The disciples guarding this place were almost entirely different from the ones from years ago.

I say "almost" because there was still a slight overlap…

"Members of the Li Clan, how muddled," Wang Guiyuan lamented repeatedly. "Such stubbornness not only hinders their cultivation path but could also ruin a person's entire life."

Lei Jun nodded. "Senior Brother is right."

As he spoke, his gaze shifted to another fellow disciple beside them.

Chu Kun touched his own face. "What is it, Second Senior Brother? Is there something on my face?"

Lei Jun patted his shoulder. "You hadn't guarded the Rear Mountain Ancestral Tomb forbidden area before, so you weren't truly considered one of our branch's disciples. But now, you've finally achieved this milestone too!"

He then looked at Wang Guiyuan. "Senior Brother sets a personal example and leads effectively."

"Chu has Comprehension!" Wang Guiyuan was greatly pleased.

Chu Kun was caught between laughter and tears. After a long moment, he said hesitantly, "My main issue is my low cultivation. Just now, Master Yangchao arrived, and it would have been really awkward for me to show my face."

The Master Yangchao he referred to was, naturally, the Suzhou Chu Clan elder who had attacked the mountain earlier.

In terms of seniority, that man was of the same generation as Elder Chu, thus a great-granduncle to Chu Kun.

Chu Kun used the elder's title instead of addressing him by familial terms, which showed he identified himself as a disciple of the Taoist Sect.

However, the problem at the time was that Master Yangchao was not representing the Suzhou Chu Clan in their attack on the Celestial Master Mansion; instead, he was assisting the Li Clan.

Before the internal dispute of the Li Clan was resolved, it was difficult to say who represented the orthodox line.

Therefore, Chu Kun would have found it somewhat awkward to face the Chu Clan elder at that time.

So, he simply followed the example of his Eldest Senior Brother, Wang Guiyuan, disregarding the storms of the outside world, and went to the Rear Mountain Ancestral Tomb forbidden area to accompany the ancestral tablets.

"Actually, I've always had a question…" Chu Kun changed the subject.

Lei Jun and Wang Guiyuan looked at him.

Chu Kun lowered his voice. "Figures like Eldest Martial Sister and Tang… didn't the Li Clan ever think about trying harder to win them over?"

Although his words were vague, Lei Jun and Wang Guiyuan immediately understood his meaning.

Chu Kun hailed from the Suzhou Chu Clan, one of the world's most distinguished and noble families, accustomed to a sense of superiority.

But over the many years, it wasn't just those with the surname Chu who intermarried.

Intermarriages among the Five Clans and Seven Families were the mainstream.

However, there were occasional exceptions to absorb new blood.

These exceptions were specifically for exceptionally outstanding Han Family's Offspring.

Though rare, over the years, such cases had occurred, involving both men and women.

Of course, for men from other families wishing to marry in…

From the perspective of either the Chu Clan or the Li Clan, Xu Yuanzhen and Tang Xiaotang were undoubtedly worth making exceptions for.

In my own opinion, Lei Jun should have been added to that list in the past two years, Chu Kun thought.

"The Jingxiang Fang Clan almost entered into a marriage alliance with the Li Clan. You know about that, right?" Wang Guiyuan asked.

Chu Kun nodded. "Yes, Fang Mingyuan and Li Ying."

Wang Guiyuan said, "That was settling for second best. Back then, there was a proposal for the Fang Clan's legitimate daughter to marry into the Li Clan, but it ultimately didn't happen."

Chu Kun mused, "The Yong Celestial Master of that time…"

Wang Guiyuan nodded and then asked, "Why do you think the marriage of the once-prestigious Yong Celestial Master remained undecided for so long?"

Chu Kun was curious. "But I haven't heard any related rumors circulating within the Celestial Master Mansion."

Wang Guiyuan said, "Of course, there were no widespread rumors, only small-scale speculation and discussion. It was said that they were waiting for Tang to have her enlightenment."

Upon hearing this, Chu Kun was speechless.

Lei Jun said, "To put it bluntly, if they had been more direct about it, it wouldn't have been about her achieving enlightenment, but rather starting a fight."

Wang Guiyuan imitated Yuan Mobai's tone, "Junior Brother, the deceased are gone; show some respect."

Lei Jun spread his hands and dropped the subject, turning to Chu Kun to ask, "What exactly are the intentions of the Suzhou Chu Clan?"

Chu Kun explained, "Master Yangchao's visit this time was his own initiative. Elder Chu has recently been more focused on the East Sea and the Land of Wu and Yue."

After a pause, he added, "The Moon Chamber Master also acts on her own accord, not under Elder Chu's instruction."

Hearing this, Lei Jun and Wang Guiyuan nodded thoughtfully.

Chu Yu had also clearly taken a side in this conflict.

She stood firmly with the Tang Imperial Court.

The swift quelling of the rebellion in the Land of Wu and Yue was partly to her credit.

"The Moon Chamber Master is a close friend of His Majesty; I only recently learned this," Chu Kun explained. "I'd heard her mention before that during her travels to the Capital, she made two very good friends. At the time, I had no idea that one of them was the current Emperor."

