Chapter 438: Lei Jun's Heavenly Punishment! (Part 2)

Chapter 438: Lei Jun's Heavenly Punishment! (Part 2)

Through the observation of the Jade Clarity Surround-Heaven Law Mirror, Lei Jun could already see a Great Witch of the Ninth Heaven drawing near the Great River Dragon Gate area.

But it was not the Han Crown Prince, Xiang Jing.

So, could the second-grade expandable opportunity mentioned in the upper-upper slip be referring to this person...? Lei Jun pondered as he continued to search for Xiang Jing's whereabouts.

It was nearing midnight.

The turbulence of the Grand Sacrifice ritual of Kongsang was becoming more and more intense.

As the focal point of the ritual, the Great River Dragon Gate churned the river water, transforming it into a water dragon that charged straight up to the heavens.

In the sky above, the clouds and mist churned as well, with a large amount of spiritual energy gathering to vaguely form the shape of a dragon.

A virtual and a real dragon intersected at this moment between heaven and earth.

Affected by them, the void of the world in the Great River Dragon Gate area was violently distorted, even showing signs of converging.

The rolling spiritual energy did not carry an evil aura.

Through the trend of heaven and earth convergence, everything seemed to be reversed.

At midnight, this moment seemed to turn into daytime.

The bloody qi of the Grand Sacrifice ritual that had gathered in Huaying Palace was guided to the Great River Dragon Gate, instead becoming clear and calm.

Not only in the mortal realm, but the entire world of Kongsang seemed to be trembling and turning upside down due to the influence of the Grand Sacrifice ritual.

The black mist in Tianjing had completely dissipated, leaving only the bone pagoda that was even more massive than the one in the mortal Chang'an.

The red light contained within the bones had disappeared, turning into harmonious and wonderful golden light that illuminated all of Kongsang.

The descendants of the Earthly Capital lineage, who had taken advantage of the Witch King's slumber to gain a foothold in Kongsang with the help of exotic treasures, were stunned as they witnessed what was unfolding before them, their hearts filled with helplessness and even a hint of despair.

The Great Witch of the Ninth Heaven, Ke Lang, was currently in the mortal realm, away from Kongsang.

Without him to lead the resistance against the Witch King, the Earthly Capital had ultimately become a contributing force to the Grand Sacrifice ritual.

However, the Witch King did not feel a sense of satisfaction or triumph at this moment.

His cold and cruel emotions swept through all of Kongsang like a storm.

Even his phantom in the mortal realm conveyed a similar furious rage.

Chen Mingxu, the Great Witch of Kongsang's Tianjing, had received orders from Peng Youshan to head to the Great River Dragon Gate area to prepare to receive another Great Witch of Kongsang, Long Feng, who was also the Han Crown Prince, Xiang Jing.

However, when he arrived near the Great River Dragon Gate, he felt that the spiritual energy gathered here was lower than expected.

Although Tang Xiaotang's actions in Chang'an City had caused a shorter delay than anticipated, the Grand Sacrifice ritual as a whole should have been successful.

Yet, as the focal point on this side, the situation was unexpected.

Deep within Chen Mingxu's soul, he seemed to sense the Witch King's furious rage, which made his entire body turn cold.

As he tried to contact Xiang Jing, he hastily inspected the surroundings.

Just then, a warning sign suddenly appeared in Chen Mingxu's mind.

He detected the presence of an enemy ambush here! Chen Mingxu had already been on guard for unexpected enemies when he discovered that the spiritual energy in the Great River Dragon Gate was lower than expected.

But by the time he became aware, his surroundings had turned pitch-black, and he found himself in a dark cosmic void.

... The Great Vehicle Dao Scene of a Daoist Talisman Sect cultivator!

It was not surprising that the commotion in Huaying Palace had been noticed.

But the Grand Sacrifice ritual had just started to react on the Great River Dragon Gate side.

Since the ritual originated in Huaying and culminated in the Great River Dragon Gate, it naturally made it harder to detect any abnormalities on this side.

In theory, the only Great Han cultivators who could possibly notice abnormalities in the Great River Dragon Gate within a short time were Xiang Chengyuan and Xiang Jing, father and son. But it was obvious that it wouldn't be them at this moment.

