Whether inside or outside
Tianshi Mansion
, everyone was diligently searching for the missing
Tianshi Seal
.
Senior Sister Xu Yuanzhen had searched for it.
Master Yuan Mobai also kept an eye out.
The rival
Yellow Heaven Sect
was likewise searching.
From what Lei Jun knew, Elder Hongyu, Elder Ziyang, and the
Young Tianshi
Li Zhengxuan were also on the hunt.
Years later, during his training under Yuan Mobai, Lei Jun had heard bits and pieces about what happened back then.
Four or five years ago, during their
Initiation Ceremony
, besides Tang Xiaotang, Chen Yi, Shangguan Hong, and Li Ying had all submitted petitions to the heavens, hoping to become direct disciples of the
Tianshi
.
Of course, the outcome was that the
Tianshi
stood them all up.
Afterwards, Chen Yi hoped to receive the same treatment as Tang Xiaotang. His confidence lay in his contributions to
Tianshi Mansion
, hoping that his merits would prompt an exception.
For this, the senior elders held a secret meeting to deliberate.
Unfortunately, it didn’t pass.
According to Yuan Mobai, Chen Yi did indeed have merit—he had discovered some clues about the whereabouts of the
Tianshi Seal
.
Because of this, Elder Hongyu and Yao Yuan supported making an exception for him.
But the proposal was blocked by Elder Ziyang.
His reason was solid.
The clues Chen Yi found were already known to Elder Ziyang, who had even more comprehensive information.
Thus, Chen Yi’s contributions couldn’t really be called contributions.
The matter of making an exception for Chen Yi was shelved indefinitely.
The incident remained confidential, and Chen Yi joined Elder Yao’s tutelage, where he remained to this day.
For the outer disciples, it seemed like nothing had ever happened. Everything was business as usual.
But for the higher-ups of
Tianshi Mansion
, the search for the missing
Tianshi Seal
continued with little progress.
Now, with
Tianshi Mansion
in crisis, could the
Tianshi Seal
really be drawing near
Mount Longhu
once again?
Lei Jun found this less a stroke of fortune and more a cruel irony.
Of course, the
Tianshi Seal
possessed its own spirituality; it wasn’t consciously finding its way home.
Where it would ultimately end up, and in whose hands, was still a mystery.
Lei Jun reined in his wandering thoughts and meticulously cleaned up the scene, collecting the scattered
artifacts
and
spiritual items
from the fallen
Yellow Heaven Sect
disciples.
“Roar!!”
Suddenly, a ferocious tiger's roar interrupted his work!
Surprised, Lei Jun looked into the distance.
This time, the roar didn’t come from the excavated mountain ridge beneath his feet, but from far away.
Lei Jun squinted into the distance and saw a massive, azure
Fire Tiger
appear on the horizon.
The giant tiger, composed entirely of azure
Earth Fire
flames, roared as it moved, flames spreading like a raging inferno across the horizon.
But it wasn’t coming for Lei Jun—it was pursuing another group.
Several
Yellow Heaven Sect
disciples fled in desperation, heading towards the desolate mountains.
They were trying to regroup with their comrades who had been excavating the mountain, hoping to muster enough strength to fend off their pursuers.
Given the secrecy surrounding the search for the
Tianshi Seal
, they should have avoided drawing attention at all costs.
But their frantic escape to this location showed just how much pressure their pursuers had exerted, nearly breaking their sanity.
Unfortunately, when they arrived, they found their fellow
Yellow Heaven Sect
disciples dead or dying.
Despair overtook them.
The towering
Nine Abyss Flame Ancestor
apparition paused slightly.
The azure
Fire Tiger
spoke in a surprised tone: “Senior Sister’s handiwork?”
The raging azure flames dissipated, leaving the
Yellow Heaven Sect
disciples bewildered.
The giant
Fire Tiger
vanished, replaced in midair by a tall, stunning woman—Tang Xiaotang.
When she saw Lei Jun, her expression turned to surprise: “Why are you here?”
Lei Jun remained calm: “I noticed some
Yellow Heaven Sect
cultivators acting suspiciously on the road, so I tracked them here. They were digging up the mountain, and then they got wiped out by the
Nine Abyss Flame Ancestor
apparition left behind by Senior Sister.”
Tang Xiaotang recalled the story of Lei Jun and Xu Yuanzhen’s first encounter and asked, astonished: “Right here?”
Lei Jun gestured toward the newly arrived
Yellow Heaven Sect
disciples being pursued: “Little Senior Sister, shall we deal with this first?”
The fleeing
Yellow Heaven Sect
disciples, initially in despair, saw Tang Xiaotang pause to chat and felt a flicker of hope. They scattered in all directions.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Tang Xiaotang grinned: “Since Senior Sister put on such a show, I can’t be left behind!”
