Cultivation: Fortune by Lots-Chapter 391 - 224. Master’s connections and... bear pulse?_2

Chapter 391: 224. Master’s connections and... bear pulse?_2

Although letting a formidable enemy escape posed a risk of future repercussions, for now, the situation in the Southern Wilderness remained chaotic. It wouldn’t settle down immediately just because Blood River had been repelled. Thus, Sun Li needed to stay vigilant at all times, ensuring that he wouldn’t be outmaneuvered by others.

"This trip has been hard on Mo Bai," Sun Li said with a chuckle.

This Elder from Samsara Abyss, clad in the traditional attire of the Southern Wilderness, looked to be in his forties or fifties. He had dark skin and bright eyes that hinted at his originally handsome features, though now his unkempt beard gave him a rugged appearance.

His foray into these muddy waters had gone smoothly and yielded satisfying results.

However, he had also incurred enmity with a direct line of the Sui Dynasty’s descendants and had exposed his own identity.

Yuan Mobai had assisted him, which meant he could also potentially bear the karmic repercussions and become implicated.

"No need for formalities, Taoist Brother," Yuan Mobai responded, looking unperturbed. "We should aid each other. You have helped me greatly in the past."

He smiled as he introduced Lei Jun, who was beside him, "Taoist Brother, this is my disciple, Lei Jun. I took the liberty of bringing him along today, and I hope you will forgive me."

Sun Li chuckled. "Why would I mind? Since he is one ofyour few Direct Disciples, he must be a trusted person."

"Senior," Lei Jun greeted.

Sun Li said with a smile, "Heroes often emerge from the young. Your reputation has also been quite illustrious in the Southern Wilderness recently."

"It’s all thanks to the reputation of our Sect and the teachings of my master," Lei Jun replied.

After chatting for a while, Sun Li said, "Wei Ancheng ultimately survived, and Golden City Stronghold and Yintuo Mountain are also awaiting news. The chaos in the Southern Wilderness will persist for some time. If you have no other business, it’s best you return to your mountain in the north as soon as possible."

He too would need to disappear for a while to digest the gains from this occasion.

"My disciple and I had the same plan," Yuan Mobai said. "Please take care of yourself in the days to come, Taoist Brother."

Sun Li nodded. "Take care."

His figure seemed to turn into a wisp of green smoke and disappeared on the spot.

Lei Jun and his master also took their leave.

"Master, that senior, could he also be...?"

Lei Jun gestured with his hands, forming a circle and miming a couple of times.

It was as though he was outlining the contour of some kind of round, chubby animal.

"..." Most of the time, Yuan Mobai remained unmoved by such topics, but in this instance, he was rendered speechless.

Seeing Lei Jun still gesturing, Yuan Mobai pointed at him and said, "Mischievous disciple."

With that, he turned and walked away, clearly unamused.

Lei Jun touched his own chin and silently followed.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him: Could his master’s network... or at least part of it, be composed of bear connections?

He didn’t voice this thought, but Yuan Mobai could tell just from his expression what this disciple of his—reliable most of the time, yet occasionally eccentric—was thinking.

"Let go of such absurd thoughts," Yuan Mobai said, shaking his head.

Lei Jun cleared his throat and composed himself. "Master’s reproof is well taken."

"We owe an explanation to Shangguan Grand General and General Xiao," Yuan Mobai changed the subject, "and also to those at Mount Shu."

Even though helping Sun Li had brought him some karma due to his clash with Yang Yuqi, Yuan Mobai had also represented Celestial Master Mansion in the battle at Sleeping Dragon Lake, providing a basic accounting to the Tang Imperial Court.

In this battle, Shangguan Yunbo, the Great General from the Great Tang Dynasty, was the main force. He continuously engaged in fierce combat with Wei Ancheng and Yang Yuqi and was also the most severely wounded of them all.

Now that Wei Ancheng had escaped, Shangguan Yunbo lacked the strength to pursue further, and even the Expelling Invaders Halberd was stained with blood.

Xiao Xueting, having greeted Lei Jun and his master, promptly requested their assistance in escorting Shangguan Yunbo back to the Great Tang.

Although Shangguan Yunbo was gravely injured, his achievements in battle were significant. Wei Ancheng was also wounded by him and the Expelling Invaders Halberd and was presently being pursued by the Future Maitreya, who possessed the Ninth Grade White Jade Lotus Platform, and Elder Xu Duan from Mount Shu.

Yang Yuqi had managed to slip away but left behind the damaged Jade Seal.

This treasure, though incomplete, possessed extraordinary significance as a relic left by Emperor Sui and a symbol of identity for the direct descendants of the Sui Dynasty.

Although abandoning this treasure allowed Yang Yuqi a chance to escape, it dealt a significant blow to both his substance and reputation. From a practical standpoint, losing such an important treasure meant a setback in power that could affect not just his own future cultivation but also severely damage his prestige.

Lei Jun and Yuan Mobai, tasked with escorting Shangguan Yunbo, the Expelling Invaders Halberd, and the damaged Jade Seal, left the Southern Wilderness together, heading north back to the Great Tang.

Before they reached the borders of the Great Tang Dynasty, a second batch of experts from the Tang Court arrived to relieve them.

Lei Jun and his master were not required to return to the Southern Wilderness. They had no desire to be involved in the remaining matters, which were best left for others to handle.

