Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 327: Second-level expansion opportunities

The Ten Thousand Souls Banner was still fluttering in the air, though most of the black mist had dissipated.

As for Zhou Zheng, who had wielded the artifact earlier, his soul had been utterly destroyed—his body gone without a trace.

Beside him, An Zhiyu stood frozen in shock.

Li Yuanyuan and Mu Sheng were also completely stunned.

Before this Yellow Spring invasion of the human realm, the truth behind the Daoist arts and artifact-crafting heritage of Inner Shushan was still unknown to the people of the Tang Dynasty. So during their conversations, An Zhiyu and the others had subtly pried for information to gain a clearer understanding of the current state of Shushan on both sides.

That’s why, when Ye Dongming detected something suspicious from Inner Shushan, Zhou Zheng, An Zhiyu, and the others acted decisively. They were confident in their chances.

Even when Zhang Dongyuan returned with the Qingming Sword, Zhou Zheng and An Zhiyu had made preparations.

But now, the sudden appearance of “Chen Donglou” had caught them completely off guard.

It wasn’t just Inner Shushan that was surprised—even within the current Tang Dynasty’s Shushan Sect, few had ever seen the legendary Elder Chen in action. Now, everyone’s attention was firmly locked on him.

“Chen Donglou” sneered as he looked down, casually waving his hand.

The mountain rocks trembled, and the swordlight of the Seven Star Sword burst forth once more.

An Zhiyu, Li Yuanyuan, and Mu Sheng all jolted, snapping out of their daze. Realizing the danger, they immediately fled toward the Yellow Spring entrance below the peak.

Mu Sheng reached out to grab the Ten Thousand Souls Banner—but a loud buzzing erupted in his ears.

From the depths of his immortal soul, a tremor of fear surged up.

He didn’t dare hesitate.

Mu Sheng’s soul flickered on the spot.

He hadn’t yet reached the Eighth Heaven’s “Celestial Sea-Walking” stage of the Daoist Artifact Refining Sect, so his soul couldn’t shift through space.

But as the Tianquan Sword, one of the Seven Star Sword blades, flew at lightning speed toward him, it pierced through a body that was no longer his own.

In his place was a massive, ferocious skeletal demon.

It looked menacing—but in that instant, the demon was pierced clean through by the terrifying swordlight. Thunderfire exploded outward, obliterating it entirely.

At the very last second, Mu Sheng had swapped places with one of his skeletal demon heads to narrowly escape death.

The technique resembled a method from the Ghost Dao lineage of the Witch Sect.

Mu Sheng’s Eight Desolate Bone Beads had a similar principle to Chen Donglou’s Seven Star Sword—both were the result of combining six earlier life-bound artifacts with two higher-tier life-bound treasures forged in the Upper Heavens, creating an eight-in-one formation that could act as one or scatter at will.

Though blood-soaked and ominous in aura, it had its uses.

However, right after sacrificing one skeletal demon, Mu Sheng had no time to breathe—another swordlight flashed before his eyes.

The Yaoguang Sword, part of the Seven Star Sword, shot straight at him!

Mu Sheng’s soul trembled again, forcing another swap with a skeletal demon.

But the swordlights kept coming—blindingly fast.

The Seven Star Sword didn’t need to lock onto each of the six remaining skeletal demons. It simply fired continuously, relentlessly tracking Mu Sheng himself.

Mu Sheng dodged two more strikes, but when the fifth swordlight came screaming at him, he was too slow.

His soul—pierced through by the flying sword.

Mu Sheng let out a blood-curdling scream. His soul could no longer maintain a humanoid form, twisting and combusting into flame.

Then the sixth and seventh swords followed—unstoppable.

The swordlight swept past, instantly cutting down another high-ranking elder of Inner Shushan.

With Mu Sheng dead, the rest of his skeletal demon heads shrieked wildly, catching fire as well, consumed alongside their master.

While “Chen Donglou” hunted Mu Sheng, the rest of the Tang Dynasty’s Shushan cultivators also sprang into action, surrounding An Zhiyu and Li Yuanyuan.

An Zhiyu didn’t hesitate. Her soul merged with her life-bound treasure, Wangchuan Water Mist Gauze.

