CHAPTER 367: 213. MASTER LEI IS ABOUT TO CRY_2

"Uh..." The person trying to contact Shangguan Peng let out a startled noise.

Shen Qubing and the others turned from a distance and looked over, "What happened?"

The Shangguan clansman gave a smile uglier than crying, "...Can’t get through to the General."

Immediately, everyone crowded around, "Don’t panic, General Peng may simply be preoccupied at the moment, or perhaps he too ran into the same earth vein Spiritual Energy turmoil we did, which is interfering with our communications. Try again later."

The young martial artist nodded repeatedly, "Makes sense!"

However...

"Still nothing."

The young martial artist seemed a bit dazed, "Still can’t reach the General."

Someone suggested, "Maybe the Taoist talisman isn’t working, does anyone have the Confucian Seeing the Words as if Seeing the Person Technique?"

The young martial artist, "The Corps Commander had it..."

Now, it was lying buried with him at the bottom of Cyclone Valley.

When the crowd heard this, they all looked at each other, sharing a bitter smile, and could only comfort one another before deciding to try again later.

Unfortunately, none of them could reach Shangguan Peng.

Everyone exchanged glances, wide-eyed, and *an ominous feeling began to take root in their hearts.*

......

After resolving the matter over at Kongliu Mountain, Lei Jun then departed.

Once he left the area where the earth vein was in turmoil and the Spiritual Energy chaotic, Lei Jun found a secure spot and at last had time to unfurl his Primordial Magnet Coiling Dragon Banner, releasing the groggy middle-aged man trapped inside.

Lei Jun checked the man’s condition.

This middle-aged man’s body did not, as had been the case with Zhang Yuan, have any Celestial Book Dark Shadow attached.

But the reason his Spiritual Soul was suppressed, was identical to what Zhang Yuan had suffered earlier.

The difference was, Zhang Yuan had a Celestial Book Dark Shadow clinging to him, while the middle-aged man had only previously come into contact with something similar.

Lei Jun used his own Celestial Book · Three, and once the man was awake, interrogated him.

The man only half-understood his own situation, but from his account, Lei Jun believed his encounter with something Celestial Book Dark Shadow–like occurred while preparing for the earth vein sacrificial ritual.

But there hadn’t been any obvious anomalies at that time.

It was only when the Tang Army assaulted Kongliu Mountain that the middle-aged man noticed his mind was off, and things quickly worsened.

*It must be because of Shen Qubing...* Lei Jun was well aware.

Zhang Yuan, back then, had his Spiritual Soul suppressed, but only after he approached Dragon Tiger Mountain, which was because of Lei Jun’s Celestial Book · Three.

This middle-aged man’s troubles, however, originated from Shen Qubing’s Celestial Book · Six.

It was just that when Shen Qubing was charging ahead in battle, he hadn’t paid attention to his opponent’s abnormal state, so Lei Jun was able to capture the man first.

"But, there’s a question..." Lei Jun raised his eyebrows slightly.

In cultivation realm, this middle-aged man far surpassed Zhang Yuan at the time.

As far as direct contact with the Celestial Book Dark Shadow, Zhang Yuan was directly affected by one such shadow, whereas the middle-aged man had only previously encountered something similar—not an actual attachment.

Yet in the end, the middle-aged man had his Spiritual Soul suppressed, just like Zhang Yuan.

*Considering there’s no sign that Shen Qubing’s Celestial Book · Six is superior to my Celestial Book · Three, then that would mean the Celestial Book Dark Shadow power this middle-aged man encountered must be much stronger than the one that attached itself to Zhang Yuan?*

*That’s worth investigating. I recall the best lot relating to the Celestial Book Dark Shadow mentioned the opportunity could be expanded...* Lei Jun mused.

He quietly took note of the matter, not dwelling on it, and kept a calm demeanor as he continued to question the middle-aged man.

*Extracting every bit of info the man knew, and sorting fact from fiction, was no easy task. Lei Jun had to put in significant effort.*

However, this time he obtained a piece of intelligence that invigorated him.

Mr. Yang Tai, might be heading to the region of Zhu An River in the coming days, though the timing and purpose were unknown.

Yang Tai was the legitimate eldest son of the current Sheng Kang Crown Prince Yang Yuqi—the prince’s most accomplished child. Among the direct descendants of the Sui Dynasty, his status was high. Young as he was, his cultivation was notable, and he was already taking charge of major responsibilities, moving in secret.

If nothing unexpected happened, and things continued to develop, he was highly likely to become the next Sheng Kang Crown Prince or even Sheng Kang King after Yang Yuqi.

Lei Jun’s interest in this man was because Yang Tai might possess or have access to clues about the Celestial Master Robe.

But Mr. Yang Tai’s whereabouts were even more mysterious than his younger brother, Mr. Yang Fei.

