Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 268: The Man Behind Huang Tiandao

The Western Sichuan Snow Ridge stretched vast and boundless, its snow never melting year-round.

Compared to the icy plains of the Northern Frontier, it was less expansive, but far more rugged and treacherous.

At this moment, Lei Jun’s eyes beheld only an endless expanse of snow-covered mountains—no signs of human presence, no birds, no beasts.

However, following the guidance of the Celestial Ground-Through Talisman and the Illusory Mirror, Lei Jun immediately noticed something unusual.

Hidden within the snowy peaks, concealment talismans had been set up to create an illusion, blending the area seamlessly with its surroundings while also suppressing and masking any fluctuations of spiritual energy.

In terms of principles and formation structure, this was similar to the talisman arrays used on Qing Stone Island and Jiufang Island to hide their presence.

Even with Lei Jun’s keen eyesight and perception, he had only caught a few subtle traces at first, realizing that something was amiss.

It was only after deliberate searching that he uncovered the hidden truth.

Had he merely passed by without prior knowledge, even he might have been deceived.

When it comes to concealment and stealth techniques, Huangtian Sect has actually surpassed the ancestral standards set by Mount Longhu…

Lei Jun mused for a moment but did not approach the snowy ridge immediately.

He had a vague sense that others were also watching this place.

These observers were… different.

They seemed to be present in spirit form, either through soul projection or Nascent Soul projection.

Daoist Alchemical Sect cultivators.

Their presence did not feel like they were monitoring the newly established Huangtian Ancestral Altar itself.

Rather, it seemed they were acting as sentinels, watching for outsiders who might discover or approach the site.

However, Lei Jun had been extremely careful in concealing his movements, not just here, but everywhere he had traveled before.

At this moment, his presence blended into the snowy mountains so perfectly that it was as if he and the landscape were one.

Even so, Nascent Soul-level Daoist Alchemical Sect cultivators possessed extraordinary perception when projecting their souls outward.

Lying low at a distance was fine, but if Lei Jun made any major moves, he might still alert them.

At this point in time, Lei Jun wasn’t planning to take direct action against them.

More precisely—he was not yet ready to destroy the new Huangtian Ancestral Altar.

Although allowing it to exist meant giving Huangtian Sect a chance to regroup, Lei Jun, like his senior sister Xu Yuanzhen, was currently more interested in uncovering the internal connections between the rebellious factions of the Three Daoist Traditions.

That said, he wouldn’t ignore this new altar entirely either.

Lei Jun patiently waited.

The Nascent Soul cultivator wouldn’t remain here forever.

Not because the extreme cold was a problem—if he wanted to, he could stay for decades or even centuries without issue.

But he simply didn’t have the time to waste.

Since this new altar had only just been established, and news of its creation was still spreading, extra precautions were necessary for a time.

This Nascent Soul expert was merely standing guard for now, ensuring everything stabilized.

Once the altar proved secure and functional, he would leave.

Atop the snowy peaks, a shadowy figure flickered between reality and illusion, then suddenly vanished into the void—departing from this place.

The blizzard howled across the mountains, and everything seemed as if nothing had ever happened.

A moment later, in the distance, a faint streak of spiritual light flashed briefly—then disappeared, as if it had never existed.

Lei Jun watched the snowy ridge in silence.

Though the Nascent Soul projection had been almost formless, the instant it shifted from stillness to motion, it became briefly tangible.

Lei Jun captured that precise moment, where the boundary between illusion and reality wavered.

For an instant, the Nascent Soul’s form became clear in Lei Jun’s vision:

It appeared as a child of about ten years old, yet its expression was aged, its brows furrowed with wisdom and weariness.

It wore the standard Daoist robe of the Pure Yang Palace, black on the outside, white within—an attire exuding an air of Daoist immortality.

Lei Jun had never seen this Nascent Soul form before.

Yet, it seemed… familiar.

After a brief moment of recollection, he matched the child's face to a middle-aged Daoist he had encountered in the past.

Guo Ling.

A former elder of the Pure Yang Palace, who had been gravely injured while battling great demons during the Western Domain Demon Crisis.

