https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-435-The-Play-Has-Just-Begun-Part-1-/12602364/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-437-The-Fourth-Layer-of-the-Ninefold-Heaven-Haoling-Qi-Part-1-/12602382/
Chapter 435: The Play Has Just Begun (Part 2)
Chapter 435: The Play Has Just Begun (Part 2)
"
Pan Hailin maintained his composure. "It is true that millennia ago, we paid homage to the same forefathers. But the people of the Talisman sect of the Great Tang... including those of the so-called Huangtian Dao, operating within the borders of our Great Han Empire, no longer hold respect for our ancestors in their hearts."
"Over time, they have distorted our classics, and their actions are nothing short of unfilial. Now, they likely plot to go even further and eradicate our sect's legacy. Our sect has already taken a step back and retreated to Taiqing Duting Heaven, choosing to distance ourselves from them. We appreciate your intention to mediate, Chen, but given the current state of affairs in the Great Han, we do not wish to create further complications. Let us leave this matter for future discussion when the time is more opportune. As the saying goes, a tree desires calm, but the wind keeps blowing."
Chen Lingfeng and Deng Lai exchanged a glance, nodding slightly. "Your integrity and principles, Sect Leader Ji and Daoist Pan, are truly commendable."
Deng Lai spoke, "The Great Tang has shown restraint for many years, and now, with the temporary disruption in communication between the two realms, the Miyabaobu faction has also refrained from overly aggressive actions lately. The primary concern in the Great Han at present is the demon monks of Dakhang Monastery and the Kongsang witches who support them."
Pan Hailin added, "Thanks to the Crown Prince and Mr. Dongyang, those demon monks and evil witches have been much less active in the past two years."
However, Deng Lai's expression remained grave. "On the surface, it appears tranquil, but beneath it, there are hidden undercurrents that are troubling..."
Chen Lingfeng and Pan Hailin both turned their gaze toward him.
After a moment of contemplation, Deng Lai finally spoke, "There seems to be some sort of ominous presence looming over Chang'an... no, more specifically, the Hua Yin Palace."
At this mention, Pan Hailin and Chen Lingfeng's expressions turned solemn.
As the Pure Yang Palace was located in Zhongnan Mountain within the Guanzhong region, Deng Lai's concern was not without reason. He had clearly sensed something, and it wasn't mere speculation.
"There are witch practitioners in Guanzhong," Deng Lai said slowly.
Chen Lingfeng suddenly spoke up, "I recall that during the Battle of Datong, we captured a witch named Tan Mu, who was connected to the Great Witch, Longfeng. Under interrogation, we learned that Longfeng had been active in the Guanzhong area, and there were even rumors of his continued presence there."
Deng Lai nodded slightly.
Chen Lingfeng and Pan Hailin fell silent.
If it had been anywhere else, they might have overlooked it.
But Guanzhong was the heart of the empire, surrounded by powerful forces like the Yang Clan, the Xiao Clan beyond Long Province, and the Pure Yang Palace of Zhongnan Mountain.
If a great witch had truly been active in the region for years, they wouldn't have been completely oblivious to it.
Unless... a highly influential figure had been shielding them.
Such a powerful individual wouldn't be difficult to find within the Great Han Empire.
Chen Lingfeng, Deng Lai, and the others couldn't help but think of the wise ruler, Emperor Han Xiangchengyuan, and the changes he had undergone in recent times.
It was said that the Great Witch who had aided the abbot of Dakhang Monastery, Juexiang Monk, had come from Kongsang. Rumors also suggested that Dakhang Monastery was backed by the Kongsang Great Witch.
However, until now, they had been unable to locate the void portal connecting Kongsang to the Great Han.
Chen Lingfeng, Deng Lai, and Pan Hailin exchanged glances, their eyes reflecting unspoken thoughts.
........................
Within Kongsang, a group of elite witches, led by Peng You Shan, gathered at the foot of a mountain peak.
The towering peak was composed entirely of gleaming white bones, crystalline in their transparency.
The structure formed by the transparent bones was not solid, with numerous gaps between them. Black smoke billowed from these gaps and shrouded the mountain.
From time to time, red lights flickered within the crevices, like countless blinking eyes.
"Is Longfeng prepared?"
The strange syllables didn't seem to originate from the bone mountain but resonated directly in the minds of Peng You Shan and the others, conveying the message clearly.
Peng You Shan bowed and replied reverently, "Longfeng has made all the necessary arrangements, Your Majesty."
