Chapter 546: 263. I’m truly happy for my senior fellow student (Chapter of merging two into one)_4

Although the Snow Country Bear King managed to escape with his life back to the Northern Border, his crisis was far from over. His weakness led his former ally, the Long Sky Gray Wolf, to turn against him and attack directly. Between the two great demons of the Northern Lands, fierce battles and killings broke out once again. Grievously injured, the Snow Country Bear King was no match for his opponent and had to flee, but the Long Sky Gray Wolf relentlessly pursued him. The other Demon Races of the Northern Border were also drawn into the vortex of the conflict between these two behemoths. For the past few years, the Central Earth Great Tang had been peaceful, while within the Northern Border, the Demon Races continued to fight amongst themselves.

In contrast was the area southwest of the Great Tang. Previously, a fierce conflict had erupted on the Snowy Plateau between the Demon Races and the great demons of the Southern Wilderness. The infighting between demons allowed a semblance of quiet for both the Great Tang Dynasty and the various sects of the Witchcraft Sect of the Southern Wilderness, preventing them from being surrounded by enemies on all fronts. However, news indicated that the great battle between the Demon Races of the Snowy Plateau had temporarily come to a halt over the past two years. Although both sides suffered losses, rumors suggested that some top-tier great demons, equivalent to Human Race cultivators of the Eighth or even Ninth Heavenly Layer, still survived. Thus, this situation immediately drew the attention of Human Cultivators both inside and outside the Great Tang, especially from the Southern Wilderness.

“Back then, when Wei Ancheng was driven out, both the Blood River Sect and the Golden City Stronghold were damaged, but other major sects of the Southern Wilderness Witchcraft Sect also suffered losses,” Yuan Mobai said. “These past few years have been a time of recovery, but recently, there has been some instability within the Southern Wilderness.”

He looked up, his gaze directed south. “It seems to be related to Jiuli.”

Lei Jun asked, “Master, do you plan to take a look?”

Yuan Mobai shook his head. “The situation is delicate at the moment; being greedy will only confound our focus. In the battle at Jinzhou, Wei Ancheng of the Blood River Sect did not succeed in assassinating Elder Jingge. However, merely observing the battle means he did not return empty-handed; there must have been benefits.”

Lei Jun nodded.

With that, Wei Ancheng might find an opportunity to return to the Southern Wilderness. With the great demons of the Snowy Plateau returning and Wei Ancheng and the Blood River Sect possibly making a comeback, the situation in the Southern Wilderness is indeed delicate and unpredictable, with changes arising both internally and externally.

“Master, where is Eldest Senior Brother now?” Lei Jun changed the subject.

Yuan Mobai replied, “Not long after you began your closed-door cultivation, Chonggui also entered seclusion for quiet cultivation.”

Lei Jun asked, “Did Eldest Senior Brother not enter the Supreme Pure Thunder Mansion Cave Heaven?”

Yuan Mobai smiled as usual. “He has already gone there once.”

Hearing this, Lei Jun stroked his chin and did not continue the topic.

“After the Lin Clan of the Southern Sect submitted to the Imperial Court, the Scholarly Mansion began to expand,” Yuan Mobai said. “Chang’an has already built a second Scholarly Mansion. Xiao Chunhui, Master Xiao, who formerly served as the academy’s Grand Libationer, has stepped down. The successor is Mr. Yongshan from the Fang Clan of Jingxiang.”

Lei Jun gave a slight nod. Earlier, when Fang Yue served as the Minister of Education, he had already handled most of the affairs related to the Scholarly Mansion, while Xiao Chunhui had entered the Council Hall to participate in government affairs. Now, more than three years later, Xiao Chunhui has stepped down, and Fang Yue has been officially appointed; everything has proceeded logically. The expansion of the Scholarly Mansion was due to the setbacks faced by various Prestigious Families over the years, leading to shifts in strength.

After conversing for a while longer, Lei Jun followed Yuan Mobai to become acquainted with the current affairs of the mansion. Although the High Merit Pavilion had become history, with the current Celestial Master Tang Xiaotang in closed-door cultivation and not concerning herself with external matters, a situation where the High Merit Elders conducted joint deliberations naturally re-emerged. Having emerged from seclusion, Lei Jun helped take on some of the affairs, considerably lightening the load for Yuan Mobai, Shangguan Ning, and Zhang Jingzhen.

However, this situation did not last long. It was not that Lei Jun intended to slack off, but he had other tasks to attend to.

“The Yellow Sky Sect?” Yuan Mobai’s usual smile remained, but his expression was a little more solemn than before. “The Yellow Sky Altar?”

Lei Jun nodded. “It is the disciple of the Yellow Sky Sect I have mentioned to you before, Kang Ming.”

Thanks to Lei Jun’s covert support and cultivation, along with Kang Ming’s dedicated practice, Kang Ming finally saw the possibility of overtaking others by a shortcut after several years. He was engaged in fierce competition with Chen Ziyang and Han Wuyou, two other rising stars of the Yellow Sky Sect, and the rivalry was intensifying. Owing to the Yellow Sky Sect’s practice of allowing only one person at a time to visit the Yellow Sky Altar for silent cultivation to break through to the Upper Three Heavens, Kang Ming and the others all strove hard for this opportunity. In their situation, missing this chance did not mean they would never have another, but the future was not as certain.

