Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 200: From the Taoist Priest Who Knocks His Head to the Taoist Priest Who Explodes His Head

Lei Jun stood to the side, feeling something was off, but the people of Rain Hollow seemed to find nothing unusual.

A group of cultivators from the Singing Granny Mountain lineage immediately began to surround Ox Soul Mountain and launched an attack.

Figures scattered in all directions, men and women alike, their robes and sleeves billowing as they moved. Around those with cultivation at the Lower Heavens, faint halos of light could be seen, while those at the Middle Heavens were accompanied by towering, indistinct shadows of spirits and gods.

The dance of spirits and gods, much like the talismans of the Daoist sects or the ceremonial rites of the Confucianists, was a method to connect with the heavens and borrow natural power.

One ritual array after another descended upon Ox Soul Mountain. These cultivators from Singing Granny Mountain were in no hurry, coordinating their steps methodically, setting up one ritual array after another like fortresses. Each formation reinforced the last, tightening the encirclement and drawing ever closer to the cultivators of Reincarnation Abyss occupying Ox Soul Mountain.

Having seized the initiative, they had the advantage and weren’t afraid to expend their mana. By employing this seemingly clumsy method, they pressured their foes, giving the impression that the surrounded cultivators of Reincarnation Abyss had no chance to turn the tide.

Of course, it was just an impression.

Lei Jun knew that the people of Reincarnation Abyss and Ox Soul Hollow had long prepared for this moment.

Sure enough, streams of black mist suddenly erupted from Ox Soul Mountain, surging skyward like dense ink. The suppressive force of the layers of ritual arrays at the mountain’s base immediately weakened under the influence of the black mist, which had clearly been pre-arranged.

However, Lei Jun sensed this wasn’t the end.

As the fierce battle dragged on, time slowly passed, and casualties mounted.

As the hour approached midnight, Lei Jun thought to himself, It’s about to happen.

The omen he’d drawn had mentioned a "supreme treasure reappearing" and a "fierce ritual in the Southern Wastelands." This was undoubtedly it.

The rituals and ceremonies of the Witch Sect lineage were as sinister and strange as their inheritances, often leaning toward the yin. Midnight—precisely the hour when yin energy was at its peak—was the moment their most potent rituals and ceremonies were enacted.

Now, the time had come.

As the hour approached, the black mist enshrouding Ox Soul Mountain suddenly began to shift. It transformed into an eerie, pale fog. Even at night, when Lei Jun looked toward Ox Soul Mountain from a distance, the pale mist above it seemed unnervingly distinct, making the scene even more bizarre.

The next moment, an immense suction force radiated from the pale abyss above Ox Soul Mountain, compelling everyone nearby, friend and foe alike, to be drawn into its depths.

“The Heaven’s Evil Bone?! The Descent of the Abyss?” A cultivator from Singing Granny Mountain cried out in shock.

Lei Jun remained relatively steady. If he activated the power of his Breath-Taking Flag, he could anchor himself in place and resist the abyss’s pull. However, he chose not to.

Instead, he allowed the inverted abyss to draw him upward while carefully concealing his movements, ensuring he didn’t stand out in the pale mist.

Lei Jun knew that the Descent of the Abyss was an exceptionally powerful ritual. Even within Reincarnation Abyss, the sacred ground of the Witch Sect's Cursing Lineage, it had rarely been seen in recent years due to the scarcity of critical materials.

One such material was the Heaven’s Evil Bone, which had left the Singing Granny Mountain cultivators utterly unprepared. Consequently, they were helpless against the pale mist of the abyss, which swept them up and dragged them toward the inverted abyss in the sky.

Even Chen Yi, the newly appointed master of Rain Hollow, was not exempt. However, he seemed unusually calm, as if harboring a subtle anticipation in the face of danger.

He resisted, striving to fend off the pale mist's invasion and pull. However, his cultivation bore no resemblance to the Daoist Talismanic Branch or the Blood River Sect lineage of the Witch Sect. Instead, it resembled that of a body-refining warrior.

Though Daoists of the Talismanic Branch and practitioners of the Blood River Sect often boasted remarkable physiques, Chen Yi seemed to have completely concealed any abnormal energy, leaving only pure, vigorous blood energy.

...He must have been using some artifact to mask his true nature, Lei Jun surmised.

Lei Jun’s gaze shifted from Chen Yi to Ox Soul Mountain.

If he ascended the mountain before midnight, according to his Moderate-Moderate Omen, he had a chance to obtain a Fifth-Grade Opportunity. Could it be the Heaven’s Evil Bone?

The omen had hinted at potential repercussions for this opportunity, which Lei Jun suspected weren’t due to the Descent of the Abyss itself but rather tied to someone behind Liu Xun, the master of Ox Soul Hollow.

Reincarnation Abyss hadn’t seen the Heaven’s Evil Bone in years. Its sudden appearance today suggested that Liu Xun’s extraordinary fortune was more likely due to a benefactor than sheer luck.

To some people, Liu Xun was likely a benefactor himself.

