Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 131: Disasters are always one step behind me

Lei Jun kept himself from appearing dazed, ensuring the Shushan disciple before him wouldn’t grow suspicious.

He quickly glanced over the omen, an apologetic look naturally appearing on his face:

“Thank you, Elder Xie of Shushan, for the invitation. As a younger disciple, I wouldn’t dare decline lightly. However, my master has already sent several messages urging me to return to Mount Longhu at once.

Recently, I’ve reached a critical juncture in my cultivation, and only because of this did my master allow me to delay repeatedly. I’ve already postponed my return for quite some time. In the coming days, my cultivation session will conclude, and with my master’s urgent summons, I truly cannot delay any longer. I’ve begun preparations to leave Shu and return to Mount Longhu.

I can only hope there will be another opportunity to visit Elder Xie of your esteemed sect. Please convey my apologies to your venerable master on my behalf. I hope he won’t take offense.”

The other party remained calm and didn’t press further: “We merely wanted to host and entertain you, Daoist Lei. Since Elder Yuan of your sect has urgently summoned you back, it would not be right to delay you. Please don’t worry; my master and all of us will always welcome you to visit Shushan again.”

Unlike Ji Chuan and Zhao Gang, this Shushan disciple clearly didn’t know about the grudge between Ji Dongquan and Yuan Mobai, and thus acted with all due courtesy. Whatever thoughts he held internally were known only to him.

As Lei Jun watched the disciple’s figure disappear, the smile on his face vanished.

In the distance, the old temple master who had escorted the Shushan disciple away from Rain Mountain wore a worried expression.

“Is Shushan really going to follow in the footsteps of the Tianshi Mansion and descend into internal chaos?” Lei Jun mused.

Learning from the Tianshi Mansion’s bitter experience, Shushan’s senior members had been remarkably restrained in recent years. But as tensions continued to build, the eventual eruption would only be more intense.

Lei Jun, standing outside of Shushan’s affairs, didn’t know the full details. From an outsider’s perspective, Shushan’s internal strife didn’t appear as fierce or overt as the conflicts of the Tianshi Mansion during the Li family power struggle or the Two Suns Competing for Glory. It seemed things wouldn’t devolve to the point of open warfare.

However, being on the outside didn’t always grant a clearer view. Many secrets remained hidden within Shushan’s closed-off walls, known only to the sect’s core members. The depth of their grudges and rivalries could only be fully grasped by those involved.

But referring to the omen, Lei Jun could easily predict that Shushan’s internal strife was imminent.

The omen he received at Qingcheng Mountain’s Xiaoding was an extremely dangerous Lower-Bad Omen, warning him to stay away. If he dared to get involved, it would surely be a fatal mistake.

This wasn’t because Shushan had any specific grudge against a young disciple of Mount Longhu. The danger was simply a consequence of the impending chaos. If someone within Shushan wanted to implicate Mount Longhu’s Tianshi Mansion, Lei Jun would make a perfect scapegoat.

Regardless of Elder Xie’s intentions in inviting him, it was a risk Lei Jun couldn’t afford to take.

On the other hand, Ye Dongming from the Ye family in Jinzhou invited him to Badong, which seemed like a suggestion to stay out of trouble. Whether this was out of goodwill was unclear. Lei Jun suspected that Ye Dongming’s faction preferred not to involve the Tianshi Mansion, hoping to minimize external interference.

Lei Jun shook his head, clearing his thoughts. Whatever the case, he had no intention of heading to Xiaoding.

After sending off the Shushan disciple, Lei Jun remained in Rain Mountain, as the omen suggested. Staying put posed no danger or long-term repercussions. Even Elder Xie wouldn’t bother him afterward.

Lei Jun settled comfortably, ignoring the chaos outside. He kept an eye on a few individuals: He Dongxing, Ji Dongquan, Ye Dongming, and Ji Chuan.

Speaking of Ji Chuan, he hadn’t visited Rain Mountain in a while. This absence indirectly confirmed that Shushan’s internal situation was nearing a breaking point.

The last time Ji Chuan visited, he had casually mentioned that the three major demons who had once besieged He Dongxing had been slain by Shushan’s experts. Consequently, the demon disturbances across Shushan had eased.

With external pressure reduced, Shushan’s internal conflicts could no longer be suppressed.

Sure enough, it all escalated quickly…

Less than two days later, one night, a dazzling brilliance suddenly shot up into the distant sky. The light was so bright it illuminated half the horizon.

Lei Jun, standing on a cliff behind his cottage, gazed northward. The brilliant, cold light tore through the night sky with a strange beauty.

The light wasn’t aimed toward Rain Mountain but instead shot far away, like a rainbow across the heavens.

It was the light of flying swords!

This was not the work of Shushan disciples from the Middle Heavens. Even top-tier sword cultivators like He Dongxing had never produced such a display when battling demons.

It wasn’t that He Dongxing lacked strength, but his battlefield conditions had required constant adaptation.

Now, however, Lei Jun saw the full force of Shushan’s Upper Heaven sword cultivators—an all-out strike, meticulously prepared, possibly enhanced by sword arrays or formations.

These were legendary attacks capable of taking an enemy’s life from thousands of miles away, like the fabled Flying Celestial Sword.

