Chapter 692: 295. Elder Lei Speaks with Resounding Conviction (10,000-word mega Chapter)_6

He was also the blood brother of Fang Jian, a Disciple of the Celestial Master Mansion, born of the same mother.

This time, he accompanied his uncle, Fang Jingsheng, the Clan Chief of the Jingxiang Fang Clan, on a journey north to Guanzhong.

Zhang Jingzhen looked calmly toward the young Abbot of Vajra Temple, Suoyang, standing beside him.

"Regarding the whereabouts of the Celestial Master Robe, I earnestly request the aid of the esteemed monks."

Her tone was gentle and soft. "Our Sect is profoundly grateful."

Suoyang’s appearance was dignified, and his expression solemn. "Please rest assured, all Taoists of the Celestial Master Mansion. The likes of Hong Jie from the Mortal Tao Country are uncontrollably savage and have committed numerous evils; our Buddhist Sect disciples have also deeply suffered at their hands. Such heretical demons and deviants must be subdued."

While he said this, Suoyang inwardly sighed repeatedly.

The Dragon Tiger Mountain incident this time was far from a lively event for Western Region Buddhism; they were merely bystanders to the chaos, yet they ended up suffering severe losses. Yushu the Eminent Monk of the Eighth Heavenly Layer perished. And Master Renzhu’s cultivation at the Ninth Heavenly Layer was revealed. Now, they even had to take the blame on behalf of the Mortal Tao Country. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Suoyang felt stifled, and the mood of the other two approaching figures was also far from pleasant.

Fang Zhu excused himself to Zhang Jingzhen and Suoyang and went forward to greet them.

One of the newcomers was the current Clan Chief of the Jingxiang Fang Clan, Fang Jingsheng.

The other was a leading figure from the Qingzhou Ye Clan, Ye Jiong, a general of the Great Tang Shenji Army.

They had all just temporarily retreated from the northern front lines and returned to Chang’an to report to the Emperor.

The vanguard of the Solitary Eagle Khanate had been thwarted and was no longer as rampant as before, but there were signs of reinforcements.

On the other hand, Great Tang had to slow down its actions to avoid self-disruption due to the sudden incident involving the Pure Yang Palace, which was caused by the Mortal Tao Country.

Fang Jingsheng and Ye Jiong walked side by side after their audience with the Emperor.

Through various channels of comparison, they slowly pieced together the general course of the great battle at Dragon Tiger Mountain, and many things were unexpected.

The Thousand Leaves Butterfly King died.

Rong Guangchen died.

Wei Qiyue died.

The Taiyi Primordial Tower and Qingxiao Manor were taken.

Hong Jie was injured, and the Mount Shu Sect snatched back the North Abyss Divine Spear.

Fu Dongsen was injured.

Gu Han was injured.

After the battle, Huang Xuanpu was almost left as a bare emperor.

This outcome was more surprising than the fact that Huang Xuanpu was the leader of the Mortal Tao Country.

And the source of the surprise lay in...

"Tang Xiaotang, Yuan Mobai, Lei Jun."

Ye Jiong said softly, "Although we don’t know what happened inside Tang Xiaotang’s External Scenery of the Divine Court, the known facts alone show that Tang Xiaotang and Yuan Mobai both possess strength far surpassing Rong Guangchen and Hong Jie, while Lei Jun is superior to Wei Qiyue and Gu Han."

Fang Jingsheng added, "Tang Xiaotang against the Thousand Leaves Butterfly King, Yuan Mobai against Rong Guangchen, and Lei Jun against Wei Qiyue. The key to their rapid success in these battles may well lie with Lei Jun, who has the lowest cultivation realm among them."

Having the advantage to win is one thing; winning quickly while completely annihilating the opponent is an entirely different matter.

"More likely, it’s due to the Celestial Master Seal." Fang Jingsheng walked with his hands behind his back. "The Celestial Master Seal has already returned to Dragon Tiger Mountain; otherwise, Huang Xuanpu and Fu Dongsen wouldn’t have lost the Taiyi Primordial Tower and Qingxiao Manor."

"The Celestial Master Seal..."

Ye Jiong gazed into the distance. "When did it return to Dragon Tiger Mountain? Who found it, and how was it recovered?"

...

Elsewhere, Shangguan Ning, as the representative of the Celestial Master Mansion in Yuhang and the East Sea, was receiving various messages from the sect at this time.

Accompanied by her were the former Clan Chief of the Suzhou Chu Clan, Chu Xiuyuan, and Abbot Miaoxin of Tianlong Temple, who all congratulated her.

