Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 218: The first monk who reached the third level was killed by me

Yuan Shanji and Xiong Gang fled, while Sang Lu and Li Tianqing focused on pursuit.

Meanwhile, Sun Li, an elder of the Reincarnation Abyss, temporarily remained beneath the earth veins around Zhu’an River.

Yang Tai was well aware that his opponent was attempting to seize, or even alter, his ritual.

The original ritual was intended for Confucian cultivators.

There were some similarities between the Dao lineage of Confucian recitation and the Divine Dance lineage of the Witch Sect, but they differed greatly from the Bone Curse lineage of the Reincarnation Abyss.

Yang Tai couldn't immediately discern what Sun Li was up to, nor did he have the time to investigate. He could only leave the area first and deal with it later.

Lei Jun took one last look at the devastated Zhu’an Grotto and Zhu’an River before shifting his gaze away. He didn’t linger on the destruction, keeping his focus firmly on Yang Tai.

Moving with practiced ease, he combined the power of a Wind Thunder Talisman, a Teng Snake Bone, and the Breath-Taking Flag, concealing himself as he quietly followed Yang Tai and the other Sui remnants. His plan was to distance himself further from Sang Lu, Yuan Shanji, and Sun Li before taking action—avoiding any unnecessary complications.

However, as Lei Jun pursued his target, he soon noticed that he wasn’t the only one tailing Yang Tai.

After crossing a mountain ridge, the wilderness ahead suddenly turned red, as if the earth itself was bleeding.

Then, with a violent surge, a blood river erupted from underground, swallowing several of Yang Tai’s attendants in an instant.

"Elder Tu, what do you think you're doing?"

Yang Tai remained composed, his expression unchanged, but his eyes flickered with cold light.

From within the blood river, a middle-aged man emerged—none other than Tu Dong, the Blood River Sect elder who had earlier fled from Zhu’an River.

No one expected that after his embarrassing escape, he would circle back to target Yang Tai, a direct descendant of the Sui royal lineage.

"Regarding the ritual at Zhu’an Grotto's earth vein," Tu Dong chuckled, "there are some things I’d like to discuss further with Young Master Yang."

In truth, Tu Dong was in terrible condition.

Caught off guard by the far more powerful Sun Li, he had been wounded during their clash.

His face was deathly pale, his aura weak, and the once boundless blood sea around him had diminished to only a few intersecting blood rivers.

But his attacks were more ruthless than ever.

Since his appearance, the blood rivers at his side moved like ravenous beasts, continuously devouring Yang Tai’s attendants, refining their blood essence, and feeding it back into himself.

Tu Dong's face quickly regained some color, the pallor fading as fresh blood replenished him.

"So, Elder Tu is now completely loyal to Sect Master Wei?"

Yang Tai's voice remained steady as his sword left its sheath.

A surge of Confucian sword qi transformed into a mighty river, cutting off the encroaching blood tides.

Though Tu Dong was severely wounded and his Blood River Secret Arts had lost their former ferocity, his Seventh Heaven cultivation still made him an immensely dangerous foe.

Yang Tai could barely hold off the blood river with his sword qi, but he had no way to protect his men.

One after another, the Sui warriors were devoured by the blood river.

Yang Tai’s voice remained calm. "We may have our differences, but we are not enemies."

Tu Dong nodded. "That is indeed what our Sect Master says, and I do not disagree."

Then, with a sinister grin, he added:

"However, today I must ask Young Master Yang to leave behind the Dragon's Eye Essence."

Without waiting for a reply, Tu Dong continued, "That bastard Sun Li may have stolen the first prize, but my eyes don’t lie—I saw it clearly. You withdrew in time, keeping something in reserve."

"The Dragon’s Eye Essence is your family's inherited treasure, true, but my Blood River techniques can also make good use of it."

Hearing this, Yang Tai’s face remained expressionless, but his heart sank.

The moment he realized Sun Li and Tu Dong were ruining his plans, he had immediately retreated without hesitation.

Though Sun Li had interfered with the ritual at Zhu’an Grotto, Yang Tai had decisively withdrawn, keeping the Dragon’s Eye Essence safe.

The materials needed for the ritual were incredibly rare, and missing this chance meant an unpredictable delay in preparations.

But as long as he retained the Dragon’s Eye Essence, there was still hope.

Yet now, Tu Dong had caught on.

Though he had been badly injured by Sun Li, Tu Dong was still a high-ranking Great Shaman of the Upper Heavens, with keen senses and sharp instincts. He had immediately come after Yang Tai.

While he wasn’t willing to fully sever ties with the Sui royal lineage, Tu Dong was the type to take what he wanted whenever an opportunity presented itself.

Unfortunately, his injuries prevented him from overpowering Yang Tai instantly.

Instead, he continued slaughtering Yang Tai’s men, using his Blood River techniques to absorb their essence and restore himself.

Bit by bit, his complexion grew rosier, and the rivers of blood thickened into something more akin to a sea.

From a distance, Lei Jun watched impassively.

This Blood River Elder was personally demonstrating to him the internal chaos and bloodshed within the Southern Wasteland’s Witch Sect.

And the mention of Dragon’s Eye Essence confirmed Lei Jun’s suspicions—Yang Tai had another plan all along.

Since the earth vein nodes meant to shift the balance of power had been disrupted by Lei Jun, Shen Qubing, Xiao Xueting, Yuan Mobai, and others, the Sui royal remnants had been forced to adapt.

They had failed to create a new dragon vein for their empire, so instead, they attempted to redirect earth vein energy through an alternate ritual.

At the moment, Yang Tai wasn’t trying to break into the Seventh Heaven.

After all, the Sui remnants’ real hope wasn’t Yang Tai—but his father, Yang Yuqi.

