Chapter 71: Revisiting Old Grounds, the Celestial Master's Seal Clue
Chapter 71: Revisiting Old Grounds, the Celestial Master's Seal Clue
Deep within the mountain, Zhong Yunfei's body had completely disintegrated, leaving no trace behind.
The collapse of Qian Tian Peak buried not only the nearby Huang Tian Dao disciples but also left no survivors for miles around.
Upon hearing the report from his disciples, Tian Xu Sect's leader, Tu Guangyu, nodded silently.
By this time, his mind had regained its calm, and with a wave of his hand, the disciple before him retreated.
Although they had repelled the attack from the Huang Tian Dao followers, the Tian Xu Sect had also suffered significant losses.
Under Tu Guangyu's command, the disciples collected the remains of their fallen comrades and rushed to attend to the injured.
Lei Jun assisted for several days, ensuring the Tian Xu Sect's stability and seeing no further signs of aggression from the Huang Tian Dao. He then bid farewell to Tu Guangyu and the other high-ranking members of the sect.
Currently, aside from the Huang Tian Dao, there were no reports of other enemies attacking the Celestial Master's Mansion.
In reality, most people's attention was focused on the Lin Clan in Jiangzhou.
The Lin Clan's silence did not signify a resolution to the conflict.
On the contrary, the situation in Jiangzhou was becoming increasingly turbulent.
On the other hand, while the battles between Longhu Mountain and the Huang Tian Dao continued, the stalemate had eased the urgency of the situation for the time being.
Thus, Lei Jun bade farewell to Tu Guangyu and the others, deciding to return to the mountain.
Xia Qing's mental and physical state were still weak due to Zhong Yunfei's previous scheme, and she needed further rest.
Moreover, with the shortage of manpower at Tian Xu Sect, although she was eager to return to Longhu Mountain, she ultimately decided to extend her stay at Tian Xu Mountain for a while longer, opting not to accompany Lei Jun.
Lei Jun left Tian Xu Mountain and set off after determining his direction.
He did not immediately head back to Longhu Mountain but instead went to another place first.
It was the place where he had first arrived when he crossed over to this world.
With his current cultivation base at the second level of the Law Forum, Lei Jun still had to travel a great distance in this vast world, and it took him quite some time to reach his destination.
When he first arrived, he could hardly believe his eyes.
Once upon a time, there had been vast stretches of barren mountains here, yet across the river, lush green mountains had offered a beautiful contrast.
Now, as he looked out, the green mountains were gone, replaced by desolation.
Lei Jun was not disappointed.
On the contrary, it proved that the green mountain of old had indeed been unique.
The reason he had coincidentally met his senior martial sister, Xu Yuanzhen, was probably because she had also been searching for the lost Celestial Master's Seal.
However, he didn't know why she hadn't found it.
Perhaps, from that moment on, the Celestial Master's Seal or the clues leading to it had a consciousness of their own and secretly shifted locations.
And with the gentle breeze gone, the place lost its magic.
Considering Xu Yuanzhen's cultivation and strength, Lei Jun now strongly suspected that what had resided here back then was the Celestial Master's Seal itself!
But this ultimate treasure had a consciousness of its own and had quietly slipped away.
Thinking back now, that gentle breeze that had purified and cleansed his mind and body was probably a sign of the Celestial Master's Seal's departure... Lei Jun mused with self-deprecating humor.
If it hadn't been for his unexpected intervention back then, Xu Yuanzhen might have found the Celestial Master's Seal.
As for now...
Lei Jun's eyes narrowed as he gazed at the distant mountains, his gaze sharp and piercing.
He could clearly see that at the location of the former green mountain, someone had already beaten him to it and was busy at work.
Those people, clad in deep red and apricot-yellow Daoist robes, were digging into the mountain as if searching for something.
"Huang Tian Dao followers?" Lei Jun exclaimed in surprise.
How could they all be so coincidentally here?
Too much coincidence suggested that it might not be mere chance but rather the influence of some inevitable factor.
Lei Jun concealed himself, opting not to rush forward but instead to observe from a distance.
Just as he was thinking this, the distant mountain peak suddenly shook violently!
Even Lei Jun couldn't react in time as he saw a surge of green flames erupting from the dug-up mountain, soaring into the sky!
"ROAR!!!"
Accompanying the soaring green flames was the roar of a tiger that shook the heavens and the earth.
This tiger's roar wasn't particularly ear-piercing, but it shook one's soul.
From afar, Lei Jun felt his soul tremble, almost unable to maintain his grip on his physical body, as if he were about to break free from his shell at any moment.
The Huang Tian Dao disciples in the mountains were even more terrified, their livers and guts splitting with fear.
