Chapter 427: A Pinched Third-Rate Opportunity

Chapter 427: A Pinched Third-Rate Opportunity

The remnants of the Great Song in Jiangnan received the worst news.

Golden Khan Ang Qin had successfully crossed the last heavenly tribulation of his mortal journey, ascending to the ninth heaven.

A peak Martial Saint at the fifth layer of the Ninth Heaven is also known as a Human Immortal. To surpass this and rise above the mortal realm is to attain the status of a Martial Immortal.

When a Military Saint reaches the Ninth Heaven, they are also known as a Military Immortal.

Since the Great Calamity in the late Han dynasty, no such powerful beings have emerged in any mortal realm for thousands of years.

And now, Golden Khan Ang Qin has taken this step, with the first sacrifice being none other than White Deer Khan Hu He Dali, who once stood shoulder to shoulder with him as a peak Human Immortal.

Aside from Hu He Dali, most of the masters of the White Deer Khan have perished, their blood staining the earth and their souls returning to the heavens.

This news plunged the Great Song remnants into despair once more.

Although there were reports that those from the immortal realms couldn't stay in the mortal realm for long, the fate of Hu He Dali and the others still sent a chill down their spines.

Ever since they heard that the Master of the Sumeru Lotus Department, Zong Ga, had reappeared in the mortal realm, the Great Song remnants in Jiangnan had been secretly keeping a wary eye out.

With Zong Ga's support, the Great Khan's capital, bolstered by treasures from the Great Wilderness, had become even more impregnable.

The Gray Wolf Khan and the White Deer Khan had little choice but to retreat.

Despite their bitter reluctance, they had to withdraw their forces.

As a result, the White Deer Khan became the sacrificial lamb in this choice between two victims.

Perhaps the Gray Wolf Khan couldn't escape this fate either? What about the Great Song remnants in Jiangnan?

Just as the people of the former Great Song began their retreat, news of the annihilation of the many masters of the White Deer Khan reached them.

Along with this, another piece of information arrived—Zong Ga had headed south at the first opportunity and had reappeared north of the Great River.

There, in the no-man's lands formed during the southern campaign of the Golden Khan, were many Yu Luo valleys and dark realms with no light.

One of the ten gates to the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, the gate to the Underworld Sea, lay hidden within one of these dark realms.

According to Zong Ga's movements, he probably left the Great Khan's capital and headed south even before the Golden Khan emerged from his seclusion or after the siege on the capital by the Gray Wolf and White Deer Khans was lifted.

What was Zong Ga up to?

"He wants to seize the Underworld Sea, or at least occupy its entrance, to prevent those from the Underworld Sea from stopping the Grand Tang Masters from sealing the gate!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Junjie was stunned and alarmed. "He's not doing this for himself, but to aid Ang Qin! The news is true, those from the immortal realms can't stay in the mortal realm for long, so they want to seize one of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands!"

Among the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands that were once connected to the mortal realm of the Great Song, the Faraway Void had been sealed for many years and had not reappeared since. The Yellow Springs and Kongsang had only briefly appeared before their gates were sealed and all traces of them were lost.

As for the Southern Red Emperor Li Hang's journey to Penglai, it was made possible by an ancient talisman and not through a stable gateway to the void.

The Return to Nothingness was currently sealed as well, and it might house formidable demons beyond the power of those in the Ninth Heaven.

The Sumeru, however, had its gates wide open, but it too had a wise and honorable master sitting in meditation within. And currently, the Sumeru was aiding the Golden Khan.

"What about those barbarians from the Great Wilderness?" someone asked urgently.

"I don't know. Maybe there's some issue, or maybe Ang Qin is just being his usual greedy and domineering self."

Zhu Junjie quickly sorted through the information and tried to send a Confucian message using the 'seeing the words as if facing the person' technique. "But they're most likely eyeing the Underworld Sea now!"

