Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 399: The Heavenly Master Calms Down the Chaos in the Sea

Lei Jun’s comprehension had risen from the level of Clear Tranquility to Natural Insight, intrinsically linked with Bilu and Yellow Springs.

Thus, with his comprehension reaching the Natural Insight level, Lei Jun—keenly perceptive in all aspects—had an even sharper sensitivity toward Bilu, one of the Nine Heavens, and the Yellow Springs, one of the Ten Earths, far surpassing his sense toward other regions.

At this moment, he quietly contemplated the burning Jade Vessel and the transforming Jade Seal.

The connection between the two gradually outlined for him the ancient ties between the Heavenly Palace of Antiquity and Bilu.

Two figures were mingled in that connection.

One was Chen Yi.

The other—Empress Zhang Wantong.

Their silhouettes flickered faintly in and out of view.

Lei Jun pondered for a while in silence, then gathered his focus, turning his attention back to the Jade Vessel and Jade Seal before him.

For Chen Yi, this was an extremely rare and precious treasure.

But no matter how precious, it couldn’t compare to one’s own life.

By using the Jade Vessel to perform a Death-Substitution Rebirth Ritual, Chen Yi had essentially made a huge gain.

Because of that, had Lei Jun gone elsewhere in the Outer Sea of Qiangliang Abyss, he might have missed this opportunity entirely.

Without the vessel, even with the seal in hand, the unexpected transformation would not have occurred.

The Jade Seal transformed into a Heaven-Sealing Seal, which Lei Jun then reclaimed into his hand.

Upon further contemplation, Lei Jun gave a slight nod.

This Heaven-Sealing Seal was clearly antagonistic toward practitioners from the ancient Talismanic Sect, or inheritances from the Witch Sect’s Ghost Path or Gu Mastery.

“This ritual design is quite clever—death and rebirth are clearly separated.”

Lei Jun understood clearly.

The Jade Vessel left behind in Qiangliang Abyss served as Chen Yi’s proxy death.

However, Chen Yi’s rebirth didn’t happen there.

The Middle-Moderate Omen had referenced Mount Qiuwèi, which was Chen Yi’s actual rebirth location.

Had Lei Jun gone to Mount Qiuwèi first instead of Qiangliang Abyss, he would’ve missed the Heaven-Sealing Seal but directly intercepted Chen Yi during his rebirth.

The omen’s note of “no current risk” implied that Chen Yi likely couldn’t stir up much trouble at Mount Qiuwèi.

But if Lei Jun were to seize that Pure-Gold Hall—a Second-Grade Expandable Opportunity embedded in Chen Yi’s soul—it could lead to major hidden threats in the future.

These dangers likely had no connection to factions like the Mortal Dao Nation.

For someone at Lei Jun’s current cultivation level, any potential threat of such magnitude was highly intriguing.

Qiangliang Abyss and Mount Qiuwèi were far apart, and rushing over now would make tracking Chen Yi difficult.

Still, through the burning Jade Vessel and the transformed Heaven-Sealing Seal, Lei Jun faintly sensed a spiritual resonance.

He fell into quiet thought, while the radiance of the Heaven-and-Earth-Penetrating Talismanic Canon shimmered in his eyes.

Through the haze of that radiance, Lei Jun’s vision seemed to reveal a grand, Pure-Gold Hall.

The hall was vast but partially ruined—more like an ancient relic—though the aura within remained profound and mysterious.

Gazing from afar, Lei Jun felt as though countless barriers lay between them, making it difficult to approach. Yet its existence was unmistakably clear.

In front of that grand hall stood a faint, phantom-like silhouette.

The figure appeared unreal—but resembled Chen Yi.

Above the Pure-Gold Hall, in the heavens, something else loomed.

In Lei Jun’s perception, it was like a pair of closed eyes.

He could not tell when—or under what circumstances—they would open again.

So then—was the Bone Flood Dragon Emperor’s protection of Chen Yi similar to how the Thousand-Leaf Butterfly King and the North Sea Whale King had supported Huang Xuanpu?

To compel such a creature to take Chen Yi’s side, the one orchestrating it must be far more formidable than Huang Xuanpu.

