Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 163: New functions of Zhenyi Dharma Altar

“Previously, hadn’t it been said that the Tianshi Seal and True-One Altar Grotto-Heaven didn’t have such capabilities?”

After his initial excitement, Lei Jun quickly calmed down, pondering over the question.

His master, Yuan Mobai, had never mentioned anything related to this.

After careful thought, Lei Jun suspected that it might have something to do with the current unique state between himself and the Tianshi Seal.

The Tianshi Seal was currently dormant due to damage and entanglement with external forces. Additionally, it was deeply fused with Lei Jun’s soul, buried in its depths.

As far as Lei Jun knew, this kind of state was unprecedented, a rare occurrence born from extraordinary circumstances.

Given this, it was plausible that the True-One Altar Grotto-Heaven might also exhibit subtle changes distinct from its traditional function.

Perhaps these so-called “new capabilities” originated from this unique situation.

Lei Jun continued observing carefully but found no signs of harm to his soul or mana.

Moreover, the Tianshi Seal and True-One Altar remained intact without further damage.

This reassured him.

While the altar’s ability to repair incomplete alchemical formulas was undoubtedly beneficial, it wasn’t entirely without cost.

Lei Jun noticed that the cyan flames that formed the scriptures for repairing the formulas would cease after a certain period.

Only when Lei Jun channeled more candlelight from the Buddhist treasure candelabras into the altar to fuel the Nine Abyss Earth Fire would the repair process resume.

“Hmm, it’s all good, but it sure burns through candelabras...” Lei Jun thought wryly.

Although untested, Lei Jun speculated that repairing other incomplete formulas might also require similar sacrifices.

What he didn’t know was whether severely fragmented formulas, reduced to mere scraps, could still be repaired.

Would there need to be a certain foundation for the process? Or could the Nine Abyss Earth Fire push through as long as enough “fuel” was provided?

This curiosity simmered in his mind, but Lei Jun decided to set it aside for now. He planned to explore further once he returned to Mount Longhu.

The development of this new feature in the first layer of the altar drew the attention of a certain Taibai Gold Luminary, who began eyeing the fragmentary Tianyuan Qingjing Pill formula that Jupiter Luminary had previously mentioned.

However, that formula was a legacy of the Tianshi Mansion, and targeting it so explicitly might expose his identity.

Though the strategy of making reality appear illusory and vice versa was sound, it wasn’t the right time. Lei Jun resolved to wait for a better opportunity in the future.

With that decision, Lei Jun withdrew his spiritual will from the True-One Altar Grotto-Heaven.

After storing the candelabra, Lei Jun refocused on his cultivation.

The Buddhist treasures were unrelated to his current priorities.

His immediate goal remained refining the Great Five Elements Creation Qi, nurturing the five viscera and five elemental qi within him, and constructing his Dao Palace.

No more Buddhist monks had appeared near Xianliu Mountain.

However, according to Tianshi Mansion disciples traveling outside, some had been spotted near Great Green Peak.

No rumors had spread from Monk Yongxiang’s side, but the White Lotus Sect’s disturbances were subsiding.

The chaos at Huai Mountain was unexpectedly quelled swiftly due to internal shifts within the White Lotus Sect.

Meanwhile, the battle between Tianshi Mansion at Mount Longhu in Xinzou and the Lin Clan of Jiangzhou reached its critical moment.

A ferocious clash over Poyang Marsh dramatically altered the local spiritual veins.

Although Lei Jun and others were on the periphery, their focus remained on the marsh, anxiously awaiting updates.

“Huh?”

One day, Lei Jun sensed something and retrieved a Thousand-Mile Transmission Talisman.

Besides communication from Mount Longhu, he had another channel via Yuan Mobai, who rarely used it.

But today, it was activated.

Lei Jun activated the talisman, and the result left him astonished.

The Jiangzhou Lin Clan, led by their new patriarch Lin Che and including three Eighth-Heaven-level Confucian scholars, had joined the Poyang Marsh battle.

What shocked everyone was their use of an ancient Confucian Grand Rite.

Rituals, the pinnacle of Confucian heritage, were rarely seen in the modern era.

It wasn’t surprising for the Lin Clan, a scholarly aristocratic family, to possess such means.

What was unexpected was that this Grand Rite did not originate from the Jiangzhou Lin Clan but from the Youzhou Lin Clan.

As one of the Five Great Surnames and Seven Prominent Clans, the Lin families shared a common origin.

The Jiangzhou branch had split off from Youzhou generations ago, and their relationship was anything but amicable, marked by animosity and mutual hostility.

Yet now, Jiangzhou Lin Clan performed a Grand Rite of their ancestral lineage, an ancient ritual of tremendous power, targeting one individual: Xu Yuanzhen.

Acknowledged as Tianshi Mansion’s greatest current expert and the person who had ignited this war by assassinating Lin Zhen, Xu Yuanzhen was their focus.

Jiangzhou Lin Clan aimed directly at the Tianshi Mansion’s strongest point, not seeking minor victories or compromise.

New patriarch Lin Che sought a decisive triumph to consolidate his authority within the clan.

Even Yuan Mobai admitted that the move had caught Tianshi Mansion off guard.

However, Lin Che underestimated Xu Yuanzhen.

This unparalleled genius, repeatedly proving her talents and strength, defied the ambush and nearly reversed the situation.

“‘Nearly’... What does that mean?” Lei Jun raised an eyebrow at Yuan Mobai’s vague phrasing.

Perhaps the situation was too complex, and the Tianshi Mansion was still piecing things together.

Yuan Mobai didn’t keep him waiting long, though, and more details followed.

The Grand Rite collapsed midway, unleashing distorted forces that drained half of Poyang Marsh and fractured the void.