The people around him exchanged glances, their faces grave. "If the gate to the Underworld Sea is sealed, we won't have any retreat left..."

An elder spoke in a low voice. "Even if we rush there now, we won't make it before Ang Qin. We can only ask those from the Underworld Sea to seal the gateway to the void and force Ang Qin to turn elsewhere. He can't stay in the mortal realm for long. But if he occupies the Underworld Sea, with control over the lands north and south of the Great River, our situation will become even more dire!"

Everyone fell silent at these words, their faces turning pale.

Zhu Junjie sent a message without uttering a word, his eyes fixed on the direction of the former Great Song—Jiangxi.

...Perhaps, it was already too late.

It would take time for those in the north to understand the current situation of the Great Khan's capital and the White Deer Khan. Even if they reacted immediately upon receiving the news, they would still need time.

But for Zong Ga, a peak Martial Immortal, and for Ang Qin, a Martial Immortal beyond the Ninth Heaven, these durations were already quite lengthy.

The people of the Underworld Sea might not have the time to react.

Perhaps, by the time they understood the situation, Ang Qin might have already breached the Underworld Sea... Zhu Junjie held his breath.

...

The Underworld Sea had the time to react.

Long before Zhu Junjie and the others received the news, someone had already reached the Underworld Sea.

Grand Tang's Dragon and Tiger Mountain Heavenly Master, Lei Jun.

To be precise, Lei Jun's presence here was unnecessary.

The gateway from the Underworld Sea to the former Great Song was specially left open for his little sister, Tang Xiaotang.

But now that they knew Golden Khan might take his final step towards immortality, the Heavenly Masters naturally had to prepare for this possibility, and they had been prepared for a long time.

Everything was arranged long ago, and it was simply a matter of pulling the switch.

Lei Jun's and Tang Xiaotang's speed of information exchange far surpassed what the outside world knew.

Previously, when Lei Jun had met with Empress Zhang Wantong in the imperial capital of Luoyang, he had briefly explained the situation, so the Great Tang Empress was also calm and focused on fishing, without having to consider going to the Dihai in person.

The reason why Lei Jun, the Celestial Master, had come to Dihai in person this time was actually because...

"The path to immortality is separated from the path to Buddhism by a fine line, and the people within the sea reject the immortals."

As Lei Jun sat in the ancestral hall of the mountain gate, a glowing sphere suddenly appeared in his mind, followed by floating words.

Then, four fortune-telling signs appeared:

"Upper-middle sign: Before noon, seal the Dihai gate, handle it appropriately, and there is a chance to obtain a third-grade opportunity. Auspicious."

"Middle sign: Before the Yuluo Purple Mist rises at noon, seal the Dihai gate, neither gaining nor losing anything. Neutral."

"Middle sign: After noon, fail to seal the Dihai gate, currently safe, but depending on subsequent actions, there may be hidden dangers. Neutral."

"Lower-middle sign: After noon, fail to seal the Dihai gate, gain nothing extra, if in Dihai, may encounter great disaster. Inauspicious."

Looking at the lower-middle sign, the critical time node is today at noon.

Golden Khan Ang Qinfu will obviously be able to successfully cross that last hurdle and ascend to the immortal realm above the Nine Heavens.

In a situation where he cannot stay in the mortal realm for long, he will either go into a dormant state in the outer realm of the void or choose one of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands as his residence.

Going into a dormant state in the outer realm of the void is a last resort.

First, it is not conducive to further cultivation.

Second, being cut off from news, it would be difficult to adapt to any new changes in the mortal realm.

Given a choice, Golden Khan would undoubtedly choose one of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands as his abode.

In legend, one of the Ten Territories, the Great Grassland (Cao Yuan), is where the peculiar tribe, the i-zu, ascended to dominance. However, during the time when the Four Khanates held sway, reports of the Great Grassland have been scarce.

This time, the Canglang Khanate and the Bailu Khanate joined forces to besiege the Great City, and it was only with the support of a precious treasure from the Great Wilderness that the Golden Khanate was able to hold out for so long.