Sinister waves surged up from beneath the mountain, crashing through the Yellow Spring water. Within it, a strange two-colored light had been entangled with the Qingming Sword—but now, triggered by An Zhiyu, the light flickered rapidly.

The eerie dual-colored radiance blinked nine times—then exploded outward.

“Chen Donglou” frowned slightly.

He and the Seven Star Sword flew into the raging Nine Springs.

Though the waters still surged skyward, the force no longer intensified.

His magnetic flying sword was powerful, but clearly not suited to containing the rampant Yellow Springs.

Luckily, he had other mystical means at his disposal.

And under the veil of the raging springwater, he didn’t need to worry about being spotted by others.

In fact, neither friend nor foe outside had the time or awareness to pay attention to “Chen Donglou” diving into the spring.

With Elder Chen suppressing the Nine Springs, the Tang Dynasty Shushan cultivators relaxed and focused fully on chasing down An Zhiyu and Li Yuanyuan.

Having broken free from the two-colored glow, Zhang Dongyuan immediately struck at the Ten Thousand Souls Banner with the Qingming Sword.

There was no question—this artifact surpassed even the Wangchuan Water Mist Gauze, Eight Desolate Bone Beads, and Soul-Capturing Bell in both quality and importance to the Inner Shushan faction.

The swordlight, sharp as a blade that could split heaven and earth, tore through the remaining black mist on the banner.

But the moment the sword touched the banner’s body, it suddenly stirred—without wind.

On its surface, countless incantation marks emerged.

The Qingming Sword slashed fiercely, tearing the spell marks apart. A gash split open on the banner itself.

Yet the swordlight also trembled violently, knocked backward by an invisible force.

Thick black mist surged out—far more than before—obscuring Xu Duan, other Shushan cultivators, and Zhang Taigang, who had just recovered the Northern Abyss Divine Spear.

Li Yuanyuan seized the moment, rushing forward to grab the Ten Thousand Souls Banner and retreating into the Yellow Spring entrance with An Zhiyu.

The Shushan cultivators dispersed the black mist and continued the chase, but their hearts were heavy.

It was now clear—neither Zhou Zheng, nor Li Yuanyuan or An Zhiyu were the true masters of the Ten Thousand Souls Banner. They were merely wielding it temporarily.

The true wielder was someone else.

The restrictions left on the artifact were powerful enough to function without its owner's presence.

Someone with this level of strength and artifact mastery had to be a Daoist Artifact Refiner at the Ninth Heaven Great Ascension Realm.

Though they didn’t know why this person hadn’t joined the attack, the Shushan cultivators remained grim and refrained from blindly charging into the Yellow Springs.

Zhang Dongyuan stopped and looked out of the mountain.

There, a simple yet radiant ancient sword stood slanted in the earth, its body wrapped in purple brilliance.

He raised his gaze toward the receding torrent of the Nine Springs.

“Donglou has returned… and he brought back the Ziwei Sword,” Xu Duan exhaled a long breath.

Zhang Taigang asked, “Has Uncle Chen already reached the Ninth Heaven Great Ascension Realm?”

Even without a soul-projected sword, that kind of flying sword technique—with such sheer speed and power—was unimaginable for someone still at the Eighth Heaven.

Zhang Dongyuan shook his head. “I can’t see through him… can’t see through…”

Just as they were about to step forward and assist, the raging Nine Springs began to dissipate. The once-wild Wangchuan waters now flowed calmly, their fury tamed.

Within the waves, Lei Jun—disguised as Chen Donglou—was gathering the previously unleashed two-colored light.

This glow, which should’ve been spent in triggering the Nine Springs eruption, had been preserved thanks to Lei Jun’s timely intervention.

The twin-colored light slowly condensed into a pair of matching jade stones.

One black, one white—radiating distinct hues, yet perfectly unified.

[Nine Springs Spirit-Jade Pair]

The name surfaced in Lei Jun’s mind unbidden.

This must be the Upper-Moderate Omen’s Second-Grade Expandable Opportunity… he mused thoughtfully.

Now wasn’t the time to delve into its mysteries. After confirming there were no problems with the artifact, he stored it away for later study.

Maintaining his “Chen Donglou” appearance, Lei Jun reemerged once the springwaters had fully calmed.