As she spoke, golden light erupted from her body. Her long black hair and eyebrows turned a pale gold.
In the next moment, blazing golden flames spread in every direction.
“Roar!!”
Another tiger's roar echoed through the heavens.
This time, a golden
Fire Tiger
appeared!
Lei Jun’s eyebrows rose.
Unlike the azure
Earth Fire
infused with
Pure Yin Energy
, this golden flame was supremely Yang, scorching, and unyielding!
The blinding light made Lei Jun feel like he was facing the sun itself.
This was no longer the
Nine Abyss Flame Ancestor
apparition of Yin Fire.
This was a
Yang Fire Tiger
!
The blazing golden tiger roared and charged at the
Yellow Heaven Sect
disciples, even more ferocious than the azure tiger before.
The enemies had no chance to fight back—half of them fell in an instant.
“Leave one alive for questioning!” Lei Jun reminded her.
The golden tiger lifted a giant paw, pinning a
Yellow Heaven Sect
Initiate Elder
in a deep red robe beneath it.
The flames dissipated, revealing Tang Xiaotang with her golden hair flowing.
She ignored the few stragglers escaping and dragged the captured elder over to Lei Jun, smiling smugly: “See? Didn’t I say I go big or go home?”
Lei Jun nodded seriously: “Little Senior Sister, your talent is truly unparalleled.”
A
Celestial Physique
.
Clear Tranquility Comprehension
.
In terms of raw potential, she was the greatest genius in
Tianshi Mansion
.
Even in the entire
Great Tang
, she stood above the rest.
Tang Xiaotang, always ready to bask in praise, beamed. “This is just the start—I’ve got more ideas…”
“Little Senior Sister?” Lei Jun gestured around his own hair and eyebrows.
Tang Xiaotang paused. “Oh, right.”
With a thought, her pale gold hair and eyebrows returned to black.
Lei Jun asked, “Little Senior Sister, why are you here? How’s the situation on
Mount Longhu
?”
Tang Xiaotang replied, “I’ve been chasing
Yellow Heaven Sect
lackeys, killing them along the way. I ended up here without noticing.”
Overall, the situation on
Mount Longhu
was stabilizing.
The current
Tianshi
, Li Qingfeng, had fallen.
With no new
Tianshi
yet, the
Ten Thousand Methods Sect Altar
remained closed.
Fortunately, the two treasures—the
Tianshi Sword
and
Tianshi Robe
—were still safe.
Xu Yuanzhen had pursued the mysterious figure who ambushed the
Tianshi
, and both had vanished.
Other forces, including the
Tang Imperial Family
, were more focused on the
Lin Clan of Jiangzhou
, who had also lost their patriarch.
This gave
Tianshi Mansion
a rare opportunity to focus on defeating the
Yellow Heaven Sect
.
Led by the seven Presiding Masters—Li Song, Li Hongyu, Li Ziyang, Yao Yuan, Shangguan Ning, Yuan Mobai, and Li Zhengxuan—plus the uniquely capable Tang Xiaotang,
Tianshi Mansion
had not only held the line but begun to counterattack.
However, much effort was still needed to guard against other enemies.
As a result, no large-scale offensive had been launched yet. Only Tang Xiaotang was free to sweep the
Yellow Heaven Sect's
outer forces.
Lei Jun and Tang Xiaotang exchanged a few words, then questioned the captured elder.
They learned that, besides attacking
Mount Longhu
and its branches, the
Yellow Heaven Sect
was also targeting
Chiyuan Grotto-Heaven
.
Unlike the newly developed
Xuanyang Grotto-Heaven
,
Chiyuan Grotto-Heaven
was a core, well-established
blessed land
.
“They really are stirring up trouble everywhere.”
Tang Xiaotang turned to Lei Jun: “Want to come with me to
Chiyuan Grotto-Heaven
?”
Lei Jun didn’t answer immediately.
A light sphere flashed in his mind:
[Clearly discern the truth, the Dao splits into three paths. Choose wisely.]
Three fortunes appeared:
[Upper-Moderate Omen: Pursue the
Yellow Heaven Sect
remnants. Contains danger. Handle with caution to obtain a
Fifth-Grade Opportunity
. Auspicious.]
[Upper-Moderate Omen: Return to
Mount Longhu
immediately. Obtain a
Sixth-Grade Opportunity
. No risk, no worries. Auspicious.]
[Moderate Omen: Go to
Chiyuan Grotto-Heaven
. No harm, no gain. Neutral.]
Huh?
Lei Jun read the fortunes again.
Indeed, two
Upper-Moderate Omens
.