Cultivation: Fortune by Lots-Chapter 462 - 246. High Merit Elder, Lei Chongyun (Two in One Chapter)

The remnants of the Nanzong Lin Clan, after splitting up and breaking out of the Jiangzhou encirclement, gradually slowed their pace. They made contact with one another, seeking to regroup, yet everyone was still in a state of shock.

By gathering these individuals and combining various pieces of information from Youzhou and Xinzhou, other external forces slowly pieced together the "full picture" of the Battle of Jiangzhou.

"The Celestial Master’s Sword did indeed go to Jiangzhou, but Yuan Mobai, who is at the Eightfold Heaven Realm, did not leave Dragon Tiger Mountain and continued to guard the Altar of Wanfa Sect."

The Jingxiang Fang Clan Elder, Fang Du, and the Suzhou Chu Clan Elder, Chu Peng, exchanged looks and sighed, "The Longhu Mountain Celestial Master’s Mansion, and the newly emerged High Merit Master from the Upper Three Heavens."

Fang Du looked in the direction of Jiangzhou. "It wasn’t Zhang Jingzhen, but Lei Jun... It must be just over twenty years since he started cultivating, right?"

Chu Peng silently nodded his head in agreement.

"What a heavenly talent!" exclaimed Fang Du with a long sigh.

Chu Peng did not argue, agreeing wholeheartedly.

He knew that Fang Du had his own unique insight on this matter.

The younger generation of the Jingxiang Fang Clan were also considered quite talented.

Among them, the most eye-catching was Fang Yue, Fang Duanfeng. His real age was slightly younger than Lei Jun of the Celestial Master Mansion, and it was said that he might Enter Divinity before the age of forty, achieving the Seventh Layer of Heaven Realm of the Confucian Chanting Sect.

But the problem was that Fang Yue had been known as a prodigy since childhood, hailed as a Qilin child. His reputation as Mr. Yongshan had spread far and wide beyond Jingxiang by the time he came of age.

It had actually been more than twenty years since he formally started his studies and cultivation, which meant his progress had been slower than that of Lei Jun from the Celestial Master Mansion.

This was not even the most distressing part for the Jingxiang Fang Clan. What made Fang Du lament was that Fang Yue had gone to the Capital City Academy. Their own best crop, reaped by that incompetent ruler, Zhang Wantong! Then, looking at the Celestial Master Mansion in Xinzhou where good crops were grown one after another, one could imagine how Fang Du felt.

He softly shook his head. "Considering Lei Chongyun’s previous rate of progress, his achievement of the Upper Three Heavens realm still came somewhat unexpectedly fast for everyone."

Chu Peng said, "Not only is this youngster’s rate of progress fast, but his actual combat spellcasting is also quite extraordinary. Although Lin Chi was greatly affected when the ancestral lands in Jiangzhou were breached, he was, after all, well-established for many years and had a profound accumulation of scholarly aura. Yet, he ended up perishing under the Doumu Star God Dharma..."

The swift conclusion of the great battle at Jiangzhou was beyond the expectations of both Fang Du and Chu Peng.

In fact, even the Lin Clan themselves did not expect their side to suffer such a sudden and catastrophic defeat.

As a result, the vast majority were bewildered and lost their lives under the rubble without even knowing what had happened.

The few who escaped were still trying to collect their wits, and upon reflecting on the course of events, they felt not only shock but also confusion and disbelief.

The battle was chaotic, and it was hard to distinguish truth from illusion.

Apart from the loud echoing of Tang Xiaotang and the Celestial Master’s Sword in the sky, the invading enemies from the Celestial Master Mansion even made the Lin Clan survivors feel perplexed.

The only two striking impressions were the bizarre long-range attacks and the appearance of the Doumu Star God Dharma in the distant mountains.

Having their ranks thrown into disorder, the morale of the Lin Clan members began to crumble after the fall of Lin Chi, who had rushed into the mountains.

Without the need for the clan chief, Lin Che, to give the order, most would have probably considered retreating first.

At that time, the people of the Lin Clan did not even know the specific identity of the Doumu Star God Dharma figure; they thought it might have been Yuan Mobai or even Xu Yuanzhen who had arrived.

After all, in their existing impression, among the current High Merit Elders of the Celestial Master Mansion, Yao Yuan and Shangguan Ning cultivated the Yin Fire Tiger, whereas only Xu Yuanzhen or Yuan Mobai cultivated the Destiny Star God.

"Combining the news from Xinzhou that Lei Chongyun delivered the Celestial Master’s Sword, that Doumu Star God Dharma should be Lei Chongyun," Fang Du spoke slowly.

By this account, this youngster might have ascended to the Seventh Layer of Heaven Realm even earlier.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had time to practice the Life Skill Human Script Talismans of the Celestial Master Mansion and achieve the Destiny Star God through divine skills.

Chu Peng mused, "Previously, we only knew of his rapid advancement in cultivation, but seldom saw his combat abilities. It’s only now that we see his true capabilities. Although we had already been paying attention to him, it seems we still underestimated him."

Fang Du agreed, "Yes, both Yuan Mobai and Lei Jun, the master and disciple, are the types who don’t show off, but when they do, they marvel everyone. It’s a pity we don’t have more details about the Battle of Jiangzhou."

"The people of Jiangzhou lost their composure and their nerve; they didn’t even grasp the enemy’s situation properly. One can’t blame them for their panic when the enemy used strange tactics to break through the ancestral land."

Chu Peng frowned tightly. "Now we know of Lei Chongyun and the Doumu Star God Dharma, but what about the mysterious cold arrows and magical treasures?"

He exchanged glances with Fang Du and added, "News from Youzhou: Shuyin is in the north."

If Chu Yu also came to Jiangzhou, then everything would make sense. After all, he is a Great Scholar of Divine Archery from the Eightfold Heaven Expansion Realm heritage.

But Chu Yu, along with Tang Xiaotang, took different routes to pursue Lin Yuwei and Lin Che. Later, he met up with Prince Huayang Zhang Rui and headed to Youzhou, not going south.

"Or perhaps it’s someone from the Imperial Clan," Fang Du speculated slowly, shaking his head.

The four major families and six respectable clans had united this time, with no intention of undermining each other.

The Xiao Clan from Longwai currently lacks a Divine Archer Lineage Great Scholar at the Upper Three Heavens level.

Within the Imperial Clan, though, there indeed are Great Scholars at the Upper Three Heavens level.

Even so, Fang Du was not completely certain in his heart. Never mind the Celestial Master Mansion for now; the Imperial Court’s reaction this time was extremely swift and decisive, looking as if they had been prepared all along. Someone within the top echelons of the four major families and six respectable clans must have leaked information...

"I’ll check the news from the Imperial Court," said Chu Peng. "As for Mount Shu, I’ll have to impose on Kuanze."

"I’ve already sent a letter to my eldest brother." Fang Du had thought that, with other experts like Fang Huansheng keeping watch, Mount Shu wouldn’t have had spare forces to send to Jiangzhou.