Chapter 481: 480. Preparations (Part 1 of 4) (Part 1)

Chapter 481: 480. Preparations (Part 1 of 4) (Part 1)





This year, Qin Caiwei submitted a report to the manor, expressing her intention to return to the mountain gate ancestral court for secluded cultivation.

After years of dedicated cultivation, she was preparing to break through to the Eighth Heaven Divine Court Realm of the Taoist Spell School, and before that, she wanted to make final preparations at the mountain gate.

As the Celestial Master, Lei Jun readily agreed.

After receiving the reply, Qin Caiwei first went to the Celestial Realm to meet with Fenghuang Fengming and Wutong Chaoyang.

In recent years, she had been the one representing the Celestial Master Mansion in dealings with them.

"It is a joyous occasion to hear that Daoist Qin is striving for further progress in her cultivation. We wish you success in achieving perfection," Wutong Chaoyang said warmly. "Here are some gifts, a token of our well wishes. Please don't laugh at our meager offering."

Qin Caiwei quickly replied, "Where is that? I have made significant progress in my cultivation recently, and I am grateful for the care of the seniors. After I emerge from seclusion, I will come to the Celestial Realm to express my gratitude in person."

Fenghuang Fengming spoke, "We always welcome Daoist Qin to visit the Celestial Realm. Your sect, under the leadership of Tang Zhenren and Lei Tian Shi, has maintained an upright and proper sect discipline. We have witnessed it with our own eyes. During your seclusion, we also welcome other Daoists from Dragon Tiger Mountain to visit us."

Qin Caiwei said, "That's truly wonderful. On behalf of my two masters and fellow disciples, I thank the seniors."

Fenghuang Fengming then nodded slightly to Qingluan Zhuyin, who was standing beside him.

Qingluan Zhuyin flapped her wings and flew, escorting Qin Caiwei as she departed from the Celestial Realm.

At this moment, a middle-aged scholar emerged from behind the massive Wutong Divine Tree, and spoke, "The Dragon Tiger Mountain Celestial Master Mansion indeed has a remarkable gathering of talents, benefiting from a great fortune."

Fenghuang Fengming replied, "Those who help themselves will be helped by heaven."

The middle-aged scholar, with a sword hanging at his waist, stood with his hands behind his back, and said, "There are only about three years left until the appointed time for the battle between the Haoyang Sage Sovereign and the Huaming Sage Sovereign."

Fenghuang Fengming remained calm, "Indeed."

The middle-aged scholar continued, "One is waiting for the other's recovery, and the other is waiting for the other's cultivation to progress further. But I wonder if they can both achieve their goals within three years?"

Fenghuang Fengming said, "We shall wait and see."

The middle-aged scholar nodded, "What is the reason for your invitation today, fellow Daoist?"

Fenghuang Fengming said, "Recently, news came from that human realm, about a woman named Xiao Xueting, who, at a young age, has achieved the Ninth Heaven Martial Sage realm and is traveling in that human realm."

"Thank you for informing me," the middle-aged scholar expressed his gratitude, but his expression remained calm and unperturbed, showing no other reaction.

...

Qin Caiwei returned from the Celestial Realm, passing through the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms human realm, and headed towards the Saha world.

In the Saha world, she reunited with Bai Mei, who accompanied her back to the Great Tang human realm.

The two of them returned to the ancestral court of Dragon Tiger Mountain, and before Qin Caiwei entered her personal cave abode for secluded cultivation, Lei Jun summoned her for a meeting.

Currently, only the three of them were present in the Celestial Master Hall, and Lei Jun spoke without hesitation, "White True Lord, I have some questions that I wish to seek your guidance on."

Qin Caiwei had a wooden sword hanging at her waist, and at this moment, the wooden sword trembled slightly, and a faint, blurry light and shadow appeared on it, gradually condensing into the image of a young-looking woman with white hair and a crown, "The Celestial Master is too kind. What is the matter?"

Lei Jun asked, "In the Celestial Realm, the Haoyang Sage Sovereign was active in the world even before the great calamity of the Han Dynasty's end. What is his opinion of the former subordinates of the Heavenly Palace?"

According to rumors, both the Golden Phoenix and the True Dragon once had a place in the ancient Heavenly Palace.

Although the Haoyang Sage Sovereign was born after the destruction of the ancient Heavenly Palace, it was hard to say what his views were.

Lei Jun had once consulted Tang Huang Zhang Wantong, who was the Heavenly Treasure Scholar He Ying in her previous life, about this matter. According to Zhang Wantong, the great chaos of the Han Dynasty's end had spread to all directions, with battles raging everywhere. Although she had known the Golden Phoenix Haoyang in her early years, she had not met him during the great calamity of the Han Dynasty's end.

