Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 202: Respecting the Elderly and Honoring the Wise Lei Chongyun

After his initial fury, Tu Dong quickly calmed down.

To someone at the Upper Heavens like him, Liu Xun and Gu Ying’s cultivation levels didn’t amount to much. However, within the Middle Heavens, they were not to be underestimated—both had been nurtured by factions of Daoist Holy Land-level influence. Now, both had died at someone else’s hands. Whoever it was, they had clearly come with ill intentions. Who had ruined his plans?

Frowning, Tu Dong expanded the vast Blood Sea, enveloping the surroundings of Niu Soul Mountain and spanning both banks of the Rain River.

Far away, Lei Jun had already stopped earlier. Still some distance from Niu Soul Mountain, he wasn’t worried about being detected immediately. Besides, as things progressed, Tu Dong would likely be too occupied to pay attention to him.

In the distant sky, a tiny black speck suddenly leapt up. At first glance, it seemed fleeting, but in a blink, it grew larger and closer, arriving near Niu Soul Mountain. The figure was armored and wielded a spear, resembling a general of the Tang Dynasty’s Divine Strategy Army. It was none other than Shangguan Peng, the new-generation leader of the Tang Dynasty’s Shangguan Family, whom Lei Jun had previously encountered on Mount Longhu.

Standing firmly at the edge of the Blood Sea, Shangguan Peng caused rolling waves of force to ripple outward, clearing a patch of empty space within the Blood Sea. Only after that did the sound of him tearing through the air finally reach from afar.

"Tu Dong," Shangguan Peng said impassively, holding his spear as he approached, "you’re one of Wei Anchang’s trusted aides. You must know plenty about him."

Tu Dong sneered, as if he had found the answer to his earlier question. Furious laughter escaped him. "All I know is that you’re spilling blood today!"

The boundless Blood Sea surged forward like an overwhelming tide, sweeping toward Shangguan Peng.

As the youngest expert of the Shangguan Family to reach the Seventh Heaven Realm, Shangguan Peng faced this fearlessly. He swept the tip of his spear forward. It wasn’t an attack that radiated terrifying momentum or visible energy surges—just a faint, shadowy glow at the tip of the spear. It wasn’t dazzling, even bordering on dim.

Yet this dim point of light pierced straight through the torrential Blood Sea, targeting Tu Dong at its center.

Unfazed, Tu Dong conjured waves of thick, surging Blood River Sect tides. Layer after layer of mountainous waves bore down, pressing toward Shangguan Peng.

Shangguan Peng ignored all transformations of the Blood Sea, keeping his eyes fixed on Tu Dong. His spear tip cut through, breaking wave after wave, and continued to thrust directly toward his target.

Finally, it struck home!

Tu Dong’s chest was pierced by the spear. Yet his movements didn’t cease. His body dissolved into a muddy mass of blood and flesh, creating a massive suction force, attempting to drag Shangguan Peng into a deep abyss.

Simultaneously, multiple figures of Tu Dong materialized within the Blood Sea, each wielding blades and charging at Shangguan Peng from all directions. The blade lights resembled countless twisting rivers of blood, converging toward a single point.

Faced with this, Shangguan Peng showed no intention of withdrawing his spear for defense. Instead, he pressed on, viciously tearing apart the whirlpool of blood and flesh ahead and bursting through. This forward surge allowed him to evade the encircling rivers of blood.

Though the rivers of blood pursued from behind, Shangguan Peng abruptly stopped, turned, and counterattacked with a sudden thrust of his spear. The dim glow at the spear tip expanded, instantly scattering into countless spear shadows. It was as if an army had been unleashed!

This was the Shangguan Family’s heritage combat technique, Thousand Troops in Motion.

The forest of spear shadows shattered the countless blood lights, leaving the massive Blood Sea riddled with holes. Each spear tip carried the power to obliterate all it touched. Vast portions of the filthy, viscous Blood Sea evaporated and vanished under their onslaught.

Tu Dong himself was riddled with holes as the spears struck him repeatedly. Yet his body soon collapsed into a pool of blood, dissolving once more.

From afar, a blood-red vortex appeared out of thin air in the sky. At its center, Tu Dong’s upper body emerged, rising slowly.

Both Lei Jun, watching from afar, and Shangguan Peng, facing Tu Dong directly, thought of the same thing: Blood Sea Nirvana.

This mystical art, mastered only by Upper Heavens disciples of the Blood River Sect, granted near-immortality, enabling rebirth from death. However, it was evident that the technique consumed a tremendous amount of Tu Dong’s energy. His complexion turned pale, as though he had suffered massive blood loss.

Yet, Shangguan Peng’s situation was no better. Though he had struck a devastating blow, eliminating large swathes of the Blood Sea, his body was now covered in filthy blood. Ideally, he should have pressed his attack as soon as Tu Dong emerged from the vortex, ensuring his opponent’s demise. But in reality, his blood and Qi were surging like a volcano, forcing him to purify and dispel the filthy blood clinging to him before he could act again.

Even so, this was only possible because martial cultivators like him, who refined their bodies, had robust constitutions and were resistant to such contamination. For most others, recklessly charging into the Blood Sea as Shangguan Peng did would have led to severe corrosion.

