Cultivation: Fortune by Lots-Chapter 340 - 202. Respect for the elderly and the wise Lei Chongyun_2
Tu Dong saw the filthy blood on his opponent’s body slowly fading. He realized he wouldn’t be able to breach their defense in a short time. With a chill in his heart, his anger and killing intent subsided, giving way to thoughts of retreat. This was because Ox Soul Mountain, where they were, lay at the border between the territories of Samsara Abyss and Gepo Mountain. Should the fight drag on too long, it was more likely that enemies from Blood River would arrive first. As the saying goes, whatever you worry about will come to pass: a black qi soon appeared in the distance.
"When the Spirit Emperor descends from on high, he races far and wide through the clouds."
As the enchanting song lingered, wind and thunder filled the air. Whirlwinds and lightning converged into a giant figure, like a deity from ancient times, its features indistinct and its syllables archaic and profound. The wind and thunder mingled, beginning to spread over the skies of Ox Soul Mountain.
Lei Jun saw this from afar and nodded repeatedly. This was the top divine skill of the Witchcraft Sect’s Divine Dance Lineage, Nine Songs - Lord of the Clouds! With the Sacrifice Array, the Dance of Ghostly Gods communicated with heaven and earth, manifesting the venerable image of the Lord of Clouds, deity of Wind and Thunder. Compared to the Taoist Sect’s Talisman Scriptures, which imitated the Law of Heaven and Earth, it lacked flexibility. It could not freely roam the cosmos and relied on the Divine Dance Sacrificial Formation for control. However, from the perspective of battlefield tactics, its might was earth-shattering.
Seeing this, Tu Dong lingered no longer and immediately transformed into a beam of blood light, fleeing into the distance. Since he currently held the upper hand against Shangguan Peng, Tu Dong could retreat whenever he wished.
The voice of the Lord of Clouds, emanating from within the distant, venerable image, spoke, "Tu Dong! Wei Ancheng is a descendant of a former dynasty in the Central Plains to the north. Their struggle with the Tang people is their own. Your involvement only serves to make you pawns!"
Tu Dong laughed loudly. "Where there is life and death, where there is slaughter, there is the great path!"
The Gepo Mountain Elder sneered, "Then put those words into practice yourself!" As he spoke, a large amount of whirlwinds and lightning gathered, turning increasingly deep cyan until the whirlwinds and thunderclaps seemed to transform into dark, bluish-black hues, overwhelming Tu Dong with their vast expanse.
Shangguan Peng didn’t speak. He knew this was a critical moment. As soon as Tu Dong showed an opening, Shangguan Peng immediately went on the offensive, joining the Gepo Mountain Elder to besiege Tu Dong.
Tu Dong seemed to express regret. It’s a pity to have gathered some nice possessions only to use them here today. Then, a spirit stone emitting flashing white light flew out, radiating dazzling brilliance.
Lei Jun saw this from a distance and squinted slightly.
The Gepo Mountain Elder exclaimed in surprise, "Witch Suppressing Stone?!"
The spirit stone, emitting flashing white light, was clearly identical to the Witch Suppressing Stone Chen Yi had previously used to escape the Blood Sea, though this one was much larger. Under the illumination of this Witch Suppressing Stone, most of the wind and thunder trapping Tu Dong dispersed. Tu Dong immediately seized the opportunity to break out from the encirclement of his two opponents and, taking the Witch Suppressing Stone, fled far away.
Shangguan Peng and the Gepo Mountain Elder were unwilling to let things end there and immediately pursued together. The two sides skirmished and chased intermittently, preventing either from reaching full speed. Lei Jun took this opportunity to follow behind.
From what he could see, Chen Yi’s Witch Suppressing Stone hadn’t come from Tu Dong. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have previously experienced a ’great flood washing away the Dragon King’s temple’—a situation of internal conflict. Previously, Yuan Mobai had contacted Lei Jun about a possible method to purify the Celestial Master Seal, which was why Lei Jun had made this trip to the Southern Wilderness. His master’s clue must be related to Tu Dong’s Witch Suppressing Stone. For one thing, Tu Dong’s Witch Suppressing Stone was much larger than Chen Yi’s; they were like primary ingredients compared to trimmings. Secondly, if it were related to Chen Yi, Yuan Mobai would certainly have taken it on the spot. Now that the Celestial Master Seal had revived, he was no longer in urgent need of the Witch Suppressing Stone. However, by tracking Tu Dong, he might be able to locate Yuan Mobai.
Lei Jun focused his mind. With the help of the Wind-Thunder Talisman, the image of the Night Wind, and the Teng Snake Bone, he concealed his form. Occasionally, the Breathing Soil Banner also aided him, allowing him to quietly follow the trio of Tu Dong, Shangguan Peng, and the Gepo Mountain Elder. As long as he didn’t activate the Teng Snake Bone to suddenly suppress an opponent’s Spiritual Soul, it wouldn’t enter dormancy. This allowed him to use it repeatedly for long periods of concealment. He carefully controlled his distance. Since Tu Dong and his pursuers were largely preoccupied with each other, Lei Jun managed to follow quietly without risk of discovery.