Since then, he had spent most of his time recuperating within the sect.

During the recent Guanlong Demon Uprising, the Pure Yang Palace was overrun, and rumors spread that Guo Ling had perished at the hands of the Northern Great Demons.

But now…?

Complete nonsense.

Lei Jun remained unfazed—at this point, he was already numb to these so-called deaths.

At this rate, even if someone told him that every single "deceased" Eighth Heaven expert of the Pure Yang Palace was actually still alive,

He wouldn't even be surprised anymore.

Well… okay, maybe not all of them.

Lei Jun suspected that some of them had truly died—but perhaps only because they had become "obstacles" in the eyes of people like Gu Han, Feng Yi, Guo Ling, and Wen Zhaoqian.

Lei Jun reined in his wandering thoughts, his gaze calm and unshaken—as deep and unmovable as the snow-capped mountains themselves.

He watched silently as Guo Ling’s Nascent Soul vanished.

Then, Lei Jun quietly advanced toward the hidden Huangtian Ancestral Altar nestled within the snowy peaks.

And infiltrated it unseen.

Since the altar was newly established, and lacked any High Elders overseeing it, Lei Jun’s presence went undetected.

Just as he had planned, he did not destroy it.

Instead—Lei Elder secretly lent them a helping hand.

Yes, you heard that right—he helped them.

…For now.

He did have the Tianshi Seal and the True-One Altar, making such maneuvers easy to execute and nearly impossible to detect.

Inside the altar, Lei Jun also spotted Zhao Zongjie’s personal disciple—Yu Shao.

A rising talent of the new Huangtian Sect, he was younger than contemporaries like Kang Ming, Chen Ziyang, and Han Wuyou, yet ranked among them in seniority.

Yu Shao’s cultivation level was lower than theirs, currently only in the Fifth Heaven Realm.

However, he was exceptionally talented, and now that he was overseeing the new Huangtian Ancestral Altar, his progress would likely accelerate.

Once he formed his Fivefold Dao Palace, he would successfully condense his Dao Seal.

But here was the real question:

Yu Shao had not been possessed.

The biggest weakness of the Daoist Alchemical Sect's possession techniques was that high-level cultivators could easily detect them.

Given the vast difference in power between Yu Shao and Lei Jun, Lei Jun could tell at a glance—this was still his original soul.

This piqued Lei Jun’s interest.

Just moments ago, Guo Ling had been watching over the site—clearly indicating a strong connection between the Daoist Alchemical Sect and the new Huangtian Ancestral Altar.

Yet, the person entrusted with overseeing the site was Yu Shao—not any of Zhao Zongjie’s older disciples.

This couldn't be just because he had greater potential.

Which begged the question:

Had Yu Shao already been in contact with Gu Han, Guo Ling, and their faction before joining Huangtian Sect?

Zhang Dongyuan’s investigation had now come to light.

The Shushan Sect reacted with shock and immediately announced a thorough internal inquiry.

Zhang Dongyuan remained at Xiaoding Peak, the sect’s main mountain gate, to conduct the investigation alongside Sect Leader Fu Dongsen.

Meanwhile, Supreme Elder Wei Qiyue, who had previously been at the Ye Clan’s ancestral land in Jinzhou to observe the battle, led an elite group of Shushan disciples out of the mountains to meet with Chu Yu, the representative of the Tang Imperial Court.

At the same time, Yue Xiling, Elder of the Black Tortoise Hall of the Pure Yang Palace, was already investigating Zhou Peng’s affairs alongside Chu Yu.

Thus, Chu Yu contacted Mount Longhu, requesting that Tianshi Mansion send a capable representative to join the discussions.

The Gathering of Daoism’s Three Great Sects

• Yellow Heaven Sect: Qi Shuo
• Pure Yang Palace: Zhou Peng, Feng Yi
• Shushan Sect: Liu Dongzhuo

These names alone already brought together the three major Daoist traditions.

Not only were these individuals deeply connected to the three great Daoist holy lands, but their combined strength was already formidable.

Although Taoist Master Taiping, Qi Shuo, Zhou Peng, and Feng Yi had all been confirmed dead, numerous clues suggested that even greater forces remained hidden beneath the surface.

