Lei Jun concealed himself and took out the Divine Eye Mirror Stone to observe.

The deep valley lacked light, and visibility was extremely poor.

However, with the Divine Eye Mirror Stone, Lei Jun saw two Li Clan disciples in the distant mountain rocks carefully avoiding the crevices and cliffs below as they headed in this direction.

Lei Jun did not engage them and stealthily followed.

After some time, one of them contacted Li Xuan using a Thousand-Mile Sound Transmission Talisman.

Li Xuan's orders were issued again: "Chen Yi is nowhere to be seen… The target has shifted to Lin Shan… You have half an hour. If Lin Shan isn't found by then, exit the valley… Continue searching for Lei Jun…"

Although not much emotion could be detected in his voice, Li Xuan was not as furious as Shangguan Hong and the others had speculated, nor was he eager to avenge Li Fenghe.

Or perhaps, he had experienced outbursts of rage and impulsiveness before, but now he had regained his usual cool and serious composure.

His previous intention to spare Lin Shan wasn't due to soft-heartedness, but rather his concern about the subsequent consequences.

His sudden change of mind now also wasn't because he was redirecting his anger.

Instead, it was because the current environment in the deep valley offered even better concealment than the outside.

If he dealt with Lin Shan here, Shangguan Ning would struggle to learn the details, and Chen Yi would more likely take the blame.

However, Lei Jun wondered if he should feel honored.

On Li Xuan's list of targets, his own priority still seemed higher than Lin Shan, who was at the Sixth Heavenly Realm.

Now, in Sword Valley, Li Xuan intended to take advantage of the situation to eliminate Lin Shan. But if Lin Shan couldn't be found, Li Xuan had no intention of wasting more time; he would rather give up. After exiting the valley, his primary target would still be Lei Jun.

Very well, this could be considered a mutual pursuit in a sense… Lei Jun remained calm.

He soundlessly approached the two Li Clan disciples and, just as silently, incapacitated them.

Now armed with more Thousand-Mile Sound Transmission Talismans that could establish contact with Li Xuan, the Two Polar Magnetism in Lei Jun's palms operated at its peak.

Following the faint sensation, he pressed onward.

Along the way, Lei Jun glanced at the Teng Snake Bone, fashioned like a bone chain, which he had confiscated from Ye Chifeng.

This Teng Snake Bone did not appear particularly thick or long, but it was, in fact, immense. Its current form was the result of refinement by cultivators; in its original state, it would have been exceedingly large.

In this world, Teng Snakes were not simply Great Demons. Calling them Demon Spirits was not entirely accurate either.

Rumor had it that some Teng Snakes cultivated Spiritual Energy, while others cultivated Demonic Qi Evil Miasma; there were Immortal Spirits as well as Demon Spirits among them.

Their defining characteristic was dwelling deep beneath the nine layers of the earth, holding dominion over the earth, darkness, and terror.

Ye Chifeng had come across such a piece of Teng Snake Bone by chance, refined it, and carried it with him, where it served its purpose.

The Ye Clan family techniques he practiced, while capable of quieting the mind and calming the spirit, offered no abilities for concealment. However, equipped with this Teng Snake Bone, he became exceedingly stealthy; few Middle Three Heavens Cultivators could discern his whereabouts.

It not only deceived Li Xuan, but even Lei Jun failed to detect him at first.

This was symbolic of the Teng Snake's Spiritual Nature moving through the darkness beneath the earth.

And the moment Ye Chifeng suddenly appeared and launched his sneak attack on Lei Jun, the Spiritual Nature within the Teng Snake Bone erupted, much like a Teng Snake bursting forth from the ground.

Besides presiding over earth and darkness, Teng Snakes also embodied terror and dread, thereby being able to influence a person's mind.

When Lei Jun was suddenly attacked, his mind also experienced a momentary lapse, a result of his spirit being suppressed by the Teng Snake's Spiritual Nature.

Such Spiritual Natures, when combined, made it an excellent tool for murder, robbery, sneak attacks, and assassinations.

Lei Jun was quite satisfied with this Fourth Rank Opportunity… Pah!

No, that's wrong. I, an upright and honorable man, resolutely despise the cunning and treacherous actions of scoundrels like Ye Chifeng.

Keeping this Teng Snake Bone is to prevent it from falling into the hands of other villains, thereby saving more people from being ambushed.

Yes, that's right… Lei Jun nodded in satisfaction.

However, this Spiritual Object was not without its problems.

Currently, the Teng Snake Bone looked dull and faded, its Spiritual Nature withdrawn. It seemed that the burst used previously when Ye Chifeng drew upon this treasure for his sneak attack—specifically to suppress the target's spirit—had significantly drained the Teng Snake Bone. It now needed time to recover.

Unhurried, Lei Jun carefully stored the bone chain.

Li Xuan was a cultivator of the Taoist Talisman Sect at the Sixth Layer of Heaven Dao Seal Realm. His essence, Qi, and spirit were condensed to the extreme. His Tao Seal was enshrined within his Tao Palace, enabling him to command Spiritual Energy from all directions. This not only allowed him to create talismans at will, enhancing them with Dao Patterns for verification, but also to suppress, to some extent, the efficacy of Spirit Talismans used by fellow Talisman Sect cultivators below the Sixth Heavenly Layer.

Overall, this cultivation stage was powerful not only against external threats but even more so for internal strength.

As the final preparation for Taoist Talisman Sect cultivators before ascending to the Seventh Heavenly Layer, the Tao Seal could also be considered the foundation for the Upper Three Heavens.

In fact, not only for the Taoist Talisman Sect but for various other Cultivation Dao Systems and paths, the Sixth Heavenly Layer was a crucial juncture.

At this realm, the Taoist Talisman Sect calls it the Tao Seal; the Taoist Dan Ding Sect, the Tao Fetus; and the External Alchemy School, the Immortal Seed.

Given the special suppressive power that cultivators at the Tao Seal realm had over the Spirit Talismans of their Talisman Sect peers below the Sixth Heavenly Layer, Lei Jun was disinclined to engage Li Xuan at close or medium range unless he could severely injure him from the outset.

And with the Teng Snake Bone not yet fully recovered, Lei Jun also abandoned his plan to launch a sneak attack and incapacitate Li Xuan.

Li Xuan had cultivated to the Sixth Layer of Heaven Dao Seal Realm for some years; with his condensed essence, Qi, and spirit, his perception was extremely acute.

It was true that the chaotic Spiritual Energy in Sword Valley interfered with a cultivator's senses. However, during a close-quarters ambush, any exposed murderous intent or viciousness would most likely not escape Li Xuan's notice.

Moreover, Li Xuan was a prominent figure of the Li Clan's younger generation and had been famous for many years. Lei Jun, being from the Celestial Master Mansion, possessed a fair amount of knowledge about him, including the fact that Li Xuan had a potent Magic Artifact.

But refraining from a sneak attack or close combat did not mean Lei Jun was out of options.

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