https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-420-419-Dongyang-Emerges-from-Seclusion-Part-1-/12602141/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-421-420-The-Fake-Intellectual-Lei-Zhongyun-Part-1-/12602155/
Chapter 420: 419. Dongyang Emerges from Seclusion (Part 2)
Chapter 420: 419. Dongyang Emerges from Seclusion (Part 2)
The methods of the Talisman Sect of the Dao Gate were indeed formidable, and this ancient technique was incredibly sophisticated. Even a cultivator at the Perfected Nine Heavens realm would find it challenging to achieve such prowess... Lei Jun understood this well.
Before the Dragon and Tiger Mountain of the Han Dynasty was sealed, Ji Daocheng was at the fourth level of the Nine Heavens realm.
Even if he had successfully reached the fifth level and formed the Bridge of Mystical Truth with the Five Qi, his abilities would still fall short of such finesse.
Based on Lei Jun's observations so far, it was more likely that someone backing Ji Daocheng was personally keeping an eye on the Yellow Heaven Dao.
Although the Yellow Heaven Dao's inherited Taoist scriptures were the fruits of the ancient Talisman Sect's reformed teachings, the gap between their cultivations was vast.
The other party had not made any significant changes to the Yellow Heaven Sect, only laying down subtle groundwork for future grand plans.
Lei Jun pondered this, deciding against making any drastic moves himself. Instead, he left behind a few talismans as a precaution.
After leaving the small island where the new Yellow Heaven Dao sect was located, Lei Jun headed southwest, returning to the mainland and venturing deeper into the southern wilderness of the Han world.
The Jade Clarity Heaven-Encompassing Law Mirror hung high, its light scanning the surroundings.
Lei Jun's focus on this trip was to search for the legacy of the Han world's indigenous Wu-door cultivators.
These native cultivators had declined over the years, and Lei Jun's efforts yielded only a handful of them.
These scattered individuals could perhaps be better described as loose cultivators.
From Tan Mu's situation, it was clear that there were powerful witches hiding in this world, but they did not seem to be active in the southern wilderness.
Lei Jun remained calm and patient, following the clues provided by Tang Xiaotang earlier as he continued his search for any traces of Kongsang.
His persistent efforts paid off.
His figure appeared high above a vast lake.
As Lei Jun descended, the lake waters parted on their own, eventually revealing the soil and rocks at the lake bed.
Everything seemed ordinary, but Lei Jun could tell that a void portal had once been opened here.
On the other side of the portal was likely Kongsang, one of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.
According to rumors, it was occupied by a great demon, but now it seemed to be ruled by a powerful witch.
The void portal was sealed tightly, preventing Lei Jun from entering for the time being.
However, Lei Jun was confident he had found the right place.
His Aurelius Bow, which he carried with him, was vibrating slightly, and its surface even emitted a faint glow.
"So, the early demise of Dongyang Shanren is indeed related to Kongsang..." Lei Jun thought to himself.
However, as soon as this thought arose, Lei Jun sensed something amiss.
Thin strands of black gas, seemingly appearing out of thin air, illusory and ethereal, were trying to entangle his soul.
"This is... curse magic?" Lei Jun stood with his hands behind his back, unperturbed by the turn of events, instead taking the opportunity to observe carefully.
His soul had undergone multiple temperings, making it incredibly resilient. However, the seemingly weak and soft black gas was extremely sharp, piercing into Lei Jun's soul and attempting to delve deeper.
Deep within Lei Jun's soul, purple, gold, and blue lights shone together.
A white jade seal, seemingly solid yet ethereal, emerged from within, and the three lights wove together to form a three-layered altar.
The altar expanded outward from within Lei Jun's body, causing the black gas that intended to invade his soul to halt.
At the same time, a nine-section green bamboo staff appeared in Lei Jun's hand, transforming from solid to ethereal and becoming a formless and intangible illusory object. It passed through his body and struck the illusory black gas.
The black gas was dispersed but lingered, showing signs of dispersing and regrouping.
Lei Jun's thoughts raced, and the Upper Clarity Immortal Bamboo continuously struck, pulverizing the black gas.
Even so, the area of Lei Jun's soul that had come into contact with the black gas earlier was now stained black, as if soaked in ink.
If the blackness continued to spread, it might give birth to new strands of black gas.
However, after Lei Jun scattered the outer black gas, he combined the dark side of the heavenly book with his spiritual power to cleanse the stained area of his soul, leaving it spotless.
Only then did he consider the matter truly resolved.
Lei Jun showed no signs of anger or agitation; instead, he looked around with a playful glint in his eyes.