The glow of the Heaven-and-Earth-Penetrating Canon faded from Lei Jun’s eyes, his gaze returning to normal as he continued to reflect silently.

One of the Five Sacred Mountains of the Outer Sea, Mount Qiuwèi.

Here too the flames of war had spread, though not as intensely as in Qiangliang Abyss or Qiongqi Abyss.

On the mountain’s western side, fire suddenly ignited without cause.

In the center of the blaze, the flames burned hot, their color gradually changing—turning into a white-jade hue.

From within those jade flames, a human figure emerged.

When the flames dissipated, they revealed the pale face of Chen Yi.

“Shen Qubing...”

Chen Yi’s expression remained calm—no viciousness or hate, only a chilling coldness in his eyes.

He exhaled a long breath, then departed Mount Qiuwèi.

Finding a relatively safe place, he sat cross-legged to meditate and regulate his breath.

His face remained pale and unrecovered.

Fortunately, as the dark mana twisted and flowed, a single-layered Nether Round Altar reformed—marking a significant breakthrough on his self-created path, reaching the Eighth Heaven Realm.

He had fulfilled his initial goal of journeying from Luoyuan to the Outer Sea.

But the price was steep.

Though the Death-Substitution Rebirth succeeded, he had lost many treasures, and his own vitality had taken a severe hit.

Chen Yi now required a long period of nurturing and recovery.

What was worse: the Bone Flood Dragon Emperor had been ambushed by Xing Feng, its path cut off.

Even though Xing Feng hadn’t fought the beast to the death, the injury he’d dealt was a major liability.

There were still other terrifying great demons in Luoyuan…

Without the Flood Dragon Emperor’s protection, Luoyuan was no longer safe for Chen Yi.

He needed a new foothold.

His face remained calm, emotions unaffected.

He’d weathered countless such situations over the years—this barely registered as a setback to him.

What did trouble him was the subtle change in that Pure-Gold Hall deep within his soul.

Change didn’t always herald good fortune.

Chen Yi became subtly anxious and raised his guard.

He forced himself to calm down and started planning his next move.

Lei Jun scrutinized the Heaven-Sealing Seal in his hand.

Later, he extended a hand and traced a phantom talismanic decree into the air.

The decree drifted off into the distance, radiating with brilliance before vanishing from sight—disappearing entirely.

It passed through the Void Gateway between the Outer Sea and the Tang Mortal Realm, then through Southern Wasteland, all the way northwest.

It crossed Datong, finally reaching the Han Mortal Realm.

Ultimately, it arrived in the hands of Xu Yuanzhen.

The two were separated by vast distances, with multiple dimensional realms in between. Lei Jun silently monitored the decree until he confirmed Xu Yuanzhen had received it, then turned his attention back to the present.

Though physically in the Outer Sea, Lei Jun’s vision now showed another region—Guizang.

Through the Celestial Orbital Mirror, the void realm of Guizang began to shift.

There were signs that the Void Gateway was opening again.

The point of connection was the Han Mortal Realm, once directly linked with Guizang.

The Lesser Han Court had already fallen.

Though the Han Dynasty had been under siege from all sides in recent years and was greatly weakened, it still viewed Guizang—aka Tianli—as part of its own backyard.

Due to past mishaps, it had been lost for many years.

Now that the Lesser Han Court had been extinguished, reclaiming Guizang was a natural next step.

Following the upheavals like the Guixu Demon Uprising, even before fully recovering, the Han Dynasty swiftly turned its sights on Guizang.

Previously, High Chancellor Gao Ming had been recalled to court.

Now, another faction’s major figure, Liu Chong, led the expedition.

“This time, we’ll need Realman Mu to lend his aid,” Liu Chong said calmly.

Several Daoists accompanied his army.

The lead Daoist replied, > “Minister Liu, you flatter me. I’m merely here to support your efforts.”

This man exuded an immortal aura, with jade-like features, appearing no older than his early thirties.

Yet his identity within the Han Court was extraordinary.

His name was Mu Chunyang, the current head of Zhenwu Monastery, the sacred Daoist site of the Daoist Alchemical Sect in the Han Dynasty.

Since the founding of the Han, Zhenwu Monastery had enjoyed repeated imperial favor.

