Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 299: Different Worlds, What If History

Wang Feng stared in shock as Lei Jun’s arm, like a great spear, pierced straight into his chest.

His opponent’s physical strength and Life Canon cultivation far exceeded his expectations.

What shocked him even more was that while he could barely comprehend the existence of the Purple Lightning, the Profound Thunder was completely unfamiliar to him.

With the fusion of the purple and black lightning—the union of Yin and Yang—an overwhelming force far beyond his calculations erupted.

Wang Feng opened his mouth, wanting to say something.

But at that moment, Lei Jun’s form began to expand once more.

Previously, he had concentrated the power of his three great Dharma Apparitions into a single punch, compressing it like a meteor to shatter his opponent’s nation-blessed fortune. As a result, his figure no longer maintained the towering stature of the Doumu Star God Apparition.

Now, as his mana spread out again, the starlight shimmered, and he resumed his Destined Star Avatar’s colossal, godlike form, standing in midair like a celestial deity.

At the same time, his arm, still buried in Wang Feng’s chest, erupted with another brilliant flash of light.

Thunder and celestial radiance intertwined, expanding from within and completely obliterating Wang Feng’s body from the inside out!

Thus, he utterly severed the lifeline of this Eighth Heaven Grand Scholar of the Tianli School.

---

The distant Tianli cultivators had originally been preoccupied with the fact that Lord Wang, the head of their division, was personally conducting a ritual ceremony, which had been abruptly interrupted.

They wondered how furious he would be.

Surely, this "heretic Daoist" would suffer for it.

And as his subordinates, they themselves would not escape his reprimands afterward.

Yet, in the blink of an eye… Lord Wang was gone?!

Not just interrupted—dead!

It wasn't just the Tianli cultivators who were stunned—even the monks of Tianlong Monastery, including Faming, were left speechless.

Wang Feng’s ritual had not been focused on battle; it was still incomplete when Lei Jun disrupted it. That much was understandable.

But for Wang Feng himself—a distinguished Eighth Heaven Grand Scholar—to be so swiftly annihilated?!

Buddhist cultivators emphasize mental discipline, and Monk Faming had an exceptionally steady mind. Yet, even he had always found himself mentally pressured by the overwhelming scholarly authority of an Eighth Heaven Grand Scholar.

Lei Jun, however, being of a similar cultivation realm, was not bound by such Confucian hierarchies. But he knew that someone like Wang Feng, imbued with the fortune of an entire nation, could not be measured by common logic.

Faming had estimated that although Wang Feng was only at the First Layer of the Eighth Heaven, his combat effectiveness was at least equivalent to someone at the Second Layer.

True, Wang Feng had been caught off guard, completely unprepared for Lei Jun’s explosive, ferocious attack. He had miscalculated and was instantly overwhelmed, unable to even flee.

But even then, to be slaughtered within just a few exchanges…

This meant Lei Jun’s strength was beyond terrifying.

Even without a Divine Court Manifestation, the sheer power he had just unleashed was on par with an Eighth Heaven Third Layer cultivator…

Faming swallowed hard in secret.

---

Lei Jun, on the other hand, was lost in thought.

This Wang Feng was quite old.

His strength had exceeded the normal average only because of his blessings from national fortune and the legacy of his Daoist studies.

But this Confucian method of empowerment was not invincible.

Which was why Lei Jun hadn’t held back at all.

Even with monks from Tianlong Monastery watching, he had immediately unleashed his three great Dharma Apparitions, setting his attack power to the highest possible level.

This ensured that he not only caught Wang Feng off guard but also tested the resilience of a Confucian scholar fortified by national fortune.

Once he cracked open the outer shell, inside was nothing more than a frail, aging body—appropriate for someone of Wang Feng’s advanced years.

Moreover, among Confucian cultivators, those of the Righteous Archery lineage had the strongest bodies, followed by those of the Classical Studies lineage.

The Neo-Confucian Scholars, to which Wang Feng belonged, had some of the weakest physiques among all Daoist factions.

And many of their powerful techniques required long-term accumulation before reaching peak effectiveness.

Lei Jun had opted for a swift and decisive assault—and without the blessing of national fortune, Wang Feng had been far inferior to Yuwei Qiyue of the Mortal Daoist Nation.

Of course, that was Lei Jun’s own assessment.

To outsiders, the scene was utterly shocking.

Only Lei Jun himself remained calm.

---

He looked down at the sea below.

With Wang Feng dead, his interrupted ritual had collapsed, but the accumulated spiritual energy and mana had yet to fully dissipate.

