Chapter 504: 503. The Importance of a Cultivation Companion

Chapter 504: 503. The Importance of a Cultivation Companion



Regardless of whether Gao Tian Sui and Zheng Baiyu returned or not, there might be other top experts from other great thousand worlds facing the Time Abyss.

With the convergence of the human world, it would undoubtedly create a scene that would shake the four directions.

If Gao Tian Sui and the others were to make further significant moves, the situation would undoubtedly become even more complex.

Although Lei Jun had previously asked Chu Kun and others to travel in the human world and make preparations, he still handled the related matters solemnly at this moment.

Regarding Gao Tian Sui and Zheng Baiyu, Lei Jun did not pin his hopes on them being trapped in other great thousand worlds and unable to return. Instead, he adjusted his own plans and made preparations.

Under Lei Jun's instructions, his top disciple, Zhuo Baojie, brought an object from the ancestral court of Dragon Tiger Mountain in the human world of the Great Tang—a golden hall.

The golden hall.

"Is this Zheng Baiyu's?" Xu Yuanzhen glanced at it and asked casually.

Lei Jun replied, "It's almost certain that it belongs to him, originating from the remnants of the ancient Celestial Palace, but it's still uncertain whether it came from Pure Sky."

Because of Gao Tian Sui, Zheng Baiyu was in a hurry. This trip was a rare opportunity to enter the Shadow Abyss, and his attention was focused on the Time Abyss.

However, before this, he didn't make any further moves, allowing the golden hall that was placed in Chen Yi's possession to flow into the Celestial Master's Mansion of Dragon Tiger Mountain without any interference.

"For him, this golden hall is not a broken kite string. When it was with Chen Yi, Zheng Baiyu always had some control over it," Lei Jun explained.

Until the moment when Tang Emperor Zhang Wantong achieved enlightenment and became a saint, using the Heaven Annihilation Gold and other treasures to set up a ritual array to conceal the human world of the Great Tang, Zheng Baiyu lost his connection and sensing of Chen Yi and the golden hall.

Zhang Wantong's original intention was to avoid the reopening of Pure Sky due to her own ascension and enlightenment, but it also inadvertently cut off Zheng Baiyu's 'kite string.'

It was at that time that the golden hall fell into the hands of Lei Jun and Dragon Tiger Mountain.

Until then, due to the turmoil in the human world and the reopening of Pure Sky, the ritual array set up by Zhang Wantong using the Heaven Annihilation Gold and other treasures was broken, and the effect of concealing the human world of the Great Tang also ended.

When the remnants of the Celestial Palace reappeared in the mortal world, the Time Abyss also underwent many changes. Even if Zheng Baiyu regained his awareness of the golden hall's whereabouts, he did not take any action, quietly waiting for the Time Abyss to separate from the Great Rectifier.

"What I'm more interested in now is why he put this golden hall into the human world in the first place?" Lei Jun mused.

Unfortunately, just like the previous arrangement of the Shadow Abyss Martial Saint Feng Wensu, the Dark Emperor Zheng Baiyu's actions were quite mysterious.

When Zhang Wantong's ritual array cut off Zheng Baiyu's sensing of the golden hall, he also actively severed the connection, erasing all traces related to the golden hall and making it difficult for others to trace his secrets through the golden hall.

"Ten thousand changes, but the essence remains the same," Xu Yuanzhen said calmly. "It is closely related to the ancient Celestial Palace, so we should focus our attention on this aspect."

She walked with her hands behind her back, circling the golden hall several times before stopping:

"Zheng Baiyu revealed too little. On the contrary, after facing Gao Tian Sui in person, looking at this hall again reveals a whole new level of mystery."

Lei Jun nodded slightly.

Xu Yuanzhen and Tang Xiaotang described the chaotic battle in Guizang, Lei Jun, who did not directly participate in the battles of Saha and Guizang, combined with the related information introduced by Tang Emperor Zhang Wantong earlier, also captured some clues.

Gao Tian Sui, as the former Celestial Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain, was the highest-achieving Daoist Lord of the ancient talisman and register tradition after the ancient great calamity. By observing his actions, one could roughly understand the path of his cultivation.

He himself had no intention of concealing this aspect.

In summary, Gao Tian Sui's Daoist methods were unique, combining the true transmission of the Celestial Master's Mansion of Dragon Tiger Mountain with the profoundness of his Primordial Essence Dao Body.

Then, due to the discovery of the ancient Celestial Palace's remnants, he underwent a new transformation and development.

His sixth heavenly decree, the Heavenly Might Symbolic Golden Pavilion, which he comprehended after reaching the third level of the Immortal Realm and penetrating the Dao to return to the True Reality, came from this.

