Wang Feng stared at Lei Jun’s arm as it pierced his chest like a great spear, momentarily dumbfounded. The strength of the other’s physical body and Life Skill far exceeded his expectations. What was even more unexpected was that, while he could barely comprehend the existence of the Purple Thunder, the Mysterious Thunder was utterly unfamiliar to him. Under the harmonious convergence of the purple and black thunder, an even more formidable power erupted than he had estimated.

Wang Feng opened his mouth, wanting to say something. But at this moment, Lei Jun’s figure began to swell once again. Previously, the power of his three great Dharma Appearances had merged into one, concentrated in his fist. Like a shooting star, this strike shattered his opponent’s bolstered fortune of mountains and rivers. Consequently, his figure no longer maintained the imposing height of the Doumu Star God Dharma. Now, as his Mana relaxed and expanded, and as starlight twinkled, he once again assumed the gigantic form of the Destiny Star God descending from the heavens, standing tall in mid-air. Accompanying this action, an intense light burst forth once more from Lei Jun’s arm, still thrust into Wang Feng’s chest and not yet withdrawn. Thunder and starlight intertwined, utterly rupturing Wang Feng’s body from the inside! It also completely cut off the life force of this Eighth Heavenly Layer Great Scholar of Neo-Confucianism. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Other Heavenly Order Cultivators in the vicinity had originally been thinking that Department Head Wang was personally presiding over the sacrifice and were wondering how irate he would be for being interrupted mid-way. While the "Demon Path Practitioner" would certainly not have gained any favor, those serving under him would also inevitably be subject to the Department Head’s chastisement and blame afterwards. Who would have thought that in just a blink of an eye, Department Head Wang would be gone?!

Not only the Heavenly Order Cultivators but even the monks from Tianlong Temple, including Master Faming, were stunned at this sight. The sacrifice Wang Feng had been presiding over was not mainly intended for combat and had not yet been officially completed; that Lei Jun had broken it with a single strike was one thing. But for Wang Feng himself, a renowned Eighth Heavenly Layer Great Scholar of Neo-Confucianism, to fall so swiftly was another matter entirely.

Buddhist practitioners prioritize spiritual cultivation, and Master Faming’s resolve could be considered steadfast. However, facing the official aura of an Eighth Heavenly Layer Great Scholar of Neo-Confucianism, he still felt his spirit shaken and constrained. Lei Jun was on par with Wang Feng in terms of realm and was not dominated by the hierarchical respect due to a Great Scholar of Neo-Confucianism, but with the other party enhanced by destiny and fortune, his actual combat power could not be judged by normal standards.

Master Faming assumed that Wang Feng, who would normally be considered at the first level of the Eighth Heavenly Layer, should in reality be treated as a cultivator of at least the second level in actual combat. Wang Feng had indeed been careless just now, not expecting Lei Jun to strike with such sudden ferocity. Caught off guard, he made a mistake and lost everything, without even a chance to flee. However, even so, the ability of Elder Lei from the Celestial Master Mansion to kill Wang Feng after just a few exchanges was indeed fearsome. Apart from not having the External Scenery of the Divine Court, considering the divine power that burst forth in that instant, he might already possess the Mana of the third layer of the Eighth Heavenly Layer... Master Faming was inwardly astounded.

Lei Jun himself seemed contemplative. This Department Head Wang was very old. The reason his strength had exceeded the normal average was thanks to the fortune of the land and the Taoist Heritage. But this aspect of Scholarly Cultivators was not invincible.

That’s why Lei Jun had not shown any mercy. Although there were monks from Tianlong Temple as witnesses, he had attacked with all his three major Dharma Appearances right from the start, enhancing his siege capability to an extreme. While it caught Wang Feng off guard, it also tested the "hardness" of the Scholarly Cultivator’s fortune-endowed defense.

After successfully breaching his opponent’s exterior, what lay within was a body that conformed to Wang Feng’s advanced age—old, frail, and fatigued. Moreover, the physical prowess of Confucian Rationalist Cultivators was not only inferior to that of Confucian Divine Archery practitioners but also to that of Confucian Scholars. Among the various Taoist Heritages, on average, Scholarly Cultivators belonged to a more fragile group. The various Supernatural Ability Methods of Neo-Confucianism often required time and accumulation to grow increasingly powerful. With a swift battle, once he was deprived of the protection of fortune, Wang Feng was, to me, inferior to Wei Qiyue of the Mortal Tao Country.

But this was Lei Jun’s personal perception. To the bystanders witnessing such a scene, it was so shocking that they were left agape. Only Lei Jun remained unfazed as he looked down at the sea below.

With Wang Feng’s death, the sacrifice he was conducting was interrupted, but the accumulated Spiritual Energy and Mana had not yet fully dissipated. The bright moonlight that Lei Jun had shattered merely transformed into a bright moon emerging at sea, with intense light beginning to flash at the source of the moonlight below. Without Wang Feng’s control, the abruptly ceased sacrifice was disintegrating. The Spiritual Energy that had been guided and gathered was now causing a large-scale disturbance, agitating the surrounding seawater and causing waves to rise and fall. In Great Qing Bay, angry waves surged furiously, as if a severe tsunami was about to erupt near the coast.

Although Great Qing Bay was sparsely populated due to being unsuitable for ships to dock, Lei Jun still decisively used his own Mana to calm the surging waters below, preventing them from wreaking havoc. The Yin Thunder Dragon and Yang Thunder Dragon that spiraled around his body both dived down, the twin dragons entering the sea. The violent thunder, now under Lei Jun’s control, transformed from its fierce and unyielding nature to tranquility and softness as he willed it. Aside from the ever-silent and tranquil Xuanxiao Immortal Thunder, even the ferociously known Nine Heavens Divine Thunder now seemed gentle and reserved. The Yin Yang Twin Thunder, at this moment, seemed to merge into a vast Lei Hai, before assimilating with the real sea of Great Qing Bay. Purple and black interwove in the water, forming a gigantic Yin Yang Taiji Diagram. The quietly spinning Yin Yang Taiji Diagram pacified the raging, turbulent waves within Great Qing Bay, silently averting a potential tsunami.

Such mastery in transitioning between motion and stillness, hardness and softness at will, transforming the world’s most unyielding and fierce thunder into a means of utmost gentleness and tranquility, deeply impressed observers like Master Faming and the others.

The remaining Scholarly Cultivators, having regained their senses, swiftly began to retreat.

There are traitors in the court aiming to ruin the grand plan of Elder Song and the others, bringing enemies upon us and even causing the death of Department Head Wang! We must return quickly to report to the Elders and guard against hidden daggers within the court... Some of them thought along these lines.