https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-492-491-Settling-the-Venerable-Wisdom-Part-2-/12934142/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-493-492-The-End-as-the-Beginning-Lei-Zhongyun-Part-2-/12934144/
Chapter 493: 492. The End as the Beginning - Lei Zhongyun (Part 1)
Chapter 493: 492. The End as the Beginning - Lei Zhongyun (Part 1)
Lei Jun's gaze flickered with a fleeting illusion, and he understood in his heart.
The current ruler of Shadow Abyss, as it turned out, was indeed the North Star Master Zheng Baiyu from years ago.
The changes in the Nine Li people of Earth Sea, as well as Chen Yi's acquisition of the Pure Gold Hall, all originated from Zheng Baiyu.
This person indeed warranted caution, just as Emperor Zhang Wantong of the Tang Dynasty had described.
During the great calamity at the end of the Han Dynasty, many experienced various hardships and managed to survive until now. Even if they hadn't encountered calamities, most could only maintain their cultivation realm and strength from back then.
Only Zheng Baiyu seemed to have made progress beyond what Zhang Wantong had described.
The gateway between Shadow Abyss and Kong Sang had not truly opened.
Despite this, Zheng Baiyu, who now called himself the Emperor of Shadows, displayed an extremely powerful force.
If he were to truly descend upon Kong Sang, the situation there would undoubtedly be rewritten.
No wonder the divination regarding Chen Yi's Pure Gold Hall foretold heavy troubles ahead.
However, this person seemed to have other considerations, as Lei Jun always felt that he was holding something back in his actions.
Although he had established his own sect after leaving the Celestial Palace, it didn't seem like both sides had completely severed the possibility of future cooperation.
Then...
Is he considering the possible changes that might occur in the Time Abyss next... Lei Jun guessed in his heart.
Numerous thoughts flooded his mind, but they soon subsided.
Lei Jun then proceeded to clean up and stabilize the situation within Kong Sang.
Tang Xiaotang returned with news, having already dealt with Venerable Wisdom.
Their objective in the Kong Sang battle had been achieved.
In the Great Ming World, Tang Xiaotang watched as Venerable Wisdom completely vanished, and she couldn't help but nod repeatedly.
Her gaze shifted to the side.
There, a trail of black smoke swiftly flashed by and disappeared at the horizon.
"The Demon Sage who fled from Sumi when the Great Ming Dynasty invaded, right?" Tang Xiaotang was curious about the situation.
But the Demon Sage's move this time was both decisive and long-planned.
His current state was even worse than that of Venerable Wisdom before.
He could only barely survive in the mortal world, relying solely on the innate characteristics of his Demon Sage clan.
It was only due to his hatred for Venerable Wisdom that he had been secretly plotting and preparing for years, waiting for an opportunity that might never come.
Fortunately, he had finally gotten his chance.
For his own sake, regardless of whether this attempt to intercept and kill Venerable Wisdom succeeded or not, the Demon Sage was determined to make a single strike and then flee.
With his demonic energy dissipating in the mortal world, he basically had only one chance at this.
So the Demon Sage didn't even look back at the results of his attack or the final fate of Venerable Wisdom.
After his strike, he immediately followed the escape route he had secretly planned for who knows how long, and quickly fled.
However, it seemed that Heaven was not treating him too harshly.
Venerable Wisdom was already severely injured, and after being blocked by the Demon Sage, he had no hope of shaking off the pursuing Tang Xiaotang.
Although the Demon Sage didn't look back as he quickly fled, he could still vaguely sense that behind him, Venerable Wisdom was being killed, his soul scattered, and his body turned to ashes.
Overjoyed, the Demon Sage didn't stop but instead fled even faster.
The black smoke swiftly passed over the continuous mountains and rivers before sinking, and he met up with the Great Ming martial artist Luo Hai who was waiting at the agreed-upon location.
Then, Luo Hai, lightly equipped, headed forward, not far from a populous city within the Great Ming territory.
He, or rather they, quickly disappeared into the vast mortal realm.
