Chapter 481: 480. Preparations (Part 1 of 4) (Part 3)

Chapter 481: 480. Preparations (Part 1 of 4) (Part 3)

The scene before him seemed like a replay of yesterday, revisiting the moment when he had conquered the Sea of Earth, slaying the giant flea demon king Luo Yuan who controlled the Wen Li clan and its leader Li Zhongding, and driving away the greedy Li clan's leader Li Yuanheng.

However, Lei Jun did not pay much attention to this place.

His gaze swept across the surroundings.

Over there, it should be the direction of Cuo Duan Yuan, one of the Seven Abyssal Pits of the Sea of Earth... Lei Jun thought to himself.

He smiled in understanding.

That was the place where his junior sister, Tang Xiaotang, had broken through the Great Vehicle Realm of the Ninth Heaven. Back then, when he was still in the Eighth Heaven Realm, he had guarded Tang Xiaotang there.

Lei Jun moved calmly without alerting the Great Tang cultivators and the people of the Nine Li.

His pace gradually quickened.

After passing through the Sea of Earth, Lei Jun headed to Datong.

The figures of Lin Zheng, the leader of the Lin clan in Datong, Su Guang, the leader of the Su clan, and Fang Xi and Fang Xing, the leaders of the Fang clan, seemed to reappear one by one.

Then, they shattered one by one.

Lei Jun revisited the old places until he saw the scene of the armies of the two countries in Datong facing off, then he slowed down.

With a quick glance, Lei Jun realized that there was a conflict between the Rong Kingdom and the land bestowed by the Celestial Emperor.

The Rong Kingdom was one of the sixteen kingdoms in Datong and was becoming increasingly prosperous.

The land bestowed by the Celestial Emperor was under the direct jurisdiction of the Zhou Emperor, or the Zhou King Wang Ling, in Datong. In the past, it only held symbolic significance, but in recent years, it had gradually gained actual influence.

The Crown Prince of the Rong Kingdom, Qiu Ming, and the son of the Zhou King, Xin Lu, both entered the Dragon Tiger Mountain Celestial Master Mansion to cultivate in the Daoist Sect.

Occasional conflicts arose between the two places, but in the end, they were mostly restrained.

The remaining kingdoms in Datong were more or less the same.

Instead of fighting, trade and cultural exchanges were more frequent.

Lei Jun looked at the two opposing sides without paying much attention to the final outcome, and he turned and left.

He returned to the Great Tang Human World.

Wearing the Tai Qing Ba Jing Bao Sao, Lei Jun arrived at the imperial capital of the Great Tang, Luoyang City.

The dragon vein's earth energy had dispersed, and the Tang Emperor Zhang Wan Tong was not present.

The tension of the Battle of Luoyang was long gone.

The faces of Zhao Wang Zhang Teng, Fang Jing Sheng, the leader of the Fang clan in Jingxiang, Ye Yan, the leader of the Ye clan in Qingzhou, Ye Mo Quan, the leader of the Ye clan in Jinzhou, and Chu Xiu Yuan, the leader of the Chu clan in Suzhou, appeared before Lei Jun one by one.

They, and the numerous members of their clans behind them, seemed like a vast painting covering the four directions.

But soon, this enormous painting that blocked out the sky was torn apart from the middle, as if cut neatly.

Then, more invisible blades sliced through it, dividing it into four, then shattering it into pieces, turning it into nothingness.

The sky above Luoyang City cleared up.

As one of the two most prosperous cities in the Great Tang, Luoyang was filled with splendor, with various industries thriving and people coming and going.

Lei Jun walked on the street among the common folk, with a bustling crowd all around.

Although no one could sense his presence, Lei Jun did not feel detached from the world, as if he had completely merged with the mortal realm.

He strolled, his gaze shifting from left to right.

He saw the Celestial Emperor Hall, under the leadership of Yu Shi, providing medical care and medicine.

He saw the Martial Saint Shen Qu Bing guarding Luoyang.

He saw the members of the royal family, Princess Zhang Wanying of Yuzhou and her husband, Shangguan Zhe, receiving the father and daughter of Changshan King Zhang Junhai.

'Recently, some people who don't know their place have started to cause trouble again,' said Changshan King Zhang Junhai.

Although he spoke these words, his tone remained calm without a hint of anger.

Princess Zhang Wanying and Shangguan Zhe exchanged a glance, and then Princess Zhang Wanying said, 'Is it because of the news that those who ascend to immortality in the immortal realm find it difficult to stay in the mortal world for long?'

Zhang Junhai and Zhang Ziyi nodded.

'Do they think that after His Majesty and Lei Tian Shi, Tang Guoshi, and Xu Zhenren ascended to immortality, they would not return to the mortal world, and so they can act recklessly?' Zhang Junhai scoffed. 'How foolish. If that were the case, wouldn't His Majesty and Lei Tian Shi have foreseen it?

