Chapter 413: The Heavenly Master Slays the Emperor in Penglai (One) (Part 2)

Chapter 413: The Heavenly Master Slays the Emperor in Penglai (One) (Part 2)

Now, they were repeatedly implicated by each other's actions.

Han Qingtao was a troublesome figure who acted boldly but often made mistakes... Li Hang's expression turned gloomy.

Yan Kejie asked, "Has Shen Daoist not arrived yet?"

Li Hang replied, "It seems that he hasn't entered Penglai yet."

If Han Qingtao was too restless and prone to causing trouble, then the Eastern Green Emperor, Shen Xi, was too quiet.

So much so that Han Qingtao, Li Hang, and even the late Huang Xuanpu often felt that Shen Xi wasn't on the same path as them.

Although he also carried the Celestial Palace Decree, studied the ancient Fulu School's heritage, and explored Penglai, he always kept a distance from the others.

When discussing certain matters, Shen Xi often remained silent and went with the flow.

The Central Yellow Emperor, Yan Kejie, gave others the feeling that he was inscrutable.

As for the Eastern Green Emperor, Shen Xi, he seemed to be openly maintaining his distance and didn't hide his wariness.

"The current situation is changing frequently. This is when we need to unite, but it's a pity that Shen Daoist isn't here. We can't wait any longer."

Yan Kejie's expression was as calm as ever. "To restore peace to Penglai, it seems that we must first destroy and then rebuild."

"What do you mean, Daoist brother?" Li Hang asked.

Yan Kejie said, "We should find a way to trigger a great tide in Penglai."

Penglai was one of the Nine Heavens and was unlike the Ten Lands like Dihai, Huangquan, and Luoyuan, which could be violent to the point of shaking and expelling outsiders.

Places like Penglai, Datong, and Guicang, which were among the Nine Heavens, were peaceful and easy to develop. However, they lacked extremely powerful geographical advantages to use against enemies.

But since Yan Kejie had said this, he must have had a plan, so Li Hang said, "If Daoist brother has a way, I'm willing to lend a hand."

"Yan Keji said, 'I apologise for what I'm about to do.'

After speaking, he closed his eyes and stood still.

However, specks of radiant light converged from all directions towards him.

Li Hang observed coldly.

The last time Xu Yuanzhen came to wreak havoc, Yan Keji wasn't back in time. By the time he arrived, things had almost settled down.

Li Hang always felt that Yan Keji was inscrutable, so he was paying close attention to his opponent's move this time.

It seemed somewhat similar to the path of alchemy practiced by the Daoist sect.

But Li Hang, who had already reached the fourth level of the fourth heaven in the ninth heaven with his four qi converging, vaguely felt that Yan Keji's move held many mysteries and secrets.

As the old Daoist cast his spell, Mount Penglai truly began to transform.

Amidst the surging tides, gigantic waves rose.

Within Penglai, space-time seemed to distort.

It seemed like an imitation of the changes in places like Guyu and Huangquan, but due to Penglai's inherent nature, this great tide was still relatively calm.

Perhaps it might not be enough to wash away the intruders who had already entered Penglai, but as long as it could prevent more powerful cultivators from flooding in from the Great Ming, it would suffice.

As the waves swept through, space-time rippled.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Han Qingtao, who possessed the Great Void-penetrating Shuttle and the Sword of Breaking Through Nothingness, managed to temporarily shake off her pursuers and joined forces with Yan Keji and Li Hang.

'Who are our opponents?' Li Hang was displeased with Han Qingtao in his heart, but he did not show it on the surface. Instead, he asked this question as soon as they met.

Han Qingtao replied swiftly, 'There are two great Confucian scholars. One is named Zeng Kui; he is a 700-year-old elder who fell from grace due to political struggles and was only recently brought back into the spotlight by Prime Minister Zhou Mingzhe. His cultivation level is the same as Chen Yu and Zhou Mingzhe—the fifth level of the fourth heaven in the ninth heaven.'

Both Yan Keji and Li Hang knew that the fighting prowess of the Confucian scholars from Great Ming did not deteriorate significantly due to old age.

At least Zeng Kui had not declined yet and remained at the level of a fifth-level master in the ninth heaven.

'The other one is named Xi Zhichang; he is Zhou Mingzhe's student and has recently joined the cabinet. His cultivation is currently at the third level of the fourth heaven.'

Han Qingtao continued, 'There are also other cultivators at the fourth heaven, but they are temporarily blocked outside of Penglai. However...'

Her eyes turned gloomy as she said, 'The person who interfered earlier and ruined my plans doesn't seem to be from Great Ming. Instead, he might be from the Great Tang in the mortal realm. I can't confirm his whereabouts at the moment.'

Yan Keji said, 'Wait until the tides continue to surge, and they will have nowhere to hide...'

