Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 384: Seven different pages of the heavenly book

Previously, caught between elite cultivators from both the Great Tang and Great Ming Realms, the Xiao Ming Court of Tianli suffered devastating losses.

Though the Great Ming eventually withdrew its troops, after the Great Tang finished purging areas like the Suzhou Chu Clan and Qingzhou Ye Clan, even more Tang cultivators—including Yuan Mobai, Abbot Miaoxin of Tianlong Monastery, and Prince Zhang Junhai of the Tang Imperial Family—entered Tianli to join forces with the State Preceptor Tang Xiaotang.

At the Void Gateway connecting Tianli to the Great Tang Realm, many Tang cultivators, including Wang Guiyuan, remained on high alert, either openly or in secret.

With nowhere left to retreat, the Xiao Ming Court found it impossible to maintain their footing in Tianli, let alone escape as the Great Tang once did.

Forced into a corner, they clenched their teeth and returned to the human realm governed by the Great Ming.

Years ago, in order to escape a Ming purge, they had taken refuge in Tianli and survived there until now.

Now, after all that time, they had no choice but to fight their way back.

Though the Great Ming had withdrawn its main forces, troops still guarded the Void Gateway between Tianli and the human realm.

Due to bureaucratic reshuffling and pending appointments, the Ming army did not make any aggressive moves, merely holding the line to prevent the Xiao Ming Court from sealing the gateway.

But they never expected the Xiao Ming Court’s desperate survivors to charge out instead of shutting the door.

Caught completely off guard, the Ming defenders at the gateway were overwhelmed.

Initially enraged, the Ming Court quickly regained control and began mobilizing their elite forces to encircle and eliminate the so-called rebels claiming allegiance to the “young emperor.”

Most of the escapees were high-ranking members of the Xiao Ming Court.

Back in Tianli, many civilians and mid-to-low-level cultivators remained behind.

The Tang cultivators now faced the massive task of cleansing and pacifying the region—a mission requiring time, manpower, and resources.

Xu Yuanzhen once again traveled to the Great Ming Realm.

Zhang Junhai and other Tang nobles tried to persuade her to stay, hoping she would help them permanently seal the Void Gateway between the Great Ming and Tianli.

Since the Xiao Ming Court no longer served as a buffer between the two empires, the Tang’s next move was to cut ties completely.

Whatever plans came after would be considered in the future.

For now, the Great Tang Realm, long plagued by chaos, yearned for peace.

Though Xu Yuanzhen had no intention of returning to Tang soil just yet, she also didn’t mind letting Zhang Junhai and the others go ahead with sealing the gateway to the Great Ming.

Simply put, she wasn’t done playing yet...

At Mount Longhu, guests Zhang Hui and Meng Shaojie learned more about the situation in Tianli from other sources.

“The influence of Neo-Confucianism has permeated every aspect of Tianli,” Zhang Hui murmured.

“It’s not just that it forcibly established a system of national destiny—it’s that the entire structure has embedded its ideology into every corner of life…”

From cultivators to commoners, everyone was caught up in it.

Meng Shaojie’s expression grew complicated. “Is the Great Ming Realm the same way?”

Lei Jun replied, “More or less.”

The Great Ming Realm had over 2,400 more years of history than the Great Tang.

Much of it had already become deeply ingrained over time.

Meng and Zhang exchanged glances.

“Mister Xiao mentioned he wanted to explore the place,” said Meng.

Lei Jun nodded. “It’s true Neo-Confucianism dominates there. But other Confucian branches like Classical Studies, Recitation, and Archery haven’t been entirely wiped out.

If Lay-Brother Xiao keeps a low profile and doesn’t expose his connection to Xu Yuanzhen, he should be fine. Senior Sister Xu is still there as well.”

Though frankly, it would be better if Ming people didn’t know Xiao Chunhui was associated with her—it’d make things smoother.

As for Tianli, matters like resettlement, ideological transition, and inheritance of Daoist teachings would still require careful handling from the Tang side.

It wouldn’t be resolved overnight.

“Do you two plan to visit Tianli?” Lei Jun asked Zhang Hui and Meng Shaojie.

“Mister Xiao and I think alike,” Zhang Hui replied. “I’m interested in understanding the knowledge and traditions that have taken root there and in the Ming, but for now, I don’t plan to leave the Tang Realm. Maybe in a few years.”

“I’m intrigued as well,” Meng Shaojie said. “I’ll go first and lend a hand—they could use the help.”

Lei Jun nodded. “It’s still one of the Nine Heavens. Even though the Xiao Ming Court left behind a mess, the spiritual energy should eventually recover.

It’s just a matter of how long it takes.

Either way, the Tang cultivators will invest serious effort into restoring it.”

“Is the Tianshi planning to rename the place?” Zhang Hui asked with a smile.

“The world changes; let it be,” Lei Jun replied. “I don’t have any particular idea. We’ll wait for His Majesty’s decree.”

“I bet Aunt will hand the decision back to you,” Zhang Hui said.

“Tianli was a name adopted after the Xiao Ming Court settled there,” Lei Jun replied casually. “If anything, let’s just revert it to ‘Guizang.’”

“A wise choice, Tianshi,” both Zhang Hui and Meng Shaojie said in unison.

Later, Meng Shaojie bid farewell and descended Mount Longhu, heading east toward the overseas Tianli.

