Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 337: If you, the great monk, don’t go to hell, who will?

Lei Jun’s attention was momentarily drawn to the lower-middle fortune lot.

The defining trait of a lower-middle lot was that the risks outweighed the opportunities—more harm than good. Even if there was little actual danger, a complete lack of benefit could still result in such a lot being drawn.

However, this one specifically mentioned significant danger, which clearly wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

Given Lei Jun’s current cultivation and strength, pulling such a lot with such phrasing was concerning, to say the least.

What’s more, the lot mentioned Chicha Ridge—precisely where current intel pointed to the Huangquan Portal.

That risk likely stemmed from this.

Chances were, Inner Shushan was playing around this point.

Judging by how Inner Shushan cultivators had behaved before Tang Xiaotang and the Vajra Division Head joined the battle, their current Sect Master Ji Yao—despite being ruthless and bloodthirsty—wasn’t reckless. In fact, he gave off a sense of cautiousness.

Their bold attack on the mortal realm came not out of overconfidence, but with plans in place for retreat—they were more concerned with avoiding failure than seeking victory.

Especially since they’d anticipated the possibility of the Empress herself descending upon the southwest.

Although it wasn’t Her Majesty personally who had arrived, Tang Xiaotang and the Vajra Division Head were powerful enough that Inner Shushan’s cautious preparations were now paying off.

For the moment, they had retreated into Nanzhao.

On the Tang side, senior elder Xu Duan from Shushan Sect didn’t join the pursuit but returned to their main sect grounds at Xiaoding Peak to rest.

He’d expended much energy and sustained injuries during the battle.

With Chen Donglou gone, and Wang Dongchu and Yu Qiyue both fallen, Shushan now had only Zhang Dongyuan left among the sword cultivators at the Eighth Heaven level.

The remaining three Eighth Heaven cultivators—including new Sect Master Zhang Taigang—were all from the Artifact Refining branch, not sword cultivators. While they could wield artifacts like the Purple-Green Twin Swords, they couldn’t match the agility and finesse of cultivators like Chen Donglou or Zhang Dongyuan.

In this fight, Zhang Dongyuan wielded Azuredeep Sword, while the Ziwei Sword was brought out of the sect and used by Xu Duan.

Before Tang Xiaotang joined the fray, Tang cultivators were under enormous pressure.

Especially Zhang Dongyuan and Xu Duan—they were constantly threatened by Inner Shushan’s sect master and his divine energy disrupting the bond between them and their spiritual artifacts.

Xu Duan, already advanced in age, was further weakened by Ji Yao’s corrosive, deathly qi and suffered serious injuries under Huangquan Sword wielded by Daoist Kang An. It was thanks to a clutch strike from Xiao Xueting that he wasn’t killed on the spot.

Now that Inner Shushan had finally retreated, Elder Xu could at last drop the facade of holding strong and return to Xiaoding to recuperate.

After careful consideration, Shushan’s Sect Master Zhang Taigang chose not to take up Ziwei Sword himself. Instead, Xu Duan returned to the mountain with it.

Alongside them, Fang Jingsheng, clan head of the Fang Clan of Jingxiang, also remained in Bashu.

Partly, this was to prevent the region from being left defenseless in case of unexpected events.

More importantly, Fang Jingsheng and Master Renzhu had borne the brunt of Ji Yao’s attacks, expending great amounts of energy.

Now that the tide had turned, Fang could finally breathe a little easier.

As for how depleted he truly was—no one pried.

Neither the Tang court nor Shushan had ever expected him to burn everything for their sake.

His participation alone—coming to Bashu by imperial decree, fighting head-on against the Inner Shushan heretics—was already a clear enough statement of loyalty.

Master Renzhu, though also heavily depleted, didn’t stay in Bashu. With the Vajra Division Head Jialuotu now present, Renzhu instead joined the pursuit of Inner Shushan into Nanzhao.

Ji Yao, Kang An Daoist, and other Inner Shushan core members had already retreated there.

