Cultivation: Fortune by Lots-Chapter 464 - 246. High Merit Elder, Lei Chongyun (Two in One Chapter)_3

Chapter 464: 246. High Merit Elder, Lei Chongyun (Two in One Chapter)_3

Lei Jun’s momentum is equally swift now.

And this doesn’t even take into account Zhang Jingzhen, who is in seclusion, closing in on the final step of his cultivation.

For the time being, only Dragon Tiger Mountain’s Celestial Master Mansion is this dominant.

But what about what comes next?

The surging of Global Spiritual Qi is conducive to the cultivation of Cultivators.

And with the expansion of the foundational base, in some ways, Sacred Cultivation Grounds like the Celestial Master Mansion have more advantages than a noble family of the secular world...

Indeed, noble clans such as the Jinzhou Ye Clan constantly branch out and absorb new blood through marriage connections, but in the current era, their selection pool is somewhat narrower compared to the Celestial Master Mansion and other sects.

If the environment continues like this, this trend might become even more pronounced...

"Has Prince Zhao received the news by now?" Ye Moquan suddenly broke the silence.

Ye Feishan replied, "Yes, after stabilizing the situation in Youzhou, we sent someone to Prince Zhao’s Mansion at the first opportunity."

Ye Moquan nodded. "Go and send my calling card to Prince Zhao’s Mansion on my behalf, requesting an audience with His Highness. Later, I wish to visit Prince Zhao’s Mansion myself."

"Yes, Grandfather," Ye Feishan departed.

「Suzhou.」

The old Clan Chief, Chu Xiuyuan, along with a group of high-ranking Chu Clan members, had all returned to their ancestral land in Suzhou.

Upon returning, Chu Xiuyuan went straight into the inner residence, followed only by his third son, Chu Zhe, while the rest of the Chu Clan members remained in the courtyard.

"Jiangzhou fell too quickly!" someone lamented.

Another person replied in a low voice, "We, along with the Jingxiang Fang Clan, suppressed the Jiangzhou Lin Clan too harshly before..."

The former gave a bitter smile.

Along the banks of the Grand River were the three great southern Noble Clans and Renowned Families: the Jingxiang Fang Clan, the Suzhou Chu Clan, and others. They often formed alliances, with multiple marriages reinforcing their bonds, collectively keeping the Jiangzhou Lin Clan, situated at the river’s middle course, in check.

In fact, they had frequently interacted with Longhu Mountain Celestial Master’s Mansion, happy to have another thorn in the side of the Jiangzhou Lin Clan.

If a strong external enemy had appeared while the Celestial Master’s Mansion was still fraught with internal strife, the situation would have been even worse than it currently was.

Neither the Jingxiang Fang Clan nor the Suzhou Chu Clan had expected the battle for Jiangzhou to end this way.

It was said that the younger generation of Longhu Mountain Celestial Master’s Mansion had astonishing potential, but this outcome still far exceeded everyone’s expectations.

The current situation made one wonder: if the Celestial Master’s Mansion hadn’t endured so much internal strife over the past one or two hundred years, what heights might it have reached by now?

However, the affairs of the world are unpredictable, and the human heart is ever-changing.

If the Celestial Master’s Mansion were truly unified and continued its swift rise, perhaps the situation would be the Fang, Lin, and Chu clans uniting to besiege Xinzhou’s Dragon Tiger Mountain, rather than their previous encirclement of the Jiangzhou Lin Clan...

How could the Yellow Sky Sect have survived to this day if not for those who secretly assisted it, hoping for its continued existence and development?

"The Youzhou Lin Clan is stronger than the Jiangzhou Lin Clan, yet their fate hasn’t been much better."

One of the Chu Clan’s elders shook his head. "Even with Lin Yujing already at the Nine Heavens Realm, being caught unawares meant she still suffered this unexpected blow!"

Normally, by guarding their ancestral land, initiating the Grand Rite, and with the Shuofeng Sword, the Treasure of the Clan, in hand, Lin Huan would not fear an attack from a Ninth Heavenly Layer enemy, even though she hadn’t crossed the Heavenly Chasm between the Eighth and Ninth Heavenly Layers.

Moreover, the number of experts in the Youzhou Lin Clan’s ancestral land was greater than in the Jiangzhou Lin Clan’s.

With Lin Huan holding the Shuofeng Sword to withstand the frontal pressure, others, relying on the ancestral land’s support, could have influenced the battle from the flanks.

Who would have thought that this supposedly most secure aspect of the Youzhou ancestral land would not only fail to be a bulwark but would instead doom everyone, including Lin Huan.

"On my behalf, you shall visit Tianlong Temple," Elder Chu said calmly from the inner hall.

Chu Zhe replied, "Yes, Father."

Xu Yuanzhen, surpassing his master, the former Celestial Master Li Qingfeng—a case of the student outdoing the teacher—ascended to the Nine Heavens Realm, allowing the Taoist Talisman Sect to once again boast a Mahayana Practitioner.

With this, the influence of Longhu Mountain Celestial Master’s Mansion would rise even higher.

It was true that the Celestial Master Mansion’s numbers were sparse for now.

But with the successive emergence of Xu Yuanzhen, Tang Xiaotang, and Lei Jun, it truly seemed as if withered trees were experiencing a new spring.

The "Barbarian Spearhead" threat had not diminished, and the ruins of Jiangzhou still stood, making the other great noble families hesitant to act rashly.

However, worldly affairs are always multifaceted.

With Xu Yuanzhen’s Cultivation greatly advanced, and with Sect Leader Huang Xuanpu of Pure Yang Palace, the Taoist Sect now possessed two Ninth Heavenly Layer Cultivators.

The coordinated attacks from Jiangzhou in the south and Youzhou in the north had severely dampened the Confucian Sect’s spirit while also putting pressure on the Buddhist Sect...

In the past, the Four Sacred Grounds and various sects of the Taoist and Buddhist factions had received support from the Tang Imperial Court, implicitly cooperating to jointly combat the Five Clans and Seven Families of the Confucian tradition.

But to say that the Buddhist and Taoist factions had always gotten along was not necessarily true.

Previously, they had a common threat and adversary.

Now, with the Five Clans and Seven Families suffering continuous setbacks, their once overwhelming arrogance was a thing of the past.

Instead, it was the Taoist Sect that was growing in influence.

Meanwhile, the Buddhist Sect lacked a Ninth Heavenly Layer powerhouse, and one of its original Four Sacred Grounds, Bodhi Temple, had nearly faced annihilation, suffering heavy losses.

Would the Buddhist Sect be willing to live under the Taoist Sect’s shadow?

Of course, their relationship with the noble families was even more tense.

But that didn’t mean there was no possibility for relations to improve or mend.

Even if it were just a delaying tactic.

Without the tremendous pressure from the Suzhou Chu Clan, Tianlong Temple would be much freer than before.

The Bodhi Southern Sect would also find it easier to gain a foothold.

And as for Xuantian Temple, the Jinzhou Ye Clan had been managing it for quite some time.

As for Vajra Temple, their perennial troublesome neighbors were the Xiao Clan from outside Long. Moreover, among the Four Sacred Grounds of Buddhism, they had always maintained the most distant relationship with the Tang Imperial Court.

Yet, their relationship with the Noble Clans and Renowned Families was similarly distant.

Chu Xiuyuan had once spoken with Ye Moquan.

Both harbored some reservations about Vajra Temple.

That place had always maintained a low profile, yet it seemed to hold hidden depths.

"As for Great Void Temple, I will personally speak with them," said Elder Chu.