The bright moonlight that had been focused for the ritual exploded outward when Lei Jun struck.

However, deep beneath the Great Azure Bay, where the ritual’s core had been located, an intense glow was beginning to flicker.

The ruptured ritual, now uncontrolled, was collapsing into chaos.

At the same time, the spiritual energy it had gathered was unleashed in a massive surge, churning the surrounding sea into violent waves.

The Great Azure Bay suddenly erupted into a furious tidal storm, as if a tsunami were about to crash onto the nearby shores.

Although the bay was largely uninhabited due to its poor suitability for ships, Lei Jun still acted immediately.

With a surge of mana, he stabilized the raging seawater, preventing the disaster from unfolding.

The Yin-Yang Thunder Dragons coiling around him descended toward the ocean.

In that moment, Lei Jun’s control over thunder and lightning reached a new level—transforming its violent nature into tranquility.

Even the usually silent and serene Xuanxiao Celestial Thunder and the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder, known for its extreme ferocity, became subdued and restrained.

The black and purple lightning intertwined, forming an enormous Yin-Yang Taiji diagram over the ocean.

As the Taiji symbol turned, the raging waves of the Great Azure Bay were pacified, and the looming tsunami dissipated into nothingness.

This fluid, natural mastery over lightning—shifting from unmatched ferocity to complete gentleness—left the monks of Tianlong Monastery in awe.

Meanwhile, the Tianli scholars finally snapped out of their daze.

They fled immediately.

One faction believed:

"There are traitors in the imperial court! They ruined Elder Song’s plan, lured the enemy here, and even got Lord Wang killed! We must return and report this treachery to Elder Yuan before more damage is done!"

The other faction thought:

"Overall, the mission succeeded. Wang Feng failed at the last moment, but we’ve been exposed. The Wu Party’s Elder Song will surely retaliate. We must report everything to Elder Yuan at once!"

Regardless of their true intentions, both factions came to the same conclusion.

Run!

The monks of Tianlong Monastery immediately pursued them.

Lei Jun, however, remained in place.

One, because he was still suppressing the seaquake.

Two, because he sensed something beneath the waves—a rare spiritual artifact flashing with mysterious light.

Likely, this was the Third-Grade Opportunity mentioned by the Upper-Moderate Omen.

At the same time, Lei Jun had already detected a second hidden group of Tianli spies.

Letting these survivors escape was the best way to let the Great Ming Dynasty’s factions fight among themselves.

And besides…

Lei Jun didn’t turn around.

But through the Celestial Ground-Through Talisman, his vision revealed a powerful figure approaching from behind.

Master Miaoxin, the Abbot of Tianlong Monastery.

The real backup.

Regardless of Lei Jun’s exact cultivation stage within the Eighth Heaven, his sheer combat prowess had already made him a figure of great influence within any prestigious sect or holy land—a leader among his peers.

Not only did elders from other sacred sects take him seriously, but even those who held the authority over entire sect domains had to regard him with caution when facing him.

Despite his youth.

Or rather, it was precisely because someone so young had reached such heights that Master Miaoxin had to treat him with even greater caution.

Through his conversation with Master Miaoxin, Lei Jun learned about the recent events in Yuhang.

At Qiantang Estuary in Yuhang, an even larger battle had erupted than the one at Daqing Bay in Mingzhou.

Both sides had sent Ninth Heaven Confucian Grand Scholars into the fray.

The battle was so fierce that the heavens seemed to be overturned, and the Qiantang River nearly reversed its flow.

In the end, both sides suffered heavy losses.

However, with Chu Xiuyuan and Ye Yan joining forces, they successfully held Yuhang and forced the invading Tianli cultivators back into the sea.

As for what Fourth-Grade Opportunity existed there, Lei Jun neither knew nor cared to find out. He had no regrets about missing it, nor did he feel the need to investigate further.

He had already secured the Moonlit Inkstone here at Daqing Bay in Mingzhou. His journey had been fruitful enough—there was no need to be greedy.

However, Master Miaoxin had captured a Tianli scholar surnamed Su.

Through interrogation, they had obtained some information that intrigued both Lei Jun and Master Miaoxin.

That Su scholar had displayed an unyielding resolve, ready to sacrifice himself for his cause.

However, his arrogance led to carelessness in his words.

After conversing with him for some time, Lei Jun and Master Miaoxin gradually extracted key details.

