With the Timeblade Soul in hand, Lei Jun calmed his mind and immersed himself in cultivation.

In that moment, he seemed to sink into the river of time itself. As time flowed around him, his perception of its passage became strangely distorted from the outside world.

It wasn’t like a day in the heavens equaling a year on earth, nor was his personal time or life being sped up. Instead, affected by the Timeblade Soul, the time he spent cultivating was somehow compressed—he could accomplish the same accumulation in a much shorter span.

When it came to comprehending techniques and grasping the Dao, there were no shortcuts. The profound truths of the Dao had to be slowly understood by Lei Jun himself.

But once he gradually grasped the key principles, the Timeblade Soul could help him save a great deal of the tedious effort usually required, drastically speeding up his cultivation.

For someone like Lei Jun—gifted with natural intuition and nearly self-taught in most areas of cultivation—this treasure couldn’t be more perfect.

“It’s a pity it’s so hard to form,” Lei Jun flicked the Timeblade Soul with his finger.

It wasn’t as simple as a Martial Immortal unleashing their blade and their blade intent forming such a treasure.

Even with the mysterious time-based profundity of the Abyss of Time, it still wasn’t enough to directly forge a Timeblade Soul.

It involved something like the Da Ju realm—a world that, since the Great Calamity near the end of the Han Dynasty, had accumulated thousands of years of chaotic energies and surging spiritual essence.

Only through the combination of that spiritual energy and the passage of time, along with the blade intent of the Martial Immortal Yan Rizhōng and the time Dao from the Abyss of Time, did an unexpected transformation occur.

Even if another Martial Immortal wanted to use the Abyss of Time to craft a second Timeblade Soul, they would still have to pay a huge price in time within Da Ju.

Strictly speaking, it might still be worth trying, depending on the circumstances—but it’s clearly not something that could be achieved in just a few years.

For now, Lei Jun would first use this Timeblade Soul to assist his cultivation.

He had already laid the groundwork for many crucial aspects of his realm.

To break through to a higher realm, his main goal now was to continue accumulating the Seven Essences of Haoling and wait for the final qualitative leap.

This part took a lot of slow, meticulous effort.

But with the help of the Timeblade Soul, he could cut down that time significantly.

Besides that, Lei Jun had more plans for this spiritual treasure.

While quietly accumulating his Seven Essences of Haoling, Lei Jun brought out his Eight Scenes Cloak of Taiqing.

As his cultivation continued to rise, Lei Jun began developing new ideas regarding the few treasure-grade artifacts he had forged himself.

Seated atop Biyou Immortal Mountain, the Eight Scenes Cloak unfurled around him, its tassels swaying.

As mist and rain spread, strong gales started to rise, engulfing the area.

Under Lei Jun’s magical influence, the wind and rain seemed to freeze, and both time and space within the area affected by the Cloak grew sluggish.

“Command!”

With a low shout from Lei Jun, the Eight Scenes Winds seemed to reemerge, forming eight illusory screens surrounding the cloak like walls.

He didn’t immediately place the Timeblade Soul inside.

Instead, he activated another treasure first.

The same treasure he had once used to impersonate a Grand Scholar of the Nine Heavens—the Haoran Mystic Tablet.

The black jade tablet that flowed with the aura of literary righteousness was now controlled by Lei Jun and placed within the Eight Scenes Wind.

The next moment, atop Biyou Immortal Mountain, the True Fire of the Nine Abysses ignited, aiding Lei Jun in refining the artifact.

The Haoran Mystic Tablet slowly fused with the Eight Scenes Cloak of Taiqing.

Yet it didn’t lose its original mystical qualities.

Instead, it became one of the Eight Scenes, now contained within the Cloak.

Currently, it was still just a prototype and would need much more time to be fully refined and nurtured.

The Timeblade Soul could assist from the side, helping shorten the time needed for refinement.

