Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 114: Show mercy without violence, and show no mercy when violence is taken

Monk Dexiang looked at Lei Jun opposite him, his expression even more bitter.

This was the helpless reality for a Xuanyan Temple successor.

In theory, their defenses were incredibly strong. They could protect not only themselves but also others. However, when an enemy's pressure was overwhelming, forcing them to defend only themselves, others in danger could no longer rely on the Xuanyan Temple successors.

In such situations, even if Monk Dexiang wished to sacrifice himself to take the blow, it was impossible.

Because his speed wasn’t enough...

The Precepts Tradition had always focused on guarding oneself. Only by reaching the Upper Heavens and mastering the Buddhist technique known as Every Step a Lotus, could they enhance their speed.

Before that, Xuanyan Temple successors of the Middle Heavens level had other methods to save or sacrifice themselves for others.

But the problem was, Monk Dexiang had yet to learn those techniques…

So, he could only watch helplessly as the tragedy befell that middle-aged Confucian scholar.

Monk Dexiang had tried just now, but the small lotus couldn’t bind Lei Jun.

This didn’t frustrate him.

Yet his heart still sank.

He had been in the valley earlier but remained hidden. When Lei Jun hadn’t shown up, Dexiang suspected that he hadn’t descended into the valley fissure. Therefore, he went outside the mountain to search again.

To his dismay, when he returned, most of the Gao Family members in the valley had already been wiped out.

Logically, there should have been archers ambushed in the mountains, but now there was no response...

Was it just him and Lei Jun left in Qiluo Valley?

Oh, there was one more person.

That Yuhe Sect young apprentice, He Bin, who had been captured by the Gao Family and confessed to encountering Lei Jun here, was now slumped to the side, immobilized.

Seeing Lei Jun suddenly appear and the Gao Family wiped out, He Bin didn’t feel the least bit happy.

He wasn’t sure if Lei Jun already knew that he had led people here.

He Bin’s mind spun rapidly. Seeing that everyone involved was basically dead, he thought he could blame everything on Chen Xi, the Yuhe Sect disciple. After all, Chen Xi had died on the main peak of Youpeng Mountain, and the dead couldn’t testify...

As this thought formed, He Bin suddenly saw Lei Jun wave his hand toward him from a distance.

Is he going to rescue me?

Just as this thought crossed his mind, his head flew into the air.

Lei Jun had swept up one of the Gao Family’s scattered swords with his Daoist arts and beheaded He Bin.

Well, now it really was just the two of them… Monk Dexiang took a deep breath.

He closed his eyes and sat cross-legged.

Given Lei Jun’s earlier lightning-like speed, Dexiang knew he couldn’t outrun him.

Fine, let’s just stick with your attack and my defense.

After all, you can’t break my defense.

Even if I can’t hold on, I still have the Buddhist artifact bestowed by my sect.

Monk Dexiang recited scriptures with his eyes closed, hands in a prayer position, a string of prayer beads dangling from his palms.

The prayer beads shimmered with a crystalline glow, merging with his own Glass-Like Buddha Radiance.

The lotus surrounding him remained small, about three feet in diameter, but the Glass-Like Buddha Radiance solidified, appearing as if it were a solid structure. It exuded an aura of unyielding fortitude and immovability.

Lei Jun, seeing the monk’s resolute stance, wasn’t agitated.

He hefted his short staff and walked closer to Monk Dexiang, swinging it down forcefully.

The lotus trembled.

The ground beneath shattered, and Monk Dexiang, along with the lotus, was driven into the ground by Lei Jun’s strike.

Cracks appeared on the lotus surface.

However, the prayer beads in Dexiang’s hands glowed, and the Glass-Like Buddha Radiance quickly flowed to repair the lotus.

This monk, who hailed from the Gao Family of Zezhou and entered the Xuanyan Temple, no longer tried to counter or trap Lei Jun.

He focused entirely on defense, fusing his mana with the Buddhist artifact, and chanted his scriptures.

The young Daoist before him was truly formidable.

That strange short staff in his hand was also a powerful artifact… Monk Dexiang thought.

Even with his Buddhist artifact, he couldn’t completely withstand Lei Jun’s attacks. He had to rely on a continuous flow of energy to repair the lotus.

As a result, Monk Dexiang felt his mana depleting rapidly.

