Chapter 538: 537. A Long Line to Hook a Dragon

Chapter 538: 537. A Long Line to Hook a Dragon



When Lei Jun received Zhao Chanyang's message for the first time, he was already surprised.

However, it was still within his expectations.

When Lei Jun went to the Demon World, he had once assisted Zhao Chanyang with his Taiji True Intent. The first and last of the Five Greats of the Primordial Five, Taiyi and Taiji, had merged, and with Lei Jun and Zhao Chanyang's exceptional understanding, they had developed various extraordinary changes, leading to even more additional benefits.

As cultivators on the path of the Dao, and with several layers of karmic connections, Lei Jun was one of Zhao Chanyang's few friends, even surpassing many of his fellow Kunwu Sect disciples.

After Lei Jun became the leader of the Xuanmen, Zhao Chanyang also broke the rules and personally went to Dragon Tiger Mountain to attend the Xuanmen Grand Ceremony.

After that, the two occasionally exchanged insights on the path of cultivation, each gaining new understandings.

But most of their interactions were through letters and messages.

For Zhao Chanyang to personally invite someone to visit without going through Zhang Haipeng was truly rare.

Apart from Zhao Chanyang personally coming to Dragon Tiger Mountain, Lei Jun couldn't think of anything more surprising.

Zhao Chanyang's actions seemed to indicate an unusual situation.

Lei Jun's first reaction was to wait and see if the light sphere in his mind would react and provide any signs.

Although with Zhao Chanyang's current cultivation and exceptional talent, it was unlikely for him to be silently eliminated by someone, only to have a trap set up to ambush Lei Jun, the leader of Lei Zhang Jiao.

However, with such an abnormal situation, Lei Jun's habitual caution prompted him to be more vigilant.

Even with Zhao Chanyang's talent and strength, the possibility of him being defeated by a cultivator at the third level of the Immortal Realm or above was still there.

Lei Jun needed to be cautious of such an opponent.

Fortunately, the light sphere in Lei Jun's mind did not react.

This made Lei Jun even more curious, and with no other major matters at hand, he accepted the invitation and set off for Kunlun.

Upon arriving at Qingwei Heaven in Kunlun, the leader of the Kunwu Sect, Zhang Haipeng, was already waiting.

Seeing Lei Jun's arrival, he quickly greeted him, "Zhang Haipeng pays his respects to the True Lord Lei."

Lei Jun returned the greeting, "Is there an urgent matter?"

Zhang Haipeng replied, "It doesn't seem to be an immediate crisis, but it's quite strange, and even Chanyang is unsure, so I've troubled the leader to come."

Lei Jun said, "No problem."

Zhao Chanyang was currently in seclusion.

Zhang Haipeng led the way, and without disturbing the other Kunwu Sect members, they arrived at Zhao Chanyang's secluded location.

As Lei Jun approached, a faint white mist dispersed, revealing Zhao Chanyang's figure in a moon-white Daoist robe. He bowed in the Daoist style, "Leader."

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, is this matter related to the Demon Dragon Imperial Lord?" Lei Jun asked as they sat down together.

Zhao Chanyang couldn't be said to have never left his sect.

Before achieving the Nascent Soul stage, he had traveled the world and even met Zhang Wantu, who was also not yet a saint at the time.

However, he always traveled alone and tried to avoid interacting with others.

Up until now, apart from the Kunwu Sect's historical nemesis, Ge Xuanzhi, the only other entanglement Zhao Chanyang had was with the Demon Dragon Imperial Lord, whom he encountered during his time in the Demon World.

Like the Great Annihilation Bodhisattva and the Hundred Eyes Demon Tree, the Demon Dragon Imperial Lord's situation was not entirely stable, but in most cases, especially during direct combat, he could be considered a Demon Saint or even a Great Sage.

Zhao Chanyang's talent and strength were exceptional, surpassing other cultivators of the same realm.

At the second level of the Immortal Realm with the Two Flowers at the Apex, he was undoubtedly superior to the Nascent Soul cultivator Ge Xuanzhi.

If he successfully reached the third level of the Immortal Realm and achieved the Three Flowers at the Apex, returning to the void, he would undoubtedly surpass the Great Venerable of the Sea of Suffering, Lian Feng, Zheng Yan, and Qiu Li, who were at the third level of the Immortal Realm.

However, Zhao Chanyang was still at the second level of the Immortal Realm, and unlike Lei Jun, he couldn't rely on the power of the Three Caverns and Three Heavens Grand Dragon Tiger Array to navigate the world and confront such an opponent. Depending on the situation, there was a possibility that he couldn't even escape.

