Cultivation: Fortune by Lots-Chapter 541 - 262. Wang Guiyuan Bestows a Talisman (One Chapter Combined)_4

He harbored no thoughts of betraying the Yellow Sky Sect. But precisely because of this, in the current environment, opportunities were especially hard to come by. If I want to advance, I have to strive for it myself.

Kang Ming looked at the Jiwen Yuan Flower in his hand and let out a long breath.

He drew nine Spirit Talismans himself, then matched them one by one with the nine Dao Patterns on the petals of the Jiwen Yuan Flower, and began to silently focus his spirit and refine them.

「...」

Lei Jun returned to the Dragon Tiger Mountain Ancestral Court, only to find that Eldest Senior Sister Xu Yuanzhen had already made her way back.

"I couldn’t capture the Thousand Leaves Butterfly King," Xu Yuanzhen said. "The incident happened suddenly, and with a lack of specific preparations, it was indeed a bit lacking."

This Great Demon, equivalent to a human expert of the Ninth Heavenly Layer, was not only skilled in concealment and disguise but also incredibly fast when he took flight. If he wasn’t willing to stay and fight to the death, and was instead determined to flee, it was very difficult to trap him in a fatal situation. The raging storm of Spiritual Energy in the East Sea further favored the Great Demon’s escape.

"However, it wasn’t without gains." As she spoke, Xu Yuanzhen took out a small pouch.

When the pouch was opened, Lei Jun and Yuan Mobai, master and disciple, could see that it seemed to contain a handful of withered leaves. At first glance, they offered neither Spiritual Energy nor Demonic Qi Evil Miasma, nothing striking to the eyes, just like the fallen leaves of autumn and winter.

Yet, recalling Xu Yuanzhen’s pursuit of the Thousand Leaves Butterfly King, Lei Jun and Yuan Mobai concentrated their consciousness and investigated carefully with their Mana.

Under such forceful action, the bag of withered leaves seemed to suddenly come to life, transforming into many butterflies attempting to scatter and fly away. A fierce and violent Demonic Qi Evil Miasma immediately pervaded the air. However, restrained by Xu Yuanzhen’s Mana, they were quickly subdued.

"These shed from that Great Demon," Xu Yuanzhen explained. "Now that I’m back at the sect, I’ll carefully refine these and see what effects they have."

Lei Jun and Yuan Mobai each took a withered leaf and examined it closely.

The leaves were somewhat similar to the King Sea Chrysanthemum avatars that the disciples from the Great Void Temple had acquired at Great Black Mountain. Though seemingly weak, they still contained fierce Demonic Qi Evil Miasma that was alarming to behold.

Compared to the King Sea Chrysanthemum avatars from before, these entities that resembled both butterflies and withered leaves weren’t as vicious and dangerous. The King Sea Chrysanthemum avatars, however, were a classic case of ’live fast, die young.’ They could generate extremely brutal power in a short time, but they did so by burning their own vitality, and after consuming flesh and blood, they would automatically and rapidly wither. These leaves were not so aggressive and destructive; instead, they were more cunning, better at disguise, and also possessed stronger adaptability and vitality.

The slightest lapse in attention, and they might escape by transforming into butterflies and flying away.

Lei Jun used a combination of a Yin Five Thunder Talisman Array and a Yang Five Thunder Talisman Array to suppress the "withered leaves" between them. He slowly eroded their ferocity, then began to refine and study them.

With the demonic turmoil in Guanlong settling down, Tang Xiaotang also returned to the mountain. In the battle of Jinzhou, she felt her participation hadn’t been strong enough, inevitably leaving her unsatisfied. This trip to Guanlong, on the other hand, had been a satisfying fight. But what truly preoccupied her?

"Senior Sister, the previous encounters were just a warm-up," the tall woman with golden eyebrows and pupils said. "Now, how about you and I have a sparring match?"

Xu Yuanzhen casually responded, "I’m going to make you cry today."

She unfolded her own Great Vehicle Taoist Scene as the battlefield to avoid damaging the surrounding area and also not using it to pressure Tang Xiaotang.

The cosmic deep space that expanded from the dark thunderclouds hung silently in the night sky. As a result, the vast majority of people inside and outside Dragon Tiger Mountain were not even aware that this battle had taken place. The details of their exchange were clear only to the two of them.

Not until the darkness, similar to that of cosmic deep space, dissipated and their figures reappeared.

The current Celestial Master, however, had not been reduced to tears.

Tang Xiaotang’s response was unexpected to the few who were privy to the fight, such as Lei Jun and Chu Kun. She was neither overly excited nor particularly disheartened.

Celestial Master Tang had an expression that was unusually hard to read, her gaze fixed on her senior sister, lost in thought without a word.

"To be fair, better than I expected. Your trip to Guanlong has taken you a step further," Xu Yuanzhen said with her usual demeanor. "But you’re still green. You have a lot more training to do."

Tang Xiaotang came back to herself and snorted, finally returning to her usual demeanor, "You don’t have to gloat. I’m already onto something!"

Xu Yuanzhen remained calm, "That sounds familiar."

Lei Jun added, "Our little Senior Sister was full of confidence, our little Senior Sister was in high spirits, our little Senior Sister was unstoppable, our little Senior Sister was all set for a victory parade, and then—our little Senior Sister lost."

"..." Tang Xiaotang’s almond eyes widened, speechless with indignation.

Yuan Mobai, on the side, gestured towards Lei Jun and shook his head without a word.

Wang Guiyuan turned his head away, as if he saw nothing.

Chu Kun looked down at the tips of his shoes, his eyes observing his nose, his nose watching his heart.

"... Just you wait!" Tang Xiaotang puffed up her cheeks, turned, and walked away. "I’m going into seclusion!"

Yuan Mobai sighed, "There’s no hurry to go into seclusion. Wait until after the Sect Leader presides over the next Lecture Ceremony."

Tang Xiaotang snapped back to her senses. "That’s right! I got so muddled from being angry at those two."

"The matters concerning Lin Yuwei and East Sea Island can wait; we’ll talk about them later."

Xu Yuanzhen then said, "I’m actually more interested in the west now."

Hearing this, Tang Xiaotang snorted, "Those monks who’ve suddenly appeared are a bad bunch!"

Lei Jun remarked, "From what we see now, the current Emperor is also more concerned with the west."

Wang Guiyuan said, "Perhaps it’s best to let His Majesty worry about them."

He shook his head. "They clearly come with ill intent. If they are targeting Our Sect, I believe Our Sect should assume the worst and prepare rigorously."

Chu Kun inquired, "Senior Brother, what do you mean by that?"