“Oh? So there's someone in the Yellow Springs who’s reached Ninth Heaven Great Ascension?”

“Chen Donglou” showed no fear. On the contrary, he even smiled slightly, glancing at the Yellow Spring entrance below.

Though he said nothing more, the meaning was clear.

But Zhang Dongyuan interjected, “Brother Chen, don’t be hasty. Please hear me out.”

Chen Donglou looked up.

Zhang Dongyuan continued, “Earlier, while I was out searching for the Ziwei Sword—not in the right place, mind you—I made another discovery.

I encountered two individuals, both at the Eighth Heaven. One appeared to be from the Alchemical Sect, though not of Pure Yang Palace heritage. The other had an Artifact Refiner’s cultivation—and I recognized Shushan techniques in him.”

From the north… misled by Fu Dongsen to search the Southern Wasteland for the Ziwei Sword?

“Chen Donglou” contemplated silently, outwardly calm. “You don’t think they’re with the Yellow Springs group?”

Zhang Dongyuan nodded. “Correct. With the reemergence of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, other realms exist. My guess is, they’re part of another Shushan legacy that’s survived outside the main sect.”

Another Shushan Sect.

Xu Duan asked, “Do we know anything specific about their origins?”

Zhang Dongyuan shook his head. “Only that they also sought the Ziwei Sword—but both our sides missed it. I wanted to contact them, but then came the emergency report about the Yellow Springs attack, and I had to return. I currently have no way to reach them.”

“Chen Donglou” scanned the group. “So?”

Zhang Dongyuan said, “The situation is unstable, with too many unknowns. I propose we simply seal the Yellow Spring entrance for now and avoid pursuing further, in case of unexpected consequences.”

He looked around.

After the battle, the peak was in ruins—collapsed cliffs, shattered ground—a mess not much better than when the Taiyi Innate Tower and Qingxiao Hall left.

The Shushan Sect of the Tang Dynasty was in no condition to keep fighting.

“…Very well. Do as you see fit.”

“Chen Donglou” turned calmly away. “I’m leaving. If there’s any news about the Taiyi Innate Tower, Qingxiao Hall, or Hong Jie, send word to me.”

The lower-tier Shushan disciples gasped.

Zhang Taigang, Xu Duan, and Zhang Dongyuan all sighed.

They had tried to bring Chen Donglou back into Shushan so many times—always to no avail.

Zhang Taigang raised his hand. A purple light ascended, and the ancient sword floated to him. He held it reverently with both hands and offered it toward the departing figure.

“Uncle Chen, among our entire sect, no one is more suited to wield the Ziwei Sword than you.”

“The Ziwei Sword is the treasure of Shushan. I am a Shushan disciple. That’s why I retrieved it.”

“But I do not need it.”

Chen Donglou did not turn back. His steps did not pause.

He drifted away into the distance.

"The Ziwei Sword may indeed be our sect's founding treasure, but given time, who’s to say my Seven-Star Sword won’t surpass the relic of our predecessors?

The real issue is you lot—guard your treasures better, and stop losing them all the time."

His voice still lingered, but the man was gone.

The entire Shushan Sect was left exchanging glances, each of them sighing with a bitter smile.

He Dongxing and Ji Dongquan recounted how, in the Zhe-Gan mountain range, “Chen Donglou” had recovered the Ziwei Sword and killed Fu Dongsen.

Several high-ranking members of the Shushan Sect had complicated feelings about it all.

After a long silence, Zhang Dongyuan spoke up: “Even now, I don’t believe Senior Brother Chen was a suitable choice for Sect Leader. But picking Fu Dongsen back then? That was an even bigger mistake.”

“So we blame nothing on Fu Dongsen, but everything on Chen Donglou?” Xu Duan shook his head. “Many of these problems started precisely because of Fu Dongsen.”

He Dongxing sighed. “Yeah. Back then... we were all wrong.”

Xu Duan said, “And once you’re wrong, there’s no going back. With Donglou’s temperament, this is already the most we’ll get—he came back for Shushan, not for us. But even with that Shushan bond... eventually, there will be a day it runs out.”

Everyone fell into silence.

While they spoke, others approached the Shushan Sect’s mountaintop, Xiaoding.