Yet, someone was already lying in wait here! How did they get here ahead of time?

Chen Mingxu speculated whether the ambusher was from the Great Han's Dragon-Tiger Mountain or the Great Tang's Celestial Master's Mansion as he guarded against further attacks from the enemy.

However...

"Boom!"

A deafening thunderclap suddenly rang out from within his mind, shaking his soul and stiffening his body.

In that instant, Chen Mingxu's eyes and mind went blank, as if his consciousness had been interrupted.

... It was an attack targeting his soul!

As the Blood River Great Witch, Chen Mingxu was most sensitive to this.

As he regained his senses momentarily, his head felt like it was about to split open, but he still realized that he was being attacked by the enemy's soul magic.

This situation was extremely dangerous for him.

Unfortunately, before Chen Mingxu could think of a way to escape, a series of thunderclaps exploded directly in his mind.

The thunder rumbled incessantly without pause.

The Nine Firmaments Heart Thunder exploded continuously, as if it would never end.

Chen Mingxu's body froze in place, unable to move.

Lei Jun strolled in the void, slowly approaching Chen Mingxu from behind. With a raise of his hand and a fall of his palm, he struck Chen Mingxu right on the forehead.

The Blood River Great Witch was instantly smashed to pieces by Lei Jun's palm.

However, the Ninth Heaven realm Blood River Great Witch possessed strong vitality and regenerative abilities. Although his body had turned into a pool of blood, his life force had not completely vanished. Instead, it spread out in all directions like a tidal wave.

But before the blood sea could truly spread out, it was confined within Lei Jun's Great Vehicle Dao Scene.

The Solitary Water, which contrasted with the Five-Colored Clouds, surged from all directions, silent yet formidable like a thunder pool that could not be crossed lightly, trapping the blood sea formed from Chen Mingxu's shattered body within a fixed and limited range.

Chen Mingxu's face appeared in the blood sea, contorted with anger.

But before he could let out a roar like a tidal wave, a brilliant sun suddenly appeared in the sky above.

The Nine Abyss Truefire and the Starry Sky Fire merged in yin-yang harmony, forming the Yin-Yang Supreme Stellar Brilliance, a terrifying destructive force akin to a real sun, smashing down onto the surface of the blood sea.

Chen Mingxu's roar, like a tsunami, was forced back.

The sun crashed down, instantly shattering the blood sea into pieces.

The heat of the sun continued to burn, evaporating and drying the fragmented blood water.

Even though Chen Mingxu, as the Blood River Great Witch, only needed a small amount of blood and flesh to recover, Lei Jun's divine ability did not give him even this chance.

Normally, Chen Mingxu would have decisively severed most of his blood sea to block the sunlight, sacrificing his vitality. Then, the remaining small portion of blood water would cut off its connection with the main body and escape far away, choosing to live to fight another day.

Surrounded and confined by the solitary water phase, Chen Mingxu, who had transformed into a sea of blood, had nowhere to escape to.

He could only watch helplessly as the sea of blood that he had transformed into was burned and destroyed by the brilliant Great Sun, unable to resist or flee.

However, this display of divine power stirred a sense of familiarity within him.

The Solitary Abbot of Great Emptiness Monastery had once mentioned that Dongyang Sage Wang Xu's sun-chanting poetry manifested similar wonders, as if the true Great Sun had descended. More importantly, the power seemed endless, and even the Solitary Abbot, who had cultivated the wondrous art of erasing all forms, found it difficult to withstand for long.

Later, O Hongcheng, a great witch of the Kongsang Tianjing lineage, also perished at the hands of Wang Xu.

... But the more Chen Mingxu watched, the more he felt that this Taoist's technique resembled the sun-chanting method described by the Solitary Abbot, attributed to Dongyang Sage Wang Xu.

As Chen Mingxu's heart sank with a sense of foreboding, he quickly summoned the treasure Peng Youshan had given him to defend against the Dongyang Sage.

Within a crystalline bone, light shimmered and flowed.

However, the original green ethereal light had now turned silver.

It resembled the radiance of moonlight.

Lei Jun waved his hand, and a black Yin Thunder Dragon and a silver Pure Yin Thunder Dragon flew out together, surrounding and temporarily suppressing the bone that had changed from green to silver light.