All its abbots, including Mu Chunyang, had been granted the title Realman.

Mu Chunyang was a Fifth Layer Great Ascension cultivator in the Ninth Heaven Realm, having perfected the Five Energies Converging to the Origin, renowned as the number one Daoist in the Han Dynasty.

He had been tracking Han Qingtao, the Western White Emperor and former head of the Han Shushan Sect.

Once sufficient progress was made, court authorities took over the case, and Mu Chunyang was reassigned to aid Liu Chong.

Some within Zhenwu Monastery resented this move.

But Mu Chunyang remained composed: > “Given what happened in Shushan, this situation isn’t surprising.”

A Zhenwu elder whispered, > “Master, it’s not just about stealing credit. They don’t trust you or our sect…”

“As expected,” Mu Chunyang calmly replied. “No surprise at all.”

The Han Mortal Realm’s Dao Nation had produced not just Han Qingtao, but also veterans like Xue Xingzi, and other Shushan Sect survivors now being investigated.

Even within Zhenwu Monastery, there was Shang Nan, a high-ranking elder with both power and prestige.

Today, the Shushan Sect was on the verge of collapse.

Zhenwu Monastery’s position was no longer secure either.

The Han court—figures like Liu Chong and Gao Ming—treated them with simultaneous usage and wariness, always keeping an eye out.

Within Zhenwu, internal tensions rose.

Some grew indignant, others fought to prove themselves, while still others distrusted their own peers.

Mu Chunyang himself, however, remained serene.

The court issued a decree—he obeyed.

He handed over the clues to Han Qingtao, then regrouped with Liu Chong.

The Han army sought to reopen the Void Gateway to Guizang.

They had searched for years, and having finally found a lead, they wouldn’t give it up.

Though the gateway had been re-sealed previously, they’d acquired numerous clues.

So, after wiping out the Lesser Han Court, they turned their ambitions back to Guizang.

Led by Liu Chong, many Neo-Confucian cultivators began preparing a Ritual Formation.

It appeared as black smoke rising from ink-like symbols, spiraling into the heavens and probing the void.

In the void, the black smoke coalesced into written ink, flowing and outlining a gate-shaped calligraphic structure.

Meanwhile, in Guizang, the entire realm quivered.

There, Ninth Heaven Grand Scholar Zhang Hui, now residing in Guizang, sensed it immediately.

His sharp perception allowed him to confirm the location in seconds: > “Almost exactly where the old gateway to the Han Mortal Realm used to be.”

Other gateways could still open in that area—but Zhang Hui, attuned to the changes, felt certain this one led back to the Han realm.

As he made preparations to alert the Tang Mortal Realm, he also headed directly to the potential breach point.

Once there, however, he relaxed.

Later, Meng Shaojie arrived: > “Brother Jing! You said the Void Gateway...?”

“Nothing to worry about,” Zhang Hui replied with a calm smile as he painted talismans in the air.

He gestured forward.

Meng Shaojie gazed into the distance and saw two figures—a black Yin Thunder Dragon and a red-gold Yang Fire Tiger—coiling together to form a black-red Taiji Diagram that held the void in place.

“That’s… Grand Tianshi Lei’s work?” Meng Shaojie realized.

If it were a purple-green diagram, the caster might have been hard to identify.

But black and red—Lei Chongyun's signature combination—was known to all of Tang.

“Tianshi Lei must’ve sensed the Han realm’s activity beforehand and left behind this talisman,” Zhang Hui affirmed.

He bore no resentment about Lei Jun handling the situation remotely.

Now, he simply maintained the formation, giving other Tang cultivators time to react.

Though Lei Jun wasn’t present in person, the Heavenly Talisman he left behind still stood strong.

Eventually, the thunderfire might dissipate.

But for now, it was enough to block the initial breach.

Zhang Hui was currently assisting Lei Jun in maintaining the situation.

One after another, elite experts from the Tang Imperial Family, specially designated to oversee this location, began arriving.

Zhang Hui, who was officially “dead” to the public, preferred to avoid appearing in front of others whenever possible. So, he quietly left, leaving Meng Shaojie to brief the new arrivals and stabilize the void realm.

