Cultivation: Fortune by Lots-Chapter 459 - 245. Booty and... Battle Covenant!

"Oh?" Tang Xiaotang’s eyes lit up. "Lin Huan?"

Among the North and South Lin Clans, Lin Huan of the Youzhou Lin Clan, the current Clan Chief, was renowned alongside Lin Qun, the former Clan Chief of the Jiangzhou Lin Clan, as Great Scholars of the Eightfold Heaven Perfect Realm. In terms of talent and fame, she even surpassed Lin Qun. Lin Che, the current Clan Chief of the Jiangzhou Lin Clan, who cultivated the Three Discourses on Governing the Country, still fell short of those two.

Within the Great Tang, both internally and abroad, when considering masters of the Confucian Sect’s traditions, the youngest Great Scholar of the Eighth Heavenly Layer required little thought: Chu Yu of the Suzhou Chu Clan. Chu Yu was the daughter born in his later years to Chu Xiuyuan, the Chu Clan’s Chief. Though young, she held high status. By lineage, she was of the same generation as Lin Qun and Lin Che. However, in terms of age, she was still some years shy of a hundred and was a genuinely young figure in the Great Tang’s cultivation world.

Among Confucian Cultivators, the youngest known to have reached the Eightfold Heaven Perfect Realm were three individuals, all under two hundred years of age: Chu Zhe, Chu Yu’s third brother, largely considered the next leader of the Suzhou Chu Clan; Fang Jingsheng, the current Clan Chief of the Jingxiang Fang Clan, also known as the ninth lord of the Fang Family; and Lin Huan, the current Clan Chief of the Youzhou Lin Clan. Most often, the fame and talent of Fang Jingsheng and Lin Huan were more prominent.

Essentially, Lin Huan was arguably the foremost master among all Lin Clan families in the world, merely a step away from the Confucian Nine Extremities Heaven. Countless people eagerly awaited to see whether she or Fang Jingsheng would be the first to ascend to this level.

But now, her path upward had been severed by Xu Yuanzhen?

Such incidents, though rare, could be found scattered throughout the long course of history. There was no need to recall distant examples; their own Celestial Master Mansion’s previous Celestial Master, Li Qingfeng, had suffered hidden injuries during a past internal war, wounded by both the Time Worm and the Samsara Descend. The Samsara Descend, in particular, had continued to plague him. Under such conditions, regardless of whether Li Qingfeng originally possessed the potential to advance further on his cultivation path, he would not have dared to face the Heavenly Moat Tribulation between the Eighth and Ninth Heavenly Layers. To attempt it would have meant certain death.

His son, Li Zhengxuan, was in a somewhat similar situation. However, Li Zhengxuan’s problem wasn’t a lingering injury but an unstable state of mind after losing the Celestial Master’s Sword. If he couldn’t retrieve the Celestial Master’s Sword before attempting the Heavenly Moat Tribulation between the Seventh and Eighth Heavenly Layers, his immediate demise would be the only possible outcome.

Lin Huan, this time, had been left with a hidden injury by Xu Yuanzhen that was incredibly difficult to heal. While its everyday impact might be limited, attempting to reach the Nine Heavens Realm of the Confucian Sect was now utterly impossible for her. If this persisted, it could further affect Lin Huan’s cultivation and mental state. Should it truly reach that point, even if she managed to heal the hidden injury one day, she might have lost the keen drive to ascend, failing to reach the heights she might have otherwise achieved.

"If Eldest Senior Sister said so, she must be certain, or at least highly confident," Lei Jun stated.

Though her words seemed slightly disapproving, Tang Xiaotang was grinning. "Senior Sister’s methods weren’t exactly clean this time... but it’s not bad either!"

"Ruthless," Lei Jun commented.

Tang Xiaotang then asked, "Now that the old fox from the Jinzhou Ye Clan has gone, what’s the situation in Youzhou?"

Lei Jun replied, "I heard Taoist Huang from the Pure Yang Palace has also departed for Youzhou. However, Chu Sheren from the Imperial Court and King Huayang have both arrived in Youzhou. It’s said they are currently in a standoff and mediating. We’ll have to wait a bit longer for further news on how things will develop."

King Huayang, named Zhang Rui, was a member of the Royal Family, much like Prince Xun’an, Zhang Mu. However, King Huayang’s cultivation and strength surpassed Zhang Mu’s, marking him as a Martial Arts Expert of the Eightfold Heaven Realm. While his power was somewhat less than that of Prince Zhao of the Northern Border, he was still one of the few top masters within the Tang Imperial Court. Furthermore, his lineage was relatively distant from the main branch, and he never harbored ambitions for the throne. After the Empress ascended the throne, King Huayang, Zhang Rui, was one of the Royal Family members she particularly trusted and valued. This time, he had been dispatched from the capital by imperial decree to accompany Chu Yu to Youzhou in the Northern Border.

Tang Xiaotang raised an eyebrow. "Mediating? With such a golden opportunity now, what are Chu Yu and the others thinking?"

Lei Jun remarked, "There might be other reasons. Considering the current Empress’s attitude towards the Noble Clans and Renowned Families, it’s unlikely she’d engage in measures that merely complicate matters, like adding water to thick soup or flour to thin gruel. Even if she aims for balance, now isn’t the time."

"Then there’s still time for me to head north," Tang Xiaotang said, her interest piqued.

Lei Jun said, "Our Sect’s main base is rather empty right now, and besides..." He gestured towards the dilapidated Ancestral Land of the Jiangzhou Lin Clan. "Since we’re already here, shall we do some cleaning up?"

This was the ancestral land the Jiangzhou Lin Clan had managed for many years. Although it had suffered a great catastrophe, considerable reserves should still remain. Lei Jun had no particular fondness for looting. But, as the old saying went: Since we’ve come all this way...

He was even less inclined to leave these resources for the Lin Clan members to rebuild their home. As for donating them to the Tang Imperial Court, that was equally unnecessary. For the Tang Imperial Court, the greatest gain was that Jiangzhou would no longer harbor a powerful lineage like the Lin Clan, which had been like a state within a state. Previously, although this region nominally revered the Great Tang as the sovereign of all under heaven, it had operated no differently than an independent country.

In Xinzhou, on the other hand, while Dragon Tiger Mountain held significant sway, the Imperial Court could still dispatch personnel and operate with considerable freedom.

Long before Lei Jun and Tang Xiaotang had journeyed south to Jiangzhou and contacted Yuan Mobai and others from Our Sect, the upper echelons of the Celestial Master Mansion had reached a consensus. After subduing Jiangzhou, the Celestial Master Mansion would not carve out territory or replace the Lin Clan as lords of Jiangzhou. Speaking solely of the Mortal World, Jiangzhou’s future would fall under the control of the Tang Imperial Court. Dragon Tiger Mountain merely needed to establish sufficient influence and prestige among the populace. Without the Lin Clan’s constraining presence, most areas south of the Grand River’s middle section would fall under Dragon Tiger Mountain’s sphere of influence, thereby ensuring the Celestial Master Mansion’s future recruitment of talent and commercial activities. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Simultaneously, some of the special Cave Heavens and Blessed Lands controlled by the Jiangzhou Lin Clan were another objective the Celestial Master Mansion was considering.