However, Lei Jun had just received fresh intel: some Inner Shushan experts had never gone to Bashu to begin with. Instead, they’d veered off through Qianzhou’s mountain ranges, trying to infiltrate Xiaoxiang, threatening innocent lives along the way.

Fortunately, Xiao Xueting, wielding the Mountains & Rivers Sword, had already rushed to intercept them in Xiaoxiang and Qianzhou.

Lei Jun glanced at the other two upper-middle lots.

Duanjiang Valley and Jinqiao Peak—both also located in Nanzhao but a bit removed from Chicha Ridge, the suspected Huangquan portal.

As he traveled, Lei Jun reached out to his Little Senior Sister, Tang Xiaotang.

“You’re already out?” her voice came through the talisman, wind roaring in the background.

Lei Jun: “Almost at Nanzhao. How’s it going on your end, Little Senior Sister?”

Tang Xiaotang’s tone wasn’t exactly cheerful. “Almost at the Huangquan portal. But that bone-boat-looking artifact has vanished for now. We’re currently tailing a scattered cultivator from Inner Shushan.”

“Oh, and those two bald monks from the Western Regions—smiling on the surface, but I can’t shake the feeling they’re up to something.”

Lei Jun: “That bone boat isn’t near Chicha Ridge?”

Tang Xiaotang: “Not in the area.”

After a pause, she added, “Something feels off around Chicha Ridge. There’s a hidden hostility here—like something’s lying in wait.”

Her tone, however, was calm—no fear at all. She brought it up just to keep Lei Jun in the loop.

Lei Jun replied, “With your unmatched strength, you’d head straight for the tiger’s den knowing it’s there—you’ve got this. Besides, according to reports, that bone-boat artifact Inner Shushan used swept up countless commoners and creatures in the Shu region. If we can intercept it, we’ll deal with them then. Since they’ve got big plans for Chicha Ridge, I doubt they’ll abandon it so quickly.”

Tang Xiaotang: “Hmm... fair enough. You got a lead?”

Lei Jun: “From the Tianshu Cosmos, there’s some intelligence about the Southern Wasteland and Nanzhao. Besides Chicha Ridge, which already has a portal open, both Jinqiao Peak and Duanjiang Valley show strange signs. Might be signs of cultivator activity.”

“We can’t be sure it’s Inner Shushan or someone like Zong Han from Jincheng Fort, but it’s worth investigating.”

Tang Xiaotang: “Oh? You think they’re trying to open multiple portals to Huangquan?”

Lei Jun: “A clever rabbit has three burrows—not impossible.”

Tang Xiaotang cracked her knuckles. “Good. Let’s see if we can catch a few of those rabbits! I didn’t want to be stuck with those two bald monks anyway.”

Lei Jun: “Plenty of time—step by step.”

…………………

Near Chicha Ridge, battle had already broken out.

Led by Sect Master Ji Yao, Inner Shushan cultivators were fighting as they retreated.

Tang cultivators were now attempting to cut off their escape and seize control of the Huangquan portal.

But Ji Yao, with his scattered immortal body and complete Five Energies, had the edge in spatial movement thanks to the fusion of his Sea of Celestial Wandering and Cang Mang Qi, enabling him to cover for his fellow sect members.

Moreover, his Divine Bright Qi was particularly effective against other Daoist artifact-refiners who were of lower cultivation.

High above Chicha Ridge, Zhang Dongyuan’s soul-forged sword was forcibly knocked away from him by Ji Yao, the connection between his soul and the Azuredeep Sword abruptly severed.

A vast wave of green sword light retracted, shrank to a single glowing point, and plummeted from the sky like a falling star.

Ji Yao clearly intended to take the Azuredeep Sword, but before he could, a figure wreathed in golden light appeared beside him.

The newcomer looked like an angry-faced guardian king, body radiating golden purity like vajra. Though fierce in appearance, his gaze was distant and profound.

He was clearly a top-tier expert who had completed the Ninth Heaven level of the Buddhist hand-seal path, already possessing the Diamond Body, just one step away from achieving the Golden Body of Buddhist enlightenment.

It was the long-awaited arrival of the Vajra Division Head of Mount Sumeru—Jialuotu.