It was Zhang Zhen, Prince of Weiyang from the Tang Imperial Family, who oversaw Guanzhong. Upon receiving word of what had happened at Xiaoding, he had come to assist.

Seeing things had settled, and after hearing Shushan’s account of events, Prince Zhang Zhen was likewise shocked.

He quickly organized the information and reported to Empress Zhang Wantong, while also helping the Shushan cultivators seal the void gateway beneath them that led to Huangquan.

The situation with Huangquan was unusual—somewhat similar to the Land Sea, though its domain shifts weren’t as violent. Sealing it was still no easy feat.

This time, Shushan was determined to eliminate future threats. Aside from those like Ye Dongming who were still recovering, all remaining Elder Masters joined forces with Sect Leader Zhang Taigang to activate the Northern Abyss Divine Spear.

The spear was left embedded deep in the earth veins, generating massive amounts of Northern Abyssal Ice to assist in sealing the Huangquan gateway—finally sealing it shut.

But Zhang Taigang, Xu Duan, Zhang Dongyuan, and the others weren’t relieved in the slightest.

Someday, if a passage opened between Huangquan and Tang’s Mortal Realm again—even if it happened somewhere else—those from Inner Shushan might rise once more and seek revenge against the Tang’s Shushan Sect.

---

Meanwhile, inside Huangquan...

An Zhiyu and Li Yuanyuan had fled back.

The pale, deathly world gave them an odd sense of calm.

The Myriad Souls Banner unfurled, drawing in a massive surge of yin energy, forming into swirling black mist.

The mist constantly nourished their damaged treasure.

In the distance, the barren world was littered with massive mountains made entirely of white bones.

A few cultivators sat beneath one such bone mountain, refining magical artifacts.

These cultivators wore plain robes and straw sandals—dressed like Shushan disciples.

Wisps of dark green essence seeped from the bone piles, which the cultivators then absorbed into their artifacts.

But suddenly, a massive suction force came from above.

All the dark green spectral essence was swept away.

Even the essence that had been moments away from being sealed into the artifacts abruptly changed direction and flew upward.

One of the cultivators, fully focused on his refining, was caught off guard and cursed, “Who’s this greedy b*stard?!”

He looked up—and froze.

Above, the Myriad Souls Banner floated past, with An Zhiyu and Li Yuanyuan beside it.

The two didn’t even pause, as if ignoring the complaints below.

But the Shushan cultivators beneath them stood frozen, eyes dull and unfocused.

Their souls were drawn out by an unseen force, lifted into the air along with the green essence, and absorbed into the black mist surrounding the banner.

The other cultivators atop the bone mountain remained calm. They quietly stopped refining, bowed toward the sky, and respectfully saw off the two High Elder Masters and the sect treasure Myriad Souls Banner.

The black mist around the banner thickened and expanded, gradually taking on the shape of storm clouds drifting through Huangquan.

Just ahead, An Zhiyu's disciple Cao Heng appeared to greet them. “Master. Uncle-Master Li...”

Seeing that Zhou Zheng and Mu Sheng were no longer with them, she swallowed the rest of her words.

“How many groves are currently ripe for harvest?” An Zhiyu asked.

Cao Heng replied, “Three right now. If we wait a few more years, there’ll be a fourth.”

An Zhiyu and Li Yuanyuan exchanged a glance, both shaking their heads. “Three it is. Let’s go now.”

The black clouds carrying the Myriad Souls Banner drifted forward.

Soon, the world ahead seemed to brighten.

As they drew closer, sections of Huangquan had been clearly partitioned off into vast territories—almost like miniature nations.

In each area, towns and villages were scattered across the land, just like in the living world.

People lived their lives in peace, beneath blue skies and white clouds, basking in eternal sunshine.

But all of it was an illusion, fabricated by the Inner Shushan cultivators.

“Master, Uncle Li—Area A-7, Area C-10,” Cao Heng pointed out. “And over there, Area G-2.”

An Zhiyu nodded. “Looking healthy.”

She sat cross-legged in the black mist, her divine soul communing with the Myriad Souls Banner.

The banner swayed gently, floating above the area labeled A-7.

It resembled a small mortal world.

People there suddenly noticed the sunlight dimming, and the sky darkening.

Most thought it was just a weather change and paid it no mind.

Until, one by one, they collapsed without a sound.