Before he could finish his sentence, the old Daoist's expression changed drastically.

Han Qingtao's face also transformed as the spiritual object she had kept earlier started to fluctuate uncontrollably.

A black shadow sliced through her storage bag and escaped.

The black shadow paused slightly in mid-air.

Yan Keji and Li Hang saw that it was a strange and wild long knife.

The knife looked fierce and sharp, exuding a sense of relentless might. Its entire body was pitch-black, as if the knife itself was condensed from thick ink.

As the ink knife appeared, its blade pointed directly at Central Emperor Yan Keji.

Li Hang was perplexed and uncertain, so he protected himself first.

'Misunderstanding!' Han Qingtao shouted in a panic as she rushed forward to block for Yan Keji.

However, when the specks of light scattered around that had been released by Yan Keji came into contact with the ink knife, a dazzling brilliance erupted.

The great tide of Penglai, which had only affected the surroundings earlier, suddenly showed signs of losing control, even affecting the immortal mountains where Yan Keji, Li Hang, and Han Qingtao were standing.

In an instant, the raging tide swept through, and space-time turned chaotic.

…………………

In the midst of the Penglai Sea, Lei Jun, and his companions also faced the sweeping tide.

The purple Yangrai Dragon and the green Yinfuo Tiger appeared simultaneously around his body, swirling to form a purple-green Tai Chi diagram. They hovered without taking action, stabilizing his form while indicating to Ye Dongming, Li Miaozhen, and Ji Dongquan to take refuge inside the Pre-heaven Tower.

As the waves surged, the purple-green Tai Chi diagram and the six-layered tower floated up and down together.

Although it was not as grand as the tides of Dihai or Huangquan, it was still an impressive feat to create such a disturbance in Penglai, one of the Nine Heavens... Lei Jun thought to himself.

The Senior Sister didn't encounter such a situation during her previous visit.

This wasn't the doing of the Western White Emperor, Han Qingtao, or the Southern Red Emperor, Li Hang. It didn't seem like something the Eastern Blue Emperor would do either.

So, was it the most mysterious Central Yellow Emperor? Lei Jun speculated, but the glowing sphere in his mind suddenly lit up, emitting a radiant light. Then, words appeared within it:

【The great tide separates the three doctrines of Dao, Buddhism, and Confucianism. Penglai traverses the central sea.】

Lei Jun raised his eyebrows slightly as he read, 'Dao, Buddhism, and Confucianism?'

Three fortune sticks then flew out from the glowing sphere:

【Upper-upper fortune: Traverse the great tide and gain the opportunity for a second-grade expandable opportunity. There will be some fluctuations along the way, but there are no hidden dangers. Upper-upper fortune, great fortune!】

【Middle-middle fortune: Go with the flow of the great tide; there is no extra gain or loss. Neutral.】

【Middle-lower fortune: Go against the flow of the great tide; there is no extra gain, but there are significant risks along the way, and there may be hidden dangers and entanglements afterward. Be cautious and vigilant. Inauspicious.】

The upper-upper fortune was pleasing.

A second-grade expandable opportunity was an enticing prospect.

However, Lei Jun also paid attention to the middle-lower fortune.

There were considerable risks along the way, and there might be hidden dangers and entanglements afterward. The waters of Penglai seemed deeper than he had anticipated.

...But that doesn't stop me from choosing the upper-upper fortune right now.

Lei Jun remained calm.

The tides raged before his eyes, and space-time was in turmoil.

However, the ritual seemed to encounter a mishap midway, and it gradually started to calm down after the initial chaos.

Only the central sea of Penglai continued to surge, but the chaotic space-time began to stabilize.

The white jade seal at Lei Jun's waist shone with purple, golden, and cyan lights, helping him to completely freeze the changing space-time around him.

Then, Lei Jun used the light emitted by the purple-green Tai Chi diagram to split the sea before him, walking forward unhurriedly.

Upon seeing this, Ji Dongquan and the others immediately urged the Pre-heaven Tower to follow Lei Jun's pace.

Lei Jun strode across the vast sea of Penglai.

After a moment, he paused in his tracks.

The Jade Clarity Mirror of Yuqing hanging high above, which had also been affected by the spatial turbulence earlier, finally regained its stability.

As the mirror's light shifted, it revealed a celestial mountain and a hidden cave up ahead, its doors currently shut.

Lei Jun took a quick glance and deduced that it seemed to be in the style of a Daoist artificer's cave.

The cave was closed off, with people inside, but Han Qingtao didn't seem to have returned yet.

Seeing this, Lei Jun didn't rush forward but paused and continued to observe his surroundings.

The tumultuous seas finally began to gradually calm down.

But in the distance, earth-shattering sounds could be heard once more.