Fortunately, the Xuanyan Temple’s Precepts Tradition was renowned for its endurance.

In terms of stamina and sustained mana, the Precepts Tradition was arguably unmatched within the Buddhist sects.

Monk Dexiang was confident he could outlast Lei Jun in this contest of endurance.

However, this young man’s strength exceeded expectations. If left to grow, he would surely become a star of the Daoist Holy Land, posing a threat to ancient noble families like the Ye and Gao Clans… Monk Dexiang’s expression grew even more pained.

Suddenly, he no longer felt the impact of Lei Jun’s staff.

Instead, Lei Jun began circling him.

Though Lei Jun’s movements seemed casual, Monk Dexiang, a Buddhist disciple, sensed his intent without opening his eyes.

Stepping the Big Dipper!

As Lei Jun completed a circle, specks of starlight emerged around him, forming a thin layer of starry mist.

Under this starlight, Lei Jun’s figure became ethereal.

When his staff struck again, it was noticeably heavier!

The lotus shuddered violently, cracks appearing as if it might bloom.

Monk Dexiang clenched his eyes shut and gritted his teeth.

He felt the Glass-Like Buddha Radiance struggling to keep up with the damage to the lotus. The Xuanyan Temple monk sighed in resignation.

Blood flowed from his tightly closed eyes.

Then from his ears.

His nostrils.

And his mouth.

Monk Dexiang sat with palms together, unmoving, as if in final meditation.

The Glass-Like Buddha Radiance protecting him grew denser, and the lotus more tangible.

Lei Jun nodded, stepping back calmly.

He dispelled his Stepping the Big Dipper, stowed away his Upper Qing Golden Bamboo, and allowed the power of the Heavenly General Talisman and Mountain-Cleaving Talisman to dissipate.

Though Monk Dexiang had lost almost all sensory input, his mind remained aware that Lei Jun had ceased his attack.

This happened sooner than expected.

Had his opponent given up?

Though the cost was great, if it made Lei Jun retreat, Monk Dexiang felt content.

Wait…

Something’s wrong!

Monk Dexiang’s spiritual intuition sensed unease.

“Not sure if you can still hear me,” Lei Jun said calmly, looking at the monk protected by the lotus. “I could just leave you like this. It’d be pretty funny, but…”

He pulled out a Spirit Talisman. “For some reason, I just don’t want to let you off.”

As he spoke, he activated the talisman.

Its power far exceeded Lei Jun’s current level, placing a heavy burden on him. Fortunately, his Breath-Taking Flag provided continuous mana support.

Light surged as the talisman expanded, covering Qiluo Valley in brilliant lightning.

The Tianshi Mansion’s Five Thunder True Talisman!

A supreme Five Thunder True Talisman from Yuan Mobai!

Thunder roared and crashed down, engulfing Monk Dexiang’s lotus.

Lei Jun stepped back, shading his eyes with his hand.

Amid the flashing thunder, the lotus disintegrated into ashes.

Monk Dexiang, already bleeding from his orifices, opened his mouth in terror.

But no sound came. He, too, was obliterated by the thunder.

Even his Buddhist prayer beads disintegrated.

Lei Jun wasn’t disappointed.

When the lightning faded, Qiluo Valley was empty once more. Lei Jun nodded in satisfaction, feeling refreshed.

After cleaning up the scene and tossing the remains into the fissure, he finally left the valley.

Due to the chaotic earth vein spiritual energy, the area was shielded from outside investigation.

What was meant to be the Gao Family and Monk Dexiang’s advantage turned into Lei Jun’s own cover.

Having slain a Xuanyan Temple successor, Lei Jun’s mind was calm.

If he felt anything, it was that Xuanyan Temple’s defenses were indeed tough.

Even with his Upper Qing Golden Bamboo, breaking through took time.

Still, throughout the battle, Lei Jun held the absolute advantage.

Today’s fight gave him new insights.

Indeed, every cultivation path had its unique strengths.

From the Xuanyan Temple’s defenses to the Gao Family’s Confucian combat methods, Lei Jun had learned a lot.

For now, he continued on his path to the Chiyuan Grotto-Heaven to begin refining his killing aura.

During his journey, he studied the Third-Grade Opportunity he had obtained: that strange page of an ancient book.