Fortunately, Zhao Chanyang had managed to escape the last time.

According to him, the Demon Dragon Imperial Lord seemed to be distracted by other matters.

But now, it seemed that there might be another hidden agenda behind the Demon Dragon Imperial Lord's previous distractions.

Perhaps Zhao Chanyang's successful escape was part of the Demon Dragon Imperial Lord's plan.

"I'm ashamed to say that I can't confirm if it's the Demon Dragon Imperial Lord's scheme," Zhao Chanyang said softly.

"But I also have this speculation," he continued, raising his hand. A vague, intangible existence gradually condensed, eventually transforming into a hazy auspicious cloud.

Lei Jun watched quietly.

It didn't seem to be a case of parasitism or soul possession.

Unless Zhao Chanyang was captured alive by the Demon Dragon Imperial Lord, with their current difference in cultivation, the Demon Dragon Imperial Lord wouldn't succeed, no matter how talented Zhao Chanyang was.

Moreover, after returning from the Demon World, Lei Jun had interacted closely with Zhao Chanyang several times and hadn't noticed anything unusual.

Zhao Chanyang was injured at that time, and although his recovery process was smooth, he had been introspecting ever since.

Even if the Demon Dragon Imperial Lord's methods were extremely secretive, after such a long time, whether Zhao Chanyang could dispel them or not, he should have at least discovered some clues.

In reality, he had indeed discovered some peculiarities, but it wasn't that the Demon Dragon Imperial Lord had left something extra on him.

Instead... it seemed that the other party was slowly and subtly, yet continuously, taking something from him.

"It's related to my Taiyi Dao Body, but Taiyi is formless and unchanging, neither increasing nor decreasing."

Zhao Chanyang frowned slightly, "It's more like... secretly absorbing and sharing a small portion of my usual cultivation gains in the dark. Although it's subtle and has almost no effect on me, it's a continuous process."

Initially, he vaguely sensed something amiss.

After Lei Jun condensed the Taiji True Intent into a talisman, it resonated with his own Taiyi, and with further refinement, the situation became much clearer.

However, the overall matter was still like looking at flowers in the mist.

Therefore, after much consideration, Zhao Chanyang finally decided to seek help from Lei Jun.

Lei Jun listened quietly as Zhao Chanyang explained the situation, his gaze fixed on the blurry Auspicious Cloud formed by the other's concentrated lifeforce.

He didn't speak right away, but after observing for a while, he said, "Forgive me."

Like Zhao Chanyang, Lei Jun raised his hand, and strands of lifeforce condensed, forming a black and white Taiji Diagram.

However, this Taiji Diagram didn't directly verify with Zhao Chanyang's Auspicious Cloud but unfolded on the spot, vaguely transforming into a formation diagram.

The seemingly simple and subtle grand formation silently circulated.

Even with Zhang Haipeng's current Ninth Heaven Perfection cultivation, he could only barely discern that Lei Zhang Jiao was clearly using a simplified formation diagram to manipulate the power of the Nine Heavens Ten Earths World.

Apparently, Lei Zhang Jiao was using the Nine Heavens Ten Earths World as a barrier to prevent the suspected Demon Dragon Imperial Lord from noticing the changes on this side and thus avoid alerting the snake by beating the grass.

Zhao Chanyang's eyes lit up as he looked at the miniaturized formation diagram.

After the miniature formation diagram enveloped them, Lei Jun finally condensed another smaller black and white Taiji Diagram with his own lifeforce, combining it with Zhao Chanyang's hazy Auspicious Cloud.

The two stared at each other, and their pupils began to swirl with strange colors.

After a moment, Lei Jun and Zhao Chanyang nodded simultaneously, speaking in unison, "Demon Dragon Imperial Lord."

Indeed, when Zhao Chanyang escaped from the Demon World, there seemed to be some lingering aftereffects.

The aftereffects didn't seem apparent and had no obvious harmful effects on him.

To be precise, during his daily cultivation, the Demon Dragon Imperial Lord would extract a small portion of his cultivation gains for other purposes.

The reason for being targeted by the Demon Dragon Imperial Lord was most likely related to his Taiyi Dao Body.

Currently, the harm wasn't significant, and the slow accumulation of effects even had a very limited impact on his daily cultivation progress, not hindering his advancement much.

Therefore, it was extremely well-hidden, and Zhao Chanyang only recently sensed that something was amiss.

