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Chapter 77 - The Heavenly Master's Seal Appears
Chapter 77 - The Heavenly Master's Seal Appears
Chen Yi had not only practiced the magic of other schools, but he also seemed to possess certain hidden abilities to conceal his cultivation.
Lei Jun was curious, but as long as the other party did not pose a threat to him, he had no intention of digging deeper.
Later, after temporarily repelling the disciples of Huang Tiandao, the true disciples of the Celestial Master's Mansion regrouped.
Lei Jun and Chen Yi stood face to face, both appearing as they usually did, with no signs of abnormality on their faces.
At most, they were acquaintances who occasionally nodded to each other.
Chen Yi had no personal grudges with Lei Jun, but he disliked Tang Xiaotang.
Lei Jun often associated with Tang Xiaotang, and while Chen Yi didn't hold a grudge against him, he also didn't have much friendship with Lei Jun.
At this moment, the appearance of another true disciple of the Celestial Master's Mansion caused Chen Yi to frown slightly, his gaze shifting to the side.
Li Zhenchang... Lei Jun thought to himself.
The two young Taoist priests walked through the crowd, and many true disciples of the Celestial Master's Mansion greeted them proactively.
One was named Li Zhenchang, a talented offshoot of the Li family.
The other was named Chu Antong, a true disciple of the Celestial Master's Mansion and a descendant of the Chu family from Suzhou.
Chu Kun, who had previously joined the Celestial Master's Mansion under the guidance of the Chu family, was his relative.
He and Li Zhenchang were fellow disciples, both direct disciples of the Grand Elder Li Song.
It is worth mentioning that the initial grudge between Chen Yi and the Li family originated from Li Zhenchang.
Back when Lei Jun and Chen Yi were still at the Daoist Academy, Chen Yi obtained the pure gold lingzhi from Lingzhi Terrace due to an accident.
Unfortunately, Li Zhenchang also needed this treasure as a raw material for his pill refining at that time, but in the end, the pure gold lingzhi was consumed by Chen Yi.
Perhaps Li Zhenchang himself didn't care much about it at the time.
But there were other Li family disciples in the Daoist Academy, so it was difficult for Chen Yi, and the conflict between the two sides deepened.
Later on, after Chen Yi passed the transmission and entered the Celestial Master's Mansion, he joined the Discipline Hall, and the grudge with the Li family disciples grew even more.
According to Lei Jun, Chen Yi had also clashed with Li Zhenchang personally during his time in the Discipline Hall.
The two had thoroughly formed a feud.
With external enemies present, in public, the two treated each other like air.
Li Zhenchang and Chu Antong were quite popular, and many fellow disciples greeted them.
"Brother Lei?"
Chu Antong took the initiative to approach Lei Jun: "I've always wanted to meet you, but I never had the chance. Today, I finally got my wish."
Lei Jun asked, "What can I do for Brother Chu?"
Chu Antong smiled and said, "I dare not give you any instructions. I have a relative named Chu Kun, who was fortunate enough to be accepted by Master Yuan into the Dao. If it's convenient for you, Brother Lei, please take care of him. Antong will be eternally grateful."
In fact, he was Chu Kun's paternal uncle.
But if Chu Kun truly became a disciple of Yuan Mobai, then they would be brothers in the same sect.
Therefore, Chu Antong did not elaborate on his blood relationship with Chu Kun, only vaguely alluding to it.
"As the Master teaches, we should love each other as fellow disciples. Lei Jun dare not forget this, Brother Chu is too polite," Lei Jun said.
Li Zhenchang, who had come with Chu Antong, had a slightly strange expression when he heard this.
He wasn't targeting Lei Jun, but he was reminded of the situation between him and Chen Yi.
However, Li Zhenchang's expression quickly returned to normal, and he chatted and laughed with Lei Jun and Chu Antong.
Although their past friendship was not deep, Chu Antong was sincere in his efforts to build a connection, and the conversation was quite pleasant.
As they chatted, the three of them eventually brought up the topic of the interfering expert from the Southern Wasteland:
"We must remain vigilant. Although the Southern Wasteland Witchcraft is chaotic, it is precisely because of this that they often take unexpected actions."
Even though it was outside the Tang Dynasty, the Southern Wasteland Witchcraft was still an extremely large and ancient sect, comparable to Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Martial Arts. It had a very long history, but it was not mainstream within the Tang Dynasty.
Similar to how the Confucian tradition was divided into three branches of classical studies, divine archery, and chanting, the Southern Wasteland Witchcraft could be roughly divided into five branches.
The God-Dance lineage, which inherited the power of the Witch-Spirit, was one of them.
The Witch Clan's bloodline could be traced back to the Blood River, renowned for their inherited witch blood.
The Gu Witchcraft lineage, masters of the ancient art of poison and curses.