Given the gravity of the situation, the true successors of the three major Daoist sects had no intention of underestimating the threat.

Even without Elder Miaoyi of Tianlong Monastery saying a word, everyone immediately thought of the White Lotus Sect from years past.

“Jingzhen has already set out to meet with the other Daoist allies to discuss this matter,” Yuan Mobai stated.

Lei Jun raised a brow. “Senior Sister Zhang volunteered for this?”

Yuan Mobai replied, “She’s unaware of your current whereabouts.”

Tang Xiaotang was still in seclusion, and Xu Yuanzhen was still abroad and had yet to return.

With the ancestral grounds of Mount Longhu needing to be guarded, Yuan Mobai had to stay behind.

Of course, if Lei Jun had wanted to return to take his master’s place, he could have.

But Lei Jun preferred a life of leisure, and since he was already outside the sect, there was no need to swap roles unnecessarily.

Moreover, since he had firsthand knowledge of the Qing Shi and Jiufang Island incidents and had just uncovered the location of the new Yellow Heaven Sect Altar in Sichuan, Yuan Mobai had originally intended for his disciple to go meet Chu Yu and the others.

However, since Zhang Jingzhen had volunteered, Yuan Mobai saw no reason to refuse.

Although Zhang Jingzhen’s cultivation level was lower than Lei Jun’s, as long as she didn’t act recklessly, there shouldn’t be any major problems.

Meanwhile, Lei Jun remaining in the shadows meant that at the very least, neither side knew of his presence, giving him a strategic advantage.

“I’ll stay alert, Master. No need to worry.” Lei Jun reassured.

He chose not to spread the information that Chen Yi had been in contact with Zhou Peng and his group.

If Zhang Jingzhen had no special sources, she likely wouldn’t know either.

That said, her mission was still to search for leads, so she would eventually discover new clues herself.

Furthermore, her identity was highly suitable for this task—

• She was a High Priest of Tianshi Mansion.
• She was also of the Zhang Imperial Clan.
• She was known for her upright character and courteous demeanor.

This meant she could work well with figures like Chu Yu, Yue Xiling, and Wei Qiyue.

Zhang Jingzhen had no ambition to take the lead—she would simply observe, listen, and assist where needed.

Should any major issues arise, she would report back to Mount Longhu.

Lei Jun had no intention of attending the gathering himself or directly interacting with Yue Xiling and Wei Qiyue.

Though he had the ability to remotely activate Zhang Jingzhen’s Thousand-Mile Transmission Talisman to eavesdrop, he chose not to.

Unless someone was proven untrustworthy, he wouldn’t spy on his own sect members.

As for the argument that spying was necessary to uncover untrustworthiness in the first place—Lei Jun simply didn’t concern himself with such things.

Besides, his relationship with Zhang Jingzhen wasn’t so close that she would have insight into Lei Jun’s talismanic techniques.

Thus, even though it would be slightly inconvenient, Lei Jun wasn’t bothered.

If anything urgent arose, Yuan Mobai would relay the message to him.

"The Pure Yang Palace has begun investigating Gu Han’s affairs," Yuan Mobai reported.

"The person you mentioned—Guo Ling—has already been identified by their own internal probe."

Lei Jun asked, “Master, what about Shushan?”

Yuan Mobai responded, “Apart from Liu Dongzhuo, they’ve listed several other potential suspects from the past civil war, but they lack concrete evidence.”

He provided Lei Jun with several names, then added, “However, Elder Wei mentioned someone whose name might be relevant to the current situation—Chen Donglou.”

Lei Jun’s eyes flashed. “I have heard of him.”

But only in passing.

The Madman of Shushan: Chen Donglou

Among the Shushan elders of his generation, Chen Donglou had been the youngest to break through to the Eighth Heaven of the Daoist Artifact Refinement Sect—a renowned sword cultivator from over a century ago.

Back then, Chen Donglou and Fu Dongsen had competed for the position of Sect Leader of Shushan.

Chen Donglou had been the stronger of the two, but he was also wild, aggressive, and reckless—

He offended nearly everyone in the sect, from peers to elders.