However, on one hand, there was a possibility that the other party could further expand it, and on the other hand, how to eliminate it remained a difficult problem.

"It's quite ingenious and stubborn," Lei Jun said with admiration. "The Time Abyss acts as a barrier, connecting the two worlds, making it both stable and resilient."

Such a method was astonishing.

But considering the Demon Dragon Imperial Lord's somewhat unstable situation, Lei Jun further speculated whether there was another hidden mechanism, and it might not be solely the Demon Dragon Imperial Lord's own ability.

"It's like using my power to refine pills or treasures..." Zhao Chanyang mused.

Although the Daoist Alchemy School's cultivation didn't emphasize external pill cultivation, and they rarely practiced pill or artifact refinement, by the time Zhao Chanyang reached his current cultivation level, he was already very close to the concept of 'one method leads to all methods.' Moreover, he possessed the Taiyi Dao Body, allowing him to cultivate various Daoist traditions and methods of the world, although he himself wasn't particularly interested in this aspect.

Facing Lei Jun, with his assistance, Zhao Chanyang quickly became aware of more problems.

Lei Jun confirmed Zhao Chanyang's judgment, "I have the same feeling; it's probably not far off."

After a brief moment of thought, he said, "As it involves the Demon Dragon Imperial Lord, I intend to invite other Daoist friends to help investigate. What do you think, Zhao Daozhang?"

Zhao Chanyang smiled bitterly, "Thank you, Zhang Zhangjiao."

Although it didn't seem to have a significant impact currently, he wouldn't choose to ignore it.

Zhang Haipeng also stood up to express his gratitude, "Thank you, Zhang Zhangjiao."

Lei Jun: "You're too kind."

After bidding farewell to Zhang Haipeng, he took Zhao Chanyang to the imperial capital of the Great Tang Dynasty, Luoyang.

After several decades, it was rare for Zhang Wantu's true self to return to Luoyang.

However, although her illusory figure in Luoyang still existed, this trip was not as the Tang Emperor but as the Scholar Sage Tianrui Hermit.

He Ying had become the past.

Now, she was the Scholar Sage Tianrui Hermit, Zhang Wantu.

With the current situation, the Tang Imperial Family also had nothing else to say.

"Congratulations, Scholar Zhang, for establishing the new learning and achieving the Immortal Sage of Historian in the Three Incorruptible Realms," Lei Jun said with a calm expression, addressing Zhang Wantu.

Zhao Chanyang also echoed this sentiment.

Zhang Wantu, who was fishing, didn't put down her fishing rod and directly invited the two Daoist Immortals to sit down without any formalities.

Just like when he was traveling with Zhang Haipeng, Zhao Chanyang spoke less, and it was Lei Jun who took the initiative to introduce the situation.

"Demon Dragon Imperial Lord..." Zhang Wantu seemed deep in thought and turned to look at Zhao Chanyang.

The other party possessed the Taiyi Dao Body, which made it difficult for enemies to spy on and for friends to gauge his depth.

Zhang Wantu was also able to discern the clues after Zhao Chanyang intentionally revealed some traces:

"It's indeed the Demon Dragon Imperial Lord's doing. It intends to utilize Zhao Daozhang's Taiyi Dao Body to refine the required treasures. Although the purpose of this treasure is unclear, it seems to have secretly made Zhao Daozhang cultivate for over a decade without his knowledge. It must have borrowed a special spiritual treasure related to the Daoist Gate to achieve this."

"Are there Taixuan Treasures related to the Sealing Talisman?" Lei Jun wondered.

"For the sake of secrecy, the Demon Dragon Imperial Lord's actions were rather subtle." Zhang Wantu spoke, "With our combined efforts in studying it, there's a chance we can dispel it."

Lei Jun and Zhao Chanyang both nodded in agreement.

Despite their lower cultivation, they were still at the Second Level of the Immortal Realm.

Zhang Wantu, on the other hand, had successfully reached the Third Level of the Immortal Realm.

With their combined strength, they had more options at their disposal.

The Demon Dragon Imperial Lord's methods were both intricate and resilient, and even with the Time Abyss separating the two worlds, his secret techniques remained effective.

However, looking at it from another perspective, the Time Abyss did hinder and weaken his abilities to a certain extent.

Even if they took a step back, there was still Yan Aoyun, who had already attained the Sage Master Realm, to fall back on.

"Since it's a ritual that spans both worlds, it's best to have someone on the other side to respond," Zhang Wantu said, turning to Lei Jun. "Is Xu Daozhang still there?"

"Yes, my master hasn't left that world yet," Lei Jun replied.