On the other side, though the Neo-Confucian ritual formation was organized by a Ninth Heaven Grand Scholar, without truly opening the void portal, creating a new gateway was significantly harder than sealing an existing one.

The Tang cultivators had contingency plans in place and were executing them meticulously, leaving Elder Liu of the Ming Dynasty with no choice but to gnash his teeth in frustration.

“Daoist Mu?” Liu Chong turned to Mu Chunyang.

The True Martial Monastery’s master, Mu Chunyang, appeared slightly solemn. “Allow this poor Daoist to lend Elder Liu a hand.”

His Nascent Soul Yang Spirit exited his body and ascended into the sky, approaching the inky portal suspended between heaven and earth, sketched in strokes of black ink.

The portal was visibly unstable, with the ink continuously dripping downward, its form twisting and rippling, barely able to hold its shape.

With Mu Chunyang’s support, the "Ink Gate" finally stabilized once again.

However, the blockade from Guizang was proving effective.

Those from the Ming Mortal Realm who wanted to enter Guizang found themselves stuck outside the “Gate,” locked in a standoff.

“Hunting down the traitor Han Qingtao must have cost Daoist Mu quite a bit of strength,” Liu Chong said slowly, standing beside Mu Chunyang’s physical body.

The other elders of the True Martial Monastery bowed their heads at the remark, doing their best to suppress their anger.

It was true that top-tier experts of the Daoist Alchemy Sect at the Nascent Soul level could cross the void independently, but creating a large-scale portal for others was not their strength.

Even those at the Great Ascension Realm of the Ninth Heaven faced the same limitation.

Unless Mu Chunyang possessed the Universal Celestial Physique instead of the Fortune Celestial Physique.

And Liu Chong certainly knew that.

His words were clearly setting the stage: if the counterattack against Guizang got off to a poor start and they failed to breach the realm, the blame would fall squarely on Mu Chunyang and the True Martial Monastery.

The Ming Neo-Confucian elders might often undercut one another, but when facing other Daoist traditions, they always presented a united and forceful front.

The elders of True Martial Monastery were indignant and looked skyward.

How had the Tang cultivators in Guizang managed to detect their intention to launch a counterattack so precisely?

What kind of master possessed such sharp insight and such brilliant methods?

In the Sea of Earth, the light of the Celestial Ground-Through Talisman flickered quietly within Lei Jun’s eyes.

After watching Guizang a bit longer, he nodded slightly.

Having already blocked the passage between Datong and the Tang Mortal Realm once, Lei Jun was now thoroughly experienced in such matters.

It was one thing not to notice in time, but if he sensed it in advance, he would never again allow the enemy to come and go as they pleased.

At the moment, his attention was even more focused on where Tang Xiaotang had gone—toward the human realm of an alien khanate.

So, those of the Ming Mortal Realm would simply have to wait. There would be time later.

The Mysterious Firmament Five Thunder Talisman and Heavenly Sun Ascendant Talisman that Lei Jun had left behind in Guizang couldn’t last forever, true.

But compared to the effort it would take the Ming Mortal Realm to open a portal, simply blocking it from Guizang’s side was much easier and less taxing.

Especially with Zhang Hui still here.

If something unexpected happened, he would not hesitate to step in.

With his talent, aptitude, and cultivation, holding the advantage of Guizang’s sealed gates made it difficult for the enemy, even if they had gathered many powerful experts, to break through in the short term.

As a precaution, Lei Jun’s Celestial Zhou Mirror continued to observe the Guizang side.

Meanwhile, his Celestial Ground-Through Talisman focused on the Sea of Earth.

Though his greater attention was on Tang Xiaotang's location in the khanate’s human realm, Lei Jun had decided to first clean up the Sea of Earth, calming its chaos.

Aside from Li Tianqing, Xíng Feng had also suddenly burst out from Luoyuan.

As a result, the demonic beasts of Luoyuan, led by the Bone Flood Dragon King, suffered greatly.

Given the ongoing chaos among the Nine Li tribes, Xíng Feng did not continue his pursuit into Luoyuan after repelling the Bone Flood Dragon King. Instead, he turned to aid Li Tianqing in battling a number of Nine Li Great Shamans.

