Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion -
Chapter 319: Heavenly Book Universe Support Group
The Milky Way transformed into a grand fortress, vast and majestic. As the starlight flickered upon its battlements, it seemed as if countless banners and weapons stood in formation, reinforcing the city's impregnable defense while adding an aura of solemnity and bloodshed.
This was the Divine Court Manifestation, the external projection of a Talismanic Branch cultivator at the Eighth Heaven Realm, an embodiment of their Daoist arts and mystical abilities.
From afar, Lei Jun observed his master’s Divine Court Manifestation, which perfectly aligned with what he had learned under his tutelage.
It even reflected a degree of complexity and contradiction.
The celestial river and firmament condensed into an unshakable fortress, yet at the same time, the starlight formed military formations, seemingly ready to scatter and change at will.
No wonder Yuan Mobai had previously mentioned that the Purple Palace Drifting Mist would be of little help to him.
If he were to refine the Purple Palace Drifting Mist, it would indeed fortify the fortress, but it would impede the Milky Way’s fluidity and the stars’ rotation.
"Senior Sister’s Divine Court Manifestation is called 'Endless Deep Space,' and Junior Sister’s is called 'Pure Yang Domain,'" Lei Jun remarked with curiosity. "What about yours, Master?"
Yuan Mobai’s voice remained as calm and gentle as ever. "I had never given it much thought before, being preoccupied with cultivation. But now that I reflect on it, I suppose I’ll call it 'Milky Way Celestial Barrier.'"Lei Jun bowed deeply. "Congratulations, Master."
"It's just a small insight," Yuan Mobai replied with a faint smile. "The path of cultivation is long. Both as master and disciple, we are only at the beginning of our journey. Let’s encourage each other and keep moving forward."
With that, Yuan Mobai took the lead, stepping forward, while Lei Jun followed by his side.
The young Daoist in purple robes glanced at his disciple, who was half a head taller than him, and chuckled. "Chongyun, you've been making rapid progress in your cultivation lately. At this rate, you should soon develop your own Divine Court Manifestation in the coming years."
Lei Jun nodded. "I have some ideas, but they still need more refinement and tempering."
Yuan Mobai’s expression remained serene. "Once you reach the Divine Court Manifestation stage, we will once again stand at the same realm. But beyond that, I believe it will be your turn to surpass me. Sooner or later, you will forge ahead and leave me behind."
His tone was calm, even carrying a hint of joy. "That is the essence of inheritance—passing down and surpassing. Only by building upon the past can we truly advance. And that is a wonderful thing."
Lei Jun nodded solemnly. "I will remember your teachings, Master. I will also pass them on in the future, hoping that my own successor will one day surpass me as well."
Yuan Mobai chuckled. "That won’t be easy. You shouldn’t put too much pressure on Huajie."
Lei Jun then reported, "By coincidence, your timing for coming out of seclusion was just right. Senior Brother and Third Junior Brother are both currently in closed-door cultivation."
Yuan Mobai mused, "Zhonggui follows his own path, but if Chongguang is in seclusion… could it be?"
Lei Jun confirmed his master's speculation. "Third Junior Brother has accumulated sufficient foundation and is now preparing to challenge the Heavenly Chasm Tribulation between the Sixth Heaven and Seventh Heaven realms."
Yuan Mobai’s smile deepened. "Good!"
Chu Kun was a cautious person who would never take such a risk without considerable confidence.
"Master, I am currently refining a batch of pills and would like your guidance," Lei Jun invited Yuan Mobai to his private residence.
Inside the residence, Zhuo Huajie was tending to the alchemy furnace. Upon seeing them enter, he immediately straightened up and saluted, "Disciple greets Grandmaster and Master."
Yuan Mobai glanced over him with a smile. "Huajie, your cultivation has improved as well."
"All thanks to Grandmaster’s and Master’s teachings," Zhuo Huajie replied solemnly. "Congratulations on your successful seclusion breakthrough, Grandmaster."
Lei Jun waved him off, and his eldest disciple stepped back, fanning the furnace.