He contacted Xu Yuanzhen, and as time passed, his cultivation deepened, and his understanding of the Time Abyss grew. Communicating with the other world became more precise and swift compared to before.

"Is there something going on?" Xu Yuanzhen asked.

She seemed to let out a soft laugh. "The Demon Dragon Imperial Lord deserves it."

The heavenly realm in the Demon World was not peaceful at the moment.

Previously, the Great Annihilation Bodhisattva had been chasing the Hundred Eyes Demon Tree, and the Demon Dragon Imperial Lord intervened to maintain the balance, temporarily helping the tree.

But his unusual state at the time was keenly noticed by the Great Annihilation Bodhisattva.

The Hundred Eyes Demon Tree and the demons from the human realm retreated, and the Great Annihilation Bodhisattva led the demonic followers to invade the mortal realm.

Subsequently, although the Great Annihilation Bodhisattva failed to capture the Hundred Eyes Demon Tree, it became more demanding and even started to further encroach upon the heavenly realm.

Its actions were not as violent this time, as it was more about testing the true situation of the Demon Dragon Imperial Lord.

Among the three great demons, the Demon Dragon Imperial Lord was the most slippery and agile.

Therefore, Lei Jun and the others did not consider directly attacking the Demon Dragon Imperial Lord this time.

Moreover, the Demon Dragon Imperial Lord might retreat.

Furthermore, the Great Annihilation Bodhisattva was an unreliable ally or enemy.

However, given the current situation, it was undoubtedly an opportunity to resolve Zhao Chanyang's problem.

But after some time, when the Hundred Eyes Demon Tree recovered, it would be difficult for the Great Annihilation Bodhisattva to maintain its focus on the Demon Dragon Imperial Lord and the heavenly realm.

Lei Jun, Zhao Chanyang, and the others had a relatively limited window of opportunity to act, and they needed to carefully seize the moment.

"I'm more interested in what kind of treasure it's crafting with the Primordial Qi," Xu Yuanzhen said.

Lei Jun pictured Xu Yuanzhen's slightly upturned lips in his mind.

"Is Master Sister planning to fish for a big dragon?" Lei Jun asked.

Under the current circumstances, they could cut off the Demon Dragon Imperial Lord's influence on Zhao Chanyang and sever their connection.

But it was difficult to directly affect the Demon Dragon Imperial Lord.

Without Zhao Chanyang's support, it was uncertain whether the Demon Dragon Imperial Lord's treasure crafting would fail or merely require more time.

The phrase "fishing for a big dragon" referred to secretly preparing while keeping a low profile, not alerting the enemy, and later giving the Demon Great Sage a hard time.

Aside from Xu Yuanzhen, Lei Jun also had this in mind.

When the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths of the two worlds reunited, the power of the unified world would be immense.

Hence, the idea of "fishing for a dragon" came about.

Lei Jun turned to look at Zhao Chanyang.

Zhao Chanyang, whom Lei Jun could hear, did not immediately respond to Xu Yuanzhen's words. Instead, he continued to listen quietly.

"Before we proceed, it's best to consult with Yan Aoyun for further insights," Zhang Wantu said to Lei Jun.

"Indeed," Zhang Wantu agreed.

After making the necessary preparations, Lei Jun, along with Zhao Chanyang, arrived at the Without Interval and stood before the Time Abyss.

Upon receiving the news, Wang Guiyuan looked at them speechless.

In his opinion, it was better to play it safe and help Zhao Chanyang out of his predicament, rather than digging a deeper hole, which might provoke the Great Saint of the Demon Race, the Imperial Lord of the Demon Dragon.

Although the Great Annihilation Bodhisattva was currently preoccupied, if Lei Jun and the others could seize this window of opportunity and quietly complete their preparations, then by remaining quiet and avoiding the other party's detection, it would be more prudent in Wang Guiyuan's opinion.

Seeing no movement in the light sphere in Lei Jun's mind, he sat cross-legged with Zhao Chanyang.

Behind one of them, the Black and White Taiji Diagram appeared, while behind the other, the Primordial Auspicious Cloud emerged.

Gradually, the two diagrams intertwined and merged.

Meanwhile, Zhang Wantu used her fingers as a brush, writing in the air without ink, but with radiant white light, as if countless mirrors surrounded her, enveloping her and Lei Jun together.

Under the white light, they seemed to merge into a vast and illusory book.

At this moment, time and related events seemed to freeze, appearing unchanged from the outside.

However, within, everything began to move quietly.