Combining this with the information currently at hand, Lei Jun suspected that the situation in the Great Wilderness might be similar to that of the former Secret Treasury, or even worse.

In the past, when the foreign tribes rose to power, for certain reasons or through certain means, they carried out a near-exhaustive excavation of the Great Wilderness.

Because of this, they were able to produce numerous top powerhouses, almost comparable to the Wise Wisdom Venerable sitting in Sumeru, who was attempting to refine the Immortal Realm Demon Emperor.

The impact of this is still felt to this day.

Of course, it is also possible that Lei Jun's guess is wrong, and the Great Wilderness still exists, but Golden Khan Ang Qinfu, accustomed to domineering conquest, has set his sights on the Dihai, which was previously connected to the mortal realm of the Song Dynasty.

No matter how one calculates it, the other party's current realm and cultivation are solid.

He is a Martial Immortal, and compared to others in the Immortal Realm, he is also one of the best in one-on-one battles at the same level, with offensive, defensive, and mobility skills that far surpass the imagination of mortal realm cultivators.

If he were to break into the Dihai, no one currently in the Dihai would be able to withstand his might.

Even Lei Jun would need to rally the entirety of the Five Peaks and Seven Chasms of Dihai, mustering up even more formidable strength than when Li Yuanheng and the others were in charge, to stand a chance against him.

Alternatively, he could instantly produce another blueprint for the Three Caves, Three Skies, and the Ultimate Dragon and Tiger Immortal Formation, and establish a defensive formation to meet his enemy in the Dihai.

Otherwise, the lower-middle sign's prediction of a great disaster would come true.

To protect the Dihai, it would be necessary to gather the other top powerhouses from the Great Tang mortal realm to act together.

Tang Xiaotang was very interested in this proposition.

However, Lei Jun had other considerations: "With Ang Qinfu taking the initiative to stand at the forefront, occupying the Dihai gate first, if a big battle breaks out in the Dihai, there might not just be him to deal with at that time.

The Wise Wisdom Venerable himself does not leave Sumeru, but Zongga is able to escape from the Ruins of Time. The inside story is unclear.

On the contrary, little Shimei, where do you think Ang Qinfu will go if we block the Dihai?"

Tang Xiaotang: "Sumeru? They're as close as pants on a person now."

Lei Jun: "If Golden Khan really enters Sumeru, then it's hard to say."

Tang Xiaotang: "Oh? Could there really be a good show to watch?"

Lei Jun: "Not necessarily, but it's worth a try."

Preparations to seal the Dihai gate had already been made.

If they acted decisively now, it seemed that they would be corresponding to the first middle sign.

The Yuluo Purple Mist mentioned in the fortune-telling signs is a unique phenomenon in the Yuluo Valley, a land of darkness, that occurs twice a day, at noon and at night.

If calculated accurately, it occurs slightly earlier than noon and midnight, but the difference is not significant.

As Lei Jun read the fortunes, the difference between the upper-middle sign and the middle sign seemed to lie in the time difference between the Yuluo Purple Mist rising in the daytime and the exact time of noon.

If the gate was sealed before the Yuluo Purple Mist rose, there would be no surprises or dangers, and Golden Khan Ang Qinfu could go wherever he wanted.

Waiting for the Yuluo Purple Mist to rise, and then sealing the Dihai gate before noon, there might be some turbulence, but there was a possibility of obtaining a third-grade opportunity.

As long as the Dihai gate was sealed before noon, it would be fine.

Lei Jun was curious about what this third-grade opportunity might be, and at the same time, he arrived at the gate to make the final preparations.

His junior sister, Tang Xiaotang, had also received his message and arrived early in the land of darkness in the former Song Dynasty, in the Jingxiang area.