Strictly speaking, now that the existence of the Corpse Flea King had been revealed, many of the truths behind past events had come to light, leading to the disintegration of both the Four-Tribe and Five-Tribe coalitions of the Nine Li.

At present, most of the Nine Li clans were fighting their own battles, individually.

Several clans had even retreated deep into the Sea of Earth’s edge, isolating themselves to avoid getting involved in the greater conflict.

After being forced to flee to the alien khanate’s human realm by Tang Xiaotang, Li Yuanheng was no longer a central player in the Sea of Earth’s war.

Only one key factor remained:

The chieftain of the Giant Li Tribe, Li Bin—and “Li Zhongding,” who was under his curse control.

Or more accurately, the Corpse Flea King.

So Lei Jun directly went after them.

Intercepted by surprise, Li Bin was immediately trapped by Li Tianqing’s Ghost-God Sacrificial Formation, while the Corpse Flea King tried to escape.

The connection between Li Bin and the Corpse Flea King was disrupted, giving the latter a fleeting chance at freedom.

Possessing Li Zhongding, it quickly fled.

But the brilliant purple Yang Lightning Dragon lit up the dark underground world.

As thunder roared, a massive dragon head thrust down from above, unleashing a storm of violet lightning.

Li Zhongding’s eyes turned ghostly gray, revealing a sinister gleam.

Seeing both the Yang Lightning Dragon and Lei Jun’s Great Ascension Dao Domain encircling him, “Li Zhongding” no longer tried to flee.

If he focused only on escaping now, he would have no chance and would simply be seized by Lei Jun’s domain.

Instead, he raised both arms wide, his movements ancient and vigorous.

The Ritual Dance.

Also known as Nuo Dance, or the Dance of the Spirits.

In life, Li Zhongding had reached the Fourth Layer of the Ninth Heaven within the Witch Sect’s Divine Dance Lineage, only one step away from perfection—undeniably the second-strongest Nine Li shaman.

Now controlled by the Corpse Flea King, despite some hindrance, he nearly replicated the glory of his former god-invoking self.

Compared to shamans below the Ninth Heaven, Li Zhongding’s Ritual Dance Ghost-God Formation activated at nearly the same speed as Lei Jun’s Great Ascension Dao Domain.

Purple lightning rained from the skies, which would typically disrupt a divine dance formation.

But at some point, a large, ferocious mask appeared on Li Zhongding’s face.

Inscribed with ritual patterns, the mask formed a protective barrier that shielded him from the deluge of thunder, allowing the Ghost-God Sacrificial Formation to be completed unhindered.

That mask was not a physical artifact but a mystical manifestation unique to god-invoking shamans of the Ninth Heaven:

The Face of Fangxiang.

Unlike other lineages’ large-scale formations, Ninth Heaven Divine Dance formations began from the microcosm—within the shaman’s own body, collapsing the vast into the minute.

At the First Layer of the Ninth Heaven, the Face of Fangxiang was not forged but conjured through ritual energy, the first step in this transformation.

It concealed the shaman’s true face.

In that moment, the human became divine.

With this mask, the formation activated faster and more powerfully, and was less vulnerable to disruption during setup.

“Li Zhongding” used this to resist the Heavenly Thunder and establish his formation.

Once anchored, violent winds surged outward to clash with the Yang Lightning, halting the spread of Lei Jun’s domain.

The Ghost-God Formation differed from the divine dance traditions of the Tang Witch Sect.

It was a Nine Li secret art:

Nine Li – Wind Lord.

Wind surged as if tangible—both offensive and defensive—radiating outward.

Lei Jun’s domain was stalled mid-expansion.

Yet the Corpse Flea King felt no joy.

Through Li Zhongding, it knew clearly: compared to Daoist Divine Court Universes or Confucian Nation Under Heaven, divine dance formations activated more slowly.

Their advantage lay in what came after—dominance over local space-time.

If they succeeded in activating first, they could suppress the other traditions’ domains.

But now, even with the Wind Lord formation, it could only temporarily hinder Lei Jun—not reverse his advance.

That towering young Daoist—his strength was terrifying.

Lei Jun, unfazed by the pause in his domain, summoned another force.

From the shadows emerged a silent black Yin Lightning Dragon.

