CHAPTER 370: 215. A SECOND-RANK OPPORTUNITY?

"Lin Che, huh..."

Lei Jun was initially slightly surprised, but he quickly composed himself, his primary concern being something else. "Is there any news of the eldest apprentice sister?"

Yuan Mobai spoke slowly, "There is still no news of Martial Niece Yuan Zhen."

That was why he said the news wasn’t that good.

In the battle that took place at Poyang Lake, the Jiangzhou Lin Clan had used secretive measures—ancient rituals that twisted time and space—intending to bury Xu Yuanzhen, the one from Longhu Mountain Celestial Master Mansion they feared the most.

Ultimately, they did trap Xu Yuanzhen.

But the Jiangzhou Lin Clan lost their newly appointed, yet barely established, Clan Chief Lin Che, as well as another Eighth Heavenly Layer elder, Lin Feng, in the process. Xu Yuanzhen dragged them both into the temporal turbulence with her, leaving the whereabouts of all three unknown.

Counting the losses of people like Lin Zhen before, the Jiangzhou Lin Clan suffered even greater casualties in the end.

Xu Yuanzhen even left a message that she had already killed Lin Feng in the temporal turbulence...

However, she and Lin Che both went missing, and there had been no news of them for years.

But now, Lin Che has actually returned.

Yet there is still no sign of Xu Yuanzhen.

For Dragon Tiger Mountain, this news was indeed somewhat bad.

"As her master, I believe that Martial Niece Yuan Zhen will surely turn misfortune into good fortune," Yuan Mobai spoke slowly. "We might just have to wait a little longer."

Lei Jun: "I think so too."

However, Longhu Mountain Celestial Master Mansion would now have to be wary of Jiangzhou once again.

The Jiangzhou Lin Clan had been unstable internally, losing two consecutive Clan Chiefs, Lin Qun and Lin Che, in just a few short years.

With Lin Che missing and elders like Lin Feng and Lin Zhen gone, the Jiangzhou Lin Clan not only suffered a severe blow to their vitality and was left without a leader, but also plunged into new internal strife.

The main lineage suffered heavy losses, while collateral branches saw the rise of capable individuals like Lin Yuwei, leading to continuous disputes.

The Celestial Master Mansion had been able to recuperate and replenish after the struggle involving Li Wai, precisely because the Jiangzhou Lin Clan was similarly troubled internally.

And now, Lin Che was back in Jiangzhou, adding unpredictability to the entire situation.

No matter what, Lin Che was a Great Scholar of the Eighth Heavenly Layer with considerable strength and connections. Nominally, he had always been the contemporary Clan Chief of the Jiangzhou Lin Clan.

Others might not be able to suppress Lin Yuwei, but Lin Che possibly could.

Although the Jiangzhou Lin Clan had been severely weakened, they had not fallen to the state of the Xiao Clan in Longwai.

If they could reunify and unite their strength, the Jiangzhou Lin Clan would still be an ancient and respected house not to be underestimated by outsiders.

The Celestial Master Mansion, currently recuperating from a low point, especially had to be vigilant against this old adversary next door.

To put it bluntly, even if Lei Jun or Yuan Mobai actually died in the Southern Wilderness, the others in the Celestial Master Mansion would have no choice but to grit their teeth and cling to Celestial Master Tang’s coattails, preventing her from descending the mountain to seek revenge in the Southern Wilderness.

Facing the Jiangzhou Lin Clan, which could potentially unite once more, Tang Xiaotang and the Celestial Master’s Sword must remain together at Dragon Tiger Mountain to safeguard it under the current circumstances.

Her Majesty the Empress did personally visit Dragon Tiger Mountain back then to show support for the Celestial Master Mansion, it’s true.

But as General Shangguan Peng said, that was then and this is now. Back then, neither Wei Ancheng nor the descendants of the Sui Dynasty had caused as much commotion as they have now.

The Southern Wilderness has undergone successive major changes. With the Tang Imperial Court also having to consider the undercurrents among the four prominent surnames and six influential factions within the Great Tang, Lin Che’s sudden return and the potential reunification of the Jiangzhou Lin Clan further shifted the balance.

"As the saying goes, ’A single hair can move the whole body.’ Nothing could be more true," Yuan Mobai looked at Lei Jun and suddenly smiled. "Now it seems that Our Sect should thank General Shangguan Peng."

To be precise, they should thank Lei Jun.

But some things, Yuan Mobai would not say so directly.

"Master is right. We owe a great deal to General Shangguan Peng’s righteous and selfless act," Lei Jun nodded with a smile. "Worldly affairs are ever-changing. I hadn’t anticipated... General Shangguan Peng’s act of righteousness would be so crucial."

General Shangguan Peng had perished, possibly at the hands of Ghost Tao experts from Golden City Stronghold.

Whether it was to provide an explanation to the Tang Imperial Court, the Great Tang Divine Strategy Army, or his own Shangguan Clan, Great General Shangguan Yunbo had no choice but to head south from the capital, bringing the Expelling Invaders Halberd to the Southern Wilderness.

With his arrival, Tang Xiaotang naturally didn’t need to bring the Celestial Master’s Sword south and could stay comfortably at Dragon Tiger Mountain to guard against any movements from the Jiangzhou Lin Clan.

Lei Jun, too, hadn’t anticipated that an unwitting action could have such an unexpectedly advantageous outcome.

As Master Yuan Mobai said, everyone should thank General Shangguan Peng together.

His sacrifice brought happiness to many.

"Even so, in these troubled times, we still need to be cautious not to put the Sect Leader in a difficult position," Yuan Mobai said. "We should deal with matters in the Southern Wilderness as soon as possible and strive to return to the mountain early."

Lei Jun responded, "The civil war among the Southern Witch Sect, much like their internal relations, is complex and unpredictable, making it difficult to forecast the final outcome... However, I believe that with the direct descendants of the Sui Dynasty involved, it might rather prompt Wei Ancheng to make a decisive move to cut through the chaos."

Yuan Mobai nodded. "It’s not impossible, but the outcome is difficult to predict."

Hearing this, Lei Jun nodded silently.

The master and disciple were amidst the Qingshan mountains. Lei Jun gazed into the distance at the surface of the Zhu An River. "Master, what is the background of Zhu’an Mountain in the Zhu An River basin?"

He had arrived not long ago, while Yuan Mobai had been here for some time and was familiar with the surrounding environment.

Yuan Mobai explained, "For the past few hundred years, Zhu’an Mountain has been under the control of Gepo Mountain, the Sacred Land of the Southern Witch Sect’s Divine Dance lineage. The current mountain lord is also a True Inheritance disciple of Gepo Mountain. According to her lineage, the mountain lord of Zhu’an Mountain is the Direct Disciple of Gepo Mountain Elder Yuan Shanji."