Zhang Hui stayed behind a bit longer, exchanging pages of the Heavenly Book with Lei Jun.

Both benefited from the exchange.

“I wonder what truths are recorded in the other pages?” Lei Jun asked casually.

When he met with the Empress before, their conversation was brief and purposeful—no need for drawn-out words.

Now speaking with Zhang Hui, Lei Jun was more open.

“I don’t know the full content,” Zhang Hui admitted. “But my aunt once said her page involves the mysteries of time. The Jupiter page concerns thought and willpower. The Mercury page touches on life and reproduction. The Mars page explores the secrets of the void. And the Saturn page is rich in insights about decay and decline.”

Lei Jun raised a brow at the last one.

He’d once seen Fang Yue, bearer of the Saturn page, in battle, and hadn’t detected any such themes.

It wasn’t secrecy—it was restraint.

Still, Lei Jun could tell that Fang Yue had gained much from his page, likely in terms of internal cultivation rather than combat.

After staying on Mount Longhu for a while, Zhang Hui finally took his leave—not returning to the capital in Luoyang, but choosing to travel across the land, enjoying the scenery.

The hardships of the past now seemed resolved, leaving the former Crown Prince in excellent spirits.

Back at the Tianshi Mansion atop Mount Longhu, Lei Jun raised his hand.

After its reforging, the shadowy alternate universe of the Dark Side of the Heavenly Book appeared once more.

Now that Lei Jun had ascended to the Ninth Heaven, a new Dark Luminary appeared in the alternate cosmos—his fourth, after Rahu, Ketu, and Yuebei.

He named it Ziqi (Purple Radiance).

A flick of his finger sent it silently underground, merging into the earth’s spiritual veins—awaiting its destined bearer.

Lei Jun nodded slightly and put the Heavenly Book away.

Previously, the Yuebei starholder Nie Fang had followed other Tang cultivators into the Void Gateway above the Eastern Sea.

Unfortunately, he didn’t catch his target.

His father and the rest of the Nie Clan had already fled to the Great Ming Realm.

Though Nie Fang returned empty-handed and even damaged his mechanical puppet, Reversal, in the process, he remained calm and appeared to have gained much.

In the Great Tang, he had already shattered the ideological shackles forged by Neo-Confucianism.

Now, he had broken the ones within his own heart.

He was a born genius, and his journey to the Tang Realm had been full of fateful opportunities.

Although he hadn’t fully resolved the past, having expressed his will made it easier for future cultivation.

As for the Xiao Ming Court's return to the Great Ming and the subsequent siege that might annihilate them all—Nie Fang wasn’t too worried.

From what he knew, the Nie Clan had already pledged loyalty to the Ming.

At first, this had shocked him.

But in hindsight, considering that his father had never held office in the Xiao Ming Court and spent years in seclusion, the pieces began to fall into place.

Having returned from the place now renamed Guizang, Nie Fang first visited Lei Jun at Mount Longhu, then headed home to Xuanji Monastery.

Xin Beiyuan, a Talismanic Disciple of the Tianshi Mansion, escorted him and joined him for the journey.

Later, Xin Beiyuan returned to the Tianshi Mansion.

There, Elder Qin Caiwei happened to run into him and asked, “Junior Brother Xin, any new developments on that Daoist Tool you’ve been working on?”

“Senior Sister Qin,” Xin paused, “we’ve made some progress, but there’s still a long way to go.”

In recent years, Shushan, Xuanji Monastery, and the Tianshi Mansion had frequently collaborated on artifact refinement.

During the last incursion from Shushan’s inner faction via the Yellow Springs, they had unexpectedly unleashed a wave of Pure Yang artifacts, catching their enemies off guard.

While those tools weren’t enough to be decisive, the effort was still in its infancy.

Xin Beiyuan had delved into the craft and saw immense potential yet to be unlocked.

He took Qin Caiwei on a tour of the Ink-Making Workshop and related areas.

There, they witnessed a new batch of Daoist Tools performing exactly as expected.

These modular, mid-to-low-grade components were refined in Shushan, then sent to Xuanji Monastery at Mount Longhu.

After assembly and fine-tuning there, they formed large, sophisticated composite artifacts previously unseen.

These artifacts were then transferred to the Tianshi Mansion.

Everything was running like clockwork.

Even with Nie Fang away overseas, his disciples continued assembling the components.

As for ink refining—a grueling task for lower-ranked Talismanic cultivators—using these tools made everything far more efficient.

“Soon, a second batch of tools will be sent to the Grotto at Mount Kuanglu,” Xin Beiyuan explained.

“This batch is designed specifically for mining Black Crystal Iron.”

“Once mined, it’ll go back to Shushan for further refinement?” Qin asked.

“Exactly. Black Crystal Iron is hard to come by.”

It was clear this model would slowly spread and scale up across more locations.

After a bit more conversation, Xin Beiyuan took his leave.

Qin Caiwei watched him disappear into the distance, then muttered to herself,

“That must’ve been the Sect Leader Uncle’s plan… Hmm, he’s definitely not someone ordinary.”

She made her way back to the medicinal garden.

No one else was around.

As she walked, she murmured,

“Hmm, the distance between Shushan and Mount Longhu is a logistical challenge.

Right now, this is probably still a trial run.

Eventually, we’ll need to optimize routes and supply chains by region.

...Maybe I should head to Bashu and check in with the Shushan Sect?

...Oh, I’ll hold off for now.”