Tang Xiaotang, after slaying Venerable Wisdom, looked again for the Demon Sage, but he had already disappeared at the horizon.
Even when fighting in the mortal realm, her previously weakened and dissipating immortal energy now rapidly accelerated its dissipation.
Tang Xiaotang raised her eyebrows slightly, carefully discerning the movement of the surrounding spiritual energy and the demonic aura, and took note of the Demon Sage's characteristics.
The Divine Ship, in harmony with the Eye of Buddha, automatically exerted its power.
Soon after, Tang Xiaotang retracted her distant gaze and turned back to Kong Sang.
Here, there were still some Vajra World Buddhist disciples present.
But at this moment, most of them had been cleaned up by Lei Jun.
He was not bloodthirsty, and most of the Han Dynasty Dragon Tiger Mountain and Sappho Buddhist disciples were still alive, even continuing to survive and cultivate in the Han Dynasty Dragon Tiger Mountain and Sappho.
But just like when the Great Tang's Vajra World was destroyed, Lei Jun dealt with these Vajra World Buddhist disciples without mercy.
The situation after the Great Tang's cultivation world conquered Sumi, coupled with Lei Jun's own observations of the Buddhist artifacts refined by the Vajra World monks in Kong Sang, made him feel a bit overwhelmed.
They were all calamities... Lei Jun sighed in his heart as he casually cleaned up both people and things.
Only a small number of less bloody artifacts were temporarily left behind by Lei Jun.
Later, Wang Guiyuan, having received Lei Jun's notification, hurried to Kong Sang.
"Senior Brother, you might as well sort through and see if there are any stones from other mountains that can inspire us," Lei Jun said.
Wang Guiyuan: "They are definitely useful, but compared to me, Master Huinyin might make better use of them."
Lei Jun nodded: "Since Senior Brother has already sent Master Jingjiu to Nirvana, I'll contact Master Huinyin regarding this matter."
Tang Xiaotang's figure appeared in Kong Sang at this moment.
Her immortal energy dissipated and flowed away, and she stopped for a moment, but it wasn't something that could be accomplished in one step.
"Although I made some preparations before taking this step, it seems it wasn't enough."
Tang Xiaotang was slightly dissatisfied and looked down at herself: "It's fine if I don't take action, but once I do, the dissipation and loss are too fast. I need to ponder this further."
Lei Jun: "Compared to other immortals who have been losing energy in the mortal realm, you're already envied by countless people. Even martial immortals like Ang Qinfu and Chen Dadao can't compare to you."
Wang Guiyuan testified: "Indeed, Chen Dadao's state when he was in the mortal realm was far inferior to yours, Tang Xiaomei."
Lei Jun: "Furthermore, I must also congratulate Junior Sister Tang on her first ascent to the Immortal Realm, successfully slaying the Venerable Wisdom, who has already reached the second level of the Golden Body in the Buddhist Sect."
Wang Guiyuan glanced at him from the side.
...Second Junior Brother, you sure know how to flatter Junior Sister Tang.
No wonder Third Junior Brother has expressed his admiration for this countless times.
You've already achieved Daoist Enlightenment and ascended to the Immortal Realm, and you did it even earlier than Junior Sister Tang. Yet, you can say such flattering words without batting an eye, truly astonishing.
In a way, this is also a form of 'being careful in the beginning and the end'... Wang Guiyuan was first surprised and then felt relieved.
After greeting Wang Guiyuan, Tang Xiaotang waved her hand at Lei Jun, "Today's battle was two against one, it's not solely my achievement."
Lei Jun calmly replied, "If I don't say it, and Senior Brother doesn't say it, who would know about Venerable Wisdom?"
"Wait, stop!" Tang Xiaotang paused, her cheeks puffed up, "If you don't say it, and Senior Brother doesn't say it, I will!"
Lei Jun smiled, not objecting.
The gateway between Shadow Abyss and Kong Sang had not been fully opened before it was sealed.
A pair of illusory eyes flashed by, and even if they saw Lei Jun, they wouldn't know the specifics of the battle at Kong Sang.
However, this didn't stop them from guessing.