Dao and Buddha—two supreme Ninth Heaven experts—had chased the battle all the way from Bashu to Nanzhao.

Though Tang Xiaotang and the Vajra Division Head didn’t get along, Ji Yao had no choice but to retreat in the face of such overwhelming power.

At present, Tang Xiaotang hadn’t yet reached Chicha Ridge. While Jialuotu was strong, Ji Yao’s counterattacks were equally fierce. Still, Ji Yao could no longer afford to split his focus to seize the Azuredeep Sword.

Zhang Dongyuan immediately pursued the falling sword light.

But midair, his spirit quivered. A strong sense of danger flared in his heart—not from Ji Yao, but from another Inner Shushan cultivator—

Ding Chuan.

Though not as powerful as Ji Yao or Daoist Kang An, Ding Chuan was still at the peak of the Eighth Heaven—one of the most elite elders of Inner Shushan’s Huangquan branch, second only to the grandmasters.

With a spirit linked to the Sea of Heaven, Ding Chuan instantly crossed space and closed in on Zhang Dongyuan.

Zhang, lacking the ability to roam the Celestial Sea, couldn’t dodge in time.

Thankfully, he’d been on alert. His personal flying sword, Skyspan, shot out immediately.

A streak of rainbow light slashed across the sky—

Only to shudder midair.

Zhang Dongyuan’s body trembled in response. Cracks appeared on Skyspan’s blade.

A single clash—and his natal artifact was damaged.

The attacker’s sword was bizarre—dark, ominous, wreathed in black mist and filled with deathly energy.

The entire sword looked like it was forged from bone.

Its segmented, thick blade consisted of eight vertebrae-like sections.

Ding Chuan was a sword cultivator.

He’d poured his entire cultivation into a single sword—the Dracobone Slayer Sword.

Unlike Yu Qiyue or Zhang Dongyuan who refined multiple flying swords, or Chen Donglou who crafted a matching seven-sword set, Ding Chuan had always refined only one.

His original artifact had been fused with countless materials and seas of blood and corpses into this weapon.

Back when he was at the Seventh Heaven, it had seven segments. Now at the Eighth Heaven, it bore eight.

Ding Chuan’s cultivation and swordsmanship both focused on brute force, ferocity, and overwhelming might.

His strikes were heavy, straightforward, and almost unstoppable—each one potentially fatal.

Caught off guard while worried about Azuredeep Sword, Zhang Dongyuan suffered a loss at once.

Were it not for the adaptive nature of his sword techniques, Skyspan might’ve been broken outright.

Even so, the Dracobone Sword circled overhead, ripping through the air, and phased through space for another strike.

Despite its crude appearance, the sword moved with terrifying speed and pressure.

Black qi erupted around it—soul-chilling, nearly freezing Zhang’s spirit in place.

Fortunately, a golden Emei seal flew up from below, shining brightly to shield him.

Meanwhile, Azuredeep Sword was retrieved by current Shushan Sect Master Zhang Taigang.

Ding Chuan’s second strike missed—but he didn’t seem discouraged.

His immortal soul was housed within the Dragonbone Slaughter Sword, but now his attention shifted elsewhere.

On that front, the clash between a Vajra Body of the Buddhist sect and a Daoist Loose Immortal Body had become even more intense.

As both sides moved, their battle gradually drew near the Netherworld Gate nestled within the Crimson Tea Ridge.

The big fish has arrived... Ding Chuan thought to himself.

Unfortunately, only one.

The other big fish—the Celestial Master from Mount Longhu of Great Tang’s Tianshi Mansion—had perhaps gone after Senior Brother Kang An?

But the preparations at Golden Bridge Peak were complete. With the Bone Ship of Gods in tow, Senior Brother Kang An would soon be able to activate a second gate to the Netherworld.

Once he delivered the Ding Clan members aboard the ship into the Netherworld, he could swiftly return to the mortal realm and rejoin the battle… Ding Chuan felt at ease.

To avoid premature exposure, the gate at Golden Bridge Peak was intentionally left unopened for now.