Li Tianqing, who was also in the Dihai, stood with Lei Jun: "Celestial Master, do you mean that the Golden Khan of the foreign tribe in the mortal realm on the other side has a chance to break through the final barrier and ascend to the immortal realm in the near future?

It seems so. News from over there suggests they are probably just a sheet of paper away from success." Lei Jun said.

Li Tianqing nodded slightly. As a fellow cultivator, and a Ninth Heaven cultivator himself, he understood the implied meaning in Lei Jun's words.

In cases like the Golden Khan, it was possible that they might not make any headway even after several more years of waiting.

However, it was equally possible that they would succeed tomorrow, or perhaps even today, at this very moment as they spoke—piercing through that final layer of paper.

"If that's the case, then the seal we just placed on the portal to the Underworld may not hold, right?" Li Tianqing looked at Lei Jun.

He was a Ninth Heaven Descended God Great Shaman from the Shamanic Sect's Divine Dance lineage. If one were to pick the person most skilled in the Void Way within the Shamanic Sect, he would undoubtedly be among them.

And that was why Li Tianqing did not dare to underestimate the Golden Khan, Ang Qinwu.

The other party cultivated in martial arts.

Opening and stabilizing void portals was not their forte.

Or, to be more precise, aiding others in crossing the void was not their specialty.

However, when it came to their individual ability to tear through the void with their physical bodies, they excelled.

The Golden Khan's ascension to immortality was akin to instantaneous teleportation.

With such power, he might be able to cross the void by himself, even without the aid of a void portal.

What he needed most was an accurate location.

If the void portals like You Yin, Kong Sang, and Huang Quan had long been closed and left scarce traces, it would be difficult for a Martial Immortal to cross the void and arrive at their destination.

However, if it was a void portal that had just been sealed recently, it might not be able to keep the Golden Khan out of the Underworld of the Former Song Dynasty.

That was why Li Tianqing had some concerns.

They were only minor concerns because of the tall, young Daoist standing beside him.

Although Li Tianqing had not interacted much with Lei Jun, he knew that the other party was calm and steady, and would definitely have made some arrangements.

Li Tianqing did not object to Lei Jun's arrangements, and at that moment, Lei Jun was observing the Underworld on the other side of the void portal.

He had brought the Jade Clarity Cyclic Heaven Mirror into the Underworld Sea.

The environment in the Underworld Sea was unique and not very conducive for the Jade Clarity Cyclic Heaven Mirror to exert its full potential.

On one hand, the Underworld Sea was filled with black mist, and on the other hand, the Jade Clarity Cyclic Heaven Mirror could not ascend to great heights without being easily detected.

Especially with Li Tianqing, a Ninth Heaven Divine Dance Great Shaman, by Lei Jun's side—his soul perception was extremely sensitive.

However, because Lei Jun's own presence was so strong, it masked the aura of the Jade Clarity Cyclic Heaven Mirror.

The mirror's target was not Li Tianqing himself, but rather, it penetrated through layers of void, focusing on the Underworld of the Former Song Dynasty.

There, in the deep valley of You Luo, it was pitch-black and sunless.

But the Jade Clarity Cyclic Heaven Mirror could still help Lei Jun see clearly.

However, as noon approached, a faint purple mist began to permeate the dark valley.

The purple mist of You Luo had appeared.

Lei Jun quietly turned the light of the Jade Clarity Cyclic Heaven Mirror.

Soon, a small team of people came into view.

They were not the usual Ninth Li people who dwelled in dim environments, nor were they from other tribes. They appeared to be remnants of the Former Song Dynasty.

These people had relatively low cultivation levels and looked weary from their journey, as if they had just arrived in this land of darkness after a long trek.

From their direction of travel, it seemed they had received guidance and knew about the location of the void portal that led from this underworld to the Underworld Sea. They were making their way through the dark valley, stumbling over the uneven ground as they hurried toward their destination.

Lei Jun was no stranger to such groups.

