Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 209: Elder Lei who poaches his own people

According to that so-called Second Young Master's account, the clue to the Tianshi Robe was in his elder brother’s hands, but his whereabouts were currently unknown. Meanwhile, Baiquan Mountain was another key stronghold of the Sui remnants.

Whether the target Lei Jun was searching for could be found at Baiquan Mountain remained uncertain.

Going from place to place relying on luck seemed too passive... Lei Jun mused.

Once the Upper Qing Golden Bamboo had absorbed enough Kuilong’s blood, he first stored away his artifact. The bamboo shoot had grown significantly larger—at least twice its previous size.

Shaking his head slightly, Lei Jun left Xinglong Abyss.

After exiting the valley and escaping the chaotic spiritual energy of the earth veins, he first used a Thousand-Mile Transmission Talisman to contact his master, Yuan Mobai, to avoid making him waste a trip to Xinglong Abyss.

As for the direction Yuan Mobai had headed—Qihong Mountain—just as the Moderate-Moderate Omen had indicated, the journey was uneventful and yielded no significant results.

After receiving Lei Jun’s message, Yuan Mobai replied, "Opportunities often arise unexpectedly. Since we've already become entangled in this matter, we might as well check out Baiquan Mountain. However, your thoughts aren’t unfounded, so I will contact General Xiao and Daoist Brother He to go together. Chongyun, you don’t have to make the trip yourself—you can wander elsewhere and try your luck in other ways."

Yuan Mobai’s words aligned with Lei Jun’s thoughts. "Understood, Master."

After contacting Yuan Mobai, Lei Jun returned to Xinglong Abyss.

Though the energy of the earth veins here was in disarray, Lei Jun was able to discern some subtle clues from it.

Previously, the Sui remnants had attempted to manipulate the earth veins for their plans but were forced to abandon this place, leaving traces behind in their haste.

To others, these traces might appear as nothing but chaotic remnants.

However, with Lei Jun recently advancing his comprehension to Clear Tranquility and continuously studying the Thousand-Mile Transmission Talisman, he perceived the earth veins differently.

After careful study, he ventured deeper into the underground ravine, approaching the vast and mighty flow of spiritual energy, akin to a great river.

After a while, Lei Jun set up an altar and began a ritual.

With the Yin-Yang Brush in hand, he started crafting new Thousand-Mile Transmission Talismans on the spot.

With his Sixth Heaven cultivation and mastery over the Dao Seal, he could now harness the world’s spiritual energy to create high-grade spirit talismans.

To craft supreme-grade talismans, however, he would need to use his life-bound talismans, which he wasn’t aiming for at the moment. Instead, he focused entirely on creating the talismans.

Crafting talismans required a stable environment, free from external disturbances. Clearly, this was not an ideal location.

But Lei Jun deliberately used the energy flow of the earth veins in his talisman-making.

The resulting talismans might not be the absolute best he could craft, but they would be the most suited to the current circumstances.

Due to the chaotic energy, a few talismans failed during the process.

Lei Jun remained unfazed and continued with unwavering focus.

Eventually, following the Heavenly Firmament’s sacred number, he successfully crafted thirty-six brand-new Thousand-Mile Transmission Talismans.

Without stopping, he continued his ritual atop the underground altar, performing the Stepping the Big Dipper technique to channel more energy from the earth veins before sealing it into the talismans.

Then, he cast all the talismans into the surging spiritual energy currents, like a mighty river swallowing them whole.

The talismans shimmered with light before vanishing in an instant.

Lei Jun nodded slightly, then sat cross-legged atop the altar, allowing his spiritual consciousness to detach from his body and sense his surroundings.

The talismans, now carried by the currents of the earth veins, swiftly traveled far and wide, splitting along the various branches of spiritual energy underground.

Some of them soon disappeared from Lei Jun’s perception.

This indicated that a few of the talismans had minor flaws and were destroyed by the turbulent spiritual currents.

However, most of them remained intact, floating and drifting with an ethereal connection back to Lei Jun.

Nodding in satisfaction, Lei Jun’s spirit returned to his body.

He then entered the True-One Altar Grotto-Heaven, ascending to its Second Layer.

As the constellations rotated within the altar’s second layer, Lei Jun moved forward, once again performing Stepping the Big Dipper.

With this movement, a brand-new star map appeared in the altar’s second layer.

Tiny points of starlight flickered and expanded outward, seemingly random but actually following the natural flow of the world’s spiritual energy.

Each starlight represented one of the Thousand-Mile Transmission Talismans that Lei Jun had cast into the earth veins.

By projecting their resonance into the True-One Altar, he could harness the Tianshi Seal and the altar itself to track them—without needing to personally remain in an out-of-body state at all times.

If everything went smoothly, Lei Jun could use this method to monitor changes within the earth veins across a certain range.