That way, the Tang forces wouldn’t be able to find it in time, and naturally couldn’t intercept Kang An Daoist.

As for Crimson Tea Ridge…

Master Renzhu formed seals with both hands, releasing brilliant light from his entire body to sweep away the evil souls summoned by the Ten Thousand Souls Banner.

He had consumed considerable energy in the fight thus far.

Fortunately, with the Vajra Division Lord directly confronting Ji Yao, the Sect Leader of Inner Shushan, Renzhu only needed to assist from the side, and the pressure eased significantly.

The Division Lord stepping forth at this critical moment is crucial… Renzhu thought to himself.

No one could have predicted that, even with unexpected interference from a mysterious ninth-tier Daoist expert and the North Sea Whale King, the Tianshi Mansion could still slay Huang Xuanpu, a top-tier cultivator at Ninth Heaven, Five Qi Towards the Origin.

This battle, if nothing else, laid the foundation for the Daoist sects of Great Tang to restore their fate and momentum.

Were it not for the sudden rise of Inner Shushan from the Netherworld, the mortal realm of Great Tang, though fractured and wounded from past splits, would have finally broken free of internal turmoil and seen a true resurgence.

Just like in the aftermath of the historic Battle of Liwai in Mount Longhu.

With the fall of the Mortal Daoist Nation, a major threat had been removed for the Tang Imperial Court as well.

Daoism’s influence was poised to rise again within Tang territory.

True, the Tianshi Mansion had grown extraordinarily powerful, potentially raising concerns among the ruling elite.

However, the presence of Confucian aristocratic clans, the Sumeru Vajra Division, and external threats like Inner Shushan, the Jiuli of Earthsea, and others helped balance the scales, making the imperial court more tolerant toward the Mansion’s rise.

…This was precisely the kind of dynamic the Western Buddhist domain had hoped to cultivate for itself.

But a single misstep snowballed into lost opportunity.

Thankfully, the Vajra Division Lord had appeared just in time, seizing the moment with precision.

In the Battle of Bashu, Tang forces had been struggling early on.

It wasn’t until Tang Xiaotang joined the fight that the tide began to stabilize.

Even then, Inner Shushan still held the upper hand.

To be honest, calling the situation evenly matched would be generous.

It was at this juncture that the Vajra Division Lord, a master at Ninth Heaven, Perfect Vajra Body, made his move—decisive and commanding—completely reversing the battlefield.

Inner Shushan had no choice but to begin retreating and look for a path back to the Netherworld.

In that moment, the Vajra Division Lord became the savior of Bashu—a true force of compassion who turned the tide and saved countless lives, earning merit among both the common folk and the Tang court.

…Without the early resistance from Tang cultivators, without Tang Xiaotang entering first, the final reversal would never have happened.

Strictly speaking, whichever of the two—the current Celestial Master or the Vajra Division Lord—arrived first became the one to stop the collapse; the one who arrived later became the one to secure the victory.

Many could clearly see this distinction.

But to most onlookers, the Vajra Division Lord, arriving last, naturally left the deepest impression as the one who saved the day.

Jialuotu, who had never shown his face in the Tang realm before—not even stepping out when he arrived at Vajra Temple—had remained a tightly guarded secret.

Even within the Western Buddhist domain, only a select few knew of his presence.

To the outside world, this venerable monk had just descended for the first time, bypassing even a visit to the emperor in Luoyang, racing straight to Bashu in response to the suffering of the people.

A monk’s compassion bringing salvation at their time of greatest need.

The battle had begun with Master Renzhu and Fang Jingshen holding back the might of Inner Shushan at great cost.

It had ended with the Vajra Division Lord overturning the odds and routing the evil forces.

There was no doubt—the Sumeru Vajra Division was the backbone of Great Tang in this war.

And a certain Celestial Master?

Of course he played an important role.

But it was hard not to see him as a supporting character.

A very convenient one—who lent his name and the prestige of Tianshi Mansion to elevate Jialuotu’s dramatic entrance.

In this way, the long-standing conflict between Daoism and Buddhism in Great Tang had finally seen a shift in balance.