Yuan Mobai approached the alchemy furnace, observing it for a moment before turning to Lei Jun. "Void Serenity Pill? Did you find the Spirit Void Immortal Fruit?"
Lei Jun nodded. "I first obtained it from Fang Yue through the Celestial Book Universe. Later, I publicly traded with him to acquire more, then attempted to cultivate a Spirit Void Treasure Tree.
Right now, Senior Brother Luo’s disciple, Junior Nephew Hua Wei, is taking care of it. If we can successfully grow it, we will have a steady supply of Spirit Void Immortal Fruit in the future.
As for the batch I obtained earlier, I have been refining them into Void Serenity Pills."**
This was one of the Tianshi Mansion’s ancestral spiritual elixirs.
"Void grants perception; serenity nurtures the body," Yuan Mobai murmured.
The Void Serenity Pill nourished both lifespan and soul, aiding the cultivation of Talismanic Branch disciples.
Moreover, it refined young disciples’ spiritual sensitivity.
While it wouldn’t directly elevate someone’s comprehension aptitude, it could enhance their understanding, providing insights that could indirectly improve their perception.
For most cultivators, these subtle differences could determine their fate.
Mount Longhu was the ancestral home of the Talismanic Branch of Daoism.
Tianshi Mansion was the heart of its traditions.
With numerous branches and offshoots spreading far and wide, its influence continued to grow, making its foundations ever more solid.
"Chongyun, you’ve done well," Yuan Mobai said, nodding slightly.
Lei Jun merely smiled. "In all honesty, I often focus on my own cultivation. But if I were to truly take over the sect from Junior Sister, then I must also consider broader matters."
Yuan Mobai chuckled and shook his head. "Even without the Void Serenity Pill, you have already contributed greatly to the sect."
After all, how else had he gained such a reputation?
And that was without most of his contributions being publicly known.
Just in terms of alchemy, even before the Void Serenity Pill, Lei Jun had already helped restore the ancient formula for the Celestial Purification Pill.
"All thanks to your teachings, Master," Lei Jun replied.
Yuan Mobai then asked, "Has there been any word from the Sect Leader or Yuanzhen?"
Lei Jun responded, **"Senior Sister is currently overseas, searching for Huang Xuanpu. Junior Sister is in the Southern Wastelands and recently detected activity from the Taiyi Innate Tower.
However, I heard she also got into a fight with some Nine Li Clan experts…"**
Master and disciple exchanged glances, coughed lightly, and looked away.
Xu Yuanzhen often acted unpredictably due to her unrestrained nature and unconventional interests.
Meanwhile, Tang Xiaotang’s attention span outside of cultivation was notoriously short—easily distracted and prone to wandering off-course.
The only exception so far was when she had gone searching for the Tianshi Sword, which had taken her several years of focused effort.
And this time, her journey had no set destination.
She had traveled across the entire land, twice visiting the Southern Wastelands despite her original plan being just a casual trip…
"Hmm?"
As Lei Jun mentally ranted about his absent Senior Sister, he suddenly felt a subtle shift in his senses.
Yuan Mobai turned to him. "What is it?"
Lei Jun's expression tensed slightly. "I completely lost connection with Junior Sister's Heavenly Sight and Earthly Hearing Talisman."
It didn't feel like the talisman had been destroyed, but rather…
"A barrier of interdimensional force… A void gateway?" Lei Jun frowned.
Soon after, news arrived from the south—
Tang Tianshi of Mount Longhu had entered the Deep Sea.
Lei Jun sighed and activated the Ten Thousand Methods Sect Altar…
Without further words, he swiftly began explaining what he knew. “The ones surrounding me right now are from the Po-Li Clan…”
Lei Jun and the others listened intently.
The term "Nine Li People" was a broad designation. According to legend, in ancient times, eighty-one tribes had once united to form a nation known as Nine Li. However, after their defeat, only nine clans had managed to retreat into the Deep Sea, where they had continued to thrive.
