Cultivation: Fortune by Lots

After the Five Thunders Talisman, Lei Jun then brought forth the Chain Blazing Flame Talisman.

Thanks to the Vermilion Peak Pen.

At his current second-layer Altar Stage, whether it was his life-bound Five Thunders Talisman or the non-life-bound Chain Blazing Flame Talisman, both yielded superior-grade results.

The Chain Blazing Flame Talismans that Lei Jun had crafted consisted of one main talisman and three auxiliary ones merged.

The main talisman would explode first, triggering the three auxiliary ones to detonate in sympathy.

Consequently, the mountain ravine, already resembling an ignited armory setting off chain explosions, was now stoked with even more fires.

In an instant, the sky and earth seemed to turn upside down, with fierce flames rocketing everywhere.

With his power alone, Lei Jun's two Spirit Talismans unleashed firepower nearly equivalent to ten men in a single volley.

Then, he launched another round.

A Five Thunders Talisman that manifested as Fire Storehouse Thunder.

Followed by another Chain Blazing Flame Talisman.

The Yellow Sky Sect disciples assaulting the Taoist Temple had no idea that an entire "team" of enemies had silently approached from their rear and unleashed their full firepower simultaneously.

Like reaping wheat, many were blasted away, caught in the sea of fire, making it difficult even to recover their bodies.

Yet, these Yellow Sky Sect disciples were fiercely valiant. Despite suffering heavy casualties from the surprise attack, they quickly rallied and counterattacked toward their rear.

Multiple disciples attacked simultaneously, launching Blazing Flame Talismans and Thunderclap Talismans in a remote assault, their "firepower" equally dense and fierce.

But Lei Jun was no longer at his previous position.

The intensity of a group's attack, contrasted with the stealth and mobility of a single person, caused the Yellow Sky Sect disciples' counterattacks to miss their mark.

Some charged through the sea of fire and over a mountain ridge, looking left and right, but found no trace of Lei Jun.

However, right beneath one such disciple's feet, a viscous, ink-black substance, faintly shimmering with a bluish light, was silently drawing near.

Behind a mountain hollow, out of sight of the Yellow Sky Sect disciple, Lei Jun stood calmly.

In his hand, he once again brought forth a Five Thunders Talisman.

This time, however, due to the Five Phases Generating effect, the gold, cyan, red, and brown spiritual patterns on the talisman vanished, leaving only a deep black.

From the Spirit Talisman, copious amounts of black liquid, like flowing ink, dripped down. However, it didn't touch the ground. Instead, it condensed in mid-air—viscous yet agile. Guided by Lei Jun's will, it flew silently over the mountain hollow as if alive.

The Five Thunders Talisman: Dark Water Thunder.

Thunder is typically the epitome of hardness and yang in the world.

But now, it had transformed into an incredibly yin and gentle form of thunderous water.

The thunderous water quietly adhered to that Yellow Sky Sect disciple's body.

Still soundless, the disciple's entire body convulsed as his flesh and Mana were simultaneously eroded.

Unable to even utter a sound, this Yellow Sky Sect disciple collapsed limply, his body covered in charred marks, clearly the aftermath of a lightning strike.

After field-testing the Fire Storehouse Thunder, Lei Jun then practiced with the Dark Water Thunder.

A fierce bombardment one moment, a silent assassination the next.

The thunderous water struck repeatedly.

The counterattacking Yellow Sky Sect disciples fell one by one without a sound, disappearing into the night-shrouded mountain forest.

After several of them vanished silently, the remaining disciples' courage finally shattered. Faced with an unknown terror, they lost their nerve and fled.

Once they broke and fled, they could no longer maintain their previous composure, cursing that their parents hadn't given them four legs, and themselves for not having two more legs than their fleeing companions.

The few remaining clustered together, fleeing in panic. Lei Jun, from his high vantage point, unleashed another Fire Storehouse Thunder, wiping out all these Yellow Sky Sect disciples in one go.

The Tianxu Sect disciples inside the Taoist Temple, unaware of the situation, dared not make any rash moves.

Only after a good while did they counterattack and exit the Taoist Temple.

But all they saw were the corpses of Yellow Sky Sect disciples scattered chaotically in the sea of fire.

The remaining Tianxu Sect disciples were astonished. "What just happened?"

"It looks like many people joined forces to ambush those Yellow Sky Sect Demon Persons!"

Everyone lamented, "What a pity! If we had known, we should have charged out together and coordinated with the senior brothers and sisters who came to help, attacking from both inside and out."

"But why did they leave already?"

"Yes, even if our Cultivation is low, they didn't have to take us with them, but they could have at least shown their faces so we'd know who helped us…"

Someone guessed, "Could it be that it wasn't a group, but a single Talisman-bestowed Elder who took action?"

"That's possible…"

"But the question remains, which Elder was it?"

The rescued disciples looked at each other, more bewildered than joyful.

Lei Jun had no intention of greeting anyone. He simply drifted away.

Whenever a suitable situation arose, he would help some Tianxu Sect disciples out of their predicament, incidentally testing his new Spirit Talismans.

Sometimes, being an explosive powerhouse is also a kind of joy.

But I still have a special fondness for being a nimble, lightly armored warrior that can fight head-on and also pull away gracefully… Lei Jun thought to himself.

Well, the truth was, being a joyful explosive powerhouse consumed too much Mana and Spiritual Soul.