At that time, it will definitely be cleaned up first."

Zhang Wan Tong, Lei Jun, and the others were too young, enough to suppress any ambitious members of the Zhang Tang Imperial Family for a thousand years.

Zhang Wan Ying and her husband both had calm expressions, "They can't turn the heavens, so they won't cause such a big disturbance."

Zhang Junhai said, "I hope there won't be any foolish people daring to act recklessly."

Far away on the street, Lei Jun retracted his gaze and walked with his hands behind his back.

After leaving Luoyang City, he headed west.

Arriving in the Western Regions, Lei Jun looked at the site of the former Vajra Temple of the Great Tang.

Back then, it was he who personally destroyed this place.

The figures of Vajra Department Chief Kalatong and Zhao You'an, the Sect Leader of Sanchong Palace, seemed to be phantoms, floating in the air above this place.

Lei Jun looked at them indifferently.

After a while, a glow suddenly appeared in the sky above Vajra Temple.

Lei Jun's face showed no surprise, and he calmly walked into the glow.

The next moment, he arrived inside Summi.

On this trip, for the first time, someone noticed his arrival.

In the distance, by the pond, Tang Emperor Zhang Wan Tong, who was fishing, looked up at Lei Jun.

Lei Jun gave a Daoist salute, thanking him for leading him into Summi.

Zhang Wan Tong nodded in greeting but didn't say anything, only indicating for Lei Jun to do as he pleased.

Lei Jun also didn't talk much, calmly strolling through Summi and following the Ganges River.

He arrived at the former location of Mount Summi, but the spiritual peaks were no longer there.

The entire Summi, after being modified by Empress Zhang Wan Tong of the Great Tang, was already very different from before.

But Zhang Wan Tong only removed the traces left by the Vajra World of the Buddhist Sect, and didn't leave too many of her personal arrangements.

After walking around Summi, Lei Jun finally arrived beside Zhang Wan Tong, sitting cross-legged next to her.

Empress Zhang Wan Tong acted as if she didn't see him, quietly watching the fish float on the water.

Lei Jun didn't say much more and closed his eyes to rest.

Thus, many days passed.

Until one day, Lei Jun left without saying goodbye, and Empress Zhang Wan Tong didn't react.

Lei Jun left Summi and then returned to the Celestial Master Mansion on Dragon Tiger Mountain.

From the Celestial Master Mansion to the Wanfa Zongtan, he then arrived at the forbidden area of the ancestral mausoleum on the back mountain.

Lei Jun was silent, making no sound.

Disciples were busy at the mountain gate, and no one noticed that the Sect Leader, who was supposedly in closed-door cultivation, had come to the ancestral mausoleum.

He silently paid his respects to the ancestral masters of Dragon Tiger Mountain enshrined in the forbidden area.

Then, he didn't leave immediately.

In front of his eyes, a vision of his succession as the Celestial Master seemed to appear.

Looking at the ancestral tablets of the past masters, Lei Jun's mind suddenly recalled the vision he had seen at the Well of Time.

After pondering for a moment, he calmed his mind and walked out of the ancestral hall.

In the blink of an eye, more than thirty years had passed.

Hmm, it's been longer than my junior sister's term, at least I won't be the Celestial Master with the shortest reign in history... Lei Jun smiled.

Shaking his head slightly, he waved his hand.

The golden palace obtained from Chen Yi appeared.

Lei Jun quietly observed this golden palace, and although the hidden eyes didn't reappear, he had a vague guess in his heart at this moment:

Emperor Zheng Baiyu of the Netherworld.

Is it you?

What are you waiting for?

Lei Jun's gaze was like a calm well, his heart heavy with clouds, making it difficult to fathom.

He leisurely left the mountain again, heading west, and then turning east from the west.

First, he arrived at the Huangtian Zongtan ruins in the snowy mountains of western Sichuan.

Huang Xuanpu's shattered soul seemed to still be floating in the snowy mountains.

But as soon as the mountain wind blew, everything disappeared.

Along with him, Fu Dongsen, Wang Dongchu, Wei Qiuyue, Rong Guangchen, and others also turned to dust.

Leaving the snowy mountains and heading east, Lei Jun then went beyond the East Sea.

From here, he entered Guizang.

Once, this place was renamed Tianli, and then changed back to its original name under Lei Jun's instructions.

As one of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths first controlled by the cultivation world of the Great Tang, Guizang, after nearly thirty years of management, had already surpassed the lifespan of a generation in the mortal world.

New people replaced the old, and the early scenes were no longer the same.

Only a few destitute elders remained, and when they were drunk, they would curse and shout, lamenting the decline of morals and the lack of moral education, believing that the royal teacher would eventually reclaim Tianli, and only then would they see justice prevail.