Lei Jun's attempt to cover up his actions only made the previous conversation more of a joke.
"By the way, where did that lead to just now?" Tang Xiaotang recalled the earlier incident, "To Pure Sky or Shadow Abyss?"
Lei Jun: "Shadow Abyss."
Tang Xiaotang: "So they had a connection before."
Lei Jun: "Yes, there was a connection, but not a deep one. Otherwise, Venerable Wisdom wouldn't have been forced to his last resort, allowing Zheng Baiyu of Shadow Abyss to pass through."
Tang Xiaotang: "How's your investigation into Shadow Abyss going?"
Lei Jun: "I haven't found anything new recently. After dealing with that Martial Sage from Shadow Abyss, I gained some insights, but it also made them more vigilant and less traceable."
For someone with his Heaven-Through Earth-Penetrating Talisman to conceal his traces to this extent, it's not something an ordinary person could do.
Lei Jun tends to overestimate the current strength of Emperor Zheng Baiyu of Shadow Abyss, and this is one of the reasons.
Taking down Feng Wensu was a test to see if they would react, done with careful consideration.
Although they didn't meet face-to-face, it was still a form of contact.
Since it's contact, there's a possibility of mutual testing and information gathering, with both advantages and disadvantages.
"Fortunately, the Shadow Peace Seed has already taken root and sprouted," Lei Jun said.
Wang Guiyuan asked from the side, "Have you considered sealing the gateway between Kong Sang and the Great Ming human world first?"
Lei Jun: "Junior Sister and I will stay in Kong Sang to recuperate for a while, replenishing the lost Immortal Essence from our time in the human world. We can consider sealing the gateway later."
...
The gateway between Kong Sang and the Great Ming human world remained open.
Everything seemed as usual.
But the death of Venerable Wisdom in the Great Ming human world, with the dazzling light rain illuminating the north, soon spread throughout the Great Ming.
When the Great Ming court received the news and further information, the shock they experienced was unprecedented.
Although the deaths of Yu Shuo, Zhou Tiandaoren, and Puguang Zunshi, three Immortal Realm experts, seemed more impactful and shocking, it was still one step removed from the Great Ming cultivation world.
Despite the activities of Buddhist and Taoist masters like Cen Ruopu, Du Ming, and Baoneng in the Great Ming human world, the Great Ming cultivation world had not directly interacted with Puguang Zunshi and the other two.
But Venerable Wisdom was different.
Not only was his cultivation realm and strength superior to Puguang Zunshi, Yu Shuo, and Zhou Tiandaoren, but the Great Ming cultivation world had truly and tangibly suffered at the hands of Venerable Wisdom.
It was during the reign of the Great Ming's appointed Prime Minister Chen Yu that he led many court experts on an expedition to Sumi, which was then under the control of the Western Regions' Buddhist Sect, resulting in Venerable Wisdom's emergence from seclusion.
In the end, except for the strongest and well-prepared Master Mu Chunyang of Zhenwu Temple, who faked his death to escape, the Great Ming experts who participated in the battle were almost completely wiped out.
The outcome of this battle was more than just damaging to the Great Ming Dynasty; it could be called a turning point in the nation's fortune.
The losses from this incident have yet to be fully recovered to this day, and the subsequent White Lotus Rebellion followed.
After losing Sumi, the Western Regions' Buddhist Sect occupied Kong Sang and reopened the gateway to the Great Ming human world in the north.
Venerable Wisdom's shadow still loomed over the Great Ming court.
In recent years, the Great Ming Dynasty's strategic defense focus has been on the north.
They even relaxed their guard in the south.
The gateway between the Great Ming human world and the Wu Dai Shiguo human world in the south has never been sealed.
And now, Venerable Wisdom has fallen?
Will the dark clouds over the Great Ming north disperse so easily?
The Great Ming court had no time to feel joy.
Soon, more news arrived.
The person who killed Venerable Wisdom was Tang Xiaotang, the former Celestial Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain.
The Great Tang human world and Dragon Tiger Mountain were now another reason for the Great Ming court's heavy hearts.