At the same time, the Three Caverns Three Heavens Supreme Heaven Creation Array, which Gao Tian Sui created and left a profound mark for the ancient talisman and register tradition, also transformed into the Ten Directions Golden Palaces Supreme Heaven Array, likely for the same reason.

Xu Yuanzhen had seen Gao Tian Sui's heavenly decree and the incomplete formation of the array in Guizang. At this moment, looking at the golden hall in front of her, which also originated from the remnants of the Celestial Palace, she felt something different.

She stared at the golden hall, and her eyes shone with a mysterious light, vaguely revealing a large amount of profound Dao patterns and Dharmic power constantly being constructed.

Although Lei Jun had not personally fought against Gao Tian Sui, after listening to Xu Yuanzhen and others' introductions, he looked at the golden hall with a contemplative expression in his eyes.

Both of them stood silently, but their bodies exuded faint streams of energy.

On Lei Jun's side, black and white intertwined, and a majestic palace complex resembling the heavenly court seemed to take shape.

At the same time, a large amount of Nine Depths True Flame appeared, but it was not used to burn and destroy the palace. Instead, it was used to assist in the construction.

It seemed that, to some extent, he was simulating Gao Tian Sui's cultivation method.

His Taiji Dao Body and the other's Primordial Essence Dao Body had significant differences.

However, in his exploration, he had already grasped a rough outline.

Xu Yuanzhen's cultivation power formed a presence akin to a pitch-black thundercloud, serene, profound, and seemingly infinite.

The two sides faced each other in the profound void, where purple divine thunder from the Nine Heavens began to surge, but it was illusory, seemingly present yet absent.

Lei Jun and Xu Yuanzhen raised their eyes, their gazes landing on the palaces and thunderclouds above their heads.

"Although High Heaven Lord prefers fire and earth talismans due to his Taisu Dao Body, he can be considered the best in our sect since ancient times. However, his proficiency in thunder and heaven talismans is also not to be underestimated," Lei Jun said.

Xu Yuanzhen replied, "Not just not underestimated, the number of people who can match his Nine Heavens divine thunder proficiency can be counted on one hand."

She gazed at the palace above Lei Jun's head. "The difference between you and him is not just in your Dao Bodies, but also in your temperaments."

Lei Jun understood. "Wait a moment."

He looked at the golden palace, then raised his head to look at the illusory heavenly palace above his head.

Compared to before, the illusory heavenly palace became even more ethereal, solemn, and majestic.

It also exuded a stronger sense of oppression.

The unpredictable aura of heavenly might was naturally revealed.

Xu Yuanzhen nodded, and the dark thunderclouds moved forward on their own.

From within, threads of purple lightning emerged, triggering the green flames in the heavenly palace above Lei Jun's head. The interplay of thunder and fire resulted in a fierce collision.

"Not enough," Lei Jun shook his head. "Not just 'the universe', but even adding 'time' is still not enough."

Xu Yuanzhen nodded, and the dark thunderclouds above her head became even more condensed, eventually appearing as if they had transformed into solid form.

The purple lightning and green flames disappeared at this moment.

All that remained was the heavenly palace with its golden gates, faintly glowing with a golden light, and the dark thunderclouds that seemed frozen like glaciers.

The two Talisman Sect immortals, each with their natural comprehension, continuously exchanged ideas and made adjustments.

Lei Jun mainly mimicked Gao Tian sui's methods, helping Xu Yuanzhen with references and practice while also exploring and summarizing his own techniques.

His goal was not to learn Gao Tian sui's immortal arts.

Instead, he followed his usual style, using external knowledge to refine his own methods.

Xu Yuanzhen, while pondering her own techniques, further familiarized herself with Gao Tian sui's immortal arts.

The collision of inspirations made their efforts more efficient, and they gained new insights at every moment.

Later, Wang Guiyuan came from Kongsang to Guizang, and Lei Jun temporarily stopped, leaving Xu Yuanzhen to continue her focused research.

"Brother, take a look at these when you have time," Lei Jun handed some Buddhist treasures to Wang Guiyuan.

However, most of these Buddhist artifacts and treasures were damaged.

Some were even tainted by demonic energy.

But their essence was rooted in orthodox Buddhist teachings.

These Buddhist treasures were not made by the Great Emptiness Temple lineage, as they were not known for crafting treasures.

In the demon world, although it now presents a scene of declining law, Buddhism was once extremely prosperous there, producing many capable individuals and widespread followers, leaving behind a considerable number of Buddhist artifacts.