These nine clans were:
Tan-Li (Greedy Li), Wen-Li (Scholarly Li), Wu-Li (Martial Li), Guang-Li (Expansive Li), Ju-Li (Mighty Li), Lu-Li (Prosperous Li), Po-Li (Shattered Li), Fu-Li (Assisting Li), and Bi-Li (Supporting Li).
Lei Jun found these names intriguing, as they reminded him of the star names: Greedy Wolf, Literary Star, Martial Star, Giant Gate, Prosperous Fate, Shattered Army, Left Assistant, and Right Support.
Some of these names didn't date back as far as ancient times.
Perhaps, in a not-so-distant past, there had been interactions between the Deep Sea and the mortal world, and the history of their separation wasn't as long ago as commonly believed.
But for now, it was enough to confirm the distinctions between the Nine Li clans, so Lei Jun didn't dwell too much on the matter.
The Nine Li people's language differed greatly from modern human dialects. However, since the Deep Sea’s Black Mist began surging and the Nine Li people returned to the mortal world, the two sides had been interacting for many years.
The Tang Dynasty had worked hard to decipher the Nine Li people’s language and written records.
Through this, they confirmed that Po-Li and Bi-Li were the two clans that had returned to the mortal world through the Deep Sea's resurgence.
This, to some extent, explained part of Lei Jun's earlier doubts—why the Nine Li forces attacking the mortal world had seemed relatively restrained.
Shen Qubing was a straightforward man, not one for scheming, but he was far from foolish.
On the contrary, he was exceptionally quick to learn new things and adapt to fresh concepts.
Aside from his innate martial talent and extraordinary comprehension, he also had a gift for languages. Among all Tang Dynasty cultivators stationed in the Southern Wastelands, he had the greatest mastery of the Nine Li language, surpassing even many Confucian scholars.
As Shen Qubing described the terrain, it was as if a map unfolded before Lei Jun and the others.
The Deep Sea, one of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, was vast and enormous.
While it wasn't as large as the mortal world, it still stretched endlessly like an ocean.
However, this ocean was dry—a land shrouded in darkness.
There was no sunlight in the Deep Sea, and light sources were so scarce they were almost nonexistent.
Instead, thick black mist rolled in all directions, like the waters of a great ocean.
Within this "ocean of black mist", five towering mountain peaks stood, known as the Five Great Peaks of the Deep Sea.
In this sealed world of darkness, the sky was inverted—seven massive lakes hung suspended in the air, never falling. These lakes, deep and dark, were called the Seven Abysses of the Hanging Sky.
The Nine Li people primarily lived around these Five Great Peaks and Seven Abysses.
"Five plus seven… That makes twelve. And Xiongbo Mountain… So, the names come from the twelve beasts?" Lei Jun mused.
Ancient rituals had once included sacrificial dances, known as the Grand Exorcism, which had long been lost in the Central Plains but still occasionally survived in the Southern Wastelands.
The ritual involved invoking twelve sacred beasts to ward off illness and evil.
Shen Qubing confirmed, "That’s right. The Five Great Peaks are named after Jiazuo, Qiwei, Xiongbo, Tengjian, and Lanzhu, while the Seven Abysses are called Boqi, Qiangliang, Zuming, Weisui, Cuoduan, Qiongqi, and Tenggen."
At that moment, Shui-Yao of the Mercury Star suddenly interrupted. "You’re at Xiongbo Mountain? Do you know how to get to Tengjian Mountain?"
Shen Qubing: "I have a general idea. Why? What’s special about it?"
Shui-Yao: **"The Nine Li clans are not entirely unified. From what I know, Tan-Li, Wu-Li, Guang-Li, and Fu-Li are allies. Meanwhile, Wen-Li, Ju-Li, and Lu-Li form another alliance. Po-Li and Bi-Li, the two currently attacking the mortal world, are their own faction—and they have deep-seated hatred toward Tan-Li, Wu-Li, Guang-Li, and Fu-Li.
I can’t be sure about the rest, but Wu-Li warriors frequently reside on Tengjian Mountain. Since Po-Li is hunting you down, your only chance is to turn their enemies against them."**
"Wu-Li and Po-Li are sworn enemies," the Future Maitreya of Wood Star murmured, deep in thought. "But at the end of the day, both are still Nine Li clans. If they encounter a mortal cultivator like us…"
Shui-Yao replied, "There’s no better option. Since the danger is already imminent, we have to take a gamble."
