Wang Guiyuan let go and turned to look at the items he had prepared. He pondered for a moment. "How about you wait a bit while I prepare another set?"

Chu Kun was speechless. First Senior Brother, are you actually planning to have me find a market to sell your goods for you once we arrive, aren't you?

"Take care, Senior Brother," Lei Jun said. "Junior Brother Chu, take care as well."

Lei Jun thanked Wang Guiyuan. He first opened the Confucian Cosmic Coordinate Box and stored the small mountain of various medicines, items, daily necessities, Magic Artifacts, and cultivation materials before him—four portions in total. Then, he used a Taoist Miniature Bag to wrap up the final portion.

After bidding farewell to his fellow sect members, Lei Jun left Yuan Mobai's residence. Xu Yuanzhen had already departed and was waiting outside the mountain gate at the foot of the mountain. Upon seeing Lei Jun, she turned and left without a word. Dark thunderclouds automatically materialized, enveloping Lei Jun and lifting them both into the sky. They soared across the horizon, heading north.

"I apologize for the wait, Senior Sister," Lei Jun said.

Xu Yuanzhen replied, "This is why I don't like dealing with people."

Lei Jun chuckled. "That also depends on the person."

Xu Yuanzhen said, "Wang Guiyuan is a good person. That doesn't contradict my dislike for dealing with him."

"Well, that is indeed a personal preference," Lei Jun remarked.

He looked down at the black thunderclouds beneath him. Come to think of it, the first time I ever rode a cloud was on this very black cloud, many years ago. When he had first transmigrated, it was Xu Yuanzhen who had brought him back to the mountain aboard this black thundercloud. Although he wasn't as fast as Xu Yuanzhen's escape technique, Lei Jun was now capable of cloud-riding on his own. Perhaps it was due to that first impression; when he first returned to the mountain with Xu Yuanzhen, the view from the clouds—gazing down at the swiftly passing mountains and rivers below—had left an exceptionally deep impression on him. It inspired his initial longing for cultivation and mitigated his unease in the unfamiliar environment. He shook his head slightly, reining in his wandering thoughts.

Looking down at the thunderclouds again, Lei Jun suddenly recalled something. "Little Junior Sister said her interest in the Thunder Law Heavenly Scripture Talismans is only average. She'd prefer to create an entirely new thunder method that surpasses the Sect's original inheritance..."

Xu Yuanzhen casually commented, "Xiaotang? Difficult, but not impossible."

Lei Jun asked, "And what about you, Senior Sister?"

Xu Yuanzhen replied briskly, "I don't have the leisure for that."

Lei Jun raised an eyebrow. "But Senior Sister, you've also said your interest in the Thunder Law Heavenly Scripture Talismans is limited."

"I'm interested in seeing the specific contents of the Thunder Law Heavenly Scripture Talismans, but it's merely a casual interest." Xu Yuanzhen continued, "I am more interested in compelling the Celestial Master Mansion to impart the Celestial Book Talisman Script to me." She glanced at Lei Jun. "No matter what I learn, I am still me. Master Song, Master, Li Zhengxuan—they all learned the Celestial Book Talisman Script, yet none of them could ever beat me."

Senior Sister, your tone suggests that you could just as easily substitute the Celestial Master's Taoist Laws for the Thunder Law Heavenly Manual, Lei Jun thought, glancing at Xu Yuanzhen. Even if she didn't study the methods of the Taoist Talisman Sect and switched to another path, she could still dominate everyone, couldn't she?

Xu Yuanzhen said casually, "Against Master, a few years ago, my chances of winning were less than fifty percent. Recently, I feel much more confident, though I still wouldn't fight him."

Lei Jun mostly understood why Xu Yuanzhen singled out the previous Celestial Master, Li Qingfeng. It was because Li Qingfeng had been the only one to cultivate both the Thunder Law Heavenly Scripture Talismans and the Fire Dharma Earth Script Talisman. He embodied both the Ninth Heaven Thunder Ancestor Dharma and the Nine Abyss Flame Ancestral Dharma—also known as the Yang Thunder Dragon and the Yin Fire Tiger. Therefore, this former Celestial Master possessed the most formidable combat Divine Skills of the Longhu Mountain Celestial Master's Mansion lineage. This was known as the convergence of Yin and Yang, the Dragon-Tiger Strike. Of course, such possibilities were now completely gone.

Longhu Mountain had two High Merit Elders in the Upper Three Heavens realm; one cultivated the Yang Thunder Dragon and the other the Yin Fire Tiger. When they combined their strengths in a Dragon-Tiger Strike, they would unleash power far greater than the sum of their individual abilities. This was a technique that other external powers greatly feared. As the highest-ranking cultivator in the Taoist Talisman Sect, having reached Eightfold Heaven Complete, Celestial Master Li Qingfeng alone possessed Divine Skills and Mana that far surpassed others. When he executed the Dragon-Tiger Strike, his power was truly earth-shattering.