Wherever anomalies arose, there was a high chance that a Sui remnant stronghold existed.

Since Yuan Mobai and the others were handling Baiquan Mountain, Lei Jun focused on other locations.

Of course, he had to remain within a certain distance limit for the method to work.

After completing this setup, Lei Jun withdrew from the True-One Altar Grotto-Heaven and returned to the physical world, dismantling the underground Ritual Altar.

Back on the surface, Lei Jun finally took a moment to examine another trophy from his previous battle.

When he captured Wang Jingfang, the man had a well-preserved porcelain bottle, which was now in Lei Jun’s possession.

He uncorked it and peered inside.

[Qingyang Profound Frost]

The name surfaced in Lei Jun’s mind, as if by divine intuition.

He had heard of this treasure before—a spiritual item brimming with pure yang energy, yet also infused with the vital essence of greenwood, making it perfect for cultivators of the Qinglong lineage in the Pure Yang Palace.

For Wang Jingfang, acquiring this treasure was a stroke of fortune.

It was rumored to be incredibly rare, even within the Pure Yang Palace itself. For Wang Jingfang to obtain it from the Sui remnants in the Southern Wastelands was truly remarkable.

The Qingyang Profound Frost itself wasn’t the issue—what caught Lei Jun’s attention was the other resources that Wang Jingfang possessed.

Most of the spiritual items needed for Pure Yang Palace’s Qinglong lineage cultivation were in Wang Jingfang’s possession.

For a traitor expelled from his sect and hunted down, his wealth and supplies were a bit too excessive.

According to Lei Jun’s interrogation, most of these resources came from Zhou Peng.

That elder of Pure Yang Palace, who had betrayed the sect and reached the Upper Heavens, was indeed worthy of being their leader.

However, even Zhou Peng alone couldn’t have provided such an abundance of resources.

There had to be other forces involved… Lei Jun realized.

While Qingyang Profound Frost was useful for him as a Yin-Yang Sacred Physique cultivator, he didn’t plan to use it immediately. Instead, he set it aside for now.

As usual, Lei Jun cast Wind-Thunder Talisman, activated the Teng Snake Bone, and concealed his presence before preparing to leave the valley.

But at that moment, his intuition suddenly tingled—someone had entered Xinglong Abyss.

Lei Jun immediately restrained his aura.

Soon, several warriors appeared, led by none other than Shen Qubing, who had just left earlier.

The rest looked somewhat familiar—soldiers of the Great Tang’s Divine Strategy Army, all from the Shangguan Clan.

"Elder Lei, are you here?" Shen Qubing called out, glancing around.

A middle-aged warrior behind him also scanned the surroundings. "Are you certain Elder Lei of Tianshi Mansion was here?"

Shen Qubing nodded. "We entered Xinglong Abyss together earlier, but we got separated during the battle."

The middle-aged warrior said, "If that's the case, Elder Lei has likely already left."

Shen Qubing sighed in frustration. "I was too caught up chasing those remnants of the previous dynasty and lost track of Elder Lei in the process. Now, not knowing whether he is safe, I can’t help but feel uneasy."

The middle-aged warrior reassured him, "From what I know, Elder Lei's cultivation and strength are both formidable. I doubt he'd be in any danger."

"That’s true..." Shen Qubing muttered, but he still seemed worried. Although he hadn’t known Lei Jun for long, the impression Lei Jun left on him was strong, making it hard not to be concerned.

The middle-aged warrior changed the topic. "General Xiao is pursuing Jiang Tiankuo, one of the major remnants of the previous dynasty. She instructed us to clear out the disturbances caused by the remnants to the Southern Wastelands' earth veins. We shouldn't neglect our duties. General Shangguan will be arriving soon."

Shen Qubing muttered under his breath, "Even Sister Xiao said she wanted to find Elder Lei..."

Despite his concern, he had no leads, so he could only direct the soldiers to search the area in and around Xinglong Abyss.

Lei Jun, moved by Shen Qubing’s genuine concern, still chose to remain hidden for the moment.

He silently observed the Shangguan Clan soldiers.

Earlier, at the bandit stronghold where Tu Dong had gone, Lei Jun had overheard conversations among the Shangguan Clan warriors. While they were all under the Great Tang Divine Strategy Army, there seemed to be some underlying tension between the Shangguan family members and newcomers like Shen Qubing, who came from commoner backgrounds.

At first glance, these soldiers appeared to be diligently helping Shen Qubing search for Lei Jun.

However...

"Captain, that Shen guy from a humble background seems to be getting quite close to Lei Daozhang from Mount Longhu, doesn’t he?" A young warrior suddenly spoke, his tone unreadable.

The middle-aged warrior grunted in acknowledgment but said nothing.

The young warrior fell silent for a moment before continuing, "If this continues, it won’t be good for us."