"Agreed!"
Shen Qubing’s spirits lifted for a moment, but then he smiled bitterly. "The problem is—I’m completely surrounded. I can’t get out of Xiongbo Mountain."
Lei Jun: "Describe your exact location in more detail."
Shen Qubing: "It’s a sinister, eerie place. The atmosphere is suffocating."
Lei Jun: "I have a technique that follows the Yin-Yang Reversal Dao. It can trigger a Yin Tide within the Deep Sea. When the Dark Tide surges, it might create an opportunity for you to break through their encirclement."
Shen Qubing: "How exactly does it work?"
Lei Jun: "Your martial path is Body Refinement. That means your Yang-filled blood energy can be used to trigger a massive Yin surge in the area. However, there’s a catch—it will cause you to lose a large amount of blood."
For the first time, the young warrior hesitated. "Uh…"
It wasn’t that he doubted Lei Jun, but for a martial cultivator, blood loss was critical.
Even if he managed to break through the encirclement, he would struggle to reach Tengjian Mountain safely.
Moreover, the Nine Li people's witchcraft, including curses, Gu techniques, and blood rituals, could easily exploit his blood—either to kill him remotely or track him down.
The Future Maitreya of Wood Star finally spoke. "I have a technique—'Withering and Flourishing'—which can seal your blood vitality, preventing it from leaking out. It will weaken your movement speed, but it’s extremely discreet."
If Shen Qubing tried to sneak out using the Withering and Flourishing Technique, it wouldn’t work.
However, if he first triggered a Dark Tide using Lei Jun’s method, then used the Withering Technique to escape amidst the chaos, it just might succeed.
Shen Qubing lit up with excitement. "Perfect! Thank you all!"
Lei Jun and Future Maitreya quickly adapted their techniques to suit Shen Qubing’s martial path.
Through written and visual instructions, they transmitted the method to him.
Now, all they could do was wait.
Not long after, the Celestial Book Universe flickered—the star representing Mars Star (Shen Qubing) lit up again.
"I did it! I managed to shake them off, but I still have pursuers on my tail!"
Shen Qubing, though weakened, headed for Tengjian Mountain—and soon, the Wu-Li warriors joined the fight, forcing Po-Li to retreat.
After escaping danger, Shen Qubing, in a move of sheer audacity, borrowed an elite force from the Wu-Li Clan and turned the tables on the Po-Li Clan, launching a counterattack.
"The Nine Li people are undoubtedly powerful enemies of the Tang Dynasty," he said, "but right now, my real target is the former Sui Dynasty remnant, Yang Yuqi. I’ve had a feeling for a while that he’s been planning something."
Hearing this, Tu-Yao of the Saturn Star and Tai-Yin of the Moon Star both fell into deep thought.
"Indeed," Tu-Yao said. "It seems like Yang Yuqi has been preparing some kind of Confucian ritual within the Deep Sea…"
Shen Qubing wasted no time. Despite his injuries, as soon as he had stabilized himself, he set out with the elite warriors of Wu-Li to track down Yang Yuqi.
His instincts—and quick decision-making—proved correct.
By the time they found Yang Yuqi, the ritual had already begun to take effect.
Po-Li Clan warriors stood guard, while Yang Yuqi presided over the ceremony.
Though the ritual was under attack, it was still managing to continue functioning, albeit barely.
Shen Qubing, thrilled by the battle, didn’t hesitate—he immediately reached out for reinforcements again.
After hearing Shen Qubing’s description of Yang Yuqi’s ritual, Tu-Yao and Tai-Yin both spoke in unison:
"Guest Rites!"
Lei Jun remained silent, simply listening intently.
The Five Great Confucian Rites
Confucian traditions upheld five grand ceremonial rites:
- Auspicious Rites (Jí Lǐ) – For celebrations and blessings.