Then, some young people would rush over to take their elderly family members away.

For those without anyone to take them, the inns would quickly drive them out, fearing trouble for themselves, and scolding their staff, telling them to be more careful in the future and not let just anyone in.

Lei Jun quietly walked through Guizang, observing the ever-changing human world.

He didn't enter the Great Ming World.

He hadn't left much of a mark there.

Instead, he planned to go and take a look in the future.

At this moment, he left Guizang and returned to the mortal world of the Great Tang, first heading north to Jinzhou and Zezhou, and then to the former territory of the Ye Clan in Jinzhou.

He then headed south, arriving at the former site of the Lin Clan's ancestral land in Jiangzhou, across the river from the location of Dragon Tiger Mountain in Xinzhou.

This was the place where he first made a name for himself through actual combat achievements."

Despite most of the achievements being credited to others, his reputation still shook the world.

Lei Jun's face didn't show any emotion, and his gaze shifted from the former site of the Lin Clan's ancestral land to the rushing river that never stopped flowing.

Time seemed to have taken everything away.

Crossing the river, Lei Jun returned to the Celestial Master Mansion.

After that, he stayed in the mansion, no longer going out frequently.

Finally, Celestial Master Lei began his normal closed-door cultivation.

The river of time seemed to twist and turn.

The scene of the internal strife and battle between Li Song, Li Hongyu, Li Zhengxuan, and Li Ziyang, the four Upper Three Heavens cultivators, reappeared before Lei Jun's eyes.

Regardless of the four, Lei Jun personally killed Li Xuan, and the faces of Ye Chifeng and other Jinzhou Ye Clan disciples also appeared one after another.

But soon, they disappeared with the wind.

Lei Jun quietly stayed in Dragon Tiger Mountain.

Until one day, a piece of news suddenly arrived.

Elder Guo of the mansion was about to enter closed-door cultivation to prepare for breaking through to the Sixth Heaven Realm.

Elder Guo's full name was Guo Yan, and he was a true disciple of the Celestial Master Mansion who entered the mansion during the same transmission ceremony as Lei Jun.

Last year, Elder Shangguan Hong successfully reached the Sixth Heaven Realm.

According to their ages, they were all over ninety years old.

Before the age of one hundred, there was no hope of breaking through to the Upper Three Heavens level, and they could only wait for the platform period between one hundred and two hundred years old to try for a slim chance.

Shangguan Hong possessed an exceptional level of enlightenment, while Guo Yan had a spiritual body with exceptional aptitude.

Based on past experiences over the years, if there were no major unexpected events, their cultivation in the Second Heaven and Third Heaven would typically require ten and twenty years, respectively, totaling thirty years. Therefore, they had a chance to reach the middle Three Heavens and prolong their lifespan before the age of fifty.

However, the cultivation in the Fourth Heaven and Fifth Heaven would normally take around thirty and forty years, respectively, totaling seventy years. It was almost impossible to reach the Sixth Heaven before the age of one hundred.

Thus, reaching the Seventh Heaven was a slim hope. In a smooth scenario, they might reach the peak at the Sixth Heaven, and if not, they might only achieve the Fifth Heaven. Reaching the Seventh Heaven would require great luck.

It sounded cruel, but the vast majority of cultivators in this world were stuck at the lower Three Heavens.

Fortunately, the Dragon Tiger Mountain's Celestial Master Mansion lineage quickly rose from its previous low point.

With increased interactions between the mortal world and the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, various heavenly treasures and divine flowers that had been lost in the mortal world of the Great Tang Dynasty reappeared. Additionally, the surging celestial energy benefited the cultivators' cultivation.

After the Dragon Tiger Mountain Celestial Master Mansion broke free from its past predicament, it had been steadily developing in recent years, allowing its disciples to cultivate with peace of mind.

The younger generation was presented with a great opportunity.

Guo Yan and Shangguan Hong, for instance, managed to reach the Sixth Heaven before the age of one hundred, during the golden period of the middle Three Heavens.

As a result, they still had a chance to challenge the Seventh Heaven after the age of one hundred, although the odds were much lower than before. Nonetheless, there was still a glimmer of hope.

In comparison, the older generation, such as Elder Zuo Li and Du Yu, no longer had similar aspirations.

As for Lu Zhaoqing, who was at the Third Heaven realm, had passed away long ago.

Recently, Lei Jun heard that Tu Guangyu, the sect leader of the Tianxu Sect, who was acquainted with his master Yuan Mo Bai, was determined to challenge the Seventh Heaven realm and make a final attempt.

At this moment, Lei Jun was as calm as still water, as if he had detached himself from his own senses and transcended into the world, observing everything from a distance.

Messages were frequently exchanged in the mountains.

