Chapter 734: 304. Second-Rank Opportunity, a Chance to Quickly Enhance Cultivation (Chapter combined as one)_4

Liu Dongzhuo had finally made a discovery.

At that moment, a beam of sword light flew from beyond Chen Yi’s field of vision, plummeting directly toward his head.

Liu Dongzhuo, who had cultivated to the Seventh Heavenly Layer of the Pill Resolution realm within the Daoist Artifact Refining Sect, controlled his sword with agility, blending hardness and softness. His slash was not meant to decapitate Chen Yi outright; instead, the sword light shifted from hard to soft, aiming to restrain Chen Yi and prevent him from acting rashly.

Although Chen Yi’s realm was one level lower than Liu Dongzhuo’s, his perception was extremely keen, far surpassing the expected level for his current realm. This enabled him to dodge Liu Dongzhuo’s seemingly celestial sword strike just in time.

Liu Dongzhuo controlled his sword with ease, sending and retracting it at will. The sword light curved in mid-air, swiftly pursuing Chen Yi once more.

He was cautious in his approach. Even when facing Chen Yi, who was a realm below him, he chose not to use the Soul Entrusted to Sword technique to augment his strength. Instead, he prudently remained distant, controlling the sword from the air to attack Chen Yi.

The agility and variability of his sword light are impressive, Lei Jun mused. My own Flying Swords are powerful and have a long range, but their trajectory is straightforward. Once a Flying Sword is released, the remaining sword or Sword Pellet needs to be retrieved somehow. Liu Dongzhuo’s cautious sword control, on the other hand, means that aside from the initial strike, the agility of his Flying Sword reduces its lethality compared to a direct attack. Thanks to this, Chen Yi is barely able to hold on.

However, after such a struggle, neither of them managed to get their hands on the Blood Coral. The treasure slipped back into the water and slowly made its way towards the deep sea.

Chen Yi’s face showed no sign of furious rage. He just gave Liu Dongzhuo a cold stare, then turned and left, chasing after the Blood Coral.

Liu Dongzhuo’s Flying Sword split the water directly and pursued Chen Yi underwater.

However, obstructed by undercurrents and tides, the Flying Sword’s advance slowed considerably.

Liu Dongzhuo himself soon appeared.

This time, he could no longer afford to be overconfident and control his sword from the air. He had to dive into the sea himself, joining his Flying Sword in pursuit of Chen Yi.

Regrettably, the turbulent Global Spiritual Qi in the current environment prevents even the use of Sword Messaging... Liu Dongzhuo felt frustrated but continued his pursuit, accelerating his pace.

Lei Jun, through the Great Celestial Mirror, watched as the two disappeared below the ocean surface, losing sight of them. He then shifted the mirror’s focus elsewhere.

Since I’ve already come to Xiaozhou Island, I’ll consider Fish Star Island abandoned, Lei Jun thought. Being able to roughly witness the events at Fish Star Island and learning that the Fifth Grade Opportunity likely refers to the Blood Coral is already a significant and pleasant surprise.

Now, as midnight approached, Chen Yi and Liu Dongzhuo had started their confrontation a little too early, scaring away the Blood Coral.

Here on Xiaozhou Island, Lei Jun’s timing was perfect.

Huangtian was currently wrestling with a problem.

The gourd remained merely an ethereal form, struggling to fully solidify into reality.

If this continued, the Spiritual Power of the gourd vine would be wasted. After a while, there would be no chance of it yielding the Brahman Qi Immortal Gourd.

Huangtian was helpless, consumed with anxiety. Suddenly, the deafening sound of thunder and lightning resounded in his ears.

Lei Jun, perfectly timing the critical midnight moment of Yin and Yang transition, finally set foot on the island.

The Taiqing Eight Scenic Treasures Raincoat expanded. It no longer protected Lei Jun himself but instead completely sealed the entire sea area centered around Xiaozhou Island, preventing any major disturbances caused there from becoming known to others.

As he focused his mind, two huge Talisman Scriptures, one black and one purple, hovered in mid-air.

Then, the purple Yanggang Celestial Thunder and the black Yinrou Mysterious Thunder appeared simultaneously, intertwining and striking the gourd vine!

Huangtian was shocked. By the time he regained his composure, the Yin Yang Twin Thunder had already spread over the gourd vine.

The gourd vine was not destroyed. Instead, stimulated by this force, it finally began the last phase of its transformation. Its light solidified, gradually taking the form of the Brahman Qi Immortal Gourd.

Seeing this, Huangtian’s shock turned to joy.

But the joyful expression on his face quickly vanished, replaced by gravity as he stared intently at the revealed Lei Jun.