The banner lingered briefly above Area A-7, then moved to the next.

After sweeping across all three areas, the surface cracks on the Myriad Souls Banner appeared fully healed.

However, its aura was still not as strong as before.

“This is all we can do for now,” An Zhiyu said softly.

Li Yuanyuan nodded silently.

Together, with the black mist swirling around them, they drifted onward.

The three areas they had just visited now lay in utter silence. Not a sound remained.

Cao Heng stayed behind with other Inner Shushan members to clean up those zones.

Later, new residents would be relocated here, and life would begin anew—just like waiting for fruit trees to bear fruit again.

An Zhiyu and Li Yuanyuan continued with the Myriad Souls Banner, heading to the center of Huangquan.

There, the River of Oblivion flowed quietly.

Beside the river stood a massive black stone city—craggy, silent, and imposing like a mountain.

As the banner approached, glowing talisman patterns emerged on the city’s walls.

Two giant characters slowly formed:

[Fengdu]

The Myriad Souls Banner fluttered in windless air, hovering over the city.

An Zhiyu and Li Yuanyuan landed outside the gates, then walked inside on foot.

At the heart of Fengdu stood a vast Dao Palace.

As the banner entered the city, it gently descended upon the palace's central altar, causing the surrounding banners to stir in resonance.

Under the banner, the two bowed deeply toward the palace:

“Your disciples have failed and brought harm to the sect’s treasure.”

The foundation of Inner Shushan had been built around one of the original six founding treasures of Shushan from the mortal world: the Five-Decay Dao Bell.

From that treasure, Inner Shushan was formed within Huangquan.

Influenced by the Six Realms of Reincarnation and the Abyss of Avīci from the Buddhist path, Inner Shushan developed their own interpretation of the Daoist Five Paths of Rebirth.

It was said:

• First Path: the divine ascends to heaven as a celestial being.

• Second Path: the divine enters flesh to become a divine human.

• Third Path: the divine enters animals to become a beast god.

• Fourth Path: the divine enters creeping things—known as the Hungry Ghosts.

• Fifth Path: the divine enters Naraka—the name of Hell.

Thus, they chose the Five-Decay Dao Bell as their celestial legacy treasure and, over millennia, nurtured their sect's foundation.

Unlike the Tang’s Shushan Sect which imitated the six founding treasures to forge the Six Supreme Treasures, Inner Shushan pursued a path of its own, hoping to create treasures for each of the Five Paths.

Though Huangquan was a place of death and danger, it was also rich in rare resources.

However, because of the severed connection with the mortal realm, acquiring souls for crafting treasures had always been difficult.

After generations of effort, Inner Shushan had only successfully crafted two:

• For the Hungry Ghost Path: the Myriad Souls Banner.

• For the Hell Path: the Huangquan Sword.

In the last century, with cosmic shifts, Huangquan had unexpectedly reconnected with another version of the mortal realm.

That world had been engulfed in endless wars and disasters, forcing countless people to flee—some stumbling into Huangquan.

To Inner Shushan, it was like treasure falling from the sky.

They welcomed the influx of people—and even spirit beasts and monsters.

Inner Shushan entered a period of rapid growth, and long-dreamt plans finally seemed within reach.

All of it, however, was built on mountains of corpses and oceans of blood.

Currently, the most powerful cultivators of Inner Shushan were in seclusion within Fengdu, focusing on refining a new treasure.

After Huangquan unexpectedly reconnected with Tang’s mortal realm, Zhou Zheng and the others had mobilized the Myriad Souls Banner, launching a counterattack on the Tang Shushan Sect—hoping to seize their artifacts and spiritual resources.

Capturing souls of cultivators would’ve been an even greater windfall.

But in the end, they were soundly defeated.

Even the Myriad Souls Banner was damaged.

Zhou Zheng and Mu Sheng perished.

An Zhiyu and Li Yuanyuan now stood beneath the banner, awaiting judgment.

After a while, dark mist formed glowing script above the Dao Palace:

“Focus on restoring the Myriad Souls Banner. Do not act recklessly again. When the Sect Master and we emerge from seclusion, we shall decide the rest.”

An Zhiyu and Li Yuanyuan both lowered their heads.

“Yes, Martial Uncle.”