Pity, though. No opportunity to convert Tang Xiaotang, and they missed Lei Jun as well.

Still, the battle had caught the attention of the Tang court. Greed would only ruin things now—what they had gained was already hard-won and significant… so thought Master Renzhu.

But just then, a voice rang in his mind:

“Be alert.”

It was Jialuotu, the Vajra Division Lord himself.

Though clad in wrathful Vajra radiance, his inner mind remained clear as crystal.

With the Binding Seal Mudra, his perception of the world around him was unnaturally sharp.

Now, he sensed something was wrong in the region around Crimson Tea Ridge.

At the same time, the heavens and earth suddenly shifted.

Centered on the Netherworld Gate, a thick gray mist began to spread.

Within the mist, black talismanic symbols and seals swirled, forming chain-like constructs that darted in all directions as if alive.

All the Tang cultivators present felt a chill in their hearts.

Though they didn’t yet understand the nature of the change, they all instinctively began to retreat.

Ji Yao, Inner Shushan’s Sect Leader, ignored everyone else—his gaze fixed on Jialuotu.

The Ten Thousand Souls Banner billowed within the mist, expanding rapidly.

Now it began to reveal its true might.

The long banner planted itself directly into the ground at the gate of the Netherworld.

It seemed to temporarily seal off the gate, cutting off the path between the Netherworld and the Tang mortal realm.

Yet the waters of Forgetfulness surged around the banner, flowing backward, merging into the mist.

The once shapeless fog now condensed into solid form, rectangular and still.

A massive formation from the Netherworld itself had manifested in the mortal realm—right over Nanzhao, covering all of Crimson Tea Ridge.

Inside the formation, there were nine regions and nine palaces, with talismans swimming coldly through the air—not graceful or fluid, only chilling and lifeless.

A terrifying world of the dead was now pressing into the world of the living.

Jialuotu, the primary target, was quickly engulfed.

His entire body shone with golden Vajra radiance, flames roaring across his skin, repelling the waters of Forgetfulness and the deathly air.

Yet the formation’s strength—endlessly fueled by the Netherworld—could not be easily dispersed.

Jialuotu’s mind remained calm. His Vajra spirit was pure and untouched.

With a tap of his foot, he escaped the mist’s grasp, barely avoiding stepping into the heart of the trap.

But within the formation, Ji Yao remained serene.

The array had already shifted.

Nine palaces shifted and mirrored, flipping the realms of yin and yang, bending light and terrain.

This was the Great Netherworld Reversal Nine Palace Celestial Array, one of Inner Shushan’s foundational Netherworld formations.

Now fully activated, it warped the very nature of the space around it.

More mist surged toward Jialuotu.

Had it been Master Renzhu, he would’ve been trapped immediately.

But Jialuotu, possessing overwhelming might, quickly formed hand seals again.

Buddhist light coalesced around him, forming numerous Dharma wheels—some built from nine seals, others from twelve—rotating protectively around him, shielding him from the mist.

At the array’s center, beside the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, a ghostly figure slowly emerged.

It was an elderly Daoist nun—plain in appearance, expressionless, with eyes full of ancient sorrow.

She bowed toward Ji Yao. “Sect Leader.”

Ji Yao returned the gesture. “Martial Aunt Li.”

This elder nun was Li Linxue, Inner Shushan’s most senior member, a cultivator at Ninth Heaven, Third Layer, even stronger than Kang An Daoist.

She had laid the groundwork for this Great Netherworld Array, preparing it as a contingency for their descent into the mortal realm.

For pursuers, it was a path to death.

However, due to the array’s mechanisms, the Netherworld Gate at Crimson Tea Ridge couldn’t be used during activation.

That’s why another gate had to be prepared at Golden Bridge Peak, where Kang An Daoist would return via the Bone Ship.

Without further words, Ji Yao and Li Linxue activated the array in full, aiming to draw Jialuotu completely inside.

Though the monk was wary and powerful, currently caught at the array’s edge, the battle entered a deadlock.