The biggest news recently, and the most significant event in the mortal world of the Great Tang Dynasty, was the death of Feng Gui, the contemporary Holy Master of the Reincarnation Abyss of the Southern Wilderness Shaman Sect.

This peak-level eighth-heaven shaman from the Curse and Blessing lineage had attempted to break through to the Ninth Heaven and descend into the Divine Realm within the Shaman Sect in recent years, but ultimately failed and perished between the Eighth and Ninth Heavens.

Failing to take that step meant death and the end of the path.

All of Feng Gui's achievements and glory in life were now reduced to dust.

Upon hearing the news, Lei Jun remained calm and composed. Finally, he descended the mountain once again.

This time, he stayed at the Daoist Apprentice Academy for a long time.

Later, with the help of Yuan Mo Bai, who concealed his presence, Lei Jun quietly left Dragon Tiger Mountain.

In the end, he went to a place he hadn't visited in many years.

The green mountain where he first arrived in this world.

After experiencing all sorts of things, the green mountain no longer retained its original appearance.

But Lei Jun followed the directions and arrived in the mountains.

The mountain peak had turned into a valley, and he entered it, digging up the soil.

Then, he buried the Celestial Master Seal.

Lei Jun sat cross-legged on top of it.

After an unknown amount of time, the familiar gentle breeze blew again.

A smile appeared on Lei Jun's face.

From the time he had announced his seclusion and departed for the Great Rectangular, exactly one year had passed.

He had just celebrated his ninety-eighth birthday.

Digging up the soil, Lei Jun unearthed the Celestial Master Seal and began his journey back to the Celestial Master Mansion on Dragon Tiger Mountain.

After returning to the mountain, Lei Jun continued to cultivate quietly, following his own rhythm.

During this period, various news from the outside world reached him.

There was bad news about Holy Master Feng Gui's failed attempt to break through to the Ninth Heaven.

There was also good news from the imperial capital, Luoyang:

Sun Mingjing, the Great Tang's Medicine King, had taken a risk in his old age and successfully passed through the tribulation between the Eighth and Ninth Heavens.

The Great Tang's cultivation world gained a new Martial Saint, a master of both medicine and martial arts.

At an age of over four hundred, such examples were extremely rare, and successes like that of Ye Yan, the former leader of the Ye clan in Qingzhou, and Sun Mingjing were enough to be recorded in history.

Sun Mingjing was highly respected, and his good news excited both the inner and outer realms of the Great Tang.

As the contemporary Celestial Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain, Lei Jun sent his personal disciple, Zhu Baojie, to congratulate Sun Mingjing.

Lei Jun had a close personal relationship with the old Medicine King, and he highly respected the old Medicine Saint's medical skills and ethics.

Lei Jun was happy for Sun Mingjing's achievement of the Ninth Heaven.

However, just as the news of Feng Gui's failed tribulation and death hadn't affected Lei Jun's cultivation, the good news of Sun Mingjing's successful tribulation also didn't distract him from his current practice.

Everything was flowing smoothly and steadily, just like the passing of time.

Nothing could accelerate or hinder it.

About half a year later, Lei Jun, who rarely showed signs of restlessness, suddenly felt a bit uneasy.

Such a situation was uncommon for Lei Jun.

He quickly calmed his thoughts, and his spirit and will seemed to detach from his body, allowing him to introspect from a detached perspective.

Gradually, Lei Jun realized the root cause of his restlessness.

The source of his unease wasn't in the mortal world but beyond, in another realm within this vast universe.

The Pure Sky.

Lei Jun's enlightenment had naturally risen to a state of purity, and it was related to various opportunities.

One crucial factor was the convergence of the Pure Sky and the Yellow Springs, the unity of heaven and earth, and the oneness of heart.

Currently, the problem lay in the Pure Sky.

The Yellow Springs were under Lei Jun's control and showed no abnormalities.

The answer to the problem could only be found in the Pure Sky.

Unfortunately, the current situation in the Pure Sky was special, and although Lei Jun had a vague connection with it, he couldn't discern its location.

He wasn't worried. He calmed his mind, maintained his rhythm and pace, and focused on his cultivation.

After some time, he set off again, leaving Dragon Tiger Mountain and heading northwest towards the Western Regions.

At the Vajra Temple, Lei Jun was received by Zhang Wan Tong, the Tang Emperor, and entered the Sumeru Realm once more.

Inside the Sumeru Realm, Zhang Wan Tong sat by the water as usual, but this time, instead of fishing, she was meditating with her eyes closed.

As Lei Jun entered, she opened her eyes.

Meeting Zhang Wan Tong's gaze, Lei Jun asked slowly, "Your Majesty, have you made any special discoveries recently?"

Zhang Wan Tong replied, "There might be changes within the Pure Sky."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end