Although Talisman Sect cultivators can prepare Spirit Talismans in advance, activating and controlling them in battle still requires their own Mana and burdens their Spiritual Soul.

Normally, one of the advantages of Talisman Sect cultivators is that channeling the power of heaven and earth through talismans consumes less of their own energy for an equivalent output.

But Lei Jun's recent situation was different.

The Five Thunders Talisman, Chain Blazing Flame Talisman, and similar Spirit Talismans were exhilarating to detonate, but they also consumed an exceptionally large amount of his own resources.

This was a low-pressure test, so it was fine to be a bit unrestrained. But in a truly evenly matched battle, I must pay more attention to rhythm and timing. Lei Jun found a safe, secluded spot to regulate his Breathing Skills, conserve his spirit, and practice Qi Cultivating.

Thanks to his earlier waves of support, the Tianxu Sect disciples around the foot of the main peak had regrouped and were resisting the Yellow Sky Sect's assault.

Compared to Lei Jun's raid, another person arrived much more openly.

Xia Qing, another True Disciple of the Celestial Master Mansion from Mount Tianxu, also fought her way back to the main peak from the Kundi Peak sub-altar.

She led several Tianxu Sect disciples, forming a special squad dedicated to breaking through enemy lines to rescue others, helping fellow sect members, and organizing counterattacks.

Xia Qing, at Perfection in the Third Layer Altar Stage, was decisive and swift. On the current battlefield, no Yellow Sky Sect disciple from the Lower Three Heavens was her match.

Xia Qing's three life-bound Talisman Skills were practically the most classic and common "Metal Wind Thunder" combination for a True Disciple of the Celestial Master Mansion.

The Golden Barrier Talisman for defense.

The Wind Riding Talisman for speed.

The Thunderclap Talisman for offense.

The advantage of a classic combination is its effectiveness, even when known by the opponent.

After mitigating the threat of the Banishing Gold Talisman against her Golden Barrier Talisman, Xia Qing would withstand an opponent's attack with her own Golden Barrier Talisman and then use her Thunderclap Talisman to shatter their Golden Barrier Talisman.

She possessed considerable combat experience, employing orthodox and methodical yet flexible tactics, causing immense trouble for the Yellow Sky Sect disciples, until…

"Master Zhong?!"

Just when the Tianxu Sect disciples thought strong support had arrived in the form of their Talisman-bestowed Elder, Zhong Yunfei, he suddenly turned and ambushed Xia Qing.

First, a Sealing Talisman inhibited the flow of Xia Qing's Mana. Then, a Binding Body Talisman immobilized her. Finally, a Soul Calming Talisman suppressed her Spiritual Soul and thoughts.

Had Xia Qing been on alert, even facing this Tianxu Sect Elder of the Middle Three Heavens realm, she might have struggled but could have still attempted to maneuver.

But caught by surprise, she was instantly subdued with no chance to resist.

Before she could react, golden light and fierce flames suddenly erupted from her body.

These were a top-grade Golden Barrier Talisman and a top-grade Blazing Flame Talisman, gifts from someone else.

But Zhong Yunfei, having already planned his move, quickly dragged two nearby, stunned Tianxu Sect disciples to shield himself from the fiery attack.

He then launched successive attacks, depleting the protection of Xia Qing's top-grade Golden Barrier Talisman, and finally succeeded in capturing this True Disciple of the Celestial Master Mansion.

"This person must be well guarded; do not harm her."

Zhong Yunfei breathed a sigh of relief and instructed the nearby Yellow Sky Sect disciples, "Her status is special. She is a disciple highly valued by the couple Li Hongyu and Xia Bo.

The situation at Dragon Tiger Mountain has yet to settle; keeping her might be useful."

The Yellow Sky Sect disciples assented.

This Tianxu Sect Elder, with a Middle Three Heavens cultivation, had long been a key figure in their Yellow Sky Sect.

Their success in breaching Mount Tianxu this time was due to his efforts as an inside agent. He sabotaged two of the eight core Talisman Scriptures of the main peak's Mountain Defense Array, causing a chain collapse of the formation.

However, for some unknown reason, Tu Guangyu, the Sect Leader of the Tianxu Sect, seemed somewhat prepared. He reacted promptly, preserving the final four Talisman Scriptures, thus preventing Zhong Yunfei from achieving total success.

Nevertheless, for the attacking Yellow Sky Sect disciples, the difficulty had already been greatly reduced.

"There's another True Disciple from the Celestial Master Mansion named Lei Jun. Has anyone seen him?" Zhong Yunfei asked.

Everyone present shook their heads.

Zhong Yunfei ordered, "This young man should also be captured alive if possible. He is one of only two Direct Disciples of Yuan Mobai from Dragon Tiger Mountain."

He glanced at the peaks of Mount Tianxu, dotted with flickering flames. "I will go find him," he declared. "You all stay alert. Inform me immediately if you find any trace of him!"

With that, Zhong Yunfei rode the clouds and departed.

The few Yellow Sky Sect disciples remaining in place prepared to escort the captured Xia Qing away.

Unexpectedly, at this very moment, a sudden commotion arose in the distance.

As everyone watched in stunned silence, the soil between the rocks churned, and a tall young man's figure emerged.

The tall young man retrieved his Commanding Flags. He didn't look at the astonished Yellow Sky Sect disciples; his gaze was fixed on the direction Zhong Yunfei had departed.

"He's a menace…" Lei Jun muttered to himself.

Then, eliminate him.