Chapter 741: 306. Lei Family’s Flying Swords Beyond the Heavens (Additional Chapter for the alliance of "1 High Mountain Flowing Water 1" and "Sanskrit Divine Language")_3

Moreover, Great Tang Cultivators were currently relentlessly hunting down and eliminating the stragglers from Heavenly Principle who had slipped through the net.

Gu Hai, a Great Scholar of the Seventh Heavenly Layer of Neo-Confucianism and already a key, even core, figure of the Wu Party within Heavenly Principle’s Ming Court, was an even bigger fish that the Tang Imperial Court was intent on capturing.

Therefore, the situation Gu Hai currently faced meant that attempting to return to Heavenly Principle was akin to walking into a trap.

Seeking another path to leave the Great Tang Realm was just as difficult and fraught with danger.

"Qin Wu’s incompetent command of the army and unfavorable battle outcomes led to today’s defeat. I must certainly submit a report impeaching him when I return to court!" Gu Hai gritted his teeth.

A middle-aged man dressed in the official robes of a Great Ming fifth-rank official whispered beside him, "Your Excellency, do not worry. Elder Song is in the court and will undoubtedly speak on your behalf. Everyone saw with their own eyes your diligence and how you led the soldiers from the front."

Gu Hai’s expression lightened slightly, but his gaze remained grave.

Today’s unfavorable battle outcome could shake the Wu Party’s position in court.

His teacher would certainly not allow such a thing to happen.

Although people like Qin Wu were there to take the blame, the situation remained unstable.

He and Elder Song were bound together for good or ill, so he wasn’t worried about his teacher abandoning him.

But dealing with the accusations from the Gan Party and Chu Party would be no easy task.

Qin Wu and the other martial artists alone might not be able to shoulder all the blame.

Gu Hai was currently finding it difficult to return to Heavenly Principle. Even with Elder Song’s protection, if this situation dragged on, what might happen on Heavenly Principle’s side was hard to say.

To take a step back, even if he wasn’t held accountable for today’s battle, if he remained adrift outside for too long, by the time he returned, there might not be a place left for him. He could very well be relegated to some insignificant post.

It was infuriating. Before setting out, his prospects had been excellent, and he was already ahead of Huangtian and others. He had only needed this battle to be a great victory, and upon returning to court, he could have advanced even further. But now, all of that had come to nothing, not to mention he himself was now in danger.

The more he thought about it, the more Gu Hai resented Qin Wu, Qi Haowei, and the others.

He was still unaware of Qi Haowei’s defection to Great Tang; otherwise, he would have actually felt a sense of relief, grateful for a more suitable scapegoat.

But even so, Gu Hai first needed to consider how to return to Heavenly Principle and how to salvage his current predicament.

"Prepare the sacrifice to lure and divert the False Tang people here. Then, we’ll implement a strategy of deception to slip past them from the front."

Gu Hai gave the order, and his followers immediately began preparations, with him personally overseeing the process.

The night had not yet faded, but the thick, dark energy in the night sky grew even more profound and murky, enveloping the surroundings.

The effects of the sacrifice immediately disturbed the Spiritual Energy in all directions.

Some Great Tang Cultivators sensed the changes here and immediately drew closer.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Gu Hai and the others had already moved far away from the site of the sacrifice. They intended to detour around the front and rush towards the Void "Portal" across the sea that led back to Heavenly Principle.

Initially, their journey was smooth. But as they proceeded, Gu Hai, who had presided over the earlier sacrifice, suddenly sensed something was amiss.

He turned his head and saw that as the thick, dark energy generated by the sacrifice spread, it collided with something beneath the sea.

Beneath the sea, it seemed as if a reef had come alive under the impact of the thick, dark energy.

"Hm?" Gu Hai’s gaze sharpened instantly.

As a Seventh Heavenly Layer Great Scholar, his Insight was keen, and he immediately recognized it as a Taoist Magical Treasure.

The Magical Treasure manifested the true essence of living earth, generating an earth-yellow Spirit Light that simulated a seabed reef, as if becoming one with it.

A Taoist Sect Cultivator was using it as cover, hidden beneath the sea.

It had been securely hidden before. Only now, as the dark energy from Gu Hai’s sacrifice spread, was the Magical Treasure forced to defend itself, thereby revealing its presence.

The person concealed here was, naturally, Chu Kun.

Chu Kun also inwardly cursed his misfortune. Previously, whether lying in ambush or moving stealthily, he had remained well hidden. He had even chanced upon some minor opportunities, reaping considerable rewards. Who would have thought his cover would be blown at the very last moment?

Seeing Chu Kun in his deep red Taoist Robe, Gu Hai’s eyes suddenly lit up.

A Taoist from the Dragon Tiger Mountain Celestial Master’s Mansion.

For Heavenly Principle, this group was currently rather eye-catching.

In the Great Ming Mortal Realm, within Heavenly Principle, the Dragon Tiger Mountain Celestial Master’s Mansion had practically become a historical relic.

Then, recently, they were first confronted by a Female Crown from Dragon Tiger Mountain who had intruded into Heavenly Principle, stirring up immense unrest.

After they had managed to "repel" that Female Crown and launched a counter-offensive into the Great Tang Realm, they were dealt another crushing blow.

Another Taoist from Dragon Tiger Mountain had brazenly slain Wang Feng, a high-ranking leader of the Wu Party.

The entire Wu Party, Gu Hai included, had been shaken by this.

Previously, Gu Hai had been preoccupied with finding that Demon Path Practitioner but had never discovered Lei Jun’s whereabouts.

It wasn’t until Heavenly Principle’s defeat was certain that Gu Hai, while fleeing, chanced upon some rumors. These rumors mentioned that Lei Jun had been sealed in a certain sea area due to a backlash he suffered after disrupting a Neo-Confucianism sacrifice.

However, the two parties were currently far apart, and Gu Hai himself was struggling to survive. Moreover, he had heard that Seventh Heavenly Layer Buddhist Sect Cultivators were guarding that sea area.

Although Gu Hai didn’t hold Seventh Heavenly Layer monks in high regard, he currently had no time to get entangled with them.

Thus, he could only reluctantly abandon the idea of seeking out Lei Jun to cause trouble.

Every time Gu Hai recalled that Lei Jun was sealed—such a rare opportunity—and that he himself couldn’t go, he was filled with persistent regret.

Encountering Chu Kun now, however, made Gu Hai feel as if he had stumbled upon a priceless treasure.

True, Chu Kun’s deep red Taoist Robe indicated he wasn’t a High Merit Elder of the Celestial Master’s Mansion like Lei Jun or Xu Yuanzhen.

But if he, Gu Hai, could capture this Talisman-bestowed Taoist from the Celestial Master’s Mansion and bring him back to Heavenly Principle, it would undoubtedly be a great meritorious deed.

Whether one could take down a Demon Path Practitioner from Dragon Tiger Mountain had now become a critical benchmark for achieving great merit within Heavenly Principle’s Ming Court.

Especially now, with the Heavenly Principle Cultivators having suffered a disastrous defeat, Gu Hai reckoned that if he could capture and bring Chu Kun back—dead or alive—it would be enough for his teacher, Elder Song, to help him maneuver the situation, turning this demerit into a merit.