Cultivation: Fortune by Lots-Chapter 344 - 204. The understanding ascends another level, a state of serene insight!_2
If it weren’t so, they wouldn’t have been able to trap her, Yuan Mobai, and He Dongxing together for a period of time.
Xiao Xueting explained briefly, "The Sheng Kang lineage and some inheritors from the Southern Witch Sect still value this place highly. Not only can it be used to hone Taoist Laws, but its greater value lies in the possibility that this hidden realm, besides Nine Mountains Lake, might connect to another location."
Shen Qubing asked curiously, "Jiuli? I have heard some people mention this name."
Xiao Xueting continued, "It’s possible, but not certain. Unfortunately, the current alignment of time, location, and people is not favorable for us to thoroughly explore this place." She turned to Yuan Mobai and He Dongxing, seeking their opinions. "I intend to destroy this place. May I ask if you two esteemed Taoists would lend a hand?"
The ’destruction’ she spoke of didn’t refer to the hidden realm itself. The three of them had ventured within it for a considerable time and naturally understood its resilience. What Xiao Xueting meant was destroying the Nine Mountains Lake entrance, severing the Portal from the current world to that hidden realm.
The Tang Imperial Court did not plan to intervene extensively in the chaos of the Southern Wilderness in the short term, so it wouldn’t be suitable to send more people to the Southern Wilderness to jointly excavate the deeper secrets of the Jiuli hidden realm. Even if Xiao Xueting could contact people like Shangguan Peng, it wasn’t feasible to guard Nine Mountains Lake indefinitely. If this place truly was of great importance and attracted masters like Wei Ancheng, who were willing to abandon the affairs of Yintuo Mountain to return here, then it would ultimately be indefensible.
It was better to destroy it and be done with the matter. Even if this infuriated Wei Ancheng and others, Xiao Xueting’s group could scatter and hide, avoiding being cornered and overwhelmed within the Nine Mountains Lake area. If the place was truly that important, then causing the enemy a loss was sufficient; it didn’t necessarily have to fall into their own hands. This was Xiao Xueting’s reasoning.
"I am willing to lend General Xiao a hand," Yuan Mobai said with a smile and a nod.
He Dongxing also nodded. "I also agree with General Xiao’s method."
Lei Jun and Shen Qubing immediately withdrew from the mountains surrounding Nine Mountains Lake. The area was about to endure the full-force bombardment of three Upper Three Heavens Cultivators.
Brilliant sword light flared first, dazzlingly bright even in daylight, like a long rainbow arcing down from the sky to descend among the nine mountains. Intense undulations followed. Then, numerous golden Talisman Scriptures lifted a figure into the air, transforming it into a colossal being akin to the Gigantic Spirit God, which then plunged into Nine Mountains Lake along with the preceding sword light.
He Dongxing and Yuan Mobai took action one after another, but it seemed that Xiao Xueting, who initially proposed this action, did not make a move. However, wave after wave of severe vibrations emanating from the mountains indicated that the young female swordmaster from the Xiao Clan from outside Long (region) had also drawn her sword.
She practiced the Weapon Strike Martial Way, similar to practitioners of the Physical Training Martial Way, concentrating all her skills either into her own body or, more specifically, onto the tip of her sword. Such an expert often doesn’t affect a wide range with their skills. They typically only attack a single point at a time, and the reach of each attack may be no more than the length of their own limbs or weapons, requiring them to swiftly move close to the target. In return, they achieve nearly the strongest destructive power against a single point compared to other Cultivation Dao Systems.
This was evident in the previous battle between Shangguan Peng and Tu Dong. Tu Dong cultivated the Blood River Secret Technique; his defense was unremarkable, but his recovery was astonishing. It wasn’t just anyone who could compel him to use his ultimate life-saving Divine Skill, Blood Sea Nirvana. However, against Shangguan Peng’s Thousand Army Movement, if Tu Dong hadn’t used Blood Sea Nirvana, he would have either been killed instantly or lost more than half his life, rendering him unable to fight further.
Shen Qubing had previously encountered some fleeing Sheng Kang cultivators on his way to Nine Mountains Lake, yet there were few he couldn’t handle head-on. Such fearsome single-point destructive and explosive power was almost exclusively seen in Martial Arts Practitioners.
The word ’almost’ is used because Taoist Flying Swords and Confucian Divine Archery, if given time to prepare and gather energy, could also possess such formidable destructive power, perhaps even exceeding it. However, they couldn’t match the instantaneous burst. Buddhist Zen Martial Arts could achieve a similar level, but their techniques were slower to execute and withdraw, lacking in suddenness.
Just like now, Xiao Xueting silently joined Yuan Mobai and He Dongxing’s attack. Under the combined force of the three great masters, the earth quaked and the mountains shook.
From afar, Lei Jun and Shen Qubing could see the mountains surrounding Nine Mountains Lake begin to collapse and topple. Above the lake’s surface, what seemed like black qi surged towards the heavens. This black qi was not malevolent; its principles and artistic conception were indeed similar to those of the ancient Witchcraft Sect glyphs. The surging black qi was soon completely dispersed, heralding the sealing and closure of the Portal to the Jiuli hidden realm.
As the dust settled, the wide, flat expanse of the lake surface was gone. Yuan Mobai and the other two had completely filled in Nine Mountains Lake, and the surrounding nine mountains also ceased to exist.
The Star River surrounding the flashing giant disappeared, and the purple-robed youth reappeared. "Let’s go. We should leave this place," he called out to Lei Jun and Shen Qubing.
The group of five then promptly left. Only when they had traveled a considerable distance did they come to a halt.
Yuan Mobai, Xiao Xueting, and He Dongxing all began to meditate and recover. Previously, after entering the hidden realm, its harsh environment had forced them to constantly resist and assail the seals. Now, having just destroyed the hidden realm’s entrance, these successive exertions meant that despite their considerable cultivation, they needed to rest and recover to regain their peak condition, preparing for any new adversaries they might encounter.
Lei Jun and Shen Qubing, however, were largely unaffected. But then, Shen Qubing suddenly had a realization.
Later, Lei Jun felt a slight vibration from his page of the Celestial Book. Upon checking, he found that Fire Yao had left him a new message:
"The matter of the Jiuli hidden realm has been resolved. Sorry for the disturbance earlier!"