With the cooperation of Lei Zhao and Chanyang, the unity of the ten thousand phenomena and emptiness brought about various changes in quick succession, yet it was as if nothing had ever happened.

In the center of the two, an illusory figure appeared, resembling Lei Jun's Sound-Sensing Taiyi Divine Body, but with significant differences compared to his usual appearance.

This illusory figure seemed to melt away silently, like snow disappearing into nothingness.

On the opposite side of the Time Abyss, in the Demon World.

Xu Yuanzhen smiled as she watched the illusory figure in front of her, gradually forming like accumulating snow, standing tall.

Beside her, a gate to the Wu Xuan Gate opened, and after a moment, she took out a Dharmic robe and draped it over the illusory figure.

Then, both she and the illusory figure disappeared in the world of the Demon World.

The demonic aura continued to rage, but it seemed as if nothing had happened.

On the Nine Heavens Ten Earths side, in the World of the Time Abyss.

Lei Jun looked at Zhao Chanyang and said, "Since it's like this, I'll leave the rest to you, fellow cultivator, for the next few years."

Zhao Chanyang bowed to Lei Jun, Zhang Wantu, and Wang Guiyuan, "It's nothing, I'm the one who has troubled you all. I'm truly grateful..."

For him, the next step was to return to Kunlun and continue with his usual tasks, pretending to be unaware of the affairs of the Demon World and the Imperial Lord of the Demon Dragon.

Lei Jun, together with Zhang Wantu and Wang Guiyuan, returned to the Sanqing Sanbao Fairy Land.

Their joint preparations were complete, and now it was up to Xu Yuanzhen on the Demon World side to take the lead. Lei Jun and the others only needed to observe the changes and await the arrival of the Nine Heavens Ten Earths.

Although they had made some preparations, Lei Jun maintained his personal habits, continuing to focus on cultivation, studying the Daoist techniques, and improving himself.

Zhao Chanyang was in a similar situation.

Fortunately, in the relatively long time that followed, there were no new developments on his side.

Thus, eight years passed.

Lei Jun celebrated his 100th birthday.

"Congratulations, Senior Brother, on taking charge of the Celestial Master's position at the age of 60," Chu Kun said with a strange smile, offering his congratulations.

This senior brother of his was truly skilled at seizing opportunities, leaving others in awe.

He had just turned 60, the age of the Heavenly Master, and had taken over the position.

Then, at the age of 99, after exactly 81 years of cultivation, he had ascended to the Immortal Realm.

Lei Jun remained calm, "Are you already eager for a change of dynasty?"

Chu Kun sat across from him, "Senior Brother, how can you say that? I'm concerned about you. Initially, we encouraged you to embrace the crown prince, but now, 20 years have passed in a flash. If you become impatient, it might create a rift between master and disciple, which would be unfortunate."

Zhuo Baojie, standing by his side, looked at his master and senior helplessly.

Among those present, there were two bears and one human.

He felt that he was the most human-like.

Due to his role as the personal disciple of An Buzheng, he had remained at the mountain gate all these years without going out on patrols.

Zhuo Baojie himself was not in a hurry.

Firstly, he felt that his master had no need to rush into retirement.

Secondly, in the history of the Celestial Master's Mansion, even if the successor had sufficient cultivation, they would still need a long period of cultivation and experience before taking on the role.

Generally, the previous Celestial Masters had often been over 200 years old before stepping into their own cultivation plateau and succeeding to the position.

People like Tang Xiaotang and Lei Jun were the exceptions.

Often, it indicated that the Celestial Master's Mansion was in a state of turmoil or facing an emergency.

However, Lei Jun had no intention of waiting that long.

After some light-hearted conversation, he instructed Zhuo Baojie, "Xu Wu, go to the Supreme Three Heavens and solidify your cultivation. After that, you can officially go out on patrols, Huajie."

Zhuo Baojie replied, "Yes, Master."

After he bowed and left, Lei Jun spoke to Chu Kun, "Junior Brother, I'd like to borrow your Jiuhua Kunyuan Cauldron for a look."

"It's right here."

The two senior brothers were already accustomed to sharing resources, and Chu Kun immediately took out the Jiuhua Kunyuan Cauldron.

The cauldron floated in mid-air between the two of them.

Lei Jun quietly gazed at the cauldron, and after a while, a divine figure appeared beside him, gradually materializing. It was a deity, but unlike the True Body of the Thunder Emperor or the Sound-Sensing Taiyi Divine Body he had seen before. This time, the deity appeared to be a woman.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end