CHAPTER 253: OPPORTUNITY TO BOOST COMPREHENSION FOR THE SECOND TIME_2

Lei Jun: "Bodhi Temple has been ensnared... Now is just the beginning!"

Yuan Mobai: "The intelligence you had obtained earlier... was correct. Great Void Temple’s return from the East Sea signals its reappearance on land... With Bodhi Temple in a vulnerable state, it’s currently facing Great Void Temple’s assault; the specifics remain unclear..."

Despite the lack of evidence, Lei Jun had already formed several speculations in his mind, connecting them into a coherent thread. The disturbance in the north was perhaps real, but it wasn’t instigated by Bodhi Temple. Instead, someone was using demonic blades to annihilate Buddhism. The Jinzhou Ye Clan. The Youzhou Lin Clan. Even the Qingzhou Ye Clan, elusive as shadows, might be watching. They had prepared more than one blade. Apart from the Great Demon of the North, there was also one of the archenemies of the Buddhist Sacred Lands, Great Void Temple. When necessary, the three great noble clans might even enter the fray themselves, since the scapegoats, both human and demon, were ready. Great Void Temple was only too happy to comply, not feeling at all that this was a setup, as everyone had their own interests to look after. As for the Tang Imperial Court, it had other pressing matters at hand. If Prince Wu’s rebellion was within their grasp, then the turmoil in the East Sea was something to be taken seriously, no matter how much attention was paid. Among the other three sacred lands of Buddhism, Vajra Temple had always been distant from the other temples, Xuantian Temple was sealed off all year round, and Tianlong Temple was also engulfed in the chaos of the East Sea and Wu Yue. It would be difficult for Bodhi Temple to overcome this particular hurdle... Not to mention anything else, could the Abbot of Bodhi Temple even survive to return to his mountain gate? The Tang Imperial Court supported the Three Taoist and Four Buddhist Sects and the Seven Great Sacred Lands, balancing the power of the Five Clans and Seven Families. But now, this map was on the verge of being forcibly torn away at one corner. If Bodhi Temple was the first, then who would be the second? Celestial Master Mansion, its vitality severely damaged by successive internal strife? Considering, if it weren’t for the Jinzhou Ye Clan and Youzhou Lin Clan’s extensive early preparations against Bodhi Temple—plans so advanced they couldn’t be stopped—might Celestial Master Mansion have been their better target? The Xiao Clan beyond Longwai and the Lin Clan of Jiangzhou were still recuperating. Would the Suzhou Chu Clan and Jingxiang Fang Clan move further? Ever since the Empress ascended the throne, she had yet to stabilize her footing, with dark tides surging within and outside the Capital. And now, she was indeed receiving the first gift from the Noble Clans and Renowned Families for her coronation... Wait, something seems off.

Lei Jun suddenly frowned, feeling like he was overlooking something.

"For Our Sect, we need to clean up our own mess first," Yuan Mobai said, not overly concerned. "What I am more focused on at the moment... is the mysterious enemy who attacked Qingfeng and helped Yellow Sky Sect perfect the Three Caverns Desolate Divine Tribulation..."

Lei Jun agreed with his master’s perspective.

All around, north of the Grand River, a storm was brewing.

In contrast, under such circumstances, the other powers of the Great Tang were too stretched to pay much attention, at least not too much attention, to the new internal struggle breaking out within Celestial Master Mansion.

Even if Yellow Sky Sect and Golden City Stronghold were watching like tigers eying their prey, both sides of the Celestial Master Mansion’s internal conflict could probably cast aside many of their concerns.

The internal strife was likely to escalate further.

Not just the pinnacle battle between the four High Merit Masters—Tang Xiaotang, Li Song, Li Ziyang, and Yao Yuan.

Conflicts among the middle-ranking cultivators within the mansion were becoming increasingly fierce.

If it weren’t for Yuan Mobai and Shangguan Ning exerting their influence to suppress and coordinate, the mansion might have truly relived the scenes from over a century ago. During that time, conflict had erupted both inside and outside, from top to bottom, in a literal free-for-all.

Yet what was most distressing was that mysterious and powerful figure.

Six years ago, it was he who ambushed the former Celestial Master Li Qingfeng on the Grand River, leading to Li Qingfeng’s demise.

Afterward, Xu Yuanzhen pursued but could only force the foe to retreat, and it’s uncertain if she truly gained the upper hand.

That enigmatic person always made great effort to conceal their identity, naturally never revealing their full strength.

And today, six years later, it was this person again, who helped Yellow Sky Sect turn the previously conceptual Three Caverns Desolate Divine Tribulation into an actual formidable weapon.

This individual’s Cultivation, methods, and resources warranted the Celestial Master Mansion’s vigilance.

Lei Jun shook his head lightly.

He was not in a hurry to return to the mansion.

After relocating and finding a relatively stable place, Lei Jun shook the Breathing Soil Banner, and a dim yellow Spirit Light manifested an abundance of earth and stone to conceal himself.

Only then did he have the leisure to carefully examine the pair of odd Precious Jade he received earlier from the Altar.

[Wilderness Enlightening Jade]

An epiphany struck Lei Jun, and a name flashed through his mind.

There was abundant Spiritual Nature within, yet it carried a primitive and wild aura that set one’s heart racing. It was not innately malicious, just starkly different from ordinary Spiritual Objects. Lei Jun contemplated carefully, feeling the essence of a transition from a primeval murkiness to a clear enlightenment, teetering on the brink between the primordial and the enlightened, exquisitely delicate. In a fleeting moment, Lei Jun suddenly felt as if his thoughts had become even more agile than before. This startled Lei Jun a bit. Normally, by the standards everybody agreed upon, his comprehension had reached the Clear Insight level, meaning his thoughts were already extremely nimble. Therefore, when practicing Spells, he often had the ability to derive a variety of applications from a single idea, leading to original and innovative techniques. To take another step forward from great heights is always the most difficult, a truth that applies to the vast majority of matters. At Lei Jun’s Clear Insight level of comprehension, carefully pondering over this pair of jade pieces and still experiencing a sense of enlightenment was indeed rare. However, this flash of inspiration lasted only for an instant. Afterwards, when Lei Jun tried to capture it again, he met with no success.

After pondering for a moment, he formed some tentative conjectures in his mind.

Lei Jun’s consciousness submerged into the depths of his Spiritual Soul, connecting with the Celestial Master Seal and the True One Altar Cave Heaven.

Initially, there was no response.

Just as Lei Jun was about to dismiss this conjecture and consider other strategies, within the True One Altar Cave Heaven, the Forty-Nine Lamps on the altar suddenly flickered through one cycle of light and dark.