Although the threat was not direct, it felt like a thorn in their backs.
There had been unpleasant experiences regarding the Returning Abyss, or the Heavenly Principle, but overall, they had been restrained in recent years.
However, with the Great Tang and Dragon Tiger Mountain becoming increasingly powerful, the Great Ming court felt a growing sense of apprehension.
Especially when they observed the Dragon Vein and the Heaven and Earth's spiritual energy, sensing that the convergence of the human world might be imminent.
And now, Kong Sang has changed hands, just like how Saha was once Buddhist but turned Taoist.
The news did not bring relief to the Great Ming court.
The only good news might be that the northern barbarians in the Great Ming human world had fled from the Vajra World Activity Realm through the Kong Sang gateway.
In the Great Ming Dynasty, close attention was being paid to the further developments within the Kong Sang family.
The Ming Emperor issued an edict, breaking with convention, and urgently summoned the current Chief Minister, Zhou Mingzhe, to enter the palace for an audience in the middle of the night.
"Your Majesty," Zhou Mingzhe greeted a young man, appearing to be only around thirty years old, dressed in a dragon robe.
This person was none other than Han Zhenning, the current Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty and the Son of Heaven.
"Prime Minister, please rise," Han Zhenning instructed. "Take a seat."
After expressing his gratitude, Zhou Mingzhe sat down, leaving half of his buttocks unsupported.
Emperor Han Zhenning asked, "Tell me, what's the current situation in the north?"
Zhou Mingzhe replied calmly, "Your Majesty, the foreign cavalry and those Western Region demon monks have all fled further east. Since Tang Xiaotang, the female Daoist nun from Dragon Tiger Mountain, returned, no other Dragon Tiger Mountain cultivators or false Tang people have been seen. There's no sign of anyone at the Void Gate."
After a brief pause, Zhou Mingzhe added, "Additionally, someone witnessed that when Venerable Wisdom died, apart from Tang Xiaotang, there seemed to be other powerful beings who intervened, and the overflowing demonic aura suggests that it might have been a Demon Sage who has already ascended to the Immortal Realm."
Emperor Han Zhenning asked quietly, "What do you think, Prime Minister?"
Zhou Mingzhe replied, "This old subject speculates that it might be the Demon Sage who escaped from Mount Sumi, returning for revenge. Venerable Wisdom offended the heavens, and his actions were unjust, leading to his current predicament. He got what he deserved."
Emperor Han Zhenning nodded slightly. "Then, what's your strategy regarding the Dragon Tiger Mountain Celestial Master Residence and the false Tang?"
Zhou Mingzhe hesitated for a moment.
"Speak your mind," Han Zhenning said.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Zhou Mingzhe stood up and answered, "Your Majesty, please forgive my boldness. This old subject believes that regarding the strategy for Tang, it's better to be cautious and patient rather than hasty and impulsive. We should proceed with a calm and steady approach."
Emperor Han Zhenning's expression remained unchanged as he observed Zhou Mingzhe silently.
Zhou Mingzhe continued, "Currently, we know that the so-called remnants of the Heavenly Palace have returned, and they are at odds with the Dragon Tiger Mountain Celestial Master Residence and the false Tang. They are locked in a stalemate, unwilling to yield to each other. Even if there's temporary peace, it's just a prelude to a major battle. We in the Great Ming can observe from the sidelines..."
Emperor Han Zhenning asked, "What if they have intentions to invade our Great Ming territory?"
Zhou Mingzhe replied, "Based on the current situation inside and outside the Kong Sang family, they don't seem to have such intentions.
Additionally, this old subject has some ideas that are not yet fully thought through. Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I have no intention of disgracing the country.
I'm thinking of ways to stabilize the situation and gather more information about their movements. This old subject believes that our dynasty can send an envoy to communicate with them. Even if the situation changes, we can still investigate in advance."
"What you say is not impossible, but is there a suitable candidate for this mission?" Han Zhenning asked.
In the Great Ming court, there was no one who was both loyal to the court and had connections with the Tang Dynasty's cultivation world.
(End of Chapter)
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