Although Lei Jun didn’t spell it out, Yuan Mobai nodded gently. “Yes… that's right…”

Wang Guiyuan, standing nearby, also knew who Lei Jun was referring to.

The beloved daughter of theTianshi Mansion.

The one who had firmly claimed the title of the greatestDaoist apprenticein history—Tang Xiaotang.

Despite possessing aCelestial Physique, she hadn’t joined thePure Yang Palacebut had chosen to cultivate in theTianshi Mansioninstead.

Although she cultivated theTianshi Mansion’s true legacy, following the path of balancing yin and yang, Tang Xiaotang’s situation was highly unique.

To be precise, she was cultivating a method tailored to her own talent, walking a path that was uniquely hers.

Besides herCelestial Physiqueandbone structure, she also possessedUpper-Moderate Comprehension, which provided the foundation for her distinctive cultivation.

Her uniqueYang Fire TigerDaoist Apparition, unprecedented in the history ofTianshi Mansion, was born of this approach.

But while she shone brilliantly, a few small issues lingered.

For instance, when dealing with theYin Moon Soul Stone, Tang Xiaotang was in a similar predicament asPure Yang Palacecultivators.

Calling theYin Moon Soul Stonetheir nemesis might be an exaggeration, but it was certainly one of the least welcome objects for them.

So...

Was theYin Moon Soul Stonethat the mysterious figure prepared meant to targetPure Yang Palacecultivators, or was it intended to suppress Tang Xiaotang?

What was his true identity?

“Master…” Lei Jun looked up at Yuan Mobai.

Yuan Mobai shook his head slightly. “There is no evidence yet. It’s all speculation. Be careful not to jump to conclusions. Let’s observe for now.”

Lei Jun nodded slightly, then asked, “So, why is this person targeting the successors of Uncle Song’s lineage? Is it intentional, or just an opportunistic move?”

Yuan Mobai replied, “An opportunistic move seems more likely. That’s why we shouldn’t draw conclusions lightly.”

Lei Jun and Wang Guiyuan answered in unison, “Understood.”

After Chu Kun saw off the guests and returned to the mountain, he relayed some of Chu Yu’s thoughts to Yuan Mobai.

Chu Yu said those things in front of Chu Kun precisely to have the message conveyed toTianshi Mansion.

Timely communication between both sides could help avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.

The mysterious figure had vanished without a trace, making further investigation impossible.

For now,Tianshi Mansionhad no choice but to drop the matter temporarily.

Although it was a loss of face for their disciples to be ambushed and killed, the fact that the enemy was a cultivator of theUpper HeavensmadeTianshi Mansionmore vigilant than embarrassed.

Considering Chu Yu’s battle with the enemy, the newly emerged mysterious figure was likely not the same as the one who had ambushed the previousTianshi, Li Qingfeng, leading to his death.

This wasn’t good news.

It suggested thatMount Longhumight face multiple enemies.

Currently, Tianshi Mansionneeded to heighten its vigilance.

The complacency of the past few years deserved everyone’s reflection.

As a result, a tense atmosphere began to resurface within the mansion.

Lei Jun, however, continued his life and cultivation as usual.

The only thing that could disrupt his routine for now was that gluttonousRolling Panda.

TheYin Moon Soul Stoneimmediately caught this giant creature’s attention.

Unfortunately, Lei Jun firmly stopped it.

He didn’t currently need theYin Moon Soul Stonefor his cultivation, so he stored it away.

Coincidentally, not long after Lei Jun obtained theYin Moon Soul Stone, Tang Xiaotang returned to the mountain.

After being away for a long time, she finally returned toMount Longhu.

But she did so quietly.

“I said I wouldn’t return until I found theTianshi Sword, didn’t I?”

The tall woman looked slightly embarrassed. “Since I’m back, it’s better if fewer people know.”

Lei Jun was curious. “So why are you suddenly back, Little Senior Sister?”

Knowing Tang Xiaotang’s character, it couldn’t be because she was homesick.

Hearing Lei Jun’s question, Tang Xiaotang’s pride returned instantly.

It was as if a little tail behind her started wagging again. “Of course, because I’ve found some solid clues about theTianshi Sword!”

Lei Jun’s eyes lit up. “Oh?”

Tang Xiaotang continued, “So, I came back to ask Little Uncle to open theTen Thousand Methods Altarfor me. I want to use these clues to dig deeper and find the realTianshi Sword!”

“That’s great.” Lei Jun was genuinely happy for her.

Then, he watched helplessly as Tang Xiaotang’s interest quickly shifted.

The young woman’s attention was now entirely on the giantRolling Panda. “Huh? YourMountain Pandais huge!”

The massiveRolling Pandaseemed to be quietly sitting there, but its little eyes were darting around, carefully examining Tang Xiaotang.

Clearly, it was checking if she had any food it liked.

After scanning her twice and finding nothing, the giant panda lost interest and turned its big head away.

But while the panda ignored Tang Xiaotang, she didn’t ignore it.

The tall woman strode forward and unceremoniously began rubbing the giant panda.

No matter how strong theRolling Pandawas, how could it resist Tang Xiaotang?