Among the various Daoist sects, it was widely acknowledged that the longest-ranged attacks came from the Confucian Divine Archery and the Daoist External Alchemy Flying Swords. Both techniques had the ability to target enemies beyond the practitioner’s line of sight.

Other sects had their strengths, but cultivators above the Sixth Heaven in Confucian archery or Daoist sword arts were universally feared.

Lei Jun saw two brilliant sword lights rise, one after the other, flying off into the distance.

This was the work of two Upper Heaven Shushan sword masters, unleashing their power after long preparation.

He discerned that the sword lights originated north of Rain Mountain, in another scenic area of Shushan called Huanglong Mountain. The targets were likely the Shushan sect’s ancestral grounds at Qingcheng Mountain’s Xiaoding.

Shushan’s internal strife had finally erupted.

So that’s why the Lower-Bad Omen warned him away… Lei Jun realized. Huanglong Mountain held at least two Upper Heaven elders, launching a long-range assault on their own sect.

Had he gone to Huanglong Mountain, he would’ve likely uncovered their plan and gotten himself killed.

The omen had warned of uncovering hidden plots and falling into disaster. If he had barged into Huanglong Mountain, he would have become a prime target, at best detained or at worst silenced permanently. His status as a True Disciple of Mount Longhu would not have protected him—it might even have hastened his demise.

As for heading to the Shushan sect's ancestral grounds at Qingcheng Mountain’s Xiaoding, there was no point even considering it. The conflict there was already at its peak, a dangerous battlefield in the most literal sense.

Lei Jun watched the sword light streak across the sky and vanish into the horizon. The distance was too great for him to see what was happening at Qingcheng Xiaoding, even with the aid of a Spirit-Gazing Stone. However, he could easily imagine the scene: the attackers at Huanglong Mountain providing long-range support while the main battle raged at Qingcheng Xiaoding.

If he had gone to Qingcheng Xiaoding, the omen hinted that while there was potential for obtaining a Seventh-Grade Opportunity, the far more likely outcome was dying amidst the chaos.

Lei Jun had no intention of taking such a risk.

He wondered if figures like He Dongxing, Ji Dongquan, or Ji Chuan were involved in the battle.

Meanwhile, the old temple master of Rain Mountain Temple stayed put, forbidding his disciples from leaving the premises and urging calm. His neutrality was clear, but whether he could maintain this stance remained to be seen. The conflict at Qingcheng Xiaoding could easily engulf everyone.

The Outer Alchemy Artifact Refining Daoists of Rain Mountain Temple avoided discussing the turmoil with Lei Jun, but their unease was palpable. From their whispers and worried expressions, Lei Jun pieced together that the conflict stemmed from Shushan’s conservative faction attempting to depose the sect leader. This coup had triggered a near-rebellion, with both sides clashing violently.

Many neutral parties had been forced to take sides, intensifying the conflict. Reports indicated that casualties were mounting and the fighting showed no signs of abating.

The most shocking rumor was that an Upper Heaven elder had already fallen on the first night of battle. Despite the tensions leading up to this point, few had anticipated such a brutal outcome.

The catastrophe that had once devastated the Tianshi Mansion was now repeating itself at Shushan’s Qingcheng Xiaoding.

Lei Jun sighed in relief that he had avoided both Qingcheng Xiaoding and Huanglong Mountain. In a way, it seemed like disaster always lagged just one step behind him.

The long-simmering tensions within Shushan had finally boiled over. Lei Jun could only wait patiently and observe how the conflict would resolve itself.

He quickly calmed his mind, returning to his cottage to continue his cultivation, undisturbed by the chaos outside.

The techniques of the Outer Alchemy Artifact Refining Daoists gave Lei Jun new insights. Seated cross-legged in his cottage, he held a hand seal before his chest while extending his other hand, fingers spread wide.

Several finely crafted metal throwing darts floated in the air before him. Invisible threads of lightning connected Lei Jun’s fingertips to the darts, allowing him to manipulate them with precision.

Crackling sounds of electricity filled the air.

Lei Jun wasn’t using sheer Daoist arts to levitate the darts. Instead, he generated fine strands of lightning to control them—a technique derived from his Yin Metal Lightning Talisman.

This was a result of advancing to the Primal Talisman Stage and refining his Life-Bound Five Thunder Talisman into the Yin Five Thunder Proper Talisman. Besides Yin Metal Lightning, he also possessed Yin Wood, Yin Fire, Yin Earth, and Yin Water Lightning.

Currently, he focused on mastering the Yin Metal Lightning.

At close range, he could easily manipulate small objects using his Daoist arts. But without refining the technique, his control would lack finesse and range.

The Outer Alchemy Artifact Refining methods offered deeper insights into refining such techniques. However, blindly imitating them would not only be inefficient but also waste valuable time and energy.

Instead, Lei Jun experimented with controlling the darts using his Yin Metal Lightning. The results were promising—the darts danced through the air with perfect fluidity.

This was just a small-scale test. Later, he planned to try larger objects and greater distances.

These experiments laid the groundwork for his future techniques. His first Life-Bound Talisman, the widely applicable Stepping the Big Dipper, was a safe choice. But for his second and third Life-Bound Talismans, he intended to be more ambitious.

“Hm?”

Just as Lei Jun finished his practice and stepped out of his cottage for a stroll, his senses tingled.

He caught a glimpse of a large shadow flickering through the forest.