Lei Jun also intended for the Timeblade Soul itself to become one of the Eight Scenes—but he wasn’t in a rush to do that just yet.

While quietly accumulating his Seven Essences of Haoling, he also continued to nurture the Eight Scenes Cloak of Taiqing.

Time flew by quickly.

As it passed, Lei Jun reached his eighty-ninth birthday.

During this period, the battles within the Former Song realm had become intense.

The Blue Wolf Khanate was being driven back steadily by the Golden Khanate and the Sumeru Lotus Tribe.

Due to distance, terrain, and other factors, as the battlefield kept shifting westward, it became increasingly difficult for the exiled Song remnants to receive firsthand updates.

By the time word reached Jiangnan in Central China, the news was often weeks or even months old and hard to verify.

According to the latest reports, several months ago, a decisive battle broke out between the Blue Wolf Khanate and the Golden Khanate.

The long-absent and elusive Blue Wolf Khan, Zholigetu, finally showed himself.

It was said the Blue Wolf Khanate had retreated to the Red Sun Prairie, territory once belonging to the Lone Eagle Khanate.

There, they attempted to reopen a void portal between the Former Song realm and the Great Tang realm.

It didn’t take much to guess that the Blue Wolf Khanate wasn’t trying to provoke another enemy—they were trying to pit one enemy against another, hoping to gain new allies to resist the Golden Khanate.

Some said they might even try to copy the Lone Eagle tribe and retreat into the Tang realm, submit to the Tang Dynasty, and avoid being slowly crushed by the Golden Khanate.

But this plan was foiled by the Golden Khanate.

At the critical moment, Zholigetu himself joined the fight, but the Golden Khan Ongqinfu did not reappear in the mortal realm.

Even so, the terrifying demon tiger Arata—recognized as the greatest demon in the Former Song realm—fought with brutal force. With support from elite fighters like Master Harsen of the Sumeru Lotus Tribe and Haritana of the Golden Khanate, the Blue Wolf Khanate was unable to achieve their strategic goal.

While the losses weren’t too severe, the attempt to open the portal failed completely.

In the end, they were forced to retreat from the Red Sun Prairie and continue westward.

The Golden Khanate kept pressing the attack.

The lands that once housed the void portal between the Former Song and Tang realms now fell under the Golden Khanate’s control.

Meanwhile, in the south of the Former Song realm, the Abyssal Beasts of the Ruins rampaged ever further southward.

Many of these were Ninth Heaven-level monsters.

Some even coordinated with native southern monster tribes.

Surrounded on all sides, Song remnant leaders like Zhu Junjie were constantly retreating while fighting.

The Pure Yang Palace elder Zheng Chen finally reappeared.

But with so many top-tier monsters in the fray, even with another Ninth Heaven Daoist on their side, the Song remnants struggled to hold the line.

Of course, although Tang Xiaotang put a lot of effort into pretending to be a Pure Yang Palace elder, keeping her full strength hidden, when besieged by monsters and truly enraged, it was impossible for her to hold back.

In a chaotic battle, she caught a Ninth Heaven Abyssal demon—the Tide-Flipping Golden Ape—off guard while it was alone, and with no one nearby, she dropped the act. "Elder Zheng" became "Elder Tang" and utterly obliterated the beast.

When Lei Jun heard the news, he wasn’t surprised at all.

Nor was he worried about Tang Xiaotang.

Not only was she powerful, but she had also mastered the Primordial Sea, which could transform all things within it into Primordial Qi. This naturally mirrored the cleansing effect of Lei Jun’s dark side of the Heavenly Tome.

To be exact, anything killed in her Primordial Sea left no trace—no cleanup required.

Had her cultivation been lower, that would’ve been one thing. But Tang Xiaotang had already reached the fifth level of the Ninth Heaven, achieving the Five Qi Toward the Mysterious stage of the Daoist talisman path.

With no witnesses, no one—not even the Kunpeng Sage from the Ruins—could’ve known what happened to that demon.