After several futile struggles, the panda ended up flat on the ground, getting thoroughly rubbed.

It lay on its back, limbs flailing, and its big head turned towards Lei Jun, pleading for help.

Lei Jun looked up at the sky.

Well, even fierce bears have their match.

Fortunately, Tang Xiaotang was as generous in feeding the bear as she was forceful in rubbing it.

Later, she brought a huge number of spiritual plants from theUpper Qing Thunder Altar Grotto-Heavento feed the panda until its belly was round.

She was so generous that even Yuan Mobai had to repeatedly stop her.

Otherwise, at the rate she was feeding it, she might as well have let the panda live freely in the grotto-heaven.

Of course, Tang Xiaotang’s main purpose for returning wasn’t to play with the panda.

The thing she remained most focused on was still the missingTianshi Sword.

After visiting theTen Thousand Methods Altar, she went to the forbidden area in the back mountain.

Lei Jun didn’t know the specifics of the clues she found, but judging from her expression, Tang Xiaotang was very satisfied. She soon left the mountain again, continuing her relentless quest for theTianshi Sword.

…

“Tang is heading out again,” Elder Ziyang said softly in his residence, looking beyond the mountain.

Beside him sat a man who appeared to be in his thirties or forties.

It was Li Ziyang’s eldest son, Li Xuan.

But at the moment, Li Xuan wasn’t wearing the traditional robes of aTianshi Mansiondisciple. Instead, he wore modest Confucian attire.

When he was outside the mountain, he usually wore the uniform of aDemon Suppression Guardofficer.

The former Daoist Li Chongxuan was no longer visible in him.

“She has a good chance this time,” Li Xuan said softly. “From what I know, she has obtained solid information about theTianshi Sword.”

Li Ziyang replied, “It’s still uncertain.”

Li Xuan nodded silently.

Then he asked another question. “How far is she from theDivine Court of the Eighth Heaven?”

His father, Li Ziyang, gazed out the window. After a long silence, he said, “Not too far. Her obsession with finding theTianshi Swordmay have slowed her down a bit.”

Li Xuan took a deep breath and said no more.

Li Ziyang continued, “Your second aunt has devoted nearly all her energy to rigorous cultivation. Even I do not know how close she is to theEighth Heaven. Nor can I say if she’ll surpass Tang in the end.”

Li Xuan exhaled deeply and remained silent.

Li Ziyang then shifted the conversation. “Have there been any developments regarding Zhenchang?”

Li Xuan replied, “Although there’s still no concrete evidence, it’s very likely Chen Yi was responsible. His progress has been astonishingly fast, and his combat style is ruthless. Given that Zhenchang hadn’t yet formed aPrimal Talisman, he could have died at Chen Yi’s hands even though they were both at theAltar Stage.

“As for the second case, it might not be related to him. Although Lord Qin from theDemon Suppression Guardholds him in high regard, I don’t think he would commit murder just to protect Chen Yi.

“That mysterious figure onXiexing Peakremains an enigma. However…” His voice dropped, hesitant, “I suspect this figure isn’t just targeting the lineage of Third Uncle and Elder Liang. Their ambitions might be far broader.”

Li Ziyang nodded slightly. “Understood. You’ve been running yourself ragged with all this. From now on, focus more on yourself.”

Li Xuan bowed his head. “I understand, Father.”

Though he suspected Chen Yi of killing Li Zhenchang, Li Xuan’s attitude towards Chen Yi was surprisingly calm. His actions against Chen Yi seemed more like a cover than a pursuit of vengeance.

Even if he intended to deal with Chen Yi, the true reason was likely Chen Yi’s overt hostility toward the entire Li family, rather than justTianshi Mansionitself.

Deep down, from the moment he joined theDark Division of the Demon Suppression Guard, Li Xuan’s identity had changed.

He was no longer atrue discipleof theTianshi Mansion.

He wasn’t even truly a member of the Li family anymore.

He viewed things solely from the perspective of his branch of the Li family—himself, Li Ziyang, and Li Fenghe.

“Junior Nephew Zhengxuan is preparing to leave seclusion,” Li Ziyang said finally.

Li Xuan took a deep breath. “Does Senior Brother have a chance?”

Li Ziyang nodded. “He once wielded theTianshi Sword. After years of preparation in the ancestral tombs, his chances are no less than Tang’s, who has been constantly on the move.”

Li Xuan exhaled heavily. “If he truly finds theTianshi Sword, things might come to a head within the sect.”

Li Ziyang stared out the window, lost in thought. “And theTianshi Seal…”

On that day, Li Zhengxuan, the son of the formerTianshiwho had been in secluded reflection in the back mountain’s ancestral tomb, finally emerged.

He paid homage to the ancestors, vowing to atone for his sins by retrieving theTianshi Swordand personally returning the lost treasure to theTianshi Mansion.

With tensions already high, the atmosphere onMount Longhugrew even more foreboding. People whispered quietly among themselves.

Lei Jun, however, remained unfazed by the external turbulence, continuing his cultivation.

After a period of preparation, he informed his master, Yuan Mobai, that he was ready to establish an altar.

He was preparing to advance to theFifth Heaven Dao Palace Realm.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com