Tu Dong noticed Shangguan Peng gradually purifying the filthy blood, and though he pressed the attack, he began to feel unease. He had expected to injure Shangguan Peng during his rebirth. However, the latter’s skillful maneuvering left him unscathed, despite the contamination.

With the balance tipping against him, Tu Dong’s anger and killing intent gave way to thoughts of retreat. He knew they were in the borderlands between Reincarnation Abyss and Ge Po Mountain. If the fight dragged on, reinforcements might arrive—and they were more likely to be Blood River Sect enemies.

As if his fears were realized, a black mist approached from the distance.

“Spiritual Sovereign, descend now! With winds swift, rise amidst the clouds!”

A resonant chant echoed as wind and thunder erupted. A massive figure, like an ancient god with a blurred visage, manifested from the storm, its archaic and profound syllables resonating in the heavens.

The wind and thunder coalesced, spreading across the skies above Niu Soul Mountain.

Lei Jun, observing from afar, nodded appreciatively. This was the pinnacle divine ability of the Spirit Dance lineage in the Witch Sect: Nine Songs · Sovereign of the Clouds.

Through ritual formations and a ceremonial dance, it summoned the deity of wind and thunder from the heavens. Though lacking the flexibility of the Daoist arts Heaven and Earth Phenomena, its destructive power in large-scale battles was unparalleled.

Seeing this, Tu Dong wasted no time. Transforming into a streak of blood-red light, he fled.

In the ongoing clash, he held the advantage and could retreat at will.

The voice from the deity-like figure spoke with booming authority: “Tu Dong! Wei Anchang is a remnant of the previous dynasty from the Central Plains, opposing the Tang Empire. You’re just a pawn being exploited!”

Tu Dong laughed heartily, “As long as there’s life and death, there’s the Dao!”

The elder from Ge Po Mountain snorted coldly. “Then go ahead and demonstrate your belief firsthand!”

As he spoke, the winds and thunder intensified, darkening to a deep greenish-black, sweeping over Tu Dong like a stormy tide.

Shangguan Peng, recognizing the critical moment, immediately switched from defense to offense, joining the elder from Ge Po Mountain in attacking Tu Dong.

Tu Dong sighed, seemingly lamenting, “What a shame to waste something so precious here.”

With that, a radiant white Sealing Stone emerged from his hand, emitting dazzling light.

Lei Jun squinted as he observed from afar. The elder from Ge Po Mountain exclaimed, “Sealing Stone?!”

The glowing stone was identical to the one Chen Yi had previously used to escape the Blood Sea—only larger.

As the Sealing Stone’s light spread, most of the winds and thunder dissipated. Seizing the opportunity, Tu Dong broke through his opponents’ encirclement and fled, retrieving the Sealing Stone as he left.

Neither Shangguan Peng nor the elder from Ge Po Mountain intended to let him escape and gave chase immediately.

The three engaged in a pursuit, their speed fluctuating as their skirmish unfolded. Lei Jun used this chance to follow from a distance.

Based on what he observed, Chen Yi’s Sealing Stone wasn’t originally Tu Dong’s; otherwise, there wouldn’t have been the earlier misunderstanding. Lei Jun suspected this Sealing Stone held clues connected to his master, Yuan Mobai. After all, the larger stone seemed to be the main source, while Chen Yi’s was merely a fragment.

With the Tianshi Seal now revitalized, Lei Jun wasn’t in dire need of the Sealing Stone but hoped to use Tu Dong to track Yuan Mobai’s whereabouts.

Hiding his presence with the Wind Talisman, Night Wind Symbol, and Serpent Bone, Lei Jun followed cautiously. By ensuring his distance and using the Breath-Taking Flag for additional concealment, he remained undetected as the trio delved deeper into the southern mountain ranges.

From atop a distant peak, Lei Jun spotted a village nestled in the mountains. Tu Dong, retreating to the village, was greeted by an ally—a ferocious body-refining martial cultivator capable of clashing head-on with Shangguan Peng’s spear.

Though unfamiliar with the individual, Lei Jun deduced he was likely a descendant of the previous dynasty’s nobility.

As Shangguan Peng engaged the new opponent, news of the fight began to spread. Gradually, other figures arrived in the region, most notably elite operatives of the Divine Strategy Army.

While Wei Anchang never openly admitted his lineage as a royal descendant, the Tang Dynasty clearly suspected as much, dispatching forces to investigate. Shangguan Peng and his group were part of this effort.

Following the chaos at Niu Soul Ravine and Rain Ravine, the Reincarnation Abyss and Ge Po Mountain, enraged by the Blood River Sect’s schemes, sent their own forces to converge on the mountain village.

As the Upper Heavens elites of the three factions clashed, the Divine Strategy Army and Witch Sect cultivators closed in.

Lei Jun blended seamlessly into the unfolding chaos, his goal not the Sealing Stone but a live captive for interrogation.

Among the chaos, Lei Jun carefully selected his target: an elderly man who appeared frail and aged, with declining vitality evident in his aura. Yet, despite his physical state, the man’s demeanor exuded authority, the unmistakable presence of a seasoned leader.