As Lei Jun approached the pale abyss, he could vaguely see its center—directly above the summit of Ox Soul Mountain. There, the figure of a woman appeared, as if encased in amber, frozen in place. Though faint traces of life could still be detected, she was deathly pale, devoid of any blood.

It was none other than Elder Jiang Dongyu of Shushan.

“Master?!” Yang Chengjun gasped, turning to Liu Xun in shock. “Why is it my master?!”

Liu Xun’s expression remained calm. “If it weren’t for you, this would’ve been much harder to achieve.”

Yang Chengjun was stunned. “Liu…you…”

“Why her and not you?” Liu Xun replied matter-of-factly. “With only a Lower Heaven cultivation, how could you possibly match a Middle Heaven cultivator as a living sacrifice?”

He smiled. “Of course, I do like you. Don’t worry—though your master is no longer here, I’ll take care of you in the future.”

Looking at the trapped members of Ox Soul Hollow, Liu Xun added, “Didn’t you hate their wanton slaughter of innocents? Now they’re atoning for their sins.”

Yang Chengjun regained her senses and tried to rescue her master, Jiang Dongyu, but Liu Xun’s Shadow Binding Descent transformed into chains of darkness, holding her in place.

...Which is why, ladies, you shouldn’t trust men who claim they’ll change their evil ways just for you.

The same goes for the guys. Believing you’re the one exception for a lifelong crook is just setting yourself up for heartbreak.

Lei Jun hovered in midair, watching Yang Chengjun trapped at the mountain's summit, feeling utterly speechless.

He’d never interacted with Yang Chengjun before and had no idea Ji Chuan had such a junior sister. The scene reminded him of news stories from his previous life on Blue Star:

Human trafficking in remote southwest regions—utterly heinous. Some girls even fantasized about becoming the mountain bandit leader’s wife, thinking it would spare them from misfortune. Others imagined these villains falling for them and turning over a new leaf.

Similarly, some guys fantasized about fighting their way out barehanded, rising to become a local overlord.

But here’s the thing: if you’re not careful, you’ll be the one taking the fall. Like now…

Lei Jun’s gaze shifted toward the cultivators of Singing Granny Mountain. They weren’t sitting idly by against the Descent of the Abyss. The highest-ranked elder among them was currently performing a dance with flowing sleeves, completing a ritual array.

Unlike typical ritual arrays of their lineage, this one was blood-red.

Lei Jun squinted, noticing the elder scattering crimson crystals from his sleeves.

The array, still rooted in the Witch Sect’s spirit-dance lineage, had been corrupted by the blood-red crystals. Its power morphed, unleashing a vast sea of blood that spread outward.

“Elder Gu, what are you doing?” Chen Yi asked, glancing at the blood sea and then at his own chest, where a glowing, crimson pattern began to spread across his body.

Elder Gu sighed. “To counter the Descent of the Abyss, we need the power of the blood sea. To gather sufficient blood energy, a hollow master under contract is required. Only you can fulfill this role.”

The originally dark night sky was now divided—half pale from the abyss, half blood-red from the sea.

The blood sea appeared to oppose the abyss but also seemed strangely complementary to it.

The people of Ox Soul Hollow and Rain Hollow found themselves caught between the pale abyss and the crimson sea. Their physical vitality was consumed by the blood sea, while their souls were drawn into the abyss.

Except for Liu Xun and Elder Gu, no one from Ox Soul Hollow or Rain Hollow was spared.

“…They’re working together!” someone shouted angrily.

“But why?”

“The blood sea…it’s the Blood River Sect! They’ve been bought off by the Blood River Sect to stir up trouble behind Singing Granny Mountain and Reincarnation Abyss!”

“No wonder Elder Gu stepped down to let that Chen kid take the position. He was just setting him up as the sacrificial master for the blood sea!”

The cultivators of Singing Granny Mountain wanted to fight back, but having missed their chance, they were now trapped between the abyss and the blood sea, unable to resist.

After prolonged fighting, both sides were already exhausted. They could only watch helplessly as their lives slipped away.

Chen Yi and Jiang Dongyu had become the cores of the blood sea and abyss formations, respectively.

Jiang Dongyu, weakened by Liu Xun’s ambush, could no longer resist.

Chen Yi, however, snorted coldly. “I came here for the Heaven’s Evil Bone, yet I fell for your trick, old man. But if you think you can kill me, dream on!”

As he spoke, a radiant white glow burst forth from his body. The glow seemed to coalesce into a solid form, transforming into a stone that shone with brilliant light.

With the emergence of this stone, the crimson patterns on Chen Yi’s body dissolved, as if forcibly removed.

Liu Xun and Elder Gu were both stunned. “That’s…the Witch-Suppressing Stone?”

Even the two elders, with their backgrounds in Witch Sect sacred grounds, couldn’t immediately confirm what they were seeing. This artifact was so rare it had nearly vanished from existence, even rarer than the Heaven’s Evil Bone.

