Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 400: The Remaining Ministers of the Song Dynasty

As the former top expert of the Jiuli and the Lord of the Vast Ocean, Li Yuanheng’s cultivation and strength went without saying.

Although he had been ambushed and injured by Li Zhongding and others while fiercely battling the monsters of Luoyuan, at the time he had still been able to maintain some control over the situation, sealing the Void Gateway between the Vast Ocean and Luoyuan, cutting off the monsters’ chance to flood into the Vast Ocean.

However, for him to now reopen the Void Gateway from the Vast Ocean to Luoyuan with his own hands was a different matter entirely.

Even though he was severely injured from being attacked on all sides, Li Yuanheng had still seen through the strangeness in Li Zhongding, and had even attempted to use his own Gu techniques to turn the tables and control the Corpse Flea King.

In fact, he had nearly succeeded.

Had Tang Xiaotang not suddenly charged into the Vast Ocean, Li Yuanheng might have turned the tide even with his injuries and seized control of the Corpse Flea King.

Unfortunately, everything was shattered the moment Tang Xiaotang arrived.

The once Lord of the Vast Ocean was now forced to personally reopen the Void Gateway leading from the Vast Ocean to the human realm of the Khanate and Luoyuan—inviting the wolf into his own house while simultaneously seeking a way out.

Lei Jun, following the gateway left behind by Li Yuanheng as he departed the Vast Ocean, also entered another part of the human realm.

Yet despite the change in location, Lei Jun found the scene before him strangely familiar—still engulfed in darkness.

The Spiritual Energy of the land was vast and abundant, yet chaotic.

The flow of its spiritual meridians was noticeably different from those of the Vast Ocean or the Tang Mortal Realm.

In the darkness, Lei Jun stepped forward and stretched out his hand.

His palm pressed against what felt like either rock or soil—a cliff wall.

Unlike the Vast Ocean, Lei Jun was now deep in a secluded valley.

He looked up, but above was only darkness—eternal night.

Using his spiritual senses, he felt the surrounding landscape had existed for quite some time, but also bore fresh marks—evidence of a clash between top-tier experts.

“So this is the so-called Youluo Valley, the Lightless Domain,” Lei Jun nodded slightly.

When the Golden Khanate rode into the Great Song Dynasty, the two sides had clashed violently.

At its most intense, the battle had literally shattered the land—some portions of this human realm had broken away completely, leaving behind missing mountains and rivers.

These fragmented lands became isolated foreign spaces, like the one Xu Yuanzhen, Lei Jun, and Lin Che of Jiangzhou had once entered.

Within the realm now ruled by the Khanate, those missing parts remained irreparable in the short term.

It was as if a chunk of flesh had been gouged out, leaving the space itself torn and chaotic.

Let alone commoners— even many accomplished cultivators might face grave danger if they entered rashly.

Though the spiritual meridians of this realm had stabilized somewhat over the years, this valley remained dark and sunless all year round.

But for the Jiuli people, it was a rare refuge hidden within the brightness of the human realm.

Li Yuanheng had clearly known this, and had long prepared this place as an escape route.

The gateway he opened landed precisely within the Lightless Domain.

Judging by how decisively and orderly he had led the Greedy Li Tribe in retreat, many contingency plans must have been in place beforehand.

Even so, Li Yuanheng surely hadn’t wanted to be pushed this far.

After all, the Khanate’s human realm was no peaceful sanctuary—threats abounded.

And escaping here didn’t mean all problems were solved.

Lei Jun, deep in the valley, could hear the sounds of intense battle from afar—earth-shattering clashes.

The Greedy Li Tribe, having retreated from the Vast Ocean, scattered and took shelter throughout the valley.

But Tang Xiaotang, who pursued them, didn’t care about the rest of the tribe.

Her target was Li Yuanheng alone.

With the Three Treasures of the Tianshi in hand, Tang Xiaotang was at her peak.

Though Li Yuanheng was a Great Shaman at the Fifth Layer of the Ninth Heaven, his injuries left him vulnerable.

If surrounded, his fate might be no better than Lin Zheng, the Patriarch of the Lin Clan of Datong.

But the current battle was intense.

As Lei Jun approached, the Celestial Ground-Through Talisman shimmered deep in his eyes.

Tang Xiaotang was not fighting Li Yuanheng alone—two others were also clashing with her.