During the chaos of the demon world, many Buddhist treasures were destroyed, but some still remained.

Although most were tainted by demonic energy, Xu Yuanzhen still brought a few back for research.

"It was once a grand spectacle," Wang Guiyuan said with admiration, though his expression remained calm. He suppressed the demonic energy on the artifacts while examining them.

After looking, he nodded slightly. "I will study them in detail later."

Lei Jun said, "No rush. When you have time, take a look. The most important thing now is for you to focus on your cultivation and achieve the Buddhist Golden Body as soon as possible."

Wang Guiyuan smiled. "When the cultivation is sufficient, it will naturally happen. If it's not, it cannot be forced."

Lei Jun asked, "Boundless?"

Wang Guiyuan nodded. "I practice the method of making vows. Since I have sown the cause of Boundlessness, this karmic debt must eventually be settled."

Previously, Chen Dadao took the blame, partly to repel the enemy and partly to give Wang Guiyuan more time to prepare as much as possible for stability.

Achieving the Buddhist Golden Body would allow him to reclaim Boundlessness.

Not that he would bear Boundlessness again, but this karmic debt needed to be resolved.

"It should... be during the Human Convergence," Wang Guiyuan said slowly.

Lei Jun replied, "Probably within the next few decades."

"Time is still too short. If only I had more time to prepare..."

Although Wang Guiyuan said this, he finally smiled genuinely. "Alright, let it be. All these years of preparation have been for this."

Lei Jun said, "Elder Brother's efforts are deeply felt."

Wang Guiyuan's expression instantly fell, and he showed a bitter smile. "Yes, it's cold and bitter. If it could be easier, who would want such an intense and thrilling experience?"

Lei Jun said, "People are different."

Just like the recent news from Tang Dynasty.

Hu Hengyuan, the Holy Sovereign of the Southern Wilderness Shaman Sect's Yin Mountain Cave, after years of secluded cultivation and patient practice, finally successfully overcame the great obstacle between the Eighth and Ninth Heavens, becoming a great shaman who can invoke deities.

After the old acquaintance, the Holy Sovereign of the Cycle Abyss, Feng Gui, failed to reach the Ninth Heaven and met his demise, Hu Hengyuan remained calm and composed, ultimately taking this final step successfully.

The news spread, and many people inside and outside the Tang Dynasty congratulated him.

Dragon Tiger Mountain's Celestial Master Mansion also sent their disciples to offer congratulations.

Over the years, the human world of the Great Tang has been recovering and developing, allowing various sects to make significant progress.

Yinshan Cave has moved on from its bloody past and, after years of accumulation, is gradually starting to flourish.

The Celestial Master Mansion of Dragon Tiger Mountain has maintained constant communication and cooperation with Yinshan Cave, often sharing information.

After Saint Hu Hengyuan achieved the status of a Descending God Shaman, the most outstanding young elder of Yinshan Cave, Elder Tian Cheng, is rumored to have secluded himself in recent years to prepare for breaking through to the Ninth Heaven realm.

"Elder Tian of Yinshan Cave was once on par with Elder Xing of the Blood River Sect and Elder Li, but a severe injury that affected his primordial energy halted his rise. Fortunately, he is still young and has finally started to regain his momentum."

Wang Guiyuan sighed, "However, it has had some impact."

Feng Ting, the third disciple who followed Lei Jun in his Dao cultivation, spoke solemnly, "Thank you, Senior Master, for your guidance and reminder. I will take it to heart."

Lei Jun, however, said, "I'm not worried about you being cautious. On the contrary, you need to avoid being overly cautious."

Feng Ting: "Er... Yes, I will follow the teachings of my master and Senior Master."

Wang Guiyuan smiled on the side.

Among Lei Jun's three disciples, Tang Xiaotang and the second disciple, Han Xiaofei, had the best affinity.

Lei Jun, on the other hand, found Feng Ting to be a promising young disciple.

Unfortunately, Lei Jun's own cultivation in the Dao was limited, making him unsuitable to guide disciples. Feng Ting, on the other hand, possessed a Purple Mansion Immortal Body, making him an exceptional talent for the Talisman Sect.

If not for this limitation, Wang Guiyuan would have been delighted to have such a successor.

"Feng Ting, what are your thoughts on the bestowment of talismans?" Lei Jun asked.

The situation was similar to that of Han Xiaofei and Cheng Rongrong.

Feng Ting's natural talent, combined with his current cultivation speed, faced a slight timing issue.

One month before he was to be initiated into the Celestial Master Mansion, the Dragon Tiger Mountain's Celestial Master Mansion had held a grand ceremony for bestowing talismans.

