Lei Jun remarked, "It’s rare to see Senior Sister so persistent about sothing."
"The more soone hides, the more I want to drag them out," Xu Yuanzhen said.
Her subsequent trip to the Western Regions was unlike Tang Xiaotang’s previous grandiose exploits.
"There’s no hurry. I also want to watch how Zhang Wantong and the others interact for a bit longer," Xu Yuanzhen said, her tone clearly carrying a hint of amusent.
The battles in Jiangzhou, Youzhou, and Jinzhou helped the Celestial Master Mansion resolve its own threats and also shared the burdens of the Tang Imperial Court.
The Lin Clan of Jiangzhou had been thoroughly crippled. Even now, the remnants of the Southern Sect of the Lin Clan, much like the Xiao Clan from outside Long (region) before them, sought refuge under the Imperial Court’s protection.
Though the Youzhou Forest Clan and the Jinzhou Ye Clan didn’t suffer as severely as Jiangzhou’s Lin Clan, they too suffered Severely Damaged Vitality.
The outco was what it was. However, regarding her initial intentions, the extent of Xu Yuanzhen’s respect for the Tang Emperor was debatable, and loyalty was entirely out of the question.
Previously, she had inadvertently assisted the Tang Emperor, Zhang Wantong. Now that she had leverage, she was, of course, happy to watch the Tang Imperial Court’s ensuing drama.
"The so-called Xumi Vajra Sect has a complex lineage of successors, definitely not originating from a single place."
After her trip to the Western Regions, Xu Yuanzhen ca to a conclusion. "These Buddhist Sect successors are not all proliferated within Sumi. There must be people from other worlds. Apart from our current mortal world, Sumi also provides passage to these other worlds."
Lei Jun pondered upon hearing this. Is that so...
He couldn’t help but recall the broken and fragnted foreign land opposite the Portal above the Great Black Mountain. He thought of how that land was strikingly similar to the Central Plains of the mortal world he resided in, yet this mortal world’s Zhongzhou lacked those peculiarities.
As Xu Yuanzhen herself said, after her trip to the Western Regions, she returned to Wushan.
The cave mansion, secretly established by the mysterious person, was now directly occupied by Xu Yuanzhen. She settled there for the ti being.
The Tang Imperial Court hoped Xu Yuanzhen would make a trip to Changjie Island in the East Sea. Her purpose would be to verify the whereabouts of Lin Jian and Lin Jinsong, and also to investigate the strange Void Gateway that led to an unknown destination.
However, Xu Yuanzhen didn’t imdiately agree. She simply stated she would visit if she found the ti and continued her stay in the cave mansion at Wushan.
The Void Gateway on Changjie Island hadn’t shown any changes on its own. Therefore, the Tang Imperial Court could only deploy people to guard and monitor it closely. This was to prevent any unusual movents of the Portal and to prohibit others from approaching.
The Imperial Court’s attention was also focused inland.
They were busy consolidating their control over Jiangzhou and Jinzhou, exterminating the remnants of the Great Void Temple, and, even more urgently, closely monitoring the Vajra Realm in the Western Regions.
Fortunately, the Vajra Realm hadn’t expanded any further.
Even after Jiasheng Upper Master left Chang’an and returned to the Vajra Realm, there were no further disturbances within it.
Aside from Jiasheng Upper Master, other high-ranking monks from the esoteric sect frequently traveled between the Western Regions and Chang’an, the old capital.
"Their style is different from the Vajra Temple’s previous approach," Lei Jun and other observant individuals noted.
Previously, the Vajra Temple, secluded in the Western Regions, was relatively mysterious and insular, rarely interacting with the outside world.
It was considered one of the four great Buddhist Sacred Lands, alongside Bodhi Temple, Xuantian Temple, and Tianlong Temple. However, even without considering the differences in Buddhist scriptures, one could easily spot significant distinctions between the Vajra Temple and the other three. There was also a clear lack of genuine cooperation and trust among them.
Several great families and prominent clans of the day were busy courting one Buddhist Sacred Land and infiltrating a Taoist Sacred Land the next, always planning ahead. However, no one managed to establish a deep foothold in the Vajra Temple.
This was partly due to the Vajra Temple’s own seclusion. Additionally, such a Buddhist Sacred Land had fewer opportunities to clash and intersect with the prominent families of the Central Plains. At most, in earlier years, the Xiao Clan from outside Long (region) had so conflicts with the Vajra Temple. But after the Xiao Clan, the Vajra Temple’s true adversaries were only the White Lotus Sect and the Great Void Temple, both considered Buddhist heretics.
But now, the Vajra Division from Sumi acted far more proactively and aggressively, striking out in all directions.
Zhang Jingzhen, stationed in Chang’an, relayed news that the Vajra Division was actively expanding its influence, particularly seeking alliance and recognition from the Tang Imperial Court.
Rumor had it that high-ranking monks from the Vajra Division had ford significant private connections with mbers of the Tang Imperial Family.
For the ti being, the borderlands of the Great Tang in the Western Regions seed peaceful.
As ti passed, people gradually seed to grow accustod to the presence of the Xumi Vajra Sect in the mortal world.
Lei Jun proceeded according to his own rhythm, earnestly cultivating and teaching his disciple.
Having elevated his Comprehension to the Tranquil Level and his cultivation to the Upper Three Realms, Lei Jun felt he had new realizations every day in the path of cultivation. This made him reluctant to return to the mundane world.
Once his disciple Zhuo Baojie’s cultivation was steadily progressing, Lei Jun finally decided to enter a period of secluded practice to further consolidate and internalize what he had learned.
「In the mountains, ti passed unnoticed.」
For high-level cultivators, the duration of a seclusion was uncertain.
It might be an overnight epiphany, a mont of sudden clarity.
Or it could be a slow accumulation, constantly refining the essence and discarding the dross.
「Ti flew, and seasons changed.」
Almost three years passed by like this.
This was one of the longest periods of secluded practice Lei Jun had undertaken since embarking on the path of cultivation.
When Lei Jun erged from his seclusion, he was forty-four years old.
"I have been in seclusion for a long ti and was unable to assist you, Master, in handling the Mansion’s affairs. I hope you will forgive ," Lei Jun said apologetically to Yuan Mobai.
The young man in purple still wore a smile as gentle and relaxing as a spring breeze. "Manpower has indeed been a bit tight," he said. "But Chongyun, your dedicated cultivation has further refined your mana, which is naturally a boon for Our Sect."
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