... This was a technique that "Wang Xu" of Dongyang Sage had never revealed before.

To be precise, he was never truly a Confucian cultivator to begin with.

The extra preparation made by Kongsang was not what it seemed.

Seeing this, Chen Mingxu felt utterly hopeless.

He still had one last glimmer of hope.

Upon attaining the Nine Heavens Descending God Realm, the Blood River Great Witch would gain a chance at rebirth, regardless of whether they had cultivated the Blood Sea Nirvana technique or not.

As long as the necessary arrangements were made, the rebirth location could be even farther away than the distance traveled during the Blood Sea Nirvana.

In Chen Mingxu's case, he could resurrect directly within Kongsang.

As long as the Witch King remained in Kongsang, there was no way this Taoist could pursue him there.

However, the prerequisite was that he successfully resurrected without being intercepted along the way.

... After enduring the constant bombardment of the Nine Heavens Heart Thunder, Chen Mingxu found himself devoid of any confidence.

Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he had more faith in Lei Jun than in himself.

Lei Jun did not betray Chen Mingxu's trust.

As the Yin Yang Infinite Stars burned the sea of blood to ashes, a nine-section green bamboo staff, shimmering with purple and golden light, descended from the heavens. It seemed to hang in the air without actually touching the ground, yet it struck with immense force.

With this strike, the void trembled slightly.

Then, blood splattered everywhere.

It was as if an invisible entity had been shattered by Lei Jun's Upper Clarity Jade Chariot Immortal Bamboo.

Amidst the spray of blood, a frustrated roar echoed through the Xuanhuang Universe, only to disappear in the next instant.

Chen Mingxu's mysterious rebirth, along with his lingering soul, was obliterated by Lei Jun's Upper Clarity Jade Chariot Immortal Bamboo with a single strike, ending his life within Lei Jun's Great Vehicle View.

Lei Jun retracted his Great Vehicle View.

Outside, the Great Clarity Eight Scenes Treasure Canopy enveloped him, further isolating him from the heavens and the earth.

With multiple layers of insulation and Lei Jun's dark side washing the ground, even the Kongsang Witch King, who was above the Nine Heavens, could only sense that Chen Mingxu had perished, but not the specifics of what had transpired.

Lei Jun, cloaked in the Great Clarity Eight Scenes Treasure Canopy, left the area and headed to another location.

As time passed, the crystalline bone began to change.

Lei Jun, contemplating these changes, realized they were influenced by the merging of heaven and earth in the Dragon Gate area along the Great River, where day and night alternated.

The bone itself transformed into a soft white light, and the center, which had changed from emerald green to silver, shone like a silver moon amidst the white glow, reminiscent of a moon shining during the day.

Daytime Moon Radiance

Lei Jun's mind suddenly lit up, and a name emerged: Daytime Moon Radiance.

Compared to the initial crystal bone that contained a faint green glow, this seemingly illusory yet tangible Daytime Moon Radiance was the heavenly treasure that Lei Jun needed.

No wonder this second-grade opportunity, which could be expanded, manifested at midnight in the Great Han Dynasty's Dragon Gate along the Great River.

Even if they had known about the green-light bone earlier, without the empowerment of this ritual, the item would not have been what Lei Jun required, even if they had obtained it.

However, Lei Jun did not delve into a detailed study at this moment. He only performed a series of procedures to ensure that the Kongsang Witch King or others would not take advantage of the situation. Then, he carefully stored away this Daytime Moon Radiance, resembling the moon amidst the day, intending to slowly decipher it later when the situation was more stable.

For now, he continued to observe the situation before him.

The Jade Clarity Heaven Surrounding Magic Mirror revealed no sign of anyone else appearing.

Especially, there was no sign of Han Crown Prince Xiang Jing.

Lei Jun thought to himself that if Xiang Jing hadn't met with an accident, then the Kongsang Witch King's plan must have gone awry at his stage.

Common sense dictated that regardless of whether it was Xiang Chengyuan or Xiang Jing, they would not willingly become vessels for immortal experts from the immortal realm to descend upon the mortal realm, no matter how beneficial it might seem.