A mighty tiger seemed to burst out of its cage, drilling out from the depths of the earth. The blazing green flames converged into a breathtaking fire tiger that leaped out and coiled around the mountaintop.
"The Yin Fire Tiger?!” The leading Huang Tian Dao Elder exclaimed, his eyes vacant.
As the green fire tiger roared and swept across the land, countless Huang Tian Dao disciples were engulfed by the raging green flames, their bodies and bones reduced to nothingness in an instant!
Lei Jun watched the fire tiger unleash its might, and after regaining his composure, he almost wanted to applaud and laugh aloud.
What a move by Xu Yuanzhen!
That senior martial sister had left a "gift" behind for future seekers, not wanting them to undergo the same fruitless search as she had.
The Yin Fire Tiger.
Its formal name was the Nine Abyss Flame Ancestor Law Image, one of the three supreme divine abilities of the Celestial Master's Mansion.
The Daoist Talisman Sect, a branch of the Daoist School, practiced the Three Heavens cultivation, focusing on divine abilities and talismans.
The renowned Three Caverns and Three Realms Scripture recorded the three supreme talismans, hailed as the most powerful abilities of the Daoist Talisman Sect, also known as the Three Realms True Scripture Talismans: the Celestial Scripture Talisman, the Earthly Scripture Talisman, and the Human Scripture Talisman.
The seventh level of cultivation in the Daoist Talisman Sect was known as the Heaven-Reaching Realm.
Just as Buddhism had Dharma Forms, the Daoist School had Law Images.
Law Images were manifestations of the laws of heaven and earth.
Only the strongest cultivators in the Heaven-Reaching Realm could attain the Law Images that emulated the heavens and mirrored the earth.
By cultivating the Celestial Scripture Talisman, one could comprehend the supreme lightning arts of the Celestial Master's Mansion and obtain the Law Image of the Yang Lightning Dragon, also known as the Nine Heavens Thunder Ancestor Law Image.
By cultivating the Earthly Scripture Talisman, one could comprehend the supreme fire arts of the Celestial Master's Mansion and obtain the Law Image of the Yin Fire Tiger, also known as the Nine Abyss Flame Ancestor Law Image.
By cultivating the Human Scripture Talisman, one could comprehend the supreme life arts of the Celestial Master's Mansion and obtain the Law Image of the Life Star God, also known as the Dou Mu Star God Law Image.
The Celestial Master's Mansion valued the balance of yin and yang, the convergence of dragon and tiger.
The strongest dragon and tiger were none other than the heavenly lightning and earthly fire, the Yang Lightning Dragon and the Yin Fire Tiger.
"It's been buried underground for almost seven years, yet it still possesses such power. It's truly awe-inspiring," Lei Jun marveled.
He watched from a distance as Xu Yuanzhen's Yin Fire Tiger wreaked havoc, incinerating the Huang Tian Dao disciples who had come to search the mountain.
Only after the green flames finally dissipated did Lei Jun approach the scene.
He inspected the area, collected the traces left by the Huang Tian Dao disciples, and compared them to the imprint of the Celestial Master's Seal he had obtained from Qian Tian Peak, and a realization dawned on him.
Many things were not mere coincidences.
The Huang Tian Dao shared the same origins as the Celestial Master's Mansion.
Although they had separated from the Celestial Master's Mansion before Li Cangting's demise and the disappearance of the Celestial Master's Seal, the Huang Tian Dao had been relentlessly searching for the seal over the years, exploring and experimenting.
The reason they had only recently arrived at this location was not due to a lack of effort but because they had been searching tirelessly, only recently uncovering a few clues.
The reason for this was that, just recently, the Celestial Master's Seal seemed to be more active than it had been in previous years.
As a result, the Huang Tian Dao disciples' relentless search finally bore some fruit.
Despite the ongoing battle with the Celestial Master's Mansion, they spared no effort in sending people here in their quest for the seal.
Unfortunately for them, someone had already chewed through the "bread" here…
And the Celestial Master's Seal was long gone from this place.
However, Lei Jun believed that their line of reasoning was correct.
Indeed, the Celestial Master's Seal had been more active lately.
Connecting this to the recent events, Lei Jun speculated that it was due to the great calamity facing the Celestial Master's Mansion.
Even without a master, the Celestial Master's Seal still possessed sentience, and it responded to the crisis by stirring once more.
Moreover, by combining his own imprint with his deductions, Lei Jun hazarded a bold guess:
Influenced by the crisis in the Celestial Master's Mansion, the Celestial Master's Seal seemed to be making its way back to Dragon Tiger Mountain, drawing closer to the unstable Celestial Master's Mansion…
"This is truly black humor," Lei Jun couldn't help but think.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