The Witch-Suppressing Stone dissolved the Blood River Sect’s binding on Chen Yi and unveiled his true form. Blood-red talismans scattered like stardust, enveloping Chen Yi and propelling him out of the blood sea. Transforming into a red streak, he vanished into the distance.

As Chen Yi disappeared, Liu Xun and Elder Gu both tried to stop him but were too late.

Without Chen Yi as a sacrifice, the blood sea began to collapse.

Elder Gu pursued Chen Yi, while Liu Xun struggled to maintain the Descent of the Abyss. The Witch-Suppressing Stone, drawn to the abyss, flew into its depths.

Because it had absorbed some of the Blood River Sect’s power earlier, the stone didn’t immediately disrupt the abyss. However, upon reaching its core—where the Heaven’s Evil Bone and Jiang Dongyu were—it began to liquefy, turning into a luminous, ephemeral substance.

Even the Heaven’s Evil Bone was absorbed, causing the Descent of the Abyss to falter.

Seeing that most of the people from Ox Soul Hollow and Rain Hollow were dead, Liu Xun didn’t dwell on it. He stepped forward to seize the strange glowing liquid.

“This…is Reversal Essence? The Heaven’s Evil Bone and Witch-Suppressing Stone, refined through the Descent of the Abyss?”

Liu Xun frowned. “This is valuable, but without the blood sea and abyss descent, Elder Tu’s plan to refine the Blood World will be hard to explain. I hope this Reversal Essence can make up for it…”

As this thought crossed his mind, Liu Xun suddenly felt something amiss. A sense of foreboding gripped him—it was as if someone had locked onto him.

“Shushan’s flying sword?”

Having just deceived two Shushan cultivators, Liu Xun naturally thought of their sword techniques.

Whether it was Shushan’s flying swords or the Confucian school’s divine archery, the moment a practitioner locked onto their target, the victim often felt a distinct sensation.

But this was different—the feeling was faint and vague, like when there was a massive disparity in cultivation levels.

What was happening?

Thoughts raced through Liu Xun’s mind, but his body reacted faster. He immediately tried to dodge.

Unfortunately, it was too late. Just as he became aware of the danger, a faint flash of electricity appeared before him.

“Boom!!”

The first sound was that of Liu Xun’s protective Descent, which had guarded him like a ferocious spirit, being pierced clean through.

The sudden attack didn’t stop there—it struck Liu Xun squarely in the forehead.

“Boom!!”

The first and second impacts were almost indistinguishable.

Yang Chengjun, who had been frozen in despair moments earlier, stared dumbfounded at Liu Xun. Just moments ago, he had been calm and composed, yet now he was nothing more than a headless corpse.

Blood seemed to rain before her eyes.

It was as if thunder and fire consumed the blood rain mid-air, incinerating it completely.

The man who had deceived her and used her to harm her master was dead, just like that?

Yang Chengjun was momentarily stunned.

With Liu Xun’s death, the shadows binding her dissipated, and she was free.

Startled, she rushed forward to catch her master, Jiang Dongyu.

Jiang Dongyu, weak beyond measure, whispered, “Who…came?”

Yang Chengjun was confused. “I don’t know… It seemed like a flying sword from our sect, or maybe a Confucian divine archer, but no one appeared.”

“This is no place to linger… Take me to heal first, and we’ll repay the debt later… Leave now, immediately!” Jiang Dongyu managed to say before losing consciousness.

Yang Chengjun didn’t hesitate, immediately carrying Jiang Dongyu away from Ox Soul Mountain.

Once the pair was gone, Lei Jun appeared.

With a wave of his Breath-Taking Flag, he collected the glowing, ethereal Reversal Essence.

Lei Jun didn’t examine the treasure immediately. Instead, he used a Spirit Sight Mirror to scan his surroundings, focusing on the direction where Elder Gu had pursued Chen Yi.

As expected, he soon detected Elder Gu returning.

With the Spirit Sight Mirror in one hand, Lei Jun raised a metallic tube with the other.

The tube emitted faint crackling sounds, its hollow interior housing a Magnetic Sword Pellet, suspended without touching the metal walls. A surge of magnetic energy surged through the tube.

As Lei Jun pointed the tube forward, it extended slightly, increasing the initial velocity of the sword pellet. This setup reduced mana consumption for adjustments while boosting the weapon’s initial power.

Satisfied, Lei Jun nodded.

Its lethality was undeniable. When Lei Jun was in the Fifth Heaven, he had almost killed Li Xuan of the Sixth Heaven with a single strike.

Now, as a Sixth Heaven cultivator, facing Liu Xun or Elder Gu, he was confident. As long as he didn’t miss, it would be a one-shot kill.

“…Though my approach has shifted from ambushing to sniping, it still feels like I’m veering off course. I’m such a righteous guy!” Lei Jun sighed, looking at Elder Gu in the Spirit Sight Mirror.

Electricity crackled.

The second sword pellet tore through the air between them.

In the Spirit Sight Mirror, Elder Gu’s head, like Liu Xun’s, exploded on impact.