One black, one purple, the two thunder dragons interwove. Even with the Face of Fangxiang and the Wind Lord, “Li Zhongding” couldn’t withstand the assault and was struck down.

Yet he knew his opponent was formidable.

As the Wind Lord fell, a new ritual formation instantly replaced it.

Another Nine Li secret:

Nine Li – Rain Master.

This formation brought not wind but a curtain of fine rain.

Seemingly gentle, the rain was highly corrosive, relentless, and all-encompassing.

However, Lei Jun was well-versed in Nine Li magic by now.

As the Rain Master rose, the Heavenly Sun Ascendant Talisman ignited above his head.

Blazing red-gold flames surged into a massive Yang Fire Tiger, roaring through the Sea of Earth.

Flaming rain scorched the enemy’s ghostly downpour.

At the same time, Lei Jun stepped forward, transformed into the towering Doumu Star God Apparition, and instantly closed the distance to “Li Zhongding.”

Despite being spirit-focused, Nine Li cultivators possessed incredibly powerful bodies.

As Lei Jun closed in, “Li Zhongding’s” formation shifted again.

Dark light swirled, forming a mighty divine weapon in his hands.

A towering deity with a bronze head and iron brow appeared—violent yet majestic.

Nine Li – Chiyou.

Stronger than the previous two, the Chiyou formation helped him meet Lei Jun’s charge.

But to his shock, Lei Jun struck even more fiercely.

The Doumu Star God grabbed the divine weapon bare-handed.

The Yang Fire Tiger and Yin Lightning Dragon had not vanished.

Now, tiger’s roar and dragon’s cry joined as fire and lightning combined.

The Black-Red Taiji Diagram spun, its radiance shattering Chiyou’s might.

But then—“Li Zhongding’s” chest pulsed violently.

The Heart of the Formation.

A divine dance shaman at the Second Layer of the Ninth Heaven could inscribe their formation into their own heart.

When activated, it granted the formation a second life—instantly restoring it after destruction.

Usable only once in a short span.

But timing was up to the shaman.

Neither Wind Lord nor Rain Master had used it.

Only now, with Chiyou broken and melee upon them, did he unleash it.

Not only that—at that moment, “Li Zhongding” erupted with full power.

His gray eyes flashed, and alongside the resurrected Chiyou, he cast a second formation.

A ghostly image appeared—this time not physical but illusionary.

It didn’t target Lei Jun’s body, but his spirit.

Lei Jun’s mind shuddered, his soul seemingly about to be drawn from his body and into the illusory formation.

As if sucked into “Li Zhongding’s” eyes.

This was known as:

The Eye of the Formation.

This was a divine technique of the Divine Dance Lineage, one that only a Great Shaman who had reached the Third Layer of the Ninth Heaven could cultivate.

The infinite collapsed into the infinitesimal—Heaven and Earth contained within a mere inch.

This time, using his own body as the foundation of the Ritual Array, his eyes themselves could, in a split second, transform the array into a Divine Soul Formation, striking the enemy without a trace.

The Chiyou Formation at the Heart of the Array and the Rainmaster Formation within the Array Eyes activated simultaneously—one real, one illusory—twisting space in a bizarre way, as if trying to tear Lei Jun apart.

Aside from the Phase-Facing Mask, the Array Heart, and the Array Eyes, no one knew exactly when “Li Zhongding” had lost the last segment of his left pinky.

Though the wound had stopped bleeding, it was clearly fresh.

Previously, with the Wind Lord and Rainmaster Formations being broken one after another, Lei Jun’s Great Ascension Dao Domain had reemerged, ready to seize “Li Zhongding.”

Yet now, just as the Daoist Great Ascension Dao Domain was about to close, “Li Zhongding” once again activated the Chiyou Formation using the Array Heart and Array Eyes.

Outside that massive, pitch-black celestial sphere of the Great Ascension Dao Domain, violent winds suddenly rose again in the murky Earth Sea Realm.

A severed pinky finger dropped there.

Its flesh quickly rotted away, leaving only the bone behind.

The gray-white bone shimmered with radiance, becoming instantly resplendent—crystal-clear like pure water.

At its center, a third brand-new Ghost-God Ritual Array suddenly unfolded.