“In the world of the Great Ming Dynasty, while the Daoist Talismanic Sect still exists, the Tianshi Mansion has long since disappeared…”

Lei Jun exchanged a glance with Chu Kun.

Both brothers wore contemplative expressions.

Instead of returning to Yuhang with Master Miaoxin, they waited as reinforcements arrived later.

Among them was a scholar who appeared to be in his forties—calm and composed, with an air of dignity.

Lei Jun recognized him as Fang Yue, a Seventh Heaven Confucian Grand Scholar from the Fang Family of Jingxiang.

“Master Miaoxin, Elder Lei, Master Faming, Daoist Chu,” Fang Yue greeted them.

Lei Jun returned the gesture. “Rector Fang, it’s been a while. I trust you’ve been well.”

Chu Kun followed with a Daoist salute.

The Fang Family of Jingxiang and the Chu Family of Suzhou shared many marital ties.

Although Fang Yue and Chu Kun were not far apart in age, by seniority and kinship, Chu Kun had to address him as Maternal Uncle.

However, given the current formal setting, they greeted each other according to their respective statuses—Chu Kun as a Daoist of Tianshi Mansion, and Fang Yue as a scholar.

After the formalities, Fang Yue spoke.

“The people of Tianli sought to disrupt the Earth Veins of the Great Tang and redirect the world's spiritual energy into their own domain. Such an act of plunder cannot be tolerated.

“Thanks to the intervention of the masters from Tianshi Mansion and Tianlong Monastery, a catastrophe was averted.

“To prevent another invasion, Patriarch Ye and Grand Scholar Chu intend to launch a counteroffensive from both Yuhang and Mingzhou, cutting off the Tianli invaders at the source.

“I came ahead, but more reinforcements will follow shortly.”

Lei Jun and Master Miaoxin had no objections.

After exchanging further courtesies, they set out to sea together.

On the way, Lei Jun and the others compared intelligence from Yuhang and Mingzhou.

“There are no historical records from Tianli to cross-reference, so we can’t say for certain.

“But based on what we’ve learned from the Tianli cultivators, the history of our two realms was largely identical until the late Han Dynasty.”

Lei Jun spoke slowly.

“But after that…”

Fang Yue and Master Miaoxin both nodded slightly.

Currently, the reigning emperor of the Great Tang was Zhang Wantong, the fifth sovereign of the dynasty.

Since the previous emperor, Zhang Qilong, was her elder brother, the Zhang Imperial Clan was in its fourth generation.

Before the Great Tang, there had been the Great Sui and other dynasties.

Across the long span of history—from the Qin and Han Dynasties until now—countless changes had occurred, burying untold stories beneath the sands of time.

The Han Dynasty had been a powerful empire, home to many wise and brilliant emperors.

But when that giant fell, chaos reigned for years.

From what Lei Jun knew, the gradual depletion of spiritual energy in this world had started during the late Han era.

Only in recent times had the tides of spiritual energy resurged.

The historical records in the Great Ming Dynasty also reflected this shift.

However, the true divergence lay in what happened after the fall of the Han Dynasty.

The history of the Great Ming diverged entirely from what Lei Jun, Fang Yue, Master Miaoxin, and the others knew.

For instance, in Wang Feng’s version of history, the Great Sui and Great Tang Dynasties never existed.

Instead, other warlords and heroes had risen.

According to their timeline, the reigning dynasty should have been the Great Zhou Dynasty, later referred to as Later Zhou in the Great Ming.

Furthermore, its establishment was not contemporaneous with the Great Tang but occurred several centuries later, with different dynasties in between.

The most striking difference was that the recorded history of the Great Ming was 2,400 years longer than that of the Great Tang.

After verifying this repeatedly, Lei Jun, Chu Kun, Fang Yue, Master Miaoxin, and Master Faming exchanged looks.

In the Great Ming's historical records, after the fall of Later Zhou, the empire that replaced it was the Great Liang Dynasty.

Confucian Scholasticism first emerged during this period.

However, the Great Liang was eventually overthrown by a northern nomadic tribe.

At that time, the steppes thundered with the hooves of conquest, and the legacy of Confucian refinement was nearly wiped out.

The invaders founded a dynasty based on martial might, wielding a primitive yet overwhelming martial dao.

Their dominance extended not only over Confucians but also over Daoists and other sects.

Yet, as their empire stabilized, martial and scholastic traditions merged.

The empire’s name was ultimately derived from a passage in classical Chinese literature—the Great Qian Dynasty.

And when the Great Qian collapsed, the Great Ming was born.