- Funerary Rites (Xiōng Lǐ) – For mourning and remembrance.
- Military Rites (Jūn Lǐ) – For wartime ceremonies.
- Guest Rites (Bīn Lǐ) – For welcoming and honoring guests.
- Festive Rites (Jiā Lǐ) – For joyous gatherings.
Yang Yuqi, a remnant of the fallen Sui imperial family, was using 'Guest Rites' as a sacrificial ceremony.
What was he trying to achieve?
Tai-Yin explained, "The Nine Li people have lived in the darkness of the Deep Sea for generations. While their bodies are stronger than most cultivators, they have developed a fear of light. Even under the cover of night in the mortal world, they still feel discomfort."
"But if Yang Yuqi is using Guest Rites to craft the proper ceremonial artifacts, he may be able to change this fundamental limitation…"
Even Nine Heavens-level Nine Li warriors rarely left the Black Mist, whether day or night.
But Yang Yuqi was different—aside from being an Eighth Heaven Confucian scholar, he was also the most legitimate heir of the fallen Sui imperial family.
Even though the Sui Dynasty had long been overthrown, the Yang family still held significant historical weight.
For the Nine Li people, his Guest Rites carried symbolic meaning.
It was akin to opening the gates to welcome invaders.
Tu-Yao frowned. "Yang Yuqi is still a former imperial heir. Would he really go this far? Even if his plan succeeds, the Sui Dynasty won’t be restored."
Lei Jun’s voice remained calm. "He has nothing left to lose. He’s gambling it all."
Tai-Yin agreed. "We cannot let him succeed."
Tu-Yao nodded. "Indeed."
They immediately began analyzing the ritual and provided guidance to Shen Qubing.
Guest Rites—Broken
With their assistance, Shen Qubing led the charge, and the ritual was successfully disrupted.
Yang Yuqi's plan was thwarted.
"He had forged a large number of ceremonial artifacts," Shen Qubing reported, "but most of them were destroyed. A few—perhaps three or four—remain intact."
"Regardless, remain cautious," Shen Qubing warned. "Some Nine Li warriors may have already infiltrated the mortal world. Keep your guard up. I’m pursuing Yang Yuqi now!"
Before his words had even fully registered, the Mars Star representing Shen Qubing dimmed—he had disconnected from the Celestial Book Universe.
Under the glow of the celestial lights, Lei Jun and the others exchanged glances.
Tai-Yin sighed, "Shen Qubing has a heart as pure as fire and a will as unyielding as iron. Truly, such people are rare. That is why fortune favors him."
Shui-Yao mused, "I’m more curious about what treasures he’ll bring back from the Deep Sea."
Tu-Yao chuckled. "A true gentleman offers aid without expecting repayment. Personally, I don’t need Shen Qubing to return the favor. However, if we make this a tradition—where mutual aid strengthens our bonds—our future collaborations will become even closer and more effective."
Tai-Yin nodded. "Indeed. This marks yet another step forward. Hopefully, we can continue working together like this in the future."
Lei Jun and Future Maitreya remained silent, but they did not object.
Some time later, Shen Qubing, despite being occupied, managed to send back another message.
The first piece of news nearly made Lei Jun choke on his breath:
"Tang Tianshi of Mount Longhu—Tang Xiaotang—also entered the Deep Sea. She fought a battle against Po-Li Clan’s chieftain, Li Yan. The outcome remains unknown!"
Li Yan—the Nine Li Grand Shaman at the Ninth Heaven Realm—was the very one responsible for slaughtering Ye Liang and many others.
Lei Jun was just about to consider the ramifications of this fight, when he unexpectedly received direct communication from Tang Xiaotang herself.
Using Lei Jun’s Heavenly Sight and Earthly Hearing Talisman, Tang Tianshi transmitted a message:
"Lei Jun, either you or Martial Uncle Yuan, bring the Tianshi Seal to me. I can’t leave the Deep Sea right now."
Lei Jun raised an eyebrow. "Only the Tianshi Seal? Not the Tianshi Robe?"
Tang Xiaotang: "The robe is up to you, but the seal must come."
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