However, the Witch Clan's methods were strange and overbearing, and with the Kongsang Witch King taking the initiative, he would have his ways to manipulate Xiang Jing.

Just like Han Emperor Xiang Chengyuan.

Xiang Jing might have his own thoughts and ambitions, his own ideas and plans, but when faced with overwhelming power, all his scheming would amount to nothing, and he might even end up inadvertently aiding the Kongsang Witch King's plans, becoming a part of his grand design.

Unless he found another powerful ally.

So, who could this ally be? Sumeru, or Kunlun, or perhaps somewhere else? Lei Jun, with the Jade Clarity Heaven Surrounding Magic Mirror, searched far and wide for any clues.

…………………

In Kunlun, Mu Weizi suddenly received a message from the Primordial Heaven Ancestor:

"In addition to Xu Yuanzhen in Xinzhou and Tang Xiaotang in Guanzhong, someone else from the Dragon and Tiger Mountain lineage of the Great Tang has arrived in the Great Han Dynasty, most likely Lei Jun."

Mu Weizi was startled. "How did he get here?"

Primordial Heaven Ancestor: "Zhang Wantong is in seclusion. With the Talisman Sect's Xu, Tang, and Lei all in the Great Han, the opportunity in the Great Tang's mortal realm is at its best. Give it a try and see if you can find Zhang Wantong's seclusion location."

Wooden-Wei Son calmed his mind, "Yes, Master."

The current situation with Old Ancestor of the Heaven's Circle was at a critical juncture in his tug-of-war with the Sorceress of the Kuang Sang Sect. Whether he could replace her and gain the opportunity to walk freely among humans without worry depended on this one move, and he naturally couldn't afford any distractions.

Wooden-Wei Son bid farewell to the Old Ancestor of the Heaven's Circle and left Kunlun.

Just as the Old Ancestor of the Heaven's Circle had said, even without Zhang, Xu, Tang, and Lei, the human realm of the Tang Dynasty was still full of capable people.

With only himself, Wooden-Wei Son had no intention of venturing into the Tang Dynasty alone.

Fortunately, he had already laid the groundwork elsewhere.

Wooden-Wei Son immediately delved into the Deep Abyss and explained the situation.

In order to gain the trust of Youluo Mountain Master and the other great demons, he would personally go to the Tang Dynasty and even be the first to enter the human realm of the Tang Dynasty.

Such an opportunity was rare, and anyone would need to seize it carefully, for if they missed it today, it would only become more difficult in the future.

"Let's go," Youluo Mountain Master said without further ado.

Previously, the two portals connecting the Deep Abyss and the human realm of the Tang Dynasty had been sealed, preventing anyone from entering or exiting.

Youluo Mountain Master now wanted to reopen them, but the difficulty was high.

Fortunately, he had laid the groundwork beforehand.

Black Mountain Lord, a great demon who had been forced to retreat to the remote northern wilderness due to the strength of the human cultivators, now reappeared.

This time, he was not alone but was accompanied by a great demon with a similar tribal connection.

Youluo Mountain Master.

Two tigers cannot share one mountain.

Moreover, the other demon's strength surpassed his own, and if there had been another option, Black Mountain Lord would not have associated with Youluo Mountain Master.

However, in recent years, although the demonic aura and the evil atmosphere had risen alongside the heavenly spirit energy, the human race in the Tang Dynasty was still too strong.

Black Mountain Lord had no choice but to seek external aid.

In the Tang Dynasty's northern frontier, a portal to the void was reopened, connecting the Deep Abyss and the human realm once more.

Wooden-Wei Son was the first to appear from within.

Youluo Mountain Master and Bone Flood Dragon, with their massive bodies, followed closely behind.

Chen Yi secretly returned to the human realm alongside Bone Flood Dragon.

Breathing the air of the human realm, Chen Yi maintained a calm expression and quietly said to Bone Flood Dragon, "You take care of your own business, and I'll go settle some old grudges."

"Alright," replied Bone Flood Dragon.

Wooden-Wei Son and Youluo Mountain Master glanced at Bone Flood Dragon, who seemed to be acting strangely, but neither of them said anything.

They each had their own important matters to attend to.