Neither the Tang Imperial Court nor Master Yuan Mobai and Lei Jun had been able to uncover his whereabouts lately.

Now at last, Lei Jun had a lead.

At once, the general map of the Southern Wilderness and its relevant details flashed across his mind.

Zhu An River was another major waterway in the Southern Wilderness, even farther south than Yu River and Zhao River—deep within the region.

It was worth noting that, according to recent changes in power, this area fell squarely under the influence of Gebo Mountain, the sacred land of the Witchcraft Dance Sect’s Divine Dance Lineage.

The Five Veins legacy of the Southern Witch Sect was mostly chaotic and bloody. Fights to the death broke out among the sacred lands, among different lineages, even within the sacred lands themselves.

Still, each lineage had their own quirks.

The Blood River Lineage’s Blood River Sect and the Ghost Tao Lineage’s Golden City Stronghold had the worst reputations and were most infamous for killing.

To some extent, not only were they considered demonic by the northern Central Plains Dynasty, even within the Southern Wilderness itself, the Blood River and Ghost Tao disciples were nearly public enemies—everyone wanted them dead.

Blood River Sect, infamous for constant slaughter and often provoking fights, barely had a stable foothold in the Southern Wilderness, always beset by rival lineages. By nature, they were belligerent, so much so that they’d lacked a permanent headquarters for years, with their ancestral court destroyed and deserted long ago.

If not for this, when Wei Ancheng secluded himself, the whole world tried to find him; otherwise, how could he have proved so hard to find?

Golden City Stronghold was only a little better off than Blood River Sect, but the traits of the Ghost Tao Lineage were no less reviled—the very stuff of other people’s nightmares—so they, too, often suffered sieges, their ancestral forms shattered again and again.

The Sacred Land headquarters Blood River Sect attacked last time had only been built in the past few years.

Golden City’s current Holy Master, "Ghost King" Zonghan, could well be called a veritable warlord. Under his hand, the once scattered Golden City Stronghold experienced a revival—he even managed to subdue experts like Gao Pu and Cao Chu.

Only their luck soured, just as their fortunes started to rise—they ran headfirst into an even more dominant Wei Ancheng and the Blood River Sect, both determined to rule the Southern Wilderness, and Golden City was their first target.

Rumor had it, Zonghan submitted to Wei Ancheng, and now Golden City Stronghold and Blood River Sect had joined forces as one.

Of note, Zonghan’s lineage traced back to a major feud with the Celestial Master Mansion.

Zonghan’s unification of Golden City also renewed that enmity, so recently, Gao Pu, Cao Chu, and others had come looking for trouble with the Celestial Master Mansion.

Compared to the notorious killing machine of Blood River Sect and Golden City Stronghold, Gebo Mountain—the Divine Dance Lineage’s sacred land—was considered the most peaceful in the Southern Witch Sect’s heritage.

The Gebo Mountain Lineage had long been the most secure and internally united in the Southern Wilderness.

Still, all of this was relative—like picking the tallest among dwarves.

If not, there wouldn’t have been Rain Ravine Master Gu Ying covertly consorting with Blood River Sect members.

And now, news had it that the Sui Dynasty’s Mr. Yang Tai was headed for Zhu An River under Gebo Mountain’s jurisdiction.

"No set date, and that’s really a pain in the ass."

Though Lei Jun said so, his demeanor remained relaxed.

He could simply scout around Zhu An River first, and when the time came, see if the light orb in his mind provided any clues.

*Even if the leads proved unreliable and Yang Tai never showed, it wouldn’t matter—it was always worth a shot. Some hint was better than none.*

Lei Jun found a place where the Global Spiritual Qi was tranquil and used a Thousand-Mile Sound Transmission Talisman to reach out to his master, Yuan Mobai, so they could exchange news and intel.

From Yuan Mobai, Lei Jun learned of the recent events by the Zhao River watershed.

"Shangguan Peng, General Shangguan, something’s happened." Yuan Mobai’s very first words mentioned it, "Latest reports say, at the lower reaches of Zhao River, he ran into Shengkang King Yang Yuqi and Golden City Stronghold Elder Gao Pu, both at the Eighth Heavenly Layer realm."

Lei Jun raised his hand and gently rubbed his cheek, masking his expression, "That’s... pitiful. Just heartbreaking."

Yuan Mobai didn’t say Shangguan Peng was dead.

Nor did he say Shangguan Peng had escaped.

But his opponents...

Shengkang King Yang Yuqi, an Eighth Heavenly Layer Great Scholar, formidable but expected.

Golden City Stronghold Elder Gao Pu—well, that one was a real problem.

An Eighth Heavenly Layer expert of the Witchcraft Ghost Tao Lineage, skilled at controlling ghosts and manipulating corpses...