However, based on what she knew, he had once interacted with the leader of the former subordinates of the Heavenly Palace, the Celestial Lord Gaotian Sui, but she was unclear about the specific circumstances.

"As far as I know, the Golden Phoenix Haoyang does not like disputes and has no intention of involving himself with the former subordinates of the Heavenly Palace," Qin Caiwei said.

Bai Mei spoke softly, "However, the Golden Phoenix clan, which possesses treasures, once held an important position in the ancient Heavenly Palace. After the destruction of the Heavenly Palace, the Golden Phoenix clan also retained some of its relics.

The Celestial Lord Gaotian Sui personally invited the Golden Phoenix Haoyang, but he refused, and the two sides even fought. The Celestial Lord Gaotian Sui forcibly took away the treasures of the Heavenly Palace, and the Golden Phoenix Haoyang was also injured by him."

Lei Jun pondered, "So that's the case."

He turned to Qin Caiwei, "During your recent visits to the Celestial Realm, have you heard of the Huaming Sage Sovereign's views on the former subordinates of the Heavenly Palace?"

Qin Caiwei hesitated slightly, "I report to the master, although I have also interacted with the spiritual beasts of the Huaming Sage Sovereign, I have not heard anyone mention such news.

Although I have tried to indirectly inquire from the seniors Phoenix, Wutong, and Qingluan, they have not mentioned anything related to this matter. Therefore, I am unaware of the current views of the Huaming Sage Sovereign towards the former subordinates of the Heavenly Palace, nor do I know if the Haoyang Sage Sovereign has changed his stance."

Lei Jun smiled slightly, "No matter, just focus on your cultivation."

He gave a Taoist salute to Bai Mei, "White True Lord, you have already answered many of my doubts today."

Bai Mei returned the salute and smiled, "The Celestial Master is too kind."

After saying this, without further words, the condensed light and shadow dissipated.

Qin Caiwei bowed to Lei Jun and took her leave.

Lei Jun contemplated for a while, then wrote a talisman decree and used the Heaven Observing Earth Listening Talisman to send a message to Tang Huang Zhang Wantong.

After that, he continued to focus on his own cultivation.

As far as Lei Jun knew, his senior sister Xu Yanzhen and junior sister Tang Xiaotang had both had the opportunity to push open the Immortal Gate.

However, both of them had their own considerations.

The senior sister was still researching the Well of Time.

The junior sister was studying the Celestial Master's Three Treasures, further summarizing and accumulating her knowledge, and continuously improving her first Immortal Technique for after she becomes an immortal.

Lei Jun was also making related preparations.

For him, in this life's cultivation, he had taken one step at a time, and now that he had reached the Immortal Gate, everything seemed to be falling into place naturally.

In the past, when he crossed the great barrier between major cultivation realms, he had used many heavenly treasures and earthly treasures to assist him in order to save time and accumulate resources.

Now, at the Immortal Gate, it seemed that nothing had been settled yet.

But for Lei Jun, this moment was one of serene composure, untouched by the dust of the world.

The illusory gate to immortality in the void above seemed to be within reach, right before his eyes.

Although the gate was closed, it seemed as if he could open it effortlessly, without any difficulty.

After years of smooth sailing, his actions seemed to align with the grand trend of the times, and by now, it had accumulated a grand momentum for him, making him unstoppable.

Lei Jun's mind was agile and his insights were clear.

However, he didn't feel a sense of arrogance or complacency.

He simply continued his silent cultivation.

During this time, news came from Da Ju:

Xu Yanzhen, after years of research and preparation, was planning to personally enter the Well of Time.

"Be careful, Senior Sister," Lei Jun said upon hearing the news, without trying to dissuade her, simply stating it.

People have different paths.

Xu Yanzhen spoke casually, "Don't worry about me, but while I'm away, you all take care of yourselves.

Last time I heard you mention that Pu Guang and the others wanted to expedite the convergence of the human realms? I've prepared some things in Da Ju, and when Chu Kun returns, he can bring them back to you. Whether you use them or not is up to you."

Lei Jun: "I've set up an Ethereal Net in the four human realms to search for and interfere with the Buddhist monks instructed by the Venerable Masters of Fenshan Zhihui and Puguang.

However, in addition to that, there might be Daoist or Martial Dao cultivators, or even Confucian scholars, on the other side, so it's difficult to completely eradicate them.

But at least we can make them more cautious, which will buy us precious time."

He could use the Ethereal Net designed for the Buddhist monks and develop similar methods to target other Daoist sects.

But that would also require time and energy.

Compared to suppressing his opponents, Lei Jun focused more on his own development.

After the Ethereal Net showed initial results, he then focused on his own cultivation.

"I wish you success," Xu Yanzhen said.

A petite female crown wearing a black robe stood before the Well of Time.