The Nine Heavens Divine Thunder and Xuanxiao Immortal Thunder released by Lei Jun poured ceaselessly into the gourd vine, spurring the birth of the Brahman Qi Immortal Gourd.

Overseeing the divine heavens, Yin and Yang transformed into tribulation; only after tribulation did the Brahman Qi arise, perfectly aligning with Tao Containment.

Huangtian looked coldly at Lei Jun.

His gaze swept over the purple Nine Heavens Divine Thunder, then landed on the black Xuanxiao Immortal Thunder. His eyes grew colder, revealing his disgust.

"I, this official, have heard of the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder of the Taoist Talisman Sect. At least it’s considered an orthodox method passed down from the founders of Dragon Tiger Mountain."

Huangtian huffed coldly. "And what is this Mysterious Thunder supposed to be? Demon Path Practitioners are Demon Path Practitioners, always cultivating some heretical arts."

Lei Jun was somewhat surprised. "Isn’t your School of Principle lineage also a separate creation, building anew upon the original foundation of Scriptures Studies, essentially starting from scratch?"

Huangtian immediately became furious. "We scholars derive our principles from the classics of the Sages, enlightened by the explanations of great wise men, thereby understanding the essence of nature and reason! How can someone like you, who disobeys ancestral ways, possibly compare?"

Lei Jun remained unangered. "Do you mean that people today only need to seek tenets within the Sages’ teachings, understand and implement them? That for everything under the heavens, Wen Sheng provided all necessary instructions long ago? That exalting all things ancient and following ancient rites is the only way to manage the world and cultivate oneself?"

Huangtian replied, "Naturally."

Lei Jun assessed his counterpart with a slightly curious look. "I’ve always found it peculiar. Your Great Ming has existed for over two thousand years longer than our Great Tang. Even without considering changes in Global Spiritual Qi, the development of various Taoist Heritages should be richer. Yet, it seems even your School of Principle itself appears rather uniform?"

He had noticed earlier that regardless of cultivation level, lineage, or faction, the various methods employed by Scholarly Cultivators of the Confucian Sect within the Heavenly Principle seemed identical. It was as if they all came from the same school, or even the same master—uniformly and abnormally standardized.

Huangtian sneered, "Those like you who have strayed onto deviant paths presume to discuss scholarship? You should know that all changes stem from the same origin, and all matters follow their inherent principles."

Lei Jun appeared very agreeable. "While there’s the saying that all techniques return to the origin, it is when people today build upon the teachings of the ancients, each making their own contributions, that we truly honor the past and foster a flourishing future. This doesn’t contradict the idea of all techniques returning to the origin."

Huangtian stated coldly, "The principles of the Sages have already encompassed all learning. We scholars spend a lifetime studying and still wouldn’t dare claim to understand even a ten-thousandth part of it, let alone heretics like you."

Lei Jun nodded slightly. "One can imagine without asking that most Scholarly Cultivators on your side probably share similar thoughts. I roughly understand now... Truly detestable."

"How audacious of you!" Huangtian shouted angrily, beginning to wield his brush. A massive amount of ink characters manifested, raining down on Lei Jun like a storm.

His strength and realm were inferior to Lei Jun’s.

In terms of faction, he belonged to the Gan Party, not the Wu Party to which Wang Feng belonged.

But his attack was decisive, leaving Lei Jun uncertain whether it stemmed from valor and resolution or arrogant impulsiveness.

However, Lei Jun had no interest in delving deeper.

Lei Jun stood his ground.

An even larger Xuánxiāo Five Thunder Talisman appeared in the air beside him. The black Mysterious Thunder gave birth to a sea of lightning, from which the enormous head of the Yin Thunder Dragon emerged.

The Yin Thunder Dragon simply opened its mouth and swallowed all of Huangtian’s numerous ink characters.

Meanwhile, Huangtian’s brushstrokes, like blades, slashed towards Lei Jun with an even sharper and icier demeanor.

The Yin Thunder Dragon soared into the sky. Ignoring the numerous ink blades slashing at its body, it descended from above, plummeting towards Huangtian.

Huangtian hurriedly employed Gezhi, a technique commonly used by Scholarly Cultivators.

His brushstrokes crisscrossed, seemingly forming a grid that isolated heaven and earth.

But the black Yin Thunder Dragon extended a claw and nearly tore it apart in an instant.

Lei Jun had no interest in proving to his opponent that his orthodox Yang Thunder Dragon was also well-cultivated.

He much preferred to use his newly created Yin Thunder Dragon, which Huangtian despised, to crush him completely!

The black Thunder Dragon shattered Huangtian’s Gezhi and continued its descent.

Huangtian tried to say something more but was immediately engulfed by a sky full of black lightning, his body obliterated on the spot, leaving no trace behind!