Chapter 656: 289. Eighth Heavenly Layer, Divine Court! (Combined Chapters)_5

After leaving the Altar of Wanfa Sect, he said to Lei Jun, "You go ahead with your tasks. Your Master is going for a walk in the rear mountains."

Lei Jun replied, "Yes, Master."

After the master and disciple bid farewell, Yuan Mobai made his way alone to the forbidden area of the Rear Mountain Ancestral Tomb.

In the Taoist Temple where the spirit tablets of the ancestral masters were enshrined, Yuan Mobai respectfully paid his respects and offered incense.

At last, he gazed at a particular spirit tablet, silent for a long time.

It was the spirit tablet of his master, Li Yang, the Celestial Master from two generations ago.

The deceased were gone, and the Li Clan had now become history.

Before the tablet of the third Celestial Master Li, Yuan Mobai’s face was calm, yet his eyes held a hint of sorrow.

After a while, a middle-aged-looking, purple-robed Taoist appeared beside Yuan Mobai, also offering incense to the spirit tablet of the third Celestial Master Li.

"Fourth Senior Brother," Yuan Mobai greeted him.

The visitor was none other than Yao Yuan, who was guarding the tomb.

He and Yuan Mobai were both direct disciples of Li Yang, the Celestial Master from two generations ago.

Yao Yuan returned Yuan Mobai’s greeting and then said softly, "I heard. Is it Martial Nephew Lei?"

Yuan Mobai affirmed, "Yes, it’s Chongyun."

Yao Yuan said, "Having a successor is a joyous occasion."

He smiled, slightly easing the atmosphere. "Fortunately, after returning from the Southern Wilderness and cultivating in seclusion, you successfully advanced further to the Divine Court Intermediate Scene. Otherwise, you might have been surpassed by your disciple this time."

Yuan Mobai smiled. "For the disciple to surpass the master is always for the better."

Yao Yuan nodded in agreement. "Indeed, Junior Brother Yuan, you always value our sect’s heritage the most. It’s largely thanks to your training that our sect has gained another Eighth Heavenly Layer cultivator. The rejuvenation of the Celestial Master Mansion is in sight, which should comfort the spirits of our ancestral masters. Thinking about it, you must be even happier about Lei Jun reaching the Divine Court than when you yourself achieved it, right?"

Yuan Mobai replied, "Hmm, his future is even more promising than mine."

Yao Yuan remarked, "In just twenty or thirty years, there have been more upheavals than in the past hundred years."

The two turned back to look at the many spirit tablets before them and fell silent once more.

***

After bidding farewell to Yuan Mobai, Lei Jun returned to his own residence.

At the entrance of the courtyard, a short, round figure was looking around, waiting.

Seeing Lei Jun arrive, the little fellow quickly stepped forward to pay his respects. "Congratulations on achieving the Divine Court, Master!"

Lei Jun said, "Don’t be hasty. I’ll check your recent studies later."

Zhuo Baojie looked exasperated. "Master, I have been very diligent."

His small, black-and-white, bear-like face quickly turned serious. "Master, in the courtyard..."

Lei Jun had already looked up towards the courtyard gate by this time.

In the courtyard, a woman in a purple robe with a black cloak was nonchalantly applying ink to a piece of paper with a brush.

Only when Lei Jun and Zhuo Baojie walked in did she stop her brush and look up.

Lei Jun stepped forward. "Eldest Senior Sister."

Xu Yuanzhen sized him up and then nodded slightly. "Not bad, a solid foundation."

Lei Jun replied, "It was a natural progression."

Xu Yuanzhen said, "Hmm, that’s for the best."

Then she said, "Lend me the Dark Side of your Celestial Book for a look. Right here is fine."

Lei Jun consented without asking what Xu Yuanzhen needed it for, raising his palm, where shadows began to stir.

The shadow extended from Lei Jun’s palm and reached Xu Yuanzhen.

Xu Yuanzhen, too, reached out her hand to hold the shadow, observing it quietly.

After a moment, she nodded, and the shadow flew back, returning to Lei Jun’s palm.

Just then, Zhuo Baojie ushered Wang Guiyuan and Chu Kun inside.

Upon seeing Lei Jun, both congratulated him on successfully reaching the Eighth Heavenly Layer realm.

Xu Yuanzhen’s expression remained unchanged, but she too nodded. "Less than ten years to go from the Seventh to the Eighth Heavenly Layer. Faster than Xiaotang and I were back then."

Lei Jun said, "The current surge of Global Spiritual Qi is conducive to cultivation; that’s the only reason I could advance so quickly. My speed can’t be compared with yours, Eldest Senior Sister, or Little Junior Sister Xiaotang’s from before."

Xu Yuanzhen said nonchalantly, "The path of cultivation is long. We all still have a journey ahead."

She rarely mused, "It’s a pity Xiaotang just left the mountain."

It seemed as if she regretted that Tang Xiaotang could not share in Lei Jun’s joyous occasion.

But the three martial brothers—Lei Jun, Wang Guiyuan, and Chu Kun—who knew her rather well, all felt an almost unanimous urge to facepalm upon hearing this.

Chu Kun bowed his head, his gaze fixed on his nose, ostensibly observing his heart.

In reality, he was quietly grumbling: Eldest Senior Sister, are you actually happy that someone can help draw away some of the Sect Leader’s attention?

Wang Guiyuan cleared his throat and changed the subject. "Junior Brother, did you just break through to the Eighth Heavenly Layer today?"

Lei Jun nodded. "Yes, I just came out of seclusion today."