Master Renzhu, Zhang Taigang, and others wanted to help—but the shifting array seemed tranquil on the surface, constantly reconfiguring itself. Stepping in would mean becoming lost.

“There’s another Daoist Grandmaster of the Talisman Sect to watch out for,” Ji Yao said, handing the Yellow Springs Sword to Li Linxue before focusing solely on the array and banner.

Though aged, Li Linxue was a true Ninth Heaven Grandmaster-level Sword Cultivator.

Taking the sword, she replied, “The reversal is complete. We can trap two at once, if needed.”

The Great Netherworld Reversal Nine Palace Celestial Array lived up to its name—two opposing yet complementary formations intertwined, functioning as one.

Even if Jialuotu and Tang Xiaotang arrived together, they would both be trapped.

Currently, with no sign of Tang Xiaotang, the immediate focus remained on Jialuotu.

He lived up to his title—Master of the Vajra Division—merging his five aspects into one formidable whole.

He was already on the verge of breaking free.

Yet Ji Yao remained calm.

Inner Shushan had more plans.

He might be cautious, but as the Lord of Inner Shushan—cold and ruthless by nature—he would never flee without leaving a final “gift” for his mortal realm enemies.

Wearing down the strongest of them now would only make it easier to return later.

This vibrant and populous mortal realm would not see the last of them.

…………………

Duanjiang Valley.

Located deep within the Nanzhao mountain range, a thousand miles from Chicha Ridge.

Under the cover of the Eight Sceneries Treasure Mantle of Supreme Purity, a figure silently arrived at this secluded place.

High above, amidst the cosmos, the light of a massive celestial mirror quietly shifted and scanned the surroundings.

Through the Grand Celestial Mirror hanging in the sky, the terrain surrounding Duanjiang Valley unfolded clearly in Lei Jun’s view.

Before long, he found his target.

Within the valley of Duanjiang, a Daoist ritual was silently taking effect.

A total of thirty-six Daoist Banners fluttered through the forest, gray mist gathering thick and unmoving.

Lei Jun narrowed his eyes, focusing intently. That gray mist looked as though it had condensed into a massive Daoist Bell.

The bell swayed slightly, producing a deep, inaudible resonance.

Each of the thirty-six surrounding banners pulsed with shifting talisman seals and incantation patterns.

Although the bell was intangible, its shape and aura clearly mimicked the legendary Five Decays Dao Bell... Lei Jun recognized it at once and began forming conclusions.

The Five Decays Dao Bell was the foundation upon which the Inner Shushan Sect of Yellow Springs was established. It was derived from one of the six founding treasures of Mortal Realm Shushan, which had vanished at the end of the Han Dynasty and hadn’t been seen since. However, its depictions and records had been widely preserved and circulated.

In this current battle, Inner Shushan had displayed terrifying power, but the real Five Decays Dao Bell seemed to still remain within Yellow Springs, untouched.

What Lei Jun was seeing now in Duanjiang Valley was a ritual designed by Inner Shushan experts, inspired by the nature of that treasure.

Its logic and aura mirrored the bell, but from what Lei Jun observed, its actual function seemed to be the opposite.

The exact usage… Lei Jun’s eyes glinted with insight.

Under the shifting light of the Grand Celestial Mirror high in the sky, he could faintly see that a massive formation had been deployed over in the region of Chicha Ridge, sweeping outward in all directions.

Under normal circumstances, cultivators from the Artifact Refining Sect of Daoism or the Mudra Lineage of Buddhism would be extremely sensitive to such a celestial tool’s observation, especially if they were Ninth Heaven experts.

But today, their attention was focused entirely on each other—so Lei Jun could afford to be more direct.

Within the reflected light of the mirror, a scene unfolded—one of a Buddhist expert at the peak of the Dharma Body stage clashing against the grand formation of Inner Shushan.

So that was the reason for the Lower-Moderate Omen back at Chicha Ridge… Lei Jun observed calmly.

Inner Shushan’s methods were ruthless and cold-blooded, but after years of accumulation, they truly had remarkable capabilities.

No wonder Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Calamity had produced a bad omen before.