After venturing deeper into the continuous southern mountain ranges, Lei Jun stood atop a peak. Gazing into the distance, he could faintly discern a stronghold nestled among the mountains. When Tu Dong retreated to the stronghold, people were there to receive him. This was an extremely ferocious martial artist of the Physical Training Martial Way, one who could fight Shangguan Peng’s spear with only his physical body. Although the man was unfamiliar to him, he roughly guessed he might be a descendant of the former imperial family or an elder statesman.
As Shangguan Peng battled this newcomer, news spread. Lei Jun noticed other people gradually beginning to arrive in the mountainous area. Their numbers weren’t large, but they all appeared capable and efficient, seemingly from the Great Tang Divine Strategy Army. Wei Ancheng hadn’t brazenly admitted to being a descendant of the Sheng Kang royal bloodline, so the Tang Imperial Dynasty officially turned a blind eye. But it went without saying that the Tang Emperor would send capable personnel to the Southern Wilderness to investigate the truth of the situation. Shangguan Peng and his contingent were here for this very purpose.
Because of the incidents at Ox Soul Ravine and Rain Ravine, Blood River’s attempt to gain an advantage had backfired spectacularly, costing them dearly. This further infuriated both Samsara Abyss and Gepo Mountain, the two Sacred Lands. Consequently, cultivators from these two Witchcraft Sect Sacred Lands also began to converge on this mountain fortress. As experts from the Upper Three Heavens faced off, cultivators from the Great Tang Divine Strategy Army, Samsara Abyss, and Gepo Mountain also began closing in on the mountain fortress.
Lei Jun moved quietly among them. He wasn’t interested in the Witch Suppressing Stone in Tu Dong’s possession; his plan was to use the chaos to capture a live enemy for interrogation.
"Where is Shen Qubing?" On the side of the Great Tang Divine Strategy Army, a middle-aged commander frowned. "Deserting his post, what kind of conduct is this?!"
A younger man beside him answered, "His whereabouts are unknown."
The middle-aged commander became furious. "This is preposterous!"
Someone softly suggested, "Could he have gone to find General Xiao?"
The middle-aged commander retorted, "Military orders must be followed without exception. How could he act so recklessly?"
A personal guard beside him commented, "A young noble who rapidly rises to a high position can easily grow complacent... Such rash behavior is common among many who have emerged in recent years."
Another person agreed, "Indeed. They are mostly upstarts with no noble lineage. Though the army urgently needs more men these years, it’s unwise to recruit so indiscriminately, taking the good with the bad..."
The middle-aged commander, who had been listening with an expressionless face, spoke at this comment, "Be silent. The edicts from above are not for us to question."
Everyone quickly assented.
Lei Jun listened silently on the sidelines, unnoticed. He had heard the name Shen Qubing before, though not often. Rumor had it he was a rising star in the Great Tang Divine Strategy Army in recent years. Still, since he rarely appeared in public, his actual skill level was unclear, and thus his fame wasn’t as great as that of Lei Jun and the others. He had his reasons for paying more attention to the cultivators from the Great Tang Divine Strategy Army. As for General Xiao, that must be Xiao Xueting, a confidant of the Empress. It seems she also came to the Southern Wilderness but took a different route than Shangguan Peng. The Divine Strategy Army soldiers present here seemed to be from the Shangguan Clan’s younger generation, or perhaps from smaller noble warrior families. Lei Jun couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at some of the undercurrents revealed in their conversation.
Since the continuous demon disturbances in the Western Regions and the East Sea, the power of the Tang Court and its imperial family, including the Divine Strategy Army, had suffered various degrees of loss and weakening. Replenishment was inevitable. In recent years, the Empress had promoted a significant proportion of people from commoner and non-noble origins. The impact wasn’t only felt by the prestigious Confucian Studies clans, but also by some of the Great Tang’s warrior families. Compared to the Buddhist and Taoist Sacred Lands, these warrior families, granted titles for their contributions to the founding of Great Tang, were, to a certain extent, the foundation of the Tang Court’s imperial power. That’s why some of the Empress’s actions seemed quite strange to him. Clearly, it wasn’t just the renowned Confucian clans like the Five Clans and Seven Families; even the noble warrior families of the Martial Tao harbored some private criticisms.
However, these few soldiers from the Shangguan Clan only whispered a few words of dissent before saying no more. They then immediately began their assault on the fortress. Like a shadow, Lei Jun quietly followed several men as they approached the fortress.
Although the fortress was well-built, facing a joint attack from Samsara Abyss, Gepo Mountain, and the Great Tang Divine Strategy Army, it quickly fell. The people inside the fortress began to break out and flee, and the scene descended into chaos.
After some deliberation, Lei Jun fixed his sights on a target: an individual who appeared very old. His actual age was likely considerable, as his vitality was beginning to fade, yet he carried the distinct composure of someone who had long held high authority.