Although the opportunity was rare, no one knew when Zhang, Xu, Tang, and Lei would return to the human realm of the Tang Dynasty, and they could not afford to waste any time as the opportunity might slip away at any moment.

After determining their direction, Youluo Mountain Master and Black Mountain Lord immediately headed south, straight towards the densely populated areas.

However, they soon encountered obstruction from cultivators of the Tang Dynasty.

Black Mountain Lord was shocked to see the person blocking their path—it was none other than Empress Zhang Wantong of the Tang Dynasty.

The tiger demon from the Nine Heavens immediately wanted to retreat.

Youluo Mountain Master was surprised but quickly realized, "It's not the real person!"

Indeed, it was not the real Empress Zhang Wantong.

In the distance behind the "Empress," there stood a young Confucian scholar, none other than Zhang Hui, who had been inspecting the borders of the Tang Dynasty earlier.

In his hand was a blank scroll, which he was now rolling up.

The lifelike figure of the Empress had originated from that very scroll.

"Impossible to maintain for long," Black Mountain Lord calmed down upon receiving Youluo Mountain Master's reminder.

Youluo Mountain Master let out a low whistle but did not take the initiative to move forward.

Immediately, ink-like black holes began to bloom in the air.

From these twisted, shadowy caverns stepped forth numerous figures, both large and small, of varying sizes.

Among them were various demons and human experts.

At this moment, their demonic auras swirled, and deathly energy permeated the air, as if they had come from the Ghost Domain of Youluo.

Black Mountain Lord, witnessing this display from the side, thought to himself that the other demon's ability to refine vengeful spirits was indeed superior to his own. No wonder Youluo Mountain Master was currently the number one demon of the Deep Abyss.

These vengeful spirits were all powerful beings slain by Youluo Mountain Master in the past.

Regardless of their race, human or demon, their strengths were no less than that of Black Mountain Lord, and they were clearly all experts of the Nine Heavens of the human race. Their collective appearance was a sight to behold.

Youluo Mountain Master had come to the human realm alone this time, but he was different from the other great demons and could not be treated as a single entity.

However, before Youluo Mountain Master's vengeful spirits could even spread out to surround the "Empress," he suddenly noticed that several figures were also appearing beside the "Empress."

Empress Zhang Wantong was the number one expert of the Tang Dynasty, and Youluo Mountain Master had even crossed paths with her in the past.

Even when the Empress was injured, Youluo Mountain Master had felt apprehensive.

Thus, he was very familiar with the image of the Empress.

However, among the cultivators of the Tang Dynasty that now appeared, Youluo Mountain Master could barely recognize a few.

But Black Mountain Lord was left stunned.

For among those standing before Empress Zhang Wantong, there were clearly figures from the past: Ye Yan, the former clan head of the Ye Clan of Qingzhou; Chu Xiuyuan, the former clan head of the Chu Clan of Suzhou; Ye Moquan, the former clan head of the Ye Clan of Cangzhou; and Fang Jingsheng, the former clan head of the Fang Clan of Jingxiang.

According to Black Mountain Lord's knowledge, they should have all perished long ago!

Youluo Mountain Master's eyes narrowed as he saw one of the middle-aged warriors, a chilling light flashing in his eyes, "You didn't die?!”

The middle-aged warrior held a knife, his blood and energy vigorous.

It was none other than Zhang Teng, the former King of Zhao of the Tang Dynasty.

"No, apart from Zhang Wantong, they're all dead," Youluo Mountain Master and Black Mountain Lord realized.

The group of cultivators before them, just like "Empress Zhang Wantong," were all creations of other cultivators.

And now, they jointly faced the fierce demons invading the Tang Dynasty.

In the distance, Zhang Hui maintained a calm expression as he continued to unroll scroll after scroll.

He had also prepared scrolls of Xiao Xueling, Shangguan Yunbo, Chu Yu, and others.

With his talent, as long as he was willing to put in the effort, he could create scrolls of Lei Jun, Xu Yuanzhen, Tang Xiaotang, Yuan Mobai, and others as well.

The images were lifelike, and while he couldn't perfectly replicate their strengths, especially those whose cultivation levels surpassed his own, he could maintain the illusion for a short time without issue.

But as a friend and fellow cultivator, he would not put brush to paper without their permission.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end