The middle-aged warrior turned to him with a blank expression. "A young genius of such caliber—no matter his background—cannot be recklessly eliminated."

The young warrior didn’t shrink back but met the captain’s gaze with a steady look. "If that were true, he wouldn't have been sent to a place like the Southern Wastelands. The only rule is that it mustn't happen by our hands."

The middle-aged warrior narrowed his eyes. "If you understand that, then why bring it up?"

The young warrior lowered his voice. "It doesn’t matter whose hands it happens by—as long as it's not ours."

The implication was crystal clear.

"I don’t think we even need to go that far," another warrior chimed in. "Shen Qubing isn’t the scheming type. We might have other ways."

The first young warrior shook his head. "Sure, our clan has unmarried noble daughters, and with Shen Qubing’s Celestial Physique, he wouldn’t disgrace them. If a marriage alliance could be arranged, that would be ideal..."

His voice turned cold as he raised a finger and pointed upward. "…But they won’t allow it."

Although he didn’t say it outright, everyone knew he was referring to the Empress.

Since the Empress was actively promoting individuals of commoner origins, she certainly wouldn’t tolerate noble families co-opting those she had elevated.

"If Shen Qubing insists on such a thing, then it’s a different story." The other warrior smirked. "He would lose imperial favor, that much is certain. But even if we remove Shen Qubing, there will always be others. As long as the Empress’ policies remain unchanged..."

"Enough!" The middle-aged warrior sharply interrupted, sweeping his gaze over the soldiers with a stern expression. "These matters are decided at a higher level, not by us. We are not to act without orders. Engrave that into your minds!"

The other warriors lowered their heads and answered in unison. "Yes, Captain."

Lei Jun silently watched this exchange, feeling somewhat reflective.

It was often said that the Zhang Clan and the Shangguan Clan were closely aligned.

But in reality, there were still differences—strictly speaking, there could only be one imperial bloodline.

Under normal circumstances, this wouldn’t be a problem.

However, given the current delicate political climate, even slight undercurrents could cause unforeseen shifts.

After all, human nature was complex. A single command was not enough to ensure unwavering loyalty, especially with so many different factions and interests involved.

The middle-aged warrior then ordered, "Continue searching here. I'll head outside the valley to contact the general."

The soldiers nodded, and the middle-aged warrior quietly left Xinglong Abyss.

Once outside, free from the interference of chaotic spiritual energy, he took out a Daoist Talisman.

Unlike cultivators, warriors lacked methods for long-distance communication. However, effective coordination was crucial in the military, so the Divine Strategy Army made sure to procure appropriate tools.

Naturally, Tianshi Mansion’s Thousand-Mile Transmission Talismans were among the supplies they acquired.

Spirit talismans had always been the biggest source of external trade for the Talismanic Branch, making this practice common.

Just as the Golden Barrier Talisman was the most in-demand basic talisman, Thousand-Mile Transmission Talismans were the most sought-after high-grade talismans.

Usually, these talismans guaranteed privacy—even the Tianshi Mansion disciples who crafted them severed their connection to the talismans after sale.

However, today was an exception.

Because the situation was... a little special.

Lei Jun also left the valley.

With the triple-layer concealment of Wind-Thunder Talisman, Teng Snake Bone, and Breath-Taking Flag, he could afford to move more freely, shadowing Shen Qubing’s group.

However, while warriors lacked external sensory perception, their instincts for movement and battle were extremely sharp.

Even though Lei Jun suppressed his killing intent, he still nearly got detected several times.

At that moment, from a distance, he saw the middle-aged warrior activating a Thousand-Mile Transmission Talisman and couldn’t help but smile.

Am I technically hacking my own creation? That’s a little sinful…

Instead of approaching, Lei Jun pulled out his own Thousand-Mile Transmission Talisman.

With his Yin-Yang Brush, he made some adjustments before secretly activating it.

Immediately, a familiar yet slightly younger voice came through:

"Is Lei Jun from Mount Longhu still in that area?"

The voice belonged to Shangguan Peng.

But the content of his message made Lei Jun frown slightly.

Because Shangguan Peng wasn’t only asking about Shen Qubing—he was also inquiring about Lei Jun himself.

While Shangguan Ning was a Tianshi Mansion elder and a prominent figure in the Shangguan family, giving her frequent interactions with Shangguan Peng, Lei Jun himself had no personal relationship with him.

The middle-aged captain also seemed surprised by the question but replied properly, "Not yet spotted, General."

"Keep close watch on his movements. Report to me immediately if he is found." Shangguan Peng ordered.

"Understood, General."

"I have some matters to finish at Lunan Valley. I’ll meet you all later."

The mention of Lunan Valley didn’t stir the middle-aged warrior much, but Lei Jun raised an eyebrow.

He recalled that Shushan's He Dongxing and Jiang Dongyu were also there…