Both took their names from the same text—one from “Great Qian, the Primordial”, and the other from “Great Ming, the Beginning of All.”

After the Great Ming was established, it reinstated Confucian Scholasticism as the official ideology.

During the Great Qian era, the fusion of martial and scholastic traditions had allowed Confucianism to evolve beyond its former vulnerabilities.

By the time the Great Ming rose, Scholasticism had reached a state of refinement, no longer as easily suppressed by martial cultivators.

Chu Kun’s eyes flashed as he looked at Lei Jun.

He saw that his senior brother’s expression remained unchanged, his gaze fixed toward the Eastern Sea.

However, Lei Jun was not looking at the Void Gateway that connected Tianli to the Tang world.

Instead, he was watching Changjie Island.

According to Xu Yuanzhen, the shattered world beyond Changjie Island had only recently formed.

To the Great Ming, the once-dominant martial empire was only a remnant of history, while the Great Qian was long gone.

So then... who had created the world beyond Changjie Island?

And what was the true nature of the Lone Eagle Khanate?

“Senior Brother…” Chu Kun transmitted his thoughts quietly.

Lei Jun remained motionless but responded with a question instead.

“Junior Brother, if you had never come to Mount Longhu, if you had never joined our sect, how different would your life be?”

Chu Kun didn’t answer, but he nodded slightly.

He understood what Lei Jun meant.

Had he never become a Daoist, he would have remained in Suzhou, studied in the family academy, and become a Confucian scholar.

Though he had his own secrets, his path and fate would have been entirely different from what they were now.

Of course, life had no what-ifs.

But...

What if there was something more?

The Great Ming Dynasty’s world seemed like an alternate path in history—another trajectory the world could have taken.

During the fall of the Han Dynasty, for reasons unknown, history seemed to veer in an inexplicable direction.

It was as if time and space split into two, yet continued in parallel.

That era suffered severe losses in historical records—looking back now, it was all a blur.

Even places like Tianshi Mansion, Tianlong Monastery, and the Fang Clan of Jingxiang had only fragmented, unclear accounts.

Or rather—there had been records, but they were later lost.

Cross-referencing the timeline, that period coincided with the decline of spiritual energy in the human world and the severance of contact between the Nine Heavens, Ten Earths, and the mortal realm…

Perhaps something even greater had changed back then.

But the question was—did that split world have two versions of the same person?

Unfortunately, the time gap was far too vast. No one from that era could still be alive, and history in the Great Ming Dynasty had been shaped by countless upheavals—dynastic collapses and civil wars left little reliable documentation, turning much of what remained into mere myth and legend.

As time passed, while the landscapes remained nearly identical, the people, history, and world itself had grown increasingly distinct.

At first, it was difficult to determine where the differences lay.

But as historical events diverged further, it became clear—some people who once existed in this world had never even been born in the other.

Yet, some existences remained unique—unchanged, absolute.

For example, the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.

Principle Studies was connected to both Great Tang and Great Ming.

And then—Tianshi Mansion.

Or more precisely, the Three Treasures of the Tianshi and the Ten Thousand Methods Sect Altar.

Through information leaked from Principle Studies scholars, Lei Jun and Chu Kun learned that Tianshi Mansion had once existed in that world’s history, too.

But in their version of reality, Tianshi Mansion had long perished—even the Talismanic Branch of Daoism had fallen into decline.

Even Wang Feng, a scholar deeply versed in ancient texts, who had a vast knowledge of history, had only ever seen brief mentions of Lei Jun’s Nine Heavens Thunder Ancestor Apparition and Doumu Star God Apparition in historical records.

To actually witness them firsthand—only when Great Ming and Great Tang reconnected, and when he encountered Xu Yuanzhen and Lei Jun—was he truly confronted with the existence of another human world.

For Wang Feng and his peers, this revelation was a shock of unprecedented magnitude.

From their perspective, Tianshi Mansion was nothing more than a historical term—a relic long past.

It had vanished so early in history that it predated even the founding of the Zhou Dynasty, the empire that had stood in opposition to Great Tang.

In that world—

Less than two thousand years after the fall of the Han Dynasty, Tianshi Mansion had already declined into ruin.

In the waning days of the Han, for reasons unknown, Tianshi Mansion lost the Ten Thousand Methods Sect Altar and the Three Treasures of the Tianshi.

Legend had it that the high priests of Upper Three Heavens sacrificed themselves to preserve the lineage, anchoring their Daoist legacy through their own bodies.