The Ghost Witchcraft lineage, wielders of the dark arts, harnessing the power of spirits and the undead.
The Curse Witchcraft lineage, specialists in incantations and hexes, their words held the power of life and death.
The last lineage, known for their mastery of voodoo, came to be called "Jiangtou Technique" in modern times.
Just as Taoism boasted its three sacred sites, the five lineages of the Witch Clan each had their own holy lands.
The Gu Witchcraft lineage revered the Yinshan Dong as their sacred ground.
However, the internecine struggles within the Southern Wasteland were far more intense than those in the Tang Dynasty.
Even within the sacred site of Yinshan Dong, there were numerous offshoot factions that either refused to associate with each other or were locked in bitter conflict.
Compared to the frequent and fierce infighting within the Witch Clan, the occasional internal strife within the Heavenly Master's Mansion seemed rather insignificant.
However, on rare occasions, the various branches of the Witch Clan would unite, posing a formidable threat that those outside the Southern Wasteland could not ignore.
Fortunately, on this occasion, only an elder from Yinshan Dong, accompanied by a few disciples, had come to cause trouble for Tang Xiaotang personally.
After driving them away, Dragon Tiger Mountain only needed to focus on repelling the disciples of Huang Tiandao.
Every day, Lei Jun would go through the motions, effortlessly completing the tasks assigned to him while refining his Daoist boxing and staff techniques, tempering his qi and blood, and better assimilating the spiritual power of the Bear King's gallbladder.
Overall, there didn't seem to be any major risks.
Until one day, Dragon Tiger Mountain suddenly trembled!
The immortal mountain shook, and the sky above was filled with azure lightning. In an instant, thunderclouds obscured the heavens, and streaks of electrical snakes darted through the clouds.
Both the disciples of the Heavenly Master's Mansion and those of Huang Tiandao were astonished by the sudden change in the sky above.
Lei Jun was also startled.
He suddenly realized that the imprint of the Heavenly Master's Seal preserved in the Xirang flag was resonating with the celestial phenomenon before him.
Could it be the Heavenly Master's Seal?
Had the continuous battles on Dragon Tiger Mountain finally attracted the Heavenly Master's Seal to this vicinity? Would this treasure of the Heavenly Master's Mansion now return directly to Dragon Tiger Mountain? ... Lei Jun took a deep breath.
He wasn't the only one who noticed the true cause of this heavenly anomaly; others in the vicinity of Dragon Tiger Mountain also sensed it.
Within the Heavenly Master's Mansion, the Young Celestial Master, Li Zhenxian, wore an expression of unprecedented solemnity as he gazed intently forward.
There, a sword was enveloped in radiant light, its true form obscured, but its thunderous hum reverberated in harmony with the celestial phenomenon.
"The Heavenly Master's Seal... Is it returning to the vicinity of Dragon Tiger Mountain and about to reappear?" Li Zhenxian muttered to himself.
Beside him, his junior disciple, Li Xuan, asked in a soft voice, "Senior Brother, will the Heavenly Master's Seal directly return to the Mansion?"
Li Zhenxian replied, "From what I can sense, it's not quite there yet. We need to take the initiative to welcome it... There are two places where I can sense its presence, one at the Xin River and the other at the Upper Qing River."
These two rivers were the most important waterways surrounding Dragon Tiger Mountain.
"Senior Brother..." Li Xuan hesitated, his words trailing off.
Li Zhenxian remained silent for a long time before finally speaking again, "The situation is unclear, and the ancestral hall must be our priority. I cannot leave Dragon Tiger Mountain unmanned. Junior Brother Li, I need you to undertake this task. Choose one of the two locations; try your luck at the Xin River first, as the sensation there is stronger. Let's see if today is the day for the Heavenly Master's Seal to return."
Li Xuan nodded in agreement, "I will do my best."
Down the mountain.
Lei Jun was also curious about the exact location of the Heavenly Master's Seal.
However, the imprint only provided a vague indication, suggesting one to the west and one to the north, without specifying the exact direction or position.
As he pondered this, the glowing sphere in his mind suddenly flashed, and words appeared:
"The reappearance of a treasure stirs the clouds in all directions. Far away, a dragon is seen but not its tail, and close by, one may obtain a scale or a claw by chance."
Then, three fortunes appeared:
"Upper-middle fortune: Travel to Bilei Ridge at the foot of Dragon Tiger Mountain. After sunset, you will encounter a fourth-grade opportunity, but the cause and effect will become more and more profound. Be cautious in the future. Auspicious."
"Middle fortune: Travel to Feilei Mountain on the Upper Qing River. No harvest, no risk. Neutral."
"Lower-middle fortune: Travel to the Da Crossing of the Xin River. No harvest, but you will encounter a great calamity. Perilous and life-threatening. Inauspicious."
(End of Chapter)
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