Still, the death of such a powerful demon couldn’t go unnoticed.

Soon, an even stronger monster—the Sea-Covering Flood Dragon King—showed up.

His power rivaled the likes of Lord Youluo from Luo Abyss, easily comparable to a peak Ninth Heaven human expert.

Due to Lei Jun’s previous suspicions about Ongqinfu, the Sumeru Wisdom Master, and the Kunpeng Sage, Tang Xiaotang, having had her fill of battle, restrained her temper and decided to fish for bigger prey. So she reverted back to her “Elder Zheng” identity and avoided direct conflict.

Under the cover of “Elder Zheng” and fighters like Zhu Junjie, the Song remnants continued retreating.

Most of the river systems in the Great River region were now occupied by Ruins demons.

Hearing all this, Lei Jun began to ponder.

It really did look like a cleanup operation.

To the west, the Golden Khanate cut off any chance of reopening the portal to the Tang realm.

To the south, the Abyssal demons of the Ruins were occupying regions that once served as void portals for Dehai, Kongsang, and even Huangquan—effectively pushing the Song remnants out and preventing them from collaborating to help those realms return.

The Dehai portal had been sealed for years. Normal people in the Tang realm wouldn’t get news so fast.

But Lei Jun was different.

Even Zhu Junjie didn’t know that through them, Lei Jun had access to vast information. Combined with the Jade Pure Celestial Mirror in Penglai, through which he could observe the Former Song realm, many theories had begun to form in his mind.

The clean-up operations by the Golden Khanate and Ruins demons only confirmed his suspicions.

Now that Tang Xiaotang had finished her part, it was time to sit back and watch.

Lei Jun suspected there were still more pieces in play.

After some thought, he withdrew his wandering thoughts and returned to focus on his cultivation and duties at the Tianshi Mansion on Mount Longhu.

His second disciple, Han Xiaofei, had been progressing rapidly and was now second only to Tang Xiaotang among the current Mount Longhu disciples—even surpassing Lei Jun’s own pace at that stage.

Not long ago, she had successfully crossed the chasm between the Fourth and Fifth Heavens and reached the Dao Palace realm of the Daoist talisman school.

Her senior brother Zhuo Huajie had this to say:

“Master, I believe it was mostly due to Junior Sister Hua Rong’s encouragement that she improved so quickly.”

You mean, so she could keep bullying her tail?

Lei Jun gave his eldest disciple a look. “Don’t be so modest. I’m sure your ‘encouragement’ helped too.”

Zhuo Huajie’s black-and-white face displayed a very human expression. He looked serious, but his reply was a little off-topic: “Master, I do cultivate very diligently.”

Ah, right—just trying to stay ahead so your junior sister doesn’t overpower you and mess with you.

Lei Jun looked him up and down, then gave a slight nod. “You ready?”

Zhuo Huajie: “Yes, Master. I’m ready to attempt crossing the chasm between the Seventh and Eighth Heavens.”

“You laid a strong foundation during your time in the Middle Three Heavens. Now it’s just a matter of focused cultivation. Since you’re confident, I trust you’ll succeed in forging the Divine Court of our Daoist path.”

Lei Jun smiled and patted his head. “Have you thought about your second natal divine ability after achieving the Eighth Heaven Divine Court stage?”

Zhuo Huajie: “I’ve got some ideas, but they’re not fully formed. I plan to look through the Three Great Battle Talismans from the Han Dynasty branch of our sect after the tribulation.”

Among the Three Caverns and Twelve Supreme Talismans of the Han Dynasty's Longhu branch were the Doumu Central Heaven Talisman, the Doumu Four Symbols Talisman, and the Doumu Seven Luminaries Talisman.

These talismans manifested divine phenomena—outwardly as star charts, inwardly as star gods—demonstrating divine power and enhancing one's body and life essence.

