In the depths of the valley, wild winds had swept through, leaving the mountain rocks looking as if they'd been plowed under, ravines twisting in every direction.

Scattered arcs of lightning and wild flames had spread everywhere, making the originally dim valley seem a touch brighter, though whirling dirt and flying pebbles quickly shrouded everything again.

Lei Jun put down the Divine Eye Mirror Stone he held, his body swayed a little.

*Since starting his cultivation, he had rarely felt his body as hollowed out as he did today.*

Even the Breathing Soil Banner's mighty and deep Spiritual Energy barely managed to replenish him now.

Fortunately, the Great Five Elements Creation Qi still continuously nourished Lei Jun.

Under the Five Phases Generating, at last, faint strands of mana began to regenerate.

Lei Jun took a long breath, and his own Yin Yang Sacred Body started tirelessly circulating mana.

With the Yin and Yang harmonizing, those thin strands of mana swiftly gathered and recovered.

After just a few breaths, Lei Jun's nearly depleted mana had a foundation again.

The Breathing Soil Banner now began once more to steadily replenish him.

However, Lei Jun consciously controlled the Breathing Soil Banner to temporarily halt its mana transfer to himself, redirecting more to guarding the surroundings, in case some unknown danger tried to fish in troubled waters, which would have been a real disaster.

Luckily, in this part of the valley, there was no one else.

Lei Jun grasped the Breathing Soil Banner, and now approached Li Xuan's side again.

He walked slowly at first.

But as his Yin Yang Sacred Body and North Mysterious Underworld Taoist Palace kept nourishing him, his mana quickly recovered.

Midway through, Lei Jun regained his stride, moving with the swiftness of the wind.

Just like Li Xuan had, Lei Jun also now used the Dragon-Tiger Dual Spirits, sending out Wind Tiger and Cloud Dragon to scout ahead and keep watch.

Though this art wasn't his life-bound spell, Lei Jun's execution looked the real deal nonetheless.

Li Xuan was stone cold dead.

Under thunder and fire, not even bones remained.

After confirming the opponent hadn't used any illusion spell or cheat-death rebirth trick, Lei Jun nodded slightly.

He tidied up the scene a bit.

In this valley, Spiritual Energy was too chaotic for outsiders to know Li Xuan perished here.

Otherwise, Li Xuan wouldn't have schemed to get rid of Lin Shan at this spot earlier.

Yet, in turn, it had become his burial ground.

Lei Jun glanced at the ruined landscape and crumbled cliffs surrounding him, remembering the wild thunder and fire just now, and couldn't help but shake his head a little.

The Magnetosword Pellet was indeed impressive, but besides its heavy consumption, it also made a hell of a racket.

*If you didn't want anyone to interfere or get in your way, meeting "friends" with cannon fire—hell, meeting "friends" with sword pellets—meant you had to pick your venue carefully.*

If this went down outside, it'd definitely attract attention from those Suzhou Chu Clan Great Scholars or others.

Then there wouldn't have been any chance for "Lei with the three shots" at all.

Or, even if Li Xuan got bombed dead, upper Three Heaven big shots would have shown up quickly.

Making a move in Sword Valley, at worst, maybe Li Xuan's old man Li Ziyang would sense something, but probably not the details.

And Li Ziyang was busy fighting for his life against Yuan Mobai, and had no time for mountain matters outside.

"Speaking of which, who's hiding at the upper reaches of Golden Palace Creek?"

Lei Jun suddenly recalled that, when seeking luck and avoiding danger before, there'd been another lot—perfectly neutral—pointing to the upper reaches of Golden Palace Creek with a hint of danger.

But chasing Li Xuan down Golden Palace Creek, he'd never crossed paths with whatever was up there.

He still couldn't tell if the danger lingered.

*With the Sheltering Spirit Veil he had now, whatever could still threaten him must mean some top-tier cultivator from the Upper Three Heavens...* Lei Jun shook his head lightly.

Sword Valley might be secluded, but once he'd tidied up, Lei Jun still left fast.

Li Xuan was not simply dead—he was vaporized.

Most of his magic artifacts, bound by their master's will, had been destroyed by Lei Jun's Magnetosword Pellet.

Except there was one thing left that piqued Lei Jun's interest.

It looked like a strange iron book scroll, stamped with a mark on the cover.

Lei Jun remembered, he'd seen something similar once before.

That had been when the Tang Imperial Court first founded the Suppressing Demon Guards, and he'd chatted with Master Yuan Mobai about it, seeing an emblem like this.

It ought to be the insignia of the Suppressing Demon Guards.

Li Xuan was in the Suppressing Demon Guards' Dark Court, with high rank too, so this iron scroll was probably property of the Guards.

Lei Jun purposely waited a moment, but the glowing orb in his mind didn't react.

Only then did he store the iron scroll away with the Breathing Soil Banner.

The thing was currently locked shut, and with no clue how to open it, Lei Jun planned to study it at his leisure later.

*He didn't care about the Guards themselves.*

*But if they kept any secret intel inside, maybe it'd come in handy.*

Lei Jun exited the deep valley, returning to the surface.

Up top, no danger awaited.

Lei Jun quietly shifted position and then looked toward the main peak of Dragon Tiger Mountain.

He saw, woven together over the mountain, purple, gold, and azure streaks forming a field, from which, now and then, burst the nine-colored radiance symbolizing the Celestial Master Robe.

Even peering through the Divine Eye Mirror Stone from afar, all he saw was an effusive glow, with no way to spot any details.

It was clear—the battle on the main peak had reached the critical juncture.

With a battlefield like this, let alone Middle Three Heaven cultivators getting close—even upper Three Heaven realm powerhouses at Seventh Layer had to be cautious.

Lei Jun retracted his gaze from the mountain's summit, scanning his surroundings.

The Chu Clan's Great Scholar was openly backing the Li Clan, but that could wait.

If you had someone like Yellow Sky Sect Taoist Elder Qi Shuo, who antagonized all the sect's people, Li or otherwise, or those looking for an easy pick, who knew what they were plotting now... Lei Jun guessed to himself.

......

In the distant mountains,

Someone was looking far off toward Dragon Tiger Mountain.

Judging by appearance, it was a group of Taoists.

But unlike Longhu Mountain Celestial Master Mansion disciples, who each wore purple, red, or yellow Taoist robes—

These distant Taoists all wore much the same colors, mainly black and white.

Leading them was an old Taoist, who at that moment stroked his beard, gazing at the brilliant thunder and fire on Dragon Tiger Mountain's summit, his expression one of deep sighs.

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