To survive, some of the mansion’s disciples migrated northward, seeking to establish a new foundation.

This became the so-called Northern Tianshi Dao.

But the Northern Tianshi Dao and the ancestral sect of Mount Longhu eventually turned against each other, locked in a bitter conflict between Northern and Southern Tianshi Dao.

The Northern Tianshi Dao claimed to purge the corrupt practices of Mount Longhu, integrating Confucian scholarship and Imperial ideology.

It allied with Confucian aristocratic families and the ruling empire.

In the end, the Northern Tianshi Dao overwhelmed the Southern Tianshi Dao, emerging victorious.

But dynasties rise and fall—and so too did the Northern Tianshi Dao, vanishing into obscurity before long.

By the time of Wang Feng’s world, this Daoist Holy Land had faded into nothing but history.

The Talismanic Branch of Daoism never regained its former glory.

---

Lei Jun and Chu Kun exchanged glances, falling silent.

Even Master Miaoxin and Monk Faming—both from Tianlong Monastery—showed no trace of schadenfreude.

Because in Great Ming—Tianlong Monastery was also gone.

The only difference was that Buddhist Vow Lineage did not decline as severely as Talismanic Daoism.

New Buddhist sects had risen to take its place.

But Tianlong Monastery itself was lost.

As for the Fang Clan of Jingxiang, they had perished during the transition from the Zhou Dynasty to the Liang Dynasty.

Some of their bloodline survived, and even under Great Ming rule, talents occasionally emerged.

But they never again reached their former heights as a powerful aristocratic family.

Fang Yue accepted this reality with calm detachment.

The others, however, had mixed expressions, their thoughts heavy.

When even more people arrived in the Mingzhou region and learned of the situation, they too were shaken.

“This is... unbelievable.”

A Confucian scholar from the Chu Clan took a deep breath, quickly composing himself.

Master Miaoxin clasped his hands together.

“It is most fortunate that you have arrived. Our information remains too fragmented. We should seek further verification.”

The newcomers greeted Lei Jun and the others with courtesy.

Three figures stood at their forefront:

• Ye Mo, elder of the Ye Clan of Qingzhou.
• Ye Yao, one of the most talented young prodigies of the Ye Clan, often mentioned alongside Ye Cheng.
• Chu Taoyuan, elder of the Chu Clan of Suzhou.

Fate had a strange way of connecting people.

Chu Taoyuan, known as Master Yangchao, was the very same elder who had once fought alongside the Li Clan during the Battle of Liwai at Tianshi Mansion.

A longtime friend of Li Song, he regarded Lei Jun and Chu Kun with calm, respectful courtesy.

However—his expression cooled when he turned to Fang Yue.

Fang Yue remained indifferent.

Ye Mo and Ye Yao also regarded him with unreadable gazes.

With Chu Kun, Chu Taoyuan and Ye Mo were completely at ease, engaging in casual conversation.

But toward Fang Yue, their attitude shifted.

Meanwhile, Ye Mo turned back to Lei Jun with a renewed smile.

“The clues all point to one thing—during the Battle of Yuhang, Principle Studies scholars deliberately obscured the truth. They used the Yuhang conflict as a smokescreen to divert our attention.

But the real key... was here in Mingzhou.

It was only thanks to Elder Lei’s presence that their deception was shattered. I am deeply impressed.”

Lei Jun replied calmly:

“My senior brother and I merely happened to be at the right place at the right time. You flatter me, Layman Ye.”

Nearby, Chu Taoyuan and Ye Yao remained silent, their thoughts aligned—

Lei Jun had killed Wang Feng, an Eighth Heaven Grand Scholar of Principle Studies, right there on the spot.

They had anticipated Lei Jun would defeat Wang Feng.

But to outright slay him, giving him no chance to escape? That was shocking.

They recalled Lei Jun’s battle at Mount Longhu, where he wielded the Tianshi Sword, commanding the dual forces of Yin Thunder and Yang Thunder.

After reclaiming the Tianshi Seal, he had mastered both Yin Thunder Dragon and Yang Thunder Dragon Apparitions.

But now—he had unleashed three great apparitions to instantly execute Wang Feng.

Ye Mo studied Lei Jun carefully, his thoughts complicated.

He and Chu Taoyuan exchanged glances, coming to the same realization:

Lei Jun was already terrifying.

And if he ever mastered the fusion of the Dragon and Tiger—

He would become nearly unstoppable.

Thankfully... even the greatest cultivator has limits.