Though originally derived from Daoist Zhou Tian’s lineage, they had their own uniqueness, and Lei Jun had later refined them even further.

Zhuo Huajie’s first natal divine ability at the Seventh Heaven was the Doumu Star God Phenomenon drawn from the Destiny Book Talisman.

Now that he was about to reach the Eighth Heaven, he hadn’t chosen to continue with the Thunder Scripture, Fire Scripture, nor had he gone to Master Yuan Mobai for guidance on the Yin-Yang Tribulation-Dissolving Talisman or the Ninefold Refinement Martial Scripture.

It looked like little Xiong already had something planned—he was intending to create his own second innate divine power.

It might not necessarily surpass techniques like the Ninefold Refined Palm or the Bing Method Talisman Scripture, but it would certainly suit him perfectly.

Taking reference from the Three Treasures Talisman of the Combat Division at Mount Longhu of the Han Dynasty, it seemed he was going to continue cultivating in the field of physical cultivation and innate life force.

He already had a very solid foundation in this area.

Previously, when Lei Jun brought back many talismans from Daju that condensed the true meaning of martial arts, Zhuo Huajie benefited greatly from them as well.

To some extent, because of his unique foundation, he actually gained more from them than his peers.

"Go ahead, do your thing. If anything’s unclear, feel free to come to me," Lei Jun said with a smile.

Zhuo Huajie was quite perceptive, though not quite on the same level as Cheng Rongrong in this regard.

His talent leaned more toward physical strength and endurance.

His senior disciple was preparing for his second innate divine power.

Meanwhile, his second disciple, who had just broken through to the Dao Palace stage, had also begun studying her own second innate technique.

This time, Han Xiaofei didn’t try to be unconventional—she chose the Stepping Astral Path, a technique cultivated by many of her peers.

But right then, Lei Jun watched a bird land, spread its wings, and begin to circle about with both claws, moving in patterns identical to the Stepping Astral Path, which gave him the urge to hold his forehead.

"Master, I think I’ve grasped a few key points," the bird said, speaking in a clear girl’s voice.

Seeing Lei Jun stare at her blankly, the bird even showed a clearly humanlike embarrassed expression: “Uh… I lost control for a moment. Please forgive me, Master.”

As she spoke, she retracted her wings and transformed mid-air in a flash of red light.

A young Daoist nun in a crimson robe appeared before Lei Jun, standing obediently with her hands by her sides.

The once-immature girl who had joined the sect years ago had now grown into a graceful young woman.

Only, she looked rather awkward at the moment, a somewhat sycophantic grin appearing on her face. “Please forgive me, Master.”

Lei Jun remained seated and still. “Continue.”

Han Xiaofei immediately collected her thoughts and resumed practicing the Stepping Astral Path with full focus.

As she moved, specks of light emerged, like celestial stars orbiting her. They gradually transformed into a starry mist-like nebula.

Lei Jun watched from the side and gave a few pointers in passing, which Han Xiaofei greatly benefited from.

After finishing the instruction, Lei Jun asked, “You traded for some natural treasures from the Treasure Pavilion earlier—planning to forge your own magical weapon?”

Han Xiaofei stood straight. “Yes, Master. Although I have the magical weapon you gave me, I’d like to forge some of my own—specifically for use in battle against enemies.”

Lei Jun: “There’s no issue with that. Do you already have an idea?”

Han Xiaofei nodded vigorously, her face lighting up with excitement: “I already have a prototype!”

With that, she pulled something out from her dimensional pouch—a rather massive object over two feet in diameter. Holding it high, she displayed it to him.

From Lei Jun’s perspective, it was indeed only a prototype. Han Xiaofei still had a lot of refining to do.

But whether it was because it wasn’t finished yet or not, based on its current shape, Lei Jun couldn’t shake the feeling that it looked like... a giant hammer.

