Cultivation: Fortune by Lots-Chapter 588 - 273. The opportunity for natural understanding_2

The dispersal and collapse of the Immortal Soul marked the fall of a cultivator from the Artifact Refining Sect of the Upper Three Heavens.

Just as Wang Dongchu had perished in Qianshan.

"...we’ve never been able to truly confirm the dissipation of Chen Donglou’s soul."

Wei Qiyue sighed softly. "However, we’ve heard nothing from him for over a century. When Dongchu and the others found his Seven-Star Sword, its spiritual nature was dormant. Although its restrictions were still intact, they were weakening day by day. It should have been a sign of the sword losing its master, not the master willingly unbinding it."

Hong Jie was silent for a moment, then also sighed. "So, this doesn’t definitively indicate that Donglou has indeed perished."

Prolonged spiritual exertion caused Wei Qiyue’s Immortal Soul to waver again, nearly making her lose her humanoid form.

After a moment of silence, she stabilized her Immortal Soul and then said, "Martial Aunt, I believe there is still doubt as to whether the person who appeared is truly Chen Donglou. In terms of strength, if it were him, that could explain the mysterious assistance the Celestial Master Mansion received in the battles at Jiangzhou and Jinzhou. But given his temperament, why would he assist the Celestial Master Mansion? Even if he truly wanted to help the Celestial Master Mansion, why be so secretive? And when they went to kill Nephew Dongchu, why didn’t he reveal himself immediately, instead choosing to kill Dongchu alone afterward? This does not align with his usual way of doing things."

Hong Jie gave a slight nod.

Fu Dongsen then spoke up, "If he faked his death through Junior Brother Liu Dongzhuo and others, and sensed something amiss in Our Sect early on, it’s possible he decided to investigate in secret without raising alarm."

Chen Donglou was arrogant and typically acted in a direct, straightforward manner. However, this didn’t mean he lacked subtlety; rather, he generally looked down on others and couldn’t be bothered with complex thinking unless necessary. He had been away from the sect for over a hundred years, with little news of him reaching them. Whom he had met, what he had experienced, and whether any of these events might have changed him—none of the people of Mount Shu knew. This made it difficult to judge him solely based on past perceptions.

On the other hand, Wang Dongchu had once impersonated Chen Donglou to mislead the Tang Imperial Court’s investigation and to find a scapegoat.

Now, if someone was impersonating Chen Donglou, what would they be after? If it was about taking charge of the currently ruined Mount Shu, he himself had already given up on it.

"The most effective way to confirm his authenticity and identity would be for me to accept his invitation and meet him in person," Fu Dongsen suggested.

Both Hong Jie and Wei Qiyue shook their heads.

"If Chen Donglou is still Chen Donglou, such a meeting would be pointless," Hong Jie said. "If Chen Donglou is no longer the person he once was... then meeting him would undoubtedly lead you into a trap."

Wei Qiyue added, "This situation arose suddenly. One misstep can lead to a chain reaction. We’ve already suffered too much damage, and it’s simply not worth further losses. We cannot afford to take rash risks anymore. Otherwise, the more we act, the more mistakes we’ll make. Our only option is to make a strategic sacrifice to regain the initiative and then bide our time for the right opportunity."

At this point, the three high-level practitioners from the Taoist Sect, each from the Eighth Heavenly Layer, could see the helplessness in each other’s eyes.

Previously, whether it was their own Mount Shu, Pure Yang Palace, or the Yellow Sky Sect, each faction’s plans could be considered to be progressing smoothly. While silently accumulating their own strength, they were also covertly testing situations, developing like-minded allies, and identifying and clearing out potential opposition.

At Pure Yang Palace, those who truly perished in the two great calamities were mostly individuals completely indifferent to re-establishing the Heavenly Court and founding the Mortal Tao Country.

The truth behind Mount Shu’s last internal conflict was similar. On the surface, it seemed like a battle between reformists and conservatives. But beneath that, it was also about identifying and eliminating potential threats.

The more immediate threat, of course, was someone like Zhang Dongyuan. However, precisely because of Zhang Dongyuan’s extraordinary background, and to avoid alarming the Tang Imperial Court prematurely, he was temporarily spared, to be dealt with gradually in the future.

Even the Taoist Talisman Sect, whose progress had been the least smooth, had managed to erode the Yellow Sky Sect.

But unexpectedly, it was precisely the Yellow Sky Sect where problems arose. Subsequently, a chain of missteps led to the successive losses of Feng Yi, Zhou Peng, and Wang Dongchu—three Eighth Heavenly Layer cultivators. All this occurred before their plans were even formally initiated.

Fu Dongsen said, "Western Region Buddhism is by no means benevolent, and the Noble Clans and Renowned Families are merely lying low for now. We need to be more patient."

Hong Jie and Wei Qiyue both sighed.

Fu Dongsen stood up. "Grand Martial Aunt, Martial Aunt Wei, please focus on recuperating and strive for a swift recovery. I will have Qingxiao Manor shift its location once more."

After leaving a message as Chen Donglou, Lei Jun immediately departed from Mount Shu.

Aided by the Immortal Soul Purple Light and the Seven-Star Sword left by Chen Donglou, along with the leaves from the Thousand Leaves Butterfly King, Lei Jun could temporarily deceive even those who had known Chen Donglou in the past, such as Zhang Dongyuan and Xu Duan.

But if he stayed in Mount Shu for long, his cover could easily be blown, and he didn’t have the leisure for that.

After leaving Bashu, he secretly returned to his mountain.

Zhang Jingzhen had returned one step ahead of him.

As she and Lei Jun had speculated, the Tang Imperial Court did not retain her half of the talisman script. Instead, they studied it for a time before instructing Zhang Jingzhen to take it back to Dragon Tiger Mountain. The hope was that Dragon Tiger Mountain could further research the script and investigate the so-called Heavenly Palace and Mortal Tao Country.

The talisman script was to be kept by Dragon Tiger Mountain, but the results of their research had to be reported back to the Tang Imperial Court.

Lei Jun did not immediately retrieve the other half of the talisman script he had obtained from Chen Yi. Instead, he notified his Eldest Senior Sister, Xu Yuanzhen, to return to the mountain later.

Xu Yuanzhen, returning from the East Sea, had originally intended to visit Bashu. However, upon hearing from Lei Jun that the two parts of the talisman script were now complete, she detoured and returned to the Ancestral Courtyard of the Sect first.

With Tang Xiaotang in seclusion, Xu Yuanzhen presided over the reconvening of the Altar of Wanfa Sect.

Under her direction, the two talisman scripts were combined. Numerous instances of Tao Containment and runes converged, forming a pillar of light that shot straight into The Supreme Heaven.