This was a divine method available only to a Great Shaman who had reached the Fourth Layer of the Ninth Heaven in the Divine Dance Lineage—Bone Array.

The array was fused directly into one's bones, allowing it to exist without being personally maintained by the cultivator—yet still last for a period of time.

Although weaker than the Chiyou Formation currently being controlled by “Li Zhongding” himself, the sudden appearance of this array outside Lei Jun’s domain formed a coordinated pincer attack alongside the formations within the Dao Domain, resisting its suppression and even attempting to interfere with it in turn.

In an instant, “Li Zhongding” unleashed every trick in the book, striking back at Lei Jun.

Corpse Fleas weren’t mindless.

And the Corpse Flea King was especially cunning and vicious. Under its control, “Li Zhongding” laid a trap—an open mouth ready to close and swallow Lei Jun whole.

But just as all these techniques erupted at once, Lei Jun’s formidable mana surged outward in a violent tremor.

The Great Ascension Dao Domain had not yet fully closed, but the starry black universe had already enclosed both him and “Li Zhongding.”

As “Li Zhongding” activated the Array Heart and Array Eyes, and blinding light burst forth from his gray-white pupils—at that very same moment, a dazzling radiance erupted from Lei Jun’s brow.

At point-blank range, that brilliant, refined streak of divine light shot out at a speed that caught “Li Zhongding” completely off guard.

He had revived the Chiyou Formation from the Array Heart for a surprise strike.

But Lei Jun’s Yin-Yang Divine Radiance from his brow was even faster—unimaginably so. In the blink of an eye, it launched a back-to-back combo with his earlier Dragon-Tiger Combined Strike, smashing the Chiyou Formation twice in a row!

At the same time, thunder exploded within the Rainmaster Formation, designed to target the divine soul.

It was shapeless and formless, existing only in the realm of illusion—yet it was aimed directly at the soul.

Lei Jun’s Nine Heavens Heart Thunder.

With the thunderclap, the Rainmaster Formation quaked, and a Nine-Segment Green Bamboo, shining with both purple and gold light, abruptly appeared.

Seeing this, “Li Zhongding” froze—then paled in terror.

The Upper Qing Jade Celestial Bamboo, its nine segments of varying length, surged with illusory thunder. It pierced through the veils of time and space, shattering the illusion of the Rainmaster Formation, and struck directly at his divine soul.

In that moment, Li Zhongding’s body could no longer offer any protection.

Even the Corpse Flea King’s own body could not shield its soul.

The purple-gold bamboo struck squarely into the Corpse Flea King's divine soul.

In the void, a soft “crack” echoed—like porcelain shattering.

No one could hear it—it seemed like a hallucination.

Yet in that instant, the gray-white glow in “Li Zhongding’s” eyes faded dramatically. His pupils dimmed and turned cloudy—finally revealing his true dazed state.

His body swayed violently like a drunkard.

The Corpse Flea King felt like its very soul had nearly been shattered in one strike.

Though its demonic cultivation relied little on its own body, its Fourth Layer of the Ninth Heaven foundation just barely allowed it to hold its soul together.

With all its remaining strength, it forced “Li Zhongding” to flee outward.

But the universe was vast and boundless—he could see no way out.

“…!” The soul-damaged Corpse Flea King suddenly panicked.

It ignored the soul-shattering pain, overwhelmed by sheer terror.

Even though the Chiyou and Rainmaster Formations had been broken, it had earlier used Bone Array to deploy a Wind Lord Formation outside Lei Jun’s domain.

Even if the initial blow failed, it should have had some impact.

Yet this Xuanhuang Universe was eerily quiet.

The Corpse Flea King had no chance to test escaping from the inner Great Ascension Dao Domain to discover that Lei Jun actually had two layers, both terrifyingly powerful—not at all weaker than personally hosted ritual arrays.

At present, Lei Jun had nested the enemy within his dual Dao Domains—one inner, one outer.

The outer domain appeared to be faltering under pressure from the Ghost-God Arrays both inside and out.

…But in truth, it wasn’t.

Even if the Chiyou and Rainmaster Formations still existed, they were trapped in the inner domain.

The Wind Lord Formation, formed from Bone Array, was stuck outside the outer domain.

There was no way to form a coordinated pincer attack.