According to custom, after Feng Ting's initiation, the next ceremony for bestowing talismans would be held five years later.

During his initiation year, Feng Ting successfully cultivated to the second heaven of the Foundation Establishment realm, and like Han Xiaofei before him, he was expected to quickly advance to the third heaven of the Law Platform realm.

For disciples like them, who had unfortunate timing in their entry but possessed exceptional talent, the Mansion often made special arrangements.

However, this also depended on the disciple's own wishes.

Han Xiaofei, for example, had started a special training regimen, just like Tang Xiaotang did in her early years.

Cheng Rongrong, on the other hand, chose to wait patiently and participate in the next bestowment ceremony with the other disciples.

Feng Ting already had an idea: "Master, I want to participate in the ceremony for bestowing talismans together with the other disciples."

In the past, he would have carefully considered expressing his opinion.

In fact, he still felt the same way towards most people.

However, when facing Lei Jun, the young man spoke without hesitation, but with fewer concerns:

"I think it's fine to participate in the ceremony after reaching the third level of the Law Platform realm. If there's extra time, I can study more basic spirit talismans."

From the perspective of personal safety, it was most urgent to quickly improve one's cultivation realm.

However, after gradually adapting to life at the Dragon Tiger Mountain's Celestial Master Mansion, Feng Ting wasn't as anxious in this regard.

Although he had only heard about it from others and hadn't experienced it personally, it seemed...

His master, in this world, if not the strongest, was at least among the few strongest?

Feng Ting wondered if anyone would dare to cause him trouble while he was sincerely cultivating at Dragon Tiger Mountain...

"Hmm, you can decide for yourself about the ceremony," Lei Jun said calmly.

He then proceeded to test his disciple's knowledge.

Feng Ting had no trouble in this regard.

Finally, Lei Jun tested Feng Ting on a special spirit talisman.

"You chose to study the Primagnetic Talisman. What are your thoughts on it?" Lei Jun asked.

Feng Ting replied, "I've learned many uses from you, Master. To be honest, I'm currently deliberating whether to choose the Primagnetic Talisman or the Ride Wind Talisman as my third life-saving talisman."

As always, Lei Jun followed the excellent tradition of his master, Yuan Mobai, and this lineage of disciples has always valued physical cultivation.

From Zhuo Baojie to Han Xiaofei, and now to Feng Ting, the first life-saving talisman they chose was always a God-Striking Talisman.

Feng Ting, in order to develop his Purple Mansion Immortal Body and Purple Mansion Immortal Thunder, chose the Thunder Blast Talisman as his second life-saving technique.

Although he had already started learning Lei Jun's Five Thunder Talismans, he had different ideas for his third life-saving technique.

For safety reasons, he initially valued the Ride Wind Talisman.

In this regard, Feng Ting's thinking leaned more towards Lei Jun's teachings than Wang Guiyuan's, hence choosing the Ride Wind Talisman over the Golden Gate.

However, the appearance of the Primagnetic Talisman made his heart waver.

This spirit talisman, nominally obtained by Celestial Master Lei from Elder Chen Donglou of the Great Ming Mountain Sect, was improved into a spirit talisman technique and later formed a new lineage within the Dragon Tiger Mountain's Celestial Master Mansion.

From the Two Celestial Body Refinement Law for Upper Three Heavens cultivators,

Strictly speaking, the current Primagnetic Talisman lineage isn't considered mainstream, but it's not unattractive; it's just that people need time to accept it psychologically.

In theory, although this technique originated from the hands of the Thunder Celestial Master, it came from a different sect and was not a direct lineage of Dragon Tiger Mountain.

Lei Jun himself didn't mind this, nor did he make any special recommendations or arrangements, letting things take their natural course.

As time passed and understanding grew, more and more Dragon Tiger Mountain disciples became interested in this lineage.

Among the enthusiastic ones was Lei Jun's own direct disciple, Feng Ting.

After confirming that his master didn't mind the spread of the Primagnetic Talisman lineage, he immediately became enthusiastic.

On one hand, the combination of Thunder Law and Primagnetic techniques complemented each other perfectly.

On the other hand, he adored and longed for the Primagnetic Flying Sword as described by Lei Jun.

Being able to fight from a distance without exposing himself and taking down enemies, this method of combat was exactly what Little Daoist Feng desired.

Thus, he was faced with a happy dilemma between the Ride Wind Talisman and the Primagnetic Talisman.

At this moment, a sudden fierce cry came from the distance.

Feng Ting's gaze focused, but his mind remained calm as he turned towards the direction of the Time Abyss.

The previous fierce cry was once very familiar to him, but now it felt like a distant memory.