The Kongsang Witch King declared, "The time draws near. Let the preparations commence."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Peng You Shan acknowledged. He then added softly, "Your Majesty, there should be no issues with Dakhang Monastery, but we still haven't received any further news about that eccentric scholar, Wang Xu."
The Kongsang Witch King instructed, "Leave him to you."
As he spoke, a crystalline white bone slowly floated out from the bone mountain and flew toward Peng You Shan.
From the outside, this bone appeared no different from the other translucent bones.
However, within it, a faint green light pulsated.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Peng You Shan replied respectfully as he accepted the crystal bone. He then bowed with the other witches and retreated.
After they had exited the black mist surrounding the bone mountain, Peng You Shan carefully stored away the crystal bone and turned to the witches beside him.
"Notify Longfeng to begin. We should also prepare," he said.
Witch Yun Qingyan spoke in a low voice, "The situation in the Great Tang remains unpredictable."
The Great Han's Dragon and Tiger Mountain boasted Zhou Tian Dao Ren.
And the Great Tang's Celestial Master's Mansion, as well as the entire Daoist cultivation world, was filled with formidable practitioners.
While Zhou Tian Dao Ren and the Great Han's Dragon and Tiger Mountain sect posed obstacles to their plans, if the Daoists of the Great Tang gained too much momentum, the outcome would be just as uncertain.
On the other hand, as the Kongsang Witch King had mentioned, the Miyabaobu would focus on solidifying their position and observe the conflict from a distance.
Initially, they wouldn't make any impulsive moves and might even welcome the impending changes in the Great Han.
But in the later stages, when the situation became clearer, if circumstances allowed, the Miyabaobu might decide to intervene.
They would take advantage of the losing side and push them further into despair.
As long as the Kongsang Witch King could control the situation, the Miyabaobu might even become a source of assistance.
The key lay in the meticulous planning that preceded all of this.
Strictly speaking, the current plan wasn't entirely foolproof and did have some unstable factors.
The opportunity was missed, and now the related rituals would be delayed for many years.
The mortal realm changes in the blink of an eye. Even the Kongsang Witch King could not guarantee that the opportunity would still exist after so long.
Since that was the case, there was no need for hesitation. He would do his best in the present and leave the rest to fate.
"I am ordered to keep an eye on Wang Xu. As for Longfeng, you and the Great Kong Temple should lend your assistance." Peng Youshan instructed.
Yun Qingyan, Lian Jing, and the other Kongsang Great Witches replied in agreement.
......
In the Tang Dynasty's mortal realm, at the Celestial Master's Mansion on Dragon and Tiger Mountain, Lei Jun was cultivating quietly.
This summer, he had turned eighty-three years old.
With Chu Kun, Zhang Jingzhen, Zhuo Baojie, Qin Cawei, and the others gradually maturing, the Celestial Master Lei was now only overseeing the affairs of the mansion, leaving the specific tasks to be managed by the elders and senior disciples.
Lei Jun himself would spend some time traveling to Penglai.
From the viewing platform of the Penglai Pavilion, he used the Jade Clarity Omnidirectional Divine Mirror to observe the four mortal realms.
In the mortal realm of the Former Song Dynasty, not much had changed recently.
However, as Tang Xiaotang had spent most of her time over the past two years instructing her disciples, she had been staying at the mountain gate ancestral hall in the Tang Dynasty's mortal realm.
Thus, the Former Song Dynasty's mortal realm saw less of "Zheng Chen," the elder Zheng.
The already sparse number of high-level cultivators among the remnants of the Song Dynasty had been retreating even more in the face of the Golden Khanate over the past few years.
The overall situation did not look as optimistic as before.
As a result of these setbacks, the remaining Song Dynasty remnants became more united than ever.
Although there were still various smaller factions within, the common pressure they faced was even greater, forcing the different factions to compromise and balance each other.
However, there was also bad news.
Although the Golden Khan did not set foot in the mortal realm, his hanging threat was even more daunting.
Gradually, some among the Song Dynasty remnants began to waver in their hearts, following in the footsteps of Liang Zhuo and others, choosing to defect to the Golden Khanate.
In the mortal realm of the Great Ming Dynasty, the war continued unabated.
The Great White Lotus Sect was in a dire situation, gradually losing their foothold in Qingzhou, and they began to seek a breakthrough strategy.
However, the Great Ming Dynasty court was also in a difficult position.
The xenophobic tribes from the northern expedition to the desert regions had begun to return with a vengeance.
Although the master of the Samadhi-Kamala Sect, Jiedilu, did not show himself, the Kamala Sect monks had finally begun to reappear in the Great Ming Dynasty's mortal realm on a large scale.