Back then, that friend was still the Princess.

Lei Jun mused, "'One may labor to plant flowers, yet they do not blossom, while willows planted without thought grow into shade.' The ways of the world are truly unpredictable."

Neither Wang Guiyuan nor Chu Kun had yet been Talisman-bestowed, so their duties did not need to change for the time being. The former was content to continue his stay in the Rear Mountain Ancestral Tomb forbidden area, and the latter was in no hurry to leave either.

After bidding farewell to the two, Lei Jun's busy day temporarily concluded, and he returned to his own dwelling.

With his current level of cultivation, Embryonic Respiration techniques had almost entirely replaced sleep, which was beneficial and harmless to his body.

Busy during the day, Lei Jun would seize the time at night to continue his cultivation.

He silently performed breathing exercises, meditation, and visualization for half the night. In the latter half of the night, Lei Jun temporarily ended his personal cultivation.

He once again used the Breathing Soil Banner to seal off the inside from the outside.

Then, he took out a ball of radiant light that shimmered with nine colors.

The light did not disperse, appearing both ethereal and corporeal.

Lei Jun fixed his gaze on it; it seemed as soft as gossamer.

This originated from the lost Celestial Master Robe.

Perhaps it could serve as a clue in the search for the Celestial Master Robe.

This time, Lei Jun did not immediately inform Yuan Mobai or Tang Xiaotang.

It wasn't that he intended to keep it secret, but rather that he found it difficult to explain how he had used this radiant light to ensure Li Ziyang's demise.

Li Ziyang had originally planned to leave via Nine Stars Ridge but had suddenly turned towards Chongling Gorge, drawn by this spirit light.

At the time, Yuan Mobai had stayed on the mountain to secure its gates and had not pursued anyone beyond them, but it was uncertain if he had noticed the nine-colored spirit light.

If he had, he might now be wondering why Lei Jun had risked luring Li Ziyang towards Chongling Gorge.

The secrets Lei Jun carried were roughly tiered.

The deepest was the luminous orb in his mind that guided him towards fortune and away from misfortune.

He had no plans to reveal this further at the moment.

Therefore, Lei Jun decided to hold onto this clue for finding the Celestial Master Robe for the time being.

Later on, he could claim to have newly obtained it from elsewhere, and then it wouldn't be too late to discuss it with Yuan Mobai and Tang Xiaotang.

Although he could search on his own, the chances of retrieving the Celestial Master Robe would undoubtedly be greater if he could utilize the Altar of Wanfa Sect and the Celestial Master's Sword in conjunction with the Celestial Master Seal.

Moreover, even then, it would not be easy.

Otherwise, the Celestial Master Seal would not have remained lost for so long.

All I can do is my best and leave the rest to fate… Lei Jun thought.

After carefully pondering the nine-colored spirit light for a moment, he securely stowed it away.

Next, Lei Jun suddenly remembered something else.

He took out the iron-bound scroll he had obtained from Li Xuan.

Without knowledge of the Suppressing Demon Guards' unique methods, it was difficult to unseal and open this iron scroll without damaging it.

Only by utilizing the profound artistic conception of the Nine Abyss Earth Fire within the True One Altar did Lei Jun slowly manage to unbind the iron scroll.

Inside, it indeed recorded a wealth of intelligence.

Collected by Li Xuan, it naturally had a specific focus.

As expected, the most detailed information concerned key figures among the external lineage disciples of the Dragon Tiger Mountain Celestial Master Mansion.

While some information was still missing, and some secrets were unknown to Li Xuan, the existing intelligence was already shocking enough.

Aside from the Celestial Master Mansion's own people, the relatively detailed intelligence mostly targeted two other factions:

The Yellow Sky Sect.

The Xiao Clan from outside Long (region).

Seeing this, Lei Jun raised an eyebrow.

It was perfectly normal for Li Xuan to study the Yellow Sky Sect.

His collection of intelligence on the Xiao Clan from outside Long (region), however, was rather telling.

It appeared Li Xuan also considered the possibility of failure before victory.

If the Li Clan were forced to retreat from Dragon Tiger Mountain and Jiangzhou, they would need to find a new foothold and foundation.

Astonishingly, Li Xuan had set his sights on the territory of the Xiao Clan from outside Long (region), one of the Five Clans and Seven Families.

On one hand, it was far from the South, preventing them from being caught between Dragon Tiger Mountain, the Jiangzhou Lin Clan, or even the Yellow Sky Sect.

On the other hand, the Xiao Clan from outside Long (region) had been severely weakened after the demonic chaos in the Western Regions and could be ousted from the ranks of top-tier powers at any moment.

Furthermore, after the demonic chaos in the Western Regions, the powerful Great Demons of the west had largely been eliminated.

Outside Long (region), a rare power vacuum had formed. No wonder Li Xuan had his eyes on it.

Lei Jun looked at the list compiled by Li Xuan.

Three names he had heard of immediately caught his eye:

The new head of the Xiao Family, the eldest son of the Xiao Family, Xiao Hang.

Mr. Xiao, Xiao Chunhui.

Mrs. Xiao, Xiao Xueting.

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