…………………

The Tang Dynasty, Mortal Realm.

Southern Bank of the Great River.

A man and a woman, both cultivators at the Eighth Heaven Realm, were quietly crossing the river.

They were none other than Shang Nan, a cultivator of the Daoist Alchemical Sect from the Ming Dynasty Mortal Realm, and Xue Xingzi, a cultivator of the Artifact Refining Sect.

“We still have too few leads… Sorry to have dragged you here for nothing, Brother Shang,” said Xue Xingzi apologetically.

Shang Nan replied, “It’s no trouble for me. I only regret not being able to help you recover your sect’s treasure.”

He glanced downstream to the east, then turned to look upstream to the west:

“Never thought Fellow Daoist Fu would fall like this...”

Due to the Tang Dynasty’s suppression and crackdown on the Mortal Daoist Nation, the death of Fu Dongsen was made public immediately as a warning to others.

At the same time, the news that the Purple Star Sword had returned to the Shushan Sect of Tang spread widely.

Though Shang Nan and Xue Xingzi were unfamiliar with the local environment, given their cultivation level, it was easy for them to access such public information.

“Life is so unpredictable. We only just met him not long ago, and now he’s gone…” Xue Xingzi sighed.

Shang Nan added, “That Daoist Chen Donglou… we should keep a close eye on him.”

Xue Xingzi gave a small nod.

After a pause, she spoke again, “Should I make contact with some of the local sect members here?”

Shang Nan shook his head. “We weren’t present when Fu Dongsen died, and we don’t know the details. Better not take any risks for now.”

Technically, they could approach local Daoists here under the identity of cultivators from the Ming Daoist Realm.

However, if Fu Dongsen had already revealed their status as key members of the Mortal Daoist Nation, then visiting the Tang Shushan Sect or other sects would be walking into a trap.

It was unlikely, but still—better to stay cautious.

“You’re right,” Xue Xingzi agreed.

She changed the subject: “Fu Dongsen is dead, but the Northern Black Emperor hasn’t shown up. Is he in secluded cultivation? Or… is something wrong?”

Shang Nan replied, “That’s unclear for now. We should report to the Sovereign as soon as possible and let him decide.”

Xue Xingzi nodded. “But the Sovereign is also preoccupied at the moment.”

Shang Nan said, “Even if opportunities can vanish in a blink, this place is unfamiliar and complicated to us—we can’t afford to be impatient.”

Xue Xingzi agreed: “Most of the Black Emperor’s forces here in the Tang realm are absent—it’s a rare chance indeed. But truly, life is unpredictable. Who’d have thought Yellow Springs would reappear at a time like this?”

They had also heard rumors about Shushan’s crisis and the invasion of Yellow Springs, though they didn’t know the full details yet.

“The Nine Heavens and Ten Earths are stirring once more. The Ming Realm has seen no sign of Yellow Springs yet… but who knows what the future holds,” said Shang Nan.

“We should gather more intel and report back to the Sovereign together,” said Xue Xingzi. “Let’s not delay too long. If we’re gone too long, those Neo-Confucian officials at court might get suspicious—along with your sect leader.”

“Agreed.”

…………………

After leaving Shushan, the figure of “Chen Donglou” vanished.

Beneath the cover of the Eight Sceneries Treasure Mantle, Lei Jun returned to his true appearance.

“Pity that Huang Xuanpu still hasn’t shown up,” Lei Jun murmured with a shake of his head.

“Logically, we shouldn’t have alerted him. So he never came at all? Is he not in the Tang Mortal Realm? Or is he secluded in cultivation and ignoring the outside world?”

Tang Xiaotang’s voice came through the Heavenly Sight and Earthly Hearing Talisman, sounding clearly dissatisfied:

“A waste of our efforts! I even considered going into Yellow Springs myself!”

She was currently in Shushan, having made a public appearance there as the Tianshi Mansion’s representative sent to aid Shushan.

Also present was Elder Lü Jinduan of the Pure Yang Palace.

However, the Shushan Sect had decided to seal the entrance to Yellow Springs using the Northern Abyss Divine Spear.

As a result, Zhang Taigang and the others—initial victims of the crisis—were instead doing their best to calm down an angry Tianshi Tang.

