summer arrived, Lei Jun celebrated his seventy-sixth birthday.

Then, as the new year approached, he hosted the new session of the Bestowal of Titles ceremony, held once every six years.

Besides Zhang Jingzhen, Ke SiCheng from the Manor had also announced his death closed-door cultivation.

He had finally taken the step toward challenging the Seventh Heaven, although it was a bit later than Liu Xiao and Zhuo Baojie. Nonetheless, he had successfully taken this step forward.

As the Heavenly Master, Lei Jun was well aware of the current progress of his fellow sect members.

Among the younger generation, Qin Caiwei and her master Luo Haoran, Xu Rui and his previous main supervisor Fang Jian, were all at the Sixth Heaven.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end