One of them spoke before Lei Jun could even see his face:

“A soft thunder falls one night, ten thousand threads descend,

Morning light floats on roof tiles, shadows dancing green again.”

The chant stirred the elements—wind, clouds, thunder—even tugging at Tang Xiaotang’s Pure Yang Celestial Thunder.

Yet with a cold snort, Tang Xiaotang’s thunder reformed instantly, obeying her will once more.

This was largely due to the thunder being her own personal creation, born of years of cultivation—responding to her command as if it were a limb.

If anyone else had cultivated her Divine Firmament Pure Yang Talisman and formed this thunder, they might have lost control under such refined Scholarly Aura.

The speaker remained calm, but his voice stirred heaven and earth—he was a top-level Confucian Scholar who had achieved the Pacify the World Realm of the Ninth Heaven.

Through his Talismanic vision, Lei Jun saw a middle-aged scholar appear in his view.

The man kept a wide distance from Tang Xiaotang, his expression tense and vigilant, wary of her lightning-fast body technique.

Close to Tang Xiaotang, another combatant engaged her alongside Li Yuanheng.

This one moved so fast Lei Jun couldn’t track him from afar.

Only as he got closer could Lei Jun see him—a muscular man riding a strange beast, moving with windlike agility.

His appearance and attire closely resembled that of the Golden Khanate’s nobles—a light cavalry Wusheng.

His attacks were swift and harassing, never overextending, always retreating after a strike.

Li Yuanheng's eyes flickered with cold light. Though he was losing control of the situation, he didn’t try to escape—he chose to assist the other two.

Yet Tang Xiaotang, facing all three alone, showed no fear—on the contrary, she looked thrilled: “Perfect timing!”

Without hesitation, she charged head-on at her three opponents.

The Sea of Pure Yang surged around her, with the Pure Yang Vessel sailing upon it.

Around the ship, mysterious invisible currents began to swirl.

Lei Jun kept watch on the battle while also observing his surroundings.

Besides the three Ninth-Heaven experts fighting Tang Xiaotang, others were nearby.

Some from the Greedy Li Tribe had regrouped in the distance, preparing to support Li Yuanheng.

But the sheer scale of the battle scared them off.

Only one person dared approach—the man in Confucian robes.

He was a handsome scholar, appearing to be in his early thirties, but his eyes held a weary depth.

He bore two wounds—one old, one fresh—the latter likely inflicted by the Khanate Wusheng’s long blade.

Lei Jun noticed him immediately.

Despite his injuries, his Scholarly Aura soared—sharp and condensed, impossible to ignore.

While tending his wounds, he watched the battle attentively.

Surrounding him from afar was a mixed group—some Khanate cavalry, others Western Region monks.

Their robes bore red linings, marking them as members of the Lotus Division of the Vajra Realm.

Years ago, Consort Yangjin and other Lotus Division monks dressed just like this.

Among this group now stood a powerful female monk.

“Consort Chu Duo, just received word from Master Baima—she’s nearby and arriving shortly.”

The Consort replied gravely, “Too many unexpected variables this time. We must remain cautious.”

Her gaze lingered on the massive Pure Yang Vessel in the sky, then fell again on the wounded scholar below.

“Zhu Junjie is already marked by the Khan as a most wanted criminal. Our purpose in coming to the Lightless Domain is to eliminate him. The rest can wait.”

She added with a heavy voice, “Tribal Chief Saleheng is still far too... aggressive.”

Saleheng, currently battling Tang Xiaotang, was the chief of the Swiftwind Tribe, one of the Khanate’s major clans.

He was also a rare Ninth-Heaven Wusheng—a top-tier expert in the Golden Khanate.

The Great Song Dynasty had already fallen.

Only a few survivors remained, still fleeing, hiding, resisting.

Among them was Zhu Junjie—a famed Confucian scholar who had risen in recent years.

Even after the dynasty’s collapse, he kept fighting for its cause.

The Lightless Domain, with its complex terrain, offered refuge.

Wounded, surrounded, Zhu Junjie had planned to use the valley to escape.

But with Tang Xiaotang chasing Li Yuanheng into the valley, everything changed.

The chaos of battle had created the current situation.

Zhu Junjie, unaware of the full picture, didn’t abandon Tang Xiaotang.

After a brief rest and treating his wounds, he immediately rejoined the fight—to stand by her side.