“One goal at a time,” Lei Jun said. “For now, we focus on finding Huang Xuanpu.”

Xu Yuanzhen’s cool voice came through another Heavenly Sight and Earthly Hearing Talisman:

“What did we gain from killing Fu Dongsen?”

Lei Jun replied, “Not sure if it’ll lead us to Huang Xuanpu yet. We’ll analyze it together later.

That said… I have some confidence we’ve located the Taiyi Innate Tower. But the clues are vague—it’ll take time to narrow it down.”

Xu Yuanzhen said, “I’ll keep looking for Huang Xuanpu. We’ll regroup later.”

“Oh right, Senior Sister,” Lei Jun added. “You’ve traveled widely—what do you make of the two unfamiliar Daoists mentioned by Elder Zhang Dongyuan of Shushan?”

Xu Yuanzhen replied, “They’re from the Ming Mortal Realm.”

“Oh?”

“From your account of what Zhang Dongyuan saw—one of them is a Shushan disciple, so we can set him aside for now.

The other, though, appears to be from the True Martial Monastery, which descends from the Pure Yang Palace’s Black Tortoise lineage.”

From her description, Lei Jun learned that in the Ming Mortal Realm, the Talismanic Branch of Daoism had largely faded.

But the Alchemical Sect and Artifact Refining Sect still existed.

The Refining Sect remained affiliated with Shushan, while the Pure Yang Palace had long vanished. Its successor—True Martial Monastery—now led the way in Alchemical cultivation.

Still, the Neo-Confucians dominated the Ming Realm.

Interestingly, the True Martial Monastery was said to hold more influence than the Ming Shushan Sect.

Right now, it seemed their only purpose was to recover the Purple Star Sword, so it was unclear if they had any ties to Huang Xuanpu or Fu Dongsen.

After all, the **Twin Swords—Purple and Azure—**were founding relics of the Shushan Sect, equally important to both the Tang and Ming branches.

Given their unfamiliarity with the area, staying cautious and avoiding unnecessary contact was understandable.

But still… it remained to be seen.

If friends arrive, we serve good wine.

If wolves come—

Tang Xiaotang’s thoughts shifted quickly. She’d already tossed Yellow Springs to the back of her mind and now focused on something else, speaking with a smile:

“Lei Jun, I heard from Shushan people that you really earned some major face for their Elder Chen this time.”

“If he were still alive, perhaps,” Lei Jun replied.

“But since I borrowed his name, I had to live up to it.”

Tang Xiaotang looked intrigued. “That’s kind of fun. Sounds like one of those stories you’ve told me. Hmm… I’ve decided—I want a fake identity too!”

Lei Jun: “……”

Xu Yuanzhen commented dryly, “You think of these things on a whim. Maybe find that disciple you keep talking about first.”

Tang Xiaotang gave a loud “Tch!”

“I’d like to—but none of them catch my eye.”

Lei Jun chuckled and shook his head.

After ending the conversation with Xu Yuanzhen and Tang Xiaotang, he quietly returned to his own mountain in Tianshi Mansion of Mount Longhu, without alerting anyone.

It was as if Elder Lei had been in secluded recovery all along and had never left.

After briefly greeting Yuan Mobai, Lei Jun slipped into his Ten Thousand Methods Sect Altar.

There, he sat cross-legged, silently gazing at the treasures floating in front of him—particularly the newly acquired Heavenly Palace Tablet and the Nine Springs Ascension Jade.

The twin jade pieces glowed with two distinct lights.

In this moment, Heaven and Earth seemed to connect—rising upward into the Star River beyond the Ninefold Heavens.

Lei Jun remained calm, thoughts settled:

Just one more thing.

Yellow Springs surging to the Firmament.

The Firmament descending into Yellow Springs.

All Daoist principles—whether grand or minute—had to harmonize naturally to form the whole.

“Judging by the omen signs… this step should correspond to a First-Grade Opportunity, right? I’ve never received one before,” Lei Jun mused.

“I wonder where it lies.”

If it came, it would be a blessing. If not, it was fate.

He would follow the natural course of things.

There was no rush. For now, he would focus on nurturing the Nine Springs Ascension Jade.

At the same time, he took out the Talisman Decree he obtained from Fu Dongsen and began a thorough study of it.