Chu Kun stood beside her with a bitter smile.

After ending the call with Lei Jun, she waved her hand casually at Chu Kun, then entered the gap in front of her with great interest, where time and space intertwined.

Chu Kun sighed, and Lei Jun's voice sounded in his ear, "As expected."

"I can only hope that Senior Sister will return safely soon," Chu Kun sighed.

Lei Jun: "Junior Brother Guan, your cultivation has progressed rapidly recently. Are you planning to cross the heavenly tribulation between the Eighth and Ninth Heavens?"

Chu Kun's spirit lifted, "The changes in Da Ju have indeed been a great help to me. I've started preparing and I'm determined to give it a try."

Lei Jun: "I wish you success in advance."

Chu Kun took the items left by Xu Yanzhen and returned to the Tang Dynasty human world's mountain gate, delivering them to Lei Jun.

He was also a cautious person, and although he was already very confident, he still waited for some time to continue his preparations and accumulation.

As a result, Lei Jun's senior disciple, Zhuo Baojie, was the first to reach the second layer of the Eighth Heaven and the realm of the Divine Court.

His second innate ability, the Northern Dipper Law Image of the Doumu Law, had reached a point of great success.

As time passed, Lei Jun celebrated his ninety-seventh birthday.

By this year, Qin Caiwei, who had previously been in seclusion to break through to the Divine Court realm, had already succeeded.

With this, the Dragon Tiger Mountain Celestial Master Mansion gained another high-achieving elder in the Eighth Heaven, in addition to Yao Yuan, Chu Kun, Zhang Jingzhen, and Zhuo Baojie.

At the same time, Cheng Rongrong, the personal disciple of Tang Xiaotang, also reached the Sixth Heaven Dao Seal realm through the Fifth Heaven Dao Palace realm of the Taoist Spell School.

Recently, Tang Zhenren had been fulfilling her duties as a master, cultivating herself while also guiding Cheng Rongrong in her cultivation.

Compared to her own disciple, Han Xiaofei, Lei Jun did not assign Cheng Rongrong to take up a position in the mansion.

This was not favoritism, but rather the opposite, as her little panda niece was truly mature beyond her years, and thus did not require more tempering. For now, arranging for her to focus on breaking through to the Upper Three Heavens was sufficient.

Of course, Lei Jun and Tang Xiaotang did not force this upon her.

Cheng Rongrong herself was quite interested in taking up a position in the mansion.

"Little one, you've made a good decision," Tang Xiaotang said with a smile, watching her disciple bow and leave. There was no dissatisfaction in her words, but rather a sense of pride.

Lei Jun also nodded, "Junior Sister Hua Rong is indeed a pillar of our sect."

He turned to Tang Xiaotang, "Junior Sister, how is your cultivation of the Dao going?"

Tang Xiaotang raised her hand and waved in the air, and a seal, a sword, and a robe appeared.

The style and design were exactly like the Celestial Master's Three Treasures.

However, they were not the real Celestial Master's Three Treasures.

The seal, sword, and robe that Tang Xiaotang currently displayed looked as if they were transparent and invisible, with only the ripples of energy vaguely outlining their shapes.

They were clearly formed from her Taiyi Qi.

Upon seeing this, Lei Jun's expression was filled with astonishment.

Junior Sister Tang Xiaotang had never crafted treasures or artifacts, and this remained true even now. However, as her cultivation deepened, she delved deeper into her Taiyi Dao Body, and through her unique insights, she achieved something else.

And with Lei Jun's keen eye and understanding, he could tell that the cultivation method Tang Xiaotang was currently practicing was still in its infancy.

The Taiyi Qi, which was formless and quality-less, was used to simulate and transform into something with form and quality, which was actually a reversal of its mysteries and deviated from its profundities.

Tang Xiaotang was well aware of this.

But under her control, the formless and quality-less Taiyi Qi, transformed into the Celestial Master's Three Treasures, possessed astonishing power.

And at this moment, it was just one stage of her summarizing, comprehending, and sublimating her own cultivation.

Although she had returned from Da Ju, she had gained a lot of insights that suited her during her earlier observation of the Well of Time.

"If I take the Celestial Master's Seal, will it affect your future cultivation?" Lei Jun asked.

Tang Xiaotang waved her hands with a smile, and the Celestial Master's Three Treasures, formed from the Taiyi Qi, dissipated in the air, "It's fine, I've finished this stage, and I don't need the Celestial Master's Three Treasures for the next stage..."

She paused halfway through her sentence, turned her head to look at Lei Jun, and examined him up and down.

Lei Jun stood still, calmly accepting the other's gaze.

The two of them exuded a complete and perfect aura, like a pair of exiled immortals.

"You caught up to me!"