The Jade Clarity Heaven-Encompassing Law Mirror illuminated the surroundings, revealing no one nearby to launch an attack.
The thin strands of black gas seemed to have appeared out of thin air.
However, there was a reason for their appearance: Lei Jun's discovery that Dongyang Shanren's early death was connected to Kongsang.
"No wonder this King Ji didn't leave any instructions before his death and took the secret to his grave."
Lei Jun understood, "That just now... was the legendary Witch King's Descent?"
The Wheel of Reincarnation's descent was rare, with the last known case being several hundred years ago.
The Witch King's Descent had been lost in the Tang world for far too long.
According to ancient tales, it was a cultivation technique of powerful witches beyond the Nine Heavens, but it had not been seen since the end of the Han dynasty.
Even its spread through Dongyang Shanren made it a formidable challenge.
The consequences of being directly attacked by this curse magic were unimaginable.
The secret arts of the Witch Clan were indeed bizarre.
Lei Jun held the Aurelius Bow in his hand, looking down at the lake bed below.
The bow glowed with a continuous shine.
Lei Jun calmed his mind and thought carefully.
The void portal here had been closed for a long time.
Had Kongsang opened another portal elsewhere?
However, he had no idea what the current situation in Kongsang was like.
If Kongsang, like Sumeru, Saha, and Xuyugu, was home to beings beyond the Nine Heavens, why hadn't the ancient witches of Kongsang reacted when Tang Xiaotang killed a Kongsang witch in the Khanate of the exotic races and then proceeded to search for the Kongsang portal?
Lei Jun shook his head slightly. After the Aurelius Bow stopped glowing, he ascended, and the lake waters below flowed back to the center, soon returning to their smooth and mirror-like state.
Lei Jun continued his search in the southern wilderness but found no further clues, so he temporarily halted his efforts.
The Great Empty Temple had many branches in the southern wilderness of the Han Dynasty.
However, they lacked a presence similar to a mountain gate.
This was related to their doctrine of shattering all beings and objects.
From their perspective, everything was temporary and would eventually lead to destruction, so they left few traces of their existence.
In a sense, wherever the abbot, Absolute Nothingness Monk, was, there was the mountain gate of the Great Empty Temple of the Han Dynasty.
Lei Jun moved silently and stealthily, inspecting several branches of the Great Empty Temple without leaving a trace. However, he didn't gain much from these investigations.
After some thought, he decided to take the initiative to stir up trouble.
The Jade Clarity Heaven-Encompassing Law Mirror rotated, and its light scanned the surroundings.
Suddenly, a familiar figure appeared before his eyes.
First, several streams of light flashed by, and as they drew closer, they came to a halt. Several Taoists dressed in coarse cloth and straw sandals emerged, one of whom was a young man named Ji Chuan, a high-ranking elder of the Great Tang Shushan Sect and an acquaintance of Lei Jun.
Among his companions was a man who looked vaguely familiar to Lei Jun. After a moment of thought, he recognized him as Wang Jianu, who had once visited the Great Han Shushan Sect with other cultivators.
This man was not only a distinguished disciple of the Great Han Shushan Sect but also a descendant of the Langya Wang family.
The other two men were strangers to Lei Jun, but he recalled seeing their portraits during casual conversations with fellow disciples of the Great Tang Shushan Sect.
The portraits depicted several key figures of the Great Han Shushan Sect.
By recalling these portraits, Lei Jun matched the names to the faces of the two strangers.
One was Miao Feng, who had attained the Seventh Heaven cultivation realm.
The other was called Yu Boyan, who had already achieved the Eighth Heaven Immortal Journey realm.
Yu Boyan, Miao Feng, and Wang Jianu were all outstanding talents among the younger generation of the Great Han Shushan Sect, with Yu Boyan being particularly renowned as a potential future leader of the sect.
They had come here to destroy a nearby branch stronghold of the Great Kong Temple.
"Wang Shidi, please wait here with Ji Shidi," Yu Boyan said, nodding to Ji Chuan and Wang Jianu.
Ji Chuan understood that while Yu Boyan, Miao Feng, and the others might not mind, the Great Han Dynasty as a whole remained cautious towards cultivators from the Great Tang. So, he politely declined, saying with a smile:
"My knowledge and skills are lacking. I'm sure I'll benefit greatly from observing Brother Yu and Brother Miao's techniques today. Please, don't hold back on my account."
"You're too modest, Ji Shidi," replied Yu Boyan. "We'll talk more after dealing with these heretical monks from the Great Kong Temple. For now, please excuse us."