If an ordinary Ninth Heaven cultivator entered this trap, they’d be in serious danger.

Lei Jun’s perception and insight were extraordinary, and his current cultivation and vision had risen significantly.

Even without entering personally, just from distant observation, he could already tell a lot.

This formation was profound and ever-shifting.

If many people charged in together, they wouldn’t be able to break it as a team. On the contrary, the formation would scatter them, turning the Nine Palace Inversion against them—forcing them to fight separately.

At least for a time, no group synergy could form.

So the formation didn’t fear being overwhelmed. Those who entered had to face the dangers and threats on their own.

Without backup, if someone’s cultivation wasn’t strong enough, the outcome was obvious.

At the moment, Inner Shushan had gone on the offensive, focusing all their power on that one Buddhist master.

Besides Ji Yao, who was directing the formation, there was an old Daoist priestess unleashing an incredibly ferocious flying sword to directly attack the target—preventing the Buddhist master from escaping the formation.

So...

Could that be the Vajra Division Master?

Lei Jun calmly watched the Western monk, whose body was covered in battle tattoos of wrathful Vajra deities, five aspects unified, enshrouded in blazing fury.

He also noticed Master Ren Zhu, another Ninth Heaven expert from the Buddhist Mudra Lineage, aiding the Vajra Division Master in his attempt to escape.

If the situation remained like this, then even with a Lower-Moderate Omen, it wouldn’t spell true danger for a high-level cultivator like the Vajra Division Master. There might be turbulence, but not doom.

But... once Duanjiang Valley was factored in, things might change.

Lei Jun quietly entered the valley.

Under the workings of the ritual here, the gray mist was thickening further.

The silent bell chimes became increasingly urgent.

A deathly stillness filled the air, growing more and more oppressive.

Plants and wildlife within the valley began withering and dying.

Even the rocks and soil showed signs of decay and collapse.

The thirty-six Daoist Banners waved continuously, channeling invisible power through the earth veins, sending it toward the distance.

Through this inversion ritual, instead of weakening the grand formation at Chicha Ridge, it actually reinforced it.

There, Lei Jun spotted some familiar faces.

During Yellow Springs’ first counterattack against Mortal Shushan, An Zhiyu and Li Yuanyuan had escaped with the Ten Thousand Soul Banner. Both were here now.

With them were several Inner Shushan cultivators, assisting them from the sides.

An Zhiyu and Li Yuanyuan stood on opposite sides of the gray mist “Dao Bell,” enacting a mirrored positioning—further strengthening the inversion effect as they continued to refine the bell.

Lei Jun withdrew his gaze and turned back toward Chicha Ridge.

Under the view of the Grand Celestial Mirror, the Vajra Division Master was still locked in battle with the Great Netherworld Inverted Nine Palace Immortal Formation, and was on the verge of breaking free.

Lei Jun looked again at the “Dao Bell” before him.

He continued to watch quietly, without making a move to disrupt it.

With the monk entering the formation, it also served as a distraction, holding Ji Yao and the other Inner Shushan experts in place at Chicha Ridge.

The gray mist bell of Duanjiang Valley continued to toll silently.

Back at Chicha Ridge, the Great Netherworld Inverted Nine Palace Immortal Formation began to ripple.

The Vajra Division Master felt the change most directly—the area covered by the deadly formation was expanding outward, and the strength of its disorienting inversion grew with it.

Inner Shushan’s Supreme Elder Li Linxue launched a full-power strike—fusing her Soul-Infused Sword with the Yellow Springs Sword, tearing through space toward the Vajra Division Master.

The monk let out a long sigh and moved to block the terrifying, soul-reaping edge of the Yellow Springs Sword, forged to slaughter the living and eradicate all in the underworld.

But he was no longer able to avoid the ever-expanding gray mist.

He was immediately engulfed by the Great Netherworld Inverted Nine Palace Immortal Formation.

The Yellow Springs Sword then slashed toward Master Ren Zhu.

Though Ren Zhu avoided the blade itself, he couldn’t dodge the netherworld’s corruption—and he too was trapped within the formation.