“The Yellow Sky Sect…” Yuan Mobai mused softly. After a moment of contemplation, he asked Lei Jun, “Chongyun, what are your thoughts?”

Lei Jun replied, “The Li Clan has become a part of history. As for the historical issue of the Yellow Sky Sect, if there is a chance to solve it, this disciple believes it is best to resolve it. Our Taoist Talisman Sect should start a new Chapter in all respects. As for how to deal with it specifically, my idea is to treat each case on its own merits.”

It is true that the Li Clan has already become history, but the enmity between the Celestial Master Mansion and the Yellow Sky Sect as arch-enemies was too intense, and the battles have caused many casualties. Frankly speaking, both sides’ hands are stained with the blood of each other’s fellow sect members. To erase such deep-seated grudges is not something that can be resolved merely by saying ’let bygones be bygones with a brotherly smile after weathering the storms of calamity.’

Although, if Lei Jun had come into this world two hundred years earlier, he might have chosen to join the Yellow Sky Sect based on his own convictions. But being two hundred years late meant it was too late; by now, he had already killed more than one or two disciples of the Yellow Sky Sect.

However, there are actual differences among the disciples of the Yellow Sky Sect. Almost two hundred years could accumulate substantial grievances, but it also gave rise to more than one generation. This was especially true for the younger disciples of the Yellow Sky Sect born later. Most of them, influenced by their Sect Leader and living environment, bore deep grudges against the Ancestral Court of Dragon Tiger Mountain and engaged in mutual killings. But a small portion, due to their quiet cultivation, actually had very little interaction with the Dragon Tiger Mountain Ancestral Court.

Kang Ming was one such individual. This was true for him, and his mentor had not fallen to Celestial Master Mansion cultivators or perished during a governmental encirclement but had died attempting to transcend a heavenly tribulation in his cultivation. When Lei Jun secretly began supporting and cultivating Kang Ming a few years ago, he had already clarified these situations. Those similar to Kang Ming were few but not non-existent. Such seeds might have the potential to blossom into unusual flowers.

Speaking for himself, Lei Jun had no intention of completely eradicating the Yellow Sky Sect. As long as there was a glimmer of hope to preserve its lineage, he would do his best, even if the parties had not known each other before. The only regret was that seeds like Kang Ming were few and did not hold a dominant position.

In this situation, it was necessary to first destroy the Yellow Sky Altar and deal with Taoist Taiping and others. When it came to taking action, Lei Jun likewise would not show mercy.

“Chongyun, go ahead and do it,” Yuan Mobai said with a smile.

Lei Jun bowed to his master and then retreated.

With the foundation previously laid, he no longer needed to rely solely on the Dark Side of the Celestial Book to support Kang Ming. Lei Jun had already gained control over Kang Ming’s whereabouts and could simply create some seemingly coincidental opportunities for him.

Thus, with the eager help and expectation of Elder Lei from the Celestial Master Mansion, Altar Master Kang of the Yellow Sky Sect further accelerated his cultivation progress. He completely finalized his accumulation and summarization at the Sixth Layer of Heaven Dao Seal Realm, achieving Perfection in his Tao Seal, and was only one step away from reaching the Upper Three Heavens. Although he did not currently have the same background or support as Chen Ziyang or Han Wuyou, the emergence of a new High Merit Elder of the Upper Three Heavens was crucial for the Yellow Sky Sect, given its current situation. Therefore, Kang Ming still managed to stand out and was notified by Zhao Zongjie, securing an opportunity to go to the Yellow Sky Altar!

「It’s done.」

Atop Dragon Tiger Mountain, in the Celestial Master Mansion, Lei Jun nodded to his master Yuan Mobai. “Out to sea, overseas.”

Yuan Mobai asked, “What did Yuan Zhen have to say?”

Lei Jun replied, “I have already contacted Senior Sister, and she said she would make the journey with us.”

Xu Yuanzhen, who was currently in quiet cultivation in her cave dwelling in Wushan, heard from Lei Jun about the Yellow Sky Altar and said indifferently, “Then let’s go together. It is overseas, which is perfect. After resolving the matter with the Yellow Sky Sect, I can take a detour to Changjie Island in the East Sea.”

The Yellow Sky Sect was founded by a rebel who had left the Celestial Master Mansion, making them arch-enemies of the mansion. They were also officially wanted by the Tang Imperial Court as traitorous rebels. In such a situation, Lei Jun, a good Taoist of the Great Tang, naturally would not forget to report to the authorities. Being able to find the Yellow Sky Altar likely meant they could also find Taoist Taiping and other core members of the Yellow Sky Sect.

The Tang Imperial Court, upon hearing that the Celestial Master Mansion had a lead, was surprised and immediately mobilized. In addition to Chu Yu, who was of the Eighth Heavenly Layer, and a Divine Strategy Army general of the Seventh Heavenly Layer, another companion was Elder Miaoyi, a high monk from Tianlong Temple in Suzhou. This high monk often went out to sea and was familiar with the East Sea environment, thus joining the Imperial Court’s experts for this operation.

“You go with them; I will act alone,” Xu Yuanzhen said calmly. “You already know the place anyway.”

Thanks to Senior Sister for taking the credit as the source of the intelligence.

“Yes, Senior Sister,” Lei Jun replied.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep