"Some days ago, during my mountain patrol near Jiuyuan Lake, I vaguely sensed Demonic Qi and Evil Miasma surging. Although it was thin and disappeared quickly, we must not lower our guard," Lei Jun said.

The Celestial Master Mansion disciple opposite grew serious, "Was that so?"

He didn't doubt Lei Jun but lamented, "If that's the case, we have even fewer routes to travel between Xianliu Mountain and Dragon Tiger Mountain."

Of course, all this was relative.

If not absolutely necessary, they could exercise patience and suspend material transport for the time being; it wouldn't be the worst option.

If it was necessary, even if some areas were less safe, they would still have to brave the risk.

"To prevent any mishaps, on the return trip, we'll need to go by Great Qing Mountain as well," that Celestial Master Mansion disciple said.

Lei Jun seemed to ponder for a moment, then spoke, "We can delay delivering things like the Five Qi Stone, but Xianliu Ink is running low at the mountain gate, and this batch cannot be lost. So, here's what we'll do, I'll escort you part of the way."

The other party rejoiced.

Although Lei Jun was young, he already possessed Fifth Heaven Layer cultivation level.

By Dragon Tiger Mountain Celestial Master's Mansion standards, that was nothing to scoff at either.

Some young disciples and Tao Boys from the Tao Boy Court at the foot of the mountain, aside from respectfully calling him Master Lei, had begun to refer to him as Elder Lei.

If not for his relatively young age and shallow experience, he would have already been universally recognized as Elder Lei.

If he left the mountain, Master Lei could legitimately establish a branch sect, carry on the sect's legacy, and become the master of a regional offshoot.

With Lei Jun escorting them partway, those Celestial Master Mansion disciples were much more at ease.

However, the other party immediately hesitated again, "Lei, if you leave, what about Xianliu Palace..."

Lei Jun said, "I won't show myself openly, but I'll hide among the group, and keep the news secret. If nothing unexpected happens, after seeing you past Great Qing Peak, I'll return to Xianliu Palace. There are currently no enemy signs over here; we have a brief window for this."

The other party rejoiced, "That couldn't be better!"

The method Lei Jun offered sounded familiar to him, and he quickly remembered that this approach was the same as Lei Jun's mentor, Yuan Mobai, was currently using.

Though Yuan Mobai had left Dragon Tiger Mountain, his movements were elusive, and he shuttled between multiple locations to keep everything in check.

Lei Jun simply did not leave Xianliu Palace openly, but secretly traveled back and forth.

Once their plan was settled, the group set off secretly at once.

On the Xianliu Palace side, only three Talisman-Instructed Disciples, including Yun Zhan, were in the know. They assured absolute silence and awaited Lei Jun's early return.

Lei Jun changed out of the deep red Taoist Robe he wore as a Talisman-instructed Disciple and switched to the Apricot Daoist Robe of a Transmission Disciple.

His cultivation was now profound enough that he could even control the bones and flesh of his body, making temporary alterations. His once tall and striking figure was compressed to ordinary, suppressing his aura, so he could blend into the crowd.

The group departed, heading east from Xianliu Mountain.

Lei Jun silently walked among the crowd. Besides sensing movements around them, part of his attention was on the south.

That was the direction of Jiuyuan Lake.

Although it was far out of sight and even further than his senses could reach, *the danger predicted by the moderately unlucky lot surely wouldn't be something small.*

It was afternoon.

"Boom!"

A thunderous explosion suddenly erupted from the south.

Lei Jun and the others hurriedly stopped and looked south.

The general direction seemed to be exactly where Jiuyuan Lake lay.

The sky was clear, yet suddenly, thick clouds amassed over the southern sky, and a wisp of inky smoke shot straight up into the heavens—a foreboding sight for anyone watching.

All the Celestial Master Mansion disciples present cultivated Spiritual Energy and sought the Tao. Seeing half the southern sky darken, they all felt waves of oppression in their hearts.

The disciple leading the group, named Zhou Zihang, muttered to himself, "Demonic Qi Evil Miasma..."

*So Lei was right!*

Indeed, a Great Demon had appeared near Jiuyuan Lake.

Lei Jun focused intently on the south.

He could see, beneath the black clouds on the horizon, flickers of Glazed Buddha Light rising and flashing.

It appeared that a Buddhist Sect high monk was fighting a fierce battle with the Great Demon.

The danger and hidden threat referenced in the moderately unlucky lot probably originated from this.

If Zhou Zihang and the others had unknowingly wandered close, even if they didn't stumble straight into the demon's maw, they'd still have been caught up in the aftermath of the clash.

For Lei Jun at present, though it was a battle between two Upper Three Heavens Level powerhouses, *as long as he was careful, the aftermath shouldn't reach him.*

But the fact that a moderately unlucky lot had predicted danger from Jiuyuan Lake's direction meant that more secrets and peril might lurk there.

"Lei, if not for your warning, we would've walked right into the lion's den this time." Zhou Zihang looked at the gloom clouding half the southern sky, his heart still pounding.

Lei Jun said, "I wasn't certain there would be such a Great Demon, just that it's always better for us to be cautious."

Zhou Zihang and his fellows all nodded, "Yes, yes indeed."

Just as they were about to say more, they saw Lei Jun's expression grow even more solemn.

"Enemy attack."

Lei Jun turned his head, looking toward Great Qing Peak, "This time it's not a demon, but humans."

"Those from the Lin Clan?" Zhou Zihang and the others knew Lei Jun's cultivation strength gave him far wider senses than any of them had.

Suddenly, from the distant mountains and woods, a small patch of black clouds appeared.

The black cloud floated up to midair, then fell, enveloping all the Celestial Master Mansion disciples below.

It was clearly a small, dense rain of arrows launched in an arch from far away.

With Lei Jun's warning, Zhou Zihang and the others, though startled by the sudden ambush, remained steady. Golden Spirit Light from their Spiritual Energy formed barriers—these were the Golden Barrier Talismans of the Celestial Master Mansion's authentic inheritance at work.

The sharp arrows struck the golden barriers, making them shudder. Clearly, these attacks were no ordinary arrows—they could never have compared otherwise.

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