During the period when the Underworld Sea had been connected to the Former Song Dynasty, there would occasionally be remnants of the Former Song who had received news and would come to the Underworld Sea, hoping for a chance at a new life.

Although they were few in number and there were mundane mortals among them, the Great Tang cultivators in the Underworld Sea would generally not drive them away. After a careful screening process, they would find a way to settle them.

At that moment, it seemed that another group had arrived.

At this particular juncture, Lei Jun wondered if the three-star opportunity mentioned in the upper lot referred to this group of people...

If the void portal had been sealed earlier, these people would surely have been blocked in the Former Song Dynasty's underworld...

As Lei Jun pondered this, his eyes suddenly flickered.

With the light of the Jade Clarity Cyclic Heaven Mirror, he quickly discovered that someone else was approaching this land of darkness.

This time, the person who had come had a much higher cultivation base and strength.

The newcomer wore monk's robes, had a handsome face, and possessed a dignified aura. Riding on a red peacock, he descended upon the land of darkness in the blink of an eye.

The red Buddhist light was filled with the true meaning of wisdom and perfection, illuminating the surrounding layers of the underground valley.

It was none other than Zong Ga, the head of the Lotus Department from Sumeru, who had attained the fifth level of the Nine Heavens in the Hand Seal lineage of Buddhism, achieving the Five Aspects of Embodiment.

The fact that he had left the Golden Khan's capital and appeared here was enough for Lei Jun to understand the situation.

The Golden Khan, Ang Qinwu, had succeeded.

Thousands of years after the Han dynasty's great calamity, the first new generation immortal expert had been born in the Former Song Dynasty's underworld.

And indeed, he had his eyes set on the Underworld Sea.

Zong Ga, the head of the Lotus Department from Sumeru, had come to pave the way for Ang Qinwu.

As a Martial Immortal, he could remain in the mortal world slightly longer than other immortal experts.

Ang Qinwu did not plan to leave the mortal world immediately to find a place to rest and recuperate.

With the choice to seize the brief moment at hand, Lei Jun decided to first clear the remnants of the Song people in the mortal realm.

By doing so, even if he and Shan Zhihui Zun Zhe did not step into the mortal world again, the remaining masters of the Golden Khanate, along with the Lotus Department Master Zongga of Sumeru, would still be able to firmly establish their rule over the mortal realm of the former Song people.

Lei Jun was unsure if the Canglang Khanate and the White Deer Khanate had suffered bad luck, but compared to the Song remnants in the south of the Yangtze River, there was no doubt that the two great immortals, Canglang Khan Zhuolige Tu and White Deer Khan Huheda Lai, were more likely to become the targets of Golden Khan Ang Qin husband, a true martial immortal.

It was because Ang Qin went to find them trouble first that Zongga, the master of the Lotus Department, took the precaution of coming to the mortal realm of Jingxiang land first.

Zongga had no intention of entering the Earthly Sea.

He didn't even intend to directly conflict with the masters in the Earthly Sea.

As long as he could delay and slow down the sealing of the Earthly Sea's void portal, that would be enough.

This delay didn't need to be long.

Golden Khan Ang Qin couldn't stay in the mortal realm for long.

After taking care of his enemies in the north, he wouldn't take long to arrive here either.

The small team of people near the void portal in the deep valley slowed their pace as they beheld the living Buddha-like Zongga Master.

They were Song people and deeply feared the Western Regions monks who assisted the Golden Khanate.

However, the monk didn't seem malicious and instead inspired feelings of closeness in those who beheld him.

The Buddhist Mudra lineage focused on spiritual cultivation, and the Lotus Department was the lineage within the Five Departments of the Sumeru Vajra Realm that placed the most emphasis on the spirit.

With such a vast difference in their realm and strength, Master Zongga of the Lotus Department didn't need to put on a show or say a word to naturally influence the minds of these people.

Zongga's attention was on the portal to the Earthly Sea, and he originally had no intention of dealing with these Song remnants.