In an instant, Tang Xiaotang pouted, not very immortal-like, "This trip, my senior sister and I might have to thank you for leading us to the right path."

Although she said this, her emotions didn't fluctuate much.

Soon, she curiously asked, "You still need an opportunity to achieve the Tai Chi Dao body, why not wait?"

Lei Jun replied, "It's best to follow the flow of fate. Senior Sister didn't specifically wait for the opportunity to achieve natural enlightenment either."

Tang Xiaotang puffed out her cheeks, "Of course, it would be better if it came sooner, but it just won't come."

Lei Jun smiled, "So, we'll act according to fate."

"It seems you're quite confident?" Tang Xiaotang asked.

Lei Jun said, "I dare not claim absolute certainty. This path must be truly walked to know if my thoughts and studies are correct."

After a while, Tang Xiaotang looked Lei Jun up and down again and asked, "Should we start from the Great Rectangular, or from the Great Ming and Former Song realms? Or perhaps, Saha?"

"From the Great Rectangular."

Lei Jun's expression was calm, and his tone was serene, "I'll go and take a look at the Well of Time again. During my journey, the affairs of the mansion will be in the hands of Senior Sister and Master."

Tang Xiaotang waved her hand, "Go with ease!"

Lei Jun took the Celestial Master Seal and bid farewell to Tang Xiaotang. He then went to see Master Yuan Mo Bai.

The third junior brother, Chu Kun, was also at Yuan Mo Bai's mansion.

Looking at Lei Jun, Yuan Mo Bai's face still carried a smile like a spring breeze, but with a hint of sentiment, "After the great calamity at the end of the Han Dynasty, our Taoist Spell School has experienced ups and downs. Finally, we can see the dawn, and at the same time, we will have another Cave Profound Immortal in our sect."

Lei Jun bowed to Yuan Mo Bai, "This is all thanks to the teachings of our sect and Master over the years."

Yuan Mo Bai shook his head, "No, the Sect Master has already surpassed his predecessors.

In the history of our sect, there have been precedents for Cave Profound Immortals, and there are even notes and scriptures passed down by seniors.

But this matter relies more on the monk's ability to summarize and elevate their lifelong studies, and the outcome is more dependent on the individual.

Therefore, even the 'True Dharma, True One, Great Way Scripture' only has seven volumes in the human realm, and there is no Cave Profound transmission.

Or perhaps it should be said that each Cave Profound person's true transmission is unique.

Fortunately, the Sect Master has recently felt and already has a plan in mind."

Lei Jun said, "I have studied and pondered the scriptures and notes left by the ancestors, and they have greatly inspired me. That's why I now dare to attempt this."

Currently, the human realm has not yet merged, and immortal experts find it difficult to move freely in the human world.

But Lei Jun, a perfect cultivator of the Ninth Heaven, possesses strength that far exceeds common understanding.

To some extent, his power is even more formidable than that of an immortal.

His deterrence against enemies and opponents is also stronger.

In the eyes of opponents who have not achieved the immortal realm, his threat is almost equivalent to that of an immortal, and he can move freely in the human world without hindrance.

If Lei Jun wanted to suppress his strength and wait, he wouldn't hesitate.

However, Lei Jun has always believed in following the natural flow.

Now that he has glimpsed the path, he might as well take the first step and see.

The vast tide of time surges forward, merging with his body and will.

"I wish the Sect Master success," Yuan Mo Bai stood up and smiled, bowing slightly.

Lei Jun stepped aside and returned the bow.

Chu Kun, who was also bowing beside him, smiled and said, "Since Brother has made up his mind, let's set off."

Lei Jun nodded.

Chu Kun stepped forward and pointed one finger at his forehead and the other at Lei Jun.

The scene in front of the two of them blurred and changed, and in the blink of an eye, they arrived under the crimson sky of the Great Rectangular.

Compared to before, the Well of Time, which had been trampled upon multiple times by Xu Yanzhen and Tang Xiaotang, was actually much more stable.

Even its scale had shrunk significantly.

But it was even more profound.

After Xu Yanzhen entered, the abyss of time and space seemed to be frozen, faintly revealing a state of stillness.

Lei Jun and Chu Kun stood to the side, silent and focused on their observations.

At this moment, time seemed to lose its meaning.

After an unknown period, Lei Jun finally withdrew his gaze.

Chu Kun seemed to wake up with a start.

Lei Jun looked at him, and Chu Kun nodded, "Brother, I'm ready on my side."

"In that case, let's go back," Lei Jun said.

He and Chu Kun returned to the human world of the Great Tang.

Chu Kun, without saying another word, bowed to Lei Jun and Yuan Mo Bai respectively, then returned to his own mansion to close his doors and cultivate, beginning to challenge the heavenly tribulation between the Eighth and Ninth Heavens.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end