Without further ado, Yu Boyan and Miao Feng, both sword cultivators, unleashed their power. They merged their spiritual souls with their swords, becoming one with their blades, and transformed into two streaks of sword light—one thick and one thin—that slashed towards the distant temple, which appeared serene and majestic.
The monks of the Great Kong Temple stationed there immediately sprang into action, but they were no match for Yu Boyan's fierce sword aura. They scattered in all directions, trying to escape.
Yu Boyan and Miao Feng pursued their targets relentlessly, their sword lights flashing in pursuit.
Yu Boyan, being an Immortal Journey cultivator, soon caught up with his opponent and vanquished him with his sword light.
Miao Feng's chase lasted longer, leading him deep into the mountain range.
A sense of unease crept into his heart.
This region of the Southern Wilderness was rife with strongholds of the Great Kong Temple, and it was likely that many powerful cultivators lurked within. By venturing so far, he feared that their enemies might summon reinforcements.
However, with fellow disciples from the Great Tang branch present, Miao Feng did not want to show any weakness, so he continued his pursuit.
Eventually, he succeeded in slaying his opponent.
But his sense of danger heightened as he noticed the arrival of more powerful monks from the Great Kong Temple.
Facing a sizable group of foes, Miao Feng decided to retreat.
The situation had taken a turn for the worse.
Miao Feng's sword light was swift, but the multitude of enemies forced him to veer off his original path, unable to retreat the way he had come.
However, Miao Feng was confident in his fellow disciple Yu Boyan's abilities and knew that if he could hold on for just a little longer, his senior brother would surely come to his aid.
As these thoughts raced through his mind, Miao Feng suddenly sensed something amiss.
He was one with his sword, slicing through a valley.
Yet, the landscape before him transformed in an instant, as if he had entered another realm.
Just moments ago, as he entered the valley, it had seemed unremarkable... Miao Feng's heart stirred.
As a direct descendant of the Great Han Daoist sacred ground, he was well-versed in such matters. Immediately, he realized that he had stumbled into a realm akin to the Confucian concept of "a nation under heaven" or the Daoist "divine cosmos."
The pursuing monks from the Great Kong Temple also sensed the anomaly and came to a halt.
However, the scenery before their eyes had already shifted.
In the once tranquil and uninhabited valley, a small courtyard now stood.
The courtyard was simple, with a solitary house within.
On either side of the courtyard gate were inscriptions that, when read together, formed a phrase: "Blue Sky Painting, Four Mountains United; White Day, Thunderous Roar, Hundred Steps Away."
Through the open gate, a vague figure could be seen reclining within, seemingly asleep.
Miao Feng and the others could not make out the person's appearance or clothing clearly.
However, the profound and majestic aura that permeated the place signaled the presence of an extraordinarily powerful Confucian scholar.
Both Miao Feng, who was rushing forward, and the pursuing monks of the Great Kong Temple had inadvertently entered this hidden realm without realizing it.
Miao Feng was fortunate, but the monks of the Great Kong Temple immediately sought to turn back.
However, when they looked behind them, they found only towering mountains and no trace of the path they had taken.
Witnessing this, everyone present simultaneously thought of the phrase, "Blue Sky Painting, Four Mountains United."
Before the monks of the Great Kong Temple could react further, thunderous peals of thunder reverberated through the air.
Miao Feng turned to see endless lightning flashing like an ocean, engulfing the monks.
As the thunder subsided and the electric lights faded, there was no sign of the monks, only the enduring green mountains.
Miao Feng stood stiffly for a moment before turning his head.
The master of the house seemed to have just woken up and was now sitting up:
"Are you a disciple of Shu Mountain?"
Miao Feng replied, "This junior is Miao Feng, a disciple of Shu Mountain. Thank you, senior, for your assistance."
The master of the house asked, "How is your sect leader, Chen Lingfeng, doing? How is Deng, the head of Pure Yang Palace?"
Miao Feng cautiously replied, "The sect leader is currently at the summit of Xiaotian. As for Deng, the head of Pure Yang Palace, I heard that he went to the capital to meet the emperor a few days ago."
As the master rose to his feet, Miao Feng was astonished to see the surrounding landscape of green mountains and flowing waters seemingly retract, as if centered around the master.
Only then did the valley reveal its true form, with turbulent streams flowing through it.
The middle-aged scholar, clad in a rain cloak and holding a bamboo staff, stood at the bow of a small boat, and said as he drifted downstream:
"Please convey my regards to your sect leader, Chen, and tell him that Langya Wang Dongyang will visit the summit of Xiaotian at a later date."
(End of Chapter)
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