Those at the battlefield’s center—Xu Yuanzhen, Lin Che, and Lin Feng—vanished into the void, their fates unknown.

The battle concluded with both sides suffering severe losses, leaving Jiangzhou Lin Clan devastated.

The Tianshi Mansion regrouped, advancing against the retreating Lin Clan, who fell back to their ancestral stronghold in Jiangzhou.

Tianshi Mansion emerged victorious, but Xu Yuanzhen’s fate remained a pressing concern.

After days of anxiety, Lei Jun received another transmission from Yuan Mobai.

Xu Yuanzhen was alive but stranded in the chaotic void, unsure when she could return.

Her fragmented messages left Lei Jun and Yuan Mobai torn between laughter and exasperation:

“Don’t bother looking for me...”

“I’m having fun…”

“Oh, by the way, Lin Feng is dead…”

Classic Xu Yuanzhen.

Lei Jun sighed, relieved she was unharmed, though her predicament reignited tensions within the Li Clan.

Within the Tianshi Mansion, the outcome of Xu Yuanzhen’s disappearance sparked varied reactions.

For the Li Clan, the result of the battle likely felt like a fortuitous windfall.

The largest internal destabilizing factor of the Tianshi Mansion—alongside its greatest external adversary—had essentially neutralized each other.

It was an outcome so ideal that certain Li Clan members might have been tempted to burn incense in gratitude to their ancestors.

With Xu Yuanzhen missing and the Jiangzhou Lin Clan in retreat, they saw a golden opportunity to reshape the Tianshi Mansion's internal dynamics.

It wasn’t that they weren’t keen on crushing the Lin Clan entirely—after all, the animosity between the Tianshi Mansion and the Jiangzhou Lin Clan spanned centuries.

But with the Lin Clan now entrenched in their ancestral stronghold, any external assault became a daunting prospect.

Moreover, the Qingzhou Ye Clan had already sent representatives to Jiangzhou, complicating matters further.

Given the circumstances, the Tianshi Mansion prioritized monitoring the Lin Clan’s movements while withdrawing most of its forces to Mount Longhu for recovery.

Still, whispers within the mansion hinted at rising ambitions from certain Li Clan members.

However, the news of Xu Yuanzhen’s survival quickly dampened those ambitions, as it poured cold water on any plans of seizing unchecked power.

Far to the north, in the ancestral estate of the Ye Clan in Jinzhou, an elderly patriarch sat in a spacious study, meticulously reviewing a letter.

Several figures stood silently before him, awaiting his response.

After a long moment, the old man set the letter aside and looked up. “Someone from Qingzhou has already gone to Jiangzhou?”

A middle-aged man nodded. “Yes, reportedly it’s Brother Hongzhen.”

The elder hummed in acknowledgment. “In that case, let Jiangzhou be for now.”

The man hesitated, then cautiously asked, “And Xinzou?”

The elder retrieved a small rectangular box—the Confucian Geographical Compass Box.

He pushed it toward the middle-aged man. “Send this to Xinzou. The Li Clan will know how to proceed.”

The man accepted the box with care, understanding its contents. It held a rare and precious treasure, invaluable for cultivators of the Daoist Talismanic Branch, particularly those skilled in Thunder Arts.

While not a decisive artifact, it could significantly aid a cultivator standing at the threshold of the Eighth-Heaven realm in breaking through.

The elder sighed softly. “Originally, this was reserved for Li Zhengxuan. But he lost the Tianshi Sword.”

The loss of the Tianshi Sword did not mean Li Zhengxuan was without potential. However, the psychological burden it placed on him was immense, casting a shadow over his path.

Unless he could retrieve the Tianshi Sword himself one day, this setback would forever limit his growth.

For someone attempting to cross the chasm between the Seventh and Eighth Heavens, such mental hindrances were fatal.

Even with the treasure inside the Compass Box, Li Zhengxuan stood no chance of success without resolving his inner conflict.

The elder’s gaze turned contemplative. “But now, the Li Clan needs another Eighth-Heaven-level High Master. With Li Zhengxuan unfit, the only candidates are Li Hongyu and Li Ziyang.”

The middle-aged man’s tone lowered. “Does Li Hongyu have a chance?”

“She stands at a crossroads—one step to ascend, one step to fall,” the elder replied gravely.

The group shared a solemn silence, acknowledging Li Hongyu’s exceptional talent. Once regarded as her brother Li Qingfeng’s equal, her early missteps had since placed her in his shadow.

Now, with Li Qingfeng gone, the burden on Li Hongyu’s shoulders was immense. Whether she could break free from her past and rise anew remained uncertain.

As for Li Ziyang, while not without potential, his prospects were slightly dimmer compared to Li Hongyu’s.

The elder added thoughtfully, “But keep an eye on him. Should circumstances change, some plans may better rest on Li Ziyang than on either Li Zhengxuan or Li Hongyu.”

The middle-aged man bowed and withdrew with the Compass Box.

The elder then addressed the remaining individuals. “Any thoughts?”

One of them cautiously spoke. “Uncle, must we still support the Li Clan? With the Jiangzhou Lin Clan weakened and the Tianshi Mansion in its current state, now seems like an opportune moment to strike.”

The elder remained patient, his voice steady. “First, the northern front is at a critical juncture, and dividing our focus southward would be unwise. Second, Xu Yuanzhen remains alive, albeit adrift.”

The group nodded in understanding.

A solitary top-tier expert, unburdened by attachments, posed a considerable threat.

Such figures were scarce in the modern era, not by coincidence but due to inherent risks and challenges of their existence.

The elder’s gaze sharpened. “What of the preparations in Youzhou?”

“They are complete,” one of the individuals replied reverently.

The elder nodded slowly. “Then, we wait for the right moment.”