However, suddenly, his spiritual sense stirred as if he sensed something, and he turned his head to look at the group.

The first glance revealed an even stronger sense of strangeness, but he still couldn't see the true nature of what was happening.

Although Zongga remained vigilant towards the direction of the Earthly Sea portal, he also kept a watchful eye on this group.

Unfortunately, before he could carefully discern what was happening, changes occurred on the other side of the void portal leading to the Earthly Sea.

As the spatial domain trembled, the void began to close.

On the other side, Lei Jun did not take action himself.

He drew in the air, and his spiritual power condensed into shining talismans that flickered with light.

Meanwhile, Li Tianqing began to use the techniques of the Shamanic Divine Dance lineage to seal the portal to the Earthly Sea.

The Ghost God Sacrifice Array of Jiuge Yunzhongjun unfolded with a boom, instantly covering the four directions and agitating the void.

At this moment, Li Tianqing's appearance was different from usual.

As he performed the Shamanic Divine Dance, his face, without any warning, donned a huge mask. The mask was hideous like a ghost or god, with only his eyes exposed.

However, Li Tianqing's eyes were indifferent, as if he had lost all human emotions and become an incarnation of a ghost god.

This was the unique mystery of the Descending God Great Shaman of the Nine Heavens. With the mask of the tao phase, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was gathered by the gods, making Li Tianqing's shamanic power even more formidable.

The sacrifice array of Jiuge Yunzhongjun was adept at manipulating spatial changes. Under its influence, the portal to the Earthly Sea became turbulent and showed signs of closing.

On the other side, in the mortal realm of the former Song people, Master Zongga of the Lotus Department saw this and immediately countered it.

He sat atop the Amitabha Peacock Throne, with one hand forming the Samadhi Mudra and the other forming the Wisdom Fist Mudra.

The turbulent void portal was immediately stabilized once again.

Although his cultivation was higher than Li Tianqing's, Master Zongga of the Lotus Department did not take it lightly.

He could already sense that his opponent was a Descending God Great Shaman of the Shamanic Divine Dance lineage, and the level of his divine dance sacrifice array, which influenced time and space, was very high. In this aspect of competition, Zongga would not be careless.

In the midst of the great battle, the Song remnants finally snapped back to their senses.

Some fled in panic towards the distance.

However, a small minority gritted their teeth and dashed towards the Earthly Sea portal that Zongga had stabilized.

Zongga temporarily ignored them.

Although he was curious about what had caught his spiritual sense earlier, his priority remained the portal to the Earthly Sea.

The Buddhist master's eyes were clear, and his spirit quickly returned to its original calm and unperturbed state.

On the other side of the Earthly Sea, forty-nine shining talismans were already floating in the air in front of Lei Jun, temporarily suspended without taking action.

The glow of the Jade Clarity Round Mirror shifted from Master Zongga of the Lotus Department to those who were rushing into the Earthly Sea portal.

It was because of Zongga that they were still able to pass through at this moment.

"Hurry, Feier!" A couple tightly gripped the girl's hand as they rushed through.

The girl was brave and didn't seem flustered at all. Instead, she curiously looked around as she passed through the void portal.

She entered Lei Jun's field of vision, and he felt the same sense of strangeness that Master Zongga had felt earlier.

There seemed to be something unusual, but he couldn't understand the details at first glance.

With their cultivation, both Lei Jun and Zongga had almost missed this despite the huge gap in their realms compared to the girl.

This abnormal phenomenon suddenly reminded Lei Jun of something.

Once the girl officially passed through the void portal and appeared near him, he directly verified his guess.

This girl had a special body constitution.

So that was it. It turned out that the upper-middle sign's three-grade opportunity wasn't some spiritual object but a living person... Lei Jun was speechless for a moment.

It had been years since he met Babao in Bashu Rain Mountain, and it was rare to encounter a "divine opportunity" that could breathe.

A divine body constitution.

A Great Void Immortal Body.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end