In contrast, Longhu Mountain's other two masters of the Eightfold Heaven Realm, Xu Yuanzhen and Li Song, had not yet achieved Perfection in their Great Realms. Furthermore, neither could execute the Dragon-Tiger Strike alone. Xu Yuanzhen cultivated the Fire Dharma Earth Script Talisman and the Life Skill Human Script Talismans. Master Song cultivated the Thunder Law Heavenly Scripture Talismans and the Life Skill Human Script Talismans, and he was advancing in age. Therefore, it was widely acknowledged, both within and outside the Celestial Master Mansion, that Celestial Master Li Qingfeng's top position among the three was unshakeable.

Previously, when Tang Xiaotang had mentioned this, Xu Yuanzhen, who was present, hadn't objected. In this regard, she, like Tang Xiaotang, didn't know the meaning of modesty. But now, her tone had clearly changed, as if things were different from how they used to be. Furthermore, judging by her words, she wasn't like Chen Yi, who had learned another sect's ultimate techniques; her confidence still stemmed from the Divine Faculty Talismans of the Earthly and Human Scripts.

However, such hypotheses were now meaningless, and this piqued Lei Jun's interest. Li Qingfeng had already perished. Setting aside the fact that Xu Yuanzhen had no intention of competing with her own Master, even if she had wanted to, there was no longer any need.

In the time it took for them to exchange a few words, the black thunderclouds had flown over vast mountains and rivers. In the distance, the great roar of water reached Lei Jun's ears. Looking ahead, he saw the Grand River. It was as vast as the sea, spanning between heaven and earth. Its source and destination were hidden, as if it divided the lands on either bank into two separate worlds.

Impressive. The Grand River is on a much larger scale than any river on Blue Star before I transmigrated… Lei Jun mused, gazing across its banks, struck by the majestic, surging waves.

It was currently winter. Although the river waters roared fiercely, they were still relatively calm. If it were to truly rampage, the cataclysmic force of the water would be incomparable, far surpassing what Lei Jun had witnessed with the flooding of the Qinglan River in the Yunxiao Mountain Range. Never mind cultivators in the Lower Three Heavens; even those in higher realms, if unfortunately swept into the water, would sink to their deaths at the river bottom. At such times, it wouldn't just be the waters of the Grand River ravaging everything. The mountain and earth veins, along with their water veins and Spiritual Energy, would also erupt together. This uncontrollable, violent surge would form deadly whirlpools of Spiritual Energy. Any living being caught within would be reduced to dust.

In more ancient times, the term "Heavenly Chasm" was originally used to describe this very place. This was a true natural disaster. Because it described such perils, cultivators later began using "Heavenly Chasm" to refer to the catastrophic risks associated with breakthroughs between Great Realms in cultivation.

Xu Yuanzhen, her expression serene as usual, sat atop the pitch-black thundercloud as it flew over the river's surface. Being on the pitch-black thundercloud, Lei Jun didn't feel it much. However, he faintly sensed that the whirlpools in the center of the Grand River seemed to possess an invisible, enormous suction force, attempting to drag them down from mid-air. Fortunately, the pitch-black thundercloud remained steady, seemingly unaffected, and serenely flew over the river.

As they were about to reach the northern bank of the river, Xu Yuanzhen's gaze suddenly sharpened. She looked down diagonally, her face expressionless. Following her gaze, Lei Jun could vaguely see a Cloud Boat hovering in the air above the northern bank of the river. It was far larger than a Cloud Car and did not enter the water. A multitude of white clouds enveloped the Cloud Boat, spreading out to resemble a small sea of clouds. Within this sea of clouds, the shadowy forms of Jiao Long could be faintly discerned.

Someone on the Cloud Boat saluted from afar and called out in a clear voice, "Might you be Xu Xianzi of Dragon Tiger Mountain before me? Ye Cheng of Qingzhou pays his respects. Could Xu Xianzi perhaps halt for a moment? I have a matter to discuss and will not delay you long."

Lei Jun thought for a moment, Ye Cheng, Ye Jifeng... Then he remembered.

Ye Cheng, courtesy name Jifeng. He was the eldest legitimate grandson of the Qingzhou Ye Clan, one of Great Tang's Five Surnames and Seven Noble Families, and one of the most outstanding young figures in the Confucian Sect. Barring any major surprises, he would one day take charge of the Qingzhou Ye. Among the Five Surnames and Seven Noble Families, those with the deepest roots and most extensive influence were the two Ye and two Lin families. Tracing their origins back to ancient times, both the Ye and Lin families originated from a single ancestor. Strictly speaking, the Jinzhou Ye Clan had branched off from the Qingzhou Ye Clan in the past. In the current Great Tang empire, the Qingzhou Ye Clan was still the most prosperous and powerful of the great families. The current Empress was, in fact, a legitimate daughter of the Qingzhou Ye Clan.

However... the pitch-black thundercloud flew on without pause. Xu Yuanzhen's expression remained unchanged. She glanced down briefly before looking away, as if she hadn't heard the person speaking below. The person on the Cloud Boat didn't seem surprised at all. His tone, volume, and pace unchanged, he continued to call out clearly, "I have some information regarding Tang Xianzi of your esteemed sect, which I wish to share with Xu Xianzi."

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