Even without any major moves, their presence helped the northern xenophobic tribes become an even greater threat to the Great Ming Dynasty.
The mortal realm of the Two Jin Dynasties was also not peaceful.
In the Northern Jin Dynasty, the marriage of the Empress became the focus of attention for all parties.
The pressure brought by the Sumeru Buddhist Sect on the Northern Jin royal family and the aristocratic families was immense.
However, the situation was relatively stable for now.
In the Southern Jin Dynasty, the undercurrents of turmoil were gradually coming to the surface.
The fact that Crown Prince Cao Kong had secretly gone to the Southern Jin Bodhi Temple to meditate with the Three-Colored Bodhi was extremely confidential, yet not only did the Northern Buddhist Sect of Sumeru know about it, but they had also quietly infiltrated the Southern Dynasty and caused a huge disturbance. Although they were repulsed and suffered heavy losses, the impact of this incident was enormous.
Whether it was the Southern Jin Treasure-Holding Fang Zhang of the Little Western Heaven or Lei Jun, who had long since left this mortal realm, their suspicions pointed to the same place.
The Southern Jin capital of Jianye.
More accurately, the royal court of the Southern Jin Dynasty.
The conflicts beneath the surface were coming to light, and the result would be a storm of blood and carnage that would rival the war between the North and the South.
In the mortal realm of the Current Han Dynasty, Lei Jun, who was at the Penglai Pavilion, could not observe the situation there.
However, through multiple channels of information, including the Huangtian Dao and the Great Han aristocratic families, Lei Jun soon learned that a great upheaval was about to take place in the Current Han Dynasty's mortal realm.
An upheaval that might even surpass the intensity of the turmoil in the Great Ming and Two Jin Dynasties.
Two pieces of news completely shattered the peace in the Great Han Dynasty.
First, the demon monks of the Great Kong Temple had returned with a vengeance, aided by the Kongsang Great Witches, and their momentum was once again overwhelming.
Prince Han, Xiang Jing, personally took action to halt their advance.
Emperor Han, Xiang Chengyuan, finally left the Hua Yin Palace and returned to the capital, Chang'an, to preside over the situation.
As a result, a shocking event occurred in Chang'an.
Emperor Han, Xiang Chengyuan, unleashed his witch power in an uncontrolled manner, surging straight into the clouds and revealing his astonishing cultivation as a Nine Heavens Great Witch.
The bustling city of Chang'an was instantly shrouded in darkness.
When the news spread, the entire Great Han mortal realm was in an uproar.
The subsequent news was even more jaw-dropping: the current Great Han Emperor was not only the source of the recent disturbances but was also going to welcome the descent of the Kongsang Witch King from the Ninth Heaven.
Moreover, the spatial gateway that connected Kongsang to the mortal realm was located near the Guanzhong region, the heartland of the Great Han Dynasty.
It was then revealed that the Great Witch Longfeng, who was rumored to have been active in Guanzhong, was none other than Xiang Chengyuan himself!
The entire Great Han cultivation world was shaken by this revelation.
After the initial shock, the call to defend the kingdom rang out across the land.
Although the Kongsang Witch King was powerful, if they could prevent him from moving freely in the mortal realm, there was still a chance to turn the tide.
Even the Sumeru Treasure Sect, despite claiming that they were short on manpower due to the Sumeru crisis, dispatched a master who had already cultivated the Dharma body of Buddhism in the Nine Heavens realm to serve under Prince Han, Xiang Jing.
In this moment, the entire Great Han Dynasty seemed to explode into action.
Lei Jun's reaction to the news, while in the Tang Dynasty's mortal realm, was...
None.
He acted as if he hadn't heard a thing.
There were too many suspicious circumstances.
He maintained his calm and tranquility, neither rushing nor panicking, continuing to observe the developments while calming Tang Xiaotang, who was eager to take action.
Lei Jun was indeed able to remain calm and focused.
At Dragon and Tiger Mountain, he cultivated with a tranquil mind, not neglecting his own cultivation in the slightest.
With the help of his fellow junior disciple, Chu Kun, and his Supreme Qingjing, Lei Jun completed the cultivation and accumulation of the five spirits and five qi faster than he had originally anticipated, achieving a pure and flawless state.
Having reached such a realm, he laid the foundation for further progress.
Although it was confined to the Daching Daojing·Xuanhuang Universe, which spanned only a few meters in diameter, Lei Jun sat quietly, making the final preparations for the cultivation of the fourth qi, the Haoling Qi, in the Five Qi Morning Prime.
(End of Chapter)
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