Recalling that Han Xiaofei, like Zhuo Huajie, had received a martial intent talisman from Daju, Lei Jun suddenly felt that what she was really forging was, quite literally, a hammer.

It was unexpected, but considering it was her… not entirely surprising.

Alright then.

She had said earlier she wanted to improve the stylistic tone of their sect’s legacy.

Well, with a weapon this overwhelmingly bold and massive, the style would definitely be loud and clear.

Lei Jun calmly offered a few tips on how to refine magical treasures and tools.

“Senior Brother, I got my hands on some Wish-Forged Fine Iron from Daju. Let’s give it to Junior Niece Huafei to help with forging her weapon,” suggested Chu Kun, after returning from seclusion and hearing about it. “That way, her hammer can change size—impossible to predict or defend against.”

“Sure…” Lei Jun replied, then paused, realizing something felt off—it seemed to go against the whole “stylistic improvement” goal.

He gave a slight shake of the head and composed himself, then turned to Chu Kun and offered congratulations: “Congratulations, Third Brother, on successfully advancing to the upper realm of the Divine Court. You’ve reached the peak of the Fourth Layer of the Eighth Heaven—Great Ascension is within reach.”

Chu Kun quickly waved it off. “You flatter me, Senior Brother. I’ve only just entered the upper realm of the Divine Court—barely stepped into the Fourth Layer of the Eighth Heaven. I still have a ways to go before reaching the peak, let alone the Great Ascension stage.”

He looked to Lei Jun. “How are your Seven Brilliant Vital Essences coming along?”

Lei Jun: “They should reach full accumulation within the year.”

Chu Kun let out a long breath. “In this time of chaos, that couldn’t be better.”

Lei Jun: “Indeed. News just came in from Luoyang, the imperial capital. Layman Shen Qubing has achieved Martial Sage status. The Tang Dynasty has gained another Ninth Heaven cultivator.”

Chu Kun: “General Shen succeeding is definitely a good thing. Do you think the next will be Master Yongshan from the Academy?”

Lei Jun: “Most likely. Probably within the next few years.”

He looked at Chu Kun and repeated his earlier words: “Wishing you success in taking that next step soon as well, Third Brother.”

Chu Kun: “I’ll take that blessing to heart.”

Given their experience in Daju, there was no need for Chu Kun to hide anything from Lei Jun. He lightly tapped his brow but didn’t disappear in front of him—he merely said:

“I haven’t gone back since entering seclusion. Once I stabilize my cultivation, I’ll go and take a look.”

Lei Jun: “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to reach out to Master or me.”

Chu Kun: “Of course.”

He went off to rest.

These days, more and more high-ranking elders were rising within the Tianshi Mansion at Mount Longhu. So even though Chu Kun and Zhuo Huajie had focused mainly on their cultivation in recent years and spent much of their time in seclusion, it didn’t affect the mansion’s day-to-day affairs.

Lei Jun mostly oversaw the overall direction.

He spent the most time lecturing and teaching his younger disciples.

Outside of that, he focused on his own cultivation and mentoring Han Xiaofei and Cheng Rongrong.

The Tang Dynasty’s human realm had remained stable in recent years.

In contrast, in the Song Dynasty’s realm, the Golden Khanate and the great beasts of the Ruins of Return had been purging the land, though Golden Khan Ongqinfu had yet to return.

Lei Jun wasn’t in a rush and continued observing the situation.

As for the Jinhan realm, there was fresh news.

The Han imperial throne remained undecided due to intense interest from all sides.

Over time, the interconnectedness between the Jinhan realm and the Twin Jin realms had gradually stopped being a secret among high-level circles.

Learning of the standoff between North and South Jin within the Twin Jin realms raised concerns within the Han Dynasty’s court—they feared repeating the mistakes of the neighboring Jin Dynasty.

The already tense situation had become even more delicate.

Meanwhile, in the northern desert, conflict between the Kongsang Witch King’s Tianjing and Dudu factions seemed to be nearing resolution.