To put it bluntly, if one compared his standing in Shushan to Tang Xiaotang’s in Tianshi Mansion,

Tang Xiaotang was actually more well-liked in her sect.

And that wasn’t exactly a compliment.

Tang Xiaotang’s rise to power had been largely due to the unique circumstances within Tianshi Mansion at the time.

But in Shushan, Chen Donglou had no such opportunity.

In the end, Fu Dongsen was chosen as Sect Leader.

Enraged, Chen Donglou left Shushan, disappearing for many years.

Now, over a century later, few in the Tang Dynasty even remembered his name.

But for those familiar with history, even younger generations knew of his reputation as the "Madman of Shushan."

His violent nature wasn’t just notorious within Bashu—

It was known throughout the land.

For decades, people assumed he was dead, possibly having perished in some unknown grotto-heaven or otherworldly realm.

Before he left Shushan, Chen Donglou had declared his intention to recover the sect’s lost treasure—the Purple Star Sword.

But in the many years since, neither man nor sword had ever returned.

During the Shushan Civil War a decade ago, his name had once again been mentioned, evoking sighs of nostalgia.

Chen Donglou had been widely disliked and driven away.

Fu Dongsen, who had seemed far more reliable, had become Sect Leader.

But under Fu Dongsen’s leadership, the Shushan Sect changed, opening up to external interactions and accumulating internal conflicts—which ultimately led to civil war.

Few in Shushan truly missed Chen Donglou,

But in hindsight, perhaps neither he nor Fu Dongsen had been the right choice.

Had Chen Donglou remained in the sect, Fu Dongsen would never have been able to consolidate his power so easily.

“According to Elder Wei, their investigation has uncovered traces of Chen Donglou’s whereabouts.”

Yuan Mobai concluded, “There’s no direct evidence linking him to Liu Dongzhuo yet, but it’s worth investigating.”

Lei Jun understood his master’s meaning.

If Chen Donglou was involved, it wasn’t as some mastermind operating from the shadows.

But if his name was being mentioned now, someone in Shushan might be using him as a scapegoat.

That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

The more actions their enemies took, the easier it would be to expose them.

The hidden web of schemes was finally surfacing.

Not long after, news arrived from Zhang Jingzhen.

She was heading southwest along with Chu Yu, Wei Qiyue, Yue Xiling, and others.

The southwest was a region of towering mountains and steep terrain, largely uninhabited.

The few people who lived there mostly aligned themselves with the Southern Wasteland Witch Sect.

The first rumors about the Shengkang Imperial Lineage from the previous dynasty had originated in this area. Back then, Chu Yu had traveled southwest to investigate the claims.

More recently, this same region had been a battlefield between the great demons of the Snow Plateau and those of the Southern Wasteland.

The idea that the war had altered the landscape, triggering shifts in Heaven and Earth’s spiritual energy and revealing things previously hidden made logical sense—but Lei Jun remained skeptical.

He left Chuanxi and headed south, quietly approaching the southwest.

However, he didn’t reveal himself, opting instead to observe from the shadows.

Meanwhile, Zhang Jingzhen continued moving with the main group.

Upon arriving in the southwest, they split into two teams:

One team headed to Snow Dragon Mountain.

The other set off for Nanzhao Stone Forest.

Lei Jun had been silently listening to the reports.

But suddenly, a Light Sphere flickered to life in his mind, displaying a set of words:

“When the false becomes true, the true becomes false.

A mark remains in the southern heavens, while danger lurks in the northern mountains.

Fortune and misfortune lie in your own hands.”

Then, two omens emerged from the Light Sphere, appearing before him:

Upper-Moderate Omen: A journey to Nanzhao Stone Forest offers an opportunity for a Third-Grade Opportunity. There is currently no risk, but future karmic entanglements may arise. Handle with caution. Auspicious.

Moderate-Moderate Omen: A journey to the northern reaches of Snow Dragon Mountain offers an opportunity for a Fifth-Grade Opportunity. However, the winds are high and the waves are treacherous—danger is present. Proceed with caution. Neutral.