Lei Jun looked towards the direction mentioned in the lower sign, the one about going against the tide, and couldn't help but feel dumbfounded.

He hadn't even considered that option this time around.

Who would be so unlucky to fall into such a predicament?

In the distance, the light shone with a faint golden hue, exuding a peaceful and harmonious aura reminiscent of Buddhism.

Lei Jun could even hear faint Buddhist chants and Zen music drifting from that direction.

Inside the Taiyi Xiantian Tower, Li Miaozhen, Ji Dongquan, Ye Dongming, and the others looked at each other in silence.

"Li Daoist, I heard that the abbot Guang Shu of the Bodhi Temple, the holy land of the Zen martial arts sect in your Ming Dynasty, has quite an impressive cultivation, reaching the realm of perfection in the ninth layer of the Law Body, am I right?" Ji Dongquan asked.

Li Miaozhen replied, "With such a distance and still exhibiting such a formidable presence, I doubt even Abbot Guang Shu could achieve that..."

Above the location where Lei Jun stood, the Jade Clarity Cyclic Heaven Law Mirror turned in the high heavens.

The light from the mirror reflected an image of that direction, presenting it to Lei Jun.

What appeared in his field of vision was an extremely peculiar old Daoist.

The old Daoist had white hair and a youthful face, exuding an ethereal and otherworldly aura, a true image of a Daoist immortal.

However, this old Daoist's body was surrounded by radiant Buddhist light.

Facing him was a group of people dressed in court attire, high-ranking officials of the Ming Dynasty.

The two leaders were both grand academics of the Ming Dynasty court.

The elderly one was named Zeng Kui, a ninth-layer perfection realm Confucian scholar.

The other ninth-layer Confucian scholar was the newly appointed grand academic, Xi Zhichang.

The Central Emperor, Yan Keji, was exceptionally powerful, but when faced with experts of similar caliber, his true abilities were exposed.

The Buddhist light shot straight up into the clouds, faintly manifesting the form of a Buddhist golden body.

However, it didn't resemble the Buddhist hand seal sect's cultivation but instead, the Buddhist vow sect's divine powers.

The so-called Human Realm's Emperor of the Dao Nation was actually a Buddhist dignitary?

As Lei Jun viewed this through the Jade Clarity Cyclic Heaven Law Mirror, he was astonished.

The Ming Dynasty cultivators facing "Yan Keji" were equally taken aback.

Zeng Kui, with his fiery temperament, snapped out of his daze and coldly harrumphed, "It's just an incarnation, pretending to be mighty here. Both Buddhism and Daoism are of the same ilk!"

With a loud shout, a large amount of ink condensed in the air, confronting "Yan Keji" head-on.

Xi Zhichang instructed his entourage to hasten their communication with the Ming Dynasty court while assisting Zeng Kui.

At this point, "Yan Keji" no longer needed to conceal his identity, and his Buddhist divine powers unfolded with overwhelming might.

As Zeng Kui had stated, "Yan Keji" was indeed an incarnation of a Buddhist golden body dignitary and not his true self, thus limiting his cultivation to the ninth layer of perfection.

Even so, the strength he could exhibit in actual combat far surpassed that of an ordinary Buddhist Law Body perfection cultivator.

His knowledge, insight, and profound Buddhist teachings surpassed those of Zeng Kui and Xi Zhichang.

Even the combined efforts of the two grand academics of the Ming Dynasty were no match for him.

However, as Zeng Kui and Xi Zhichang prepared their ritual offerings, they bowed in unison.

"Yan Keji" immediately turned solemn.

This was because a dark shadow suddenly burst out of the sea and flew towards them.

The ink knife, which had disappeared earlier due to the temporal chaos of the Penglai tide, reappeared.

"Did that traitor Han Qingtao specifically steal this treasure to deal with you?" Zeng Kui asked coldly.

With a slash of the ink knife, golden light scattered in the air, as if "Yan Keji" was bleeding profusely!

Through the Jade Clarity Cyclic Heaven Law Mirror, Lei Jun witnessed this scene from a distance and felt a sudden realization.

He recalled what Xu Yuanzhen, Ji Dongquan, Ji Chuan, and others had mentioned about the origins of the Ming Dynasty in that world.

The previous dynasty, established by a foreign tribe, eventually collapsed.

And a large number of rebels were from the White Lotus Sect.

Although the Ming Dynasty royalty now kept that history hidden, it was rumored that the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty also originated from the White Lotus Sect and once bore the title of Ming Wang.

However, after the formal establishment of the Ming Dynasty, their vigilance towards the White Lotus Sect was the deepest, and they vigorously cracked down on the sect.

The White Lotus Sect in the Ming Dynasty remained prosperous, and the court considered it a latent threat.

From this perspective, the Ming Dynasty court had been accumulating knowledge and researching the White Lotus Sect for many years.