The only reason that Wind Lord Formation could even stand was due to “Li Zhongding’s” slight edge from his Fourth Layer of the Ninth Heaven and his refined array mastery.

Currently, with others still present outside in the Earth Sea, Lei Jun made his outer domain seem partially damaged—appearing to be affected by the enemy array.

Inside, however, as “Li Zhongding” attempted to flee outward under the Corpse Flea King's direction, Lei Jun’s overhead Black-Red Taiji Diagram, formed from Heavenly Sun True Fire and Mysterious Firmament Celestial Lightning, began spinning once more.

The blazing radiance enveloped “Li Zhongding”, cutting off every escape route.

“Li Zhongding” tried to persist, wanting to deploy another ritual array.

But to his horror, the Purple Lightning Thunder Dragon returned once more.

Alongside it, a towering Green Fire Tiger, formed from rolling waves of Emerald Earth Fire, erupted next to Lei Jun.

As the dragon roared and the tiger howled, the Purple-Green Taiji Diagram also emerged, standing side by side with the Black-Red Diagram above.

A second wave of radiant light burst forth. As the two lights interwove, they formed a cataclysmic torrent—completely drowning “Li Zhongding.”

—

Outside the Xuanhuang Universe, flames of war still raged across the Earth Sea.

The Ju Li, Bi Li, and Wen Li tribes under Li Bin, Li De, and Li Zhongding were left leaderless and besieged.

Even so, the Nine Li tribesmen and Tang Realm cultivators alike were all watching how Li Bin and “Li Zhongding” met their end.

“So it’s not just the State Preceptor Tang—Tianshi Lei is here too, huh.”

Jin Daowu gazed at the immense black sphere—like a celestial body itself—with awe on his face.

“It’s my first time seeing Tianshi Lei’s Great Ascension Dao Domain in person. Absolutely stunning.”

He called out to General Shen Qubing beside him: “General, you’ve traveled with Tianshi Lei before, right?”

“Yeah, I have.” Shen Qubing was just smashing a Nine Li cultivator to the ground.

Hearing the question, he looked toward the black Dao Domain.

He hadn’t been able to capture Chen Yi, the publicly wanted criminal and notorious Mount Longhu defector. Having let Chen Yi escape using a substitution technique left Shen Qubing embarrassed to face Lei Jun.

Just then, a glint flashed in his eyes, and he rushed toward the Xuanhuang Universe.

Jin Daowu looked confused at first, but then also noticed a mysterious Ghost-God Ritual Array unfolding outside Lei Jun’s domain.

To prevent this Wind Lord Formation from interfering, Shen Qubing intended to destroy it.

But by the time he arrived, the massive black sphere was already starting to collapse.

From afar, Jin Daowu and the other Tang Realm cultivators were stunned.

They rushed forward—only to see that, as the black world vanished, a tall figure reappeared in the Earth Sea.

Lei Jun stood with hands clasped behind his back. Before him, the once-feared second-ranked Nine Li expert, Li Zhongding, was nowhere to be found.

Only beside Lei Jun, a Purple Lightning Dragon hovered—its body crackling with electric might.

In its mouth, it held a small but eerie insect—its demonic aura fading fast.

It was the Corpse Flea King from Luoyuan, a Ninth-Heaven Demon.

None present—whether Nine Li or Tang Realm—had ever witnessed a Corpse Flea of this level.

But with a devastating sweep of Yang Lightning Dragon's thunderous force, the Corpse Flea King was reduced to dust!

“General Shen.”

Lei Jun’s expression remained calm as he nodded toward Shen Qubing. “I’m off to find my Senior Sister Tang. I’ll leave the rest of the Earth Sea to you all.”

With Xing Feng, Li Tianqing, and Shen Qubing all present, and the Luoyuan Void Gateway temporarily secure, reinforcements from the Tang Realm would soon follow.

Shen Qubing snapped out of it and, with Jin Daowu and the others, cupped his fists in salute. “Rest assured, Tianshi.”

Lei Jun nodded slightly. The Purple Lightning Dragon lifted him into the sky, soaring across the murky world—leaving the Earth Sea behind as he headed for the Void Gateway that connected it to the realm of the foreign Khanate.