"It’s a pity that this battle wasn’t a complete success, but achieving this much was already a difficult feat," Shangguan Yunbo sighed.

Lei Jun and his master agreed with this sentiment.

Yuan Mobai said, "In this battle, the Great General was truly the mainstay."

This was not flattery; it was crucial that someone could withstand Wei Ancheng’s pressure head-on.

After some recuperation, Shangguan Yunbo now appeared relatively normal on the outside, no longer looking like an injured man. However, the blazing blood qi that once burned like the morning sun and stars was no longer present, indicating that this Eighth Heavenly Layer Martial Tao expert was still in a weakened state.

"Taoist Yuan is being too polite," Shangguan Yunbo said, his expression solemn rather than pleased. "Although I did my utmost, if it weren’t for other factors, this battle would have had a different outcome."

Lei Jun and Yuan Mobai nodded slightly.

The current outcome of this battle was contingent on many indispensable conditions.

Shangguan Yunbo, wielding the Expelling Invaders Halberd, withstood Wei Ancheng’s pressure.

The Holy Master of Samsara Abyss, Feng Gui, arrived unexpectedly early.

Two great masters from Gepo Mountain erected a Sacrificial Formation to seal the void, making it difficult for the Blood River Sect experts to come and go as they pleased, forcing Wei Ancheng to desperately attempt to break the formation.

Elder Xu Duan from Mount Shu arrived in a timely fashion.

There was even Sun Li, an Elder from Samsara Abyss, seizing the opportunity to profit from the chaos.

But these were not what Shangguan Yunbo was alluding to.

All the above were fundamental conditions, not the decisive factors that would turn the tide of the battle.

In Shangguan Yunbo’s own view, there were two pivotal players in this battle.

One was Xiao Xueting.

Shangguan Yunbo had not expected her sudden appearance either.

Although she did not manage to kill Gao Pu with a single sword strike, she freed Shangguan Yunbo from being bogged down.

Otherwise, if he had lingered on Kind Jade Mountain any longer, the situation at Sleeping Dragon Lake, where they faced Wei Ancheng, might have collapsed.

The subsequent great battle was only possible because the stalemate at Kind Jade Mountain was broken before Sleeping Dragon Lake collapsed.

Even though a collapse at Sleeping Dragon Lake would predominantly mean losses for those in the Southern Wilderness’s Witchcraft Sect who opposed Blood River, rather than the Tang Imperial Court, Shangguan Yunbo was more concerned with the overall situation.

In comparison, Xiao Xueting’s subsequent pursuit of the severely injured Gao Pu was a minor detail.

As for the second pivotal player...

"Why did the White Lotus Rebel suddenly turn traitor?" This was why Shangguan Yunbo appeared so solemn. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

He could tell that Wei Ancheng had genuinely been played by the White Lotus Sect.

The nature of this betrayal was the same as Sun Li backstabbing Yang Yuqi and his son, Yang Tai—only its impact was even more detrimental, directly deciding the final outcome of the battle at Sleeping Dragon Lake.

Originally, Wei Ancheng viewed the White Lotus Sect as his trump card, but it ended up becoming the enemy’s trump card. This reversal had a diametrically opposite effect on the outcome.

But why?

It wasn’t just Wei Ancheng who was caught off guard; Shangguan Yunbo, Sang Lu, Feng Gui, and others were also inexplicably surprised.

Who convinced the White Lotus Sect to betray them and turn their weapons around?

And by what means were they persuaded?

Wei Ancheng had been so confident, which indicated that the price he offered the White Lotus Sect was by no means low.

The White Lotus Sect, in effect, discarded Wei Ancheng’s offer and, at the same time, had to bear the consequences of making an enemy of him after their betrayal. The disparity was immense.

"Gepo Mountain, Samsara Abyss... or perhaps it was Yintuo Mountain or some other place?" Shangguan Yunbo’s gaze shifted northward.

He had begun to contemplate the Jinzhou Ye Clan, whose direct-line daughters had been killed or injured by Wei Ancheng’s slaughter, or other forces that harbored old grudges against the Blood River Sect...

Lei Jun and Yuan Mobai echoed his sentiments without shifting their gaze.

We who cultivate the Tao are indifferent to fame and fortune, never prideful of our contributions.

Within the starry expanse of the Celestial Book, Lei Jun of Taibai Metal Scepter, as agreed, passed on the Buddhist essence originating from the candlestick to Age Star Muyao.

That is, to the Future Maitreya.

The two sides did not engage in further exchanges; everything was understood without words.

The identity of Mu Yao was already an open secret to Lei Jun.

Many were involved in this great battle in the Southern Wilderness; those who sought to challenge Wei Ancheng were not limited to one or two factions.

However, Mu Yao also had a rough guess about Lei Jun’s lineage, though it wasn’t yet absolutely certain.

Yet, by a fortuitous coincidence, the two sides had progressed beyond merely exchanging intelligence on this occasion and had collaborated.

As for the future, it was too early to say.

Lei Jun and the Future Maitreya remained silent, but the battle in the Southern Wilderness had captured the attention of the world.

In the ancestral mansion of the Jinzhou Ye Clan, about whom Shangguan Yunbo was concerned, an old man received the latest message and fell into a long, profound silence.