"Congratulations to your sect on the return of the Celestial Master Seal," the elderly Chu Clan Chief said with a smile.

The Celestial Master Seal holds exceptional significance. It is not only a treasured protector but also contains the complete Three Caverns and Three Realms Scripture.

The return of the Celestial Master Seal to Dragon Tiger Mountain means that the long-lost Thunder Law Heavenly Scripture Talismans are once again in the hands of the Celestial Master Mansion.

Furthermore, with the Celestial Master Seal and the True One Altar, even if Dragon Tiger Mountain’s Altar of Wanfa Sect were truly destroyed, they would not lose their foundation.

Chu Xiuyuan said, "I also congratulate your sect. After Taoist Xu and Celestial Master Tang, you now have another peerless talent of the same generation, Master Lei.

"Hong Jie and Fu Dongsen are both cultivators at the Perfected Realm of the Eighth Heavenly Layer. Even when they wielded the North Abyss Divine Spear, Master Lei held his own when he engaged them in a Duel of Magic with his sword.

"Subsequently, he even killed Wei Qiyue, who was at the Second Layer of the Eighth Heavenly Layer. This battle alone was enough to shake the world."

Shangguan Ning replied, "The calamities left by the Mortal Tao Country are endless and endanger all sides. We must ask for the help of the Chu Clan and the venerable monks of Tianlong Temple to assist in their eradication."

"Of course," Chu Xiuyuan said with a smile.

Abbot Miaoxin of Tianlong Temple also agreed.

However, Abbot Miaoxin thought of Faqing.

Previously, Elder Miaoyi had already rushed to Dragon Tiger Mountain in Xinzhou, hoping to get to the bottom of the matter regarding Faqing.

The struggle over the Portal entry concerning the Heavenly Principle in the East Sea was currently intensifying.

After a brief rest, Chu Xiuyuan and Abbot Miaoxin left Yuhang and returned to the sea off Mingzhou, where Chu Yu was also present.

However, Chu Xiuyuan did not go to see his younger daughter right away; instead, he first met with Ye Yan, the Clan Chief of the Qingzhou Ye Clan, who had emerged from the Void Gateway of the Heavenly Principle.

Both Chu Xiuyuan and Ye Yan had personally experienced the land and people of the Heavenly Principle on this trip. This was partly to show their stance to the Tang Imperial Court and partly to grasp the actual situation of the Heavenly Principle.

"Chiyuan has returned," Chu Xiuyuan said without much courtesy. "How do you feel?"

Ye Yan replied, "To proclaim an imperial dynasty outside the Mortal World and actually be able to gather a portion of the nation’s fortune is indeed rare to see."

Having dealt with the Heavenly Principle side many times, Great Tang had gradually gained some information about them, and quite a few pieces of this information were surprising.

For example, within the Heavenly Principle, there was also an imperial dynasty.

But this was actually not in line with the common sense of this world.

For a nation’s fortune to gather to the extent that one could claim the title of Emperor rather than King required a vast expanse of land and a large population.

Guicang, once one of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths and now the Heavenly Principle, might contain countless rare treasures and be rich in Spiritual Energy.

However, its area and population were undoubtedly incomparable to those of a true mortal nation.

Under such circumstances, it lacked the foundation needed to consolidate the national fortune of a great imperial dynasty.

Yet the people within the Heavenly Principle claimed to be subjects of an imperial dynasty.

Their dynasty was known as the Great Ming.

None of them—Chu Yu, Shangguan Ning, Ye Yan, or Chu Xiuyuan—had ever heard of such a dynasty before.

However, this dynasty had truly gathered a portion of the nation’s fortune, albeit incompletely.

Generally, this often meant that there were deficiencies in the land, but it did not mean they lacked the qualification to proclaim an Emperor.

The previous foundation still existed, but it was incomplete.

"I didn’t come into contact with the so-called Ming Emperor," Ye Yan continued. "But I discovered another strange thing."

He looked at Chu Xiuyuan. "The nation’s fortune of that so-called Great Ming Dynasty is closely related to literary men and Confucian Scholars."

It wasn’t just one or two scholars, or royal descendants who studied Confucian teachings.

Rather, all scholars as a collective, surprisingly, bore the nation’s fortune within the Heavenly Principle.

This situation was vastly different from that in Great Tang.

Upon hearing this, Chu Xiuyuan raised his white eyebrows. "The Holy Celestial Son ruling by inaction?"