It was the sound of a powerful Demon, a strong Demon Monster.

How long ago was it when his parents, relatives, and familiar elders and neighbors were cruelly killed by Demons?

Every time he heard a similar sound, Feng Ting was terrified, and he didn't even dare to turn his back and flee.

Because he didn't know if escaping in another direction would lead him to face even more ferocious Demons and a more tragic fate.

Until he witnessed countless Demons being exterminated by Xu Yuanzhen, until he was brought back to this Megaverse by Xu Yuanzhen, until he entered the gates of Dragon Tiger Mountain, and even in the middle of the night, he still woke up in a fright.

As he studied the Dao in the mansion, gradually focusing his spirit and cultivating his energy, the past gradually faded, allowing Feng Ting to face it calmly.

By this time, although he heard that terrifying fierce cry again, he was still able to maintain his composure.

Feng Ting knew that this was actually related to his master Lei Jun and the others being nearby.

Otherwise, just that fierce cry alone might have been enough to shock him to death, shattering his spirit, given his shallow cultivation level.

Beside Feng Ting, Lei Jun and Wang Guiyuan also looked towards the Time Abyss.

Xu Yuanzhen, in the distance, continued to ponder her own cultivation method without even lifting her head.

She had already killed many similar Demon Monsters in the opposite Megaverse.

This time, the Demon Monster hadn't broken through the Immortal Gate, but its cultivation was not shallow.

However, for Lei Jun, Xu Yuanzhen, and the others, the arrival of this Demon was nothing out of the ordinary.

Lei Jun and Wang Guiyuan paid attention to the Demon Monster because of some of its unique qualities.

They saw that the Demon Monster had a gigantic body, entirely dark green, as if a person was crawling on all fours without a head.

Its back was completely split open like a blood basin, revealing sharp white fangs, from which the fierce cry and boundless black Qi constantly spewed out, exuding a malevolent Demon Energy.

Demon Saints like the Celestial Peng, Ghostly Luo Mountain Lord, Dragon Covering Dragon King, Seaweed King Ju, Snow Mountain Ferocious Ape, and Northern Sea Whale King, although equally cruel and bloodthirsty, were still rational and could communicate with humans.

But the Demon Monster before them, in addition to its bloodthirst, was extremely frenzied, as if it had lost the ability to speak.

But...

Lei Jun and Wang Guiyuan's gaze simultaneously focused on the Demon Monster's arm that was pressed on the ground.

On its wrist, there was a string of pitch-black prayer beads.

The beads exuded a pure Demon Energy.

However, its design was that of a standard Buddhist artifact.

Wang Guiyuan could tell at a glance that it used to be a Buddhist treasure, but it was later tainted by the malevolent Demon Energy, turning it into an evil object.

The owner of these prayer beads, this bloodthirsty Demon Monster, was once a Buddhist practitioner, and a high-achieving Buddhist Monk at that.

Lei Jun took a few glances up and down, then extended his palm and pressed it into the air.

The Demon Monster's blood basin-like mouth let out a roar, its limbs sprang, and its body moved swiftly, about to disappear from its original spot.

But in the next instant, it was still fixed in place, then wrapped in a Taiji Diagram woven from black and white Qi, like an insect trapped in pine resin amber.

"The Buddhist Monk's Spirit Platform was lost, leading to demonic possession, caused by the overall environment of that Megaverse."

Lei Jun looked at Xu Yuanzhen: "Is it the same as the one you encountered before in that Megaverse?"

Xu Yuanzhen: "The forms are diverse, but the root is the same."

Wang Guiyuan silently pressed his palms together.

Xu Yuanzhen had previously traveled to that Demon-filled Megaverse and discovered that there were still a few authentic Buddhist disciples there.

However, with the decline of the Dao and the rise of Demons, the Buddhist disciples in that Megaverse were very weak and struggled to survive.

Some maintained their mental state and persevered without yielding.

But there were also those who fell into the abyss.

In that Megaverse, it was no secret that many Demons originated from this.

And among them, the most renowned and the one with the deepest cultivation was the origin of it all, and also the final destination.

His name was the Thousand Eyes Thousand Hands Great Venerable.

In the past, the Great Venerable had nine out of ten eyes closed and nine out of ten hands broken, eventually leaving him with a hundred eyes and a hundred hands, which he used to paint the heavens and earth, earning him the title of the Hundred Eyes Great Sage.

However, his body transformed into a tree, with a hundred hands becoming twisted branches that covered the sky and blocked the sun, and on these branches were a hundred eyes, later known as the Hundred-Eyed Demon Tree.

(End of Chapter)

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