Lei Jun reviewed intelligence from Mount Longhu’s Han branch, sent by Fu Yuzhou and Ma Zongxiang, and cross-referenced it with what Kang Ming of the Yellow Heaven Dao had gathered.

Reports said that Peng Youshan, leader of the Tianjing faction of the Kongsang witches, had been gravely injured and his fate was unknown. Most of the remaining Tianjing cultivators were either dead or critically wounded.

However, Dudu had also suffered massive losses.

After a bit of thought, Lei Jun secretly reached out to senior leaders of the Dudu faction who had once visited him.

Kelang, the leader of Dudu, was currently in seclusion to recover.

Elder Chenxiao replied, revealing the key to the battle.

Fan Datuo, head of the Sumeru Jewel Division who had long kept a low profile in the Jinhan realm, personally led many top experts to support Dudu and dealt a devastating blow to Tianjing.

According to Chenxiao, Fan Datuo had already returned to Sumeru.

Before entering seclusion, Kelang, feeling uneasy, instructed Chenxiao and the others to remain vigilant.

Lei Jun mused aloud, “Did your Elder Xiang take part in the battle?”

Chenxiao: “Elder Xiang has been secretly rebuilding his physical body for the past few years. He did not participate and hasn’t shown himself publicly.”

Lei Jun: “When Elder Xiang is ready, I’d be honored to host him in the Tang Dynasty’s realm. I’ll be awaiting the good news.”

Chenxiao: “You’re too kind, Celestial Master. Elder Xiang has indeed been planning to visit after his reconstruction. I’ll be sure to pass along your message.”

…

Within Sumeru.

After returning from the mortal realm, Fan Datuo, the head of the Jewel Division, arrived at the foot of Mount Sumeru and bowed to the Venerable One of Wise Insight: “Venerable One, I have fulfilled my mission.”

As he spoke, he presented a seemingly ordinary prayer wheel. “The situation with Kongsang Tianjing and Dudu should no longer pose a threat.”

The Venerable One of Wise Insight accepted the prayer wheel. “Good.”

Fan Datuo hesitated slightly. “Venerable One…”

The Venerable One of Wise Insight seemed to already understand what he was pondering. “Though we’ve made preparations for both the Han and Song realms, and Sumeru is also ready for the transformation of the Vajra Rebirth Treasury, the Tang realm and the Tianshi Mansion of Mount Longhu still can’t be underestimated. We must also be on guard for Shabala.

To avoid unexpected complications, we need to make further preparations before Golden Khan awakens and returns.”

With that, he put away the prayer wheel and simultaneously retrieved a large Buddhist treasure orb.

The orb floated before Vimośa, the head of the Buddha Division.

Vimośa respectfully accepted the orb, made a mudra gesture to the Venerable One of Wise Insight, and then returned to the realm of the Twin Jin.

…

At the Tianshi Mansion, Mount Longhu, in the Tang realm.

Winter gave way to spring, and time quietly slipped into summer.

Celestial Master Lei Jun was about to celebrate his ninetieth birthday.

As summer approached, Lei Jun received good news.

His direct disciple, Zhuo Huajie, had successfully ascended to the Eighth Heaven, reaching the Divine Court stage of the Daoist Talisman School.

The Tianshi Mansion at Mount Longhu now had a new high-ranking elder at the Eighth Heaven level—Zhuo Huajie was also the first among the third-generation disciples of the mansion to reach this level.

The news spread both within and outside the mansion, and many offered their congratulations.

Lei Jun was pleased and offered Zhuo Huajie further guidance in the Daoist arts.

Shortly afterward, he sent his disciple to visit the Han branch of Mount Longhu to observe the Three Caves and Twelve Supreme Talisman Scriptures.

Afterward, Celestial Master Lei himself entered seclusion once more.

His Seven Brilliant Vital Essences of Hao Ling had now fully accumulated.