If Yang Yuqi could ascend to the Ninth Heaven, it might shift the balance of power, even if it couldn’t directly secure victory.

But reaching the Ninth Heaven was no small feat—only a handful of people had ever succeeded.

The reigning Empress Zhang Wantong.

The Old Patriarch of the Jinzhou Ye Clan.

The Elder of the Suzhou Chu Clan.

The Pure Yang Palace Master, Master Huang.

And most recently, the Blood River Sect Master, Wei Anchang.

Even the Empress herself had only broken through with the help of her late brother, Emperor Zhang Qilong, using the imperial dragon vein to step into the Ninth Heaven.

Thus, even if Yang Tai’s plan succeeded, it still wouldn’t guarantee his father’s breakthrough.

But without taking these small steps, the great journey would never be completed.

Yang Tai could not—would not—give up the Dragon’s Eye Essence.

Facing the encroaching blood sea, he remained composed, though there was a trace of regret in his eyes.

"The Dragon’s Eye Essence is priceless... but so is this Star-Shifting Stone."

As he spoke, a brilliant light erupted from his body.

In a flash, Yang Tai vanished into thin air.

Tu Dong’s face changed instantly.

He frantically tried to trap the light within his blood sea, but most of it had already dispersed.

His expression darkened. "Damn it… he used earth vein energy to shift space?!"

A treasure capable of spatial transference…?!

Lei Jun, still watching from the shadows, smirked slightly.

"Good. Now that he’s used up his escape option… next time, he won’t be so lucky."

Tu Dong clenched his jaw, his fingers tightening into a fist.

Even though he had managed to snatch a fragment of the lingering light, most of Yang Tai had already slipped through his grasp.

He could still track him down using the captured remnants of spatial energy, but things had changed—he had failed to secure his target on the spot.

For someone like Tu Dong, ambushing and blackmailing in the shadows was one thing, but letting Yang Tai escape openly meant something entirely different.

Now, if he kept pursuing, it would no longer be a secretive power grab—it would be a declaration of war against the Sui royal lineage.

For someone as ruthless as Tu Dong, this should have been a simple decision—the Blood River Sect was never afraid of slaughter.

Yet, he hesitated.

Because even a bloodthirsty lunatic like him knew—he was not in a good state for another battle.

Before he could think further—

BOOM!!

A thunderous impact rocked his body.

Tu Dong's mind blanked out for a moment.

His chest caved inward, a giant, ragged hole tearing through his torso—blood, flesh, and shattered ribs splattered into the air.

A charred wound burned at the edges of the hole, electric sparks crackling along the scorched flesh.

His body jerked violently, and a second wound appeared on his back, even larger than the one on his chest.

What the f* just happened?!**

Tu Dong’s eyes widened in disbelief.

His reflexes screamed danger, but his wounded body was too slow to react.

His first thought—Was it a Confucian Divine Archer?!

Had the Sui royal remnants sent a marksman after him?!

No—

His pupils shrank.

Far away, Lei Jun calmly lowered a metallic cylindrical weapon, its tip still glowing hot, wisps of magnetic energy dissipating into the air.

Tu Dong immediately realized—

It wasn’t an arrow.

It wasn’t a blade.

It was—

A bullet.

And that meant—

There was going to be another one.

---

Lei Jun remained impassive, his posture relaxed.

His Metallic Rail Cannon hummed softly as a second projectile clicked into place—a Refined Metal Sword Pellet infused with pure magnetic force.

With the cannon’s acceleration, Lei Jun could fire high-speed projectiles with devastating precision, while drastically reducing mana consumption.

Even better—

His Yin-Yang Sacred Physique constantly regenerated his mana, making his attack frequency nearly limitless.

Lei Jun wasn’t just a spellcaster.

He was an artillery battery on legs.

---

Tu Dong’s mind raced.

The first shot had nearly killed him—a direct hit to the torso.

The second one was already locked and loaded.

He had no time to heal, no time to prepare, no time to even curse.

So he did the only thing he could—

He ran.

His body melted into blood mist, dispersing into the surroundings, attempting to evade the next attack.

But it was too late.

---

In the fraction of a second that Tu Dong dispersed into a blood mist, Lei Jun’s second shot fired.

A blinding streak of electricity tore through the air—

This wasn’t just a bullet.

This was a storm compressed into a single point, launched at near-instantaneous speed.

The moment the projectile hit the mist, it didn’t just pierce through it—

It tore it apart.

The sheer force of magnetic distortion and compressed lightning shredded Tu Dong’s dispersed form, disrupting his blood transformation and preventing reconstitution.

Tu Dong wasn’t just wounded this time.

He was erased.

---

The sky shuddered.

The moment Tu Dong died, the Blood River’s ritual magic collapsed, and the remaining blood mist vaporized into nothingness.

The mountain fell silent.

For a brief moment—

Lei Jun simply watched.

Not out of hesitation.

Not out of sentiment.

But out of certainty—

He needed to confirm that Tu Dong’s Blood Rebirth Technique had truly been neutralized.

Then—

His Heaven’s Eye Mirror flickered, showing a small, hidden whirlpool of blood forming deep within the forests—Tu Dong’s last attempt at resurrection.

Lei Jun remained calm.

He reloaded.

He aimed.

He fired.

The third shot hit the hidden whirlpool dead center.

---

BOOOOM.

The entire forest trembled, erupting into a storm of fire and lightning.

A single, anguished scream echoed through the land—

And then, silence.

Tu Dong was dead.

For good.

A Seventh Heaven Blood River Elder, a butcher of thousands, a tyrant of the battlefield—

Killed by a single man.

And that man—Lei Jun—

Was only Third Heaven.