Wang Guiyuan curiously asked, "Then there was actually no hurry to go to the Altar of Wanfa Sect to inherit the seventh volume of the True Law, right?"

Lei Jun replied, "I’m just letting things take their natural course. It felt like the right time."

Wang Guiyuan felt a bit regretful. "You could actually have kept it a secret for a while to see how the wind blows beyond the mountains before making a decision."

Although often teased by Lei Jun, Wang Guiyuan still said solemnly at this moment, "Junior Brother, now that your cultivation has greatly improved, you are one of the top experts in the world. But precisely because of this, if you can continue to act cautiously, it will be more beneficial for your future."

Lei Jun said, "Senior Brother, rest assured. I understand the principle that ’it’s lonely at the top.’ Although I pursue following heaven’s will and responding to fate, I won’t act recklessly because of it."

"That’s the best thing to hear, the very best."

Wang Guiyuan let out a sigh of relief. "It’s lonely at the top. Junior Brother, you’ve put it well!"

"Such fine words," Xu Yuanzhen remarked, resuming her brushwork on the paper without looking up. "You and Wang Guiyuan are not at all the same kind of person."

Wang Guiyuan gave a wry smile upon hearing this. "It’s precisely because I know this that I sometimes can’t help nagging a bit."

Lei Jun said, "Senior Brother, you’re being too serious. I know you mean well. And if I had a choice, I’d prefer a comfortable balance, neither too cold nor too hot."

Wang Guiyuan sighed lightly. "The Nine Heavens and Ten Earths are returning, and the Mortal World is undergoing great changes. You must be especially cautious regarding these places. They could be opportunities, but they could also be dangers."

Lei Jun nodded lightly, seemingly deep in thought.

Chu Kun curiously asked, "Eldest Senior Brother, did you venture to Sumi, the Earth Sea, or other such places when you left the mountains two years ago?"

Wang Guiyuan replied, "I avoid them like the plague! How would I dare go looking for trouble there?"

Lei Jun then turned to Chu Kun. "Third Junior Brother, how are your preparations for the Tao Seal Realm coming along?"

Originally, when he was in the Sixth Heavenly Layer, he could accumulate cultivation faster than ordinary people, not only because of his own innate talent, Root Bone, and Comprehension, but also due to the help of Chu Kun’s Immortal Spirit Primordial Seed.

That was indeed one of the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures most conducive for Sixth Heavenly Layer cultivators to improve their cultivation.

When Chu Kun had looked out for his fellow disciples, he had naturally prepared one for himself as well.

"There has been some progress, but it’s still early," Chu Kun said frankly. "The Immortal Spirit Primordial Seed was indeed a big help, but much of the meticulous, time-consuming work of accumulation still can’t be skipped."

After chatting for a short while, the fellow sect members each bid farewell and left.

Lei Jun had come out of seclusion, his cultivation greatly improved.

But his daily life, compared to before, had no substantial changes.

Apart from carrying out the responsibilities of a High Merit Elder and assisting with sect affairs, he continued to focus on his own cultivation while also examining his eldest disciple.

What changed mainly was the attitude of others in the Celestial Master Mansion.

Those he was familiar with, like Wang Guiyuan and Chu Kun, were fine.

Others, not just the younger disciples but also some senior Elders, became somewhat more restrained in Lei Jun’s presence.

Lei Jun himself remained unchanged: detached and calm. Although he didn’t exude a warmth that made people feel instantly close, like a spring breeze, he was far from cold or harsh.

But in the hearts of most people, Elder Lei now carried a bit more dignity, an aura that grew day by day, inspiring deep respect.

Lei Jun did not purposely act dignified, nor did he change himself because of others’ opinions. He kept everything as usual.

After completing his cultivation of the Taoist Sect’s Divine Court and stabilizing the several life-bound Talismans he had previously cultivated, he turned his attention to new goals.

In his quiet room, Lei Jun sat alone in meditation.

In front of him, a faint blue flame coalesced into a ball, its light flickering and fluctuating, alternating between brightness and darkness.

It was as if a heart was beating.

The faint blue flame was not scorching hot; instead, it gave off a subtle sense of chill.

However, this Earth Core Flame Heart originated from the extreme heat of Earthly Fire lava.

It was only due to a distortion in the earth veins, an instance of the principle that extremes beget their opposites, that this Yin-aspected Flame Heart emerged from the Yang-attribute Earth Fire Solar Flare.

This item was exceedingly rare and difficult to find in the world.

Due to its properties, it could help Celestial Master Mansion cultivators achieve the Nine Abyss Flame Ancestral Dharma faster.

Therefore, the Celestial Master Mansion had sought it many times throughout history, but unfortunately, their harvests had always been meager.

Having just reached the Eighth Heavenly Layer Realm, Lei Jun chose the Nine Abyss Flame Ancestral Dharma—also known as the Yin Fire Tiger—which was nurtured from the Fire Dharma Earth Script Talisman, as his next life-bound Divine Skill.

Because of the wondrous effects of his Dual Polarity Immortal Body, he had the opportunity to simultaneously cultivate two opposing Yin and Yang life-bound Divine Skills in the Eighth Heavenly Layer Realm.

Tang Xiaotang’s Tianhuang Pure Yang Talisman and Pure Yang Fire Tiger served only as a reference for Lei Jun.

His method was to rely on his Dual Polarity Immortal Body, Serene Comprehension, and the Yin Fire Tiger to create his own Yang Fire Tiger.

Inside the first layer of the True One Altar, azure Nine Abyss True Fire blazed mightily.

The Fire Dharma Earth Script Talisman emerged from it, appearing before Lei Jun’s eyes.