The White Lotus Sect's Buddhist teachings had already diverged from those of the Central Plains' orthodox Buddhism.

However, their relationship was much closer than that between Western Buddhism and Central Plains Buddhism.

A treasure that was useless against the Sumeru Sect posed a significant threat to "Yan Keji."

Zeng Kui and Xi Zhichang, the two ninth-layer Confucian scholars, dared to slaughter the incarnation of a Buddhist dignitary with this knife!

However, they didn't fare well either.

As the shattered incarnation served as a catalyst, the void trembled, and a giant Buddhist palm seemed to reach through the barriers of time and space, penetrating Penglai.

The Buddhist chants and Zen music suddenly grew louder.

The golden light filled the area, causing Lei Jun's Jade Clarity Cyclic Heaven Law Mirror to capture only a rough image.

Xi Zhichang died on the spot.

Fortunately, other powerful Ming cultivators were entering Penglai, helping Zeng Kui to escape with his life.

The void fissure created by the Buddhist palm clashed and compressed against the void portal connecting the Ming Dynasty's mortal realm to Penglai, resulting in violent turbulence.

The Buddhist palm retracted.

Zeng Kui and the other Ming cultivators were also shaken and fell out of Penglai.

Time and space trembled once more, and the Penglai tide raged, with even more intensity than before.

Was that from...Saha?

Lei Jun recalled the scene when the Buddhist palm emerged.

Just like Sumeru, was there also a dormant Buddhist dignitary in Saha?

It seemed that the situation in Saha was even more favorable than that of the Sumeru's Sage Wisdom Dignitary.

However, it wasn't entirely without incident.

Otherwise, he would have manifested and walked the mortal realm earlier, and the Buddhist palm wouldn't have been retracted so hastily.

There seemed to be an intention to impersonate a high-level Daoist immortal and interfere in Penglai, but whether there was another motive remained unknown.

Having witnessed the might of Lei Jun's Grand Dao Manifestation, Han Qingtao was surprised that he was able to manifest it again so soon after being struck by the ink sword.

"There have indeed been many unexpected twists in Penglai today..." Lei Jun thought to himself.

As he pondered, the Jade Clarity Heaven-Encompassing Dharma Mirror shone its light on this area once more.

Under the mirror's light, two figures could be seen hurrying toward this cave from afar.

One was a woman dressed in simple cloth and straw sandals, while the other was a Daoist clad in black robes and white inner garments.

They were none other than Han Qingtao and Li Hang.

"Yan Kejie is a Buddhist!" Han Qingtao said in a low voice.

When the ink sword transformed earlier, she was initially surprised, but soon after, doubts arose in her mind.

She had only seized the ink sword as an afterthought when reclaiming the Void-Crossing Shuttle, a precaution against potential troubles.

If she had expected to guard against anyone, it would have been Abbot Guang Shu of Bodhi Temple or the people of the Great White Lotus Cult.

Who would have thought that, by a twist of fate, Yan Kejie would turn out to be...

Li Hang suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Is this near one of your cave dwellings?"

"We must not linger here. We can only abandon it," Han Qingtao replied.

As she spoke, she sent a message to Zhuang Changfeng and the other Great Ming Kingdom of Humanity members guarding the cave.

Li Hang was about to say something when his expression changed once more.

In the blink of an eye, a tall young Daoist clad in a multicolored cassock, with a white jade seal and a purple lightning sword hanging at his waist, appeared. A gigantic black sphere resembling a celestial body had formed around him, expanding in all directions and devouring the surrounding void.

Without exchanging pleasantries, Li Hang and Han Qingtao, both veterans of countless battles, fled in different directions to avoid being captured by the Grand Dao Manifestation of a Talisman Sect Daoist.

Alas, their speed was no match for the newcomer.

Li Hang, despite dodging promptly, was engulfed by the expanding vast universe.

Han Qingtao, on the other hand, immediately merged her soul with her life-bound treasure, the Seven-Foot Flying Sword.

The seven-foot sword glimmered with cold light, slicing through the void in an instant to ferry her away from her original location.

Such speed would even outpace a Grand Dao Manifestation cast by a Talisman Sect Daoist.

But...

Lei TianShi watched calmly as the fleeting sword radiance vanished into the darkness.

He was enveloped in a faint golden starlight, with purple and black lightning intertwining like dragons around him.

In but a single step, he too seemed to have teleported, appearing behind the fleeing Han Qingtao in the blink of an eye.

Han Qingtao's heart jolted in surprise as the dark, boundless universe unfurled before her, swallowing her within.

Wait...

Wasn't that Daoist's Grand Dao Manifestation over there, capturing Li Hang?

Although he had caught up with her swiftly, they had already fled a considerable distance, beyond the original range of the Grand Dao Manifestation, hadn't they?

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end